The Commoner.
April ii, 190a
' A
Fine
Tribute.
Wendell
Phillips'
Prophecy;
r In a speech delivered In the "United Statesjsen
ftte April 7, 1871, the late Senator Morrill said:
"We desire to retain the prestige
Not of teaching nations by our ex-
Subjectof ample how to govern them
Commerce. selves, rather than to imperil
our own existence by attempt
ing to govern the incapables, whether near or re
mote, upon fat soils or lean. We cannot confer
freedom upon any foreign people freedom is the
reward of merit, and not a subject of commerce
or charity."
William Hobbs, a man well known in news
paper and political circles in the city of St. Louis,
died recently and his biographer
said of him: "He was loved by
little children." No tribute
could be paid that would be
more replete with meaning
than this simple sentence. Not every man is
"loved by little children," and one may not doubt
that at the bier of this man there were many
sincere mourners.
An interesting prophecy made by Wendell
Phillips is pointed out by the New York World.
The World says that on July 28,
1865, speaking in Music Hall to
school children, Wendell Phil
lips said: ' "I expect if I live
forty years to see a telegraph
that will send messages without wires, both ways
at the same time." Mr. Phillips' forty years
would expire in 1905, and from the progress al
ready made by Marconi, there is reason to believe
that had he lived, Mr. Phillips would have real
ized his prophecy.
A Washington dispatch says that Mr. Roosc-
yelt has been advised by republican politicians
, that it would be extremely poor
politics for the president to re
tire General" Miles because of his
criticism of the army bill. There
are Indications, too, that Mr.
Roosevelt with all his strenuosity is inclined to
take this bit of good advice. Great prestige at
taches to "the president, but all of that prestige
would not be sufficient to justify Mr. Roosevelt,
from a purely political standpoint, in adding an
other hero to his list.
In a speech delivered In San Francisco, Gen
eral Funston said: "The Filipinos are absolutely
incapable of self-government to
day, and I do not-think the next
generation of the race will be."
As a prophet General Funston
is not at all backward. He -assumes
to pass on the qualifications for self-government,
not only of the present but of the coming
generation of Filipinos; and in the light of this
prophecy, one is tempted to ask, "What is to be
come of the promises made by the orators for the
republican administration to the effect that the
republican party will teach these people the art
of self-government?" If the Filipinos are so "ab
solutely incapable" that no reasonable hope may
be entertained for them even to future generations
with what reason do the republican leaders insist
upon maintaining this great and hopeless burden?
Strc'niioslty.'a
.;'" Balk,
at niles.
' A Great
and, Hopeless
Burden.
Referring to the marked advance in the price
of beef, the Chicago Tribune says that the explan
ation of the secretary of agri
Advance in culture that the advance Is due
Beef "to the large supply of prosper-
Prices. ity and the small supply of
corn," is "undoubtedly the cor
rect one." The Tribune explains that when
Americans are hard up they manage to live on in
ferior meats and bread and potatoes; when pros
perous they demand beef. "Never," says the Tri
bune, "were there so many people who consider
themselves entitled to demand this superior meat
as they are now; naturally this increased demand
has its effect on prices." As a matter of fact the
explanation of the secretary of agriculture needs
a diagram; but the sensible man, knowing that
the beef trust reigns supreme in its chosen field,
needs no indox to the cause for the advance in
the price of beef. The Tribune itself prints all
the explanation that is necessary on this point
although it docs not indorse this particular ex
planation. It admits, however, that the explana
tion "which seems to meet with the most favor is
that there is a combine which has the consumers
of the country by the throat." To tho average
man this will appear reasonable and satisfactory.
yyv
A London cablegram undor date of March 22
says: "Tho opinion here is that if the United
States should stop supplying
Think horses and mules to the British,
of These tho Boers would get acceptable
Things, terms of peace within six
months." When it is remem
bered that the use of our ports for tho shipment
of these horses and mules is a distinct violation
of the law of neutrality, what republican will un
dertake to apologize for tho refusal of the repub
lican administration to put a stop to the use of tho
United States ports for tho unholy purpose of ship
ping horses and mules to bo used by an empire in
its war against a republic?
The Washington correspondent of Henry Wat
terson's Courier-Journal wired his paper under
date of March 31 that "politics
Why not are now run entirely upon busi
. Abandon ncss lines, and principles and
AH? uentiment count for little, if
anything." It is to bo hoped
that Mr. Watterson's optimistic views concern
ing democratic prospects in the congressional
elections are not based on the estimate placed upon
public intelligence by Mr. Watterson's Washington
correspondent. If "principles and sentiment count
for little, If anything," then Mr. Watterson has
missed an opportunity by not insisting upon an
abandonment by the democratic party of all of its
principles.
