Ink Slings.
—Wanted—A Commissioner of Pen-
sions who can squander the surplus
and hold his jaw about it.
—As the colored brethren are get-
ting none of the offices they are begin-
ning to ask what they are here for?
—His offense of twisting a guber-
natorial proboscis is mitigated by the
discovery that Major ARMES is insane.
—The veterans may be disgruntled
by the ungrateful treatment of Corporal
TANNER, but they are not the sort of
people to produce a GuIiTEAU.
—The old Robesonian navy ring are
not sending any congratulations to ex-
Secretary WHITNEY on the splendid
performance of the cruiser Baltimore.
—President Harrison didn’t do the
right thing with TANNER when he told
him to “be generous with the boys’ and
then kicked him out for his generos-
ity.
—If this row between Chicago
and New York continues, it will take a
greater discoverer than CHRISTOPHER
CorumBus to find a world’s fair given
in his honor in 1892,
—No one should be surprised at the
way FORAKER carries on about the
removal of TANNER. It is merely
habitual display of his relationship to
the Damphool family.
—Mary ANDERSON is said to be an
inch taller than LaxaeTry. But that is
merely as to stature. In dramatic
ability Laxcertry doesn’t reach the
height of Mary's shoulder.
—The New Jersey Republican con-
vention met on Tuesday and laid its egg
by giving the gubernatorial nomination
to General E. Burp Grune. That is a
Grubb that won't hatch into a gover-
nor.
—When the President suffered from
a raging molar at Deer Park the other
day he was entitled to the sympathy
of even his most uncompromising po-
litical opponents. Partisan rancor
should draw the line at toothache.
—When it is considered that Tax-
NER was the victim of a faithful ob-
servance of party pledges, the grati-
tude of the leaders, who to shield
themselves required his sacrifice, pre-
sents a rather shabby appearance.
—TFrom the number of laudatory
articles that appear in Republican
journals as the spontaneous expressions
of disinterested correspondents, we are
almost .inclined to believe that our
Dax has established a literary bureau.
—1It is said that private detectives
are employed to secure the personal
safety of the President. We should
think that there is about as much
danger of Baby McKEE being assassin-
ated as Grandpa HarrisoN—and who
would want to hurt that interesting
infant ?
—If Burns, of London, could see
the size of the American workman's
pile after the plauck-me store-keeper
has had his monthly whack at it, he
would be able to understand why the
“protected” labor of America was so
backward in tendering pecuniary as-
sistance to the London strikers.
—Sir Epwiy Arxorp called on
Warr WairmaN the other day and
fell into his arms through sheer admi-
ration for “the venerable poet.” It is
hard to understand this. We should
think it would take more than the
“Light of Asia” to enable Sir Epwiw
or anybody else to see anything like
poetry in WHITMAN'S yawp.
—Nepotism is not entirely devoid
of good effects. That true soldier and
good Democrat, General ROSECRANS,
would be bounced from his position as
Register of the Treasury, to make room
for TANNER, if he were not the cousin
of CHAUNCEY Derew's wife. It is a
rather remote relationship, but under
Republican regulations a cousin counts
for a great deal in fixing the tenure of
office.
—The Philadelphia Record refers to
it as a notable circumstance that the
recent message of President Diaz to
the Mexican Congress was entirely de-
voted to th: industrial and commer-
cial interests of the Mexican republic.
But in this respect did it not resemble
the last message of President Creve
LAND which, in confining its subject
entirely to tariff reform, had for’ its ex-
clusive purpose the promotion of the in-
dustrial and commercial interests of
the American republic?
An Indiscreet Soidier.
From the Chicago Herald.
There was an old soldier named Tan-
ner, who behaved in an indiscreet man-
ner. He was hired for a tool, but
turned out a fool, and brought shame
on the Star-Spangled Banner.
w
VOL. 34.
BELLE
= ETE, PA., SEPTEMBER 20, 1889.
£ -
: /
ES ore Yo rE,
2 alr anes loi of —S ;
© 2 ATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. Gt a |
NO. 37.
The Difference Under Different Sys-
tems.
