Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-07-25
CHAMP CLARK : LETTER
Tail Cannot Wag the
Dog In Politics.
BOLTERs AND DEMOCRACY.
Futile Attempt of the Few to
Control the Many.
CORRUPTION IN PHILADELPHIA.

CORRUPTION IN PHILADELPHIA.
High Handed Methods of the Repub-
lican Ring--John Wannmal1er In
the Role of Reformer-CharIesE Em-
ory Smith Attempts n Hopeless
Task-Nev York Fr1bune's Belated
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of Purity Fall
From Grace-Collnpse of the Roose-
Welt Boom-Republican Tariff Shin
dy-A Statesman With Brnins-Gone
Wrong.
Copyright, 1901, by Champ Clark1
My eminent and learned astronom-
ical friend, DR.. Thomas Jefferson Jack
son See, has discovered that it takes
10000 years for the light Of certain
stars to reach the earth. That is about
the length of time that it will take the
Dallas News to get 1t through it's nod
die that the tail cannot wag the dog in
politics. It still adheres to the fool no
tion that the little handful of ballots
in 1896 and 1900 can run the Demo-
cratic party. In advocating that idea
it deems it wise to SANDER and vilify
all the genuine Democrats in the land
and denounces as silver calves the
100000 men who We're loyal to the
faith and who supported Bryan in 1896
and 1000. When the minnow swallows
the whale, and not till then, will the
Dallas News and it's crew of reorganiz-
ers reorganize the Democratic party.
Bryan may never be president, though
he richly deserves to be, but whether
he is or not it would make a wooden
Indian sick to contemplate the gang of
self constituted oracles who are en-
deavoring to belittle him and to elimi-
nate him from the equation of Ameri-
can politics. Not one of them is fit to
unloose his shoe latchets. President or
not president, he is of the salt of the
earth.
Rottenness In Pennsylvania.
The Tammany ring, about whose
corruption so much is said in Repub-
lican papers, is not patching" to the
Philadelphia ring, which is composed
entirely of Republicans. This latter
ring recently induced the legislature
to grant street railway franchise for
which John Wanamaker offered $2,-
100000 in cold cash. AS John has built
up his immense fortune by buying
things for less than they We're worth
and selling them for fully as much as
they were worth, the probabilities are
that the franchise was worth much
more than he offered for it. Some ex-
perts declare that this franchise is
worth $5,000,000. For years John has
been standing on the house tops speak
ing to the world concerning the rotten
ness of Pennsylvania politics in gener-
al and Philadelphia politics in particu-
lar, but as people remembered that on
q celebrated occasion John went among
the plutocrats of Philadelphia and in
4S hours raised a corruption fund Of
100000 to be used in buying the pres
idential election and that for so doing
he received a cabinet portfolio they
have not been very much disposed to
give him credit for sincerity in his new
role of reformer.
There is now another Richmond IN
the reform feld-to wit, the Hon.
Charles Emory Smith, postmaster gen.
eral of the United States. He has bold
ly entered into the fight to purify Phil
nh A
citizens will wish the postmaster gen.
eral a hearty godspeed in his patriotic
and self imposed task. He is perhaps
the most popular of all of Mr.. McKin-
ley's cabinet. Though a Philadelphia
Republican, he has never been accused
best stump speakers In the Republican
party. He is an editor of renown, q
most pleasant and agreeable gentle
man. With these qualities and the
prestige of cabinet position it would
appear on the surface that he should
make some headway with the work Of
reform, but the chances are that, like
the boy who was digging in Boston
Common, he is seeking the unattain-
able. Like the bull that undertook to
butt the engine off the track, he is
essaying the impossible. His courage
is to be commended. AS much cannot
be said for his wisdom. The Phila-
delphia Republicans are "sot in their
ways" The chances are much better
for them to lift him out of his cabinet
position than for him to succeed in
reforming Republican methods in Phil
adelphia. Nevertheless, decent people
will wish him well in his perilous un-
dertaking.
Hind Sight and Foresight.
'Et tn, Brute!" When in the dog
days of 1898 some of US who thought
we were doing q patriotic deed stood
up in the house of representatives and
fought against the annexation of the
Sandwich Islands, there was no paper
between the two oceans that vilified
and belabored us more than did the
New York Tribune. We were denounc-
ed as little Americans" mossbacks,
traitors, ETC., and the Sandwich Is
lands were annexed. Now the New
York Tribune, touching the proposition
to either make out of these islands a
state or congressional district Of Cal
ifornia, is using identically the same
arguments we used in the summer of
1893, thereby illustrating the proposi-
ton that ones hind sight Is often better
than his foresight. If at the proper
time The Tribune and those who are
now raising such howl had come tC
our help, we would not now be bother
ing with the problem that vexes The
Tribune We didn't need much help
but didn't get what we did need
The Tribune is repeating the condemn
ed performance of locking the barn
door after the horse is gone. If Ha.
waii had never been let in, there would
never have been any Philippine or Por-
to Rican controversy. In a recent Is
sue The Tribune says:
The folly Of establishing territorial govern
ment with practically universal suffrage among
people unframed to the exercise Of political pow
er has been conclusively illustrated In Hawaii BY
the doings of incompetent legislators and mischief
making demagogues- The experiment has resulted
in conditions which 1t is evident cannot perma
nently be endured, and many schemes are being
exploited for superseding the present establish
ment. One of these is for annexing the islands tc
the state Of California. We are surprised to see
In recent dispatch from our San Francisco CORE
spondent, that 80 able and original man as DR.
David Starr Jordan has lately announced his ad
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