The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, June 28, 1901, Page 5, Image 5

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The Commoner.
Garpetbaggery for the Philippines.
Tlio Inauguration of the carpet-bag system
for tho Philippines has not waited long after tho
passage of the amendment to the army appropria
tion act. President Taft, of the Philippine com
mission, has already commenced the establish
ment of several papor civil governments in Luzon
and other Islands, and on April 27 the civil service
commission in Washington will set in motion tho
machinery to impart to them tho needed vitality.
It is officially stated that applicants from tho
ages of eighteen to forty who desire to serve the
government civilly in the Philippines may then
present themselves for examination. This exam
ination will bo exclusively of persons possessing
technical and scientific knowledge as engineers,
minors, foresters, etc. In filling the ordinary places
which do not require special knowledge tho prefer
ence will be given first to native Filipinos, and
next to honorably discharged soldiers and sailors.
By way of encouragement it is further an
nounced by the commission, that all persons who
have passed the necessary examination will have
free passage in a government transport from San
Francisco to Manila. From the date of departure
from San. Francisco they will also be entitled to
half pay, and they will receive their offices with
full pay on their arrival. Whoever shall serve
three years and then wish to return to the United
States will receive free passage to San Francisco,
with half pay for the time of tho voyage and full
pay for leaves of absence to which ho may be on
titled. All this is done under the authority con
.ferred upon the president by the amendment to
the army appropriation .ct. As living is rather
high in Manila, it is stated that the Taft com
mission has in view the erection of a r umber of
dwellings, to be let to the civil servants of the
government at moderate rents. The commission
also proposes to set up a government commis
sariat to supply .them with provisions at slight
advances on cost prices.
It is worthy of observation that all the higher
offices of the carpet-bag government of the Phil
ippines arc reserved for appointment by the presi
dent. The first thing is to lay the foundation with
such rude materials as may be required. The or
namental superstructure of carpet-baggery will
come afterward. Philadelphia Record.
Four Interesting Paragraphs.
We ask our readers to peruse the following
paragraphs with great care:
Some of our most thoughtful men are of the
opinion that the one place in which the trust is to
be dreaded Is in its efforts tj control legislation.
What they dread is the secret influence which
the trust exerts in secluded chambers and the dark
ness of the night to shape legislation in its in
terest. A notable case in point is the sudden conver
sion of Senator Foraker from an advocate of jus
tice for the Porto RIcans, which he was on 'Jan
uary 3, 1900, when he introduced senate bill 2016,
which made commerce between Porto Rico and
the mainland perfectly free, to an advocate of crim
inal Injustice, which he was just six days later,
when, on January 9, le introduced senate bill 22C4,
whose revenue provisions were substantially those
of the house bill, which, as amended, became a law.
There were but two Influences which were in
the least concerned to do it, and those were tho
sugar trust and still more ruthless tobacco trust,
both of which feared importations from the Phil
ippines. In their conspiring chambers the alarm
was sounded and prompt action taken that the
generous impulse?; of the president'? plain-duty
message might never effect the liberation of the
American people from the thralldom of two odious
trusts. Porto Rico they, did Hot seriously fear, for
Porto Rico Is small; and to her commercial free
dom was yielded after two years of servitude. But
it was insisted that there should be a precedent
upon which might rest the contention that the
Filipinos should be held In commercial slavery for
ever, because they could in no other way be con
trolled by the trusts. These are the plain facts in
tho case. We regret to state them, but they aro
true. Tho devices of secret councils have blinded
good men In tho republican party, and it is time
that the scales wore torn from their eyes. Neither
as Americans, as republicans, or as honest men can
the republican party pursue this policy.
We ask our readers what they, think of thcso
statements, and then we ask them if they will ask
their friends who aro not readers of The Examiner
what they think of them. Wo believe that as a
general proposition people who are not readers of
The Examiner, whon asked what they t-ink of tno
foregoing paragraphs, will say that they aro sim
ply opposition to the government; that they are
evidence of The Examiner's hatred for tho re
publican party; that they aro published to belittle
tho grandest administration tho United States of
America has ever seen. We ask our rrlends, when
people who are not readers of Tho Examiner,
make such statements, to tell them that the four
paragraphs aro an editorial taken from- the San
Francisco Chronicle of May 31, .and published by
the direct instructions of M. H. de Young, who is
a member of the republican committee, who for
sixteen years has been prominent in tho councils
of his party, and who is believed even at this timo
to bo a candidate fa office, subject to a republican
convention.
When so stalwart a republican organ as the
San Francisco Chronicle feels Itself forced by con
science to denounce republican legislation as dis
honest, passed as a result of a conspiracy between
the sugar trust and tho tobacco trust, we feel that
indeed there Is cause for alarm.
