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The Commoner.
Vol. a, No. 3f.
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Current Topics.
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THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS NOT IT
solf any too well pleased over the muddle
Into which the question of the civil status of tho
Porto Rlcans and' the Filipinos has drifted, as a
consoquonco of our colonial policy, Is revealed by
tho Washington correspondent of tho Des Moines
Roglstor and Leader, a republican paper. It seems
that tho officials of tho state and treasury depart
ments are considerably disturbed because of tho
complications. Ono of the duties of tho state
department Is to furnish tho American traveling
abroad with papers which will Insure tho citizen's
protection on his travols. Ono of tho duties of the
tfoasury department is to see that only thoso aro
admitted to this country who have a right to como
hero. Tho state department has arranged for the
bonoflt of tho Filipinos and tho Porto Rlcans a cer
tificate reciting that the bearor is "loyal to tho
United States," and "entitled to bo accorded ade
quate protection by tho diplomatic and consular
offlcors of tho United States." Tho Washington
correspondent of tho Registor and Leader points
out that if the boarer of ono of theso certificates
sought to enter tho ono country in tho world
to whoso government ho owes allegiance, ho would
bo subjected to all tho tests prescribed for for
eigners and aliens by our immigration laws which
were written, to defend our republic against its
supposed enemies, and beforo there was any col
onial question. "In other words," says this corre
spondent, "tho countries to which he is not 'loyal'
recognize his certificate from tho United States as
entitling him to a degree of consideration which
is not accorded him by tho country to which he
is loyal. Ho can malco a contract to work for an
omployer in England or France, Germany or
Spain, at whoso frontiers he is a stranger, and ho
is free to go and como; but when he makes his
bargain across the invisible line which divides
the colony from the mother country he is liable
to T)o deported to his old homo, while tho other
party to the undertaking may be punished with a
heavy fine and imprisonment."
IT IS FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT THE
theory on which this distinction is drawn be
gins with the admission that tho status of tho
colonist is anomalous. It recognizes him as ono
of our own in relation to all the rest of the world,
but as only an alien in relation to the United States
proper. It is plain from this that as long as he is
willing to stay where it pleased an all-wise provi
dence to place him originally outside of the
United States he may enjoy life to the full, with
tho protection of the flag thrown in; but that as
soon as he interferes, as a possible competitor,
with tho magnificent isolation of the American
laborer, ho must halt. Just as tho constitution
must not follow the flag when it goes away from
homo, tho colonist may not when it comes back,
unless he is ready to go through the same mill as
a Hottentot or a South Sea cannibal.
ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING FACTS
brought out by this same writer relates to
Hawaii. The Hawaiian republic had never adopted
any Chinese exclusion acts, and a yellow man could
become a citizen on tho same terms as a Cau
casian if he desired. Tho consequence was that
Hawaii brought a lot of ready-made Chinese citi
zens into the United States with her when she
came. To these citizens we issue full passports
not mere certificates of protection. Yet if ono
of them goes abroad ho has to arm himsolf with a
return certificate from tho collector of customs at
tho port of departure, and go through all tho
forms of having it examined on his return to make
sure that tho conditions" to which ho swore on
leaving have not been changed during his ab
sence. It was even gravoly proposed by tho im
migration bureau that tho department of state
gum a photograph of the departing Chinaman to
his passport as an additional security; but when
the department of stato, with equal gravity, in
quired for the page and paragraph of the statute
authorizing it thus to ornament its parchment in
struments of guaranty, they could not be cited and
the subject was dropped.
thoy aro sharers, and speak only with corru
gated brows and bated breath. They do not daro
discuss it at all, and Intimate mysteriously that
they have been silonccd."
.
IT MAY NOT BE IN THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT,
but it is none the less interesting to learn
that tbo labor organizations of Blnghampton, N.
