Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1904 — POLITICS OF THE DAY [ARTICLE]

POLITICS OF THE DAY

The Postal Frauds. The investlgntiou of those two eminent lawyers, Holmes Conrad and Charles J. Bonaparte, of the postal scandals, expose more rottenness and Involve many much higher in authority than the legal proceedings Indicate. In their report they denounce Perry Heath, the secretary of the ‘Republican National Committee, In unmeasured terms and say that Charles Emory Smith, ex-Postmaster General; Robert „Traccwell, Comptroller of the Treasury; Henry A. Castle, Auditor for the Postofflce Department, and the late and present postmasters of Washington, D. C., all appear to have shared in the responsibility for the acts of the minor officials been indicted. They also say that the “TulJoeh charges” have never been properly investigated. The far reaching grab game of the minor officials has been described by a Kansas City paper In a way that will bring the matter home to the voters: “Whenever within the last ten years anyone in America mailed a letter, the chances were that he deposited it In a letter box which was bought by graft, painted by graft and attached to the lamp post by graft. He found what time the letter would be collected by reading a time card put on the letter box by graft. The mail carrier who took up the letter, if he lived in the East, perhaps paid a bribe to get his job or to get an increase of salary. The postman placed the letter in a pouch suspended from a shoulder strap, both of which were sold to the government by fraud, and carried it to the postofflce, where, perhaps, some favored or mulcted clerk canceled the stamp with ink and a machine fraudulently foisted upon the post department. The letter was then bundled up with other mall matter, tied together with a piece of twine or leather thong which the government was swindled into buying, and thereupon thrown into a railroad mail bag: and this bag, its fastener, its locks, its keys, became public property by three distinct and separate grafts. Finally the laden bag was sent off to the train according to the time told out by a peculiar clock, during every tick of which Uncle Sam was being outrageously robbed and swindled.” It might be added that the greatest graft has not been included, the railroads every time a wheel goes round charge Uncle Sam more than twice as much for carrying a pound of mail as they charge the express companies, j The postal cars even when standing i still are bringing rent to the railway coiporations equal each year to double what they cost to buy from the car manufacturers. Yet the voters in many States seem to approve this era of looting and go on electing representatives of the party whose morality has departed and whose slogan is “stand pat.” Republicans Call Thia Prosperity. The Hon. J. G. Cannon said the day tho Republicans nominated him for Speaker of the House, “The people never jvere so well and perfectly employed” as now.” That great Republican leader, Congressman Hepburn of lowa, who, when he is speaking will not brook Interruption by any new member, said on Dec. 1, “To-day every man in the United States who wants to work finds employment In the great labor fields of the United States, and at compensating wages.” How do the facts bear out these strong optimistic assertions? On Oct. 22 the Boston Transcript, a leading Republican paper, said: “Organized labor is facing the greatest wage crisis since the panic of 1893. • • • It has been estimated that before the close of the year the big employing concerns of the country will have discharged nearly 1,000,000 men.” On Nov. 11, the New York Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin, the greatest journal of this class in this country, said: “It would be folly to shut our eyes to the fact that industrial and in turn commercial depression are following right along in the wake of the financial collapse. Mills are shutting down; mining is being restricted.” The National Labor Tribune of Pittsburg said, Nov. 2l8t: “There are still more Idle mills throughout the country than seemed possible during the flush times of a' year or more ago. What is still more unpleasant to contemplate, a number of the shutdowns appear to be for good, or at least for an indefinite time.” The International Mercantile Agency, of which ex-Dlrector of the Census Merriam is the head, said, about Dec. 6th: “The week is characterized by further slackening industry. • * • Wages of 200,000 industrial employes bjve, been reduced 10 per cent or more, and preparations are making to effect a similar reduction with respect to 300,000 others in various lines on or about Jan. Ist” As indicating the slackening in industry, we may note the falling off in the production of pig iron. The Iron Age of Dec. 10 says the production fell from an average of 1,680,000 tons a month for July, August and September to 1174,000 tout for November, and that “Such a drop within the short pgace of two months ts altogether on-

prccedented in the American Iron Industry.” Yet It says that not only did the stock of unsold iron greatly Increase during November, but that for the first Aveek in December there was a still further falling off in production. If, ns has heretofore been supposed, the iron and steel industry is the barometer of business, then a great industrial storm will soon La upon us. Of course, those who choose to do so can accept the interested optimistic vnporiugs of their Republican statesmen and discard the disinterested warnings of our great trade and labor journals and of our financial and commercial authorities. This is a free country and a man need not put a roof on his house if he doesn't think there will be any more rain. Time will tell who are right.—Byron W. Hall. Our Perplexed President. When the tariff is being discussed everywhere and when it is expected to be the question at issue between the tAA*o great parties next year, we should naturally expect to find some recommendation on this important subject iu the President's message. It contains not a word to guide us; it does not even mention the word “tariff.” Why? Has the President no opinions or ideas on this question, or is he afraid to talk on it? Is he undecided iu his mind and is he hesitating to jump either towards protection or free trade? A year and a hdlf ago he was talking tariff reAision and a tariff commission. Last spring he left off talking on both of these subjects and was reported to haA-e joined the “stand-pat-ters,” after a conference at the White House with representatives of the Protective Tariff League, Just before ho started on his Avcstern trip. Is he, silent because the protected Interests told him then that if he continued to talk tariff revision they would defeat him for the nomination next year, as was reported? Back in the eighties Mr. Roosevelt Avas a member of the Cobden Club of England and of the Free Trade League of New Y'ork City. It was said that in some of his speeches he expressed a Avillingness to die for free trade. Is lie silent because his free trade ideas are returning to haunt him and to make him undecided? Is it not clear to him that, with the great protected trusts of to-day preying upon us, protection is now far more of a curse than it was fifteen or tAventy years ago? Is the great'steel trust making itself so obnoxious that he is silently considering a special message advising the removhl of all tariff duties that protect it? This would be grand. We could forgive the apparent oversight in his message if he is saving, up a big bIoAV for this hated robber trust. We could not forgive him if the omission was due to overwork with his White House ! Incubator of South American republics. We care but little for “abroad,” but we are much concerned about the steel trust right here at home. We want to see its plundering career stopped. Free trade in steel will do tho business. Why, Mr. President, don’t you talk tariff revision again?— Byron W. Ilolt. Perpetual Blackmail. So long as it was believed that the goA-ernment of the United States would observe the treaty of 1846 the isthmus route Avas in perfect security. The moment the Panama conspirators got from Washington assurance that the administration wouH violate the treaty the isthmus was menaced. Menaced it will remain until the conspirators are convinced that the United States will return to observance of the treaty of 1846, which alone assures the peace and progress necessary for construction of the canal. The fake republic of Panama can guarantee neither peace nor progress. Its purpose is continuous blackmail of the people of the United States. Roosevelt at Gott ysbnrk. Mr. Roosevelt has accepted an invitation to delh-er next year’s Gettysburg Memorial day address. His boundless egotism does not shrink from comparison of his literary style, jejune, banal, diffuse and often ungrammatical as it habitually is, with the classic simplicity and flawless precision of one of the greatest masters of English* k Of Lincoln and the silent dAA-ellers on that vast field he should have the candor to-say: “What you died to accomplish, the perpetuity of a free republic, I have striven my best* to undo by abrogating the principles upon which the Union was saved.” —Chicago Chronicle.