Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1901 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

MILLIONS FOR A TRUST. An ugly scandal lies half-concealed In she war tax reduction bill, says a Washngtion correspondent. The great toImcco trust has been made a present of «bout $9,000,000 through the favoritism of Its friends In the Senate committee mu finance. When the extraordinary l>ill of the Senate committee was made •public the shares of the American Tobacco Company rose eleven points in <tlve New York stock market, and it Iji j understood that certain Senators profited by their “inside” information concerning the royal gift that was to he made to the trust For some time it has been rumored ■that th<> tobacco monopoly has powerful friends in the finance committee, and that they had succeeded in working i one of the prettiest schemes known to \ the annals of American legislation. But j It was only during the last few days ■ that the full enormity of the grab became known. As Senator Tillman said, characteristically but inelegantly, about the subsidy bill, "the deeper we get into It the louder It stinks.” The war tax reduction bill is now in the hands of a conference committee representing the two houses, and this •oeandal is stirring up the anger and in.dignation of the House conferees aud their colleagues to such an extent that they swear “before high heaven” the scheme shall not be consummated, evea 1f all war tax reduction legislation fails. It is well to remember this oath and •wait results. To their surprise and consternation the House . conferees have di scovered j (that the Senate bill makes a total reduc- i ftiou of about $18,000,000 on cigars and ' (tobacco of all sorts. Where the House Jblll reduced these taxes $3,200,000, all on cigars, the Senate goes them $13,(000,000 better. . The power of the tobacco trust in the Ifctenate committee is shown in the fact (that of the $15,000,000 of taxes taken jofT by the Senate $11,(MX),000 is on goods In which the two tobacco companies, tthe American and the Continental ((which are really the same concern and (virtually under the same management) ibave almost a monopoly. ; It has been computed by experts that jliiese two corporations will benefit to (the extent of $9,095,000 if the Senatejbill prevails, as they control about 85 iier cent of the business in manufacJturod tobacco and cigarettes. Some Interesting fecrtl*. There is a popular tradition that the first duty of a Senator of the United tt-ntes is to the country. The tradition _ Is in danger of relegation to the realm "Tof mythology. Senators who knowand Sirivately admit that the ship subsidy dll Is only a scheme to steal public •funds say they are compelled by the (“courtesies" of the situation to vote for jit, and they hope it will be killed in the (House. An Kastern Senator Is quoted ps saying: “T think lam committed to (the bill, but 1 am very much opposed go it." It would lie Interesting to know iwho committed this honorable Senator jto such stultification, who owns him, liow much he coat In political imp, who keeps his oonsoieuce and if It is embalmed.- Philadelphia North-Auaericau. Prediction* Not Horne tint. During the Presidential campaign recently ended-the confident and constant Assertion was made by Republican ispeakers aud by the Republican press ttimt the success of McKinley meant the sudden collapse of armed resistance lu the Philippines ami au early peace with (lie Insurgents. About the 25th of December Gen. MacArthur began a dispatch to the War Department In the following words: “Expectations based ou the result of the election have not (been realized. Progross of pacification apparent to me, but still very slow. Condition very Inflexible and likely to Income chronic.” Arrangements have Just been made to send the Tenth and Twelfth Infantry and the Fifth Cavalry to Manila. Utica Observer.

No Iridescent Dream. Eliminate the ‘contributions of the (Corporalions engaged In domestic and .foreign commerce as a factor in elections and the Republican party would be In a minority in both houses of Cou-ign-Ks. The growth of gigantic trusts .which tire such a menace to free govtern meat would cease. Subsidies and «UI the various forms of stealage which (flourish under thnt and cognate terms [would disappear. Tariffs to enrich the (few at the excuse of the many would [again be sealed to produce revouue Instead of to build up favored industries C;t tlie exi*ense of the taxpaylug connnter, war taxes would In* regaled or jliuttted to the actual needs of the country.—Louisville Courier-Journal. McKinley Hai the Lut Huy. 1 A strong word from Mr. McKinley to (Mr. Hnnun or to Mr. Frye or to any of ’the Republican Senator* who seem to tbc bllud to the seutlmeuts of the couuitry In regard to treasury loot would put *t quiet it* upon schemes which have nothing 19 recommend them either practically or politically. If worst comes to iworst he has the veto poorer, but he hdiould not let Injustice reach the stage Kt liercfn the exercise of that power shall jbo required!— Minneapolis Times. Hu Prejudice I Hi* Own Case. , It Is entirely true that Admiral Hampton was officially the commander In pilfer of the victorious licet, uot by rauk

