Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 27, 1902)
The Commoner. Juc27i J?2 5 The Chicago Journal serves notice that "the president and those who support him have no in tention to yield to the weak sen Nolle time 11 tali 8m of such men as te Senator Hoar." And yet Sena- Senator Hoar, tor Hoar insists that those who object to imperialism have no reason to lose faith in the republican party and Jie says -the irrevocable step is not yet taken." The Kansas City Journal says: "In the demo cratic "press President Roosevelt has been repre sented as one who is for keep But He ing the Philippine islands under Said every possible circumstance or Stay Put' condition, yet President Roose velt has never declared for sucn a policy." What does the Journal have to say with respect to Mr. Roosevelt's declaration that the flag will "stay put" in the Philippine islands? Congress has passed Senator Cullom's bill providing for the creation of a commission to de cide on the designs and location Why for a monument to the memory These of Abraham Lincoln. This is Moimment5. said to have been "a cherished project of Senator Cullom." (With what reason do the republican statesmen who have repudiated Abraham Lincoln's prin ciples exert themselves to raise monuments to Lincoln's memory? When a republican office-holder at Cleveland .jtook an active part in behalf of Mark Hanna and was criticised for his offensive There partisanship, Mr. Hanna Is re in a ported to have said: "When a Difference. man takes a government posi tion, he doesn't forfeit his rights of citizenship." Because .Miss Rebecca J. Taylor, a clerk In the war department, publicly expressed her opposition to the administration's Philippine policy she was removed from office. But it must be remembered that Mr. Hanna did not Bay that "when a woman takes a government position, she doesn't forfeit her rights of citizenship." In a letter to Colonel Cutter Smith of Flor ence; Ala., Mark Hanna says: "I must insist that I am not to be considered in any sense a candidate for the nomi nation for president In 1904." It might disarrange Mr. Hanna's plans if he was "considered m any sense" a candidate for the nomination for president in 1904 until he has laid all the wires that ho thinks necessary for securing the prize. Mr. Hanna does not insist that he must not be nominated. On the contrary, there are good rea sons for believing that Mr. Hanna Intends to be come the nominee in 1904, if such a thing is pos sible. A libel suit is on trial at Manila before Judge Rhode: The defendant is the editor of a news paper called "Freedom." The But attorney for the defendant ob- Can He Jected to trial before Judge Do It? Rhode on the ground that Rhode had once addressed opprobrious epithets to the editor of the paper, and had de clared that ho would not rest until ho had landed him in Bilibid prison. The dispatches say that Judge Rhode admitted having made this state ment, but insisted that he was capable of trying the case fairly. How many lawyers in the United States would be willing to have their client tried before such a judge under similar circumstances? The New York Herald says: "President Roosc yelt truly asserts that the difficult art of self government 'an art which our They people have taught themselves Taught by the labor of a thousand Themselves. years' cannot be grasped in a day by the Filipinos, and that not until they have learned this and shown their capacity for self-government will it be possible to decide whether they are to exist independently of us or be knit to us by ties of Iriendship and common interests." If the difficult art of self government is "an art which our people. have taught themselves," why do we deny to the Fili pinos the privilege of teaching themselves this same art? Had "our people" shown their capacity for self-government? If so, when did they show it? Was it when they framed the immortal Dec laration of Independence? Was it when they took up arms against the British crown? Was it when they demonstrated that their love of liberty was so intense that they were willing to flght for it and if necessary to die for it? It cannot have been forgotten that it was said by our British oppres- "Not o be Considered." sors, exactly as we say of tho Filipinos, that we had not shown our capacity for soil-government. But our fathers laid down several self-ovident truths to which they dedicated their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They know it was necessary for them to pass through the ex perimental stage and upon the general foundation of government which they laid they built the structure which should now stand as an inspira tion for ail men. Tho Boston Globe thinks it has discovered some "signs of tho times," and tho Globe ervcs Interesting warnings upon tho trust magnates. In one editorial the Globe says: "With tho coal trust and the meat trust raising prices and rofusiug to rai3e wages, the issue between those concerns a.nd tho people Is fast being made up. They are engaged in a monumental folly and every man of property in the country ought to find somo way -of com municating this universal opinion to tho heedless barons of the mines and the abattoirs." In an other editorial the Globe says: "Those who aro forcing high prices of living and yet refusing to pay wages to correspond will yet And themselvas face to face with the wholo American people. Congress will be forced, as things are now drifting, to adopt drastic measures. No tariff traditions will be allowed to stand in tho way. Tho people will not endure the strain forever." Timely Warning; From the East. SsSSf The platform adopted by the Ohio republican state convention declares: "All combinations that stifle competition, control prices, Why Not limit production or unduly m- do it, crease profits or values, and Then? especially when they raise tho prices of necessities of life, are opposed to public policy and should bo repressed with a strong hand." The republican party is In power in the White house and in both branches of congress. All over the land today there are pow erful combinations that "stifle competition, control prices, limit production or unduly increase profits or values." All over tho land today there are powerful combinations that have raised the price of the necessities of life. All over the land today there are powerful combinations . that are "op posed to public policy." Why do not tho republi can congress and the republican president "re press with a strong hand" these powerful and un holy combinations? John W. Gates, the financier, In an interview with a Chicago Record-Herald reporter, said: "This prosperity is .going to con tinue. Politics can't touch Jt. Every trust formed, every com munity