The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-15
CURRENT

Secretary Moody officially explains
thai there has been no change in the
hitting UP of the Mayfiower since il was
Originality prepared for its present use"
That suggests that some persons think
the country would have been better OF
II there had never been an original
Mayfiower. which. by the way. they do
say was. a short time after landing the
pilgrims, fitted up for the slave trade
etween Africa and New England,
News-Leader.
The London Spectator. Wondering
upon the census estimate that so. O00. 900
people now reside in this country, COM
ments that a population Of so. O0O. 900. OF
whom 7o,000. 600 are white men. and
most of them of exceptional energy and
intelligence. speaking the English Ian
guage and living under AngIo-Saxon
institutions, is a tremendous fact. Saws
Inc Spectator: II the union, as we
trust and believe she will, escapes in
ternal commissions she must rise in the
next quarter Of a century-that is, be-
fore middle-aged men alive today are
very old men-to a position OF power
and influence to which history hardly
affords a parallel.-New York World.
The timely publication of the report
OF the civil service commission shows
- NAdLl IOuT
years President Mckinley suspended
the civil service rules only three times.
and that in less than two years and a
half President Roosevelt suspended he
rules not less than sixty times. Such
is the difference between a president
who was never a great stickler for civil
service reform and the president who
has posed as it's foremost champion be-
fore the whole country. But on this
score nothing fourther need b. said of
the president who make J..
S. Garrison naval officer in New
York and remove Miss Huldah B..
Todd on partisan grounds from a little
rural postoffice in Observation-Disclosures
phia Record.
The truth is, the Hearst combina-
ton is shriveling miserably in the lime
light that has been turned On it, lust as
that noiSome thing. the slug shrivels
when salt is put on it. The country
has fully recovered from the amaze
ment caused by Hearst's aspira-
lions. = And this is the shallow
man with nothing whatever to COM
mand the admiration Of his fellow
citizens who Is seeking by means OF his
astounding Cheek and long checkbook
to be nominated for the presidency.
There is nothing in all the history Of
American Politics to equal the grotes-
que spectacle he presents as he gath
ers about him a cohort of political mud
snip2s and sends them out with money
to buy up delegates in the various states
who are SO disrerutable themselves thai
they will not stay bought after accept
ing the money! New Orleans States.
The defeat of Captain Hobson for
congress intiictS no loss upon anybody
but himself and his friends, and that
should be but temporary. Alabama los
/ es nothing and the country at large
nothing. His candidacy was purely
sentimental. There was no business in
it at all. 1t would be a mistake to
make the national legislature a parade
ground for heroes. The work of that
body is Of a practical nature and is
best performed by men whose expert
ence and training have qualified them
for weighing general problems in a gen.
eral way. Captain Hobson is an edu-
Gated sailor. Mr.. Bankhead is a sea-
soned politician. with fifteen years to
his credit in the house. What did the
sixth Alabama district stand to win
therefore by retiring the veteran, still
in his prime and good for many more
a of service. and putting forward a
novice ON a wave of mere enthusiasm?
washington Star.
If Senator Spooner is not careful, he
will acquire a reputation similar to that
of a great medical expcrt-that Of
OClLS SoiISQ AL plAASlpdiiy III odiSCi GUS
cases. 1t has already got SO that peo-
pie shake their heads and say the pres
ident must have been in a more critical
condition than was thought if nr.
Spooner had to be sent for. Several
times before last Saturdays consultation
over the acute attack of pension-order,
has the Wisconsin specialist put the
| other practitioners aside. and told how
to pull the patient through. 1t is, no
doubt. pleasant to be bulletined as the
skilled physician who saved the sick
mans life when others failed. but it
does have to be saved so often. One
complete defence and vindication of
President Roosevelt has hardly ceased
to reverberate in the senate before
Mr.. Spooner must undertake another.
He is a born debater, and seems to en-
joy taking a retainer to extricate a
client from any scrape no matter how
black-looking. But It must occur -
him sometimes that his powers might
be more worthily employed. There was
once a senator known as the defender
of the constitution. The mere title nj
defender of the president is not one
we should say, that Senator Spoone'
u-1,,lI -rafar Nou- vnrly Docf