Y., have invited tho Chinese minister to address
them on Labor Day. This is tho first occasion on
which a Chinaman has been invited to address
labor organizations. In accepting tho invitation,
Mlnistor Wu wrote this letter: "Washington,
Chlneso Legation, Aug. 7, 1902. I am in receipt
of your letter of tho 2d Inst, inviting me to ad
dress tho Union men at Blnghampton on Labor
Day. Appreciate highly the friendly spirit that
prompted this kind invitation, and I will endeavor
to see my way clear to accept it. It is specially
gratifying to mo to find that there aro union men
who hold such enlightened views of exclusive leg
islation, and I assure you it will be a pleasure to
meet and address such broad-minded men."
THE WISCONSIN STATE BANKERS MET AT
Milwaukee, August 13. They adopted res
olutions opposing the Fowler bill, and all legis
lation tending to the substitution of branch banks,
urged their representatives in congress to oppose
such proposed legislation, and declared against any
law tending toward tho adoption of asset cur
rency. Banker John Schuette denounced the
branch bank system as an attempt to form a
banking trust. Banker F. R. Frentz declared:
"The hosts of the east, the Standard Oil company,
and the Morgans and Vanderbilts are advancing
upon us, and thoy intend to sweep this country
clean. Tho establishment of branch banks through
tho country would furnish the Standard Oil com
pany tho means to fight, cut the throat, and ex
terminate every small bank through the country.
What tho Standard Oil company did' to the poor
devils in the oil field who owned ono or more
small paying wells, that is what it will do to you
if you but give it the opportunity. Do you in
tend to unshackle this monster of branch bank
ing to devour you? Do you know that the City
bank in New York with $500,000,000 would domi
nate this country if it had branch banks through
out the country? Do you know it would dictate
the tariff, make or prevent wars, own all the ships,
the railroads, the mines, and hold the whole
country in tho hollow of its" hand?" It may not
be out of place to call attention to tho fact that
these gentlemen were ardent supporters of the re
publican party and when they saw the Standard
Oil company, the Morgans and the Vanderbilts
advancing upon the plain people, they had no word
of protest. Their voice has never been raised
against any other trust, although it is very prompt
ly raised against the proposed trust which they
fear will drive them out of business.
THE NEWSPAPERS ARE GIVING CONSID
erable attention to several new "cures." A
Kentuckian who had been a confirmed rheumatic,
" was struck by lightning and severely shocked.
When he recovered from tho lightning shock, he
found all traces of rheumatism had disappeared.
A Pennsylvania man who had been a long sufferer
from rheumatism was stunned by a swarm of bees,
and when ho recovered from his bee stings, it ap
peared that he was no longer a rheumatic. To be
sure, the things that will provide a remedy for one
man will not help another, and although rheumatic
pains are said to be well-nigh unbearable, the
lightning shock and the bee sting are not at all
likely to become popular remedies.
TT IS NOT DIFFICULT IN THE LIGHT OF
1 this statement to believe that the adminis
tration is really displeased with the situation, and
after reading this correspondent's statement, ono
is quite prepared for his conclusion that "the whole
business is so full of absurdities that the higher
officers having jurisdiction of It have to hide their
laughter behind their hands in attempting to dis
cuss it. Some of the understrappers, however,
- regard it as a triumph of statesmanship in which
A PARIS DOCTOR HAS DISCOVERED TPIAT
the balloon voyage is a fine tonic Address
ing the Academy of Medicine in Paris, Dr. Nau
gler declared that he has made a large number
of experiments and ho has demonstrated that a
balloon ascension acts on the human system as
tho most powerful of tonics. This doctor declared
that two hours' voyage in the upper air causes
an astonishing multiplication of the red corpuscles
in the blood and that theso conditions persisted
"for ten days after the ascension. He declared that
five such excursions would be more beneficial to a
consumptive than a sojourn of three months in
tho mountains. Dr. Naugier has suggested that
the municipal council provide balloons capable
of carrying say fifty passengers who aro too poor
to afford a change of climate.
THE MOST INTERESTING REMEDY, HOW
ever, recently suggested is tho new treat
ment for blindness. This treatment was discov
ered by Dr. Henry W. Garey of Baltimore. Dr.
