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The Commoner.
February ai, 190a
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. FORUM OF THE WEEKLY PRESS . .
Anna (111.) Democrat: The Boers
do not know when they get enough.
I The British know, but they can't let
go.
Hamilton (Tex.) Rustler: There Is
no middle of the road. It is a fight
between republicans who believe in
imperialism and democrats who be
lieve In a republic.
Vincennes (Ind.) Sun: The repub
lican party is a party of trusts. It
fostered the rise and growth of trusts
and has been kept in power by the
powerful financial aid of trusts and
corporations.
Woodsfield (O.) Spirit of Democracy:
General Wheaton says that we will
need fifty thousand soldiers in the
Philippines for at least five years.
"Benevolent assimilation" comes
high, but "The Man with the Hoe"
pays for it all.
West Union (0.) Defender: The
older 4we grow the. more apparent it'
becomes that the trusts and the re
publican leaders' are -working liahd
in hand. The people can hope for no
relief from this great evil as long as
that party is in power.
- Wymore (Neb.) Arbor State: In or
der to 'restore- the .equal xights x)i :theN
r people and deliver them -from the crim.
inal despoiliation of monopolistic;
combinations it' is imperative that the'
special privileges which created ancV
foster them le uprooted and forever"
destroyed.
Watertown (Wis.) Gazette: . It may
be that if Thomas Jefferson were alive
he would find some things not wholly
according to his notions in democracy,
but if such were the case he would
fnot go for advice as to how to rectify
Ithem to the republican press, which
so glibly and absurdly undertakes to
pose as Jefferson's interpreter.
Greencastle (Ind.) Star Press: The
tariff question is not settled; it will
be a real live, sure-enough issue un
til it is settled 'right, and right set:
tlement means that the Tights and in
terests of the people are to be sub
served: that lecislation calculated to
impoverish the masses for the benefit
of the classes must be done away 'with.
Bachtown..(Hl.) Times: Schwab of
the steel trust has been traveling
around over Europe in aspecial traiul
bumpiug up-agaiiist royalty and trying
to "bust" the various gambling hells.
The thousands "who labor in the fiery
hells of the rolling mills cannot get
the chance to try any other kind of
hell for a change, but they pay for it
just the same.
Algcma (la.) Courier: It is a pain
ful reflection to Americans whose
hearts are stirred by the stories of
Bunker Hill, Brandywine, Valley
Forge, Monmouth and Yorktown to
witness the descendants of the men
who fought on those fields fighting
now to crush a people who are making
the same pleas for independence and
who in their way are as much en
titled to it as they were.
Hastings (Mich.) Journal: Gen.
Wheaton says that if any man said in
the Philippines what President Schur
man has said in this country he would
be sent to prison. That shows the kind
of American government we are car
rying on in the islands. No wonder
it needs 50,000 bayonets to prop it up!
Durango (Colo.) Democrat: The man
who would shave a bridge timber to
half its original size to strengthen' it,
would encounter no trouble in estab
lishing a record for being a fool.
Yet the republicans claim to be
strengthening our currency and money
system by .putting away silver as other
than subsidiary coin.
Rochester (Ind.) Sentinel: Here is
a hot one: A western exchange re
marks that four years ago a pound of
beef would buy two rods of barbed
wire, and a bushel of wheat would
buy forty rods. Now a pound of beef
will buy ten feet of barbed wire and a
bushel of wheat will buy twelve rods.
There is plenty of prosperity for the
million dollar steel trust, but where
does the prosperity for the farmer
come in?
Chamberlain (S. D.) Journal: Just
please remember there is a press cen
sor In chargo of all the news that is
permitted to reach the world outside of
the South African Transvaal boun
dry and only the least little bit of Eng
lish brutality toward the struggling
Dutch gets to civilized ears. There is
another place or two in the world
where the "army and navy" keep the
news from the people and Manila and
Havana are two of them.
Below will bo found a cut for which wo aro indebted to Tho Gatling Gun
The editor of that nggressivo Domocratic paper hns brought into contrast tho
Record-Horald'rf pictures of Aguinnldo and a Macabobo soldier, logothor with tho
Presidents description of the two classes of Filipinos.
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AGUINALDO.
Our Enemy. ,
"Whatever can be said of the Fili
pino insurgents can be said of the
Apache Indians. Everything that can
be said of Aguinaldo could have been
said of Sitting Bull." From President
Roosevelt's Campaign Speech.
Republican orators and newspapers
have indorsed Teddy's position.
MACABEBE SOLDIER.
Our Ally.