. A London cablegram to the New York World
says: "It is thought that the chancellor of the
exchequer will take advantage
Reason of the cheerfulness over the
for Peace South African situation, because
Rumors. of the unexpected resuming of
peace negotiations, to submit a
new loan. That new loan, assuming that the war
continues, cannot be less than 50,000,000 (?250,
000,000." If serious importance is to be attached
to these peace negotiations, why is it necessary
for Great Britain to obtain this new loan? Can it
be possible that the same news sources through
which the world has been deliberately and per
sistently deceived concerning the situation in
South Africa, is now being used in an effort to
bolster up Great Britain's credit in the money
market, in order that the British ministry may
saddle a new load upon the English taxpayers?
General Samuel Pearson has presented charges
that the British authorities have set up a reg
ular military establishment in
Louisiana. General Pearson al
leges that this establishment
has provided 42,000 men to aid
the British in their fight against
the Boers and has furnished the British govern
ment with 201,149 horses and mules. According
to General Pearson, these men are shipped as
muleteers, and when they arrive in South Africa,
are used as soldiers. He alleges that one British
general, two colonels, and sixty captains and lieu
tenants are 'in this country now with headquar
ters at New Orleans. Does it-not seem fair to be-
An
Odious
Comparlton.
Hovo that the British ministry has received as
surances that its representatives in this country
will not bo Interfered with under tho republican
administration? It was bad enough when th
administration permitted United States ports to
be used for shipment of horses aad mules, but
it Is amazing that tho British should actually es
tablish a military camp within one of the states.
Coraparo tho inactivity, to use no harsher
torm, of the republican administration toward the
use of United States soil by tho British, with tho
activity of tho republican administration in the
offort to prevent any aid being givon to Cuba dur
ing its war with Spain prior to our own declara
tion of war. Tho comparison is Indeed an odious
one, and tho odium rests very heavily upon repub
lican authorities.
A Washington dispatch reports that Con
gressman Babcock, having abandoned his con
tention as to tho reduction of
fir. tho tariff on steel and Iron prod-
Babcock ucts, is to bo rowarded by re-
Rccants. election to tho chairmanship of
tho republican congressional
committee. Many peoplo oxpected much when
Mr. Babcock first announced that he would insist
upon a reduction of tho tariff on articles con
trolled by trusts, but little by little tho Wisconsin
congressman has yielded his ground and now it
seems to bo generally accepted that ho has sur
rendered it altogether. Tho man who said that
"a very little reform goes a long way with tho
republican leader" evidently knew what he was
talking about.
The effort to subjugate tho Boers has cost
Great Britain so far more than $700,000,000. Tfc.o
cost now is averaging about
is England $22,500,000 per month. Up to
Big Enough January 1, 1902, the British had
to do Right? lost 24,299 officers and men. In
addition to these 64,330 men
were sent home on the sick list. The British
troops now in tho field numbor about 250,000. Tho
British war department is hurrying reinforce
ments to the front. Even though it bo admittel
that Great Britain will finally win, is it now evi
dent to all that England needs in this moment,
more than at any other time in her history, a
Gladstono who is brave enough to say as Glad
stone said on one occasion, when ho compromised
wlUi the Boers, that "England is big enough to do
right?"
&&A
In several treaties the United States is on
record, as having recognized horses as contraband
of war. In the treaty with Bra
stop the zll In 1828, "cavalry belts and
Shipment horses with their furniture," are
of Horses. among tho contraband list. In
the treaty with the Dominican
republic in 1867, "cavalry belts and horses with
their harness," are among the contraband- list.
In the treaty with Haytl, 1864, "cavalry belts and
horses with their harness' are among tho desig
nated contraband. In the treaty with Peru, In
1887, "cavalry belts and horses with their har
ness," are on the list. In the treaty with Salvador
in 1870, "cavalry belts and horses with their har
ness," are on the list. In the treaty with Great
Britain in 1871, it Is provided that a neutral gov
ernment is bound "not to permit or suffer either
belligerent to make use of its ports or waters as
the base of naval operations against the othc,
or for the purpose of renewal or augmentation of
military supplies or arms, or the recruitment cf
men." Great. Britain ,in its treaty with Holland,
December 1, 1774, is on record as declaring that
"horses and other warlike instruments are con
traband of war;" and Hill's International Law de
clares "Horses are generally considered as con
traband of war, and are so mentioned in many
treaties between different states-"