Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-12-28
CURRENT COMMENT.
Notes and Comments, Political and
Otherwise. on Matters of Interest.
By Andrew j. Palm.

in the legislature, and he seems tc
have struck something equally solid
in trying to break into the senate on
the credentials furnished by Governor
Stone. Every dog is said to have had
his day, and it is to be hoped that
Quay has had more days than will ever
| again be allotted to any corrupt po-
litical boss in this or any other coun-
try.
What is amusing, even in connection
with so deplorable a condition Of af-
fairs is the Republican method Of
showing our increased trade in the
Philippines since we began on our
Christianizing campaigns. The two
thousand air tight collins in which to
bring home cur dead, the millions OF
money which we are obliged to send
over to maintain our army, and the
cost of the beer we have taught the
natives to drink are all solemnly fig
ured in and the aggregate proudly re-
ferred to as one of the evidences of the
great increase Of exports under Nc
Kinleyism.
1t is not ten years since the annual
expenses of the government all told
were less than $250000000. Mr.. Nc
Kinley, in his schemes of benevolent
assimilation" and his alleged partner
ship with the Almighty in following
after destiny" has raised the amount
| to $631 900 900. Who must pay it?
Will the millionaire and the trust come
| forward and lay down the amount as
thank offering on Emperor McKin-
ley's altar? Not If they know them
selves. They resist to the bitter end
every effort to tax their easy gotten
gains, and IL by accident or design
some court happens to decide law
to tax these gentlemen valid they sim
ply add double the amount of the tax
| to their product and make the con-
sumer pay it to show him how foolish
it was to attempt to tax gentlemen who
have the ear of the national legislature,
the ear of the courts and both ears Of
the executive of the country.
President Mckinley says that 1t
was the providence of God that
put us in possession of the Philip
pines. When and to whom did the
Almighty vouchsafe the information
that $4,000, 900 would be about the
right figure to give Spain for her
claim on these islands? When and to
whom did He suggest that it would
| be the proper caper to send an army
into the Filipinos' territory, lay waste
their towns, shoot down their people
| and establish hundreds of rumholes,
which will soon exterminate the Fill
pino race, If any of it is left after 1t
passes through Mr.. McKinley's process
of benevolent assimilation" II God
came to Mr.. Mckinley In a dream by
night, as He did to Joseph and told
him so many things that no sensible
man believes, he should say 80 and put
the responsibility where 1t belongs.
Mckinley stamps himself as an igno-
ramus or hypocrite. God never made
some human beings to be slaughtered
and enslaved by others, nor does He
give some Of His people lands upon
which they may support themselves,
and then go into partnership with
others to rob them of 1t by brute
strength of bloody war.
Commissioner of Pensions Evans
says that his bureau has on file 10000
applications for pensions from those
who had some part in the war with
Spain. OF course those who went out
were highly patriotic, men who were
so mashed" on their country that they
could not possess their souls in peace
at home caring for themselves or de-
pendent friends, but could find no rest
until they went out to maintain the
honor of the flag which, like charity,
is made to cover a multitude of sins.
Now more than half of these patriotic
gentlemen who shared so actively in
the war are willing, in the hope of get
ting a paltry pension, to swear that
they were disabled by bullet or disease.
Genuine patriotism is all right, but
that which passes as the pure article
is a sentiment generally as wicked as
it is foolish. The man who has no
love for humanity can have but little
genuine respect for his country, and
the man who has spark Of regard for
humanity will not rush out on the
slightest excuse and want to kill some
body. The common brand of patriot
ism is highly tinctured with those bar
barous instincts that led men to regard
every man outside of his own tribe as
an enemy to be killed on the slightest
provocation.
Wall street has long been suprem In
our national government, and has die
tated the financial policy Of every ad-
ministration for so years. 1t never
succeeded, however, in having the
single gold standard imposed absolute
ly in the wording of the law, though
their servile tools at the head of the
treasury department served their pur-
pose just as well. But when the finan-
cial bill now before congress- the bill
conceived and prepared last summer
by money changers, and railroaded
through the house with indecent haste
becomes a law, Wall street will have
succeeded in capturing the last fnan-
cial citadel of the common people; the
single gold standard, like Shylock's
pound of flesh, will be nominated in
the bond. Never have the peoples
representatives at the national capital
been courageous enough to stand up
and defy Wall street and enact legis-
lation in the interest Of the rank and
file but neither have they, until now
had the brazen audacity or the cow
ardly stupidity, whichever 1t may be-
to stand up in spite oil all their declara-
tions in favor of bimetallism, in the
face of their platforms, national. state
and county, for a generation, and fas-
ten in unmistakable language the sin