Oft
June 6, 190a
The - Commoner.
7
FORUM OF THE WEEKLY PRESS . .: I
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Beatrice (Neb.) Democrat: The at
tempt of republican newspapers to
hide the hideous crimes perpetrated in
the Philippines under the cry of "loy
alty to our army," will not go with
thinking people.
Chadron (Neb.) Chadronian: The
Chadronian is very anxious to know
who pulled down the flag in Cuba.
Surely the administration will not al
low such a traitor to escape without
the water cure.
Keyser (W. Va.) Tribune: A joint
committee of senators and representa
tives will prepare a substitute for the
republican Philippine bill which will
represent the position of the demo
cratic party on the Philippine ques
tion. Good.
Lincoln (Neb.) State Democrat;
The Evening News' Minneapolis-mado
cartoon of last Tuesday, pictured Un
cle Sam aiding little Cuba in its first
steps. How much better it would
have looked if there had been another
little tot a Filipino.
Shiner (Tex.) Gazette: We certain
ly have made a nice mess of it in the
Philippines. Better had we never been
born than to have attained these isl
ands. Weylerism has been thrown in
iW shade by the "water cure" and
"the "burn and kill" orders. -
The Public, Chicago:. If it is. an
honorable policy to withdraw ,fronr
Cuba and leave the island to the gov
ernment of its own people, why would
it be a "scuttle" policy to. withdraw
from the Philippine archipelago and
leave those islands to the government
of their own people?
Lamar (Mo.) Leader: During the
last campaign one of the most ridic
ulous arguments ofx the republicans
was that our flag must never be low
ered where once it has been raised;
and thousands of voters were deluded
by the foolish bluster. Now what
have these asinine "patriots" got to
pay about the treason of lowering the
flag in Cuba.
Sidney (la.) Herald: The Chicago
Chronicle says that the picture of
Abraham Lincoln was not among those
that decorated the hall of the Illinois
republican state convention. We are
not much surprised. It seems that In
the best republican circles "Old Abe,"
like the signers of the Declaration of
Independence, is now considered a
"back number."
Penn Yan (N. Y.) Democrat; It
really seems to make very little differ
ence who does the civilizing, methods
are about the same, whether the sub
ject be white, black or brown. The
truth is, the possession of unlimited
power over the lives and fortunes of
others was never enjoyed by anyona
without being subject to abuse.
Whether in Cuba, or in South Africa
6r,uin the Philippines, the resul.t is
the" same. '
.WjnfleR (Kas.) Tribune : The. .tar
iff is the.:club with .which the trusts
Bound the peonle. Let the republican
congress repeal the tariff on tho food
supply and the trusts will explode in
short order.- The republicans know
this and if they are not dominated by
combined capital, they can let it be
known by coming to the relief of the
people. Will they do it?
Redding (Cal.) Democrat: If repub
lican politicians are in earnest when
they especially denounce combines
which tend to increase the cost of liv
ing and the necessaries of life and In
demanding legislation to correct such
abuses, why do they stand in solid
array against repealing, or even in the
slightest degree modifying, the legis
lation which alone makes those abuses
possible.
Crete (Neb.) Democrat: Those
democrats who have lately returned
from the republican camp, where they
helped with their votes to elect sena
tors and presidents and thus defeated
democratic candidates, would show a
little sense of decency if they should
refrain from efforts to place their own
names on party tickets as the first
work they engage in after their re
turn from serving the enemy.
Alma (0.) Democrat: While Han
na was urging the president to grant
Rathbone a new trial "according to
American methods," he should have,
put in a word for the other American,
civilizer, Neeley, who was convicted
under the same procedure and for the
same offense. But, then, Neeley had
no hand in helping Mark into 'the
United States senate, and doesn't
know how to kick the pillars from un
der the temple. See!
St. Cloud (Minn.) Times.: The de
gree of trepidation which President
Roosevelt's spectacular proceedings
have excited in the councils of the so
called meat combine may be judged
from the circumstance that the price
of dresed beef is exactly where It was
before Attorney General Knox took
action, though cattle on the hoof have
fallen off fully 10 per cent. ,The pack
ers are perfectly competent to distin
guish between the sound of a blank
cartridge and one loaded with ball.
St. Marys (W. Va.) Oracle: The ma
jority leaders are trying to cover
up the serious charges made against
the army in the Philippines by reviv
ing old sectional issues and charging
Sherman, Sheridan and other heroes
of the civil war with cruel treatment
of citizens and wanton destruction 'of
property in the Atlantic and Sheria
daoh raids. No hero living or dead is
too. sacred to be made to serve a pur
pose to aid in carrying out the policy
of rapine and murder in those Is
lands. St. Paul (Nebr.) Phonograph: The
ship subsidy bill will not pass the
senate this session. Why? Because
with that club the democrats and In
dependents would be able to win the
next .congress. So -the measures will
be Dtaeon holed fox this time and. if
the republicans are successful in this
fall election they will then pass 'tho
bill and every mother's son of them
will say, amen. Do you doubt this?