The London dockmen are a jubilant
set of people in consequence of the suc-
cess of their strike for higher wages.
Last Sunday they marched in proces-
sion to the residence of the Lord May-
or and were received by that dignitary,
and subsequently they held a mass meet-
ing in Hyde Park at which resolutions
were passed expressive of their satis.
faction with the result of their move-
ment and gratitude toward those who
assisted the men during the strike.
Concerted action of working people for
better pay is not as frequentin England
as it used to be, for the reason that
they are generally satisfied with the
improvement in their condition that for
some years has been going on. The
great prosperity that prevails in the
English productive industries, which
is adding so vastly to the wealth of
the country, is being shared more large-
ly every year by the working people,
and hence the occasion for strikes has
diminished until they are now of infre-
quent occurrence. The dockmen’s la-
bor not being in the line of productive
industry, their wages failed to ad-
vance proportionately with those of
other workmen, but it is seen that their
demands did not require a protracted
struggle to secure favorable considera-
tion.
Its outcome was far different from
that which has almost invariably at-
tended the labor strikes in this country
where the condition of the working peo-
ple is supposed to be benefited by a
protective tariff. Soul-crushing, heart-
breaking and body-emaciating strug-
gles for better pay, lasting through
weary months, have been but recent
incidents in the industrial history of
the United States, alike in the mining
and the manufacturing departments of
labor, eventuating in almost every in
stance in crushing defeat to the strik-
ers, Thus within the past two years
have been seen the hopeless struggle of
the Lehigh and Wyoming miners for
something better than starvation wag"
es ; the total failure of the strike of the
employes of the Reading Railroad and
Coal and Iron Company and their
submission to the harsh terms of that
incorporated monopoly, and the un-
availing stand of CarNgeciE's work-
ing people against the decree that their
pay should be reduced. These are but
a few instances of the fruitless endeavor
of the wage-garners of this tari{f-blessed
land to secure better remuneration for
their labor, that which is now trans-
and Illinois being attended at this very
moment with actual starvation.
When has it ever been known, since
the high protective system has been in
operation in this country, that wage-
earners, striking for better pay, have
had occasion to jubilate over the success
of their movement? Such a trinmph
is reserved only for working people in
free trade Eagland. Defeat follows
such movements in the United States;
and in that other tariff-blessed coun-
try, Germany, imprisonment awaits the
workingmen who ask for higher wages,
as happened within the past year to the
leaders of the German coal miners’
strike.
rm —————
Colored Rebellion.
Something out of the ordinary run
of occurrences happened at Harrisburg
on the 13th inst., in the gathering of a
number of colored Democrats, it being
a meeting of the Democratic Executive
Committee of the Colored State League,
The persons who composed it were men
of prominence in the race they repre-
sented, and possessed of more than or-
dinary intelligence for people of color.
A movement of this kind may be
taken as the natural outgrowth of the
political relation that exists between the
negroes and the Republican organization
—a relation in which one of the par-
ties has conferred and the other receiv-
ed all the benefits. It has become
obvious to the colored people, as it has
to everybody else, that without the
colored vote the Republican party
would be in a hopeless minority, At
the last election there was a popular
majority of one hundred thousand
against it, aithough a million negroes
were enrolled among its voters. Take
them awayand “the grand old party”
would be a very insignificant affair,
This does not apply merely to the
southern states,but there are half a doz-
en northern states, two of which far-
piring among the miners of Indiana |
nished the pivot upon which the election
of HARRISON turned, whose Republican
majorities are supplied by colored vo-
ters. Even in Pennsylvania, where at
several recent elections the Republican
majority has been abnormally large,
the predominance of that party is due
to the 30,000 colored men who vote its
ticket. Had it not been for this un-
faltering contingent the leaders would
not have been able to perfect the ma-
chine by which they control the poli-
tics of the State.
These are facts which the compre-
hension of the negro voters have taken
hold of; and they are beginning to ask
themselves what profit they have in
keeping up a party whose white mem-
bers so greedily monopolize the official
spoils ? .
