The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-09-26
FROM THE NATIONS CAPITAL.
From oar Oun Correspondent.

Ihe report OF the Taft Commission,
recently made public by the President,
is the most extraordinary official docu-
ment that has probably ever been put
forth, even during the present admin
istration. 1t is little more than Re-
publican campaign document from
start to finish. So evident is this that
it has been suspected and freely
charged that twas written or doctored
in this city. The chances are, how
ever, that this is not so. The Taft
Commission knew what President Nc
Kinley wanted and wrote it for him.
The report is so frankly mendacious
that it's effect will probably be directly
the contrary of what it's authors hoped.
II there were the least approach to
tranquility in the Philippines General
Macarthur would never have protested
against taking any of his $4,000 men
for Chinese operations. The members
Of the Philippine Commission have not
been outside the fortified limits of
Manila since their arrival. There
could be no better proof of insecure
conditions than this. Every private
letter coming from officers and enlisted
men in the islands tells of constant
turmoil and apprehension, and not one
of them breathes any hope of cessation
Of hostilities. The press dispatches
are of the same tone, and General
Macarthur has continued to confine
himself to cabling the list of deaths by
disease and wounded. except when he
is forced to send bad news. The ap-
pearance of the report explains the re-
cent publication of tho Presidents
instructions to the commission, which
were printed in pamphlet form at the
government printing Office April z,
1900, marked confidential" and only
exhumed for campaign purposes Sep
tember 1S, after ostensibly remaining
under the presidential lock and key
for nearly six months. In his letter of
acceptance, Mr.. Mckinley devoted over
five columns cf solid print to showing
how good and benevolent he is and
how much he has suffered from the
wicked perversity of the Filipinos who
persist in fighting for what they call
their country and their liberties. The
''ihstructions' are presumably publish
ed to show how benevolent Mr.. Nc
Kinley's intentions were six months
ago. All of this, however, according
to the commission, was brought to
naught by the inaistence OF the wicked
Democrats in actually daring to nomi-
nate n man for the Presidency who
presumed to differ from the God given
programme laid down by Mckinley.
A study Of the Porto Riean Act
shows plainly the hs pocrisy of the Re-
publicans in protesting against the re-
strictions Of the suffrage in the South
by an educational test. Official reports
to the War Department show that no
less than 150, 900 out of the 200,0 900 males
of voting age in Porto Rico are depriy-
ed of the suffrage either by educa-
ti0nal, or, worst of all, by property
qualifications. The Republican Act,
passed last winter in the face of the
united protests of the country, pro-
vides that: SAT such (all) elections all
citizens of Porto Rico shall be allowed
to vote, who have been bona-tide resi-
dents for one year and who possess tie
other. qualifications of voters, under
the laws and military orders in force
March 1. 1900" To ascertain what the
laws and military orders in force March
1, 1900, one has only to look at para
graph 8, page 8, of General Orders No.
100, issued by General Davis, military
commander OF Porto Rico, October 1o.
1899, which says: "An electOr, to vote
at such elections, shall possess the fol-
lowing qualifications: He must be q
bona-fide male resident of the muni-
cipality. He must be over 81 years of
age on date Of election. He must be
taxpayer in tho municipality in which
he votes ut tho date of this order, and
he must be able to read and write.r
While q number of States, such as
Massachusetts, North Carolina, Con
necticut and Louisiana, have prescribed
educational qualifications for voters,
this Republican measure enacted for
Porto Rico is the frat attempt in the
history OF our republic to prescribe a
property qualification since Thomas
JEFFERSON, the great champion of human
rights. succeeded in giving to every
man, rich and poor alike, the right to
exercise his elective franchise as q free
American citizen.
The present time is not the first when
high minded Republicans have deserted
their party in shoals in hope of check
ing it's race towards imperialism. Soon
after the war, it was evident that that
party had made up it's mind to govern,
in peace as in war, outside the consti.
tution, and then as now, there we're
many Republicans of high rank who
set their faces against the acts of their
fellows and won. for their pains the
name Of TRAITORS" President Andrew
johnson; Senators Reverdy johnson,
Garret Davis, Upton Of Nebraska,
Lyman Trumbul1, j. r. Doolittle,
James Dixon, Edgar CowaD, Charles
Sumner and many .Others-men whose
patriotism no one dares to question to-
day and men who had stood by the Re-
publican party and the Union all
through the days Of the civil war
were all denounced shortly after its
close with virulence for which even
the Bryan. campaign OF 1895 furnished
no parallel. More than one of them
was called upon to resign by his angry
IaOtaFafvapad xr-hsIo s,1l