Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-05-13

| gift of the government.
These are samples of the appetite,
which the President has acquired, for
"pottage,' with which the Beacon
Journal has lately been heading its
choice menu of things that officers
ought to be above eating.
The President has permitted his
state department. to became the mere
annex to the British foreign office, and
in this respect in open and known OPP
position to the sympathes and wishes
of the great majority of the American
people.
In the War Office lie has retained a
man at its head whose military record
is summed up by saying that he has
been n corporation lawyer with large
practice. and whom he has suffered
TO publicly disgrace the head of the
army, a man of gray hairs and long and
honorable service in the field, and for
no offense other than manly and
dignified protect against military prac-
tices over which our people are blush
ing for the repute of American SOL
diery, and in which affront the Pres
ident himself Joined, as he would In
lecturing a wayward schoolboy.
The recent debate on the Philippine
bill In the Senate has brought the
truth of these shameful practices to
light, and this in spite of every eff
fort which the War department could
exert to keep the facts from the pub
lie. The damning record thus revealed
is but an exempification of the uni
versal truth of history that irrespon-
sible government, that is government
without the consent of the governed,
always reacts upon those who gov
ern in every revolving form of abused
and misused power. There has been,--
there is now, disposition on the part
Of the executive, of the majority in
Congress, i'm the administration news
papers and among the officeholders.
either to hide the facts, or to excuse
them, and in some instances to defend
them. 1t was not to be expected that
the man who was the attorney Of VIII
liam NJ. Tweed would he without some
subterfuge in defense of bis policy
towards the natives of those islands,
whom we have taken upon us to
'benevolently assimllate."
Hypocrisy is said to be the tribute
which vice pays to virtue. and so 1t
was left for Mr.. Elihu Root and Presi-
dent Roosevelt to crawl behind the ar
tcle of war revised by Dr. Lieber, and
included in Order 100 of Mr.. Lincoln's S
time. as a pretended justification for
the cruelties which are now known to
have been perpetrated in the East. A
fouler libel on the memory of man
whom these men claim as their patron
political saint than this cannot well be
> conceived. Mr.. I.incoln's administra.
ton undoubtedly had great proyoca
ton to retaliation during the Civil
3 war. But his known kindness of heart
was enough to prevent any order being
D given for'the slaughter of women anC
' "eyerything over ten And it II
y known that he steadily refused to pun
ish the innocent for the cruelties OF
e the guilty. The intimation that tn,
J. present outrages have the sanction o
! his authority is UNANIMOUSLY false, NJ
l. matter from what source it comes
II The exact position of Mr.. Lincoln
% Cabinet upon this question is found II
- the opinion of Edward Bates, his At
torney General, in discussing the thel
d recent massacre at Fort Pillow
J. "+ | would have no com.
Q. pact with the enemy for mutual
ID slaughter; no cartel of blood and
Is murder; no stipulation to the eff
/, feet that If you murder one Of my
men | will murder one of yours.
. Retaliation is not mere justice. 1t
s. is avowedly revenge; and Is who'll.
,e ~ uniustliiable, in law and con-
n science, unless adopted for the
sole purpose Of Furnishing past
y crime and of giving Il salutary aud
II blood-saving warning against its
[. repetition
p, Such Is n partial record of the Re
ID publican party, in national affairs, III
H. on which 1t asks for new lease q
h. power. There Is nothing here to ju,
r. tify confidence. or calculated to wi
ie votes. 1t is an Improbable servant
m and 1t should he cast out.
al THE logic of events has brouch
-, about n natural alliance Of malgnar
=, forces in the United states Senate,
"a writes Mr., Edward Atkinson, of Bo,