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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1900)
the Conservative * FItOM "THE KAILWAY AGE. " Nebraska seems determined to retain its unprofitable notoriety as a State in which the investment of capital in rail ways is unsafe. Although the Supreme Court of the United States declared the Nebraska maximum rate law to bo unjust and unconstitutional , yet the attorney- general has had the assurance to com mence suits against three railway com panies for alleged damages aggregating $570,000 by reason of violations of that nullified law. The pretext is that the decision of the Supreme Court holds good only in so far as it affects schedule rates fixed by the law , and that the gen eral principle of the law is still operative a perversion of the spirit of its decision which the court will not bo likely to tolerate. The hybridized TWADDLK. politicians who , under the direction of their supreme boss , met in convention at Lincoln recently , twaddled most resonantly. They declared that "the constitution follows the flag ; " and that where the civic twins aforenamed , once pause , the spot of earth where that pause is made becomes forever and forever , a part of the United States. In view of that doctrine , THE CONSER VATIVE offers a reward of ten silver dollars lars for the miscreant who yanked the flag down and jerked off the constitu tion at Lundy's Lane ! A similar reward will be paid for the varlets who swiped the flag and kicked the constitution from the halls of the Montezninas. The abominable proceedings in Canada and the diabolism of the desecrations in Mexico must , in accordance with this twaddling declaration of dogmatic demagogues , be immediately and un relentingly avenged. The constitution and the flag ; the force of the former , and the shade of the latter , one and in separable , now and forever ! President Schur- scnuuniAN's OPINION. man of Cornell University , in a letter published in this issue of THE CONSERVATIVE , points out the effect , upon the Filipinos , if we break the promise made by General Miles to the Porto Ricans. It would bo an acknowl edgment that our government is no longer bound by obligations of honor nor restrained by constitutional prohi bitions. At the same time we have been and are now , by means of pretty promises , aided by the most improved appliances in gunnery , trying to fill the Filipinos with confidence in our in tegrity. What will these skeptical , semi-barbaric people now think of our high moral purpose ? How will they regard our abandonment of a "plain duty ? " How view our faithless neglect in declining to do what Secretary Root said , "was demanded by the highest considerations of justice and good faith ? ' ' With the continued use of such forceful illustrations and vivid object lessons of our elevated standard of morals how long before the Filipinos will implicitly trust us ? The Philippine insurrection was brought about not so much because of what we had done Cause of Insurrection. . , or said we were going to do , but largely because of a lack of faith in our sincerity. The dis trust of the Filipinos was not unreason able. Spain had often deceived them by publishing proclamations , containing assurances of greater privileges and a more liberal government , with no idea or intention of fulfillment. Is it wise for us , in the first step in insular legis lation , to begin by doing as Spain has done ; by declining to be bound by the most sacred of all obligations , the honor of a nation ? Is it surprising that the insurrection in the Philippines continues to drag along ? Need we think it strange that the natives , whom we installed as mayors of the various municipalities , are quitting their positions and do not wish to have anything more to do with American administration , as late dis patches from General Otis indicate they are doing ? President Schunnan is quite right in saying that there is a moral obligation on the part of congress to give Porto Rico free trade. He is equally correct in his reference to the effect , upon the Filipinos , of repudiating such an obliga tion. He is quite aware that it is apt to cause the humanitarian promises made by the late Philippine commission , of which he was the head , to drop below par on the Philippine market. OXclu- MONEY VS. BIOBAM , sively political or financial do not so keenly affect or so deeply arouse the people as when moral considerations are involved and the pub lic conscience appealed to. The present outburst of popular feeling against Me- Kinley cannot be accounted for on the ground of a difference of opinion rela tive to the mere dollars and cents of the Porto Rican tariff , but can only bo ful ly explained on the theory of the moral phase of the question. When General Miles landed his army in Porto Rico , he promised that the island was to be a part of the territory of the United States and that the people were to enjoy the privileges and immun ities of the citizens of the several states and territories of the United States. The American Evacuation Commission , representing our government , posted throughout San Juan a proclamation which read : "To the Porto Ricau People : The sen ate of Washington has ratified the treaty of peace so that Porto Rico is definite ly incorporated with the United States of America. We are then with legiti- TO mate pride citizens of that great nation , the freest , most democratic and most prosperous of the civilized world. " It was these friendly assurances of our patriotic intentions that caused the _ , . _ . , Porto Ricans to I'orlo KioitiiK , . . . . Friendly. welcome with joy the army of Gen eral Miles and to look upon him as their deliverer from Spanish oppression and tyranny. It was these promises , so pos itively and unequivocally given , that filled them with gratitude and loyalty to the United States and they proved it by taking up arms in defence of American occupation. The President rejoiced be cause of the friendly attitude of the Porto Ricans. Not a word was spoken , not a line written , disavowing the senti ment expressed by General Miles where by their acquiescence was secured. At that time nobody conceived of the pos sibility of General Miles doing anything else. It was assumed by everybody that the constitution would of course go to Porto Rico as it went to Louisiana , Florida , Mexico and Alaska. That was before the moral and constitutional vis ion of the administration was blurred by plans of military conquest and subjuga tion , the mere suggestion of which the president then frowned upon and de nounced as criminal aggression. But constant association with and hopeless financial and political indebfc- edness to the se- , , . , , Political Degeneracy. , . _ _ ductive Hanua , whom Gen. Lew Wallace has , so aptly , characterized as the "Great American Suspect" , has weakened the moral fiber of the executive. After enjoying the benefits of Porto Rican acquiescence in our promises , and faith in our political integrity , when the time came to redeem the pledges we had made and make good our credit , he repudiated the debt and refused to be bound by an obliga tion , the fulfillment of which honor at least demanded. Most people have strict ideas of national faith. Although they may find it difficult to decide be tween questions involving intricate the ories of finance or economics , when the simple proposition is submitted to them whether or not to endorse the act of our president in breaking a promise , they will know intuitively what to do. Hence the alarm among Hannaites. All that can possibly save the president from the impending calamity , the legit imate result of his own folly , is the at tempt to force those who would now re buke him to subscribe to theories of gov ernment hitherto denounced as both dangerous and dishonest and accept a leadership they once repudiated and branded as incompetent and imbecile. , _ , . _ A bill has been INSURANCE. . , , , . , , introduced in the New York legislature to limit the busi ness of the life insurance companies. The bill prohibits the companies from
