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PAGE TWO
Public Opinion Throughout the Union
LOOT!
War is usually hell —that argu
ment is on the best authority—and
when it isn’t hell it is something
worse: it is loot. And it doesn’t
take a heathen to loot. A Christian
can do it as well. Os that the stories
from Casablanca again convince us.
For the despatches this morning say
that 4 ‘having completely plundered
the Moorish and Jewish quarters, and
looking for further plunder, the
Arabs found that they must drive
away the guards around the consu
lates in order to have the European
shops and stores at their mercy.”
The French made several sorties; they
returned with bayonets dripping. The
Arabs had been driven back, but the
looting was not ended. Now the oth
ers had their chance. “By evening
the town was clear of Arabs except
those in hiding, who were unable to
escape. Then commenced a second
series of pillagings. The Spaniards
came first, each man guarding his own
shop and robbing his neighbor’s.
Then the Jews crept timidly from
their hiding places and began to
prowl about, looting wherever they
could.”
The interesting fact is that some
good subjects of the powers evident
ly took part in the looting. But they
were civilians, and maybe did not
know the rules of war; they were
merchants, and so more intent upon
the laws of profit and loss. But did
the French and Spanish soldiers take
no part? Their British cousins know
the meaning of loot.
Now remember when you’re ’acking
round a gilded Burma god
That ’is eyes is very often precious
stones.
An’ if you treat a nigger to a dose o’
cleanin ’-rod
’E’s like to show you everything ’e
owns.
Ow the loot!
Bloomin’ loot!
That’s the thing to make the boys git
up an’ shoot!
It’s the same with dogs an’ men;
If you’d have ’em come again
Clap ’em forward with a Loo! loo!
Lulu! Loot!
The Peace Conference at The
Hague has spent the greater part of
its time discussing technical proposi
tions destined to render war more
humane. The doctors disagree, some
of them insisting that the nations
should fight with popguns, others pro
claiming that the bigger the battle
ships, the more terrible the ordnance,
the better will it be for all concerned.
But all of them, with a very few ex
ceptions, agree that some of the evils
of war, the dumdum bullet and
poisonous gases, for example, are
“unnecessary” evils. And looting
belongs in this class. The soldiers
themselves, when they learn that
Great Britain has refused to inter
dict the sowing of mines, may fail
to see “why looting should be enter
ed as a crime.” But those who make
the rules for the soldiers have agreed
that it is, and now that they are
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
making more rules, it is to be hoped
that they will adopt some that will
make those already made more ef
fective.
The looting at Casablanca justifies
the likening of dogs and men, and
we sometimes think the dogs have the
better of it. Better than anything
that might have happened the rapine
and ghoulish despoilment in Morocco
have shown that a considerable task
is in hand there —a task whose com
plete accomplishment may mean po
litical changes of great consequence.
So large a price may Mulai—Abd-el-
Aziz, Sultan of Morocco, have to pay
for his 100t —loot that was part
Christian loot.—N. Y. Globe.
TEN YEARS OF DINGLEYISM.
The Dingley tariff act is ten years
old, and in that time it has extracted
in an indirect and sneaking manner
$2,527,698,828 from the pockets of the
people. In the last fiscal year it took
a million dollars on every business
day, for there was gathered in $333,-
000,900 during the fiscal year. If the
people could see and feel this taxa
tion the road to reform would be
shortened and quickly traversed.
But the people are becoming awake
to the fact that Dingley taxation,
secret and sneaking as it is, is but a
device to breed a handful of million
aires at the expense of the general
public. It puts upon the many an in
creasing cost of living in order that a
scheming grabber here and there may
become a millionaire and a contribu
tor to the slush funds of the republi
can party. The combine is a strong
one, but it is destined to be voted
down and out if the republic is to es
cape permanent plutocratism. This
is the question now at stake, and it
will not be settled until it is settled
right.—Age-Herald.
THE PEOPLE SHOULD ELEOT
ALL JUDGES.
The latest developments in the
struggle of Alabama with the rail
roads make the situation in that
state even more serious than it was
in North Carolina. As in three other
Southern commonwealths, the inter
ference of the Federal judiciary in
an attempt to protect the roads
caused all the trouble.
The rate law passed by the Ala
bama Legislature was quite moder
ate, fixing passenger fares at two and
a half cents per mile. Instead of
abiding by this mild act, the rail
roads rushed to the Federal court
and obtained an injunction. As in
North Carolina, the Governor claim
ed that should have been
taken to the State courts first, after
which an appeal could have been
had to the Federal tribunal.
As a result of its failure to observe
the law, the license of the Southern
Railroad to do business in Alabama
has been cancelled and Governor Co
mer shows every intention of enforc
ing the edict.
