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Show EXPLOITING OUR COLONIES. Previous to the Spanish-American war, statesmen, semi-real and otherwise, other-wise, delighted in firing American audiences au-diences with stories of Spanish cruelty and rapacity, with tales of plundering and extortionate taxation in which the Spaniard indulged himself to the everlasting ever-lasting ruii of the Cuban. Corruption of Spanish officials was a favorite theme in the halls of congress, as well as outside. Now it is scarce two years since these Spanish colonies came under un-der the dominion of the United States, end what do we behold? We have 75,-000 75,-000 troops in the Philippines shooting down men who are fighting under the shibboleth of liberty, who are looting churches and carrying bloodshed and destruction among a people whose only contention' is that they believe in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; their homes have been raized to the ground, the land has become be-come barren, for the tillers of the soil have been driven to the mountains at the point of the American bayonet. Under the guise of "beneficent assimilation" assimi-lation" the Philippines are being prepared pre-pared for the exploits of the carpetbag carpet-bag thief from the United States. Recent history shows that neither Spain nor England nor any other nation na-tion possesses thieves and plunderers who can equal the average American carpet-bagger. We sent them down south in the recoastiuction days; they plundered the southern people; they desolated the southern land and not until they had been removed and fled to the north did the Southern States show any sign of prosperity. The Southern States were legitimate prey of the carpet-bagger from the North, whose only idea of "beneficent assimilation" assim-ilation" was to steal the taxes, which were levied in the name of civilization. And history is repeating itself. Already Al-ready the stories that come from Cuba I of the scandalous actions of American J citizens are matters of deep moment, and Washington dispatches affirm .that j the president and members of his cabinet cab-inet are deeply concerned lest the untimely un-timely disclosures of rottenness and corruption in the Cuban postoffice department de-partment will work to Mr. McKUiiey's undoing. Thievery and plunder, called by the more polite name of "shortage." are rampant in the Cuban postoffice department. de-partment. The real amount of money stolen has not ben made public and will not be. Reports say the amount runs from $100,000 to $500,000, the latter sum being more likely to be the correct cor-rect one. Thus the beginning of American rule in Cuba is marked by acts of plunder by the side of which Spanish thievery pales into insignificance. insignifi-cance. The same thing will happen in Hawaii, in Porto Rico, in all of our new possessions where the political carpet-bagger goes, because it is in his very blood and nature. We suggest two words to the Democrats Demo-crats at Kansas City as an adenda to their platform, vis., Stop thief. |