r
il
ffli.ft ? (
Conservative *
cheap food. Agricultural implements ,
which are so necessary for the resurrec
tion of island cultivation , and the
adoption of modern machinery to aid in
I lower cost and larger crops , are free.
Rough lumber for mills , coopers'
materials for sugar , molasses , and to
bacco , and bags for coffee , are free.
"Carriages to cheapen transportation
and trees and plants to give variety in
crops by raising large and small fruits ,
for which the island is particularly
adapted , are free , as are all drugs which
are used in the malarial diseases of trop
ical countries. In a word , every product
of the farm or factory in the United
States which will help Porto Eico , en
able her to rise triumphant from her
ruins , and give remunerative use for
capital and employment and wages to
her people , is on the free list. "
Can this be the same Mr. Depew who ,
for EO many years , has been telling the
American farmer that the tax on the
machinery he uses was paid by the
foreigner , as a contribution for the privi
lege of selling his goods in American
markets ? If the arguments advanced
heretofore by Mr. Depew have any foun
dation , instead of its being a kindness to
the Porto Ricans to remove the tariff
upon articles imported from this coun
try , it is an act of positive injustice as
it deprives them of a donation from
American manufacturers and producers
of food products. If Mr. Depew's
original political philosophy is wrong ,
and his late admissions indicate that he
believes it to be , then a tariff upon the
1 importation of articles used by the
American farmer is unjust and unwar
ranted. THE CONSERVATIVE is curious
to know what sort of a protective argu
ment Mr. Depew will advance when
addressing an audience of American
voters.
The Porto Rican
THE FOR/TO /
UICO BILL. tariff bill passed
the senate Tues
day , April 8d , by a vote of 40 to 81. The
debate was the most exciting of any
since the discussion of the war resolu
tions two years ago. The bill was
passed by a party vote. The republicans
voting against it were Davis , Nelson ,
Mason , Hoar , Proctor , Simon and
Wellington. The democrat voting for
was McEnery ; silver republicans , Jones
and Stewart ; and populist , Kyle. The
bill as amended by the senate provides
for a duty of 16 per cent of the Dingley
rate upon goods exported from Porto
Rico to the United States and free trade
upon most of the food products and
agricultural implements imported from
this country. The tariff is to continue
until the local government of Porto
Rico makes provision to raise the neces
sary revenue by local taxation. The
main argument advanced in support of
the bill was the necessity of establishing
a precedent relative to the constitutional
status of the new territory , whether the
guarantees of the constitution extended
to them of their own force or whether
the privileges of citizenship wore de
pendent upon congressional action. The
republicans in passing the measure have
committed themselves to the position
that the constitution does not apply
while the democrats believe it does.
The issue is thus clearly denned and will
without doubt assume a position of pre
eminence above all other questions in
the approaching presidential campaign.
Th * * Week
THE BOER WAR. . J8
in South Africa
developed several startling incidents.
Colonel Broadhead , who was in com
mand of a small detachment about 38
miles to the east of Bloemfouteiu was
warned of the approach of the Boers and
hastily retired towards the waterworks ,
17 miles nearer Bloemfoutein. He ar
rived there the night of March 80th and
the following morning was attacked by
a large force of Boers from three sides.
He dispatched two batteries of artillery
and his baggage toward Bloemfoutein.
They had only gotten about two miles
out when , in a deep ravine , they en
countered a strong force of the enemy ,
who had concealed themselves there
during the night. The surprise was
complete. The drivers were shot down
at short range , seven guns and all the
baggage were captured. The British
casualties were 350.
This is another illustration of the
weakness of British generalship in a
lack of proper scouting that has been so
evident throughout the war. When
surrounded by a superior force of the
enemy it was folly for Colonel Broad-
head to detach a small portion of his
command and send it out without first
having ascertained the position of the
enemy and the condition of the road.
The scouting tactics of the American
arrny would make impossible such
reverses.
Broadhead was reinforced by General
French and an effort made to route the
Boers from the water works but was un
successful. General French then re
tired toward Bloemfoutein , leaving the
water works in the possession of the
enemy. General Roberts is being
severely criticised for leaving a small
body of men 38 miles from Bloemfontein
when a superior force of the enemy was
in the vicinity. If he knew of the
presence of this force he might have felt
assured they would not let such a
splendid opportunity pass unimproved.
If ho did not know it , it displays a
weakness in generalship in not obtaining
information so important and so easy of
acquisition. The London Times thus
comments upon the situation :
"One is involuntarily reminded of the
observation made by the late Com
mandant Joubert to an English friend ,
some little time before the war began ,
when he said : 'Your officers have not
much brains , and , what is far worse ,
they don't believe that other people
have any. ' "
A few days later another force of the
British , consisting of 500 men , wsro sur
rounded within a few miles of Bloein-
fonteiu and all taken prisoners. The
Boers made their escape with their
prisoners without leaving any trace of
their route. It is these altogether too
frequent surprise parties and the kid
napping of largo bodies of British sol
diers that is proving so humiliating to
London. It is now quite apparent that
the pacification of the Free Staters was
only pretended and that they are in
large numbers rejoining the Boer army.
The recent successes of the latter has
greatly revived their hopes.
THE CIVIL
SERVICE.
the people , of the
plank in the Chicago platform relative
to the civil service and the manner in
which Bryan construed the same. In
his letter of acceptance , he thus refers
to this plank :
"Without into details I
entering , sug
gest that it is possible to place the civil
service upon a substantial foundationby
providing a fixed term for appointments
with the possibility of one reappointment -
ment in case of special merit the ap
pointments to be divided among all po
litical parties in proportion to their
political strength , and among the states
in proportion to their population. "
The American people are beginning to
realize the necessity of an efficient civil
service , based upon the merit system , or
the appointment of men as a result of
competitive examinations without in
quiry into their political affiliations ,
with the tenure dependent upon good
behavior and not upon party expediency.
In order to attract a high grade of intel
ligence to the service , merit must be
recognized and the tenure must be cer
tain. Otherwise , good men could not
afford , upon the present basis of com
pensation , to put in the best part of their
lives in acquiring the special knowledge
requisite for the efficient and faithful
performance of duty. The change sug
gested by Bryan , of dividing ( ? ) the ap
pointments among the political parties ,
would make partisan considerations , not
merit , the basis of appointment. The
limiting of the tenure to one or two
terms , as the appointive power might
determine , would destroy the certainty
of the employment and thereby make
ineffective the reforms in the civil
service , President Cleveland labored so
faithfully and industriouply to bring
about. Bryan's renomiuation , in addition
to the opposition it would meet with
among sound money men , and the more
conservative element of American
voters , would be vigorously opposed
again , as it was in 1806 , by the friends
of civil service reform.
