The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-11-29
CURRENT COMMENT.

Folks platform and that was Why
Missouri vent over into the republican
column Thou shalt not steal ought
to apply only to the other fellow
Florence Times.
The movement in Russia for Z rep
resentative government may not inn
mediately succeed, but in time it will.
n the waiting viii not beEery long.
Such movements never go backward.
and no power, year after year. ear
resist them. Russia alone of the ma
ions termed Christian entrusts no
power to the people. Russia is fay be-
hind, but she will follow the footsteps
of the others. There is but one road,
and it admits OF no backward steps.
h men who are calling for a Rus
sian congress now are not nihiIist. an
archists or ~revolutionists. They are
the hone and sinew of the vast empire.
n what is more, they are it's brain.
They are not actuated by a tickle ca
price. but by an understanding of the
needs of the people of Russia and OF
the government rs welL-Times-Un-
ion.
Nowhere is the modern commerclai
tendency towards consolidation better
eXemplified han in the railway systems
of the country. They are, at present.
in their entirety, practically controI-
ed by a few small c]oteries of capital
lists. Thus the competitive idea is be-
ing relegated to the rear. The conse-
quenceS of thus knocking out compe-
tition, by the simple process of ab-
sorbing competitors, are so apparent
to all, are such vital and important
factors of the current economic stu
ton, as to require no particular en-
phasis. Everyone engaged in business
of any sort. to any extent. knows of
the effects which follow in the train
of the destruction, or restriction. of
healthy competition, because all have
felt them. In Georgia we are all of
US we'll aware of the power which
combination, or agreements which
amount to combination. give the vari-
Gus railroad interests over the business
situation.-Atlanta Journal.
Is political independence gro wing
in America? The average democrat,
his eyes still blinded with he dust of
the recent republican landslide, Will
be inclined, in first blush. 10 give a
negative answer. The wide difference
between mugwump promises and per-
Torrance at the polls has not i'm
pressed him with the numerical i'm
p%ortance of the independent vote. Su
there were hundreds of thousands Of
Independent votes cast at the late
election. as a brief analysis Of the re-
turns of the various states will show.
The great American scratcher go. in
his work most effectively. vt least
ten states of the union furnish strik-
ing example of the fact that the re-
cent election was not conducted on the
strict idea of partisanship. IN every
one of these states local issues caused
a wide disparity between the pluraii-
ties for president and governor, in
four of them democratic candidates
receiving substantial pluralities for
governor in the face of overwhelming
pluralities for the republican presiden-
tial ticket.-Atlanta Constitution.
The New York Tribune of Sunday
prints a lengthy article from its Wash
ington bureau, which bears every evil
dence of having been "inspired,'' and
which outlines the policy of President
Roosevelt during his next adm;nistra-
liOll- Inc tTIlCIe Is HldlIllN taken UP
in discussing the tariff question and
the presidents attitude toward it. As
surance is given that there will be
/ few changes in the tariff schedule,
and as if to set all doubts At rest a
special is printed cOnspicuously on the
d. first page of the Tribune. as a sort
!, of supplement to the article under re.
= view, in which it is aid that authori.
D tive announcement was made at the
I White house Saturday afternoon tina
= the subject of tariff revision would no
: appear in the presidents forthcomins
4 message to congress. The president,
= we are assured. intends to discus.
this important question will the lead
ers of the senate and house of repre-
= sentatives after their arrival in De
l cember and if they believe that tn,
I best interests of the country demar,
an immediate reimbursement OF TIL
, schedules, an extraordinary session o
congress may be called at the close o
the short session, March 4th. If. O,
the other hand, the concensus of opin
. ion inclines to the belief that it is bes
T to leave we'll enough alone until
year from December, when the mex
q long session convenes, and when tn
subject may be taken up at leisur
. and settled after a thorough discussion
:, by those In favor of and those OF
posed 10 revision, the president wi
acquiesce.' We are further told tha
~ the president believes that such a
n important matter as tariff revfsio
9 should not be settled off hand, and tha
as 1T affects the whole country an
4 practically every industry. he does nc
think that one man alone shoul
decide either for or against immedi
e ate revision. The Tribune thinks tha
: the president is favorably disposed to
: ward the suggestion of the maximum
and minimum system of tariff SEIZED
ules. He does not believe in r~eciproc
Observation-Disclosures.