The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-10-05

seems to me that no good American
citizen can fail to rejoice over, and
have a pride in, the great work and
the great record we have wrought in
the Philippine islands. The record Of
England in India, of France in Cochin
China, or of Holland in Sumatra and
Borneo, can bear no comparison with
the great work we have wrought in
the Philippine islands. Those islands,
by reason of their location in the
heart of the Orient, are a great asset
to us in extending our commerce in
the oriental countries, and our flag.
representing our guardianship and our
government, is a still greater asset
to them. They are still only parti-
ally developed and still only partially
fit for self-government. Under our
flag and under our supervision, they
will, in the years to come, gradually
coalesce and grow in strength and
manhood and become a homogeneous
nation. The great mass of the people
are more than satisfied with our gov
eminent and our supervision. They
prefer that to an oligarchy of schem-
ing native politicians, who, in ex-
ploitation of themselves, are shouting
Independence"
President Wilson and the Democrat
ic party have taken up this shout and
have advocated the scuttling of the
islands. Shall what Admiral Dewey
and President Mckinley, the Ameri-
can soldiers, and the American school
teachers have wrought for these peo-
pie and those islands go for naught?
The odor of the Republican party is
upon it, and, therefore, it is stencil
in the nostrils of the Democracy, and,
therefore, the islands should be scut-
tied The Philippine bill, with the
scuttling Clarke amendment, passed
the senate by the narrowest kind Of
majority, the vote of the vice presi-
dent deciding it. When the bill
reached the house, we hoped that
Wilson would at least be neutral, but
such was not the case. He proved
to be as much of a scuttler as Sem
ator Clarke But fortunately there
were about thirty northern Democrats
who united with the Republicans in
defeating the nefarious and unpatri-
otto scheme.
Rural Credit Legislation.
The so-called rural credit law, for
which much credit is claimed by the
Democrats, will be found to be of
little help or use for northern farm
ers. 1t is based on foreign models,
poorly suited to conditions in our
country. 1t creates a federal farm
loan board of five members, four Of
whom are to receive a salary of $10,-
900 per annum each. The law pro-
vides for the establishment of twelve
farm loan districts. with farm loan
bank in each. Before farmers can
borrow, they must form farm loan
associations, in which they must take
and pay for stock to the amount of
s. for every 500 they want to bor-
row. The scheme will be found to
be so complicated and involved that
Few farmers will care to make use Of
it, unless money can be borrowed
through it at materially lower rates
th8n from other sources, which seems
hiehly improbable; at least, in the
north Ii a farmer can borrow money
rom his local banker. on his farm. at
say six per cent interest, he is not
likely to join a farm loan association
and take stock at the rate of s. for
every 500 he borrows. In the north
-fot
rule can be obtained on first class
farm mortgages at from five to six
per cent interest, it is not likely that
much use will be made of the law.
It may be that III the south. where
money is less plentiful and interest
higher some help may be obtained
through the law. Tenants. who e
often times needy and worthy of help,
can not secure money under the pro-
visions of, the law. Only land own
ers, who occupy and till their farms,
can borrow money under it. The sys-
tenn will prove to be very expensive
and, inasmuch as it IS to some eX-
tent Of foreign Importation, it is, to
say the least, questionable whether
it will prove to be q success in this
country. It is, in short, new eX-
pertinent Of doubtful value which
remains to be tried and tested
Law for Railway Men.
This law, hurriedly rushed through
during the last hours of the last ses-
sion Of congress, is the elimination
of Democratic legislative wisdom It.
is at the very apex Of their so-called
scheme of constructive legislation.
What are the facts in the case? Four
orders of railway trainmen had by
vote, Of which we have no reliable
data, determined uron strike to hold
I'D the railway freight traffic of the
entire country if their demands wera
not complied with prior TO Sept 4.
this year. These demands were
chiefly of a two-fold character:
First The trainmen insisted upon
the same pay for an eight hour days
work as they were receiving for &,
ten hour dav's work This involved
a fat increase in their wages Of
| twenty-five per cent
Second The trainmen insisted upon
time and a half pay for all 0 er-tiTe e..
Tboro Voc NOTHING in III or demands