Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1903)
y V- Y ' '! m 1 Commoner PLAN VtV Tlir: RKOROANIZKRS. The Hrooklyn Kagle, one of the rw ognlzed organs of the reorganl.ers, be comes mori anI more frank In its statement relating to the purposes of the Clevelandites. In Its Issue of March 2 the Kagle describes at some length the program adopted by these reor ganizers. The Ragle nays: "Those democrats who oppose Bryan and who advocate the reconstruction of democracy with Bryan Ism expunged, are about to carry that Issue Into the south and west. One of the principal battlegrounds will be the state of Ne braska, where Mr. Bryan still retains, nominally, at least, the control of the machinery of his party. "It Is proponed to crush Mr. Bryan's Influence In his own state and to pre vent at all costs his control of the Ne braska delegation to the next demo cratic national convention." The Kale explains that "this plan Is not only essential, but feasible." In order that Kansas City platform demo crats may understand the organized effort to drive them out of the organi zation and to make the e-roe-rotie-party so much like the republic; paity tliat the difference will lie in name only, it will be interesting to ri id what the Kagle has te say concerning the- work now under way by the r or ganize. The Kagle explains: ".Mr. mil's Is the executive mind in the scheme of reorganization. i"or more than a year that skillful politi cian has been building an anti Bryan, conservative, sound money ma chine in the democratic party of ttig east to be used as the nucleus of the general reorganization movement planned for next year. Mr. Cleveland gave countenance to the project in June. 1M02. by appearing on the same platform with Mr. Hill at the Tilden club in thin city. Mr. (iornian met Mr. Hill at Saratoga in September and Mr. Olney met him in New York in January, both acquiescing in his plans. New Kngland. New York, New Jersey and Maryland, having together ninety three votea In the electoral college. were thus In alliance against Bryan at the moment he arrived in New York with his defiance of the Hill-Cleveland fac tion. In all of the combinations by which democratic victories have been figured In the past. Maryland has been allotted safe, and New York. New Jer sey and Connecticut fighting ground. Next in Importance is Indiana. That state has been promised to Hill by ex Mayor Taggart of Indianapolis. "Powerful as this combination un doubtedly Is. It lacks much of control In the democratic national convention. It is Mr. Hill's hope. If not his expec tation, that most of the delegates from the south will desert Bryan's cause. To pave the way for a southern alli ance Mr. Hill has been in communica tion with prominent gold democrats of North Carolina. Georgia. Tennessee. Kentucky, Alabama. Mississippi. Mis souri and Texas. The results are defi nitely known to nobody but Mr. Hill. It la asserted, however, on authority close to Mr. Hill, that every one of the states named has been pledged to support bis policy of reorganization. Texas leading. To make this substan tial inroad into the solid south it has been necessary to concede the vice presidential nomination to the south, assuming, to begin with, that the nomi nee for president will be chosen from New York. "Mr. Hill and his associates are con vinced that the south will in the end respond favorably to appeals made through its financial and business In stitutions. They concede that Mr. Bryan Is strong witi the rank and file of the southern voteis. but they believe that the most influential of the south ern leaders are against hlni. The can didacy of Chief Judge Alton B. Parker of New York, which has been adroitly pressed In several of the southern states, has done much. It is claimed, to weaken the sentimental hold which Bryan had upon that section in 18'.H and l!oo." In the same article, the Eagle says that a desperate effort is to be made to carry Illinois for the reorganizes, while a vigorous fight Is also to be made on Tom Johnson In Ohio. "The reorganizers believe," says the Eagle, "that they can make a c lean sweep of the states of the middle west if they are able to first demonstrate that an effective anti-Bryan alliance exists be tween the east and the south." The Kagle says that Mr. Hill has been in correspondence with a number of "democrats" in Nebraska and that he has determined upon a serious effort to prevent the Kansas City platform democrats in that state from obtaining representation in the national conven tion. Referring to Mr. Bryan, the Kagle says that "he will not be permitted to remain in the democracy as a foc us for future dissensions. The brightest men or the party have decided to get him out without more ado." And then outlining the platform of 194. if these reorganizers secure control of the na tional convention, the Eagle says: "With the disapearance of Bryan, the question of reaffirmation of the na tional platforms of lSDfi and 1900 will Ilso disappear and the democracy will be free to proceed with reconstruction on lines acceptable to eastern leaders and to the commercial and financial in terests of the country." The Eagle explains: "It goes with out saying that the platform of 1904 adopted under these altered circum stances will uphold sound money, deal respectfully with the courts and ex clude socialism. Whatever declara tions it may contain with respect to the tariff, the Philippines and the internal policy of the country will undoubtedly Attorney General Knox now has a fund of $jio,mH with which not to prosecute the trusts any more than is necessary for campaign purposes. Under what theory of republican government is it proper to tax the peo ple in order to raise money to lend back to the people through favored banks? "What shall Cuba do for us?" plain tively asks the New York Tribune. The Tribune doubtless thinks Cuba should do all we ask without asking anything in return. The legislature of Nebraska has re fused to pass a bill providing for equal taxation, the bill being bitterly opposed by the railroad corporations." The man who cannot guess the political com plexion of the Nebraska legislature with his eyes shut doubtless would swim a river to get at hi3 bath-tub. A St. Louis federal judge has en Joined a lot of railroad employes from striking for better wages. The em ployes might find a federal judge will ing to enjoin railroad managers from refusing to pay a fair rate of wage. We say "might" because