"The "heartiest praise is due large
numbers of natives for their steadfast
loyalty. The Macabebes have been
conspicuous for their courage and de
votion to the flag. I recommend that
the secretary of war take some syste
matic way of aiding those crippled in
our service, and caring for the families
of those who are killed." Roosevelt's
Message.
Papillion (Neb.) Times: While wo
are imposing a high protective tariff
on goods from the Philippines, islands
that we own, Ave are asked to grant
free trade to Cuba, an island that
doesn't belong to us. Isn't this a
somewhat singular state of affairs, and
is there anything right or honorable
about it?
Ackley (la.) World: By whom has
it (the tariff) been "revis'ed" hereto
fore, if not by "its friends?" the ben
eficiaries of the tariff. Republicans in
congress will- be very guarded lest they
lose contributions to the slush fund.
Revision will come only 'when the
public forces it.
Elyria (O.) Democrat: Self-government
is a principle that is im
mortal, and should be held too sacred
to do obeisance to royalty. There is
nothing in imperialism to claim our
sympathy, and yet we are to do honor
to tho British crown, by sending a
delegation of prominent Americans to
the coronation of King Edward.
Toadyism!
Cumberland (Md.) Alleganian: Gen.
Wheaton says that 50,000 soldiers will
be needed in the Philippines five years
yet before it will "bepossible to form
a .government based on that of the col
onies of Holland and Great Britain."
And yet we are urging the Boers to
fight for freedom!
Burnsldo (Ky.) Item: Manufactur
ers do not deny that they sell goods
cheaper abroad, but they are disposed
to ask you what you aro going to do
about it.
Lincoln (111.) Times: England has
her South Africa, America nor Philip
pines. This fellow-feeling makes Mis
"wondrous kind." Tho positions aro
very similar, and upon this common
ground tho king of England and tho
Goddess of Liberty aro flirting, over
dust that is as sacred as freedom Itself,
Dyorsvlllo (la.) Commercial: Times
aro fast shaping themselves for a
grand democratic victory in 1904. By
that time all the spoilsmen will be as
sociated with tho G. O. P., and tho
patriotic legions will be concentrate:!
in tho ranks of democracy to save tho
country as contemplated by our fore
fathers. Tho change will bo brought
on by proper education and inevitable
vicissitudes.
. Denver (Colo.) Democrat: The
democracy is American. It Is essen
tially so, -virile, honest, unwavering:
and unhypocritical. In this, the bud
ding months of the twentieth century,
it stands forth as ever, uncomprom-
ising in its attitudo to the Gnomics of
tho republic, steadfast, honorable ami :
Eincero for liberty the world over, and,
above all, the champion of the op-,
posed and persecuted In every clime'
and land wjiere Providence directs a.
free people shall live.
Chilton (Wis.) Times: Perry Bel-.'
mont, one of those greater than his
party kind of democrats, was defeated '
for congress in a democratic district
in New York at a special election held
recently. Mr. Belmont Is a man of
means and manipulated the conven
tion in such a manner that ho secured
the nomination. When it came to an
indorsement by the people he found
that he was weighed In tho balance
and found wanting. The lesson of the
campaign may have no effect on Mr.
Belmont, but it should bo a warning
to others of his kind.
Mason (Mich.) Democrat: Republi-'
cans, as a rule, have short memories.
A few years ago this country had a
.democratic president who advocated
,the return of captured confederate
flags, his idea being to do away with
sectional hatred and restore harmony;
between the north and south. Re
publicans and republican papers made
Rome howl at the suggestion. Last
week in congress Representative Gard
ner of Albion made a speech advocat
ing the admission of confederate vet
erans to the National soldiers' home
and not a howl do wo hear.
Huntington (Ind.) News-Democrat:
Patriotism does not consist of hysteri
cal clamor for a big army and a big
navy. The man who loves his country
properly wants the business of the
country conducted In tho interest of
all. For a country whose motto Is
"Peace" the United States is being
held up in fine stylo. We aro paying
two million dollars a week to run our
army. Leaving pensions out of the
account, It costs us $1,289 to maintain -one
soldier a year, which is over five
times what it costs to maintain a sol
dier In the expensively equipped army
of Europe. We "pay high for our army
and if all the money went for the com
fort of the soldier nobody would com
plain. It goes where money generally'
goes in this high-salaried country; nor
does it always go where it will do the
most good. We raised an appropria
tion of $118,000,000 last year to meet
the needs of an army of 100,000 men,
and even that was several millions bp
low the estimate of the war depart
ment. What will it be uxt time.
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