Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1902 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

Judge the Party by Its Fralta. In whose service has the late session of the Republican Congress been acting since it met in December? Has it served the people or those who exploit the people? Has it sought to advance the welfare of the business man who stands on his own feet outside of a trust? Has it sought to help thjs man at the ploiv, the man at the bench, the salaried man at the desk, the man at the shovel—the plain people? Everybody knows that It has not This Republican Congress has served the “protected Interests,” the trusts, the predatory wealth of the country. Cuba and the national honor have been sacrificed to the sugar beet and the sugar trust. The food trust emptying the dinner pail of meat and taxing exorbitantly for private profit the American table, has had Congress for an assisting partner. Though the price of meats has soared, the bills to subject the food trust to competition by removing the duties on foreign meats have been smothered in committee. Every bill introduced for the purpose of interfering in the slightest degree with the privilege of the trusts to tax the public has been resolutely sidetracked. The Republican party as it now exists Is under the absolute control and direction of the organized w r ealth of the Union—the kind of wealth that is founded on monopoly and makes large campaign contributions in return for speeinl privileges. Congress has legislated for the “Captains of Industry,” who, through the Republican party, govern the United States for their own benefit. Whatever the trusts have asked for from this Congress the trusts have got.

Ajrainst the party whose true spirit tliis trust-serving Congress represents the Democracy appeals to the people. And this truth is to be kept in mind by every man who Is opposed to the kind of government the Republican party is giving us—government by the trusts, for the trusts. If the people won't help themselves, no one can help the people. The people are being exploited. Will the people stand by the party which stands by the exploiters? The Democratic minority la Congress has made a record on which the party can go to the country with pride and a clear conscience. That record constitute* a sound 'Democratic platform. The Democratic minority in tills Republican and trust-serving Congress has stood for: First, justice to Cuba; second, removal of the tariff duties which foster and protect monopolists who sell their products abroad cheaper than they do at home; third, for expansion as against imperialism—for home rule ns against despotism in the Philippines. The American believes that our sovereignty must be maintained in those islands, but it also believes that the people of the Philippines should be given a voice in their government and not surrendered as prey to the exploiters who have a mortgage on the Republican party; fourth, for the honor of the American army. To denounce acts of cruelty, to Insist upon observance of the rules of civilized warfare, is to uphold the honor of the army, not to assail it. There is nothing sacred about the army. Any man In it who behaves like a savage disgraces it and should lie held responsible for his crimes. The Republican conception of the army’s honor—that It Is unpatriotic to criticise anything any member of it may do—is the same as that which gave to France the Dreyfus fifth, for such amendment of the navigation laws as would take eur merchant marine out of the grip of bountybegging monopolists; sixth, for control of the trusts by the government What do the American people wantgovernment by themselves or government by the “business Interests,” which are Without public spirit and think only of their own pockets? This Congress has served these Interests exclusively, regardless of national honor and the people's welfare. It Is the kind of government wo must have from the Republican party. Nothing else can be expected from it. Will the people go to the polls and Indorse n party which on system Ignores the Interest* of the people?—Chicago American. A Democratic House Needed. With the increased representation in the next House of Congress It will require li»4 members to make a majority. There are now 159 Democrats in the House, so that, presuming all of their seats will lie retained in the election* of this year, the Democrats will still need to gain thirty-eight new members In order to have a majority. The question the Democratic campaign managers have to figure on Is where they can most surely make fights with the prospect of winning those thirty-eight seats. A careful review of the votes cast at the election of 1000 shows that there are many more than thirty-eight congressional districts ns they are now formed, and In spite of recent Republican gurrymnnders, In which the Democrats have lighting chances against majorities ranging from Hi votes to 700 votes. With the dissatisfaction that Is pervading Republican ranks In the West, with the grent strikes on In the East and with the beef trust revolt affecting the people in every part of the country the Democrats feel that the current is With them and that they may fi'rly ex-

