The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-26

tions have succeeded them. The vari-
GUS plants have been purchased by
one company instead of combining
under a trustee, and this is a much
more difficult question to handle, as a
man has right to purchase what he
wants to.
1t is an easier matter to put a plank
in a platform than a law on the sta
tute books. The states in which the
monopolies are located can destroy
them, but New Jersey invites all trusts
there and says that she will tax and
protect them. Thus each state takes
care of is own interests, and pass
different laws, while congress is limit
ed in power In the last, congress a
constitutional amendment was pro-
posed, which should give congress
power to destroy the trusts and mon
opolies. The Democratic Washington
Post warned it's party that by sup
porting this amendment the Democrats
in congress would connive at the re-
tirement of the trust question from the
coming campaign, and the Democratic
leader in the house made similar
Gratis against the proposed amend
Iu6uU dLu v lOI lUS Willie OLO IeO-
publicans voted solidly for the amend.
ment except one vote. The amend
ment failed for the want of the neces-
sary two-thirds majority and the
Democrats thus put themselves on re-
cord as preferring to have an issue
rather than destroy the trusts.
When the times are good, capital
combines, when they are bad it dis
solves. In 1894, under Democratic
rule, the consumption of wheat in
this country fell off 40 per cent, and
little ice was consumed. In 1899 the
consumption of wheat was rs per cent
more than in 1894, and an ice trust
was organized in New York by Van
Wycke and other leading Democrats,
who bought all the ice and ice ma
chimes and advanced the price of ice
to the common people whom they loved
so we'll. They worked for the free and
unlimite ted coinage of fever and thirst
into dollars and cents without the
consent of any other person. They
have ice enough to keep the trust ques-
tion in cold storage also.
The War Issues.
The issues growing out of the war
are all that are left for the Democratic
party. There is too much politics and
craftsmanship in our national life.
There was one period, and it was the
brightest in our history, when politics
and partisanship were banished, and
that was in the spring of 1898. A
non partisan report was made on the
condition of things in Cuba. and later
when President Mckinley called for
$50, 900, 600 for defense it was voted
unanimously, and by unanimous vote
Mr.. Mckinley was authorized to take
the army and navy and expelS Spain
from the western hemisphere. There
was no politics in this, and nothing
but broad patriotism and statesman
ship. All responded to the call for
volunteers-rich and poor, Democrats,
and Populists, men
who had emigrated from every coun-
try, the sons of the wearers of the blue
and the gray. A little army of $50, 600
men came together to enlist for the
first unselish war which the world
ever witnessed There was never
gathered beneath the sun an army
with so much patriotism, who made
this earth culver with their proud
footsteps. In 100 days it had whipped
a great nation to standstill. Nothing
like it was ever seen on this earth be-
fore, and never will be again unless
we go to war. Spain had enough and
was wise to acknowledge it.
Before this war, our flag was not
respected in foreign countries, but it
is different now The foreign born
citizens are as patriotic as the native
born, and all who take out their natur-
alization papers are to be entrusted to
take their places and help defend the
flag. We should be glad, that we have
done something. We should be glad
that no nation will dare to go to war
certained what the authorities at
Washington think about it. am glad
that an Iowa boy was first to scale
the flag for the redemption of the le-
cations of the world.
The joint commission which was
appointed under the treaty to decide
what to do with the Philippines was
composed of five Americans and five
Spaniards. The five Spaniards and
one American-Senator Gray-were
anti-expansionists. The commission
spent ninety days at Paris investigat-
ing the matter in all of its lights, and
all finally agreed that there was but
one thing that we could honorably do,
and that was to take the entire archi-
pelago The matter came up in con-
gress for ratification and Bryan labor
ed for the ratification of the. treaty,
and by the joint efforts of President
Mckinley and Bryan enough votes
were secured to ratify it. When it
was ratified, few questions were
settled, and one was that we had a
right to buy islands and had done so.
After Bryan had labored for the rati
fcation of the treaty, turning at least
ten votes for it, his mouth ought to be
closed as toour right to buythe islands.
When the Democrats thought that
the United States was not going to
get the Philippines, before the COM
mission met, they protested against
letting them 90, in several of their
state conventions
The Democrats failed to make an
issue on the hardships of the war, for
the responsible officers were all Demo-
Gratis
We never declared war against the
South, and we do not declare war
against part of ourselves. Thus we
do not declare war against the Fill
pino insurgents, but proceed to sup
pressthe Instruction If we had had war
with England instead of Spain, and
Canada was at stake instead of the
Philippines, and Canadians had fired
on our flag as the Filipinos did, we
would not require the Canadians to
take off their hats to the flag, but would
require the survivors among them to do
so. Applause. 1t is dangerous thing
to fire on our flag and the sooner the
world knows it the better. The Demo