Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1899 — Page 7

POLITICS OF THE DAY

PROVIDENCE AND THE FLAG. President McKinley is 'overworking Providence and the flag. In forty-six speeches delivered by the Chief Executive in his swing around the circle he had used the word “Providence” exactly 104 times. But while “Providence” is a good, large, mouth-filling word, it his not been quite so popular with the Preab dent as the phrase “the flag.” This, McKinley had used when he reached the conclusion of his forty-sixth speech Just 170 times. In Dakota the other day the President said: “In the Providence of God, who works in mysterious ways, this great archipelago was put into our lap.” This is a reverential way of looking at it, perhaps, but It is to be observed that Providence didn’t send that check for $20,000,000 to Spain to pay the bill for the lap-filling archipelago. Doubtless the President would like to make “Providence” responsible for the whole Philippine business, the loss of lives, the vast expenditure of money, the fighting and the folly which are to come. Commenting on this shuffle cm the part of McKinley, the New York World says: “Disguised as ‘Providence,’ Mr. McKinley bought the Philippine war from Spain. Disguised as ‘the flag,’ he has been and is ‘assimilating’ Filipinos, with the soil of their native land. Disguised as ‘Patriotism,’ he is shouting for the confounding of all traitors who dare to murmur against his performances as ‘Providence’ or his deeds as ‘The Flag.’ ” But disguises, to be effective, must not be discovered, and. unfortunately foltbe President, his masquerading is of the most evident character,—Chicago Democrat.

Pavinjs War i xpen**«. When this country has the extra expense of carrying on a war, the only way to meet that enlarged obligation Is to taerease the taxes on articles of consumption. England has a better and more effective method. With a revenue from Income taxes of $100,000,000 a year in times of peace, a slight increase of the revenue tax Is all that is needed to meet Increased governmental expenditures. The trouble with the nation in this country is that taxes on consumption yield small revenue to the government compared with the great revenue which it brings to the trusts. Take tin plate, for example. No revenue comes to the government from the tariff on tjn plate, but the trust has Increased Ms prices 85 per cent. As a revenue producer, the Dingley tariff has proved a failure and, as Havemeyer says, the protective tariff Is the mother of trusts. Here are a few statistics about the tin plate trust: Under cover of the tariff the trust has enormously advanced prices. To limit the supply and maintain artificially high prices the trust has shut down thirty-four tinplate mills in the Northern and Eastern States. By this means and by an advance In prices on the American product the trust reaps a profit of $4,650,000 per year, which Is devoted to stock dividends, watered on common stock to the extent of 100 per cent, and on preferred stock to the extent of 40 per cent, on real values. The trust is capitalized at $50,000,000—520,000,000 preferred and $30,000,000 common stock. With a capitalization of $50,000,000, the actual value of the trust’s plaut is between ten and twelve millions. Thus it is apparent that the tariff helps not the government, but the trusts, and that when large expenses have to be met the consumer must be taxed while the trusts go unmolested.

What McKinley laane Means. “Anti-administration newspapers and orators occasionally exploit the word ‘McKlnleylsm,’ but always without conveyiuff any definite meaning to the people,” says a Republican contemporary. To be definite, “McKLnleyism” is the synthesis of all that “we hare outgrown the Constitution” means and implies. This the people understand very clearly if our contemporary does not. McKlnleylsm represents and stands for a political movement to set aside the Constitution and Declaration of Independence because the country has “outgrown” both of them, which necessitates the adoption of a new line for the conduct of the concerns of the nation which shall transfer the individual sovereignty of the people to the authorities at Washington, and change it from a government of and by the people to a government for the people by those in authority at the capital of the nation.— Kansas City Times. Always a Mystery. It will always be a mjwtery to many why the President, who was in possession of the facts recited by Attorney General Griggs in Ills review of the Carter case, allowed the embezzler to wear the uniform of a regular officer in the United States army, wear side arms, draw full pay, exercise authority over honest men and subalterns, and force hhi presence upon other officers of the army, when he knew his offense and had the evidence before him.—Salt Lake Herald. Tied br the Philippine Crime. President McKinley cannot Interfere, by offer of arbitration, between Great Britain and the Transvaal. He cannot put himself in the attitude of deploring the conquest of coveted territory by Great Britain, while engaging this country in a war of conquest for like

aggrandizement. He cannot affect horror at the shooting of Boers in South Africa for the purposes of establishing the suzerainty of Great Britain over that republic, while killing Filipinos In Luzon for the purpose of establishing the‘sovereignty of the United States over the Philippines. All this follows ruling the Declaration of Independence out of court.—Pittsburg Post. Another Kind of Liberty. If the Filipinos are governed by us against their will and under military force, as they must be if governed at all, they will be in a state of vassalage —which Is defined as “political Independence.” They will be subjects, not citizens; vassals, not equals. The “liberty” of which Mr. McKinley speaks is not the liberty for which the Filipinos are fighting. It is not the liberty which we enjoy. It is not the liberty which our Declaration of Independence ln-

EPIGRAMS FROM BRYAN’S SPEECHES.

