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The Commoner.
5
Wanted
Another
Letter.
Doc. i9, ioJ. -
'And now the Washington Post Joins with other
newspapers that have long shown a lively in
terest in tho fortunes of Mr.
Et Hill, but have now turned
tu against him. The Post says:
Brute '"lh Hon- Davo Hil1 way d0 a
little wriggling, like a snake's
tall, hut for all practical political purposes ho is
as dead as a mackerel."
Major Jenkins, who was recently appointed
collector of revenue for Charleston, S. C, re
moved one of his deputies, a ne
gro by the name of George W.
Murray, in order to make a.
place for a white man. It is
now in order for Mr. Roosevelt's
literary bureau to make public a letter of re
buke to his new collector of revenue in South
Carolina.
V. H. Lovejoy, editor of tho Jefferson (la.)
Souvenir, a republican paper, responding to an
inquiry by tho Chicago Tribune,
What wired that paper as follows:
Hanna "I am heartily in favor of a
Wants. slliP subsidy and tho placing
of American commerce on an
equal footing with other great world powers. Give
Hanna what he wants." Of course, why not give
Hanna what he wants?
In his message to congress Mr. Roosevelt said
that "our past experience shows that great pros
perity in this country has al
Tarlff ways come under a protective
and tariff, and that the country can-
Panic, .not prosper under fitful tariff
changes at short intervals." And
yet it is true that we had a protective tariff in
1873 and 1893 and the people have not yet been
permitted to forget the panics of those years.
The Fremont (Neb.) Tribune, a republican
paper, referring to, Mr. Roosevelt's selection of
a minister to Brazil, says: "Mr.
Partly Thompson's departure for Brazil
Its Own will be of future benefit to the
Work. party." Can it be possible that
appointments under a republican
administration are made not with the view of the
spcolal 'fitneSs of the appointee for the office, but
' in order that the party may be benefited by tho
departure of its recognized leaders?
The Chicago News condemns the ship subsidy
bill. It asserts that 'the whole thing is mon-
strous, unreasonable, dishonest.
Deed The republican party has con-
.,of fessed that it realizes the wick-
Dlshonor. edness that lurks in the meas
ure by nursing it until after tho
election and now attempting to ram it through
congress in a' hurry as the act of an expiring leg
islative body. It is a deed of dishonor. The party
"will be made to regret it." And yet the president
could find, no room in his message for a denun
ciation of this "deed of dishonor."
The Kansas City Star, referring to the repub
lican tariff, says: "It provides for a partnership
between the government and
"True 'infant industries' that enables
Patriots the 'infant industries' to absorb
all." QM tno profits, which are paid
by the consumer. It is a rank
er and a more disgraceful style of mendicancy
than is practiced by any beggar in the streets."
And yet the Star was conspicuous in the cam
paigns of 1896 and 1900 among those newspapers
that pleaded for victory for a political party that
believes in this "rank and disgraceful style of men
dicancy." In-reply to a criticism made of his Detroit
speech in which he referred to the ship subsidy,
Secretary Shaw says that he
"Non- did not commit himself in favor
Partisan of any particular ship subsidy
Action." DH1 He explains: "I simply
spoke in favor of non-partisan
action if possible, for the building up of a mer
chant marine." In other words, Secretary Shaw
not deeming it advisable just at this time to
boldly indorse the ship subsidy bill that passed
the senate went on record as favoring "non-partisan"
action for the purpose of building up a
merchant marine. When the time comes that the
republican leaders deem it safe to push the ship
subsidy bill through, it may not be doubted that
Mr. Shaw will be so thoroughly "non-partisan"
that ho will bo able to embrace oven tho measure
to.which, in his Detroit speech, ho did not explic
itly commit himself.
Tho Wall street Journal in its issue of Wednes
day, December 3, says: "Some time ago wo ven
tured to oxpress tho viow that
Of Wall street in taking up a posi-
Cour.sc, tion of antagonism to President
of Course. Roosevelt was acting noither
"fairly nor wisely, and we gave
some reasons for that view. Perusal of his an
nual message to congress leaves us strengthened
In our previous opinion." Thore aro many other
people who, since perusing Air. Roosovelt's mes
sage, aro inclined to tho view that Wall street has
no good reason for assuming a position of antag
onism toward Mr. Roosevelt.
In his message to congress Presidont Roose
velt said something about "monopolies, unjust
discriminations, which prevent
He or cripple competition, fraud-
Forgot ulent overcapitalization and
It. other evils in trust organizations
and practices which injuriously
affect interstate trade." One of tho greatest evils
of the trust lies in its powor to impose unfair
prices upon the consumer and yet Mr. Roosevelt
was so "overtender" in dealing with tho trust
question that he could not find room in his mes
sage for a reference to this, one of ho greatest of
all the evils of the trust system.
wys
The Chicago Chronicle says that "silver dol
lars are indirectly made convertible into gold
by making them receivable for
all United States taxes and dues
at their par value or as an
equivalent of gold." Perhaps,
also, tho fact that silver dollars
aro legal tender for all debts, public and private,
except where otherwise expressly stipulated, may
also be pointed to as showing that these dollars
are "convertible into gold;" and yet from tho
tone of Secretary Shaw's annual report one would
hardly be led to believe that a silver dollar had
anything other than its noble self for a redeemer.
"In-
Directly
Redeemable."
Ty?2
He
Might
Try It.