of interest consum mated, is a step upward for tho social advancement of the laborer. If America continues to forge ahead for the next thirty years as she has in the last thirty, then we will own all the important railroads in tho world." Tho advocates of the trust system are bocoming bolder. A few months ago they insisted that there was no such thing as a trust; and now they tell us that "every trust formed, every combination made, and every community of interest consummated Is a step upward for the social advancement of the la borer;" and the regrettable fact is that In spite -of the overwhelming proof against the desirability of the trust system, there are those who will ho -willing to permit men like Gates to do the think ing for the country. Now They are "Qooil Things.' yi The Commoner recently contained the follow ing editorial comment: "The revelations con cerning cruelties practiced In An the Philippines prove not that Appreciated we are worse than other peoples, Compliment. but that human nature js too frail to be trusted with the use of arhltrary power. An irresponsible government will certainly result in atrocities. Man is not strong enough to withstand the temptation to mis use power, and therefore constitutional restrictions are necessary for the protection of the weak and for the maintenance of civilized government." An Ohio reader, referring to this editorial, -says: "If these words could be burned into the inner consciences of tho American people, the fight against imperialism would be won; it seems to me impossible to condense into fewer words a more stinging indictment of the republican colonial pol icy and whole volumes have been written in de fense of constitutional liberty and popular govern ment controlled by law without saying as mucn in their favor as Is contained in these few line. They ought to be Inscribed In letters of Hying light upon the walls of every school house ana other institutions of learning in the land, published in every home and added as a supplement to tho Cenervatlve and Deliberate. Declaration of Independence." Ho commcads the flght Tho Commonor is making "to vindicate audi Justify American principles of popular govern ment" Tho Commonor does not publish many of tho kind things that have boon said, but the abovo is a samplo of tho words of encouragement which convlnco tho editor that tho paper Is living up to tho principles lor which it is established. Senator Vest objects to tho election of United States senators by popular vote. He says: "What do you proposo to do now? in stead of two legislative bodies, one representing tho pcoplo at large, the other representing the conservative and deliberate Judg ment of sonators not holding office for two years, but holding it for six yoars, and who aro assumed to ropresont tho states in their sovereign capacity, wo aro to have ono great house of representatives, two bodies sitting separately, but both In reality what tho popular branch of tho congress is today." Under the proposed plan senators would continue to hold their offico for six years. Tho fact that they would bo elected by tho pooplo would not alter their status as "representatives of states in their sovoreign capacity." With what roaBon may it be said that whon tho sonators are elected by popular vote, their judgment need bo less "conser vative and deliberate?" It Is tho Blx-year term that makes tho sonators a hit more independent than the member of tho lower house and tho elec tion by popular vote would not lntorforo with con servatism or deliberation. It might result In tho selection of sonators who would not Jmaglno that to be "conservative" and to bo "deliberate" thoy must work for the benefit of special interests ana must Ignore public interests altogether. A London cablegram to tho Chicago Record Herald, roferring to Whitolaw Roid's visit to Eng land, says: "Presiding at a ilr,.Reid concert hold on board tho Uni on .the brla last Friday night in aid ol Umbrfe. the Liverpool Seaman's Orphan age, Mr. Roid said that King Ed ward was following in tho footsteps of his worthy mother, who was always referred to in tho United States, not as Queen Victoria, but simply as "the Quoon." It is -very evident that Mr. Roosevelt lenew What ho was doing when ho selected White law Reld to attend tho coronation ceremonies of the king. Mr. Roid's address on tho Umbrla re calls an interesting editorial that appeared In the American Law Review in 1900. There is such a striking similarity between this editorial and Mr, Reld's Umbria speech that the editorial is worthy of reproduction. Tho American Law Review is on of the leading law publications of this country. It Is edited 'by Seymour D. Thompson. In its is sue of May-Juno, 1900, tho American Law Review had an editorial in which it paid a very flatter ing tribute to tho character of Queen Victoria .and concluded thus: "Many of us feel that she is in a sense our queen; and whenever she wants the American hoys to flght for her honor, or even for her political rights, they will embark or cross tho Canadian frontier lor that purpose in such numbers as will tax British resources to arm and equip .them every ono of them "spoiling for a light;" and they will .acquit themselves as gal lantly as their Canadian cousins have done in .South Africa." William E. Curtis, writing from Washington to tho Chicago Record-Herald, says: "It was a great mistake for the republl- A Parly cans in the house of represnta- Tbat is lives to head off the democratic "Alway RJfht." attacks upon Governor General Wood of Cuba. It was had po litical policy." Mr. Curtis thinks that the peoplo will resent any criticism of General Wood's ad anlnistration and expenditure of money. He de clares that the criticism of the brutalities in tho Philippines lost votes to tho'-democrats and that tho criticism of Wood will only tend to bring votes to the republicans. The republicans have not been able to successfully defend the brutalities in tho Philippines and they have mot attempted to JustUy General Woca's unlawful expenditures in Cuba. Consequently they Tesort to the republican habit of Insisting that whenever it is criticised for any of its acts, tho republican party is certain to gain strength. Once upon a time it was regarded as good policy for one party to expose and criticise the disreputable acts of another party and in those days it was regarded as good policy for tho party criticised to defend itself. But in this sew and strange political era, we are told that whatever the republican party or its agents may do Is abov criticism, and the people are- expected to adopt the rule that "under any and all circumstances, th republican party is right-and whoever opposes It is wrong." . i. x f im in .?