Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1899 — politocs of Day [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

politocs of Day

POLITICS ANO PROMISES, When the Republican National Convention at St. Louis constructed Its platform on which to make the Presidential fight in 1890, It was engaged In making promises. Among other things It promised that McKinley would protect and expand the civil service law, and McKinley solemnly asserted that he would keep the promise made for him. * But after the Republican candidate for President was elected the reign of promises ended and the rule of politics began. With due regard for timeliness, the attack on civil service was left until this year, when a hoard of new officials would do the most good, and then civil service was joyously ripped up the back by McKinley. That was politics and Senator Quay of Pennsylvania is now reaping his share of the benefit. The Pittsburg Post, in referring to Quay’s actions in regard to this matter, says: “It is an established fact that Quay Is now using offices put at his disposal by McKinley's spoils oilier to further his re-election to the Senate, and if any man in the country knows better how to do this than Matthew Stanley Quay he is not visible to the naked eye. “It is publicly advertised that the twenty-odd census supervisors just agreed on were handed over to Penrose and Quay to promote the latter’s reelection. Several thousand enumerators are held in a position of promise

or ‘come and get’ for the same laudable purpose. Quay and Penrose will use these offices to buy up the weak and disaffected.” The people were fooled by the politicians through the old Republican trick of promises made to be broken. They were foojed as to civil service and they were fooled as to the alleged sympathy of the Republicans for oppressed Cuba, These facts are well knowm, and they are mentioned here to point a warning which should be heeded in the next Presidential campaign. The Republicans will make promises to control the trusta If they succeed In electing their candidate they will break those promises with as little honor as have shown In the cases cited. Will the people allow themselves to be fooled once more? McKialey’n Dilemma. If Otis Is not recalled by the President the inference will be that the general has acted under instructions from McKinley In the matter of the press censorship. But if Otis Is recalled that fact will be a confession of judgment on the part of McKinley, who has kept Otis in power and removes him simply because the truth has been told by the newspaper correspondents. It makes little difference what the administration does concerning the correspondents* round robin. The dilemma is there just the same and either horn will gore to the quick. Press censorship, when enforced to keep the knowledge of military movements from the enemy, is allowable, but there has been no sort of excuse for the censorship exercised by Gen. Otis at Manila. Even the Boston Herald, which is not especially hostile to McKinley and is generally very conservative in its remarks, can find no excuse for the censorship. Commenting on this matter before the revelations were made by the correspondents, the Herald said: “The whole Philippine archipelago, with, the realm of China added, would be a dear purchase at the price of tame submission to this kind of domestic oppression, this exercise of imperial prerogative by the President of a free nation.” Never before in the history of the United States has such a tyrannous assumption of authority been assumed as that which has characterised the censorship of the news from the Philippines. No free government should be

guilty of sueh an act. It Is character Istlc of an absolute monarchy and has no element of freedom In It. Rebate* Go On. The Iron Age attention to the great temptation to freight rate rebating which the trusts put upon the railroad managers. There Is nothing new In this. In fact the Interstate commerce law was principally intended to correct this evil, which it made a misdemeanor, but It Is alleged that It still, takes place in various disguises, and the trusts will soon become expert at it, as they have been in various other ways of crushing out competition, which are barely within the bound of legality, If not of morality.—Pittsburg Post. Let the Troth Be Known. The suggestion of ex-Senator George Edmunds that more light be thrown on our relations with Aguinaldo before the surrender of Manila is well taken. What promises did our representative make to him, and did they keep them? Has Aguinaldo had any more cause to be suspicious of Americans, and to doubt that they would live up to what they say? says the Indianapolis Sentinel. Let the country know the truth and the whole truth. Free Trade. It is difficult to tell just what Senator Depew of New York means when he talks for publication. The Senator has acquired a reputation as a joker, and one is not always sure that he Is not

springing one of his peculiar witticisms when he appears to be the most serious. Recently the able and humorous Chauncey announced that he believed the time had come when this country needed no longer the protective tariff. The Senator alleges that the tendency is now in the direction of free trade. But surely Senator Depew, who has had wide experience as a trust manager, knows that the trusts will never consent to the adoption of free trade, as that would kill many of the largest of the existing combines. Knowing this and being aware that the Republican party Is bound by the trusts, Depew’f talk about free trade is farcical. As long as the Republican party is jn power the protective tariff will be maintained. For the sake of making political capital the Republicans will talk about curbing and controlling the trusts. Resolutions will be placed in the Republican platform against trusts, but nothing will be done that can in any way injuriously affect the trusts.— Chicago Demotrat. Worse than War. War is one thing and chasing Filipinos through the jungle is another. The latter pastime does not seem to appeal to the American volunteer, and the country Itself is becoming rather sick of it, too—Detroit Tribune. He Was Fired Just the Sane.

*1 will never retire under fire.”—Be* cent utterance of B. A. Alger.—dries* go Chronicle.

Uncle Sam—-There’s a new bug in the Philippines.-—Bluepencilotis.-—St. Paul Pioneer Press (Republican).