“When a thiug is so bad that the Ha nna Republicans will denounce it, it haa to be mighty bad.” . “Now we have trust magnates on the one side and the consumer on the other.” “They say prosperity is here and confidence is restored. Does prosperity bring more soldiers? Do we need more soldiers so that they may point it out with bayoneta?”—From Fremont Speech. “Government is a matter of business. It is like a corporation, in which every citizen is a stockholder. The stockholders elect directors. In a business corporation, if the stockholders are not satisfied with the directors, they discharge them. The stockholder is sovereign. The voter is a sovereign, and if he is not satisfied with his hired man he should discharge him.”—From Tiffin Speech. “The man who votes for John R. McLean votes a protest against a standing army of 100,000.” “The Constitution of the United States guarantees equal rights to all the people. The Republican party would have a republic here and a despotism in the Philippines. A constitution here; no constitution there.” “The gold dollar has been a dishonest dollar—a bad dollar—a balloon dollar. We want to bring the dollar down to the people and not have it soar over them.” —From Upper Sandusky Speech. “The Government is good only when we make it good.” “If you want prosperity it must begin with the tillers of the soil.”—From Marion Speech.

eluded among the “unalienable rights” of “all men.” No people is free which is compelled to recognize the “sovereignty,?’ however “benign,” of another nation.—New York World. Fop n Unlver«ni Grab. If- the Republicans are going Into the expansion business, this Is the sensible course for them to pursue. They cannot afford to make a distinction between any two of the territories. Their purpose Is to turn the war we had with Spain “for humanity’s sake” into a war o t conquest, and the best thing they can do is to burn all bridges behind them and grab every riling in sight. It becomes more and mote apparent that it is to be a grab game, and Mr. McKinley's speech can be construed no other way than being an order to the Republican party to march In and take aIL The Democrats now ought to know what they have got to fight—Chattanooga News. Patriotism for Aggrandizement. In one of Ms speeches last week President McKinley proclaimed that “this is the epoch of patriotism.” It would be interesting to learn when, if ever, in post times, in this country, the spirit of patriotism was lower than at' present. In the gush of speech Mr. McKinley ha* Inadvertently disparaged the whole glorious past of the American people in attempting to distinguish this os peculiarly the age of patriotism. There are cynics who Insist that in the patriotism of this epoch there Is a very large admixture of ambition, cant and seif-interest.—Philadelphia Record.

Only One < lass Profit*. * So far as can be seen, the only persons who receive any benefit from the government's announcement that It will pay the Interest on bonds a year in advance, are the bankers and stock speculators who can lend out all they get at 6 per cent., though they pay no more than 2 per cent, themselves for any money they borrow.—Brooklyn Cltlsen. The Unanimous Choice, New York State may now be counted as squarely for Mr. Bryan, and this fact settles the question of his renominatiotn, knocks the Admiral Dewey presidUfttktl i.

boom, which has been fostered by false and anythlng-to-beat-Bryan friends of the naval hero, higher than Kllderoy’a kite, and ahowa that the Democracy of the entire nation is united 4n support of the principles for which Mr. Bryan, more than any other member of thep party, stands to-day.—Buffalo Times. “Beneficent Slavery.” “Beneficent slavery,” pipes Peace Commissioner Schurman on his return from the Philippines, relative to that peculiar institution in the Sulu Islands. He has the nerve to claim that it is different from his plain, ordinary chattel slavery which brought on the civil war. He chortles cheerfully that the Sulu slaves are to be permitted to buy their own freedom if they want to. Why disturb such a convenient system? It is like the complacent argument of arrogant wealth, “that every American farmer and workman can become a millionaire.” This statement of President Scburman’s has opened the eyes of many people to the meaning of imperialism. If slavery is “beneficent” in the Philippines and contract labor is “necessary” in the Hawaiian Islands, the argument should be good for their re-establtehment in the United States. If the Constitution can be openly violated in our newly, acquired possessions, why not in this country? The negroes are already un»

easy over Schurman’s suave defeuse. If McKinley loses the negro vote in the Northern States, as well as that of the anti-imperialists and those Republicans who still object to slavery, he will make rather a sorry showing in the next presidential election. Kills Our Own Institutions. The right of one government to control another in the slightest degree carries with It the right to control It to the highest degree. If we admit the justice of the theory that we baje the right to regulate the affairs of the Filipinos we at once break down the barriers we have ourselves built in defense of republican principles.—Toledo Commercial. A Natural Fruit, Entangled In the meshes of its fateful Philippine policy, the McKinley administration dares not utter a word of protest against the spoliation by Great Britain, without the shadow of right, of the two little Dutch republica of South Africa. Such la one of the “first fruits” of imperialism.—Grand Rapids Democrat. *