When on the same authority we are told that
the generous impulses of tho American's plain
duty message were set aside in a dishonest fashion
and overridden by the secret conspiracy of the to
bacco trust and the sugar trust, we feel that The
Examiner has failed in its duty in the past, hard as
it tried to do it,' and has not sufficiently pointed
out the perils besotting the republic.
Wo hope that the friends of liberty and right
everywhere will cut this article out of .The Ex
aminer and send it to their, acquaintances. San
Francisco Examiner.
Offxial Call.
To Governors of States and Territories, xuayors
of Cities and Towns, Chambers of Commerce,
Boards of Trade and all Commercial, Industrial .
and Mining Organizations:
Tho twelth annual session of the Trans-Mis-slsslppl
Commercial congress will assemble at 10
a. m Tuesday, July 16, 1901, In Cripple Creek,
Colorado, and continue at the will of tne congress
during the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th.
The territory within the jurisdiction of tne
Trans-Misslsslppl Commercial congress comprises
the states of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa,
Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana,
Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ore
gon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and
Washington, and the territories of Arizona, Indian
Territory, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Alaska, and tho
newly acquired possessions of Hawaii and the
Philippine Archipelago. Within the sections em
braced by the states and territories of the Trans
Misslsslppi region, there are upwards of 25,000,000
people and in addition thereto the large popula
tion in our eastern possessions directly affected by
legislation emanating from the national congress.
Within this region lie the greatest commercial,
agricultural, mineral and stock growing interests,
the development of which should keep stride with
the material advancement within the Trans-Mississippi
territory. In addition to these are the vast
and growing commercial interests of the Gulf
coast and the Pacific slope states, the question of
navigation and tho Improvement of the Trans-Mis-slsslppl
wntor-ways, together with other questions
of overland transportation which have been forced
to tho front by the needs arising from tho enorm
ous activity In tho trade relations between tho
Trans-Misslsslppl states and tho countries of the
far oast.
Whilst It Is the object of the congress to en
courage growth and tho thorough development of
each and ovory state and territory represented; to
work In harmony for such national legislation as
is calculated to promote the interests of the people
of tho Trans-Misslsslppl states; to Increase recipro
cal trade between the states and territories, to dis
cuss matters of special Interest and to decide upon
plans which will bring" about doBlred results, It Is
within tho province of the congress to take cogniz
ance of tho great trado questions affecting the com
mercial relations between the Trans-Misslsslppl
states and our new possessions of 10,000,000 people
and the international trade relations with our
neighbors of tho far east.
All these matters will be gcrmaln for discus
sion. But the executive committee of the congress
has laid emphasis upon a program which will bo
formulated later. This program embraces tho fol
lowing questions of Immediate interest to tho peo
ple of tho Trans-Misslsslppl section: Govern
mental department of mines, rivers, water-ways
and harbors, Nicaragua canal, semi-arid region.
Pacific cable, merchant marine, St. Louie v.orld'a
Fair in 1903, trade with the Orient, consular ser
vice, statehood, railroad transportation, preserva
tion of forests, beet root sugar, rice cultivation
along the Gulf coast, trade with Mexico, exports
and Imports through Gulf and Pacific ports, encour
agement of home manufactures, good roads and
drainage, oil fields, Irrigation, relation of the live
stock interests to tho forost reserves, governmental
department of commerce anfl industries, suitl
United States postal service.
It is the general desire of the members of tho
executive commlttoe to confine discussion to sub
jects of general interest, and to exclude those
which are of either a local or political nature.
Whilst any question germaln to the objects of the
congress may be introduced by any delegate, the
chairman of the executive committee would be
grate'ful for suggestions as to questions to 'Undis
cussed by any citizen of the Trans-Mississippi
country. . , , '
REPRESENTATION.
The governor of each state or territory may ap
point ten delegates.
The mayor of each city, one delegate, and one
additional delegate for each five thousand Inhabi
tants; provided, however, that no city chali have
more than ten delegates.
Each county may appoint one delegate through
its executive officer.
Every business organization, one delegate and
one additional delegate for every fifty members;
provided, however, that no such organization shall
have more than ten delegates.
Governors of states and territories, members
of the United States congress and ex-presldente of
this congress are ex-offlclo delegates, with all priv
ileges of delegates except those of voting.
All communications should be addressed to
Arthur F. Francis, assistant secretary, Cripple
Creek, Colo. .
E. R.,MOSRS, Chairman Executive Com., -
Great Bend, Kansas.
ROBERT C. MORRIS, Secretary,
New Orleans, La. .
Her Definition.
"What Is your definition of satire?"
"Satire," said Miss Cayenne, "is something
that compels you to laugh against your will in
order to let It appear that you are not angry.y
Washington Star.