The Conservative.
Even Penusyl-
J
OUAKEK . .
DEMOCRATS.vanm democracy
is imnsented and
threatens to throw up the money falla
cies , together with the referendum and
initiative. Therefore , its organ , the
Philadelphia Record , rises and affirms
that :
"By his populist platform and his
speech menacing the people with a new
greenback agitation just when the
spectre of free silver has been laid Mr.
Bryan has shown even to his most zeal
ous adherents in the past that he is not
the man for the l-our. No matter' how
sound may bo his views upon the great
issue which a republican administration
and a republican congress are forcing
upon the nation , his identification with
the worst monetary heresies and hum
bugs , including greenb-xckery , has in
spired a distrust of him which cannot be
overcome in the pivotal states that will
decide the contest. "
In case such inexcusable truth-telling
should prevent Colonel Bryan's nomi
nation , why not name Constantine J.
Smyth or W. H. Thompson in his stead ?
One of their statesmen is as good as any
other one of their statesmen a dollar is
a dollar.
MAKING
PRECEDENTS. are Advanced for
the passage of the
Porto Rican tariff bill. First : The
necessity of relieving the impoverished
condition of the people. The passage of
the relief appropriation of $2,000,000
removes the necessity of the measure
on this ground. Second : To defray
the expense of the government of the
island. If the people are without money
to buy food , how will they be able to
pay taxes ? Third : The pretext of a
precedent for the Philippines. If this
% be true and if the administration is
; going to consistently follow it , will it not
mean for the Philippines a duplication
of the proposed act for Porto Rico , a
tariff for two years only or until the
local government of the island is able to
raise the required revenue ? If the pro
posed policy of self-government and
ultimate independence for Cuba prevails ,
will not this be a precedent for similar
declarations relative to the Philippines ?
Congress is also establishing another sort
of precedent , not so worthy of emula-
lion. The denial of free trade with
Porto Rico is a breach of faith. Is this
to be a precedent for our policy in the
Philippines ?
The Hon. Peter
JENSEN GRIEVES.
Jensen of Jeffer
son county is inconsolable in his grief
because of a few words of mild and
gentle reproof administered by THE
CONSERVATIVE to Mr. Hanna's presi
dent. That Mr. Jensen may not be too
severe in his judgment , THE CONSERVA
TIVE publishes this week an historical
reference suggested by the Hon. Thomas
B. Reed , the former republican czar of
the house , and appends an excerpt from
Mr. Kohlsaat , of the Times-Herald ,
which lend color to the growing sus
picion of perfidy on the part of McKinley -
loy and a disregard by him of constitu
tional authority. It is to bo hoped that
these expressions of sympathetic ap
proval , from men so eminent in the
councils of the republican party , will
condone , in part at least , the crime of
the "unreasonable and unjust attack"
upon Saint McKinley , of which Mr.
Jensen deems THE CONSERVATIVE guilty.
Mr. Kohlsaat , in the Times Herald ,
says : "Tho common sense and con
science of the American people cannot
be deluded into viewing the 'plain
duty' of the nation through the cross
eyed spectacles of the republican 'lead
ers' in Washington. The people take
no stock in the constitutional subtleties
which have been invoked. They know
that justice can be done under the
constitution , even if the tariff injustice
and bad faith is not absolutely forbidden
by the constitution. They demand that
their representatives in congress follow
the plain , straight and narrow path of
duty which gives Porto Rico free inter
course with the United States and makes
it master of its own internal taxation
for local purposes.
"Let Porto Rico have the Dingley
tariff protection against the outside
world just the same as other parts of
the United States , but absolute free and
unrestricted trade with its sister states
and territories and we will hear no more
of Porto Ricau distress and relief funds. "
MCKINLEY AND .
CLEVELAND , tween Cleveland
and McKiuley is
thus strikingly brought out by the
Indianapolis News :
"In considering the attitude of Mr.
McKiuley , one cannot but revert to the
way in which Mr. McKinley's prede
cessor met such emergencies. The
country owes the repeal of the purchas
ing clause of the Sherman act to the
persistence , the independence , and the
unshakable courage of President Cleve
land. Day after day and night after
night he stood solidly for sound finance ,
and finally forced congress to act for the
welfare of the country. He did not
'change his mind. ' He did not think
that the good of the people should be
sacrificed 'to the interest of patty har
mony and discipline. ' Ho split his party
in two , rather than yield one jot of his
convictions on the financial question.
Again , when the Germanized Wilson
tariff bill was sent to him , he returned
it without his signature having done
his utmost to sustain the house in its
fight with the senate but with a letter
to Representative Catchings in which
ho said :
" 'I take iny place with the rank and
file of the democratic party , who believe
. . _ , in tariff reform ,
No Comp routine. , , ,
and who know
what it is ; who refuse to accept the
result embodied in this bill as the close
of the war ; who are not blinded to the
fact that the livery of democratic re
form has been stolen and worn in the
service of republican protection , and
who have marked the places where the
deadly blight of treason has blasted the
counsels of the brave in their hour of
might. The trusts and combinations ,
the communism of pelf , whoso ma
chinations have prevented us from
reaching the success wo deserved , should
not bo forgotten nor forgiven. '
"The contrast is startling , and ex
tremely unflattering to President Mc
Kiuley. If Mr. McKiuley had a tithe
of the courage of Grover Cleveland , the
Porto Rican tariff bill would have been
overwholmel in the house of repre
sentatives. "
Thomas B. Reed
HISTORY RE-
PEATS ITSELF.sald to Senator
Be verid ge , after his
recent speech on the Philippine ques
tion , in which he opposed the extension
of all constitutional guarantees to the
Filipinos :
' 'You have turned back the hand of
time. You should refresh your memory
by reading the proceedings of the British
parliament for the thirteen years pre
ceding the declaration of independence.
You will there find a resolution adopted
that is identical in its purpose with your
action today. And yon will also find
Benjamin Franklin making the identical
plea to the British house of commons
that Azel Ames , the federal delegate of
Porto Rico , is making in this country
today. "
The stamp act , taxing the American
colonies without representation , was
passed by parliament in 17G8. It aroused
the most bitter feeling in America and
the colonists declined to comply with it.
Benjamin Franklin was sent to England
to protest and to notify Great Britain
that the colonies would gladly raise any
revenue required by the crown , but
maintained the right to levy their own
taxes. Franklin remained in England
over a year , urging the claims of the
colonies and protesting against the prin
ciple of taxation involved in the stamp
act. He finally succeeded in arousing
public interest in his cause and was
given an audience before the house of
commons.
The following , from the report of the
examination , is strikingly like the senti-
_ rnent expressed by
Revenue Spent _ . . , , „ ,
in America. Bevendge and ful
ly justifies Reed's
significant remark :
"Don't you know that the money
arising from the stamps was all to be
laid out in America ? " Franklin was
asked.
"I know it is appropriated by the act
to the American service. "
"Do you think it right that America
should be protected by this country and
pay no part of the expenses ? "
"That is not the case. The colonies
raised , clothed and paid , during the last
war , near 25,000 men , and spent many
millions. "
"Do you think the people of America