Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-03-06
Senator Bailey
In Debate-Will
Still Fight on &C.
casion-David B.
Hills Speech-A
Friend Of the Cow


|
to still be ready for a fight.
Another Republic In Sight.
While in this country, the greatest
republic in the world, we are stultify-
Ing ourselves by going back to the doe
trines of George III. it is comforting
to lovers of liberty to know that the
leaven of freedom which we planted in
the human heart is still working in Eu-
rope.
The latest news is that revolution
is brewing in Belgium and that Bel
gian republic is among the possibilities
of the near future.
Justice Gray's Successor.
Mr.. Justice Gray of Massachusetts,
one of the ablest members of the fed
eral supreme court, has been stricken
with paralysis. AS he is past seventy
and has served more than ten years on
the supreme bench, he is eligible for
retirement on full pay under the law.
The probabilities are that, should he
survive his present attack, he will hard
ly resume his duties. Already the news
papers are casting about for his sue
cessor. OF course it is no part of my
business to advise President Roosevelt
as to Republican appointees to office,
but as a lawyer l feel deep interest
in the personnel of the supreme court.
The chances are that Gray's successor
will be New England Republican.
That being the case, the most distin-
guished New England Republican law
yer whose age does not bar him should
be appointed. That man is unquestion-
ably Charles E. Littlefield, representa-
tive in congress from Maine. He is
capable, fearless and in the very flow
er of his years.
David Bennett Hill Redivivus.
The Sage of Wolfert's Roost shows
signs of political resuscitation. He is
beginning to take notice." Nobody
ever accused David Bennett of being
fool. AT a Democratic harmony re-
ception of the Manhattan club" on
Washington's birthday the ex-senator
and ex-governor made a speech, and,
mirabile dictu, his theme was the same
as Mr.. Bryan lectures on semiocca-
sionally-to wit, ''Ancient Landmarks p
This does not prove that those two
eminent personages are agreed or that
to them may be properly applied the
lines
Two souls with but single thought,
Two hearts that beat as one.
No doubt the differences betwixt
them would furnish ample grounds for
! redhot debate, but the very fact that
Mr.. Hill took the trouble to journey all
the way from his rural retreat near AL
bany to Gotham in such weather as
prevailed on the 22d of February to
deliver speech proves beyond per
adventure that, whatever others may
think, David Bennett Hill does not
class himself in the long list of polit-
ical dead ones" 1t must be confessed
that he spoke with his old time vigor
and said some good things. For in
stance, this paragraph is sound and
well stated:
We should adhere to the policy involved
in Jeffersonian expansion--the reasonable
and natural requirement of territory ad-
jacent to our own, either largely unsettled
or peopled with inhabitants capacitated
for ultimate citizenship and the enjoy
ment of all the privileges of our free in
stitutions. The recent mistakes of our
opponents in that regard perhaps cannot
now be adequately corrected, but manifest
duty requires us to resist as the perma-
nent policy of our government the estab-
lishment of colonial possessions governed
only by the discretion of congress and out
side of the pale of the guarantees of the
constitution. Wherever the American flag
of right floats it should be as the emblem
of a free government and the segis of
constitutional liberty. There is no place
in the American Union for a permanent
system of dependent colonies
That's sound precisely
what many of us have been preaching
for more than three years. OF course
we are glad to be REINFORCED by the
ex-governor and ex-senator.
Safe Ground.
He was also on perfectly safe and
familiar ground when he said:
No legislative favors no excessive taxa
ton for the benefit of individual interests,
but equal laws, equal opportunities and
equal privileges are what the people de-
mand From the very nature of things
these results are impossible under the
practical effect of a tariff designed os-
tensibly for public purposes, but in reality
framed to subserve private interests, but
are always possible under revenue tariff
honestly intended to raise revenue and
not to prevent revenue.
That is all right, but it is not in the
nature of revelation calculated by its
novelty to startle the nations.
A Doubtful Proposition.
Mr.. Hill also says:
The Democratic party should again press
to the front the issue of revenue reform.
The signs of the times indicate the wis
dom of such course. 1t is not a new
issue, but 1t is an old one which has
grown better by age. 1t is an issue upon
which every Democrat in this broad land
can stand, without regard to past differ
ences or previous condition of servitude''
to any other issues, good, bad or indiffer-
ent.
OF course sit is an issue upon which
every Democrat can stand" Most as
suredly; but query: Is it an issue on
which every Democrat in this broad
land will stand? Hardly; unless Dem.
ocrats in certain quarters have expert
enced change Of heart. Mr.. Hill has
certainly not forgotten what happened
in 1894 in the Fifty-third congress. He
can't have forgotten that, for he was q
conspicuous actor and factor in the
Wilson German tariff bill He knows
that nothing save an overwhelming
Democratic majority in the house en-
abled us to pass a fairly good tariff fol
revenue bill over the protests Of all the
Republicans and a large coterie of re-
calcitrant Democrats. Seventeen Dem
ocratic members of the house voted
against it, and that many more wanted
! to. And Mr.. Hill knows Furthermore
that in the senate a handful of Demo
Gratis Joined with the Republicans and
cut and carved the Wilson bill until its
father would not have recognized it had
he met it in the big road. That's the
plain, unvarnished truth of history
burned into the memory of many faith
full Democrats by defeat brought upon
them by the action of those same Dem,
ocratic kickers in house and senate
OF course all Democrats in this broad
land could stand upon it, but all OF
them will not There is not much more
unity on the tariff than on finance
among Democrats That's the truth
and Mr.. Hill knows it or ought tc
know it.