The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-13
COMMENTS OF THE PRESS.

The beef trust seems to have struck
Richmond hard. The News of thai
city says: 1T used to be beefsteak
covered with onions. Now it is likely
to be onion straight, with beefsteak
As a chaser."-Savannah News.
There is scarcely an American, we
imagine. who went into uniform in
1898 with eagerness to go TO Cuba and
aVenge in the name of American hu
manity the inIamies of Weylerism who
does not feel a sickening sense OF
shame over the record our Jake Smiths
W6llers and Gienns have made in
Weylerism in the Philippine islands,
Atlanta Constitution.
A recent edition of the Educational
Review contains testimony from a
number of librarians to the effect that
young people these days do not recall
the sequence of the letters of the
alphabet sufficiently to use card cata-
logues or even dictionaries with facility
This is said to be due to the modern
system of teaching children to read al
once without gong through the routine
of learning the A. b. C's.-Savannah
News.
Tt is unfortunate for the Ountry and
still more so for the republican party
that the debate in the senate on the
Philippine bill has taken a partisan
turn. The democrats have succeeded
in putting the administration on the
defensive, and the republicans must de.
fend it before the world. In such an
enterprise the government should not
need to be defended; it's political an
~tagonists should "a no chance to ac-
cuSe it of any Observation-Disclosures
phia Ledger.
For months it has been apparent that
McLaurin's day of popular activity in
South Carolina was passed. Hence
forth whatever he is or does will be
through the administration at Wash
ington. as long as that shall be repub-
lican. In the distribution of feder~'
patronage in this state he will doubt
less continue as adviser, but as fl as
the general political interest is concern
ed he will have no active place. His
movement, as his, is ended.-ChaTles-
ton Post.
Mr.. Bryan having declared his in
tention not to be a candidate for presi-
dent in 1904, we are reduced to the
expedient of choosing a leader from the
following array: David 2. Hill, of New
York: Joseph w. Bailey, of Texas;
Daniel L. Lamont, of New York; Ar
thur P. GorlTan, of Maryland; Tom
Taggart, of Indiana; Tom L. Johnson.
OI oHlo, ECNdFu M SHcpdfu- OL new
York: Carter 3. Harrison, of Illinois;
David r. Francis, of Missouri; Lewis
Nixon. OF New York; Richard NJ. Oh
0ey, of Massachusetts: Henry Waiter
son of Kentucky, and Alton Il. Parker.
ot New York.-Mobile Register.
Under u present cabinet system tn,
American people have no authority over
the federal departments. While there
ought TO be perfect independence for
for the executive to the utmost limit
ought to be also a channel through
which the people can exercise constitu-
tional veto upon department admins
tration. Grav national discredit would
have been averted, for instance, had
the secretary of the navy been reQuir-
ed TO explain and defend his course
since President Roosevelt assumed
ofice.-Chicago Chronicle.
Is rule or rLin" the fixed deterrnina-
ton of Mr.. Bryan? Has he made up
his mind that, if he can prevent ii,
there shall be no u~nification Of the
democratic party, except upon the
platform which he, with the assistance
of Prince David of Hawaii. forced down
its relutane threat in 1900? The gen.
eral trend of political events is strong
ly in favor OF the democracy. To the
impartial observer almost everything
seems to be coming ~democracy's way.
If the party could be reunited on a con-
sentative platform-and no other re-
union is possible-there would be a
break in its long series OF defeats. and
1t could reinstate itself in legislative
and executive control of the govern
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Post.