pect to win the majority of the next House. It will be worth while to give the Republicans a battle to the last ditch In every doubtful district in the Union. There Is need for Democratic control of the House of Representatives to the end that a strong scotch may be put upon the extravagances of the Republicans nnd .a ratchet on the headlong career of an administration equally indifferent to the popular will and the constitution of the nation.—Atlanta Constitution. Propped Up by Bayonets. The passage by the House of Its own bill to organize civil government in the Philippines on the same day that Admiral Dewey reiterated before the Sen-, ate committee his opinion expressed In USDS that the Filipinos are more capable of Independent government than are the Cubans, was a striking coincidence. The bill is an Improvement upon the Senate measure in that it provides for a popular Filipino Assembly ns part of the legislative branch of the proposed government, and substitutes a gold for a silver standard money; but both bills fail alike In not declaring our purpose in establishing a government there. ' Mr. McCall, a Republican Representative from Massachusetts, sought to remedy this defect by incorporating a section declaring it to be—- “ The settled purpose of the Congress to extend to the inhabitants of those islands every aid In enabling them to develop the capacity of self-govern-ment; and when such capacity shall have been developed we pledge the faith of the republic to confer upon them the right to self-government after “the fashion of really free nations.” These words are taken from President Roosevelt's message to Congress, and they correspond exactly with the language repeatedly used by President McKinley on this subject. But the Republicans would make no pledge; and so the Filipino people are left wholly in the dark as to our intentions regarding their destiny, and our own people are equally uninformed as to the ultimate purpose and end of the prolonged, expensive and wholly un-American experiment of subjugating 10,000,000 Asiatics on the other side of the globe. The majority of the House likewise voted down an amendment offered by Mr. Patterson (Dem.), of Tennessee, prohibiting slavery or Involuntary servitude in the Philippines, though Governor Taft testified that there are 250,0(X) slaves—not to mention the polygamists, also protected by our military “treaties’.’ with a reigning sultan. Their excuse is that “slavery cannot be abolished by a statute.” Pretty nearly all the other rights and customs of the inhabitants have been abolished or altered by military proclamation. Only the. “twin relics of barbarism,” apparently, are considered exempt from the operations of our arbitrary will. What sort of scheme of “civil government,” propped up by bayonets, will result from a conference committee, nobody can tell. The one thing certain Is that the ultimate purpose of our .Asiatic adventure is to be left “in the ax,” undetermined by the body chargal with that duty by the treaty of Paris.—New York World. Indiana Democrats. Indiana’s Democracy deserves the cordial commendation of the American* people for the enunciation of Democratic principles In a State platform which makes a leading Issue of the tariff and the trusts and pledges the State candidates to a faithful observance of those principles. The Indiana Democratic platform opens with a declaration on the tariff and the trusts as follows: “We denounce the Republican party for its •urreuder to and alliance with the trusts, and we favor such action as will suppress and destroy all trusts or combinations to control the production and the price of commodities. We denounce the Dingley tariff law as the breederof trusts and demand that tariff shall be levied for the purpose it revenue only and limited by the Leeds of the government honestly and economically administered. We condemn the Republican party for refusing to give the Interstate Commerce Commission power to enforce Its decisions ajainst discriminations in railroad rates, which discriminations have been a potent cause of the creation and maintenance of trusts, and we demand tljit the commission be given power to suppress this evil.” This is a plain pronouncement on the leading Issue of the day and places In-, dlunn Democracy In line on the side of the people ns against the trusts. The ’people may rest in confidence that the national Democracy will take the same stand, and that the Congressional earn palgr.s of the present year end the Presidential campaign of 1904 will he fought on the Issue of the tariff and the trusts. That Issue Is vital indeed, and the American public has of late received certain" objec t lessons which have aroused the popular mind to n full realization of the necessity for a settlement. So general Is the public understanding of the trust and tariff evil-nt this time that even in the ranks of the Republican party itself there Is a disaffection which makes harmonious party action ominously difficult. The Democratic organization In Indiana has In Its State platform sound-

