Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1899-09-15

S!..WI[,LIL TT PAY.,,a

NI0N1s o6T 6"06N t0s S0
WILL IT PAY.''
From 1882 to 1896 Thomas Henry
Carter Of Montana was chairman Of the
republican national committee In 1896
he was elected by the republican legis
lature Of Montana to represent that
state in the United States senate. He
is the obedient and subsersive cuckoo
of William Mckinley and Mark Hanna,
and, in 1895, abandoned the convictions
of lifetime to whoop thinps up fol
the gold standard. He is neither stu.
dent nor statesman, but weather
vane politician, representing and voic.
ing always the policies Of his party.
This, bysway Of introduction, to what
Senator Carter has to say on the Philip
pine question, and simply in evidence
that whatever he says may be depended
on as being, not his own conviction, for
he has none, but the convictions Of his
masters. To a Washington Post re
porter on Monday last Senator Carter
said:
This isa practical age. We are
going to deal with this question on
the basis,of dollars and cents. If
American people believe that the
Philippines are going to help us
they viii illnever let the islands go. 4
III, on the other hand, they find that Y
the Philippines are g constant
drain and. "a small return, you win
find the verdict Of the people to be
against permanent retention. Nei-s
ther religion or sentiment will have 9
much influence in determining the
4 verdict. The great question will
be, Will il pays If we can show
the country that it will, and I
think We can, the American flag
never coma down from the Philip
pines.
For cold -blooded and brutal treat
ment of great questions Of national
policy the pages Of history may be
vainly searched for anything to COM
pare with this x-cathedra statement of
the present point of view Of the once
great republican party. The republican
party was born in times that tried
mems souls. &, It was the direct result
Of q great moral and religious uprising
against the national curse Of slavery.
It was composed Of men who knew the
truth, and knowing dared proclaim.
For God ana conscience's sake they
3braved the wrath Of the slave power
in the south md its 4 satraps in the
north. Against wealth they opposed
principle, against might they measured
right. They braved ostracism. con.
.tumely and 1hartyrdom even-for what
For sentiment and religion. In, those
days the republican party was great.
I'VE are going to dea. with this ques-
tion on the basis Of dollars and cents, y
says Senator Carter. Neither religion
or sentiment will have much influence
in determining the verdict. The great
question WILDE, will it pay y9'
How hath great Caesar falleni I'm
agine, if youcan, words such as these
coming fromtthe lips Of Henry Wilson,
Of John P: Hale. Of Henry Ward
Beecher, Of Charles Sumner. Of "A bra
ham Lincoln. Read over once again
the republican, platforms Of 1856, and
1850; read the eloquence of its early
leaders;s let yourself be thrilled and
swayed in their tempestuous appeals
to The consciences Of men, and their
denunciations of those who
for dollars and cents, dealt in human
chattels. Then turn once more to Sen
ator Carter's coolly cynical repudia-
ton Of both continent and religion, his
deifcation Of the dollar as the supreme
Judge and arbiter Of the greatest issue
that has confronted the American peo-
pie since the days of 1850, and ask If the
republicanism Of Carter and Mckinley
and Hanna was that Of Lincoln and
Beecher and Sumner. s.Ez
The World. Herald is sanguine, how
ever, that if Senator Carter is dead to
sentiment and religion the great COM
mon people Of this republic are not.
The ublican party may have fallen
so low as to be able to actfonly on the
basis Of ,"Will it pay q but it will find
that the American people are still will
ing to put the question, Is it right 2"
It will be found that sentiment and re-
ligion are to have . very great deal to
do with the Judgment which the people
shall pass on Mr.. McKinley's Philip
pine policy. It will be found that not
all the satellites Of Mark Hanna can
make the dollars and cents jingle so.
loud as to drown the still, small voice
which speaketh in the night.
1t will be sorry day for these States
of America, a sorry day for men and
women everywhere and for generations
vet unborn, when the self governing
people of this great republic shall dis
regard sentiment and religion in deal