The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-01-30
SHORT TALKS
Brief Comment On Political and Other
Matters CT Public Interest.
ANDREW J. PALM.

The PittBburg people have been rip
ped up the back and down in front so
much the past year that the average
Pittsburger hardly knows where he Is
at politically. Some Of them are swear
ing vengeance against Quay, Stone,
Finn and the whole gang. Others.
like the Bigelows and Major Brown,
who had their fingers badly singed
by pulling the Quay chestnuts out OF
the fire, are ashamed to own that they
were such consummate fools as to trust
the Old Man, and hence they still pre-
tend to believe that he is all right
and still acting in good faith but that
Stone, like bad boy, refuses to obey
his master. The childish confidence OF
these full grown men is touching to
behold. They put up their hundreds OF
thousands of dollars to help Quay,
Stone G. Company to pass the ripper
bill, and as soon as It was passed they
were deliberately betrayed for a con-
sderation, and that is the whole
story.
There was time when men retired
from business when they secured
competency, and gave somebody else a
chance. Not so now in this age OF
greed and commercialsm. The aver
age man has grown to be so much OF
a hog that he keeps on grabbing as
long as he can draw breath. When
To-, 1nt kn q mi
lion he is only the more eager for the
next and that stimulates his graspinG
propensity to make still greater efforts
for more. Men are now judged by the
wealthy class, not by what they are,
but by what they have, no matter by
what means 1t may have been acquired,
and never did onakespeare's saying,
"the learned pate ducks to the golden
fool" apply more truthfully than at
the present time. Roosevelt says we
may find it necessary to shackle cum
ming as we have found it necessary to
shackle force, and there is no sort of
cunning today that needs shackling so
much as the cunning of greed. Since
Roosevelt has become president, how
ever, he hasn't word to say about
| shackling anything or anybody who
may help him in his ambition for Sec
| ond term.
Public sentiment seems to be strong
| against allowing the Chinese to come
| to our shores to earn livelihood. Let
us admit for the sake of the argument
that we should pass prohibitory law,
but in the name of consistency, II we
declare that they shall not come here
should we not cease our clamor for an
| open door in CHINA door that opens
but one way? We have been forcing
China to open her gates to us, and de-
claring that she shall allow our mis-
sionaries full sway to stuff them with
our religion, or we will shoot 1t into
them with Maxim guns. In fact, we
have done some shooting on this ac-
count already. To solemnly declare by
send any of her people here and still
insist that she shall open wide her
gates to us is too unreasonable to be
tolerated on the part of any nation.
The man who says to his neighbor,
"you must keep your children strictly
out of my yard, but you shall permit
mine to go into your yard or your
house at their own pleasure" Is not a
whit more unreasonable and inconsis-
tent than the bullying nation which
demands privileges that 1t absolutely
refuses to grant. 1t isn't any wonder
that China is suspicious of our religion
IL it is exhibited in our dealings with
other nations.
Secretary Gage did not leave the
cabinet any too soon to please men
who believe in honesty and fair deal
ing. The shady transaction in con-
nection with the sale Of the old New
York custom house casts a suspicion
on his integrity and he never ventured
any explanation thus giving ground
for the belief that it admitted no solu
ton consistent with honesty. He was
, authorized by special act Of congress
to sell the property at public or private
sale for not less than $3,000,000, ant
then rent 1t from the purchaser at
: :. per cent. of the purchase price unit
I the new custom house should be ready
for use He sold the property to th'
City National Bank, the Standard OF
{ company's institution, for $3,265OOO
The president Of the bank took certi
fed check for the amount to Washing
, ton, and within an hour the secretar,
handed back all but $4,000 to be de
, posted in the City National BAN
without interest, though the bank wa
not United States depository. 1t 1
supposed that he kept the $4,000 bac.
, in order that the title might still re
main in the government and thus saw
e the City bank $4,000 year in taxes
The banks profits in dealing with Sec
h retary Gage are estimated to have bee
n at least 81 900 a day for long time, a
= it had $15,000,000 of the government
funds without paying single cent c
:, interest. The only question abou
which there seems to be any doubt /
y the public mind Is whether the secre
= tary received share of the swag c
{ whether in the goodness of his heal
a 10 ,arn,ittad tho Standard Oil com ma N