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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1900)
Conservative. sentiment has ever been against the ten per cent , tax on bank issue. Fusion is at an end , and the reaction must be to wards democratic principles. Populism is dead as a national factor , and by the law of extremes and for the most material reasons this doctrine can now be made to flourish where populism flourished. As concerns money its pro fessed objects have been commodity security and a cheaper rate of interest , and as monetary reform will accomplish these objects the rank and file of that party may be brought to support it. That fusion leaders may oppose such policy is not a sufficient objection. Not only does their premiership end with fusion , but the interest of the party is superior to that of any faction. JAMES I. RIIEA. Holdrege , Neb. , Nov. 17 , 1900. A cash indem nity of $600,000- 000 , punishment of those connected with the attack upon foreigners , and the prohibition of the importation of arms and munitions of war are the conditions , it is reported , the powers have agreed to demand of China. This government may equitably demand that severe penalties be inflicted upon the leaders of the anti-foreign uprising and in addition insist upon a reasonable indemnity for the loss of property sustained by Ameri can citizens. Beyond this we have no moral right to proceed. To enlarge upon these demands is to use diplomacy as a disguise for international robbery. An indemnity of $600,000,000 is be yond all reason. If this amount should be insisted upon by Unreasonable. . , , , the powers it would mean extreme distress , insufferable hardship upon an already impoverished and overtaxed people. The amount is so unreasonable and excessive that there is no chance of China being able to meet it. There is much ground for the suspicion that knowing ones placed the indemnity at this high figure with the certain knowledge of the inability of China to comply with it and then to use her poverty as a pretext to seize territory as security in payment of the claim. There are strong grounds for believing that it is but a covert move for the dis memberment of the empire. The United States government cannot afford to become a party to a conspiracy of this kind. It Must Keep Ftiitli. would belie every honorable and unselfish assurance given to the Chinese government upon the in vasion of her territory by our forces. The state department then announced our sole and distinct purpose to be to re lieve the American legation besieged at Peking and protect other Americans re siding in China. We emphatically dis claimed any ambition to become a party to the dismemberment of the empire. Thus far these assurances have been kept to the letter. We have acted in good faith. When the other powers quibbled over the withdrawal of their troops the United States acted indepen dently. We thus established a precedent that no doubt greatly influenced the action of the other powers , and hastened the withdrawal of the forces. Shall we now cast a blot upon the splendid record achieved for American diplomacy by be coming a party to a scheme to partition the Chinese empire ? Shall we thus aid to accomplish in an indirect and covert way that which we declared it our pur pose to prevent ? In the negotiations for peace it would bo well for our government to remember that where there is European , . so muoh smoke there must be a little fire. Perhaps the fault of the original outbreak did not lie en tirely with China. Reports from reliable and trastworthy sources indicate that citizens of the very countries , now most strenuous in demanding indemnity , gave not a little provocation to the natives. There are strong reasons for believing that they purposely invited the hostility of the oriental and provoked the attack merely to afford their respective governments an opportunity to make advantageous peace negotia tions. If this be true , ought we to play into the hands of designing Europeans. The United States should insist upon a guaranty for the protection of Ameri- . , , cans residing in Act Independently. _ . . , China , a reasonable indemnity for losses incurred , and the punishment of those responsible for recent depredations in violation of our treaty rights. We should not , however , use the wrongs we have suffered as a pretext for a counter Boxer-movement , under the leadership of foreign dip lomatists , to plunder the people of China. Neither should we do that which would leave China powerless to defend % herself against the encroach ments of other powers. The law of self-preservation is the first of natural laws. Either a nation or an individual has the right to protect itself from at tack. But of what avail is the right if the means of enforcing it are taken away ? And this is what European diplomatists propose to do in China. As our inde pendent move in the matter of the withdrawal of the troops resulted most happily , why not try similar tactics in the present controversy and again act independently ? Why not negotiate for peace direct with China upon a basis satisfactory to ourselves and let the European powers do what they will ? We need not be generous but we should be just. _ In the United THOMPSON. _ . , , . . States senate the name Thompson has been quite com mon. There was John B. Thompson of Kentucky and Thomas W. Thomp- so i from New Hampshire and John R. Thompson from New Jersey. And in Nebraska there are now two Thompsons , one at Grand Island and one at Lincoln , who are in the opulence of Nebraska- willing also to become members of the senate which kicked out Reformer w Clark of Montana for bribery and cor ruption. The Grand Island Thompson is famous as a little giant and the Lincoln Thomp- as a business giant. There should be no mixing up of the two Thompsons along lines of gigantic nomenclature. A DUPE OF William J. .PROPHETS , stone's temporary sojourn in New York City , as eastern manager for the democratic national committee , was pe culiarly valuable to him from an educa tional standpoint. Prior to going to New York he was a firm believer in prophets. His faith was implicit that some men were endowed with the gift of prophecy and could with unerring accuracy read the future. So deeply rooted was his faith that simple little Willie placed a finan cial rating upon the political forecasts of Croker , et. al. , and thereby hangs a tale. A press dispatch thus refers to the un happy post election plight of this dupe of false prophets. "Ex-Governor William J. Stone of Missouri , vice-chairman of the demo cratic national committee , in charge of the eastern headquarters at the Hoffman house , returns to St. Louis thoroughly disgusted with Richard Oroker and the result of the election. Mr. Stone's friends at the Hoffman house asserted that Mr. Stone had lost all his ready cash about $10.000 betting on the size of the republican plurality in this state. Mr. Stone's friends assert that Mr. Oroker assured the Missonrian that McKinley's plurality could not possibly exceed 100,000 in the state. "Relying on Mr. Croker's judgment , based , as Mr. Stone had been assured , on a close canvas of the state by the democratic state committee , Mr. Stone wagered his own money and a lot that his friends intrusted to him for betting purposes. When the returns showed nearly 150,000 in the state for McKinley and Roosevelt , Mr. Stone was so thoroughly chagrined as to be made almost ill. His friends say that the greeting he will receive in St. Louis will not be over cordial , as his optimistic in terviews on the political situation had let his friends to suppose that Bryan had a good chance to win. "Mr. Stone said a number of severe things the other day about political prophets , and those who overheard him interpreted his remarks as referring to certain people in Tammany hall. " HOG CHOEKRA. This disease is very prevalent and malignant in Southern Nebraska. Otoe county has lost many thousands of dollars in swine herds during the last ninety days. At Arbor Lodge there are between one hundred and fifty and two hundred swine which so far have been immune , it is believed , because of the constant use for a year past of a cure made at Council Bluffs. See advertisement - ' ment in THE CONSERVATIVE. ' -t ( .
