Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1902 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

Senators Refuse to Bear. The House has passed without a dissenting vote the joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to ? provide for the election of United States Senators by the direct vote of the people. While it is improbable that the Senate will follow the House's action. Senators who oppose such an amendment to the constitution cannot fail to appreciate the fact that they are-setting up their individual wishes against the almost unanimous sentiment of the people in favor of a change in the method of choosing Senators. The election of Senators by a direct vote may be delayed, but It is steadily gaining ground and will carry sooner or later.—Philadelphia North American. A Menacing Oligarchy. The oligarchy tn the United States Senate is dangerous. That Messrs. Aldrich, Allison and Platt and probably two more Senators can thwart the will of the people, can bid defiance to the President, can absolutely control the House of Representatives, is recognized by all who live in Washington and know the facts about Congress. That these men should have this pow’er is more than unpleasant to contemplate. No one of them is free from the suspicion of l>eing influenced, upon various occasions, by self-interest. No one of them, unless it may be Allison, could ever have been elected President of the United States by popular vote.—Minneapolis Times. Salaries of Officials. Propositions to raise Washington salaries will generally be regarded with suspicion. The explanation that the officials are sacrificing large private interests to accept a low salary from the government has been stretched to the limit. The fact is that comparatively few men can earn >5,000 a year in the law or in any other profession. Almost any town could entertain comfortably a convention of those earning more than this amount. With a few conspicuous exceptions the officeholders in Washington are paid liberally. The country sees no occasion for the flood of bills to Increase salaries.— Kansas City Star. A Bond of Sympathy. Germany and the United States are "down” with the same complaint. Both have trust-breeding tariffs and both have producers who will sell dear at home and cheap abroad. The British consumer buys German iron or German sugar on much better terms than the German consumer does. The German consumer very naturally is becoming indignant. He does not see why he should be robbed in order to benefit either the producers at home or the consumers of the Dingley sort. lie wants Indirect robbery taxation stopped. This is a point to which the American people are coming.—Terre Haute Gazette.

The Only Course Left. The idea of forbidding any amendments to the war tax reduction bill except those emanating from the ways and means committee was so remarkable and so lacking in legality through depriving the House of Representatives of any voice in the matter that the contemptuous action of the opposition in making tbe passage of the bill unanimous was the only course left open. The bill will now go to the Senate, where it will receive full and free discussion. Thus we have the anomalous spectacle of one house being prohibited from legislation while the other revels in unrestricted license.—Pittsburg Dispatch. What the Trusts Have Learned. The trust, is in its infancy, but the managers of trusts have already learned that the very life of all such organizations depends upon their good behavior. A concern that deals with the general public must be as shrewd and as politic as any man seeking office. It must make its goods popular if it would sell them, and in order to make them popular tbe goods must be both good and cheap—the best article for the money to be had. There is the key to the trust problem.—Richmond Times. Good Outlook for Democrats. Not for many years has there been a time when the Democratic party in Illinois could so easily score victory for its principles and candidates. Democracy’s leaders in the State must be prompt to recognize and improve so golden an opportunity. There will he no excuse for failure to do this wheb the situation is so menacing to Illinois Republicanism that even Illinois Republicans themselves are prophesying Democratic victory.—St. Louis Republic. The Beauties of Protection. If protection is such a wonderfully good thing why don’t the Republican leaders in Congress Jump at the chance to discuss it and spread their argument before the people? Carnegie accumulated several hundred millions while the people were being taxed to protect him. The steel trust Is selling steel rails in Europe for Sl7 and charging Americans >2B for the same rails. They can do that because their Infant Industry is protected.—Toledo Bee. Bad Faith Toward the Territories. Tbe Republicans In their last platform declared that territories should

be admitted as States at soon as they; came up to a reasonable standard. Ok--lahoma, New Mexico and Arizona are now pleading for statehood and have much better qualifications and prospects than several of the States we have already. But It is feared that they will -- go Democratic and this Is enough to kill their chances with a Republican Congress.—Atlanta Journal A Truce to Hypocrisy. The United States government should certainly not be ashamed to make open announcement of its Philippine policy. A reluctance to do this in itself amounts to a confession of belief in the wrongfulness of the policy. If, knowing that we are determined to deal with the people of the Philippines on a basis of utter disregard of their rights, we yet delude them with vague and misleading promises of ultimate national independence we shall be guilty of a peculiarly contemptible sort of cowardice—the cowardice of the strong robbing the weak in the guise of a benefactor.—St. Louis Republic. No Thought of Pledged Faith. One set ot Republican leaders cry out: “Don’t reduce the duties on Cuban sugar and tobacco lest you open the perilous tariff question!” Another set of leaders vehemently declare: "We must do the right thing in Cuba or we shall run the risk of a certain break in the tariff wall." Both of the contending factions are Intent upon saving the sacred tariff, and while they bicker time flies and nothing is done one way or the other. In the meantime the pledged faith of the government stands unredeemed and its plain duty neglected.—Philadelphia Record. Sign of a Bad Cause. Speaker Henderson was indiscreet enough to inform a constituency by letter that: "Y'ou have accepted the lies sent out by the press which is being manipulated in the interests of free trade with Cuba.” The Speaker is in a bad way with a bad cause when he is obliged to accuse the press of the country of lying in order to bolster up his position. Such charges are invariably the last resort of a cheap politician. We have never known an intelligent, well-balanced man to make them.—Detroit Free Press. Want No Donbtful Title, This government does not. of course, want to buy into a colossal lawsuit. It does not want to take the chances even of inviting litigation by reason of its tempting wallet. If the Panama company has a clear title to the property it is offering that fact will add to the strength of its position in the negotiations. But If there is a doubt about the matter In the minds of eminent French lawyers we should know It, and know it as soon as It can be communicated to us.—Washington Star. Too Much Jobbery in It. If the river and harbor bill could be kept clear of jobbery the $60,000,000 to which the committee is trying to confine its expenditure would probably be quite sufficient. The trouble Is that this bill has become a favorite means of Congressional log-rolling, and the really meritorious enterprises provided for in it are made to help along too many schemes for downright plunder of the treasury.—Philadelphia Ledger. Two Mode* of Pacification. Governor Taft favors a declaration by the United States of Intention to hold the Philippines indefinitely, his belief being, presumably, that a settled policy would more quickly bring peace to the islands. But would not peace sooner be restored by a declaration that we intended to give the Filipinos Independence as soon as they are fitted for it?—lndianapolis News. The Philippine Problem.

While Mr. Taft is convinced of the utter unfitness of the Philippines for statehood, now or in the distant future, he is in much doubt as to the best policy to be pursued toward them. The best policy is to govern them in accordance with the constitution of the United States or to let them govern themselves.—Philadelphia Record. The Endless Chain Grab. Only a little' while ago we grabbed Porto Rico to protect our coasts. And now we are grabbing the Danish West Indies for the purpose of protecting Porto Rico. By and by we shall be looking around for an Island or a continent as a strategical base In protecting the Danish West Indies—Johnstown, Pa., Democrat. The Administration la Consistent. The decision of the Federal administration to furnish no more money for the light in the statue of liberty enlightening the world in New York harbor has a certain propriety It would not have had a few years ago. We are not enlightening the world In liberty as much as we were.—lndianapolis Sentinel. A Libel on Abraham Lincoln. Secretary Long is rather ridiculous in pretending to believe that Abraham Lincoln, If living to-day would approve the Philippine folly. Mr. Lincoln distinctly declaved that no man is good enough to govern another man without that other man’s consent.-St. Louie Post-Dispatch.