This one-sided allotment of the offices
and emoluments has evidently created
the feeling which prompted a numberof
colored men to turn up at Harrisburg
as Democrats, protesting against the
arrangement by which their people
have been made useful in winning Re-
publican victories while the leaders
have no more thought of giving them
a share of the fruits of those victories
than the old-time slave-holders
thought of giving their slaves a share
of the products of their toil. There is
going to be a rebellion against this new
kind of colored slavery.
Still Working the ig Trade” Decep-
tion.
Speaking of the influences which
brought about the election of Grover
CrLeveLAND 1n 1884, the Philadelphia
Press attributes that achievement to
the defamation of Mr. BraiNe by Mug-
wumps who had entered into a Free
Trade conspiracy. Upon the assump-
tion that this is a fair statement of a
fact, it declares that “malicious as-
“saults on the personal character of
“leading Republicans, the third-party
“temperance movement and now a cry
“for free raw materials“ate some of the
“methods used to break down the tar-
“iff. Its advocates welcome fair dis-
“cussion,” ete.
The fairness of the !discussion that
is welcomed by the tariff advocates is
sufficiently exemplified by the term
“free trade” which they apply to tariff
reform. No party has préposed to es.
tablish free trade, but there is a large
class of citizens, including prominent
Republicans, who would like to reform
a bad tariff. The proposition to reform
a system can no more fairly or honest-
ly be construed as a desire to eradicate
it than an intention to trim a tree can
be represented as a design to cut it
down. In no act or declaration of
those who are averse to a continuance
of the present high rate of tariff duties,
whether it be the Mills bill, the mes-
sage of President CLEVELAND, the plat-
form of the Democratic party, the ex-
pressions of such Republicans as GAg-
FIELD and ARTHUR, or the reportof a
Republican Tariff Commission recom-
mending tariff reduction, was there
| any expression of a desire or intention
to bring about that condition of com-
mercial intercourse known as free
trade. There was never a time when
such a kind of trade regulation
obtained in this country, although
at some periods the duties were much
lower than at others, and the proposi-
tion of the tariff reformers contemplat-
ed no reduction that would not have
left the average rate of duties higher
than that which ordinarily existed
since the establishment of the govern-
ment. This was so patent a fact that
it was impossible for the monopoly
tariff supporters to be ignorant of it.
Every intelligent person who gave the
matter honest and unprejudiced consid-
eration understood the purpose of the
tariff’ reform recommended by Creve:
LAND and supported by the Democracy.
Yet against so plain an intention of
doing no more than to cut away the
superfluous growth of an injurionsly
redundant fiscal system, the cry was
raised that its purpose was free trade.
I'his answered well enough for a cam-
paign lie. It was as good as any other
falsehood with which to humbug the
voter. But at this time, when the
public understanding is not warped by
campaign excitement and the people
are in the frame of mind to calmly
consider the tariff question, persistence
in misrepresenting the purpose of the
tariff reformers by lagging superfluous-
ly on the stage with the “free trade”
bugaboo, can have no other effect than
to excite the contempt and ridicule of
intelligent and honest people.
Tanner Badly Treated by his Superior.
With the true flunkey spirit the Re-
publican organs which some months
ago were defending Commissioner TAx-
NER, maintaining that there was noth-
ing in his conduct that was not prompt-
ed by honorable and patriotic motives,
are now praising President Harrison
for having turned him out of a position
which his extravagent disposition and
insubordinate manner rendered him un-
fit to occupy. The Philadelphia Press,
which confidently looked forward to a
vindication of the Commissioner by
the investigating committee, now turns
its back upon the repudiated official
with the declaration that “President
Harrison's action in the case is wise,
just and brave.”
It is unquestionably prudent for the
administration to get rid of an officer
whose conduct was covering it with dis-
grace and making it the object of pub-
lic condemnation, but the President's
treatment of TANNER was neither just
nor brave. The Commissioner did no
more than carry out the well known
views of Mr. Harrison who left his
subordinate to understand that there
shonld be no stint in applying the
public money to the payment of
pensions, He did not want the
“apothecarys scales” to be used in meas
uring the reward of the veterans. The
promise that the surplus should be dis-
posed of by lavish pension expenditures
was one of the means that largely con-
tributed to his election by securing the
greater portion of the soldier vote.
