The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-02-12
SCURRILOUS

Minneapolis Journal: Sam Gle =.
mems, alias Mark Twain, or, Mark
Twain, alias Sam Clemens, back in
186O-61 was against the United States
government and the American flag.
He is today in the same attitude, APP
parently, judging from the quality of
his articles in the February North
American Review, entitled "To the
Person Sitting in Darkness" It is a
personal assault upon President Nc
Kinley and the administration poll
cies, based either upon gorss ignor-
ance or mendacious malice.
It is probable that the enemies OF
the administration really believe that
this American administration can be
halnstrung by the application OF Gle
mems shafts of wit and satire. Wit,
however, to be genuine must have a
basis Of truth and applicability, and
if it has not such basis. always degen-
crates into fippancy. MI. Clemens
article is a very excellent specimen OF
f%ippancy, as we'll as utter disregard
for truth and fact. He has assembled
all the falsehoods uttered by the sup
porters of the Philippine revolt in
this country and all the lying charges
against the administration as to the
disposition of the Cuban problem, and
swaddled them in his fabric of
words, which, instead of being signs
of ileas, are, in this case, signs OF the
absurd deficiency Of ideas.
The anti-administration journals,
however, accustomed to printing
charges without proof and to invent
policies never entertained by the adj
ADMINISTRATION. are g%lowingly happy
over the ~disgraceful exhibition OF the
prostitution of Clemens mental ap-
~paratus to the base purpose Of Islander
and indeoency. They applaud the ig-
norance which in that article assumes
that the president is an autocrat,
acting independently of congress and
playing the role of a tryant, bent on
) the fo1oible annexation of Cuba and
r defiance of the laws of common hu-
mainly. He proclaims his sympathy
with Aguinaldo and denounces the,
president as treacherous to that per-
son and ''%crushing a deceived and con-
fiding people" characterizes our sol
diers as doing 'bandits' work" and
= "debauching Americas HONOR etc.
= It is barely possible that MI. Gle
mems really knows that all the presi-
0 dent has done during the last two
l eventful years, he has done under the
, authority of the United States con-
: gress, and that the exercise OF h a
: authority has been Endorsed by the
h people of the United States. II the
f huomrist knows of any better author
p .ity than congress he should have stat
ed it. He knows non Congress
. represents the people. He knows also
s that President Mckinley was the most
conservative man in the country in
IS 1898, and, that in sanctioning a dec
laration of war against Spain, he only
yielded to the tremendous pressure OF
l. strong public sentiment, and that the
o government has faithfully kept the
h pledge made by congress in April
;s 1898; has changed the face OF the
whole island of Cuba for the better,
in every respect, and has taken every
step possible to establish a stable gov
# eminent and has called the constitu.
tional convention which is now max
ing and revising a constitution free
from n interference, and one which,
under the terms perfectly understood
E. and acnuiesced in by the Cubans, must
be submitted to congress for sactlon'
The Greeks made the word Islander
- synonymous with "devil.' These in
telligent people were not far out Of
u the way. The Characterization ii
- sound.