'Cbe ' Conservative.
able than our present possession of the
Philippine islands would have seemed
two years ago. The force of events may
push us on to such a taking ; but it will
be rapid steps taken in the downfall of
our democratic experiment if this is at
tended by complete political amalgama
tion. It is the first step which counts ,
and the first step we must now take in
the settlement of the Porto Rican ,
Hawaiian , Cuban and Philippine prob
lems. Wo cannot afford , in view of the
risks involved , to make a mistake in the
settlement of these questions. As Mr.
Reid insists , the duty that wo owe to
ourselves as well as to these wards of
the nation makes it necessary that we
should not place them in a political posi
tion in which , by their manifest inapti
tude an aptitude which it may take
centuries of experience to overcome
they would be in a position to seriously
harm us and do great damage to them
selves. Boston Herald.
piracy of
SHIP suiisiuv. .
legislation is worse
than that of the high seas. The present
congress is full of Captain Kidds. They
"sail for blood and gold , " like their
original "pirate bold. " They are for
the Hanna-Payne subsidy bill.
Itnly has its Hannas and Paynes too-
read :
Recently the tramp steamer Venus
put into Philadelphia from Aucona , via
Bermuda , with the smallest cargo , con
sidering the size of the vessel , that over
reached that port. It was a surprised
lot of customs officials who examined
the vessel's manifest , and found that
the only goods aboard consisted of five
tons of chalk , worth fifty dollars. Yet
Captain Tropani had merely taken
advantage of the shipping laws of Italy ,
showing the peculiar possibility of their
workings , and shrewdly profiting by
them.
The Venus is a steamer of 2,041 tons ,
and its paltry cargo seemed little less
than ridiculous until Captain Trapaui
had explained. At first he was supposed
to have brought a sample , possibly to
test the market , but he declared that
the cargo was all he had desired to carry ,
that ho had steamed 4,000 miles to carry
it , and was satisfied. He told a reporter
that under the shipping laws of Italy ,
the government pays one franc per tenon
on an Italian steamer's tonnage for each
1,000 miles sailed when it leaves a homo
port with a cargo , regardless of the size
or character of the cargo. This is done ,
of course , to encourage shipping , in
crease exports , and generally stimulate
commerce. Hence Trapani's voyage
and his five tons of chalk.
For the trip he will receive from the
government $528.20 for each thousand
miles , or $2,112 for the trip. This , he
avers , will not only pay all expenses ,
and leave him a profit , but he finds him
self at a port where he can advan
tageously secure a more imposing cargo.
Frorn the standpoint of the captain it
was doubtless an astute business move ;
but as to the view the government will
take in handing over the subsidy , the
captain has no concern. The price seems
high for the taking across the ocean of
five tons of chalk , but it serves to keep
the ship moving , keeps it in the chan
nels of trade , and in touch with the
world of barter.
Under the pending subsidy bill the
greyhound steamers and the pleasure
yachts of senators may tramp the ocean
with five tons of chalk or white wash
for political purposes and draw their
thousands of dollars from the federal
treasury. Italy has no corner on the
prostitution of commerce. The United
States will not be outfooled by idiotic
Italy. The United States has legislators
who are as defective , incorrigible and
degenerate.
IU
INSECTICIDE TRUST. , .
chemical trusts ,
which wo publish elsewhere , it is stated
that the wood alcohol trust is charging
our own consumers nearly twice what
it charges foreign consumers. This is
one of the outrages perpetrated by
means of our protective tariff duties.
Wo have referred to many similar ones.
Some time ago we published the export
and "home market" prices of barb wire
charged by the steel and wire trust.
The New York price to New Yorkers
was then $4.18 per hundred pounds ;
while the New York price to foreigners
was $2.20 per hundred pounds. On this
subject the New York Journal of March
6 , contains a letter dated City of Mexico ,
February 22 , 1900. The writer says :
1 'I have been shown goods here which
the trusts have sold to Europe , and
there sold again to Mexico for less than
any New York jobber can get the same
goods from the trusts who manufacture
them * * * There are American
manufacturers who I know are obliged
to pay trust prices , and be careful to
keep quiet or be cut off by the industrial
barons , and this would moan to buy
their raw or partly manufactured
material abroad , where original prices
are below trust prices , but the United
States tariff puts them in the power of
trusts. "
The republicans
SENATOR PROCTOK. ,
are very much wor
ried about Senator Proctor of Vermont.
Ho is a man of considerable ability , re
sourceful in statesmanship , crafty in
politics , and recognized as the leader of
his party in the Green Mountain state.
Ho has a reputation as a president
maker. It was he who threw the Ver
mont delegation to Harrison , at a criti
cal moment in the convention of 1888 ,
and made possible the nomination of the
Indiana statesman. Again in 1896 , Ver
mont , under the leadership of Proctor ,
led the movement which brought the
Now England delegation in line for
McKiuley. Naturally a man who has
been such an important factor in making
presidents , should be the object of no
little political curiosity. Quite recently
the senator severely criticised the
president. Ho voted against the Porto
Rican tariff bill , a party measure , intend
ed to outline the republican policy rela
tive to insular administration. Poli
ticians are wondering what this means
and are half inclined to believe that
Proctor may decide to try to name some
other man than the present "encum
brance" when the national convention
meets. Ex-Senator Edmunds lives in
Vermont.
WAR.Benetton of
THE OER WAR.
the week in South
African affairs was the publication by
the British war department of the cor
respondence of Lord Roberts , in which
he severely criticises Generals Buller ,
Warren and Thoruycraft , for the dis
aster at Spion Kop. The plans of Gen
eral Buller were disregarded by Warren.
Roberts severely censures this breach of
discipline and claims that the original
plan of Buller was the proper one
Thorn ycraft was in command at Spion
Kop , during the absence of General
Coke , who had left temporarily to report
to Warren. Shortly after the departure
of Coke , Thorny craft , entirely on his
own responsibility and against the ad
vice of the officers next in command ,
ordered a retreat. Roberts rebukes this
assumption of authority and differs
with General Buller , who took the
position that , under the circumstances ,
the retreat was the best move that could
have been made. Buller is criticised ,
not so much for his sins of commission ,
as for those of omission. The corn-
man der-in- chief believes he should have
reprimanded these officers for their dis
obedience of orders and asserted his
authority as commanding officer.
The war department is accused of
favoritism in publishing only that part
of Lord Roberts' correspondence that
refers to Warren , Buller , and Thorny-
craft , and withholding the opinions of
the commander-in-chief , relative to
Methuen and Kitchener. General Bad
en-Powell is still hemmed in at Mafe-
king with no prospect of early relief.
Roberts' forward movement toward Pre
toria has not yet commenced. The de
plorable condition of the roads and the
swollen streams are largely responsible
for the delay.
"
Storer
is complimented by
many republican newspapers for his
foresight in diplomacy. But none of
them has mentioned the provident
diplomacy and foresight with which he
"coughed up" ten thousand dollars to
aid in paying off the private debts of
McKinley prior to syndicating him as a
candidate for the presidency. That was
financial foresight. It bagged the Spanish
mission at long range.