Taxyer had every reason to believe
that his conduct was inaccordance with
the desire of his chief and the policy of
his party. No word of protest came
from those who were over him until his
outrageously extravagant management
excited public alarm and an increase
of six millions of dollars in the public
debt in the brief period of two months
stared the frightened administration in
tha face. Then TaNsER was bounced.
But was it either just or brave to
punish him for conforming to what he
knew to be the desire of Mr. Har.
risoN and the policy of his party in
throwing the treasury doors wide open
to the raids of pension claimants of
every description? It was both cow-
ardly and unjust to make Tax~Ner the
scape-goat in this bad business.
A ——————————y
——Which is right on the TaNNER
question, the Grand Army of the Re-
public, which at its Milwaukee meeting
endorsed his official conduct and ap-
plauded his liberality in dividing the
“surplus” among the veterans, or the
administration, which has turned him
out of office for reckless and extrava-
gant performance of his trust? There
being a disagreement in this matter,
which party is on the right side of the
question ? The position of the Grand
Army is certainly the more logical.
TANNER was selected for the office of
Commissioner of Pensions because it
was well known that he was just
the sort of character that would
throw the money around among
the soldiers with a free hand.
The soldier vote gained for
Harrrsox upon the promise that the
money would be used in that way.
Harrison encouraged TanNer at the
start to be liberal with “the soldier
boys,” and such being the facts, wasn’t
the Grand Army more consistent in en-
dorsing him than Harrison was mn
was
kicking him out ?
It is remarked by the Philadel-
phia Press,in acommendatory way,that
“Secretary Tracy wants to place ship-
building plants in the various navy
yards of the country.” There is no
reason to question this state-
ment. It has been the custom of
Republican administrations to use the
navy yards for planting purposes—that’
is, they have never failed to plant large
forces of party workers in them. This
has been done not so much to increase
the strength of the navy as to increase
the strength of the party. Secretary
Tracy will be careful not to allow this
custom to fallinto innocuous desuetude.
Already the few hands really needed
to keep it in order, that were kept at
League Island by the Cleveland admin-
istration, have been succeeded by a small
army of party retainers who will be of
infinitely more use in a political than
in a naval way. Other navy yards no
doubt are being abundantly supplied
with such plants,
Why They Should Oppose Him.
There is in Philadelphia an organi-
zation called the Workingmen's Tariff
Reform Club, the members of which
keep their intelligence sharpened on
questions relating to the tariff and labor
interests. At a recent meeting it pass-
ed the following resolution.
’ WHEREAS, The Republican party has placed
In nomination for state treasurer, H. K. Boyer,
who placed himself in opposition to honest
elections by voting against the ballot reform
bill in the last legislature, and
WHEREas, The Democratic party declares in
favor of both tariff reform and ballot reform,
be it
Resolved, That we propose to work and vote
for the democratic nominee for state treasur-
er.
These are good reasons for opposing
the Republican nominee for State
Treasurer. Ballot reform, as proposed
by the bill which Boyer voted against,
1s of vital importance to voters who live
by their labor. It would afford them
prot ection against the interference of
bulldozing employers who assume the
right to control the votes of employes
because they furnish them with em-
ployment. Boyer evidently thinks
that a tyranical task-master has this
right, otherwise he would not have vot-
ed against the reform ballot bill.
Another reason why workingmen
should vote against Quay’s nominee,
is that while he filled the Speaker's
chair in no instance did he exert his
influence in behalf of the bills that were
introduced for the benefit of labor, all
of whichwere defeated, most of them
having been adversely disposed of by
processes over which the Speaker had
control.