Tho Philadelphia Record says: "If tho presi
dent must recognize the colored voters it would
be a great piece of party strategy
for him to appoint them in re
publican states. It might mod
erate the demands of Massa
chusetts for colored men in fed
eral offices and it would make it possible to create
a formidable republican party in tho south." Has
the Record forgotten that in his letter to tho
Charleston citizen Mr. Roosevelt Erid that he had
appointed one negro to office "from" Pennsyl
vania? Or perhaps this particular appointee has,
in the discharge of his duties, been required, to go
so far "from" Pennsylvania that the people of
that state were wholly ignorant of his appoint
ment yyy
Henry Clews, the New York banker, in his
letter issued under date of December 6, says:
"The president's message was
Very wej received. His utterances
Remote on trusts, tariff, currency and
Indeed. other questions were about what
we expected and had no effect
upon the stock, market The prospects of any of
his recommendations being acted upon during this
session of congress are very remote. The trust
question seems likely to bring on a prolonged
struggle, the issues being'too numerous and com
plex to admit of hasty or radical legislation." In
the light of such statements as these it will be
difficult for the friends of Mr. Roosevelt to long
continue the pretense that the trust magnates are
at all disturbed because of Mr. Roosevelt's much
boasted "campaign against trusts."
The Chicago Tribune objects to the passage
of the ship subsidy bill. The Tribune prints
telegrams from a number of
What republican editors In Iowa all
of of whom oppose the subsidy;
It? and yet what does all this
amount to, after all? Tlie Tri
bune and' many of these same republican papers
objected to colonialism as represented in tho
Porto Rican bill. The Porto Rlcan bill was passed
and colonialism was established, republican lead
ers feeling confident that they could depend upon
these republican papers rushing to the support
of republican measures. This confidence was not
misplaced and tho3o nowspapora turned some very
sharp corners. If tho ship subsidy Mil should pass
it is safe to say that many of these same papers
would bo found ardently dofonding that measure
in tho next political campaign.
The Washington correspondent of tho Chicago
News says that Congressman 'Grosvonor, who Is
' chairman of tho house commlt-
Paylng tee that will have under consid-
Party oration the ship stfusidy bill,
Debts. explained to one of tho members
of tho committee that "the re
publican congressional campaign committee was
under obligations to ship owners who had come
to tho committee's assistance during tho last cam
paign when tho committeo's bank account was al
most depleted." According to this correspondent,
Mr. Grosvonor said: "This obligation must bo
paid this session." Some republican papers pre
tend indignation becauso of Mr. Grosvenor's frank
statement and yet Is it not truo that for several
years tho republican party has been providing re
compense at tho public treasury for those who
generously contributo to republican" campaign
funds?
Tho
Unpicked
Malays.
It is related that Thomas B. Reed was onco
offered tho sum of $1,000 for an article on tho re
publican party's policy of ex
pansion tho same to bo printed
In a prominent magazine. Mr.
Reed replied: "I feel too deep
ly on tho subject to tako money
for expressing any opinion about It" Mr. Reed
wrote many magazine articles on subjects on
which ho was In harmony with his party and
received pay for them. It Is fair to assume that on
this particular subject this distinguished republi
can realized that in tho preparation of such an
artIclohe would bo required to condemn in his
most vigorous fashion an important policy of his
party; so he preferred the policy of silence. Somo
idea of Mr. Reed's opinion of tho administration's
Philippine policy may be obtained by reference to
a statement ho made at the timo he was speaker
of the house. Mr. Reed said: "Wo aro buying
10,000,000 Malays at $2 a head, unpicked, and no
body knows what It will cost to pick them."
It will be remembered that on one occasion
Mr. Roosevelt, addressing a gathering of college
u -., students, said: "Don't flinch,
Don't Flinch don't foul, and hit the lino
or hard." Tho Springfield (Mass.)
Foul. Republican, recalling this state
ment, expresses tho doubt that
Mr. Roosevelt is exactly the person to offer
sound precepts to the youth of tho country when
in tho very midst of his enjoinings, he can as
sert with a straight face that the case and rapid
ity and humanity of tho conquest of the Philippine
island have surpassed tho most sanguine expecta
tions. The Republican asks and answers its own
question in this way. "Is it a fact that President
McKinley or any one else concerned in the busi
ness anticipated a contest at the outset which
would cost tho United States $500,000,000 or more
and no end of bloodshed and resort to the most
savago measures of repression? It is not a fact,
and no one knows it so well as Mr. Roosevelt Yes,
certainly, 'don't flinch, don't foul and hit tho lino
hard,' and particularly 'don't foul.'"
i
The St Louis Globe-Democrat provides an in
teresting suggestion when it says: "Newspapers
In other states that point tho
A finger of scorn at St Louis on
Wide account of boodling develop-
Fleld. ments should note the fact that
in eight trials for public brib
ery and for perjury connected with it there havo
been seven convictions,' with sentence to the peni
tentiary in each case of from two to five years.
Tho convictions include a millionaire briber and
jx rich promoter, as well as city oftlclals who sell
their votes to corr ptlonlsts. Let the critical cit
ies secure even one conviction of this class with
in their own limits, The whole country" will hear
of the unusual circumstances with Interest and
St Louis will offer its congratulations." If wo
remember correctly one Philadelphia paper was
very bitter In its criticism concerning the condi
tions that were exposed in St Louis; and yet If all
reports are true, Philadelphia's municipal affairs
are certainly in need of renovation. The task of
acting on the Globe-Democrat's advice might bo
commenced in the metropolis of the Keystone
state. The field there must certainly be a wido
one.