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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1902)
5 "What Good Would it do?" May 16 f sooa v 'A Washington dispatch to the Chicago Record Herald says: "Rathbone declines a pardon, be- ing determined to establish Tils n innocence." How does it hap- "Deciines' pen that Rathbone has "de a Pardon. clined" a pardon? Is Senator Hanna authorized to tender par dons under this administration? Or has Rathbone been offered a pardon in a private way? The revelations concerning cruelties practiced In the Philippines prove, not that we are worse than other people, but that hu Useof man nature is too frail to -bo Arbitrary trusted With the use of arbl- Pewer. trary power. An irresponsible government will certainly result in atrocities. Man is not strong enough to with stand the temptation to misuse power and there fore constitutional restrictions are necessary for the protection of the weak and for the mainte nance of civilized government The . Kansas City Journal, republican, refer ring to the demand made by "senators of the Car mack stripe" that certain Fili pino leaders and others be called for the purpose of testifying be fore the senate Philippine com mittee, asks: "What good would it do?" One thing it would dp would be to throw a little more light on the situation in the Phil ippines. It -would aid in providing the American people with the truth; and the truth, concerning the Philippines, is what the people, at this mo ment, are most anxious to know. The "lots of five" plan announced last week .Whereby five yearly subscriptions to The Com moner may be secured for $3 Lots has met with a very ehcourag- bf Five ing reception. The general cir- pianv . rculation of The Commoner is 1 rapidly increasing, and it is do Bired to extend the circulation of this paper into every precinct in the United States. Democrats toverywhere to whom the doctrines supported by fThe Commoner 'are acceptable are asked to as sist in the effort to extend The Commonet's Bphere of influence.. Particulars ' concerning this 'plan may be found in another column. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat, republican, Bays: "By annexation Cuba can secure free com merce with the United States, Privileges its best market both for exports Under and imports; the door of pros- Annexation, perity and of stability stands open." The Globe-Democrat must mean that Cuba might secure these privil eges under annexation if the republican party were driven from power. Certainly, even under annexation, the Cubans could find no reason to believe that they would be accorded at the iiands of the republican leaders privileges equal with other sections of the United States. The exper ience which the people of "our new possessions" have had under the republican administration fVl not justify the Cubans in entertaining any such hope as is held out to them by this republican paper. VNCC The Chicago Tribune, republican, in its lssuo of May 6, says: -"Unless there should be a change of front on the part of United States Attorney Bethea and Special Counsel Day, there will be no criminal prosecutions of the packers alleged to be mem bers of the beef trust. It is now the plan of the federal prosecutors to proceed with a full investi gation of the charges against the paqkers by means of their injunction proceedings. The statement has been made a number of times recently that Why Avoid. This Weapon? The Commoner. the federal grand jury, which meets on May 13, will direct its attention to such an investigation. Nothing of the kind is contemplated by the gov ernment attorneys." Now, if the administration is really determined to make war upon the trust system, why has it decided that there will bo no criminal prosecution commenced against the mem bers of the beef combine? Wo have been told fre quently that thero is great difficulty In obtaining effective weapons to use against the trust system. The federal anti-trust law, however, provides a very effective weapon in the shape of criminal prosecution. Why has the administration decided not to make use of this weapon? The Chicago Chronicle says: "The way U open for the election of a democratic president in 1904. All that Is needed is a This candidate acceptable to all demo- is crats, a platform constructed on "Harmony." old democratic lines and united democratic action at the polls." In the same article the Chronicle also says that any candidate who would be regarded "as a rep resentative of Bryanism would bo defeated by & greater majority than distinguished Mr. Bryan's defeat at either election when ho was a candi date." "Bryanism" is the personal way in which papers like the Chicago Chronicle refer to tbo principles of the Kansas City platform. Whilo the Chronicle pleads for "harmony," and says that "all that is needed is a candidate acceptable to all democrats, a platform constructed on old demo cratic lines, and united democratic action at the polls," the same paper serves notice that any can didate who would be acceptable to the advocates of the Kansas City platform would bo defeated. This is a fair representation of the "harmony" which the reofganizers seek. The treaty of May 8, 1871, between Great Britain and the United States provides that a. neu- ' ' trat government is bound "not Duties of to permit or suffer either belli- a Neutral gerent to make use of its