Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-02-13

Abdication of the House of Repre-
sentatives "Pacification'' In the &C
Philippines-Current Comment 10
Sc s. 8 SS SS S3 SS
If Senator Eugene Hale of Maine,
who is said to be the best judge of
terrapin and "sich'' in Washington,
keeps on asking impertinent questions
of Governor General Taft, the jingoes
will be as much perturbed as was that
colored preacher. If Senator Hale does
not keep his optic peeled, he will dis
cover there is such thing as being too
inquisitiye While the governor gem
eral was telling 4 senate committee
how completely the Philippines are be-
ing pacifed for the hundredth time),
the senior senator from Maine marred
the harmony of the occasion by rudely
asking the governor general: Within
the past ninety days l have observed
by the newspapers that there were
forty-one small fights within the space
of thirty days. Where do they occur?'
Now, Senator Hale ought to know bet
ter than to insinuate by such a prepos-
ferrous question that the islands are not
completely ''pacified' when the battles
average one and a third per diem.
AS another proof of complete and
permanent Dacification'' Governor Gen
eral Taft naively admitted that tire,
men associated in the government had
affiliated with the Federal party"
( Queer qualification" that! What is the
Federal party in favor of, anyway?
/ Why, it demands independence or adj
mission to the Union as a state! Yet
''three persons associated in the gov
ernment" have joined that Federal par
ty!
| Governor General Taft did not di-
| vulge their names-for prudential rea-
| sons perhaps.
| 1t will doubtless cause a thrill OF
! patriotic pride to animate the hearts
! of divers Americans who have no Wads
! to speak of to learn that our paternal
| government has spent over a million
dollars in providing roads for the bare
! foot Filipinos to travel OYER What be-
| comes of the old saying that charity
should begin at home?" If charity, why
not roads also, Mr.. Governor General
Taft?
1 Our Profits?
| For the last three years when any
! American has had the courage, nerve,
patriotism and good sense to object to
a continuance of the imperial policy in
! the Philippines we have heard the saw
age roar Of the commercialists that 1--WE
must have the Philippine trade" an
! answer which was accounted sufficient
for all purposes. 1t must be taken and
accepted that the readers of these let
ters, as well as other citizens, under
stand the simple process of addition,
1 subtraction, multiplication and diyi-
sion. Here is what the old field school
masters used to call sum: In one year
we spent $90,000,000 in the Philippines,
to say nothing of loss of life, of de
struction of health and of the resultani
pension roll In the same time our ex
ports to the Philippines amount to So,
000,000 in round numbers. Ten pei
cent is fully enough to allow for profits
which would be 100000, which, sub
tracted from the $90,000,000 expended
leaves us in the hole $S9, 100000 How
long at that rate will it take for US tC
get rich out of this Philippine invest
ment? No such stupendous idiocy was
ever known among men. Nevertheless
as the New York World truly says
''Yet we have the reputation of being
the smartest business people in the
world, impossible to beat in trade
Establishing public baths for the Fl
Hpinos when SO many of our own peo
pie need to follow Mr.. Dicks advice
Take a bath;" establishing schools in
the Philippines when millions here at
home can't read and write-this is phi
lanthropy run mad. After awhile the
people will wake up, and then there
will be great rattling of dry bones.
A Straw.
1t is an old saying that "straws show
which way the wind blows If that
be true, then very significant thing,
though little noted, is happening in
England, indicating in what stress the
bloody Britishers find themselves to
prolong the murderous war against the
little republics of South Africa. 1t is
this: Lord Roberts and Secretary of
War Brodrick are advocating change
in the war regulations so that men un-
der five feet in stature may be admit
ted to serve in the army, which meaps
that the supply of taller men has been
exhausted. This is enough to make
Frederick William of Prussia grand
father of Frederick the Great, restless
in his coffin. His fad was giants. The
English have already 237,000 soldiers
III South Africa, who are unable to
conquer a handful of farmers. So they
are willing to take anybody into serv-
ice who is willing to serve.
Job In Congressional Debate.
When the man of Uz wrote his I'M
mortal epic, he had no idea-indeed he
couldn't have habitat thousands of
years after his wondrous sufferings he
would be quoted in the American house
of representatives in hot debate as to
our doings in the Philippines. Never
theless and notwithstanding he was SO
quoted, and by no less distinguished
parsonage than Charles Fremont Coch-
ran of Missouri The colonel snatched
from Job this thunderbolt and hurled it
at the ducking and lodging heads OF
the Republican jingoes: Should wise
man utter vain knowledge and fill his
belly with the east wind? Should he
reason with improbable talk or with
speeches wherewith he can do nc
good?Y which the jingoes construe as
a personal reflection.
A Queer caper.
In a recent issue of the Washington
Post Mr.. Z. III. Newman of Kentucky
who writes brilliant articles under the
nom de plume of Savoyard, in speak
ing of ''the fathers of the house" says
that after Hon. William d. Kelly of
Philadelphia, nicknamed .iPig Iron''
Kelly, had served one term in the
house he refused a unanimous renom-
ination on the ground that it required
so much Of his time in looking after
the claims and wants of his constitu-
ents that he had no time left for the
discharge of his public duties, where