The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-19

der the evolutionary rule or lne SpS- cialization of function, while Boston has taken over the duties of con science. New York seems to have be- come the national stomach. l say this in no apologetic mood, for a man may live without a conscience, and even flourish like a green bay tree, but ne cannot exist without digestive organs New York does it's work well and thor oughly too. Would that Boston did her part half as we'll Senator Hoar, in his Autobiography, casts slurs upon the metropolis whenever he has a chance, and I do not wonder at it, for the cen ter of his public life for long time has been Washington, and, as ne knows. Washington has become a mere branch office of New York. The committee of the Senate which rules the country (and of which, be it said to his credit, Senator Hoar is not mem ber) represents the financial interests of New York, and the center of grav- ity has shifted from Pennsylvania avenue to Wall street. As New Yorker take some pride in this. It shows vigor and resourcefulness and ability. We are keeping up our end at New York, and if the stomach is allow ed to govern the country, that is not the fault of the stomach. It is the Bos- ton conscience that needs bracing up. It should be more unanimous and 1t should be more profound on the logical side. It has been addressing itself of late to the weighty matters of militar- ism, but, after all, these are only | fef1 launched the directoin of militarism,-we are building big navy, increasing the army, and centralizing the militia-for the purpose of extending our imperial ism; and we have adopted the policy of imperialism for the purpose of fore ing upon feeble nations those products of ours which our own people cannot afford to buy. The domestic question lies at the root of the foreign complica- tions of recent years, in Hawaii, sam ca, the Philippines and Panama. It is a mistake to suppose that imperialism favors all kinds of war. It only favors wars with nations that cannot possibly hurt us or our commerce. Wall street was heartily opposed to the Spanish war for it feared that Spain was strong enough to do us some injury, and the representatives of the Wall street sen timent, together with the clergy and educators who respond to that infiu- ence, opposed that war. But as soon as it became evident that Spain could do us no harm, Wall street and its friends swung round and they have since then | favored swash-buckling enterprise of the administration, including the Phil l ippine infamy. It is the disire to find markets for our surplus which makes
 business" support imperialism, and it is the excessive "rake-off' on wages which piles up a surplus of goods in q l few hands and at the same time leaves | the workman unable to buy them. The conscience of the country will be of little use until 1t takes up the question of the distribution of wealth. Let
 Boston take the hint.
 Boston has more than once displayed | the standard of conscience but it has always been coupled with the watch word of freedom, and it must apply the same principle to our economic situa-
 tion now if it wishes to repeat the tri- 1 umphs of the past. 1t was freedom and
 anti-imperialism that inspired the op- position to the tax on tea, to the Mexi- can war, and to slavery, and the same principles are capable of application
 now. There is a Home Market cluk ir
 Boston to-day which has the excellent object of encouraging the purchase of Jour own gods by our own people, but it wishes to force ct at the point oi tthe bayonet and at the cost of free dom, free trade,---and not the i'm perfect instalment of free trade which is involved in the mere abolition of the protective tariff. Real free trade means industry and commerce freed from all tribute extorted under the guise of monopoly charges, dividends on watered stock, rent of unearned in- crement, or taxation of labor and its products. Arthur St. John brings this out admirably in his tract on Real Free Trade co. w. Daniel publisher 5 Water Lane, Ludgate Hill, London jthreepence), which is the best thing yet produced in the Chamberlain campaign
 in England, as far as my Observation
 has extended. I would commend it to
 the Twentieth Century club and the keepers of our national conscience
 We must not waste too much of ouI time on the mere symptoms of econ- omic disorder.
 | Massachusetts offers a good opportu. nifty for studying individual consciences in it's public men, There is Senator
 Hoar, for instance. whose conscience Invariably inspires him to say the just
 and brave thing, but which seems tt
 fail to connect satisfactorily with his
 voting apparatus. There is Ex-Gov
 Boutwell,, who, notwithstanding his
 advanced age, keeps his conscience un,
 fortunately had no opportunity to ex.
 anime. Even in Boston a good all
 round conscience is hardly key tC
 popularity, but it never was. Int
 first objectors to the tea-tax were
 small minority and far fram respect
 able. When Garrison began to hamme
 at slavery, he was regarded as an out
 cast and they came pretty near lynch
 ing him too. But there is one thins
 about Boston. However they may nal
 treat such men when they are aliv
 they are sure to put up their statue
 when they are dead, which must be
 consolation to them And Gov. Bout
 well will have his statue some day too
 not because he was governor and sena tor and secretary of the treasury; it