The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-01
CURRENT

It Is asserted that the labor vets Is
solid for Mr. Hearst. There is no such
thing as the labor vote. Working men
are. as a rule about as intelligent as
the general run OF mankind and they
know that the Hearst propositions of
great friendship for labor are but
SPRINGS to catch woodcocks." Be
sides, there is no political organization
in the labor world and no man can con-
troll the votes OF the workingmen.-No-
bile Register.
The expression of the democratic state
committee OF New Jersey in favor OF
IN uninstructed delegation to the ma
tional convention must be accepted as
longer to be considered for the presi-
Dental nomination. The democratic
leaders in the ex-presidents own state
though very friendly to him., are evil
IDENTIFY fully persuaded OF the finality OF
his expressed determination not to be
regarded as a candidate. To avoid
placing Mr.. Cleveland in a false posi-
ton. and to leave their delegation free
to act for the best interest OF the party
as it shall appear ct the time OF the
nomination. they will neither ndorse
him nor instruct for him.-New York
World.
The president is displaying his usual
belated SenSitiveneSs after a rash act
this time in connection with his PEN
sion ruling. He has found out that it
is of doubtful legality and of an unpop-
ularity not at all doubtful; consequent
ly he is about to rise to explain, so the
Washington dispatches inform US. Ger
tain precedents are to be cited. it APP
pears. but the chief defence is that this
lesser evil was accepted only TO avoi
a greater. That is to say, the movement
for a 0anaral service nlnSi0n act w9S
getting to be formidable. Congress felt
itself too weak to withstand it; the
heroic president himslf distrusted his
| own ability 20 oppose a demoraIizing
and ruinous measure. So the plan was
devised of sq%uandering S14, 200, 900 In
order to prevent the squandering of
$50, 600, 900. The idea that it is the duty
of the chief executive to prevent all
squandering is, of course, obsolete So,
apparently, is also the proverb that. if
you give certain people an inch. they
will take an ell. Certainly, the sop
which the president has thrown to the
pension lobbyists will, instead of salts
flying them, only whet their appetite
for more.-New York Post.
If there is one thing more certain
than another, it is that the republic
cans are afraid to have the lid re-
moved from the poStoffice depart
ment. The real reaso for their fear
is that they want no more exposures
on the eve Of a national campaign.
Indeed, they have demonstrated that
they dare not venture upon an inves-
tigation. at this time. They made
every effort to escap it, and were at
last driven to plead a mere technl-
cality as their excuse. Mr.. Williams,
the minority leader, was pitiless. He
was so persistent. indeed, that no doubt
he earned the reputation of impol1teness
1@-A urnnlr ~ U-O Ha p
posed an amendment to the postoffice
appropriation bill providing for the APP
pointment of a select Ommltte OF
five members Of the house n three
senators to make a complete investi-
cation into the alleged frauds of the
p~ostoffice department. Thereupon,
the point of order was nae that the
amendment was not germane, and
was new legislation. 1t was in vain
that Mr.. Williams urged the with
drawal of the point of order; the at
titude Of the republicans was such
that they might as well have said.
eff we do not insist on this point OF
order, our party will be injured by the
exposure tina will ensue."-Atlanta
Constitution.
Since the decision, of the supreme
court in the Northern Securities case
Secretary Shaw has been engaged large
ly in footing the trumpet of the dmln
%istration as a trust buster His lat
est foot was up in Rhode Island, where
he played usual tune, the thmatic chord
or motive of which was adulatory
of President Roosevelt, while the varia-
tions were ~inferentially structures upon
the democrats for never having zone
ANYTHING to enforce the antitrust laws.
AS has been shown, the charge that the
democrats never did anything to en-
force those avs will not lie. In the
circumstances, during Mr.. Cleveland's
second administration they did about
all that could have been done in that
direction. None the less Secretary
Shaw's footing seems to be disturbing
the equinimity Of a good many or our
democratic contemporaries; appears 10
have gotten on their nerves. They are
| arguing very heatedly the questions I'M
der which administration. Clevelands
or Roosevelt's the most trust busting
was accomplished. To our MIND thus
is a waste of time. AS we said the 9TH
raw honors are about even. But even
if they are not, what do a rev trust
.'busts'' in the way of breaking up
freight and railway combinations
! amount to compared with what is in
| volved to the country in busting up
the general trust evil? To any lain
the present administration and the re-
publican party may set up regarding
having rendered superior service in the
| courts in the matter of trust busting
| the Insufficient answer from the DEM
| ocrats is that the republican party IS
responsible for the outrageous tariI
| which has fostered the m~onopollstlc
| combinations that are. sucking the life
1 blood out of the conSumerS.NeWs Lead
| er.