but by special assignment, and if he had been manly enough to report the facts simply as they were he would hnve been freely accorded more than all the credit he deserved. It was his own efTort to grasp at laurels which other men had earned that makes it impossible for the country to acquiesce in Ills promotion over them.—Philadelphia Times. What Onr Army Coats. Tuesday the House passed the army appropriation bill, carrying $118,000,000 less about $5,000. It is stated in the dispatches as something to the credit of the House that this sum is about $12,400,000 less than the estimates. We can tell better about the amount of credit due when we see liow much has to be appropriated when the next. Congress meets to cover deficiency* Representative McClellan of New York no doubt bad the deficiency in his mind’s eye when lie stated in debating the bill that the total cost of our military establishment was close to $128,800,000 a year. This, he said, was exclusive bf the cost of past wars in the form of pensions, etc., amounting uow to over $134,000,000 a year. Mr. McClellan pointed out that the cost of the present establishment was at the rate of $1,288 for each man in the service, while counting pensions, etc.. It was $2.828 for each man. The cost of tlie German soldier, including pensions and cost of past wars, was only $227, and the cost of the French soldier, including the past items, not forgetting the great war fine paid to Germany, was $232. From this statement it appears that the American soldier costs nearly twelve and a half times as much as the* German. This Is a fact not to be left out of the account if wo are going to regard purely cominercial light. We jfre not in a position to compete with Germany, France or any other country of Europe in the business conquest and military occupation ns a commercial venture while our army costs so many limes as much as theirs} The highest cost of our military establishment for more than a quarter of a century before Che war with Spain was less than $54,000,000. That was In 1N94. In 1897 it was less than $50,000,000, and there is no reason why the home service should cost as much as I that. The actual cost, according to Mr. McClellan, is more than two and a half times that sum. We arc spending very nearly $79,000,000 a year more for army alone, not to speak of the navy-, then we expended before the war with Spain. Regarding this merely In (lie light of a commercial transaction, will someone explain where the American taxpayer is .getting, or is ever likely to get, any returns Justifying so large an investment? Until someone offers an expla nation we may well object to paying more millions' for more islands to be held by tlie army.—Chicago Chronicle.

Democracy the Party of Liberty Democracy makes for peace; protective tariffs make for commercial warfare. Democracy wants the world organized on the lines of Jefferson and Lincoln; the dethronement of kings, emperors, czars and sultans;" the enthronement of the people. Democracy Is for liberty, cutumerelnl. religious, Industrial. personal and political liberty. And Democracy is bound to win If it holds fast to the principle and is not led astray by campaigns of expediency.— Toledo Bee. The I ra of Trust Domination. \Vc are In for an era of unrestrained trust ism during the next four years. And the only hope after that time lies In the chance of the exhausting of the people's patience strained to the breaking point by class legislation, caste dominance and the robbing of (he many for the profit of the few to an extent Hint must finally become unbearable. St. Louis Republic. Political Pith. Mr. Ilnuuu Is not so much Interested In Congress being called in extra session as he is In having the present Congress called Into extra concession.— Omaha World-11 era hi. Congress the other day passed a bill In which the harbors of I’orto llico were Included among the “navigable waters of the United States." For certain purposes Porto Rico Is American territory; for others It Is uot.—Savannah News. Murk llnuun stated some time ago that he wns not golug to railroad the ship subsidy bill through Congress. There is reason to believe that he was telling the exact truth. And he is having a great deal of help In the way of not having It railroad.- Peoria Transcript. The profit on unprotected Auicrlcau cotton seed kernels In France promises to be large. With high prices for both cotton and cotton-seed thnt get no tariff aid whatever and no boosts from trusts of any sort, what are we to understand? Is It all McKinley magic?—St. Louli Post-Dispatch. | Senator Frye iutliunicd broadly In the Senate the other day that calls for a quorum might Interrupt the sitting of the rivers and harbor committee. The Implied threat may frighten n few Senators, but the general public can stand a failure of the rivers and harbors bill quite ns well as Senator Frye.— Pittsburg Dispatch.