Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-02-14

tor HOAr by Reforming Massachu-
setts - General Harrison Stfrs Up
the Jingoes-Justice Harlan Also
Bothers the Imperialists-Incen
Swingers SOrely Harried These
Dnys-Boss Hanna In a Peck of
Trouble.
Especial Washington letter.
One of two things is true either Bos-
ton can boast the prize slanderer Of
this age, if such thing can be said to
be a matter for boasting, or the times
are sadly out of joint in the old Bay
State, which up to date has arrogated
to itself the proud position Of chief ex-
ponent of purity and sweetness. Upon
this delicate question no opinion is
herein expressed. Thomas w. Lawson,
copper king, ETC., has issued a state
ment in which he specifies the various
sums used to purchase the Massachu-
setts legislature. e., the body which
in any other state would be denominat-
chusetts is known as the general court.
According to this bold, not to say bad,
man, one enterprise alone contributed
the enormous sum of $2,000,000 to prop
erly educate the general court! 'Tis
strange-'tis passing strange. Either
Lawson lied or he is telling the truth.
II the latter, it is a most shameful and
deplorable truth. If the former, he
should be punished to the full extent
of the law.
It's an old saying that the stream
cannot rise higher than its fountain.
islatures-the general court Of Massa-
chusetts-is as corrupt as Mr.. Lawson
would have us believe, how can purity
and sweetness be expected in the out
lying legislatures, so to speak?
Chandler's Opportunity.
After high noon March 4. Hon. Will
liam Eaton Chandler of New Hamp-
shire win be "a statesman out of job
"a phrase coined, think, by that bril-
liant and vitriolic Kansan, Hon. John
James Ingalls,. Consequently Hon.
William Eaton will have ample leisure
to initiate reforms. He regulated the
Montana legislature at long range.
Why not swoop down ON Boston and
reform the general court at short range
1t would be to him an old, familiar
drama, substituting one name for an
other as the star. In this way the
New Hamphire statesman could even
up few scores with Senator Hoar-
not by connecting Senator Hoar with
any corruption, for that is impossible,
but by giving the general court which
has just reelected him a most vigorous
overhauling and shaking up. Really,
this is not my put in, as the rumpus
and charges of corruption are all Re-
publican matters; still. even wild and
woolly Democrat from Missouri dis
likes to see the fair fame of Massa-
chusetts dragged in the mire. Con-
sequently l make bold to suggest
chandler to the rescuer' as battle
cry for the reformers.
General BENJAMIN Harrison.
Ex-President Harrison resembles
wine in one respect-he improves with
age. John Quincy Adams achieved
greater and more enduring fame by his
II years of service in the house of rep
resentatives subsequent to retiring
from the presidency than he did by four
years in the White House and forty
odd years of officeholding prior to
reaching the highest place.
General Harrison may not have John
Quincy's example before his eyes as q
guide. but he is increasing his reputa-
tion considerably these days by his
speeches and essays. He always was
a forceful speaker and writer. but he
shows wondrous growth in the deft use
of both pen and tongue. He is becom-
ing as epigrammatic as Alexander
Pope, John Randolph of Roanoke or
Thomas Bracket Reed, as terse as
Tacitus, as much given to apothegms
as Lord Bacon. He created profound
sensation by his Ann Arbor speech. and
unless all signs fail his latest utter
ances in The North American Review
will attract more attention and produce
louder clamor than did his address be-
fore the University of Michigan. The
jingoes are liable to have an apoplectic
fit when they peruse his last utter
ances. He says inter ALA:
sIs the morality of the motto, My
country, right or wrong susceptible Of
defense? Is it not TO say, 1t is right
to do wrongT for the sentiment implies
action.
"a country at war Is very intolerant
the home guards more than the veter-
ans and the politicians most of ALL
''To speak against the war, to impugn
its justice, is to encourage the enemy.
Your magnanimity and sense of JUS
tice will be praised by the alien people
in whose behalf your voice was raised.
They may even build monuments in
your honor, as we did to Pitt. but the
home newspapers will. while you live,
make you wish you had never been
born.
"Was there a duty upon Senator
Hoar to keep silence? His motives
were unilnpeachably pure. All agree
that he wns not seeking the applause
Of his countrymen of this generation;
all agree that he has the old New Eng
land conscience and the old American
fervor for liberty and human rights,
Possibly he lacks the mercantile spirit
He may not give sufficient considera-
tion to the metals and coal and forests
of the Philippines.
'NThere is a sembIance of unreason In
charging the man who is trying to stoI
a fight with the bruises and wounds
that ensue upon the failure of his eff
forts.
"A patriot may, If his conscience can
not otherwise be quieted, oppose a wal
upon which his country has entered
but if he does SO he puts his fame ir
the keeping of a distant generation Of
his countrymen or possibly of an alier
people.
eve must not forget that the soldier
who fights the war does not declare it
He must not denounce it, nor must any
patriot denounce him.
"As to the doctrine of spheres of in
| fiuence'- modern euphemistic ren
dering Of territorial pocket picking-w
have denied its application to this hem