The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-11-25
CURRENT

The Hon. ]. Edward Addicks declares
that he began in 1899 his WORK Of MAX
ing Delaware q republican state. and
that he has expended S2J0.OOO on the job.
whereupon the republican, Philadelphia
Press sententiously remarks: When he
began Delaware had Z republican
United States senator. now il a
none"
The Georgia legislators had the cour-
age to kill the anti-free pass bill. They
wish it TO b. understood that they are
not to be bribed with free IaSses: hat
they can ride as the guests of the rail-
road companies and still vote III accord
ance with their conceptions OF right n
justice. However. TIE anti pass bill
will be introduced again lex ear 1t
is one OF the perennlais and never fails
to show up on time.-Savannah News.
There are reports that Cura is pre-
pairing to denOunce the platt amend
ment which the United States required
should be Incorporated INTO the cOnsti-
tuition of the island republic as a part
of the organic law. One account has it
that Cuba will make appeal to The
Hague court to determine whether, as
an independent nation, 1t is bound to
respect the obligations forced upon it
while in the tutelary at1ges of its ma
~tionality. It is pretty safe to say.
whether these reports be true or not,
and whether or not Cuba gets a favor
able ruling from The Hague court, that
the Plat amendment viii be respected
by the CubanS. The United States does
not impose conditions Iust fer the fun
of presenting them.-Charleston Post.
It is a very serious matter if, as the
national health officers ASSERT, the bu-
boric plague has obtained lCdgment in
California. The charge is made that
tho local health nrr1hnr1finc IF Con
Francisco, where the pestilence is said
to have it's chief hold. have known of
the existence of the plague there for
several years, but have concealed the
facts in order to prevent the business
interests Of the city from being dam
aged According to the Charleston
News and Courier the national health
officers in convention = few days ago
declared that not lever than 2.223
deaths from bubonic plague "a oc-
CURED in San Francisco dis year, since
February" American Medicine. how
ever, asserts hat since March
5. 1900, there have been S. cases record
ed in California. Is of this number oc-
curing since September 9. 1902" 1T is
rumOred," adds this medical journal
that many other cases have occurred
which were not repor.ad.-Norfolk
Landmark.
Six or ven years ago it seemed prob
able that the free silver idea was likely
10 sweep the ountr 1t has been
losing even faster than 1t gained. n
the recent elections how to what weak
ness it has fallen. 1t was n remarkable
coincidence that on the morning after
the congressional election day silver de-
clined to 39.1 cents an ounce, the low
est point it had ever touched. Colora-
do. the greatest producer of silver and
the stronghold of the silver party, had
just been swept by the republicans,
they having elected the governor and
carried the legislature, which will put
n republican into the United States
senate to succeed Mr.. Teller, who has
been acting with the democrats for sew
eral years past. Nebraska seems to
have become firmly established in the
republican ranks again in spite of Mr..
Bryan'S desperate efforts to restore the
state to the democracy. which seemed a
few years 6 to ave Or assured held
on it for a long time to come. Washing
ton, Montana and Idaho have likewise
repudiated free SilveriSn. 1t has been
very evident yer since the last presi-
Dental election hat the democratic
party will not go n he next national
campaign on a free silver platform,
and if anybody still had any doubt on
that subject, it must have been de-
strOyed by the elections held on Tues
N's lIICI I ld JUL lIdl.
A Milwaukee special Sunday an
nOunced, on the authority of Senator
Spooner and Congressman Babcock of
Wisconsin, who We're i'll conference
with President Roosevelt shortly be-
fore he went south. that a snecial SEES
sion of congress will be called next
March to take up the revision of the
tariff. 1t is altogether likely that the
president has found in the election re-
turns not only new light, but new en-
thusiam for the broader commercial
policy which President Mckinley left
to his party as his last political will
and testament When ne said at Buffalo,:
The period of eXclusiveneSs is past.
The expansion OF our trade and COM
merce is the pressing problem. .
Reciprocity treaties are in harmony
with the spirit of the times: measures
OF retaliation are not. If perchance
some of u tariffs are no longer need
ed for revenue or to and
protect u industries at times, why
should they not be employed to extend
and promote u markets abroad? If
President Roosevelt has become con-
WINGED that his party must live up to
these last words of Mckinley in their
full meaning and application-which
ComprehendS far more than Cuban rec
iprOcity-hiS calling of an extra ses-
sion for real. honest tariff revision will
be n great stroke of leadership. Such
a revision is inevitable. The people
will insist upon 1t. The only question
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