The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-09-29
CURRENT COMMENT.

The Constitution has discovered an
other clere~0an who declares the races
Will enlai together in America. The
| Constitutions recruiting service grows
with marvellous rapldity. Within the
two weeks of his campaign
it has enlisted at least thirteen men
an unlucky number-but the great
militant army Of the people outside,
IS per cent of the whole population.
| on the farms and in the fields, and
standing guard over the homes Of the
people. smiles at The Constitutions
strong assertion prompting the shallow
sophistry that it hOlds.-Atlanta News.
Mrs. Nation is not so bad as she is
| painted. Certainly those who have
been saying ~iIl-natured things about
her should bury the hatchet since she
has shovn her nobility of heart and
generosity Of purse by making so rich
a contribution to the cause Of charity
as that in Kansas Citv Kan. where
she made over valuable property that
is TO be used exclusively for the bene-
fit Of wives, mothers and children of
drunkards. Such u~nfortunates should
certainly be the b~enefciaries of some
one charity. if their drink-ridden
mainstayS are not competent to up
port them.-Savannah News.
One consideration that is making our
people impatient of hard work is the
example of riches quickly made
through the s~emi-gambling activities.
Men who's fathers would have died
rather than live on bread they had not
earned find themselves willing to be
taken care of by the government,
perhaps. or by 1.-THE party" or by their
more fortunate or industrious rela-
tives. Such drones know nothing of
the satisfaction of him who "scOrns
delights and lives labOriOus days"
who can hold his head high and says
he mas earned the right to live. and
whose death is thus not a debt paid
to nature. for he owes her nothing
Springfield Republican.
The Panama canal treaty is dead. 1t
matters not whether the Colombian
congress means it 20 ne dead or only
wishes to haggle for better terms. The
result is the same. The United States
cannOt afford to diCker with a shy
lock. The terms proposed were as
liberal as the CONGRESS- of the United
States thought proper to make. Since
they were NOT accented it is now
proper = deal with Nicaragua. 1t is
neither dignifed nor proper to drive
q bargain with Colombia. It is now
the dutv of the president under the
act passed by congress to enter into
III dS ICI flI >OSlCi
Rica for the construction of = canal
by the Nicaraguan route. Colombia
has no mOnOnOly of the isthmus. She
thought she had the whip hand. She
should be shown hat she was mis-
taken.-Florida. Times-Union.
The New York Sun refers to the
Hon. John H. Clarke, OF Ohio. us tom
Johnson's candidate for Mr.. Hanna's
seat in the senate" and says lie ~
worthy Of his patron.' 1t would be
more accurate to sneak of Mr.. Clarke
as the candidate of the Ohio demo-
Gratis for succession to Senator Han
ma. but that is not material. Tom
Johnson has occasionally selected,
nominated. and successfully financed
the campaigns Of Ohio legislatures,
and has carefully supervised their
proceedings at Columbus. 1t is prob
able that his ample are the
principal source of supply of the
sinews of war in the pending cam
paign; but no one who has any ac-
%uuafntance with Mr.. Clarke suspects
that he will. If elected to the United
States senate, accent dictation from
Tom Johnson or any other boss
Washington Post.
They are going to put a ~tobaccon1st
IN Jail in New York if he carries out
q declared Intention of using II NINA
ture United States flag or his wares
as an advertisement. And the New
York Tribune thinks the iail the proper
place for anybody willing to debase
our proud national symbol by making
an advertising sign of it." The time
was. and that within the memory Of
the present generation. when the pal
metto tree on field of blue received al
most sacred veneratiOn from South
Carolinians. h neC"le who achieved
whatever has been worthy in South
Carolina honored that emblem: those
who have stood for decency and who
nave attempted to maintain Cardinals
honorable standards, loved and had
pride in hat palmetto tree. But to
what base uses has it been put!
Stamped on millions OF whiskey~ TASKS
TASKS cOntainin~ the cOmmOneSt
Whistles made and from whose mouths
the incentive for dozens Of murders
has flowed. Poo South Carolfna!-
Columbia State.
The complications arising in connec-
ton with the Magelssen incident, con-
tinue. When the report that our vice
consul at Beirut had been asSaSsinated
reached this country, President ROOSe-
Welt ordered the United States Euro
pean squadron to thar port. and then
proceeded to make vigorous represent
tatiOnS to the sultan of Turkey about
the lawlessness of those residents of
Beirut who tried to kill cur consular
Representatives. AS a result OF. Mr.
ROOSeVeltS action the sui
tan remoV from office Reshid PaSha,
the governor OF tho province of Beirut.
1t is now stated that Reshid Pasha
is to be appointed governor of Brusa,
n the question arises whether our
government. should assent to IKE Up
pOlntment or whether it should notify
Abdul HamiH tho he will not be per-
mitted to fill the offices in his domin-
ions without the previous consent or
the United States. II the
president really did demand the
removal of Reshid Pasha. the logi-
cal action would be to protest against
his appointment tO another office,
since the mere tranfer of a court ia
vorite from n post to another. scarce
~ ould be considered severe punish
ment. Whether it was either right or
wise for the president to demand the
removal of the governor. in the first
place. is another Observation-Disclosures
| News. Press.