The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-30
FROM THE PEOPLE.
LABOR AND EXPANSION.

Seattle. June %, 1900.
To the Editor: desire to call attention
to the following paragraph copied from
the Observations columns of Gene
Ways Democratic single tax organ, the
Seattle Mail and Herald
Whether or not the administration ora
tors believe their own talk on expansion,
1t remains for them to prove that 1t will
beneht the masses of this country. In
fact, one of their greatest efforts seems
to be to try and persuade the people that
1t will not hurt them for our Western
gateways to be opened to the ingress of
the Asiatic tribes in competition with
American labor"
The foregoing was written by Mr.
George +. Cotterill. late Democratic can
didate for mayor of Seattle, and is a fair
sample of the kind of demagogic utter
ances we may expect from now on until
November 6.
The statement quoted Is one of those
seemingly fair propositions which as
sun1es as a fact that we are going to adopt
free trade with all our new possessions
IL Is worse than a false statement put
forth In plain. straightforward manner
for 1T assumes as being true that which
all, who have kept track Of recent con-
gressfonal action. know 10 be false
Mr. Cotterill well knows that one OF the
reasons why the Republican congress
placed the tariff clause in the Puerto
Rican bill was to establish n precedent
TO proclaim to all the world that the
American laboring man should never be
brought into competition with the Puerto
Rtcan laborer or "the Asiatic tribes" while
the Republican party Is In power We
desire to and will assist the people OF
our newly acquired possessions, but we
will not do so at the expense of our own
laboring men,
History does not furnish single cx-
ample OF people living In tropical
climate voluntarily going to a temperate
climate In any considerable numbers But
should the people of any one or more of
the eighty tribes inhabiting the Philinpine
islands attempt to come to this country
to compete with American labor me Re-
publican congress will see to It that they
are prohibited.
The quotation also shows TO what
Janus-faced hypocrisy the opposition will
resort. In one breath they shout that
Republicans are mperialists; that the
constitution follows the flag: that having
acquired the Philippines by treaty they
became "A part of this country. and that
the inhabitants of those islands now nos.
sess all the rights of American citizens.
that the tariff clause In the Puerto Rjcan
bin is Ubiquitous. unfair and unjust; that
We should grant free trade to all our
newly acquired possessions: that II is an
outrage and violation of the constilu-
ton not to grant to them all the rights
and privileges Of American citizens. In
the next breath they shout that the
Republican party has made the members
of those "Asiatic tribes" citizens. there
by ensblng them to come '1n competl-
ton With American labor"
But. Mr.. Editor. with Thomas jefferson.
have an abiding faith In the good sense
and sound Judgment Of the majority OF the
American voters and have no fear that
they will be led astray by such misleai-
ing arguments. however plausibly they
may be stated.
L Y nDTIENy