The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1903-04-30

InlS attempt or the administration
10 squelch the scandal did not have
the looked-for effect. for a dispatch
from Porto Rico says:
The grand jury to-day called many
witnesses in the smuggling cases in
which officers of the United States
navy and other prominent men are
involved. and secured from the court
commissioner who presided at the for
mer hearings, copy Of the testimony
taken.
THE prisoners who are confined In
the penitentiary for smuggling have
presented n petition requesting that
they be pardoned and released unless
others guilty of the same offense are
punished"
The Porto Ricans evidently believe
that what is sauce for the native
goose should be sauce for the United
States gander, but they will find that
official influence is powerful lever to
protect the influential criminal, and
that those without such friends must
bear the full brunt of the law.
| Presidents Mistaken.
| President Roosevelt said, in his
speech at Sioux Falls that "the nation
al government has a small field in
which it can work in labor matters"
The truth of this statement is chal-
lenged by several labor leaders. who
assert, In the language Of Mr.. John w.
Hayes, president of the Knights of
Labor. that ''the field is infinite. The
National Congress could be kept much
buster dealing with labor matters and
enacting labor laws of national
scope than with all its dealings with
capital"
The most interesting part of Mr..
Hayes interview on this subject is the
following: Il might mention the immi-
grafton laws. There should he a pro-
tective tariff law against the impOr-
tation of cheap labor. We tax the ar
ticles that these men make while liv-
ing in their foreign house; but they
can come to this country and work
just us cheaply. placing their goods Oh
the market free of duty and drive our
Why not have tariff on the men as
well as on the stuff they make:"
This most important point appears
not TO have actually occurred to most
labor men. If they understood it they
would certainly not vote for the one
sided protection advocated by the Re
publican party. Such protection. in
stead of benetiting labor, increases the
prices Of manufactured goods and the
cost of living and. therefore. actually
lowers real wages. But it Injuries Ia
Dor in another way. Because most pro-
tected industries charge higher prices
than they could charge, if unprotected,
there is diminished consumption of
these products. This means diminish
ed production, fewer hands employed
and. therefore. reduced wages. for
wages are fixed by the law of supply
and demand in the protected as in the
unprotected industries.
How the Republicans have duped in
labor on this question is beyond COM
prehension. In most protected Euro
pean countries, where wages are low.
it never occurs to the prOtectionists to
try to make it acceptable to the work
ing people by telling them that tariff
on goods will increase wages. The
thing would appear too absurd. They
find other excuses and pretexts. or per-
haps the Gar just claps tariff taxes
on to the people. without saying by
your leave and without taking the
trouble to Invent lying excuses and
sophistical arguments. He does not |
need to stultify his reasoning powers.
He knows that the people will pay the |
taxes and that certain men, none Of |
them wOrkingmen, will share the pro-
ceeds with the government. He needs |
his share and DEGREES protection
that's all.
Cholera Attacks Troops.
For some reason not explained by |
the officials. Captain Pershing with a
body of troops has been attacking the |
MorOs in the interior of the island Of
MindanaO. The expedition succeeded
in taking by storm the town of BacO-
lod. killing over a hundred Of its de-
tenders, with loss on the part Of our
troops of only two. Whoever ordered
this expedition, it would seem to be
an act of criminal aggression. for the
Moros had not interfered with our
troops until we entered their country
with an armed force. The United
States has treaty with the Sultan
who rules the MOros. and although
that treaty is a monstrosity for Re
public to make. acknowledging, as 1t
does, the twin barbarisms of slavery
and pOlygamy, yet good faith demands
that a treaty must be kept until sue
ceeded by another. 1t Is the irony Of
fate that our soldiers who have been
ordered to the front in the expedition
against the Moros are likely to fare
as badly or even worse than the MOros
themselves. A dispatch from Manila
gives us the disastrous intelligence
that the dreaded cholera has attacked
Captain Pershing's troops, five cases
and many suspected cases being re-
ported. The dispatch adds: TT is sup
posed the disease was contracted near
If the cholera extends to the other
United States troops the loss Of life
may be fearful to contemplate. and
the sadness Of death of loved ones will
fill many of our people with anguish
that cannot be comforted. And all for
what? Only the inextinguishable zeal
for conquest of the imperialists, who
for a season dominate this government
and who believe they can govern other
men better than they can govern them
selves.
EnjoyinH Tariff Prosperity.
\\NlEI/ /
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