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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1902)
Jwo i3, 1902 The Commoner. 7 -. ". THE WEEKLY PRESS FORUM Darlington (Wis.) Democrat: We wonder who the "traitor" was who hauled down the flag in Cuba Tuesuay. Sidney (la.) Herald: While lifting Cuba out of the dirt of imperialism, we are piling it onto the Filipinos. Marysville (Kas.) Advocate-Democrat: The man who says the Filipinos are not ready for self-government means that he would deny that boon as long as he can. Plankington (S. D.) Herald: ."If you want the fort, come and take it," is the message which Nebraska demo crats are sending to the gold bugs, alias "reorganizes." Grand Island (Neb.) Democrat: One of the most pitiable plights we have ever seen is a preacher trying to show how God's hand is guiding our work in both Cuba and the Philippines. Phoenix (Ariz.) Democrat: If the president will substitute a bill to re peal the meat taxes for Knox's bill to restrain the meat trust there will be Bpmething doing in an awful hurry In every packing house between the oceans. Fostoria (0.) Democrat: The Wash ington Post considers the -exodus of Americans to tour Europe as an evi dence that we. still have a surplus. Unfortunately the people who create the surplus, do" not get to do the touring. Goshen (N. Y.) Independent Repub lican: The stories of outrages In the Philippines by men who disgrace the army uniform are conspicuous by their absence in the press dispatches at this time. This mav lndientn t.hnf n re form has been inaugurated. It may also indicate that the press censor is getting in his work. Buffalo (Mo.) Record: The United States government acted with com mendable promptness in donating to the relief of the survivors of the dis aster of the French West Indies. We only wish the same sympathy and love for humanity would work a speedy conclusion of the disaster and havoc now being caused in the Phil ippines. Blandinsville (111.) Star-Gazetto: No, my son, neither President Roose velt nor the republican party were to blame for the volcanic eruption which destroyed St.. Pierre and Its 30,000 in habitants last week-, nor have either claimed it. All that the republicans claim is the production of bountilful crops, the sunshine, earth, the full ness thereof and a few other things. v Perry (O..T.) Sentinel: After ages of struggle for freedom, Cuba Is a re public at last. The next fight for the democrats to close is to secure similar freedom for all the Philippine islands. . Forsythe (Ga.) Advertiser: The present congress will cost the country more than a billion dollars, being the most expensive congress that the coun try has ever "had. Between the ex travagance of the higher officials and the corruption of the lower ones, the republican party seems to be in a bad row of stumps. David City (Neb.) Press: The Sut ton Register mentions a Swede farmer who has recently returned from the land of his birth. While absent his political faith received considerable of a jar. He found McCormack harvest ers, of the class that sell for $125 here at home, selling for $62, less than half, over there. Wire nails, costing $4.00 here, also cost $2.75 over there. He is now convinced there is a steel trust, which prevents competition at home and is protected from outside compe tition by a prohibitive tariff.- , ' Stanton (Neb.) Register: When the fuslonists had charge of the affairs of Nebraska, a large school apportion ment was heralded by republicans as prosperity. Now a larger apportion ment is all credited. up to the good work of the state officers. The repub licans are great on grabbing at straws to help themselves out of queer pre dicaments. Charlestown (Ind.) Democrat: A republican exchange has an extended account of the increase of the number of workingmen at increased wages and decrease in price of staples and on the same page gives an acount of a strike for more wages and on still another pace "roasts" tha hoof trnat- Lfor padding prices and making illegal contracts, aucn is republican incon sistency. Glasgow (Ky.) Times: In nominat ing Ollie James, the democrats of the first congressional district have doie the right thing in the right place and to the right man. Ollio James Is one of the brightest, ablest and truest of the younger men called to public life in Kentucky. He will make a con. Lgressman of whom the First district will be proud, and a record second to that of none of the illustrious sons of the Gibraltar district who havo pre ceded him. Congressman James, good man and true, democrat faithful and fighting, large of brain, heart and body, may your shadow never grow less! Rich Hill (Mo.) Enterprise: The men who bolted the democratic party in 1896 and 1900 and went over to the republican party on the plea that, they could not tolerate bimetallism, are to day among the most conspicuous ad vocates of imperialism, of trusts and of all other Iniquitous republican products. The men who are most con spicuous in the effort to reorganize the democratic party today, pretending that their antagonism is confined to the question of bimetallism, are In conspicuous in the demand for justice for the Boers, in opposition to Imper ialism, in antagonism to trusts, and in condemnation of republican schemes generally. Chicago Public: The attitude of the republican press towards the demo cratic party is well worthy of note, it is so eminently friendly to democratic leaders whose fidelity is under suspic ion. Mr. Lamqnt, for instance, Is re garded by the republican press as one of the men whose nomination by the democrats would save that party from political ruin. Why republicans should want the democratic party1 to escape political ruin is not quite clear, yet they are really extremely solicitous. Mr. Cleveland would be acceptable to them for this purpose, but as he Is not regarded as available they fall back upon Mr. Lamont, the creature of Whitney whom Mr. Cleveland took into the cabinet and launched upon the ways to a speedy fortune of mil lionaire dimensions. Along with Mr. Lamont as the republican choice for the democratic nomination comes Mr. Olney, another product of Cleveland's notoriously disastrous administration. And then there are Gorman and Hill. Any of these gentlemen would be highly acceptable to the