Conservative.
T h o democrnts
DEMOCRACYT of . , who
KAMI-ANT.
were "benevolent-
ly assimilated" some years since * by the
populists who were , at the time of the
swallowing of the aforenamed demo
crats , merely the unappensed and ex
truded appetite for offices which the
republican party in this state had been
unable to satiate , are now triumphant
and rampant ! Their exuberance and
hilarity are based upon the election , to
the supreme bench , of Holcomb , and the
appointment of W. V. Allen to the
United States senate.
Could there be greater cause for
ecstatic rejoicings ? On the cross of
constant candidature they enjoy the
exquisite martyrdom of crucifixion and
serenely smile while crowns of the
thorns of defeat are pressed down upon
their bland and childlike brows. It is
sweet to die for Bryan's sake.
The stocks and
PANIC PROOF. . , e
bonds of over
capitalized corporations have warped
and shriveled in Wall Street and "the
money power , " about which our fusion
friends rave , has been wounded among
its friends. But beef , pork and cereals
in the hands of the down-trodden
farmers of Nebraska have not been
lessened in value by the Wall Street
mob. The staple products of the farm
are panic proof. No one ever saw them
without any market value whatever ,
though the common stocks of some
trusts have been marked down below
zero. The money power seems bent
upon wounding itself and its lamenta
tions fill the jungles of plutocracy with
hideously mournful music. The octo
pus howleth in anguish and no populist
nimrod shooteth the beast.
ONLY PROTECTION. ,
letter which we
print today is by Mr. Bolton Hall , a
prominent lawyer , writer and econo
mist of New York. It contains interest
ing information concerning the iron
ore trust which has just doubled the
prices of ore and which , for years , has
been arbitrarily fixing prices and re
stricting production to limit supply to
demand at the artificial prices.
Mr. Hall explains the power of these
ore producers to fix prices. He does not
think that all , or even most of it comes
from the duty on imported ore , but he
is certain that a part of this monopoly
power results from tariff duties. How
ineffective are anti-trust laws to reach
and to suppress trusts is shown by the
fact that these ore producers are ap
parently disregarding the decision of
the United States supreme court on
December 4th which declared that a
similar combination of pipe manufac
turers was a trust and was therefore
illegal. Nearly all previous national
and state court decisions have been
adverse to such combinations and yet
trusts now flourish as nuver before. Mr.
Hall is right in saying that a remedy for
the evil of trusts does not lie in laws
and courts , but rather in the repeal of
laws which grant special privileges the
foremost of which is our tariff law.
INSTINOT1VK .
KKSKAKGII.lnt' f ° rtv ° d(1 > "Cnrs
experience w i t h
orchards , at Arbor Lodge , wo have
bound brown paper strips around the
trunks of apple trees and tacked them
together upon the upper edge at point
of contact by driving a small nail into
the bark. The codling moth cocoon
would be deposited under the pnper ,
here and there and everywhere , through
out the orchard.
Then came the investigating com
mittees of birds. The woodpecker , the
sap-sucker and the bluebird each began
looking at and into the brown paper
belly-bands. Instinctively they would ,
with unerring judgment , strike their
bills into and through the paper at pre
cisely the spot where a codling moth had
deposited its eggs and the grub had been
formed. They never made any mistakes.
But the most learned and astute states
man can not tell where under the slight
veneering of fusion and fustian , which
encompasses the trunk of populism and
communism there can be found a
democrat either adult or in embryo.
Th ° Burning
A TRUE ISSUE.
question before the
people is the constitutionality of war.
This question includes the control of
the government over the lives and
property of the peopla for war purposes.
On that issue the constitution but speaks
the language of Nature war for the
common defense is constitutional. No
others. Common defense does not mean
wars of aggression , for humanity or any
other purpose. The fact is that our
present war began as a hypocritical
aggression. It never was for humanity
any more than it is now. It was for
political purposes. Nothing else. The
trouble with the anti-imperialists is that
they are emotional humanitarians and
have taken the president ( and his party )
at his word. The trouble with the
people is that they do not believe either.
As a body the people do not care an
iota what becomes of or what we do
with the Filipinos. National vanity
blinds a few , personal indifference the
many , to the true question. That ques
tion is not what becomes of the Filipinos ,
but whatit costs to kill conquer and
hold them in subjection ? If the people
would wake up to the true issue there
would bo no question as to the burial of
McKiuleyism at the next election.
FRANK S. BILLINGS.
Sharon , Mass.
1700.
. years ago the
American newspapers were discussing
the beginning and ending of centuries
just as they are today.
The Norfolk ( Virginia ) Herald of that
mouth and year contains the following
from a porsou peculiarly interested in
knowing when the nineteenth century
will begin , together with an answer by
Mr. William Cobbett , the author of the
then famous "Porcupine Papers. "
THE CONSERVATIVE again reproduces
them as germane to present debate as
to when the nineteenth century will
end and the twentieth begin.
"In the NorfolkVirginia ( ) Herald ap
pears the following advertisement , by a
person , who pretends to be really inter
ested in the decision of the question ,
and who therefore merits my attention.
PRINCESS ANNE , Dec. 18,1708.
MESS. WlLLETT & O'CONNOR ,
Sirs : I am a poor widow woman ,
whose great uncle by her father's son
died lately , and by his will he hath left
me a legacy of 100 , to be paid me in
the 19th century ; that is , he says :
"Item , I give to my niece , Deborah
Violet , 100 , to be paid to her in the
19th century. " Now , sirs , as I am a
poor woman , and I am told you have a
great many law gentlemen in Norfolk ,
you will render a great service if you
will get their opinion when , and at
what time , I have really a right to de
mand the same. In so doing you will
oblige , Yours at command ,
DEBORAH VIOLET.
P. PORCUPINE TO MRS. VIOLET.
Dear Madam : Having a singular af
fection for widows of the Violet race
( especially those who are in full bloom ) |
and observing you in some little distress
for advice , you will not be surprised ,
that , without further ceremony , I pro
ceed to offer you the best , which it is in
my power to bestow.
And , first , my sweet Violet , I think
you have applied to the wrong source ;
for one principal part of a lawyer's pro
fessional skill consists in knowing how
to procure delay ; and , I assure you , that
all the gentlemen of the bench and the
bar , whose opinions I have heard on the
subject , have decided the point against
you. I resided , some time ago , near a
small village , which was honored by
being the summer's retreat of a lawyer
and a judge. The former of these might
not , indeed , have been much accustomed
to the Christian calendar ; but be that as
it may , they both said ( and I believe
they swore ) that the eighteenth century
should not end 'till 1801. Preposterous
as this assert ! * * ! certainly is , you may
be assured , that they were prepared to
maintain it , even against one who
should have risen from the dead to con
vince them of the contrary.
Yon may look upon it as a settled
point , that whoever has got your 100
will keep it as long as they can. You
