Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1898 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

SMOOTH AS H|S OIU Certain of the pious youth of New York, says the Journal,/ must surely still remember the instinctive moment when Mr. John D. Rockefeller appeared before them with ai well-thumbed memorandum book hi b&s hands and told them of the little earnings and modestibeneflcence of his;youth. They listened* spellbound whiles lie told of his earnings of $0 a week, a gift of 25 cents to foreign missions, 10 cents to Bible '"letles, j»*ud various sums to divers ' An< * when the multibenetn... t> ~lng to look as if he millionaire. vg of again, yearned for the v \ . he held lt the closed by saving V a% y all the monev duty of every man to fn , give , t he could honestly, and then , iere j n away, his auditors felt thntK ough deed was a true guid * for youth tiu life’s thorny path. When the Ohio la.^

lslature Is not electing corruptionists and bribers to the United States Senate it is usually engaged in investigating the methods by which Mr. Rockefeller gets his money “honestly.” It was so employed recently wheu John Teagle, an oil refiner, testified before it Mr. Teagle swore that the agents of John D. Rockefeller tried to bribe his bookkeeper with an offer of S6O a week, to give the Standard Oil Company information regarding his shipmenls, prices, cost of manufacture, etc. This book- x keeper pretended to be complaisant, and actually received one payment for helping Mr. Rockefeller to undermine his employer's business. It seems that the Bibles are not the only books which interest Mr. Rockefeller; the books of his competitors also engage his attention. And perhaps in the memorandum of charitable disbursements now he puts down the sums benevolently paid to Indigent employes of bis business rivals in consideration of tbeir treachery to their employers. At any rate, Mr. Rockefeller is living up to the first part of his counsel to aspiring youth. He is getting all the money he can. We note that the dividends paid to this eminent churchman and philanthropist from the Standard Oil holdings in 1897 are estimated at $7,500,000, and still the man who wants to make a living refining oil must be fought with weapons ranging all the wpy from corruption to explosives.

An Insult to Germans. In the name of the Democratic party and the 0,500,000 voters who cast their ballot for Bryan in 1890, we protest against this vicious attempt on the part of the combined Republican press of the United States to throw discredit on the German race and character by repeatedly charging that Germany is against us in the war with Spain. It is an Insult to a nation that has always been our friend, an insult to a class of our adopted countrymen who have always been loyal to our flag. This base slander is uttered in the interest of the proposed Anglo - American alliance, the one great object of the Republican party.' The fact that the victims of the insult on this side of the Atlantic have In the past supported the Republican party seems to have little weight with the Republican press. The only gratitude it knows is slnnder. The day of reckoning is approaching. The German Americans are having their eyes opened. Once they believed that the Republican party was the best for this country. Now they see it is narrow, bigoted and anti-American in its politics. That will not suit the Germans. They are coming to understand the Democratic party. Events of the post few years have taught them a lesson. We welcome the German Americans to the ranks of Democracy. And this Is not merely because they will make victory for us certain, but because we love the sturdy and unflinching characteristics of the race. It was this same low, contemptible bigotry that drove Irish Americans into our ranks, where they have ever found the hand of true brotherhood as well as a chance to labor earnestly for a cause that Is God’s. When the Republican party finds its true level lt will be mainly composed of a few Anglomaniacs (those what-is-its that look so uncomfortable in male attire) and theft progenitors, the trusts and newspapers established and supported here by British capital.—National Democrat.

Down with the Trnsts. With nearly two thousand millions of dollars Invested In pools and trusts, the United States Is certainly menaced by a great and growing evil. Recognizing this fact, the Democratic State Convention of Illinois adopted the following as one' plank of the party platform: “We demand the adoption of national and State laws that will abolish pools and trusts which unite in unlawful combinations, corporations engaged in the same line of business for the increase of prices and the decrease of wages, thereby largely augmenting profits at the expense of both consumer and laborer.” Consumers are placed almost entirely at the mercy of the trusts. Prices are advanced without fear of these combines, for they have killed competition. Hardly an article of common use can be mentioned that is not absolutely controlled by a syndicate of manufacturers. Among the boldest of these organizations are the Sugar Trust and the Standard Oil Trust. The Steel Trust, the Leather Trust, the Cordage Trust, will occur to the mind of the most casual thinker. Aside from their power to increase prices and to lower wages, these combines threaten the liberties of the people. They corrupt courts and legislatures; they coerce employes to vote for the candidate who will make laws favoring the combines, and thus they perpetuate their power. It is wise and patriotic on the part of the Democracy to oppose these institutions, and the plank of the Illinois State platform expressing this opposition ought to commend itself to every honest and to every patriotic man.

Income Tax. _ That the Democratic platform adopted at the State convention of Illinois Is worthy of hearty approval on the part of the people needs no argument. Following the silver plank conies a declaration that will appeal to the sense of justice in every heart not hardened by selfish interest. This plank reads as follows: ‘We demand the adoption of a fair and equitable tax on incomes and an amendment to the constitution of the United States if necessary, to accomplish this purpose.” Thjs is just and reasonable on its face. As the law now stands the burden of taxation is placed on the shoulders of those least able to pay it. The man who has an income of SIO,OOO a year may be able to avoid taxation entirely, but the man who earns a dollar a day jaunt m bw? taxation aoa b#» do

chance to evade such payment. By the vote of one man on the supreme bench! it has been decided that an Income unconstitutional. Although this Is {simply the opinion of one man, it is ‘binding so long as it Is not reversed, nd perhaps the simplest way to reaverse it Is to secure a constitutional wmendanent. In the long run justice will be secured, and the Democratic party l of Illinois is pledged by its platform to aid in its securement, not |°n y in this one case, but in other cases c ** W M be referred to later on.

