The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-09-13

tIement OF the Alaska boundary line71
DO they object to the fact that after
freeing Cuba we gave her reciprocal
trade advantages with the United
States, while at the same time keep
ing naval stations In the island and
kproviding against Its sinking into chaos
sr being conquered by any foreign
| pVwer? Do they object to the fact that
| our flag now flies over Porto Rico2 Do.
| they object to the acquisition OF Ha-
Waii5 Once they hauled down. our
flag there. We have hoisted II again.
Do they intend once more to haul It
down? Do they object to-the part VS.
played IN China2 Do they not know
that the voice OF the United States
would now count for nothing Ia the
far east If we had abandoned the Phil
| ippines and refused to do what was
done in China7 Do they object to
the fact that this government secured
peaceful settlement Of the troubles
In Venezuela two years ago
Do they object to the fact that
| American warships appeared promptly
| at the port Of Beirut when an effort
| had been made to assassinate an Amer
| lean official, and In the port Of Tangier
| when an American citizen had been
abducted, and that In each case the
| wrong complained of was righted and
| expiated, and that within the last few
| days the visit Of an American squad
| ron to Smyrna was followed by the
! long delayed concession Of their just
! rights to those Americans concerned
| In educational work in Turkey? Do
they object to the trade treaty with
| China, so full of advantage for the
American people in the future7 Do
they object to the fact that the ships
4 carrying the national flag now have a
higher standard than ever before In
craftsmanship and in seamanship as
| individual units and as component
! parts Of sQuadrons and feets7
Executive Enoroachments."
When our opponents speak Of ZEN
croachmenfs'' by the executive upon
| the authority of congress or the Judi
ciary. apparently the act they ordina-
riIy have In view is pension order No.
| 78, issued under the authority Of exist
ing law. This order directed that here
1 after any veteran Of the civil war who
had reached the age Of sixty-two
should be presumptively entitled to the
| pension of SO a month, given under the
| dependent pension law to those whose
capacity to earn their livelihood by
| manual labor has been decreased 80 per
cent and that by the time the age Of
| seventy was reached the presumption
should be that the physical disability
was complete. the age being treated as
an evidential fact in each case. This
order was made in the performance Of
| duty imposed upon the president by
| an act OF congress which requires the
executive to make regulations to gov
ern the subordinntes OF the pension Of
| fee IN determining who are entitled to
| pensions. President Cleveland had al
ready exercised this power by regu-
lation which declared that seventy-fye
should be set as the age at which total
| disability should be conclusively pre-
1 eumed Similarly President Mckinley
| established sixty-five as the age at
| which half disability should be con-
| clusiveIy presumed The regulation
now In question In the exercise OF the
same power supplemented these regu-
lations made under Presidents Cleye-
land and Mckinley.
| 1t is easy to test our opponents sin
certify In this matter. The order In
| question is reyocable at the pleasure
OF the executive II our opponents
come into power they can revoke this
order and announce that they will treat
the veterans Of sixty-two to seventy as
presumably in full bodily yigor and
not entitled to pensions. Will they
now authoritatively state that they in
tend to do this2 II SO. we accept the
issue.
The Currency.
So much for what our opponents
openly or covertly advance In the way
OF an attack on the acts Of the admin
istration. When we come TO consider
the policies for which they profess to
stand we are met with the difficulty
always arising when statements Of pol
icy are SO made that they can be inter
preted in different ways. On some Of
the vital questions that have confront
ed the American people In the last
decade our opponents take the posi-
ton that silence is the best possible
way TO convey their views They con-
tend that their lukewarm attitude Of
partial acquiescence In what others
have accomplished entities them to be
made the custodians Of the financial
honor and commercial interests which
they have but recently sought to ruin.
Being unable to agree among them
selves as to whether the gold standard
! is curse Or blessing and ais to
whether we ought or ought not to have
free and unlimited coinage Of silver,
| they have apparently thought It ex-
pedient to avoid any committaI on
these subjects and individually each to
follow his particular bent, Their near
est approach to majority Judgment
seems to be that 1t is now inexpedient
to assert their convictions one way or
the other and that the establishment
Of the gold standard by the Republic
an party should not be disturbed un-
less there Is an alteration In the rela-
tive quantity Of production Of silver
and gold.