The workingmen will prove that they
deserved no better treatment from the
Republican bosses and their minions
if they do not avail themselves of this
opportunity to punish BovER.
rt r—————
Looking at It in the Right Light,
The colored men who met in a po-
litical convention in Harrisburg the
other day, gave evidence that they are
beginning to have a correct understand
ing of the tariff question. It has not
escaped their notice that the benefits of
protection are not shared by the colored
people. They see that alike with other
poor laboring men they are made
to bear the burden of taxation on the
necessaries of life while the fruits of
protection are enjoyed by those whom
the tariff enables to practice extortion
upon consumers, and they have made
the discovery that their wages are not in-
creased by the system which increases
the price of what they have to buy.
They are also confronted by the fact
that under a tariff system which is said
to be productive of employment for the
laboring man they find themselves ex-
cluded from industrial establishments
in which the foreign laborer is preferr-
ed to the native colored workingman.
Under these circumstances the color
ed convention at Harrisburg very prop-
erly denounced the existing monopoly
tariff as an unjust and oppressive fraud,
EI A I
No enterprise of the kind has
been so successful as the Grangers’ pic-
nic and exhibition annually held at
Williams’ Grove. Its success has been
phenomenal, there being nothing in
the country to compare with it. The
great results atgained are to be attribu-
ted chiefly to good management. But
we see that dissatisfaction is being ex-
pressed in certain quarters. Some are
charging Col. THoxas, who has been
the principal manager, with having
made too much money out of the pic-
nics, and it is reported that the Grang-
ers are going to have their annual
gatherings and exhibitions at some oth-
er place. We can scarcely believe
this. Success at Williams’ Grove has
been assured. No one appears to have
substantial reason to complain that
he has been overcharged, and if
THomas manages to realize something
handsome, oughtn’t every feeling of
envy and jealousy to be allayed by his
managing to give the Grangers a good
show and a good time at a very reason-
able expense? The only fault we ever
found with his management was for his
getting in the list of speakers some old
blatherskite who would attempt to ad-
dress the crowd on the tariff, or politi-
cal economy, or some other subject of
that kind, without having an intelli
gent comprehension of what he was
talking about.
What has become of the county
surplus ?
|
Spawls from the Keystone.
—Pittshurg’s exposition costs $1000 day.
—A pigeon which cost $100 is owned by A. B.
Hoskins, of Media.
—The seventy-six lakes of Wayne county
bristle with gamy bass.
— A quilt on exhibition at Scranton is sew-
ed together with 7200 feet of silk.
—Workmen at a Seranton brickyard handled
106,000 brick s in one day recently.
—Chincapins are plentiful on the trees of
York eounty, and boys are knocking lots of
them.
—Splenie fever among cattle is worrying
farmers in the vicinity of Boyertown, Berks
county.
—A Pottstown butcher in a fit of anger killed
an obstinate bull calf by throwing a stone and
striking the animal.
—“Rattlesnake Pete,” an Oil City character,
has sold a snake-skin for $6 toa man who
will use it as a necktie.
—Seven pounds and three ounces of bass
hooked itself on the fishing line of Lewis
McCloskey at Norristown.
—A wedding took plack in Mercer county
jail on Saturday. The bride had been impris-
oned for attempting suicide.
—The seventy-first annual Convention of
the bucks County Bible Society will be held at
Andalusia on the 26th instant.
—Ghosts are said to stalk abroad at midnight
around the Black Rock tunnel on the Read-
ing Railroad near Phenixville,
—Sames N. Roger, of Lebanon has a pear
tree which has borne a large crop this sum-
mer, and is again in full bloom.
—The lightning that killed Edward Jacquard
in Meadville lately broke every bone in his
boby and turned the flesh black.
—Jesse King, of Norristown, has a letter re-
ceived six weeks ago from Weather Profit
Devoe predicting the recent storm.
—Judge White made a speech in Court at
Pittsburg advocating the granting of many
more licenses than he at first allowed.
—Emanuel Moore, of Ashland, ina drunken
frenzy kicked over the ice-box in which his
dead child was lying, and was arrested.
—DMilton Moyer, of Pleasant Valley, Bucks
county, had both legs broken recently by the
fall of a tree, which pinned him to the ground.
—Three sons of D. C. Wil'iams, of Shoemak-
ersville, Berks county, will shortly leave home
for the deaf and dumb asylum in Philadelphia.
