Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-07-25
A HINT TO COUNCIL.

The new Water Board IS to be com
mended for its intelligent economic
management. 1t is refreshing inno-
walton after several years sad exper-
fence of ring management in this and
ether city departments and of city fin
ances in general.
The Water Board has evidently heed
ed the demand of the people at the last
city election for reform Among other
things, the board has already paid over
twenty thousand dollars on a $4,000
debt on the new water works machinery
"a debt bearing six per cent interest
and II has reduced the rate of interest
on the remainder from six to four and
one-half per cent.
There is an instance of interest re-
duetion-and in accomplishing this
most excellent and praisworthy econ
omy the new Water Board has simply
utilized business judgment, common
sense and due regard for the interests
OF the people.
If there were more of this sort of
management of city finances in general
the city would be able to pay off her
debts as they fall due and we would
hear no more of refunding schemes.
This is a moral which the adherents
of the refundlng scheme in Council
would do well to heed. Let them try
to manage the city's business consci-
entiously as they would their own pri-
vate affairs and there need be no talk
o. refunding in order to raise the wind.
It is hoped that sane minds will take
advantage of the hot weather lull to
bring about an understanding between
labor and capital in the iron strike.
There promises to be most serious trou-
BILE when cooler weather comes, and the
disaster will not be all on one side.
Both will suffer and not the least loss
will be to the country at large. The
present situation is a powerful argu-
ment for an arbitration law.
FREE TRADE FOR PORTO RICO.
AS stated in these columns yesterday
the President has no longer reason for
continuing the tariff levied against
Porto Rico in the face of plain duty
at the behest of the sugar and tobacco
trusts. and to-day free trade will be
proclaimed between the island and the
rest of the United States.
This will mean a great deal for Porto
Rico. 1t will give her a tremendous
advantage over the rest of the islands
of the West Indies. 1t was this bless
ing promised her at the start. that
States troops. The sugar and tobacco
trusts caused President Mckinley to
break this promise and to deny what he
had previously solemnly proclaimed to
be our plain duty" Which was all
very like Mckinley.
At last however, the Porto Ricans
are coming into their deferred rights.
The example of Porto Rico prosperous
and happy under American rule is very
apt to have a decided effect upon the
Cubans. 1t will be one of the strong
est arguments for the annexation of
Cuba TO the United States-for which
the Register has long contended. With
the Porto Rico object lesson before them
the Cubans will realize the inestimable
advantages of free government that fol-
low annexation, and we make the pre-
diction that it will be but a short time
until Cuba is knocking loudly at Uncle
Sans door for admission.
She is part OF our continent we must
defend her from foreign aggression and
Sc might as well come into the fold
first as last. We want her. It's her
manifest destiny"