The record-union., 1899-06-25

be fixed, so far as legislation can fix
1t, beyond the possibility of doubt or
misunderstanding. There should no
longer be any ambiguity on the Ques-
ton as to whether the United States
will pay its obligations In gold worth
100 cents on the dollar, or in silver
worth 80 cents on the dollar This mat
ter should be settled, If possible, for all
time at the coming session Of Congress
Other minor matters Of legislative de-
tail, aus related to the financial question.
may be decided upon, to the benefit of
the business interests of the country.
But 1t is not within the power Of Con-
gress to place the country upon the
gold basis for the simple reason that
the country is already upon the gold
basis, and has been so for more than q
generation past. The free coinage Issue
was never so hopeless as it is to-day,
for its faasity and it's fallacdes have
been actually and practically demon
strated during the past three or four
years so thoroughly that no man in his
sober senses can still cling to them
without the most fragrant Inconsistency.
THE DIFFERENCE
Ukiah Press: In President Cleve-
lanHs hands the civil service law was
an implement for clinching Democrats
in office. When some of the mischief
he did is rectified Democrats say an
assault is made on the merit system. .
MOTHER OF TRUSTS"
Alameda Encinal: So tariff is the
mother of trusts, it it? But it so, how
is it that trusts flourish in England
and other countries which have no tar
iff? The trust is simply an economic
development which is found in all parts
of the world wherever capital and
shrewd business sense are combined.
The fact that trusts are successful
along lines which are in no way at
fected by the tariff shows that the
claim Of Havemeyer is not well
founded.
VAIN, AND WORSE THAN VAIN.
Portland Oregonian: Maugre all the
fustian Germans offer about the divine
| right Of sovereignty, their statement of
the limitation of arbitration is unan-
swerable. AS Dr. Zorn is quoted, he
says: Arbitration agreed upon be-
tween two nations for a narrowly de-
fined object is one thing, and arbitra-
ton binding a nation for the unknow-
able future is quite another If the
conference thinks to contravene or ig-
more this fundamental fact and the
attributes of sovereignty which no ma
ton can or will lay aside, it will fail.
There is nothing else for it to do. Some
thing may be agreed upon to soften the
asperfties of war. The process of arbi-
tration, when once it is resorted to,
may be advantageously defined and ia
cilitated. But any agreement on COM
pulsory substitution of arbitration for
resort to force would be made only to
be broken. Germany sees this now,
and is honest enough to say so. If we
are led into acquiescence in the impos-
sible now, recognition of its impossi-
bility will be forced upon us later The
United States is, in fact, now asked
to join in another offensive and defen-
sive organization of Powers, like the
Holy Alliance. merely Invested of its
religious pretensions. The thing con-
templated will be in effect, Or would
be if it could be made effective, an alli-
ance of a few great Powers, by which
the people could be held down, in the
name of peace, to rigorous despOtism.
The Holy Alliance with the subsequent
accretion of Great Britain, proposed, in
addition to it's specific purposes in
! France, to take such measures as
should seem to be the best fitted to
serve "the peace and happiness of Eu-
rope" Under this profession they made
common cause against resistance to
F., the oppression of their several author
tiles Armies were sent into Italy and
e-esta blished absolute monarchy. Rev
olution against monarchicaI oppression
not only in France and Italy, but also
in Spain and Portugal, was put down
by the allied Powers. 1t was nothing
but the proposed extension of these OPP
erations to the New World that brought
forth the Monroe doctrine At The
Hague to-day, therefore, we are medi-
tating co. operation in joint under
taking of the Powers, which we can
only expect some day to be turned
against us, and which is pretty certain
to involve our moral support of Eu-
ropean absolutism in its struggles with
popular demands for liberty. This Is
one Of those entangling alliances
against which we were warned by
| Washington.