Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1899 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

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-

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.