Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1901 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

Two McKin'ejr Murder*. An administration la to be judged quite as much by what it attempts to do as by what It actually does. The success of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty and of the ship subsidy hill Is not necessary to shosv where the McKinley administration stands. It Fas attempted to “dish” the Monroe doctrine and It has attempted to open the doors of the treasury to a raid as inexcusable as it is dishonest. The suspicion existing for some time that there is n secret understanding of some description between the American and British governments is immensely strengthened by the circumstances under whjeh the Hay-Pauneefote treaty was negotiated and has been pressed upon the Senate. In one sense it is net Important Whether the Nicaragua Canal be fortified or not The nation with the most powerful navy will p;obably control the use of it in case of war. It Is of importance, howover, whether the United States shall recognise the right of any European nation to interfere in a matter concerning American Interests so closely as the Nicaragua Canal does 1_ . ... It has been known and admitted for fifty years that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty, In which British' claims to rights on the isthmus ara recognized, was a mistake of great magnitude, to call it by no harsher name, and, in view of the fact that tha treaty has been violated, and by oigs American ndministratlon has been denounced, it has been held by some cf the ablest of American lawyers that It Is no longer in force. There was one excuse for Mr. Clayton which Mr. Hay cannot urge. In Mr. Clayton's day it was proposed to construct the canal with British capital. In Mr. Hay’s day It is the intention to employ American money and the people’s money at that. What might have been urged as a concession of necessity in 1850 becomes, under the changed conditions In 1900, a surrender without palHatlon and without a. purpose, except as there may be a secret understanding of some kind between the two governments. If the right of any European power to Interfere in the matter of an isthmian canal In America he admitted we shall prepare a world of trouble for ourselves. While the Monroe doctrine does not specifically cover this question, the importance of the canal in a military sense is so great that the nation in Europe which has anything to say about the canal will he in a position also to say a great deal about the matters with which the Monroe doctrine does deal with much particular lty. Whether there be fortifications at the entrances of the canal or not is a ques tion which should he settled by the United States and by no other nation. The canal is to be built, if built at all, with American money. It will necessarily become an Important factor in the coast defense of the Republic. To complete this great enterprise with American money and then to relinquish American sovereignty over It would make the canal a source of weakness rather than of strength. It were better that there were no canal than that hundreds of millions of American money should be expended In an undertaking so vital to our own Interests and which on completion would pass beyond our control. The ship subsidy scheme is an administration measure. Jt Is Intended to enrich men who have commended themselves to the administration. It Is unnecessary. It is extravagant. It Is undoubtedly corrupt. It certainly will take millions of money wrung from the people by taxation and bestow it upon Interests which have no claim whatever upon the generosity of the public. In Its best aspect it is a lavish gift of public money under false pretenses to men already rich. It its worst aspect it is au unpardonable robbery of the people, Involving personal dishonesty on the part of some of its promoters. In both of these matters Mr. McKinley’s administration has already made Its record and must he Judged accordingly.—Chicago Chronicle. . Need for Care in Granting £ub*idie*. The ship subsidy bill is getting its hardest blows just now in the house of Its friends. People who avow their belief in the principle of subsidies are coming forward all the time to show why this or that feature of this particular measure is entirely inadmissible, and poor Mr. Frye keeps his typewriter jumping In making the necessary amendments. All this is not surprising. In principle the subsidy Is the least objectionable form of protection, for the amount of the favof granted Is exactly known nnd the people do not have to pay ten dollars that they do not see for every dollar they do see. But in practice It la usually found that tha persons who get the subsidies are not the deserving infants who ought to have them, but the greedy giants who do not need them. The Pacific Mall subsidy Illustrate* the care that naeds to be taken to avoid Buch mischances. In 1847 nn act was passed requiring the Secretary of tho Navy to arrange for American steamships to carry the mall from Panama up the Pacific coast. From this contract •fuse the Pacific Mall Steamship Company.' In 1805 the Pacific Mail Company was offered large Inducements to extend Its lines to China and Japan;

