The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1901-08-16

! Inelf governments without 1rlctlOh
and fuss is a pnzzling question to
every civilized country, not only III
the United States but throughout
Europe Spanish blood being prev
alent among them, they seem to have
lost most of the excitableness and
characteristics of the people of the
mother country, and prefer to settle
their political differences with the
gun and sword rather than with de-
liberation and discussion.
MORTGAGED NATIONS.
George E. Walsh has been led to
remark that the fall of nations
through all ages has been through
internal decay and disintegration,
rather than from invasion from arm
ed enemies. National bankruptcy
has been the cause Of more nations
tumbling to pieces than any other
cause. The worlds most powerful
empires are rapidly crumbling to
pieces on account of their bankrupt
conditions. China has been compel
led to borrow many million taels to
meet her deficiency, contracted dur
ing various wars in which she has
been engaged. She is now being
called upon by the powers to pay
another heavy indemnity for the
raids made by the Boxers last year
The country is falling back instead
of gaining in financial matters, and
this, too, with millions and millions
Of souls as subjects of the great en-
fpire. No hostile nation at present
stands on the border of the, Chinese
empire threatening the invasion Of
the country, nor is there any fight
ing within her borders, which will
mean her overthrow, but the army of
bankruptcy is getting in its deadly
work, and unless some strong finan-
cial general goes to China's relief,
that government will go to pieces
and soon be a thing of the past
The same bankrupt conditions are
staring the republics Of South Amer
lea in the face, owing to the fact that
they have been compelled to mort
gage their cOuntry's credit to obtain
same condition is likewise true of
money from financial concerns. The
same condition is likewise true of
many of the governments of Europe,
all Of which clearly demonstrates
the theory that bankruptcy and not
war is the average nations most pO-
tent enemy.
OUR REVENUE LAWS.
; Despite the fact that the postal
business of this country is doubling,
trebling and quadrupling in turning
in revenues to the national govern
ment to what it formerly did, never
theless there is an annual deficit of
upwards of $12, 100000, which def
cit congress is compelled to make
special appropriations to cover.
Though the government a few years
ago reduced the price of carrying a
letter from three to two cents, and is
not inclined to increase the rate
again to three cents, Notwithstanding
the deficit, it is because the letter
department Of the government does
not really run behind, but the trou-
bic lies in the secOnd-class matter,
which has permitted circulars of all
kinds, classes and descriptions to fill
the mail and overflow it to such an
extent that it requires so much addi-
tiOnal help to handle it,
which is responsible for the
deficit. The Loud bill, which
was introduced some time ago
for the purpose of remedying this
evil, was killed in congress, but now
the postmaster general. has ruled that
secOnd-class matter for advertising
purposes shall be sent through the
mails as frst-class mail. If the
courts hold this ruling good, it will
to a great extent remedy the evil, and
it will not be necessary in the future
for large appropriations to be made
by congress to cover the national de-
felt in the postOffce department.
POLITICAL "HAs-BEENs."
Both ex-President Grover Cleve-
land and would-be President William
Jennings Bryan are enjoying them
selves at present in the political
boneyard, vulgarly speaking, as both
Of them have been shelfed for all
time to come. There is no hope for
eX-President Cleveland ever being
able to extricate himself out of the
political sea of ''innOcuOus desue-
tude" in which he was plunged by
the Bryan wing of the Democratic
| party that ruled the roost in 1896,
and there is still less hope of Mr.
Bryan ever eXtricating himself from
/ the mountain Of free silver under
which he was caught in 1896 at the
polls and which was repeated in