If so ,read up on tho platform of '9G,
which declared for blmotalism and
then note tho single gold standard
bill passed as soon as congress con
vened. Herkimer (N. Y.) Democrat: Tho
republican party of Lincoln's day tho't
that the negroes recently emancipated
from slavery were fit subjects for self
government and they were given the
ballot and made the political equal
of any American citizen. The repub
lican party of today thinks that tho
Filipino, who has been fighting the
Spaniard for nearly four hundred
years for freedom and independence,
is not a fit subject for self government
but the republican party of forty
years ago is not the republican party
of today. Then it had principles worth
contending for, now it has none. It
is now only actuated by greed and
conquest.
Woodland (Cal.) Democrat: The
trusts say to the people: "We will
raise the price of things you need in
order to enrich our industrial pets.
As for you, if you cannot afford to
buy the things you need at the oxor-r
bitant prices, you can do without
them. You can use soine inferior sub
stitute to your cost, and discomfort."
How long will the American people
put up with this intolerable insol
ence? Indications are not wanting
that they will shortly dispense with
the services of that party of shameless
robbery and privation and place their
interests in the hands of a party which
has at least as much regard for the
rights of the many as for the rights
of the trusts.
Fulton (Mo.) Telegraph: Theso
monied followers are changing their
opinions rapidly. In 1896 the bankers
or most of them fought the demo
cratic party from start to finish; and
now they are bitterly opposed to one
of the pet measures of the republican
party, a question that has. been up
permost in the minds of that party
ever since tho Chicago convention.
The most ordinary man in the demo
cratic party has known all along that
the great object of the republican par
ty is to concentrate wealth and re
strict the coinage of money. It is a
little singular that our wise financial
men of the south and west have not
understood the plans of the party,
when it is so clear to a democrat
Bellaire (0.) Democrat: Some
events stand out in history to the
everlasting disgrace of the particip
ants. Hessian cruelties during the
revolution, the devastation of the
Caranac in India are black" spots on
English history. A few years ago
we found the simple natives of the
Philippines struggling to throw off the
Spanish yoke and to rid themselves of
Spanish oppression, and in the name
of humanity, we apparently went to
their assistance, only to fix upon them
an even more distasteful, and, for
them, unnatural form of government,
and when thoy refused to submit, In
flicted a moro cruel and unheard of
system of punishment. Tho acts of
our military in our now Islands, white
wash them as wo will, aro today his
tory, and no juggling, gagging or cen
sorship will chango the records.
Columbia (.Io.) Herald: Governor
Davis played a joke on the people of
Massachusettes in pardoning tho ne
gro convicted of some crime in Ar
kansas with tho provision that ho' be
come a citizen of tho former stato
within thirty days. But it was hard
on both tho negro and tho stato of
Massachusetts. Tho former is sent
from those who know him and who
are his best friends. Tho lattor will
receive a citizen whom they will not
welcome so gladly 'as tho sentimental
theories of the north would indicate.
What would be tho result upon tho
theories of the. people of some sec
tions of the north, if the south should
send all of its negroes of this class to
them is a question of some Interest.
Perhaps thoy would be able to better
appreciate the problems with which
the whites of the southern septlon, in
which th a ''negroes predominate In
numbers, have to contend.
On tho Right Road.
It must be borne in mind that tho
Kansas City platform and the Chicago
platform as well dealt with privilege
in general and not alone with that
phase of it embodied in the gold con
spiracy. Had nothing but free silver
coinage been involved in the demo
ratic campaign there would have been
no such tremendous upheaval among
the privileged interests as there was.
It was because an attack was upon
privilege in general that every Inter
est based on privilege or protected by
it took alarm and rushed pell mell
into the McKinley camp, where privi
lege found special favor and support.
All the democratic reorganizers of to
dayall the people who are talking
of a "redemption" of democracy from
its follies lent either their actual or
their moral influence to this party
desertion; and it was through their
aid and support that McKinley won
the victory and set Dingleylsm and
imperialism to work in building up
giant trusts and in criminal aggres
sions upon weaker peoples. Here is
the issue now. The Democrat seea
no reason for reorganization. It sees
many reasons for hoping that it will
fail. The party is on the right road.
It may blunder now and then; it may
even falter and turn back sometimes;
but Its face is toward the light and we
want it to press forward. And thoso
going our way are earnestly invited
to join us and to give us all the help
they can. Johnston (Pa.) Democrat.
Mr. "WlnsloTr'a Soothing: Syrnp
Has been used for over SIXTY YEARS by MILLIONS
of MOTUEJIS for their CHILDREN WHILE TEETH
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DIARRIIOiA. Eold by Druggists in every part of the
world. Bv sure and junior "Mrg. WImIow'a Soothing
Syrup," and toko no ot&erkind. Twenty-ire ceata a
bottle. It Is the Best of all.
-v.