The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-01-12
Editorial Clippings.

whiskey trust, sugar trust, a cottoh
seed trust, an oil trust, lead trust, a
rubber trust, a salt trust, envelope and
paper trust, a cordage pool and many
others, the latest to be organized being
the refined lerd trust. Soma day the
people may take into their heads 10
ret I'D a combine" against all these'
md when it comes, something Will
have to give way.
On a large proportion of Congress
men the surplus seems to be having the
same unfortunate effect as the penny
Il 1t burns in the schoolboy's pocket.
AS regards expenditures, therefore,
Congress will need very close watching
during the next six months, for, though
the session has hardly begun, there Is
already to be seen a strong disposition
to get rid of the surplus by the simple
and childlike expedient of incontinent-
ly spending it.
The red-eyed and brass-mounted
editors who have resolved to prevent
Mr.. Lamar's confirmation would prob
ably be satisfied if Malone were nomi-
mated instead of Lamar for Supreme
Court Judge. 1t is true that the little
boss has said some very Complementary
things about jeff, but as an atonemenl
for this, he has done considerable
amount of election swindling in the
interest of the Republican party.
The newspapers which make a bust
ness of defending the crimes and ad-
yocating the interests of corporations
are very much worked up over the ex-
posures made in regard to the rascall-
ties of the Pacific Railways bandltt.
But the exposures will go on and the
thieves will be punished.
With the thermometer below zero,
DOW is the accepted time to convince
the people that wooden overcoats are
luxury they can do without if they do
not like to pay the tax, while tobacco
is a necessity of their existence, tax or
DO tax, summer or winter.
The Republican attempt to scare the
Democratic party with the silly cry OF
Free Trade ~ will not work. The
Democracy is still untariffied.
A Minnesota prophet says that there
is ground for earthquakes January lst
and January 10Th" Of course there
is. There is always ground for earth
quakes, and there ought to be hole in
the ground for the crank who makes
foolish predictions.
Mr.. Reagan, of Texas, promises to
become valuable member of the Sen
ate in the way of recalling that body to
the constitutional principles which it
is drifting away from. He will oppose
the Blair bill vigorously on the ground
that the Constitution gives Congress no
power to interfere in the school sys-
TENS of the different states or to levy
taxes to support state educational in
situations.
Nothing could have been further re-
moved from the intentions of the
trainers of the Constitution than to en-
dow Congress with any such RESPONSE
bilities. An extention o. such inter-
ferences would hopelessly confuse our
system of dual governments. To as
sert that the Blair bill may properly be
regarded as coming within the scope
of the general welfare" clause of the
hConstitution is to render meaningless
many of the provisions of that instru.
ment.
General welfare thus construed
can be made to sustain almost any pro-
ject that may be brought forward. 1t
involves a comprehensive and indis-
criminate bound towards centraliza-
ton, belittling of State Governments
and an overwhelming of Congress with
matters that it has no business to in
terfere with. Senator Reagan has laid
out for himself a needed and useful
work. World.
A Republican organ says: "Under
Republican management the funds
would not be permitted to pile up as
they are at present." And that is the
very reason why the funds are not put
under Republican management. But
what must be thought Of party that
can coolly boast of its thievish propen-
sites
John Sherman is preparing a great
speech on the tariff in which he will
streak the pale air with the gore of the