Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-10-24

The Hawkes-Heistand disgrace, TAX
en- in connection with the persecution
of Schley, is not calculated to appeal
to the American love Of decency and
fair play. Hitherto the people Of this
country have set great store by our
soldiers and sailors, but their interest
in our professional fighters is likely to
suffer curtailment unless scandals
cease to be one of the chief features Of
service on land and sea.
Public memory is not so short as to
have forgotten how General Eagan
was retired on three-quarter pay for
abuse of General Miles at an age at
which Eagan could hope for many
years of successful business life; SO
that his pretended punishment was
really q reward.
DisagreeinG Physicians.
There Is an old saying as to the per-
picked condition of the average citi-
zen, the ordinary layman, when emil
nent physicians disagree. Now, 1t SO
happens that nearly all the top notch
ers among the tariff doctors have been
expressing their opinions or giving
forth their various diagnoses as to Un-
Gle Sans condition. The physicians
have remedies galore, but the trouble
is that they don't agree as to the pa
tents symptoms or as to the remedy.
In his Buffalo speech, which many re-
gard as a farewell message, Mr.. Nc
Kinley took high grounds in favor OF
reciprocity, which is nothing but free
trade in spots. Nevertheless vast num-
bers of his fellow Republicans are OPP
posed to reciprocity tooth and nail.
Most of them are careful of their ut
terances, but The Irish World, a high
tariff shOuter, says:
The victories Of free trade In this country al.
ways have been won by indireetion. The policy
OF protection to home industry has so much to
commend it to the patriotic instincts of the
American people and fits manifestly into our
needs as country that it is almost useless to at
tack it directly, but some pretense has always
been forthcoming to make the voter cast his suf-
frage against it by making him believe that he
was voting upon quite another matter. Such
were the cancellations of the south in Jacksons
time, the hope of capturing the English market
for grain in Folks administration, the revenue re-
duction of the Cleveland era and others besides.
Now it is the necessity of reciprocity for the en-
largement of commerce, and this side is
sue the free trade faction trying to get rid OF
protection.
am stigmatizing their course as a pretense de-
hberately for in discussing the subject they never
make the admission that they want free trade and
nothing else, but always try to put the case as
though they regarded protection as having con-
ferred solid benefits on the country and having
"outliyed its usefulness Now and then the
cloven foot peeps out, and they drop incautiously
into remarks which exhibit their cordial dislike
of the tariff, but it is only by inadyertence and
when they are off their guard.
Judging by that extract and by state
ments in the same article more Wig
orous still, it is clear that the whole
hog tariff men will not be held In check
in the expression of their opinions by
any feeling of respect for our martyred
president. The tariff war is on inside
the Republican party.
Slavery In the Philippines.
During the campaign Of 1900 our Re-
publican friends denied bitterly that
slavery exists in the Philippines. New
ertheIess and Notwithstanding, the Chi
cago Tribune-radieal Republican or
gan grinder-thinks It will do no harm
to dish out the truth in homeopathic
doses, now that the election is over and
the Republicans are In possession Of
their glorious victory. So The Tribune
rises to remark:
In the third district of the department, where
Major O. j. Sweet is in command, the slavery
question is constant source of trouble account
Of slaves escaping from one master to another.
NAT q
to slaves comes before / simply make the
owners prove their slaves beyond doubt in which
l have nothing to do with them, but In case
pick flaw in their title give the alleged
slaves freedom papers. Thousands of Moros are
held as slaves who are by right free people"
1t would be interesting for the people Of the
United States to see one OF their army officers on
territory where United States sovereignty has
been proclaimed sitting in judgment on the ewn.
ership of human beings 1t is reassuring to be
told by this Solomon, now sojourning in the Phil
ippnes as the representative of the greatest re-
public on earth, that whenever question relat-
ing to slaves comes before him he ''simply makes
the owners prove their slaves beyond doubt" It
would be all the more interesting il this army off,
would reveal to the American people the char
acter of evidence which he requires In such cases.
Certainly the evidence must be strong, because he
insists that the proof shall be ''beyond doubt
What proof establish title to a human being
according to American lawf
1t is also interesting to be told by this army
officer '-in pick flaw in their title
give the alleged slaves freedom papers," and yet
we at liberty to infer from the tone Of thls
officers statements that there have been cases in
which he could not ''pck flaw in their title"
Perhaps it has occurred to this or any other
army officer that it is the easiest thing under the
sun to pick flaw in any alleged title to human
being territory over which United States
ereignty has been declared and over which the
United States flag waves. The evidence at hand 10
not the word of irresponsible Filipino
native; it is not the unsupported testimony of q
bystander; it is nothing more nor less than the
constitution of the United States, the thirteenth
amendment of which declares that neither slavery
nor involuntary seryitude shall exist within the
United States any place subject to their juris
diction." That is the weapon that hews to pieces
any claim made on territory under United States
sovereignty to the body of human being, and
that weapon destroys the alleged title of the sui
tan Of Sulu any other pretending monarch as
effectually as 1t does the alleged title OF the
humblest farmer in the Philippine archipelago.
That will be conclusive to all who
believe true what they see in Repub-
Tno,, pox.,cr,o