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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.