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wrffwimwmwvr
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Why not
Let Well
Cue ugh Alone.
no
Interpretation.
flarch 7, 190a
THo Baltimore American says: "The Detroit
banker who meddled with other people's money
continues to criticise the news
papers for 'meddling with other
people's business.' " Probably
this man thought that inas
much as he made way with only
$1,600,000, those who might be inclined to criticise
him should "let well enough alone."
The "magnanimous concessions" to Cuba,
'made by the republican ways and means com
mittee, is referred "to by the
Treading on Chicago Record-Herald as "the
Dangerous attempt of the strong to impose
Ground. usurped authority upon the
weak. It is the Piatt amend
ment again cropping up against the pledges 0
the Teller resolution." This is eminent republi
can authority and it is difficult to understand
how the Record-Herald hopes to escape convic
tion on the charge of treason.
The imperialists are having considerable trou
ble in the effort to interpret the statements made
by Jacob Schurman. Among
Needs other things, Mr. Schurman
said: "From the American
point of view ultimate Philip
pine independence is inevitable
and devoutly to be wished. Any decent kind of
government of Filipinos by Filipinos is better
than the best possible government of Filipinos by
.americans." That would seem to be plain enough
for any one at all capable of understanding the
English language.
The character of the concessions to Cuba
which the republican majority of the house is dis-
' posed to make" is described by
the New York World in these
words: "The agreement reached1
by the republican majority of
the ways and means committed
to recommend a reduction of 20 per cent on im
ports from Cuba holds out no hope of real relief
to the island. President Palma has declared that
unless a 50 per cent reduction is made the Cuban
planters cannot sell their crops at a living profit.
And his declaration is not disputed by anybody
except the champions of the protected twins
beet and cane."
"Public Opinion" says: "For the fourth time
the house has adopted a resolution favoring the
election of United States sena
tors by popular or direct vote.
Judging from the tone of edi
torial opir'.on, there is little
reason to doubt that this change
is approved by a majority of the people. Up to
this time, however, the senators have been sin
gularly deaf to the popular voice on this subject,
some having their hearing muffled by the fact
that they could never secure election by popular
vcte, and others like Mr. Hoar believing that the
reasoning of the framers of the constitution still
holds good and .that one popularly-elected house Is
enough."
Concessions
to
Cuba; '''
Deaf to the
Popular
Voice.
co
A report that President Roosevelt has di
rected Attorney General Knox to prosecute the
Northern Securities company for
Why not Shackle violating the provisions of the
all Along Sherman anti-trust law, was
the Line. well received by the American
people. But the manner in
which the attorney general carries out his in
structions will be carefully watched. It is to be
hoped that for the sake of public interests the at
torney general will exert his well known ability
to the enforcement of the law with respect to this
particular violation. And this calls attention to
The Commoner.
the fact that If the president can direct his at
torney general to proceed against this particular
trust, he can l 1 direct him to proceed against
other trusts. And, if the situation is sufficiently
serious to warrant the president to act, why may
not congress act? Why may not congress adopt
a plan suggested by Mr. Babcock which is prac
tically the plan suggested in the Kansas City
platform, and remove from the products of trusts
the immense advantages obtained by the trusts
because of the advantages provided In the high
protective tariff? Why may not "cunning" all
along the line be "shackled as In the past we
have shackled force?"
yCy
"Burning
the
floney."
Consolation is In store for those who have
stood aghast because of the recklessness on th-a
part of the republican leaders in
the expenditure of public money.
It is reported that recently quite
a warm discussion took placo
between an advocate and an op
ponent of the Hanna ship subsidy bill. The op
ponent of that measure insisted that It was out
lageous to appropriate public money for subsidy
purposes and after the opponent had made a vig
orous and Intelligent statement of his reasons for
opposing the subsidy bill, the advocate of that
measure brought things to a crisis and closed tho
incident by the statement: "Great Caesar, man,
you talk as though we were going to burn
money."
JJ
1 .
A Commission's
Defective
Document
The Springfield (Mass.) Republican Is not
greatly Impressed with the report of the indus
trial commission relating to
trusts and combines, Tho Re
publican points out that in this
report "there is not a word as
to the bearing of tho tariff in the
case, but instead a recommendation that this phase
of the-subject- be'referred to another commission."
Mr. Phillips of Pennsylvania, who made a minor
ity report on this point, ridicules the idea of an
other commission and declares that .there are
enough facts In the possession of the present com
mission to warrant a report. Mr. Phillips insists
that the tariff is being used to enable the trusts to
charge high prices in the home market and soil
at a low price in foreign markets. He suggests
tlr t duties be removed from metals, ores, wood
pulp, logs, and raw materials generally of re
stricted supply; and the Republican, indorsing Mr.