Aside from the legal technicalities
involved in the Alabama case, as
well as in those of North Carolina,
Virginia and Arkansas, the facts are
that the laws passed by these states
are not oppressive to the roads and
that they are supported almost unan
imously by public opinion.
These are but a few instances of
an actual tyranny shown by inferior
United States courts, a tyranny never
contemplated by the framers of the
Constitution, although Jefferson pre
dicted that it would follow as a con
sequence of the system of appointing
judges for life.
Time has fulfilled his prohpecy.
Wisdom would now suggest that the
defect which he pointed out should
be remedied.
The way to remedy it is for the
people to elect all judges.
If this sensible and democratic
method of choosing the Federal ju
diciary were now in existence, does
any one imagine that such conflicts
as those in Alabama and the other
states mentioned could have occurred ?
The terms of office should then be
made so short that the exercise of
irresponsible power by the courts
would be removed.
It is not a question of whether
some individual judge does right and
another does wrong. The system it
self is utterly undemocratic and is
fraught with possible abuse and dan
ger.
As a result of it the courts have
usurped a power such as was un
dreamed of by the fathers and such
as exists in no other civilized country
on earth. —N. Y. American.
THE MISSISSIPPI SENATOR
SHIP.
At this writing there seems some
doubt as to whether John Sharp Wil
liams or James K. Vardaman won
in Mississippi for the senate. The
probability is that Williams won.
It is not surprising that Williams
should win. His candidacy was back
ed by the same powers that purchase
senators and representatives in other
states.
If it turns out that Williams did
win, 1 am not sorry.
And for this statement I will give
my reason.
If Williams goes to the senate it
will take him out of the house. His
space in that branch of Congress is
worth more to the people than his
presence.
When Williams goes to the senate
he will make room in the house for
a leader of the Democratic minority.
Williams was the puppet of the Re
publican Speaker Cannon, and .as
leader of the minority he was unob
trusive and ineffective, because that
is the kind of minority leader that
Cannon wanted.
In the Senate Williams will join
the S. 8. S. brigade. eH will line up
with the Florida senators and others
as ‘ 4 safe-sane-and-silent. ’ ’ Williams
can do less harm in the senate than
he did in the house, so to the senate
let him go.
It will then be for the Democratic
minority in the house to choose a
leader. With a fearless, tactful aud
resourceful leader, the house minor
ity may amount to something.
At any rate, no greater mistake
can be made than was made when
John Sharpe Williams was chosen to
the leadership of the Democratic mi
nority.
In the senate the minority never
accomplishes anything; in the house
it is different.
Bon voyage to John. He had an
opportunity, but didn’t make good.
Here’s hoping that his successor
will be less a manikin and more a
man.
The pity about it is that Williams’
term as senator does not begin until
March 4, 19J1. He has already been
re-elected to the sixth congress, and
will yet have a chance to retrieve
himself as a real leader. But there
is nothing in his past record to give
color to such a hope.
Mississippi does not believe in
waiting until the time is ripe for
electing senators. In the course of
events it may happen that another
election will be held for senator be
fore Senator Mooney retires. Many
things might occur in four years
when Williams is scheduled to take
his seat as Mooney’s successor.—Tal
lahassee Sun.
A DECENT WAGE FOR THE
SOLDIER.
Representative Hull, of lowa, who
will succeed himself as chairman of
the House Committee on Military Af
fairs, is in Washington to consult
with the officers of the General Staff
as to the best means of filling the
depleted ranks of the army. The
officers have told Mr. Hull, and he
agreed with them, that higher pay
for the enlisted men will keep the
recruiting forces busy..
There will be an attempt by Mr.
Hull to secure the passage of a bill
which will give the soldier the pay
that he deserves and earns. Possibly
Congress will wake up to the se
riousness of the situation and do
something for the army. The mem
bers of Congress, like other civilians,
generally, don’t care a rap about the
army in time of peace, though they
are willing to do something for it
in the spirit of pure selfishness when
war threatens. If Mr. Hull and the
General Staff get their pay increase
bill through, they will rank with
the men who win big battles.
It is said that an attempt will be
made to put through side by side
with the pay bill a bill to increase
the number of men in certain branch
es of the service. Folly! One thing
at a time is all that Congress can
be brought painfully to do for the
army. Mr. Hull and the other
friends of the service will defeat
their Own ends if they try to do too
much at one time. Let other things
wait until the enlisted men are paid
a decent wage and the ranks are
filled to stay filled.—Chicago Post.
When lightning struck the barn and
cowshed of the father of Brinck, tho
liberated slayer of his sweetheart
near Ponca the other day, is was rec
ognized as a judgment of God, but
when a storm two days later tore
down a Methodist church at Valen
tine no suspicion was attached to
divinity.—The Examiner.