The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-14
GLrANrxe AND

The battle over the Nicaragua canal
age in the congress- Speeches are
made II Is urged that the Panama Of
fer to sell for $40. o00. coo reduction. Is
not safe. that 1t is an attempt to defeat
the bill before the senate and Is for de-
lay. Senator Hepburn in his speech for
the bill urged that the Nicaragua route
would bring New York 4S0 miles nearer
to san Francisco than the Isthmian
route. and New Orleans 3s5 miles nearer
But the panama route can be main
tanned at a cost Of 1000. 600 a year
while b Nicaragua route will cost s3.-
200 600. Panama route Is at the sea
level. while the Nicaragua route is over
elevations that will REQUIRE a compli-
Gated system Of locks. But the de-
termining reason in favor of the Mica
ragua route is that for the
Of this country II Is the shorter and
quicker route, because Nicaragua Is
closer to the United States than Pana-
ma.
It must be remembered that the
president was not the onl" high Of
fetal who laid the fashion the
der and chief of the e. S. army. Sec
rotary Root took a hand as a partisan
OF Sampson. 1t was an INSPIRED
blast" according to the Philadelphia
Record. The outrages on General
Miles is not because he was wrong. but
because he was friendly to Schley. h
Record regards the matter in this light:
THE veteran general. in his view,
should have been called privately aside
and quietly ~admonished to dIsentangle
himself from the meshes of publicity.
retire far to the rear and take an in
conspicuous seat. But no such course
would have suited the doughty bureau
Gratis who mad determined to stamp out
the fires of controversy blazing around
an ugly naval scandal. The more pub.
.icity the better. and the more conster-
nation and apprehension among officers
inclined to talk. the Greater the assur-
ance of a perfect paralysis of tongues
wherever epaulettes glitter or sabres
ciang at heel"
Mum is the word of command. and he
Will be a bold officer of navy or army
now Who will dare to express an opin-
ion. A gag for soldiers is a poor way
to encourage manliness.
- >. -.
What may be the individual opinion
of office-seekers and politicians may
not be of any real Significance. for not
many are peculiarly wise and but few
are endowed with conscience. Mr.
Hill, of New York, is quite a master
fui politician in his way, cunning of
force ~resourceful Inc sa~gacious. In a
recent letter he said c. the best policy
of tn democratic party that in his
judgment it was this:
"a strict construction of the federal
constitution. No entangling alliances
with foreign nations. IuSistance upon
the reserved rights of the states. Pub
lie taxation for public purposes only.
Opposition to m~onopOiies and danger
Gus combinations of capital. The pres
~ervation of the personal liberty of the
citizen. No Capitalization. Home rule
for states and municipalities"
This is bedrock democracy ana it
was true yesterday and today and
will be ever so long as the party of the
people survives. Mr.. Hill adds that
These are democratic principles which
survive all defeats and must ultimately
triumph" If they do not triumph
sometime hence then the government
will be wrecked and The cause of the
people will go to the demnition bow
vows.
The late John R.. Thompson, Of Vir-
pinia was a papial pifta5 n of LOT
ters. the best in his day in his state.
He died not long after the war. He
visited England and kept a diary. He
saw the great Carlyle several times. In
August. 1866. h records:
Met Mr.. Carlyle in Piccadilly and
walked with him for half an hour, not
withstanding the rain was absolutely
tumbling down. = He spoke of
Governor Eyre, declaring that if the
Angel of Death had thrown all the ne
groes of amaica into the sea he
thought it would have been a great
benefit to mankind"
/ !. !. --i
| - The gable in Washington goes on
over the proposed Moody attack upon
the south and the effort to cut down
representation in the congress. It is all
about negro disfranchisement, the small
vote cast often in the south, the SUI
preme courts action, etc. 1t has been
shown that the north in many districts
gave a small vote for members of the
federal house. AS to the .disfranchising
Of negroes by an educational test, let it
be remembered that in three northern
states this very test operates
and has done so for years. The New
York Evening Post say this:
The supreme court of the United
States has decided in a test case from
Mississippithat a state may make such
a constitution as Mississippi's-with the
famous understanding provision, under
which election OFFICIALS may allow
whites to vote, and deny the right to
blacks of the same class-and 1t does
| not conflict with the constitution of the
United States so long as this state con
| stitution and the laws made under il