Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-06-20

From Fiiipin0s-Fat Salaries Will
BE Paid In Collecting Them, Also
In Refunding Them Later-Depew
and His Third Term Nonsense.
Two Modern Dogberries - Bryan
Still Alive - "Constitution Played
Out,v Says General Merritt-Repub-
lican Split on the Tariff Question.
Senator CockrclIs Defiance.
Especial Washington letter.
On celebrated occasion Mr. Cleye-
land spoke dismally of his vexation by
reason of Having congress on his
hands," Mr. Mckinley is too tactful
to say anything of that sort, but as
actions speak louder than words it
may not be unreasonably assumed that
he really indorses his immediate pred
ecessors idea. At any rate, he does
not propose to have any session of con-
gress when he can avoid it. Every
body knows that every dollar collected
off our new fellow citizens in the Phil
ippines in the shape of tariff duties is
illegal, even according to the recent de-
cisions of the supreme court, and that
congress will have to refund it, as it
did in the Porto Rican case. Neyerthe-
less the cabinet and the president-a
the latter's will is always the formers S
will-haye decided that there is no
necessity for a meeting of congress.
Consequently for six months or more
one set of officers will be busily en-
gaged-at good fat salaries, of course
in collecting tariff duties from the
Filipinos which another set+like-
wise at good fat salaries-will spend
several months in refunding to them,
thereby giving lucrative employment
to large army of Republican papsuck-
ers. This is fun for the officeholders,
but tough on the taxpayers.
OF course nobody desires an extraor-
binary session of congress if it can be
avoided reasonably; but, undesirable as
an extraordinary session is, it is prefer
able to absolutism in any portion of
those vast regions over which Old Glory
floats. And our government in the
Philippines is absolutism pure and sim
pie.
Missed Fire.
If that delightful orator, racenteur,
sstatesIHsfa ana feader- of society, scna,
tor Chauncey Mitchell Depew, will
take stock" as the merchants would
say, of his status, he will discover
that he has added nothing to his fame
by his i'll considered interview pre-
dieting and advocating third term for
President Mckinley. The senator was
not even lucky enough to have that un-
American pronunciamento fall fiat. 1t
has, unfortunately for his reputation
for wisdom, been widely discussed,
generally with open derision, some
times with a savageness which should
teach him that the ancient landmarks
are still dear to the people. The sena-
tor has become the laughing stock Of
the country. A few words from Mr..
Mckinley poohpoohing the preposter-
Gus idea were all that was necessary.
So far as know, not a single paper
of influence and responsibility stood
with Senator Depew in this matter.
Nobody even thanks him-least of all,
perhaps, the president himself. Love
of fame is the latter's master passion
and is noble one He would not risk
it in vain endeavor to secure the I'M
attainable. He today enjoys a most
enyiable position = perhaps the most
enviable occupied by any of the multi
tudinous sons of Adam The chief of
the mightiest nation on earth, with the
country indorsing his fret term by Civ
ing him a second, with absolutely no
rival for the first place in his own par
ty and possessing the good will Of al
most all the members of all the oppos-
ing parties and factions, he did not
turn idiot and sacrifice the golden opin-
ions of millions for four years more of
power even if he could get it.
Two Current Decisions.
Two modern Dogberries-on in Indi-
ana, the other in New Jersey-have re
Gently immortalized themselves by de-
liyering startling and iconoclastic opin-
ions from the bench. The Hoosier has
upset all the sporting fraternity by de-
claring that in the game Of draw poker
it is not unlawful to open jack pot
with counterfeit money. He would
have spoken with more wisdom if he
had decided it to be lawful and accord
ing to Hoyle to open it with a jimmy,
Tor the sole object of a ]. p. is to con-
centrate enough coin of the realm to
make its possession desirable. But
what VIII it profit gamester to win
the j. p. and then to discover that his
winnings are base money?
The New Jersey Solomon solemnly
enunciated the doctrine that to use
damn" or damned" in conversation
or debate is not swearing or 'cussing.' y
That deliverance of the great jurist
will bring relief and happiness to the
hearts of many good men-Rev. DIR.
Rainsford, for instance-who permit
their zeal or temper to betray them into
the use of words more emphatic than
are prescribed in any polite letter
writer for young ladies' boarding
schools. He of Indiana is entitled to a
leather medal. His brother of New
Jersey will be blessed by hot headed
men everywhere.
Still Unhappy.
The st. Louis Globe-Democrat is not
happy unless it is miserable. 1t has as
serted with "damnable iteration" tc
borrow Shakespeare's forcible phrase
that William Jennings Bryan is dead
But for some reason which The GID
cannot explain that marvellous young
man refuses to die.
Just now The CD. is rawhiding be
cause on recent occasion Bryan lee
tured at the little city of Cameron, Mo.
on short notice and that the box office
receipts amounted to $S45, Bryan's rake
off being one-half of that. Surely thai
is most unseemIy way for dead
man to perform. If that is death, mos
people, including all the editors, pro
prietors, writer's and typesetters Of
The CD. would take pleasure in dy
ing. The Globe Democrat, as it thinks
Of Bryan making 100000 year oui
Of his paper and $400 or $500 day lee
turing, must frequently reflect upon 8
wonderful prediction it made in the au
tumn Of 1896, shortly after the election
Of that year, to the effect that in less