It Would Be T : mely. It is possible that when the attempt is made to unseat Congressman Roberts, of Utah, because of his three wives, explanations may be demanded of the official recognition by the United Stateß government of polygamy and human slavery In the Sulu Islands.— Springfield Republican. L-t ImneriNit«ta Answer. Her Majesty is the nominal head of a nation compared with which the Dutch republic is physically a pygmy. But who that loves mercy, truth, Justice and liberty would not rather pray the God of battles to save “Oom” Paul than to save Britain’s queen?—Chicago Chronicle. Continuous Performanc-. General Otis’ forces gained their 2768th victory over the Filipinos yesterday. The Fill pious came back again after the victory, as usual, and will be defeated again this afternoon; also tomorrow.—CElca go News. A maneuver was onre a dexterous piece of handwork.

DEFEAT OF BRITONS

Disastrous Result of the Battle Near Ladysmith. BOERS ARE VICTORS. Surround and Capture Three Regiments of the Queen’s Troops. Irish Fuaileera, 'tenth Mountain Battery and Gloucester Regiment Capitulate—General White’s Staff Officers and Eight Cannon included Among the Captures—Ncwa of the Disaster to British Arms Causes Gloom In London. Gen. White, at the head of 12,000 British, and Gen. Joubert, commanding 10,000 Boers, measured arms in the vicinity of Ladysmith Sunday and Monday, and the result was a crushing defeat for the Britons. Three whole regiments were surrounded and captured and eight cannon were taken. The British admit casualties of from eighty to a hundred men. The two armies on Monday fought from daybreak to the middle of the afternoon. Joubert began the fight about 5 o’clock in the morning, firing several 100-pound shells in the direction of that part of the British force stationed near the railway station. Their ammunition was good and their aim excellent. Gen. White first ordered the artillery tire re-

GEN. SIR GEORGE WHITE.

turned and then ordered out a large force of cavalry and infantry to advance upon the Boer positions. White’s forces followed up the supposed advantage, but soon found themselves face to face with a laTge army of Boers, who were all well armed and full of fight. The fighting raged fiercely until shortly before noon, when White withdrew without having forced the Boers within their laagers, and with a heavy loss. The column of troops, consisting of the Irish Fusdleers, the Tenth Mountain battery and the Gloucester regiment, sent agaiiw-t the Boers Sunday, was scut rounded in the hills and after losing heavily. had to capitulate. A Boer orderly came in to the British lines in the evening under a flag of truce with letters from the survivors of the captured column, asking assistance to bury the dead. Among those captured nre Maj. Adye of Gen. White's staff: the lieutenant colonel, the majors and all the captains and lieutenants of the Irish Fusileers: the majors, captains and lieutenants of the Gloucester regiment: Maj. Bryant of the Royal artillery, all the ik n tenants of the Mountain battery and also the chaplain of the Irish Fusileers. Many of the captured officers and men were wounded. The Boers in the meantime kept up their artillery fire, and, besides playing havoc with the British troops, stampeded about forty mules used for transporting the heavy guns. The British were so busy using their small arms that they were unable to look after the mules, with the result that eight cannon were lost.' Charee Upon Big Gnns. It seems Gen. White’s first purpose was to charge the positions of the Boer batteries and rapture, if possible, the big guns, which played so important a part at Glencoe. The charge was considered successful at first, but upon their arrival at the point where the Boer gnns had been located the British found them gone. How Joubert managed, to remove the awkward, heavy weapons is a mystery to the British,, as they are said to weigh fully four tons each with their carriages. One London newspaper, trying to account for the British retirement, says that presumably the Boers were driven back until they reached strong positions, which White naturally refused to attack. Gen. White reports the stampede happening during the night, as the result of battery fighting. But the newspaper accounts indicate she runaway occurred during the day's action.

t ntland Is Ftartled. All England was startled at the news of the first severe disaster to the British. White, in what was evidently an important movement, almost lost 20 per cent of hie fighting force and eight of his fifty guns at one crack. Monday he had every available man engaged against the Boers, and reading between the lines of the official report and the dispatches of the English correspondents, he had all lie could do to get back to his base at Ladysmith after making his sortie. It is apparent that he had hoped to march out and strike a blow at one column of the enemy that would weaken the attack on all sides and give him the upper hand. He loot his left wing in attempting this plan. Three extra battalions of foot and one mountain battery, with reserves, will leave England during the course of ten days to make good the casualties. The war office has ordered a second army corps to be in readiness to be called out. The military officials are determined to have everything in readiness either for a demonstration in Europe of Great Britain’s capabilities or for sending even a larger force to the scene of action. One tramp and eighteen freight cars were demolished in a wreck at Nemo, Tenn.

