Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 123, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1903 — POLITICAL COMMENT. [ARTICLE]

POLITICAL COMMENT.

Tb.e Ohio Campaign. It Is greatly to be regretted that continued ill-health prevents Senator Hanna from taking the war path in the Ohio campaign, whose result involves the question of his re-election to the Senate. There is-, however, reason to hope that his illness will not long keep him out of the fray. When he docs take the stump there will be “something doing.” Tom Johnson. Democratic candidate for Governor, and John H. Clarke. Democratic aspirant TiTThe Senatorship, will know that there Is a contest. The type and style of the Democratic campaign in Ohio may be gathered from the speech delivered at Akron, Sept. 9, |>y the man who hopes to get Mark Hanna’s scat in the United States Senate. In this speech Mr. Clarke said: ' “Let well enough alone,” “stand pat,” “continue to stima pat.” “hands off,” “for God’s sake keep letting well enough alone.” This, in his own language. is the sum of the political wisdom and etatesmanship in which Senator Hanna has given counsel to the people of this State and nation fer several years, as if, forsooth, he thought the national life of this great people and the business of it would stand still, not move, at his command. The business of the country has re-

fused to stand still at Mr. Hanna’s command, but ou the c ntrary has run riot in such a way as was never seen before, and now stands upon what all men fear Is the verge of collapse, and capital and labor halt In daily expectation of a panic—a fear In which the President and Secretary of the Treasury by their public speech show that they distinctly share. This condition has been largely brought about by the disturbance of business caused by the high tariff taxes, through which millions of dollars have bcea unnecessarily taken from the people and the channels of business and locked up in the United States treasury or loaned out by it to favored banks.” These are the mouthlugs either of an Ignoramus or a demagogue. Bryan himself has never said anything quite bo shallow or so foolish. If Senator Hanna’s antagonist can put up no better plea than Is found in Populistic rant and fustian of the sort quoted above, he should be called off the stump. He cuts a sorry figure in the race. Wait till Mark Hanna gets back his vigor and his voice and is physically able to answer this calamity shouter as he deserves. Then the people of Ohio will be able to compare the two candidates each with the other. That is all that is needed to determine the result. Meanwhije, let us hope Senator Hanna will hurry up an! get weil. —American Economist. Not for Reciprocity. In his speech at Chicago before the National Association of Merchants and Travelers, Secretary of the Treasury Bhaw spoke of three ways suggested to acquire more markets for this country. One Is reciprocity, to which the Secretary referred as a plan “to trade compliments—to exchange trade privileges—to set our doors somewhat ajar for the special advantage of one conn try ou condlfloivAhat it shall set Its doors ajar for tne special advantage of our people. Considerable has been said along this line, but not very much has been actually accomplished.” Just this passage on reciprocity, aud no more, from the cabinet official at the head qf the Treasury Department. And, in truth, no more can be said. Reciprocity Is a nebulous thing, an untried theory. No one cau define it. The situation Is wisely described In a few words. Reciprocity Is not, as yet, even an experiment. Its artual workings are unknown. One of the three ways commented on by Secretary Bbaw Is to move toward free trade In the hop? .that greater freedom of Importation will Induce other nations to follow the example. “I would like to Inquire,” asked the Secretary of the business men he addressed, ‘'whether you. In making your purchases abroad, give preference to those countries which favor us with an •pen door, or do you bug where you

can obtain the desired article te the best advantage?” The answer Is evident. Business men buy according to margins of profit. They go for silks to protective France, not to free trade England. We opened the flour to Brazil. and yet that country continues to sell to us $70,0CX),000 worth of goods a year and buys from us only $10,000,090 worth- The third method, Which Secretary Shaw approves, is to adopt a system of encouraging “regular linea of American ships, flying the American flag, and carrying American merchants and American travelers, with their wares and merchandise, the-product of American labor,” between our ports and countries where our trade Is undeveloped. Here is practical food for thought. Secretary Shaw has little to say about reciprocity, because little can be said about a mere theory, if not a chimera.—St. Louis GLbe-Democrat,. Misfortune of the Cnbsu Treaty. We shall not agree with the Republican opinion that the chief misfortune of bringing up the Cuban reciprocity treaty in the next Congress will be that it will give to Democrats an opportunity to reopen the discussion of the whole tariff subject. They are welcome to all the opportunities of that sort which they may find or seek. The

more they discuss the tariff, indeed, the better we think it will be for the country, for there are some Republicans of prominence who need Information as to what the American people think about tampering with the Dlngley law, and a warm discussion of the tariff will give them that information in a way for them to take heart and to remember. The Cuban reciprocity measure is a misfortune, not because it may serve to open the whole tariff question, but because It Is wrong of Itself. It Is a piece of economic folly, and it Is worse than that as well, because it does worse than to give something sot nothing. It makes this nation commit an act of charity, for which It asks praise of Its generosity, by putting its hand Into the pocket of an industrial class and scattering Its contents among the Cubans and the sugar trust as alms. There is precisely as much generosity In that proceeding as In the act p? a man who might want to give a watch to somebody who had none and took It out of the waistcoat of hls neighbor to perform his desired benevolence. If this government wants to give public alms it should take them out Its own public treasury and dispense them at its own public cost, and not out of the pocket and at the private cost of an Industrial class. Whether the Cuban reciprocity measure goes Into effect or not. and whether It reopens the whole tariff question or not, It Is of no use for anybody to blink either the economies or the morals of this extraordinary performance. —New York Press. ThoronKhly Dead. The Marion (Ind.) Chronicle makes the following impressive application of a logical deduction: “Col. Bryan's paper. The Commoner, says the only sure way to prevent the reorgnnizers from stealing a march on the voters is to Indorse the Kansas City platform and Instruct the delegates to county and State conventions to endorse It. Then it adds that a failure to indorse can only be construed ns cowardice c» as opposition to the platform. Why not Indorse the Democratic platforms of 1850 and 1800? Slavery Is no deader than th* free coinage of silver at 10 to 1. Good Advice. “Better let the Dlngley act alone In every schedule nnd line than to repeat the folly given warrant at the polls In 1892,” says the Sioux City Journal. Yes, that is exactly right. And when there becomes apparent need, together with opportunity, for revising those sohedules, let it be done by the Republican party.—Man* tester (Iowa) Press. The protection gas which fills the great prosperity balloon la too thick to escape through pin holes. It will need a free-trade puncture to lot it oat.