—The body of Samuel Shannon, 67 years old,
who had been on a spree, was found in a barn
at Breinigsvil'e, Lehigh county, on Wednes-
day.
—After setting fire toated a Scranton7-
year-old took up a position on the fence to
wateh the house burn. His father warmed
him for it.
—Two women, each carrying a large rattle-
snake around her waist, visited Connelsvillea
few days ago, trying to secure a purchaser for
the reptiles.
Mrs. Michael Shilling, of Hamburg, is a rav-
ing maniac from having brooded over the dis-
closures and predictions of an itinerant for-
tune teller.
—Seven new houses in a row of eight on
South Walnut street, West Chester, have been
taken by newly married couples or prospeec-
tive bridegrooms.
—A Pittsburg paper says: The city is rapid,
ly filling up with foreign glassblowers who
seem to be in straitened circumstances, and
want work very badly.
—Antonio Allelelyo, boss of a gang of Italian
railroad laborers on a new railroad at Pen
Argyl, married a 14-year-old girl from that
vicinity a few days ago.
—A steer ran ahead of a locomotive a quar-
ter of a mile on the Perkiomen Railroad at
Emaus‘ on Tuesday, crossing a bridge in its
flight, and escaping safely.
—Griefover the death of her husband has
robbed Mrs. Hall, of Scranton, of her reason,
and, armed with a butcher-knife, she is try-
ing to murder her relatives.
—The same English syndicate that purchas-
ed the Thomas Iron Works, at Hokenaduqua,
has, it is said, made a proposition to buy the
Crans Iron Works at Catasauqua.
—Mobhrsville has a farmer who allowed him-
self to be tazen in by New York “green goods’
men; but he did not get the accustomed pack.
age of sawdust. It was brickbust.
—Six different couples were applicants for
the leading parts at the proposed wedding at
the Doylestown Fair. Two have been selected
and will divide the honors and gifts.
—An enraged steer held possession of a
Pittsburg street until he was lassoed by a man
who afterward charged on the animal and suf-
focated it by holding fast to its nose.
—The grand jury of Warren county on
Thursday last brought a presentment against
the Warren County Fair Association for per-
mitting gambling on the fair grounds.
—Minnie Johnston, of Allentown, while
awaiting a hearing in an Alderman’s office on
Wednesday evening, darted out and vaulting
a fence eluded a bow-legged constable.
—Three- maiden ladies of Pleasant Unity
have been robbed of a large sum of money by
a man who was taken into their house, repre-
senting that he was a Johnstown sufferer.
—While passing over a railroad track at
Norristown a horse driven by R. T. Schall
caught its foot in the track, which stopped it
so suddenly that the driver was thrown over
its head.
—A Northern Central locomotive was board-
ed at Williamsport by a weak-minded colored
boy who pulled the lever and started off,
When arrested he said he was going to the
Gettysburg reunion.
—By the wreck of an east-bound freight
train on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad at
Round Island, fifteen miles west of Renovo,
nineteen cars were smashed aud a tramp sus.
tained serious injuries.
—Forty-three days buried among rye sheaves
is the experience of a Saylor’s Lake hen. She
was uncovered a few days ago when the rye
was thrashed and had been imprisoned when
the grain was housed. .
—According to the testimony of his grand.
mother, George Anderson, aged 13 years, of
York, takes delight in beating his mother,
He varied his amusement a day or two ago by
stabbing her with a pair of scissors
-A Swede named Clinch, employed on Hon.
S. M. Brainerd’s farm near Erie, while in li-
quor several days ago climbed into a pastare-
field containing a herd of Durham bulls, wiped
his face with a red handkerchief, and was bad»
ly erushed by ad infuriated animal.
—W. 8. Longenecker, of Shaner’s Creek,
Huntingdon county, was to have been mar-
ried to Miss Mary Whistler, of McVeytown,
three weeks ago, but the marriage was post-
poned for some days, the girl being under age:
A few days ago the prospective groom was *
struck dead by lightning in Johnstown.