Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-07-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our Regular CORES pondenu.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our Regular Cores pOndent.)
Washington. d. g., June 25.-I call
ell yesterday on Congressman Cowherd,
running the Democratic National cam
paign from the Riggs House, to hear
what he had to say about the Republic
can platf "What has become of /
the party's courage : he asked "On
come of the greatest questions its
tongue is paralyzed. Isn't the labor
situation conspicuously before the
country The platform says not word |
about it. What is going TO be done
with the Philippines The RepubIl
can platform does not lisp a syllable. |
Has the tariff ceased to be an issue |
The platform makes no promise about
1t except that it will be diminished or
increased whenever its political guar
dian thinks lit Of the gross postoflice
corruptions it merely says our admins
tration of the great departments of the
government has boon honest" The
subject of statehood is not mentioned
IN the platform, although four in
choate states with million and half
population are knocking loudly at the
door. Is that an attractive platform ?''
The forty Filipinos have come and
gone. They have been hailed and
lunched by the President, effusively
greeted by his suhOrdinates, lifted to
the top of the monument and carried
through the public buildings. and have
FASTENED on to other cities. inquired
his impressions from Major-General
Birney, son of that James G. Birney,
who made the free-sOil run for Presi-
dent in 1874. and only survivor of four
brothers who fought in the Union
army. He said ''They looked about
like the same number of intelligent
persons from our states on an excur-
sion to the capital for pleasure and in
structiOn. If they are representatives
of their people, We owe more respect
to the Filipinos than we have yet
shown. If the President of the Fair
at St. Louis would devise a plan to
make our people AGO TAINTED with these
men instead of exhibiting a lot of say.
age IgorrOtes at the Pike. he would &C.
quire much merit" A score of Digger
Indians caught in the Bad Lands oil
the West would represent our native
population as well as those IgorrOtes
represent the Filipinos.
! Iasked: "What did you think of theil
speeches p 'They were respectable. ,
be said, "but not remarkable for orig
inality or force. They were about
what would be expected of guests
whose bills we're paid by their enter
tanners and who would naturally avoid
unpleasant topics. They were as polite
as Spaniards."
Don't you suppose their report!
will do good in the archipelago ?"
asked. Perhaps" he answered, "bl
giving the people there more definite
ideas of the extent, power, wealth, an(
industrial resources of this country.
don t know that the reports will max,
them more friendly to us. They dom
fight us as they did. China don't bur
so much when they are worn smooth
But no subjugated nation loves it
masters. The Beers and HiudOOs de-
not love the British; nor do the Finn
!, love the Russians, or the Filipnos thu
Americans. Warships and rapid-fr,
guns maintain what is called peace
No Filipino rebels unless ne has mad,
his will, but the spirit that demandl
Independence is there and would blaZt
up if favorable occasion offered
Without battIeships and Cuttings the,
are helpless; but if powerful nation
should offer them such facilities of de.
fence, think they would rise REBEL iOI
from the north end OF LuZOn to the
southern corner of the Sulu posses
sions. If Japan, for instance, shall bt
victorious over Russia. what will bt
likely to happen? | don't know; but
II is n question worth thinking about
while we are execOrating Russia and
calling down curses On the head of the
Gar"
CortelyOu s Department OF Commerce
and Labor is trying hard to find out
which of its officials are directly re-
fsponsible for the General Slocum hOlo-
caust in the East River. There is no
Disgusting the fact that the blame rests
directly upon some of CortelyOu's in
spectOrs. But when they are punished,
II such contamination can be hoped
for, some blame will still rest upon
Congress itself. The most astounding
revelations in connection with it is the
provision of law which pays inspectors
according to the number of steamboats,
they are able to certify to having ex-
amined in year! OF course this is a
direct incentive to carelessness and ut
ter recklessness. 1t offers a premium
for perjury and a prize for neglect of
duty. Under this law inspectors who
do not inspect are paid three times as
much as those who do, On the sole con-
ditiOn that they are ready and expert
liars. What kinds of Congressman
were they who enacted such law?
Tariff Plank StraddIe.
The platform adopted by the Repub.
llcan convention last week is rather a
weak affair and in the .oninion of