' ea a clear call to the political battle of 1 1902. The Democratic party and a ma--1 Jorlty of the American people will fall ; In line at that call, arrayed for conflict with the tariff-bred trusts and the party of the tariff aud the trusts. They must win the tight If the country be rescued from oppressive monopoly.— I St. Louis Republic. A Bad Showing. i The Congress which has just adjoum- ! ed, overwhelmingly Republican In both ! branches, is the most extravagant. If not the most corrupt, that ever assembled. Its sins of commission and omission ought to result at the first opportunity in a most Impressive defeat of the party responsible for It. It has appropriated more than $800,000,000 for tho ordinary expenses of the government—a sum exceeded only twice during the Civil War. It has failed to take action of any sort for the relief of the people from the exactions of the tariff-protect-ed trusts and combines. The swinish quarrel between the cane sugar trust and the beet sugar trust has resulted in its failure to redeem the pledges made to Cuba In the matter of commercial advantages In our ports.

Thus the nation which sacrificed life and treasure freely to secure the freedom of Cuba has been placed In the position of denying even a slight commercial concession to the new republic because two of the robber trusts, the especial proteges of the Republican party, have been unwilling to surrender a dollar of the tribute which they are levying on the people. It has Inflicted arbitrary government upon the Philippines for an indefinite period. Its “civil government” Dill is a mere extension of the Presidential autocracy, certain to a result in continued ill will and the speedy exploitation of the islands by favored interests. It has passed the ship subsidy bill along to the next session in such shape that its enactment may be easily effected after the fall elections. It has revived the selfish hopes of the silver Interest by refusing to provide for the gold standard in the Philippines. An old-fashioned Democracy organized on principle rather than for the promotion of the personal fortunes of an individual would make short work of a party responsible for such a showing as this.—Chicago Chronicle. Things Miners Might Have S'aid. There are some things to be said of railroad corporations which the miners do not say in their statement. The corporations aronud have been notoriously acting in contravention of law. They break the law when they add to the business of a common carrier that of coal-mining, and it is none the less unlawful when done indirectly through a nominally independent but really subsidiary coal corporation. They break the law when they charge absurdly high and unreasonable rates for carrying coal—rates that exceed those charged for freight of the highest class, and that are three or four times as high as rates on bituminous coal. And they break the law when they combine to regulate production, limit the output and establish prices on a complete monopoly basis. Moreover, they have been privileged to monopolize for private profit a limited and invaluable store of nature.—Springfield, Mass., Republican.' Nntioual Honor Sacrificed. The beet sugar Republicans refuse justice to Cuba because the duty on raw sugar would have to be lowered. The sugar trust Is in favor of Ju3tic* to Cuba—provided the revision of the tariff applies only to raw sugar. When it comes to touching the duty on refined sugar the trust’s regard for itself overcomes its noble sympathy with suffering Cuba. And the administration Senators stand with the sugar trust. They can get Democratic votes in plenty to aid them in reducing or removing the duties on both raw and refined sugar, but rather than disoblige the trust the administration Senators will let Cuba starve. Meantime the American republic is disgraced before the world. The national honor Is sacrificed on the altar of the protective tariff.—New York Journal. Presidential Timber Galore. There is plenty of splendid material in the Democratic party from which to make selection, but there is no need for haste in the matter. It Is practically settled that the Republican candidate, barring death or other unforeseen disability, will be either Roosevelt or Ilanna; there Is no need of worrying over the Identity of his opponent at this Juncture. All the Democratic party need do this fall Is to get the various States Into such condition that their candidate of 1904, whoever he may prove to be, will receive the full and undivided vote of the party. In that way, and in no other, will his election be assured.—Buffalo Times. Fame Old Story Repeated. Once more genuine Republican protectionism lias triumphed and Cuban reciprocity is dead,. ’Twns ever thus. Time and again Republicans have talked about tariff revision and reciprocity, and every time the tariff beneficiaries have united to prevent any relief and have so completely controlled that the last end was worse than the first. Reciprocity was avowed as a Republican policy, but when It comes to notion party support ennnot be commanded for a reduction of 20 per cent on n few articles Imported from one little Island.— Indianapolis Sentinel. The Only Nation nt War. Tl»e United States nre nt present occupying the exceptional position of being the only nation which Is carrying on a war, if the guerrilla operations of the insurgents on the island of Samar may be. dignified with the name of a war.—San Francisco Chronicle.