Swfja n"PHjWW''WW ine " . Commoner, Coal Produc- An interesting showing con tioii of the corning our coal production is United States. made ' by the New York World. In 1899, the United States -wrested from Great Britain the lead in the coal production of the world. In 1900, this country more than doubled its lead in this production. Pennsylvania furnishes a large proportion of the coal, but it dctes not, how ever, liave a monopoly on the coal mining in dustry. The World says: . 'The new returns from Washington show that twenty-six states and two territories contribute to the coal output of the country. Of the 267,542, 444 tons mined in 1900 Pennsylvania contributed 136,724,006, of which 67,107,660 tons were anthra cite. The state's net gain of 2,150,000 tons was due entirely to an increase in the yield of soft coal, the coal trust having effected a decrease in the other kind. Next in line is Illinois, with an output of 25, 153,929 tons. Then come West Virgmia, with 21, 980,430 tons, and Ohio, with 19,105,408 tons. No other state reaches the 10,000,000 mark. Toying with The Boston Journal thinks the Con- the opponents of imperialism stltution. should be thankful because of the Supremo Court's Porto Kican decision. The Journal Bays that had the court held that the constitution followed the flag and extended ov.er our new posses sions, it would be impossible to alienate any of these islands in the future. This is so, ac cording to the Journal, because there is nothing in the constitution that warrants the surrender ' of any territory or any people once formally pronounced American. Will the Journal take another look, at the constitution and discover if it can any author ity therein, either direct or implied, for the government of subject peoples? For people who are so ready to ignore the constitution, so quick to set themselves above the constitution, the imperialists are very prompt to rush to the constitution to find pro hibitions against doing that which they do not want to do, and authority for doing that which they want to. In flemory ' At 0 o'clock in tho evening of of Rizal. December 30 of each year, in the churches of the Philippine Islands, the bell is given an extra stroke as a tribute to the memory of Jose Rizal. Decem ber 30 is the anniversary of the execution of Rizal. He was a Filipino patriot and was born m Luzon in 1801. Rizal was a well edu cated man and the author of several books whose purpose was to give to the world a better acquaintance with the Filipino people and to invoke a larger sympathy for the wrongs they had suffered. Ho persistently agitated the Filipino cause throughout Europe and in 1887 went to Hong Kong where he organized the Filipino League. He returned to Manila in 1892 where he was arrested on the claim that tho Spanish officers had found seditious documents in his possession. On December 80, 1896, Rizal was executed by the Spanish authorities on the charge of being a traitor. In the shadow, of death Rizal said: "What is death to me? I have sown the seed others are left to reap." Mr. McCutcheon, the newspaper correspon dent, sayB that when the Filipino bells are tolled on the evening of December 30, the peo ple pay reverent attention and say: "That is to the memory of Rizal." The sacrifices made by this man were made for tho love of his native land. His people aspired to liberty; their aspiration was his aspiration. He went to his death cheerfully and with a clear con science, and ever since the day of bis execu tion his memory has been enshrined in tho hearts of his countrymen. - Now. after all these years the United States of America have succeeded to the sovereignty of Spain, and the Filipinos of today are fight . ing for liberty against this country as the Fili pinos of Rizal's time fought for liberty. It must be a gloomy task for the American when lie listens to the tolling of the Philippine bells on December 30 to reflect that the seed sown by Rizal, the patriot, has not yet been reaped, and that the harvest has been prevented by tho action of a nation that has always pretended to be the greatest of all champions of liberty. If we are to continue in tho possession of tho Philippine Islands tho American people will learn more of the history of that territory. The pathetic story of Rizal will belong to ub, but it will not be pleasant to listen to that sad tale so long as we deny tp the Filipinos of to day, the liberty fpr which they and their fathers so long fought.. ... , , . . lw) ..J? South Ameri- Tho New York World points can Trade out that the total exports of Important. South America in 1900 were valued at $450,000,000 and the total imports at $350,000,000, using round figures. Of the total exports $93,005,134 were sent to the United States. Of the total im ports $38,945,721 were sent from tho United States. The balance of trade, therefore, last year was $54,719,413 in favor of South Amer ica and against the United States." The World asks "Of the total foreign com merce of South America, amounting in value tp $800,000,000, why is less than one-sixth with this country and more than five-sixths with other nations?" The World's answer is that wo have "neglected the only outlet for our commercial energy through the unfortu nate combination of accident and blundering which has sent us to oriental opium dreaming." But may it not also be true that as we have grown nearer and nearer a policy of imperial ism we have grown farther and farther from our South American friends? A Menace m to Business. J. Pierpont Morgan is re ported to have on foot the or ganization of an Anglo-American bank with a capital of $1,000,000,000. The scheme contemplates the abolition of -all financial agencies now engaged in Anglo American business. It is intended that this bank shall not only dominate the banking bus iness between America and Europe, but that it shall dictate the financial operations of the world. Some idea of the immensity of this bank will be obtained when it is known that the aggregate capital of the 04 national banks in Now York is only $100,000,000. Tho bank of England has a capital of $72,705,000. Tho bank of Franco has a capital of $80,500,000. The capital of Mr. Morgan's proposed bank will be much larger than tho combined capital of tho bank of France, the bank of Berlin, tho bank of Spain, tho bank of England and tho government bank of Turkey. Can any thoughtful citizen contemplate tho proposition that such a bank bo established without being fearful of tho results upon tho general welfare of tho public? Another Great Tho London Statist, in a ro Achievemcnt. cent article, provides tho ad ministration politicians with a great campaign card. The Statist says: "The crops promise to bo poor in tho greater part of Europe and there is a prospect that Franco and Germany will have to buy more wheat than lately. "It is safe to conclude that tho United States will either export a larger quantity oven than in recent years, or, if tho weather of June and July injures tho crops, she will bo able to sell at much higher prices. "So far as Europe is concerned, it is desirable that tho American crop should bo very large. It seems certain that in either ovent tho balance of indebtedness will bo increasingly against Europe and in favor of tho Unitod States. . "Therefore, it is not an unreasonable conclu sion that the volume of money, needed in tho au tumn to conduct tho vast business which, it seems likely, will be beyond all comparison greater than ever before, enhancing rates greatly, will result in a largo drain of gold to the United States" It will now bo in order for tho republican newspapers to pay another high tribute to tho MoKinlcy administration. Of course if tho price of wheat goes up because of a large Euro pean demand, the administration is to be given the credit for the crop shortage abroad. Is It all Caution When the Cuban Commission In the Cuban visited Washington they were Affair? told by Secretary of War Root that the Piatt amend ment was the law of the land, that the presi dent was powerless to change that law, and bo fore the executive could obtain authority to act in the premises the Piatt amendment, as a whole must be adopted. " The Piatt amendment as a whole has been adopted, and now the Washington dispatches say that the administration counsellors have concluded that it would not be wise for the president to act in the matter of withdrawing the troops from Cuba, even after a government shall be organized there, until he shall have submitted the question of American evacua tion to congress. It is stated that the presi dent has "fully made up his mind that he will not act upon his own responsibility in the premises." Is it possible to regard all this as mere caution and a desire to conform to tho laws and the equities of the situation?. Are not the people justified in suspecting that there is a vast amount of insincerity and hypocrisy in the administration's attitude on the Cuban question? i i