Phillips' view, says: "No treatment of the trusts
can lay any claim to comprehensiveness which
passes by the tariff side of It; and this long re
port of the long-standing federal commission is
therefore a defective document."
On February 16, 1899, Secretary of the Navy
Long delivered an address before the Homo
Market club of Boston. In that
address Mr. Long said: "It is
certain cause for congratulation
that the extreme imperialists
who resisted the treaty have
been signally overthrown. By resisting its rati
fication they have been insisting upon the ex
tremest imperialism and have now out-Heroded
Herod. They not only would have prolonged the
war with Spain, but would havo refused to take
out of the hands of one man, the president, ab
solute authority over the Philippines, liriilted only
to tho indefinite scope of what is called tho war
power, wielded by a purely military arm hold
ing a naked sword. Think of that for imperial
ism! It is a great credit to the president that,
like Julius Caesar and George Washington, he
has .refused this offer of a kingly crown. On the
contrary, tho good old democratic plan has been
adopted of putting the disposition of. these islands
into the hands of the American people, who will
rfulv nxnress their will through their reprpsenta-
Thlnkof That
For
Imperialism.
f '
tives In congress assembled. I have no 'doubt ths
piesident is delighted to have tho elephant off his
hands and on theirs." Threo years have gone by
since this speech was delivered and yot tho presi
dent appears to bo wielding about at much power
In tho Philippines as he did in 1881. It is tro
that congress is going through tho form of onact
ing a tariff law, but tho form of government un
der which tho Filipinos must livo is that of "
naked sword." So thoroughly Imperialistic Is
this authority that It has been charged and not
denied that tho president's representatives In the
Philippines prohibited tho reading of tho Declar
ation of Independence before a gathering of Fili
pinos on July 4, 1901. "Think of that for im
perialism!" The Chicago Record-Herald has In Its tline
poked considerable fun at tho populists, and yet
In an editorial printed in its
Hated issue of February 24, tho Rec-
Popuiistic ord-Hcrald seriously discusses
Doctrine, the question, "Shall wo have
tho referendum?" The Record
Herald says: "Tho referendum as a remedy for
tho greatest evils of democracy, such as corrupt
legislation and government by bosses, is receiv
ing more serious discussion at this time than over
before. A growing disposition on the part of tho
people to test its efficacy in rescuing tho prin
ciple of self-government Is manifest In .nearly ev
ery state." Can it be possible that sedate repub
lican or&ins are becoming converted to hated
"populistic doctrines?"
i?o.
Tho
Mystery of
Gold Exports.
Holland, the Wall street correspondent of the
Philadelphia Press, sent in an interesting report
recently. Ho confessed his in
ability to understand the mys
tery of gold going abroad. He
says it Is one of tho great mya ,
terles of international finance,".
that no man has been found who could explain it,
and that if any one could explain it he would bo
honored as a great financial philosopher. He also
refers incidentally to tho extraordinary profits
earned by tho coal combination, and says that the
reports indicate that the earnings have been so
great that tho managers havo deemed It .prudent
to so frame their statements as to hide the earn
ings, and the reason given is that "should tho con
&umer of coal learn that these fat returns have
been enjoyed they would at once demand that they
havo some share in them through a reduction in
the cost of coal to the consumers." The coal com
bination will be able to contribute liberally to the
next campaign fund, but will tho consumers of coal
contribute their votes to the same party?
A travelling man reports that the tobacco
trust is just now engaged In an effort to break
up all the tobacco buyers so that
Tobacco it will have the market corn-
Trust pletely in Its own hands. Tho
Scheming. representative of the trust
goes around and buys some
tobacco at more than the market price, thus in
ducing the producers to demand more than the
market price of the regular buyers. Later the trust
goes into the market and buys at a lower price,
thus bringing a loss to the dealers who attempted
to buy of the producer at the price first fixed by
the trust. As soon as the local dealer's losses drive
him out of the business, the trust will be able to
pay whatever It pleases, and the producer must
take whatever he can get. Thus the trust is pre
paring to rob tho producer of raw materiaUon the
one hand while it extorts from the consumer on
the other. It is Impossible to overcome this ex
cept by legislation. The small dealer cannot apply
a remedy to the trust, and it is too much to expect
that the producers, either individually or in con
cert, can withstand the schemes put forth by con
centrated capital.
