The Commoner,
Domocratic party thoy can do so whether Mr.
Bryan will "let" them or not, but the fact that
Mr. Bryan has been the party candidate should
not deprive him of the right to express his
opinion upon public questions.
The comparatively few gold standard advo
cates in the party not only express their opin
ions but insist that all believers in the Kansas
City platform shall keep still. How can wo
determine the majority unless each Democrat
is free to express himself? The Democratic
party has not yet spoken in favor of reorgani
zation. Where is the "majority V of which the
Statesman speaks?
Free Speech in Virginia.
A report was sent out from Richmond a
few days ago to the effect that the constitu
tional convention, in its indignation over the
assassination of the president, had stricken out
of the proposed constitution a clause guaran
teeing freedom of speech. As might have
been expected, the report attracted wide-spread
attention and called forth emphatic protests
from Democratic quarters. The editor of The
Commoner has ascertained the facts, and is
gratified to- know that Virginia has neither
abolished free speech nor intends to.
' There were two clauses in their constitution
relating to the subject; one was an amendment
to the section written by George Mason in 1770,
and the other was a section drawn substan
tially in the language of the federal constitu
tion on that subject. The committee reported
in favor of striking out the amendment added
to the language of Mason because it was sur
plusage and did not strengthen the other section.
But final action has not yet been taken upon
the matter.
While the alarm was excited by a false re
port, and was - therefore unnecessary, it is grat
ifying to have the rumor set at rest and to
know that Virginia, the home of Jefferson, is
as firm as he was m defense of the doctrine of
free speech.
w
Taylor Should be Surrendered.
The Chicago Inter-Odean of recent date
contained this dispatch:
Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 25. It developed here
today that Attorney General William L. Taylor,
while at Evansville Sunday night, was mistaken
for W. S. Taylor, former governor of Kentucky,
and would have been kidnapped and carried across
the river into Kentucky but for the protests of the
hotel clerk and the timely discovery that he was
not the former Kentucky executive.
Taylor arrived in Evansville on a late train
and registered and went to hed. A number of
Kentuckians were in Evansville that night, having
come to the city on a steamboat excursion, and by
chance saw the name on the hotel register. There
were mysterious consultations on the street in
front of the hotel, and finally three men entered,
while a crowd stood on the outside, and demanded
to be taken to Taylor's room,
At first the clerk did not understand the situa
tion, but he soon learned that the Kentuckians
thought it was W. S. Taylor and he had a hard
time making the crowd believe that the initial
"L" was not an "S," though the mistake was not
unreasonable. Attorney General Taylor was not
informed of what was going on, but the proprietor
of the hotel had been called and convinced the
Kentuckians of their mistake.
Thore can be no excuse for kidnapping even
a man accused of crime. The law provides a
method whereby one charged with wrong
doing may bo removed from one state to an
other, although the consent of the governor is
required to permit the orderly removal to take
place.
This Inter-Ocean dispatch, however, directs
attention to a condition that should have the
condemnation of all newspapers without re
gard to political prejudice. It is a fact that
Mr. Taylor of Kentucky is in the slate of In
diana, and it iB also true that the Republican
governor of that state refuses to deliver him to
the Kentucky authorities to answer to the
charge of participating in the assassination of
Governor Goebel.
The excuse offered for refusing to surren
der this Republican politician to the Kentucky
authorities is that ho would not have a fair trial.
This claim is disposed of by the fact that al
though two of the alleged conspirators were
convicted in the lower court, the Supremo
Court of the state has granted to each of them
a new trial.
The people of Kentucky would understand
that the eyes of the world be upon their state
and that they could not afford to have one hair
of this man's head injured or have him wrong
fully convicted of the crime with which he is
charged.
More so than at any other time the Ameri
can people have a deep interest in upholding
the law and adhering to justice. Should Mr.
Taylor be returned to Kentucky the men of
Kentucky would see to it that that proud com
monwealth acquitted herself creditably.
It may also be said that the Republican leaders,
who assume such devotion to the administra
tion of j ustice, who pose as firm adherents of
law and order, are condemned and will be con
demned in the sight of fair and intelligent men
so long as they persist in protecting a man ac
cused of participating in an assassination, even
though that man be a very eminent Republican
politician.
The Chinese Question.
In a recent issue of a monthly New Tork
publication, called Japan and America, is the
following significant item:
There seems to be a decided change in popular
sentiment toward the Chinese as Immigrants into
this country. A few years ago it would have been
political suicide for any public man to intimate
that ho favored the admission of the Chinese.
But times have changed, and merchants, manufac
turers and farmers are beginning to feel the want
of cheap and trustworthy labor, a want that the
Chinese can satisfactorily supply. The Chinese
exclusion laws of this country have been a blot on
the statute books, no matter how great may have
been the temporary necessity or expediency. It is
generally believed that the next congress may re
fuse to re-enact the exclusion law, and thus make
an "open door" in this country by peaceful meth
ods, in return for the one we have opened with our
artillery in China.
The same suggestion comes from so many
sources that it is quite evident that the Chineso
exclusion act will' not bo extended without a
considerable effort. The desire for "cheap and
trustworthy labor" is a very natural result of
the teachings of the Republican party. The
commercial spirit abroad in the land pays little
attention to human rights or to the permanent
welfare of the nation ; it -simply asks how a
dollar can bo most easily secured, regardless of
ultimate consequences.
While the laboring men of this country aro
struggling to maintain their organizations
their only protection against monopoly the
men who dominate industrial affairs arc talking
about a cheap and docile labor that will aid a
still larger concentration of wealth. While
the race question which we have is perplexing
the wisest and the best of our people, the com
mercialists aro planning to add another raco
question even more difficult of solution. ,
The paper abovo referred to also speaks of
tho increasing number of Japanese emigrants,
and says that of the thirty-one thousand Japa
nese who left their native land in 1900, twenty
thousand were contract laborers. It is in no
spirit of hostility to the oriental countries that
the bars aro raised against immigrants who can
not amalgamate with our people. If it seems
a temporary hardship, it must bo remembered
that the clash between races in times of indus
trial depression would increase as oriental emi
gration increases, and would do more to disturb
our diplomatic relations with other countries
than a frank and honest course in the beginning.
We can not afford to invite here either a
temporary or a permanent class separated from
us by diBtinct color and race lines. It is prob
able that the Japanese government would upon
suggestion make regulations in accord with our
wishes. In the case of Chineso tho central
government has not sufficient control over its
citizens to make such restrictions practicable.
Whether the Japanese arc restrained by an edict
of their government, or by American legislation
enlarging the scope of the exclusion act, no
time should bo lost in applying a remedy.
This nation will not only admit but welcome
those who come as students to learn our ways,
attend our schools and study our form of
government. These will carry back with them
American ideas and American ways, and will
be instrumental in extending our nation's com
merce, our nation's influence, and our nation's
civilization. But this nation is not coloniza
tion ground for the overcrowded nations of
Asia.
While the "cheap labor" question is ono in
which wage earners feel special interest, it if
really so important as to demand the considera
tion of every thoughtful citizen.
Singleness of Purpose.
"While drifting afar to the dim vaulted cave
Where life and Its ventures are laid,
The Idlers who gaze while we battle the wave
May see us In sunshine and shade.
Still true to our course,
.Though our shadows grow dim, ;
.We'll trim our broad sail as before
And stand by the rudder
That governs tho bark
Nor ask how we look from the shore.
Oliver W. Holmes.