republicans as the democratic candidate for the presi dency. Let him who doubts It read the republican papers. But why do re publicans turn to them and bog the democrats to nominate one of them? Is it because their pecuniary interests, their social connections, and their general environment make them as good plutocrats as the republicans could find in their own party? Or is It Vinnaiiaa iYtafT wnillfl hfi fiRSV t.O llPftt. fit. the" election? SOME EXCHANGE INTERVIEWS The Filipinos are to be given the constitution In broken doses. Nashville (Tenn.) News. Greatly diluted, of course, with wa tor. Irrlgato their constitutions so they may be able to benevolently as similate brokon doses of our constitution. Senor Buencamlno gavo the house committee on Insular af fairs some cogent reasons why tho Filipinos should not bo left to themselves at the present time Philadelphia Public Ledger. Something over an hundred years ago certain Americans gave what some English statesman urged as cogent reasons why tho Americans should not be left alone at that time. They were on the British pay roll. The size of the republican state platform adopted at the convention in Cleveland leads peoplo to won der how Congressman Dick ever smuggled it through from Wash- -lngton. It's a wonder the railroads did njt insist that ho send it by freight'. Youngstown (O.) Vindi cator. As railroads carry freight by weight and not by bulk it is very likely they did not think it worth while to waste time making out a way bilh Tho Hon. Frank Thompson, who has been elected chairman of the state democratic executive committee, is a small man phy sically, but his democracy is said to be of giant proportions. Mem phis Morning Star. That's a better combination than a splendid physique, and an atrophied democracy. The democratic party should beware of democrats who are always ready to leave their principles In tho republican vestibule. Great Britain's chief heritage of the war is debt and tho loss of the esteem of liberty-loving peoplo. Boston Traveler. That's a hard blow at the Ameri cans who commend sending a special envoy to the coronation of Great Brit ain's king. If what the Traveler says is true such people do not love liberty. And if debt and tho loss of the esteem of liberty-loving peoplo is Great Brit ain's heritage of the war, what shall be our heritage of the war against a people who are struggling for liberty? Colonel Lambert Tree, another of the gentlemen who went fishing in 1896, is now megaphoning fresh advice to the national democracy. But he is only a chestnut tree. Phoenix (Ariz.) Democrat. And with one accord, which Is in itself very suspicious, tho administra tion organs are telling tho national democracy that its hopes of success lie in accepting the advice of recalcitrant democrats. Wonderful what interest the republican organs take in tho views of the reorganlzers. The fact that republican sena tors have taken up southern lynch ings In an effort to offset tho wa ter cure charges of the democrats, is pretty strong evidence of the terrible nature of the tortures in the Philippines. Columbus (O.) Press. It Is also pretty good evidence that tho republican leaders are determined to keep up their usual tactics of de fending theJr course by shouting, "You're another!" The fact that Jt our own "race problem" la ample rea- son why w should not annex another and greater race problem. But blind ed by commercial greed and lust of power this seems nevor to havo dawned upon the minds of tho imper ialists, j Tho Tennesso democrats who indorsed tho Kansas City platform might spend some time prollt ably in studying tho returns of tho last presidential election. Birmingham (Ala.) News. They seem to havo studied tho re sults of tho last presidential election, which is much moro to tho purpose Men inspired by right are never dis mayed by advorso results. Tho south didn't exactly like President Roosovolfs comparisons between tho lynchings in this country and tho cruelties In the Philippines. But It Is not believed the approval of tho south was particularly counted upon by tho presidont in that connection. Sioux City (la.) Journal. Certainly not. In order to show his dislike for tho prejudices of tho south the president appealed to tho prejudlco of a certain class in the north. In tho estimation of tho average republican the war is either over or still going on just as it will best suit his cam paign puvtfoses. . Any policy with respect to tho tariff on which Senators Aldrich, Spooner, Piatt and Allison agree with President Roosevelt, will bo accepted by the industrial Inter ests of tho country as perfectly safe. Milwaukee Evening Wis consin. To bo sure, and for tho simple rea son that tho senators named will read ily agree to anything In tho way of tariff that tho "industrial Interests" as represented by tho trusts and cor porations may prepare. But will tho gentlemen agree on something that tho general interests of the country, agree upon as being just and fair? The gentlemen who took offense at the president's reference to lynchings are perhaps too sensi tive. The president may have had in mind Colorado, Ohio and Il linois, and not Texas. And besides, it should be remembered In ex tenuation that the administration is all-fired hard up for an excuse for its brutality. Springfield (111.) State Register. While admitting failure to solve a great problem at homo It requires great nerve to claim ability to solve an even greater problem 10,000 miIo3 from home. But failure to suppress brutality at home Is, as suggested, a very poor defense for brutality abroad. Senator Spooner Is gloriously right In his position (on the Phil ippine question) and the voters will back him up. Milwaukee Sentinel. Then Abraham Lincoln was wrung. Lincoln said: "You will find that all the arguments in favor of kingcraft were of this class thov alwavR lm- strode the necks of the people; not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden." That Is the Spooner posi tion. He and his imperialistic col leagues insist that the Filipinos are better off for being ridden. If tho es teemed Sentinel has forgotten who Abraham Lincoln was it should read up a little on history which reading would be fatal to the Sentinel's, posi tion on tho Philippine question. uatil j lV Fm' ft.Y i-:' r'C M-,-