The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1900-06-08

@ANa 80 N4t 49, 30 ]
functory manner and adjourned with
scarcely a single issue presented In
their platform. A Hollander from
near Grand Rapids was made chair
man of the Republican state commit
tee in some faint hope of holding the
Dutch vote. which is very strong in
the state, in line with the party. This
will be impossible. The anti-Boer,
pro-British attitude of the administra-
ton has completely alienated this pow
erful vote as it has that Of hundreds
Of thousands of Americans in every
walk of life.
Out Of the many elements which
have led to this marked reversal of
opinion in favor Of the Democrats,
two are especially noticeable at the
present moment. First, the Occur
d'Alene Investigation, now in progress
in Washington. has shown the work.
ing men Of the country the serious
dangers of military control. The fact
has been overwhelmingly demonstrate
ed that neither the civil or military
authorities in the Occur d'Alene dis
trict had any desire to arrest, con-
Wet and punish the men who blew
up the Bunker Hill mine. 1t was
proven that the mine owners had nu-
merous spies present at the time the
mine was blown up and on the spot.
Yet the criminals were allowed to es-
cape. Sbecause had they been arrested
and convicted the excuse OF Keeping
the military in control OF the district
for over twelve months would have
disappeared. The military are still
in control. and the permit system
whereby a workman must secure per-
mission from an illegal authority be-
fore he can even seek work is still In
force. The other cause for the change
Of public sentiment lately manifested
is the action of the administration in
regard to Porto Rico. Imperialism
cannot be a success unless a people
have been bred to accept the doctrine
] Of the Divine right Of kings. That
doctrine holds to an extremely lin
tied extent in the United States, and
the general public refuses to accept
It. Mckinley too Is already con-
fronted with the difficulties of occu-
plying an illegal and unconstitutional
position. No sooner had the Porto
Rican bill become a law than its am
biguities and cruditles began to APP
pear. So serious are its defects that
the cabinet has been holding councils
to determine what shall be lone to
remedy them, and further legislation
appears to be imperative. Had a
Porto Rican legislature adopted so
crude a measure every administration
organ in the United States would have
pointed the finger Of scorn and re-
marked that the Porto Ricans were
unfit for self-government, since they
we're incapable of drafting a worka-
BILE law.
But the tariff feature presents even
more difficulties. The treasury de-
partment has already issued a ruling
directly contrary to the spirit of that
law. II has ruled that goods export
ed to Porto Rico are not exports, and
are therefore not entitled to draw
backs" which are paid on certain
manufactures to cover the amount Of
the duties originally paid on the i'm
ported material used in their manu-
f%acture. Judge Lochren of the United
States federal court. sitting at St.
Paul, has made an even wider decis-
ion in which he holds that Porto Rico
is a part OF the United States and
therefore under the Constitution. He
went so far as TO assert that had
Porto Rico not been under the Con-
stitution congress would have had no
power to legislate concerning it. The
case which was before him related
to the eonstitutionality Of the punish
ment of a Porto Rican native by a
United States military court in the
island.
Although the administration lead
ers put up the plea that IN essential
object in the passage OF the Porte
Rican bill was to enable the courts
to determine judieially whether or mol
the Constitution extended to the ISL
and Of its own strength. It has done
everything il could to avoid a decision
Of the case by the supreme court be.
fore the November elections. But the
people have yet some rights and op.
portunities. and Mckinley Is caugh.
In the meshes Of his own net.
General Otis is coming home from
the Philippines and another genera
will try 10 complete the impossible
task which Otis has left behind him
One hundred and fifty millions OF dol
lars have already been poured init
the morasses OF the Philippines. ant
thousands Of lives and the health o
tens Of thousands have been expended
10 carry out McKinley's fatuous pol
icy OF Imperialism This amount o
money would have constructed an
equipped the Nicaragua canal. It .
gone and can never be recovered