The Commoner.
April 18, looa
that tlio masses of the American people have not
wholly abandoned those things .which, Mr. Can-,
non sneeringly assigned to the "realm of senti
ment' ' JJJ
Municipal Ownership.
At the recent election in Chicago ahout 170,
000 people expressed themselves on the subject
of municipal ownership, the vote standing as fol
lows: 'For the ownership by the city of Chicago of
all street railroads within the corporate limits of
said city, 142,826; against, 27,998.
More than four to one in favor of the muni
cipal ownership of street car lines I
For the ownership by the city of Chicago of
the gas and electric light plants, said plants to
furnish light, heat and power for public and pri
vate use, 189,999; against the proposition, 21,
367. Nearly seven to one- in favor of municipal
lighting! Along with these questions was sub
mitted a proposition for the nomination of all
candidates for city offices by direct vote of the
voters at primary elections to be held for the
purpose. On this proposition the affirmative re
ceived 140,860 votes, the negative, 17,654.
The vote on these questions shows the trend
of public opinion in favor of municipal owner
ship. There is no doubt that there is to-day an
overwhelming sentiment in favor of the collective
' ownership and operation of what are called na
tural municipal monopolies. It is is impossible
to have competition in lighting, in heating or in
street car service, and the private ownership of
theso franchises not only leads to corruption in
city government, but results in' high rates and
the accumulation of great fortunes for which the
people at large receive no adequate return.
It is gratifying to know that the voters of
Chicago were almost unanimous in. favor of bring
ing the nominating machinery closer to the peo
ple, and the republican senators who still stand
out against the popular election of senators will
ultimately be made to feel the force of public
sentiment on this subject.
"Wherever there are evils in government they
can generally be traced to the misrepresentation
of the people rather than to the people themselves,
and while some of our officials are interesting
themselves in coronations and in the ways of
aiistocracy, the masses desire more democracy in
their government and in their party machinery..
The vote in Chicago is a large straw and it
not only shows that the wind is setting in to
ward more popular government, but thatMt is a
strong wind.
JJJ
Wholesale Anarchy.
A prominent Nebraska republican, in a speech
beforo the state university explaining and con
demning anarchy, quoted from several noted an
archists to show that they advocate the doctrine
that might is the foundation of right, but he un
consciously put the anarchists and the republican
leaders in the same class. He quoted "Caspar
Schmidt, commonly known as Max Stirner," as
saying:
Right is power or might. What you have ,
the power to be that you have a right to be.
I derive all right and justification from my
self alone; for I am entitled to do everything
which I have the power to do.
. Now, republicans and democrats alike con
demn this doctrine when an individual applies it,
but the republican leaders are applying on a
la e scale in the Philippines exactly the same
doctrine that 'the anarchist applies on a small
scale. Imperialism rests on the doctrine of force
and on that alone. "We are in the Philippines oa
cause we have the power to be. The Commoner
has already shown by the correspondence which
passed between the president and the peace com
missioners that Mr. McKinley insisted upon resting
title In part upon "conquest" that was the word
used and conquest -gives us the only title wo,
have. Spain was not in possession when wa
went through the form of buying the islands and
the people, and was not -in position to put us in
possession. We purchased an option on a fight,
and have been fighting ever since. How can re
publicans consistently condemn an anarchist who
asserts his right to kill because he has the power
to kill if these same-republicans assert that wo
have a right to govern Filipinos because wo havo
the power to do so, and as a corollary have the
right to kill Filipinos if. they object to conquest
and subjugation. If our nation acts upon tho
theory that might makes right it will find it diffi
cult to draw a line between wholesale conquest
and retail anarchy.
To fight anarchy successfully we must set up
a standard of right entirely independent of tho
force which supports-or defends it; wo must In
sist that there are Inalienable rights and that
governments are Instituted among men. for the
preservation of theso rights. Governments are
necessary, but necessary for what? For tho pro
tection of rights, and they are good just in pro
portion as they protect the rights of citizen.
The republicans have refused to discuss the prin
ciple involved in imperialism, but they cannot al
ways refuse. When they begin the discussion they
will find theraselve3 defending European prin
ciples of government and they will discover upon
examination that the empires of Europe are re
sponsible for the doctrine of force asserted b7
individual anarchists. Is it not time to recognize
that a moral principle cannot bo affected by tha
number of persons Involved? That might makes
right is no more true when the might is employed
by 76,000,000 than when it is employed by one,
and yet that is the only difference between the
doctrine of the imperialist and the doctrine of the
anarchist.
JJJ
Protection Again the Fetich:
In the early part of December, the Chicago
Tribune printed a symposium of opinions expressed
by republican editors with relation to the tariff,
question. Many of these editors declared in favor
of tariff revision. The editor of the St. Paul
Pioneer Press said:
If congress should refuse to adjust the
tariff to existing conditions it will arm tho
enemies of protection with effective arguments
against the whole system, which might eas
ily lead to a popular revulsion ending in the
overthrow of the republican ascendency in
congress.