Reward of the Farmers. “ iff to reward the farmers for support! Jig. the gold standard,” says tb ) Tinu/s-Jlerald, “Nature has forced th s PurcAarse of $800,000,000 of our pro* - ucts|b(, foreign lands.” It is certain r dis\*oui -aging to find that both God and -Mature are in cahoots with the Repub-' llcah rty. It will be news to you to le v ' u ‘ n t Nature (probably acting untar I* od’ifK direction) caused a failure of th<* rro l> throughout the world, and f**or'*ed% millions of people in Indio. Italy, , an(i other gold standard countries in’ At t° reward the American farmers r voting for McKinley. Really, are th*k e Plutocrats lunatics? or is it possib.V tllat tlle,r dupes are such asses as t> v*\ 3w allow such rot of that kind—rot th. «y i PP | o»rs ns an editorial in the paper Mentioned? Nature does not support a 'lhthney standard or any other scheme ■ ibuhi. She dispenses an even-ham. Justice to all, and will wipe the Rep party off the earth,,even though . t t>e a great exponent of sound money, (W disregarding her laws, just ns quick, V.as she will gather into the kingdom pouio the roost chumpish king that ever soM his ballot for drink. But while the ptutes caji’t with Nature very much, they.have,had their own sweet way /.with the' woiy’dng classes so long that' perhaps t\ey conceived the Idea .that they v ro r ®V u league with God and Nature.—CoTOnCoA' Nation. ■. *

Where la Fltzhngh Dee? >' What has the War Department donewith Gen. Fitzliugb Lee? Miles went to Porto ltico, Merritt has gone to Manila, Shafter has captured Santiago and Wheeler was with the big general and helped to bring big event. But where is Lees Sanryson was an unknown quantity forced upon the* navy by political and from* being an unknown quantity .has developed into a palpable and -100 wellknown cipher. Schley won the naval victory over Cervera, and Sampson turned up just in time to claim what; Schley had won. Thus it seems tl*at: politics has had something to do with* securing positions of advantage, and' perhaps there may be more or less of politics in the suppression of Lee. By right of a full knowledge of the country, Geri. Fitzhugh Lee should have been given an opportunity at the front in Cuba, but up to date that position has been denied hint. Is lt possible that Gen. Lee is too popular with the peopleof the United States to please the politicians at Dispatch. u

Several Nations Should Note It. \» Labouchere sees in the Italian riotsi this lesson for England: “From the terrible condition of Italy we should learm a lesson, or what has befallen her will 4 ultimately befall us. We should glvei home rule to Ireland, and thus put air end to the discontent there; we should reduce and not increase taxation; what we do levy In taxes should be spent for the welfare of the eompaunity, instead bf being squandered in buccaneering and in the armaments that are rende*ed necessary for our predatory habltsi Peace, economy and reform are scoutedi nowadays as not fitted for this enlightened age. We should revert to them.” Public taxation in Italy has reached a point where of every dollar a labored earns the state takes half to spend oa the army, the navy, the officials and the aristocracy. Meanwhile the unofficial taxation levied by monopoly, by; landlords, takes a good share of the' remaining half, or denies opportunity to earn any dollar at all. England Is not the only nation that may learn this. The War Taxes. Probably many druggists wild hone to be content to make smaller and so also will the dealers in tobacco. The duty on tea will be wholly borne by the consumer. The tax on sugar refineries and oil refining can be Shifted on to the consumer, and the banket will probably charge their depositors for the checks used. The class least affected by the new law are the landlords, who live upon Interest, ondl those who live upon other people’s toil.. They will pay but little more than the day laborer. Such schemes of taxation are unjust and are therefore unpopular. The best provision of the hdll is that which provides for the coinage of silver bullion in the treasury. This Injures no one and adds to the volume of currency.—Santa Clara News.' Folly of the Dingley ‘Tariff. One of the minor barbarities of the Dingley tariff, as interpreted by the customs officials, is illustrated in the duties imposed upon a collection of eighteenth century miniatures imported; by a resident of New York. These were portraits of various celebrities painted upon ivory, some in metal frames and some set in covers of snuff boxes and other articles of ivory and metal. The appraisers have decided that the articles must pay duty ranging from 35 and 45 to 00 per cent., as manufactures of ivory, metal or Jewelry. This is doubtless necessary to protect the native manufacturers of antiques.—Philadelphia Times. Direct Legislation Not a Panacea. No, direct legislation is not a panacea for all national ills. In fact, it is not a panacea at all. It is iperely a spoon with which the panacea could be administered. Specific legislation is the panacea for political ills, and direct legislation tbe method that can be secured. A sick man may need a different number of medicines, hut they can all be administered with one spoon. If the nurse went to get a spoon with which to administer the medicine, you would not say that she considered the spoon the panacea for all the sick man’s ills.— New Era. | •Legalized Thievery. It does not require argument to establish the fact that the jfrodnctaof th« world belong to the men who raise them; neither does lt require argument to convict as thieves, in the minds of all rational people, the men who are depriving producers of tbe benefit q{ yrwJqctfr-FiftwtDs swo^