The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-06

placable. How can we be reconciled TO gov |
ernment which offers us justice with one |
hand and casts insult upon us with the other?"
We confess that the more we consider the
matter the more we feel the absolute need OF
recognizing frankly this tremendous senti-
mental grievance, and of strengthening
rather than weakening the law against insur-
rection, by treating political offenses found
to have been committed without any dis
honorable motive as the North German Diet
is prepared to treat them-as O distinct class
of offenses worthy, indeed, of severe repres-
sion and punishment, but wholly distinct
from ordinary crimes, and therefore not en-
failing any social indignity. Mr.. Disraells
fanciful and almost absurd protest, on the
first night of the session. against setting apart
any prison in the United Kingdom as poll
tical prison, is nothing to the point. We I'M
prison already many misdemeanants without
inflicting on them any marks OF lntamy. All
the persons committed for trial but not yet
tried are imprisoned under similar conditions.
What possible need of new class OF prisons
If, indeed, it be so Objectionable to con-
fess to the need of it when we feel the
need of tiff new class of prisoners will
do? What we do want is to classify in class
apart an unfortunately very old species of
offenses. but to treat them in O new spirit;
and in this to learn q lesson from the North
German Diet. 1t is not too soon-it is only
unfortunately very much too late-to confess
that we stand with relation to Irish republi-
cans too much in the same position in which
Germany stands towards German republicans
or Polish conspirttors; and it would not be
inopportune, it would be in the highest de-
gree opportune, to make this confession, at
the very time when we are trying hard to root
out the causes of q state of feeling that must,
by the very necessity of the case, long out
last the traditions and habits of injustice of
which it was born. We may fairly say that
Imperial necessities forbid even the conside-
ration of separation between Great Britain
and Ireland. But the more we insist on this,
the more obviously we are bound to overcome
that insular obtuseness of feeling which is
the only excuse for treating political offenses
with indignities that no sensitive race will
willingly forgive or easily forget.
COMMODORE VANDERBILT'S LETTER.
From the NJ Y. World.
The best free e-trade document lately pub
lished is the letter of Commodore Wander
bilt to President FELTON,, denying his sigma
ture to the petition of Pennsylvania railroad
men for an increase of the duty on steel
rails.
clearer head to discern his interest, or
the interest of any corporation under his con-
troll, than that which the Commodore carries
upon his shoulders is not now extant; and
one of the sharpest points in his letter is that
in which he shows, with perfect courtesy,
that in their petition the Pennsylvania rail-
road men may have been faithful to any
interest Of theirs in Pennsylvania steel-works,
but pro tanto went against the interest of
all layers of steel rails and all riders over
them, and all who send or use freight carried
over them.
The argument of the Pennsylvanians is
that home competition is the only defense
from foreign extortion. The Commodore,
with his wide and long experience of men
and their ways, replies that he has not found
extortion an exclusive characteristic of the
British or Prussian steel-rail seller. He has
met persons capable of extortion on this side
the Atlantic and what if it should turn out
that domestic extortonists happened to own
domestic steel-ral works? Competition, in
deed, the Commodore believes in as the true
defense against extortion but, since extor-
tion is to be guarded against wherever men
have the power to extort, the widest competi-
ton is the best defense against anybody's ex-
tortion at home or abroad. Monopoly of steel
rail selling here might be got by higher du-
ties; but that, if preventing foreign extortion,
would guarantee Pennsylvania extortion.
Free trade in steel rails would prevent foreign
eXtortion because of home competitors, and
home extortion because of foreign compe-
titors.
This is the reasoning underlying Commo-
dore Vanderbilts letter, which is expressed
with the terseness of a man who knows ex-
actly where his interest lies and can't be hum
bugged by any plausible CANNON of ''protec-
tion;" and it carries the weight of the three
railroad corporations which first used steel
rails, and which have used one-fifth of all
laid down and one-third of all imported.
1t is exactly in the protectionist vein, now
that the Bessemer steel process has become
free to all the world and lowered the price
everywhere of steel-rail making to petition
Congress to cheat 40, 100000 people out OF
that benefit by duty for the benefit of forty
steel-rail makers. We propose Commodore
Vanderbilt for the next President of the Free
Trade League.
USING THE ARMY TO STOP GOLD
MINING.
| From The n Y, Sun,