The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-06-25

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ton. They cannot be postponed or
evaded. Our power as nation, our
prosperity as q people, our good name,
our honor are all involved.
We cannot afford to grope in the
dark, or guess, or experiment, or
halt, or hesitate about such matters,
Ii we are to send an additional mum.
Der of democrats to congress how will
they speak and vote on those ques-
tions?
Are the policies of Mckinley to
be continued, or discontinued? Is our
flag to come down or stay up? Where
my democratic friends, do you stand :?
We know where you stood last year,
but where do you stand this year?
What answer do we get?
Disfranch hisment Of Colored Voters.
Neither is 1t time to show indif-
ference to the wrong the democratic
party is committing today in the
southern states against the black man,
whom it is robbing of his suffrage
under the forms of constitutional
amendments and legal enactments
that are in violation OF the constitu-
ton of the United States. This is
worse, if possible, than the inhuman
lynching of which we read almost
daily, because 1t is without provOca-
tion, and Is blow aimed both at a
class and the government of a nation.
Expansion.
But there are other questions Of the
highest Importance. We are beset
with new and untried difficulties. We
have had war. We have changed
the map Of the world. We have ac-
quired new territory, and with it have
come to us new duties and new re-
sponsibilities. We have assumed
them, and must faithfully discharge
them or stand discredited before the
nations.
The republican party has an intel
ligent policy on this subject. It has
been proclaimed to the world. We
have acted upon it. We have legis-
lated to carry 1t into effect. We are
executing it with sufficient and trium-
phant results. It should have univer-
sal support, but instead it has fierce
opposition. It was attacked last year
as unconstitutional. The supreme
court has answered that assault, and
now they are attacking the supreme
court.
The Supreme Court.
Mr.. Bryan declares that its decision
in the Porto Rican cases is as infam-
GUS as the decision in the Dred Scott
case, and calls upon democrats every
where to rally for its overthrow.
Senator Tillman denounces it as
damnable, and says that we are to
have a battle to the death before it
is finally accepted. Other democrats,
great and small, say 1t means the end
OF the republic; that Mckinley is EN-
peror; that our liberties are lost; and
all join in declaring that the next
great political contest will be as to
whether this decision shall stand. II
they make such an issue we can af
ford it. II will be the president, the
congress and the supreme court-all
the departments Of the government
on one side, and the democratic party
and its allies on the other.
1t will not be the first time we have
had such an alignment Of forces. and
as always heretofore, patriotism and
Americanism will triumph.
Porto Rico.
When we came to iegislate for
Porto Rico we found there million
people, more than five hundred thous-
and of whom did not own a dollars
worth Of any kind OF property, and
more than eight hundred thousand OF
whom could not either read or write
in any language. None Of them knew
anything about our institutions, our
laws, our judicial system, or anything
else connected with the practical ad
fministration of free popular govern.
ment.
They had no system Of property
taxation, no school system, and
scarcely any kind Of social order or
organization. They had been wasted
by war, and devasted by hurricane
They were helpless as children. From
the first moment OF our occupation II
was necessary to feed and support
them by tens Of thousands to prevent
starvation.
II the constitution and all the laws
of the United States, not locally In
applicable, had followed the flag and
gone into force and effect there as
soon as 1t was raised, as the demo
cratic party contended, it would have
been impossible to have relieved their
distress, or to have established a sue
cessful government OF any kind. In
stead of peace, order and progress
which we have in that island today
we would have had universal chaos
and universal failure.
Such q theory would have required
all tariff duties on imports into Porto
Rico from foreign countries to be col
lected and paid into the treasury Of
the United States at Washington, not