Whatever is said of Tom Watson, no one will deny that he has convictions and the nerve to stand by them. He knows no party lines when it comes to fighting for the principles he has so long advocated, and that is the reason he is now supporting Hoke Smith.—Dalton (Ga.) Citizen.
The Philippine tariff is a characteristic act of the present régime. We first shot and beat the poor savages into submission. We then took away the market for their goods and compelled them to sell to, and buy of, us. We followed this with the Dingley tariff both coming and going. The fact that this was simple highway robbery did not shame us. At the point of a gun they are compelled to stand and deliver. The House has now passed a bill providing that we will stop robbing these “wards” of ours except the poor Sugar Trust and Tobacco Trust and they shall only continue their robbery until 1909. And do you know that some Republicans are actually claiming some credit for such a law as that?—Frankfort (Ind.) Crescent Standard.
The author of our “Washington Letter” slops over this week in fulsome praise of Paul Morton, who at one time admitted his long-continued violation of the anti-rebate law—a crime which no honorable man would commit under any circumstances. The Herald approves of no such condoning of crime on the part of any man from the President down to the lowest.—Waseca (Minn.) Herald.
Burton cares not who makes the laws of the country, provided he gets his salary and mileage.—Cumberland (Md.) Independent.
By stepping inside of the door of the Senate chamber so that the journal clerk could view him for half a minute, Senator Burton of Kansas was enabled to claim attendance on the 59th Congress and draw $1,000 mileage therefore. No, Senator Burton will not resign while he can draw his salary of $5,000 a year and mileage, even though his reputation does rest under a cloud. That cloud has a silver lining.—Alva (Okla.) Renfrews Record.