Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-07-24
NUMBER 81

-quired by any one person at one time by
purchase or homestead entry, and 1 be-
lieve that the greatest misfortune that
ever befell this people was when an acre
or q rod of that land was diverted from
the purposes to which it was consecrated
by this early enactment of the republic.
The gentleman says there are not enough
people in Luzon to- occupy the land. Luz
zon is as populous as Rhode Island. Ev-
cry inch of arabic land in the island OF
Luzon is under cultivation or has been at
some time.
When we were providing for our own
people, we limited acquisitions under en-
try, homestead or otherwise to $50 acres.
You thought it necessary when this con-
tinent afforded land sufficient to accom-
modate population of 400. 600 900 people to
limit the entry to 100 acres. Now you
say you are trying to protect the Filipino.
The amendment l propose gives him
standing in his own country in reference
to the land in his own islands precisely
such as you have given to our own citi-
zenS with reference to our public lands.
Are you going to throw ops the gates
to spectators there when You would not
throw open the gates to spectators here?
Are you going to allow men who desire to
establish large plantations and great bo-
nanZa farms an opportunity in the Phil
ippine Islands which you never have dared
to give them here? Are you going to re-
ject this amendment and then go home to
your constituents and pretend that you
sought to protect the Philippine lands
which the government is about to buy
from the friars from the encroachment of
spectators and bonanza farmers? When
we buy an Indian reservation and throw
it open to settlement, do we consider the
fact that in this country there are vast
unsettled areas and say to the spectators
M for hot R.xrr
the Indian lands without limit? When we
took the measures lately to open up GER
tain Indian lands in Oklahoma, did we not
limit the amount that any one could ac-
quire to 100 acres?
This amendment seeks to impose the
same limitation in the Philippine Islands
This amendment seeks to prevent land
monopoly there. 1t seeks to prevent the
rich corporation and individual from TAX
ing possession of areas of land sufficient
to support hundreds of families engaged
in agriculture, and if you refuse it you do
1t with knowledge of the fact that the
proportion of the urban population of the
Philippine Islands to the whole population
is many times greater than the urban
population of the United States. You do
it with notice that nearly every man, wo-
man and child in the Philippines, outside
of some of the large cities like Manila, is
actually engaged in agriculture and in no
other business and has no other means of
subsistence.
That also happened on the memo
rable 26th day of June. and the Re
publicans with great ur animity voted
down Cochran's proposition, notwith-
standing his unansWerable argument.
Cochran went down just as Mccall
went down before the brute force of
a beastly Republican majority. Wheth-
er the American people-even If they
finally decide to retain the Philippines
permanently-will take kindly to prac-
tically giving the crown lands to great
corporations in vast bodies instead of
opening them to actual settlers re-
mains to be seen.
A Doubling Thomas.
Clearly the Washington Post Gnde-
pendent, with an Ohio editor, still pins
its faith to Buckeye statesmen and is
a doubling Thomas to Colonel Roose-
velts capacity to win out in his fight
with Senator Hanna for the presiden-
tial nomination, for it makes this Gym
ical remark touching a recent appoint
ment to a fat office for political effect:
The Hon. James Sullivan Clarkson has
been appointed official keeper of the ad-
ministration's southern delegate kennels.
but the southern delegate has learned
few new tricks since the time the Iowa
man was considered an expert in that
sort of work.
Perhaps Colonel Roosevelt, Senator
Hanna, James Sullivan Clarkson, the
Post and all concerned could learn
something to their advantage by read
ing John Sherman's memoirs, in which
he speaks with bitter feeling and great
disgust as to the successful method
Of General Russell A. Alger in man.
aging 1.-The southern delegate kennels"
Russ managed them to the queens
taste. By the way, what has become
of the ex-secretary of war? He seems
to have disappeared as completely as
if the earth had swallowed him. If
there is big enough scramble for the
presidential Republican nomination.
perhaps he may resurrect himself,
enter the list and tap his barrel again.
Then there will be joy in the southern
GlnlnpafpS' Epnnpl