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
.?