—St. Paul Pioneer Press.

DEWEY TO WED MRS. HAZEN.

The Admiral Announce! Hia Engagement to a Waatainstton Widow. Admiral Dewey has authorized the announcement of his engagement to Mrs. Mildred Hazen, the widow of Gen. William B. Hazen. The admiral Monday moved into his new home, and his anxiety to occupy it without delay leads his friends to believe that the marriage of Mrs. Hazen and himself will lie an event of the near future. Mrs. Hazen is the daughter of Airs. Washington McLean, whose Washington resilience Admiral Dewey occupied during the ceremonies in his honor there, and for a short time thereafter. It is very evident that the admiral and Mrs. Hazen were engaged prior to his return to Washington. Mrs. Hazen is a sister of .I oil n It. MeLAau. the Democratic Candidate for Governor of Ohio, Her sister is the wife of CapL Nieoll Ludlow, U. S. N. Geo. Hazen at the time of his death a year ago was the chief signal officer of the United States army. He was succeeded by Brig. Gen. A. W. Greely, the arctic explorer.

FERRY STEAMER IS SUNK.

Collision in New York Harbor Re- • ulta in Drowning of Two Men. The Pennsylvania Railway Company’s ferryboat Chicago, plying l>et\veen Cortland street, New York City, and the Pennsylvania Railway depot in Jersey

SCENE AT LADYSMITH. NATAL. Headquarters of the British troops under Generals White and Yule.

City, was cut down by the Savannah line steamship City of Augusta about 1 o’clock Tuesday morning as the ferryboat was eroding to the east side of the North river. Within a few minutes of the collision and before the Chicago could make her slip, she sunk in seventy-five feet of water. It is not definitely known bow

GENERAL. JOUBERT.

many passengers were on board the Chicago at the time of the disaster, but the number is variously estimated at from fifty to 100. One man, John Bryson, is known to have been drowned. His body was recovered.

FIRE IN MONTREAL HOTEL.

Buildiaar Consumed and Many Are Burned. The Webster House, at the corner of St. James and Cathedral streets, Montreal, Que., was burned Tuesday morning. Several persons uro supposed to ha been burned or suffocated. Three bodies were recovered. Frank Croker, son of‘ Richard, New York, has entered politics as secretary to hia father.

HERE, GET A MOVE ON YOU!

ANOTHER INDIAN FAMINE.

Ons-fifth of the Peninsula Suffering from Hunger. It is only three years since thousands of people were dying in India, and now about a fifth of the entire peninsula is again famine-stricken. The wide famine area extends through the interior from

DRAKENSBERG, ON THE TRANSVAAL. BORDER.

northwesterly to central Punjab and embraces nearly 350.000 square miles; and though none of the most densely peopled regions is included in this territory. its population is about 30,000,000. No other part of the world suffers so terribly from famine as India. Two reasons combine to make this calamity fre-

quent and very destructive. One is that the population is so enormous as to rerquire nearly all the food produced in the country even in the best of crop years. The other is that the monsoons from the Indian ocean which .bring the rain are fickle, and when the rains fail altogether or are inadequate the irrigation ditakes are empty and the lives of millions of people are in peril. Ten million people perished in the famine of 1771 in Bengal and Behar. Slnee that greatest of historic famines twentyfive seasons of food scarcity have come to one or another part of the peninsula and the loss of life in about half of these calamities has been a million or more. A million died in the famine of 1856. The region affected in 1868 was almost identical with that which is now suffering, anil the deaths in that terrible fall and winter numbered over 4,000,000. The famine of 1877 carried off about the same number of victims, and while people were dying by tens of thousands a day, Calcutta was sending wheat to foreign lands, the famine regions being unable to pay the high price demanded for the grain. Governmental efforts on a large scale to relieve such distress as this are proofs of advancing civilisation.

Telegraphic Brevities.

Gas explosion at Wheeling, W. Va., killed Frank Martin. President Gompers, Federation of Labor, wants oil well workers to organise. Citizens of Billings, O. T., have ordered all negroes to decamp. They’ll go. Wm. Higgins, 45, Hoboken, N. J., was found buried beneath thirty tons of coal. Burglars stole considerable jewelry from Gov. Stanley's home, Wichita, Kan. Lewis Wyrner, Troy, Ohio, killed himself because his son was brought home drunk. Thieves at Danbury, Conn., took SI,OOO worth of diamonds from Hill’s jewelry store. Free Hoen. Fulton, Ky., shot his partner. T. J. Eversole, and then drowned himself. Henry E. Heints. New York, wanu $225,000 from the sugar trust. He claims to have organised the trust at the Have-, meyers’ suggestion. Thirty-eight buildings in Epworth Heights, near Cincinnati, burned. Loss $50,000, no insurance. Fire was started by women burning ieavaa. M