The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-29


II is one no longer. The country has de-
cided that the venerable old document is
not worth the paper it is written on, when
its provisions or prohibitions conflict with
anything wanted by the trusts
There should be extraordinary thank
fulness that the Hay-Pauncefote Treazy
is no longer vexed question. True, there
are still visionary people who antagonize
this astonishing agreement between Mr.
Mckinley and his friend, Lord Salisbury;
but the nation has pronounced IN favor
of IL Beyond any reasonable doubt it
VIII be ratified. and then Great Britain
will relieve US of all concern about the
future protection of the great inter-
oceanic canal. The British Navy will leok
out for that. and close the ditch against
US whenever it shall become useful to us
in war Abstractly speaking, the Canal
will be al integral part of cur coast line;
but, II the concrete, it Will be British
river. However, we are TO be allowed TO
build and maintain it at cur sole cost,
which IS a blessing calculated to excite
gratitude. if nothing else.
Among other obsolete things which the
couatry-at the polls-has determined to
dispense With. is the Monroe Doctrine.
Ratification OF the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty,
which will put the breath of life into the
old stiII-born Clayton Bulwer infamy, will
incidentally surrender our paTamoUntcy
in the Western Hemisphere, admit Euro
pean nations to share in its control, and
vacate the position occupied by the United
States for three f0urths of a century, that
the Old World must not attempt TO gain
any further foothoId IN the New But it
is much better that we should be on fra
ternaI terms with Europe. and with Eng
land especially, than that any sentiment
OF coarse Americanfsm should be encour-
aged We are bound to be thankful that
the decayed aristocrats of the mother
country are willing % marry the millions
of our trust heiresses, and we ought TO be
as British ourselves as circumstances viii
permit. Probably because of a general
recognition of this duty the Presidential
election showed that the American people
quite cOncurred in the hauling down of our
flag IN Alaska. and the surrender to Great
Britain OF two thousand square miles Of
the national domain The Administration
has said and continues to aver that this
surrender was only tentative. and made
merely to avoid friction. The cold truth
is tcat British forces invaded and tnnk
violent possession of territory belonging
to and a part Of the United States, to
which the former did not possess the
ghost of Z claim. and they were allowed
to keep it and hoist the sanguinary Grid
ircq over It. The British Government
does not consider the cession temporary
The baseIy surrendered Porcupine district
is officially described as a part of the
British Northwest Territory Anybody
should be able 20 find cause for
thanksgiving in this brilliant achieve
r1ent by Mr. Mckinley. It may
have avorted all the horrors OF
a war of eviction, which the least
worthy Of his predecessors-except
Hayes. perhaps-would have started as
soon as he heard OF the impudent raid
and seizure We should also be thank
ful that we are not Beers
Thanks are due to the voters OF Ameri-
ca for their endorsement of the novel
practice of engaging in fers:5a aars Of
invasion without oothering Congress
about the latter. In all advanced coun-
trtez the sovereign is the war-nsaking
power. IN ours it was different up to
the time OF the famous executive war
in China. That adventure was Under
taken, prosecuted. wobbled. and jIggled
with, On strictly imperial principles. The
National Legislature was not called upon
to approve, and neither was its g::,iuion
asked when political fright caused the
President to cut and scuttIe. II is well
settled, therefore, that while the present
TrUst-McKinIey combination rules the
roost, executive war viii be the only kind
that We shall have to disturb Us and
how happy We should be on that account.
Who could contemplate our Just and
splendid colonial policy without an eye
full Of tears and a heart bursting with
gratitude to the givers Of all concessions.
contracts, and offices2 How pleasant it
is to reflect that by the simple expsdient
OF violating the Constitution. several OF
our best business interests" are pro-
tected from the insidious onslaught OF
Porto Rican tobacco, cigars, refined su-
gar, and rum, and that, thereby, the
Porto Ricans, cut of from all markets
fo- their products, are reduced TO misery
and starvation What a screeching
Thanksgiving Day this must be among
the hungry thousands Of an American
Territory, made a wilderness for the
benefit of a few -miIlionaires!
We should only look on the bright side
of the picture on such an occasion as the
present If the people of Porto Rico
starve, there are others who do net.
Among these we may mention the cor
poratIons and syndicates which are being
and franchises. by the Presidents per-
sonaIIy conducted carpetbag council. This
interesting aggregation, as readers
Will remember, has authority to
dispose Of anything in the island worth
exploiting or footing. The syndicate which
railways in Porto Rico, and other sim
liar organizations, ought to have an ex-
ceiIent appetite for turkey today And
we may make the same remark concern
ing the patriotic Administration men who
have secured timber, mining. and pearl
fishing monopoIfes IN the Philippines.
They must be greatly Joyous and easy Of
mind. The holy cause Of private mo-
nopoIy has been victorious over all its
enemies, and has been sauctifed on the
national altar of the ballot box.
What happiness it is that the bursting
nf he T-aitad