ports Government. or waters as the base of naval operations against the other, or for the purpose of renewal or augraenta tion of military supplies, of arms, or the recruit ment of men.1' That treaty also provides that a neutral government m-st "exercise due diligence in its own ports and waters and as to all persons -within its jurisdiction to prevent any violation of the foregoing obligations and duties." It will bo difficult for the average man to under stand why the British camp near New Or leans, with its shipment of horses and mules and its practical recruitment of men, is not a viola tion of the law of neutrality as defined in the treaty of 1871. If the expeditions that are sent from United States ports.which expeditions are set on foot by this British military camp, are not "military expeditions," then it would be difficult to find t name for them. Several years ago Bishop Potter said: The question is not what we shall do with the Phil ippines, but what they will do to us." The New York World provides some Interesting ob servations as to what the Philippines have already done to us. The order to kill and burn, to kill all over ten, to make Samar a howling wilder ness, and tyranny and conquest are some of the things pointed out by the World that the Philip pines have done to us. The World then says: "It is not exaggeration to say that we have killed more of the natives in three years than the Span iards' had killed in thirty, and have practiced cruelties that never before disgraced our warfare. But this is not all. The Philippines have caused our government to suspend the constitution in the presence of our flag. They have made us re- What They ilave "Done." pud la to and trample upon the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Thoy havo led u to re-enact the odious alien and sedition laws. Compared with theso insidious, demoralizing and deplorable results, affecting the very essence of democracy and contravening the genius of our institutions, the mere money loss of $350,000,000 is as nothing. What tho Philippines havo done to us Is to Innoculato our republican system with tin Tirus of military colonialism In its most despotic and destructive form." Referring to tho charges made by Governor Gardener of the Philippines, tho Washington cor respondent of tho Chicago Rcc Ths ord-Herald says. "Gardener is , . riaskis not well liked among tho ro- Faliin?. publicans hero. Their view of him is that he is a socialist, a 'crank,' a dreamer, a visionary, a quarrelsome fel low who got into friction with army officers in his province and proceeded to 'get even' by mak ing general charges against them. Thoy profess not to bo afraid of his story, but thoy are opposed to giving him what they say ho is evidently play ing for, a chanco to exploit himself and win notoriety and take tho center of tho stage. Thoy say they don't want to encourage men of that stamp into 'playing to tho galleries.' " Now, If the republicans are not afraid of Governor Gar dener's story, if ho is all that republican senator say he is, why not give him tho chanco to ex pose himself? The possibility that ono individ ual might win notoriety Is of no moment com pared with tho importance of providing the Amer ican people with the truth concerning affairs In the Philippine islands. Every day the mask that has been so long and so successfully worn by the republican party drops a little lower. The republican state convention of Illinois nominated Congressman Albert J. Hopkins to "' ' succeed Senator William's; Ma- Mason son. Senator Mason declares in that he will make a fight in the Defeat. legislature, and whilo he ex presses some confidence in the result, it can hardly be doubted that Mr. Mason will' be retired to private life. Recently the pub lic has not heard much from Senator Mason with relation to his views on the question of imperial ism. At ono time Mr. Mason made a very strong: flght against the colonial policy, but recently he has shown a dlr-josition toward repentence, and yet he seems to have sinned away his days of grace. Senator Mason would havo dono far bet ter for himself had ho consistently maintained his opposition to un-American policies. Perhaps he would havo been defeated, but he would have retired with the consciousness that he had ex erted his best efforts to keep this government in line with its traditions. There will be a marked difference between the standing of William E. .Mason, defeated after he showed a disposition to compromise with the enemies of American prin ciples, and William E. Mason had he been de feated simply because he maintained consistent opposition to the republican party's assault upon the constitution and the Declaration of Indepen dence. . j "Tuitionary annex" is a new phrase, coined by General Mac Arthur to take the place of "con quered territory." This is following republican precedent closely. Prom "criminal aggr.esslon" to "benevolent assimilation" was a short step, and from "starvation camps" to "camps of sanitation and instruction" was still shorter. The cost of tho Philippine war for the fiscal year ending Juno 30, 1901, was $1.86 per head for - the entire population of the United States. Our increased exports to the Islands amount to 5 cents per head for the entire population of the United States. This is the "magnificent commercial op portunity" afforded by the retention of the islands