Garoy writes of tho treatment in a dispatch printed
in tho Now York World of August 10. The method
is described as an adoption of tho principles of
massage or tho movement cure to the nerves of the
oyes. It is declared that tho results in many cases
have been such as to justify the belief that "this
newly discovered method will be a blessing to
humanity." If Dr. Garey has in fact discovered
a successful treatment for blindness, it will in
deed bo a blessing to humanity.
THE TOWN OF HILDERSHEIM, GERMANY,
is tho proud possessor of a rose bush that
is said to be one thousand years old. The sum of
fifty thousand dollars was once offered and de
clined for this bush.
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS INDORSED THE
proposition of the Mackay company to lay a
cablo across tho Pacific ocean. The recent delay
in this work has been duo to the failure of the fed
eral authorities to deliver to tho company the
charts of the soundings. made under government
authority. Theso 'charts were made in surveys for
the deep sea cable between Hawaii and Luzon and
were made in 1899.
THE DECISION OF THE PRESIDENT MEANS,
it is said, that the cable -will be in operation
within two years. The conditions offered by the
company have already been referred to ,in theso
columns, and to these Mr. Roosevelt has added
these conditions: "That tho United States gov
ernment at all times shall have priority of ser
vice. That the government, through the postmas
ter general, as is customary. in such contracts,
shall have the right to fix the rates to be charged
by tho company. That In time of war the govern
ment shall have the right absolutely to control
the cable. That, in order to protect not only the
government, but also individual private customers
of the company, the cable company is required to
lay a distinct line of cable from China to Manila,
so that it will not be necessary to depend on the
British company, which now controls the only ca
ble from Hong Kong to Manila. That the United
States at any time after the completion of the ca
bbie may purchase the line at an appraised valua
tion to be fixed by arbitrators selected in the usual
manner by the two parties to the transaction."
SOME CORRESPONDENTS SAY THAT
"those who have studied the .subject believe
that a cable laid under tho conditions proposed
will be to all intents and purposes a government
cable line with few if any of the ' disadvantages
attendant on government construction and main
tenance." There is, however, little ground for
this claim because the new company has entered
into only such stipulations as would be required
by any government and the enterprise is to be
distinctly a private affair.
THE STATISTICS RELATING TO EXPORTS
and imports for the fiscal year ending in 1902
provide food for thought. The exports for this
year were $106,000,000 less than the exports for the
year ending in 1901, while the imports increased
$80,000,000. Tho report of the chief of the treas
ury bureau of statistics points out that the short
age of the corn crop of 1901, due to drouth, re
duced the corn exportation in 1902 150,000,000
bushels below those of 1901, and caused a reduc
tion of $67,000,000 in the value of corn exporta
tion. The export price of cotton ayeraged about
1 cent per pound below that of the preceding
year, and, although the exportations exceeded in
quantity those in 1901 by about 170,000,000 pounds,
the total value of the cotton exported fell off near
ly $23,000,000. In iron and steel the increased de
mand at home, coupled with abnormal conditions
in the foreign market, caused a reduction of about
$19,000,000 in value of exports. In importations
Nthere was an increase of $70,000,000 in material
for use in manufacturing, $20,000,000 in manu
factured articles ready for consumption and $120,
000,000 in articles of voluntary use, luxuries, etc.,
but a decrease of $21,000,000 in food stuffs. Im
portations of raw materials for use in manufactur
ing amounted to $328,000,000, which was $85,000,
000 in excess of the preceding year, and of articles
partly manufactured for use in manufacturing
tlie imports were $91,000,000, an increase of $12,-000,000.
IT IS NOT UNLIKELY THAT REPUBLICAN
leaders who have gone mad- on the question
of territory grabbing will revive the proposition
to annex Hayti and Santo Domingo. The recent
political disturbances in this territory have
prompted the suggestion in high republican circles
that annexation would be "wise for all concerned."
It is pointed out that we need Hayti and Santo
Domingo because the next great war in which the
United States becomes involved may be fought
principally in the Caribbean and the value of
Hayti as a naval base has been kept in mind by
war leaders. Judging from the tone of Washing
ton correspondence in republican newspapers, it
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