Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-09-26

The methods by WHICH 49,
acquired the Panama canai rou'e anu
FIGHTS are a source OF regret 10 many
re .I,or, the statement that thereby
- nubllc work was assured to the
s.ost Of our people Is not sufncient
Snsrver TO the charge OF Violation OF
aa,,onal good faith. They appreciate
+hst fine principles and healthy conyic-
lions which in their working QUIZ nave
made us free and great stand nrmiv
against the argument or suggestion
that we shall be blind TO the nature
Of the means employed to promote our
welfare. They hold that adherence 10
rr,ncinle whether II works for our
good or Ill. will have q more Denen-
cont Influence on our future destiny
than ali our material upbuilding, ana
that we should ever remember that
the idea Of doing a wrong to small
or weaker nation that we, or even all
mankind. may have resultant good
&c repugant to the principles upon
which our government was founded.
Under the laws of the United states
the duty is imposed on the executive
TO proceed with due diligence In the
work OF constructing the canal. That
duty should be promptly performed.
American Shipping.
Our commerce In American bottoms
amounts to but per cent Of our total
exports and imports. For seventy
wears prior to 1850, when the Repub-
lican party came into power, our mer-
chant marine carried an average OF
75 per cent of our foreign commerce
By 1877 it had dwindled to 27 per cent.
Now we carry but a contempupiy
small fraction Of our exports and i'm
ports.
American shipping In the foreign
trade was greater by over 100000 tons
In 1910, nearly 100 years ago, than IL
was last year. In the face Of the con-
tinuous decline In the record OF Amer
lean shipping during the last forty
three years the promise Of the Rapuo-
ucan party to restore II Is without en-
couragement. The record Of the Dem
ocratio party gives assurance that the
task can be more wisely intrusted to
II.
II IL an arduous task to undo the Ell
feet of forty years Of dscadence ana
requires the study and Investigation
Of those best fitted by experience TO
fpd the remedy, which surely does not
lie In the granting Of subsidies wrung
from the pockets of all the taxpayers
Investigation Of Government Depart
rnents.
Recent disclosures, coupled with the
rapid augmentation of government e1-
penditures, show a need Of an inVesu-
cation OF every department of the gov
! ernment The Democrats In congress
demanded ii. The Republican MAORI
" refused the demand. The people
can determine by their vote In NO
yember whether they wish an honest
and thorough investigation. A Demo
cratic congress and executive Will as
/ sure II.
Army and Navy.
We are Justly proud of the officers
and men Of our army and navy. Both
however have suffered from the per
sistent injection of personal and polit
zeal influence. Promotions and appoint
ments have been frequently based OIL
fayoritism instead Of merit. Trials
and court martials have been set aside
under circumstances indicating polit
zeal interference. These and othe
abuses should be corrected.
Pensions For Our Soldiers and Sailors
The national Democracy favors I'D
eral pensions to the surviving soldier
and sailors and their dependents OF
the ground that they deserve liberia
treatment. 1t pledges by its platform
adequate legislation to that end. Blu
II denies the right of the executive Z
usurp the power of congress to legis
late on that subject. Such usurpatloi
WAS attempted by pension order No
7s. and effect has been given TO 1t b.
a congress that dared not resent tn
usurpatIon. 1t Is said that this order
was made In the performance OF
duty imposed upon the president BY
act Of congress-" but the provision
making the imposition Is not pointed
out. The act to which the order re
fers, which Is the one relating TO pen
sions to civil war veterans, does not
authorize pensions on the ground OF
age. 1t does grant pensions to those
suffering from any mental or physical
disability or disabilities Of a perma-
nent character, not the result of their
own vicious habits, which so incapaci-
tates them from the performance OF
manual labor as to render them una
bic to earn a support" This specified
requirement of lncapacity Is In effect
set aside by order No. rs as to all per
sons over sixty-two.
The war closed nearly forty years
ago. In the meantime many Of our
soldiers and sailors long survived the
age Of slxty-two and passed away
without receiving any pension. Skill
full pension attorneys, hunting through
the statute, failed to find there pro-
vision giving a pension to all who had
reached slxty-two. Many prominent
veterans urged the justice Of congress
slonal action giving a service pension
to all veterans. Bills to that effect
were introduced in congress. And not
until March Of this year did any one
ever claim to have made the discovery
that the president had power to treat
the statute as If it read that when a
claimant had passed the age Of sixty
two years he Is necessarily disabled
| ona-half I'm ability To DerfOrm mammal