$500,000 annually was given to it foe ■the transpacific line. In 1872 an attempt was made to increase the subsidies to the Pacific Mall Company. As the company had not given value government for Its formed subsidies, an investigation revealed a frightful state of affairs. Prior to 1865*11 bad been a sound concern. When the subsidies were increased it fell into the hands of speculators. The stock fell from above par to below 40. Owing to the fact that the speculators who had control of the stock deliberately took the subsidies nnd put them in their own pockets, the company failed to construct enough vessels to carry on its business properly and the government mails were not properly carried. But still it begged for more subsidies. The result was that the Pacific Mail Company drove off by corruption all private enterprise and did the same injury to the shipping interests of the Pacific Coast that Its twin subsidized Southern Paciilc road had done to overland traffic. That example terrified Congress for a good riany years. It ought to be borne in mind by the framers of the subsidy bill now. -New Y'ork Journal. The Bnzzirdb Opportunity. The indications are that before Congress shall adjourn in March it will have effectually dissipated the treasury surplus. Claimants are as thick in Washington as are files in midsummer. It Is not only new projects of expenditures that are pushed with unexampled pertinacity; many old schemes have been resurrected. War claims to tho amount of $500,000,000 have again been brought to the front. It isalleged that the parties Interested in these claims have formed a log-rolling combination, which will antagonize other necessary legislation as a means of compelling consideration. There is no danger in administration which it Is more essential to guard against than the accumulation of public money beyond the amount needed for-useful and economical expenditure. A deficit would be less dangerous to the public weal than is an Inordinate surplus.—Philadelphia Record?! Compete Abroad, Combining at Home, The reported combination of fourteen of the largest steel manufacturing corporations In the United States to divide up the country between them and to fix a set price at which their products shall be disposed of In the home market is a new and startling manifestation of the disposition and the power of these tar-iff-made monopolies to arbitrarily control the domestic market for their wares. They will sell their steel plates at S2B per ton In this country. In foreign contries they will compete: in this country they combine. This they nre enabled to do under the aegis of protection. They plunder the American consumer under the pretense of benefiting the American workingman.—Philadelphia Record. Modern and Medieval Baron*. The trusts only represent history in the act of repeating Itself. They cannot claim originality in purpose, argauizatlou or methods. They are at best but svccessful Imitators of the Barbary pirates and the hold barons of Germany In medieval days. These latter were the Rockefellers, the Haven>eyers, the Dukes, Carnegies and Hannas of tlieir time. They built their castles on tho routes of commerce, on highways or commanding navigable rlvers. They threw chains across the Rhine not with any Idea of obstructing or discouraging trade, but for purposes of tribute and to protect their own infant industry.— Washington Times. An Andacion* Lobby, The lobby that is in Washington working In the Interest of the ship subsidy bill Is referred to as one of the strongest and boldest that has invaded the capital in many years. It consists principally of officers of corporations owning steamships that would he directly benefited by the propi>sed bounty. These eorporntions. It Is said, were large contributors to the Republican campaign fund, and now they nre demanding of Sonatoar Hanna nnd the party that they be repaid for their Investment.- Savannah News. Conciliation s untreated. Is It not time to abandon the futile effort to coerce the people of the Philippines by martial law and try what conciliation will do? General MacArthur’s latest proclamation sounds like the British proclamations In the Transvaal, and we have had convincing ev!J dence of how little such threats avntj to pacify a people fighting for their liberty. There Is no ground to suppose that the Filipinos are less determined than the Boers—Philadelphia Times. Establishing a End Precedent. The pension granted to Congressman Boutelle by the shady shift of transferring him to the navy and retiring him on half pay for life is another step in 'the slow but steady march toward the establishment of a civil pension list. The precedent Is a dangerous one and Is certain to be made use of in (he future for the benefit of other Congressmen—unless the people enter an emphatic protest—Grand Rapids Democrat. Cans* of Some of the Opposition. Doubtless some of the opposition to the ship subsidy bill comes from persons who, by defeating the measure, hope to show that some things can be done without the aid or consent of Mr. Hanna.—Milwaukee Sentinel.