The editor of the Sioux Falls Journal said
that when it was admitted that there were serious
flaws in the Dingley law, that law should not be
hell "as something sacred and inviolable. He
said he could not understand this tottering kind
of reasoning, nor could he sympathize with the
implied suggestion that a congress, republican in
both branches, and therefore favorable to pro
etction, should let the tariff alone because it
might "tear up everything by the roots and un
settle business generally." He declared that -.ho
friends of the tariff should take care that its re
vision is not turned over to its enemies, and he
added: "Generally speaking, the opponents of
the tariff tinkering are opponents of the pending
treaties for reciprocal trade arrangements."
About the same time the Chicago Record-Hsr-ald,
speaking on this same subject, said:
A very strenuous effort Is being made to
keep the party from fulfilling its pledges, and
what with broken pledges and the inequalities
. of the tariff there may be a heavy account to
settle at the next congressional elections.
In this connection some interesting reading la
furnished by Walter "Wellman, the Washington
correspondent of the Chicago Record-Herald. Un
der recent da Mr. oilman wired his pa
per as follows:
One of the greatest problems confronting
tho republican party is what to do with th
tariff question and .when to do it It la ad- .
mlttcd on all aides that nothing will bo done
with tho tariff at this session of congress be
yond tho small reciprocity concession to Cuba.
In no other way will tho tariff bo touched
this year. Notwithstanding the demand of
tho pefoplo for relief from tho high prices at
which trust-mado goods are sold, no relief will
now bo afforded. President McKlnloy's gen
eral reciprocity scheme will como to naught.
Mombers of tho cabinot who talked with the
late president say ho was very much in earnest
in his desire to promote reciprocity as a means
of letting out somo of tho water behind tho
protection dam. "Ho used those very words
to me," said one member of the cabinot to tho
writer. "Mr. McKinley was thoroughly de
voted to the protection principle. Ho had
spent his life in working for it. Ho had not
in any way changed his views regarding it.
But ho foresaw, as ho told mo, that unless .
something wore done to afford relief, if tho
principle were carried to an unduo oxtrorao,
sooner or lator public opinion would turn
against it and there would bo another revolu
tion. To avert this President McKinley de
vised his reciprocity plan."
But none of tho reciprocity treaties ne
gotiated by the McKinley administration will
bo ratified. Senator Cullom is determined to -have
action on tho French, Argentine and .
other treaties now ponding before his com- .
mittee. That Is to say, he intends to. have
them disposed of. But it is known to ovory
one that they will be disposed of by defeat or
by putting them back on tho shelf. They will
not bo ratified. Indeed, Senator Aldrlch, the
chief protection lcador in congress, has con
vinced tho foreign relations committee that
the French treaty is a bad one and that it
should never have been negotiated. If there
is anything about which tho republican lead
ers in both branches of congress are agreed it
is that there shall bo no tariff tinkering of
any sort at this session. No reciprocity, no
direct revision, nothing whatever. President
McKinley's famous Buffalo speech is a classic,
and nothing more. It belongs to tho dead
past.
Mr. Wellman explains that this situation way
due to the fact that President Roosevelt, "a new
man at tho head of affairs, did not dare advocate
tariff revision in the face of the opposition of the
older men of the party." He further explains that
Senator Hanna was opposed to It because ho did
not want "business interests disturbed," and he
volunteers tho further information that "Of course
Senator Aldrlch, and his lieutenants, the .eastern
protectionists, concurred in this conclusion;"
adding, "Speaker Henderson and Senator Allison,
who should have taken tho western or con
sumer's point of view, If It can be expected to havo
any friends in congress, have also joined in tacit
bargain to squelch all efforts to open the tariff
question at this time. So the die Is cast. The
republican party is going into tho campaign of
1904 with the Dingley law as its platform."
JJJ
St. Louis County in Line.
The democrats of St. Louis county, Missouri,
held a convention a few days ago for the purpose
of sending delegates to the various state con
ventions. The following resolutions were unani
mously adopted:
"Believing that questions of national poli
tics are to be determined only by the representa
tives of the democratic party when assembled
in national convention, wo denounce as treason
able to the party all suggestions by persons pro
fessing to be democrats that its principles as de
cleared in tho platform of its last national con
vention to bo disregarded. When delegates to the
national convention to be held in 1904 are to be
selected, then and not until then does it become
democrats to propose departures from or changes
in the national policy of their party. Therefore,
we as tho representatives of the democrats of St.
Louis county hereby reassert our fealty to the
principles of tho Kansas City platform adopted
in 1900, and demand that all candidates appealing
for support as democrats shall represent it."
Let the good work go on. Every county con
vention should place itself on record and pledgo
its delegates to the support of the doctrines of
the party as set forth in the last national platform.