we entertain f rave and serious doubts about it. Comment. be sufficiently statesmanlike for can didates like Chief Judge Parker. Mr. Cleveland. Mr. Olney or Mr. Gorman to run upon without stultification." The Kagle further ventures the state ment that "Mr. Hill Is fond of mys tery and he makes the most of it in his dealings with the south. He hopes to secure the greatest possible secrecy with respect to his campaign against Bryan In the south and west. The success of his plan will greatly en hance his power In the democratic party and make him a formidable can didate if he decides to enter the lists. That detail cannot be settled, how ever, until Bryan is no longer a factor In the party, for with Bryan in the sad dle even as the head of a small minor ity faction, the nomination of Hill or any other democrat of his type would be likely to disrupt the democracy." It will not be difficult for democrats to understand what the purpose of these re organ i -.iTd is with respect to the democratic platform when they are tolii that that platform will be so ar ranged that, it will be satisfactory to men like Grover Cleveland. These re organizers. however, make the mistake of thinking that Mr. Bryan is the is sue. Even though Mr. Bryan could be driven from the democratic- party, even though Mr. Bryan were dead. the;;e reorganizers would yet have to contend willi democrats who believed in democratic principles as reflected in i be Kansas City platform long be fore Mr. Bryan was ever heard of and who would be found fighting in defense of those principles regardless of Mr. Bryan's position. It Is strange that these men who are generally given credit for being shmvd politicians fail to recognize the fact that Mr. Bryan is but one of the humble spokesmen of men who are sincerely committed to the principles set forth in the Kansas City platform. If these politicians had only Mr. Bryan to contend with it would not be difficult for them to accomplish their purpose. But they either do not know or they overlook the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of democrats in this country who are just as de voted to the principles of the Kansas City platform as Mr. Bryan could pos sibly be: and even though these men could completely destroy the individual against whom they are pleased to di rect their shafts, they would yet be required to face the great army of Kansas City platform democrats and engage in a desperate struggle with those democrats before they could de stroy the principles of the party. The Commoner has quoted at length from the Brooklyn Eagle merely for the purpose of impressing upon Kansas City platform democrats the impor tance of immediate and thorough or ganization. These reorganizers need not flatter themselves that they are to have a monopoly on the fighting. The challenge they have thrown down has been accepted by Kansas City plat form democrats. The Issue is well de fined by the Brooklyn Eagle when it says that if the reorganizers win, the platform will be framed to suit Grover Cleveland: and it will be the duty of every democrat who remembers the disaster which Grover Cleveland's sec ond administration brought upon the party to buckle on the armor and en list for the fight until the end of the war. Kansas City, platform democrats should organize in every, precinct in the United States. There is no time to be lost. In the language of one of the greatest of Americans. "The war is inevitable and let it come. I repeat, sir. let it come." The Commoner desires to encourage the formation of democratic clubs in every precinct and to aid these clubs In their work a form for constitution will be sent upon application and The Commoner will publish from time to time suggestions in regard to subjects for debate. DO NOT DELAY! ORGANIZE NOW! The secretary of every club is re quested to report the organization to The Commoner, notice of which will be given for the information of other communities. When special interests want some particular legislation they ask for it and then keep bringing pressure to bear until they get It. When the peo ple want some particular legislation they ask for it and then smile and vote to re-elect the men who refuse their petitions. This is whoy special Inter ests are always well taken care of by congress. Mr. Roosevelt will have difficulty In demonstrating that educated and worthy negroes live only in the south. If he is determined to reward fitness, let him apply the test indiscriminately north and south. The appointment of a fw nemo rostmasters in northern grafts vill do more than epistolary exercise to prove his sincerity. Senator Aldrich's monetary bill pro vides that the government shall loan money to the banks at per cent In order that the banks may have money to lean to the people at 8, 10. 12 or even greater per cent. The mere fact thai Senator Aldrlch introduced the bill is evidence that the banks are to be well taken care of. It is not for men who betrayed the democratic party into the hands of its enemies to say who shall or shall not sit in democratic conventions. Neither is it for men who bolted the democratic piatforms and candidates to say what future platforms shall contain or who shall be nominated as candidates there on. If an uncalled-for surplus were not collected by outrageous and unjust taxation there would be no need of landing government money to favored banks on chips and whetstones for the purpose of giving tue people an oppor tunity to borrow at heavy interest. The telegraph informs us that the island of Guam has been raised six inches by an earthquake shock. The interesting feature of this bit of news is that it lends encouragement to the hope that some time republican poli cies may be lifted up above a mere con templation of financial gain. While the Oklahoma legislature Is amending the rules of "seven-up" the people should set about amending the rules of the trust game of "cinch." The holiday habit is growing so rap idly that we may confidently expect those who still believe that the foreign er pays the tax to ask that April 1 be made a legal holiday. Those democrats who have spent the last eight or ten years voting the republican ticke twill not have a great deal to say as to who shall or shall i.ot have seats in the democratic na tional convention of 19C4. THE TRUE POSITION FIGURE3 DISPROVE CLAIMS MADE BY REPUBLICANS. F acts Show Just How Much Truth There Is in the Boasts of Politicians About the Great "Balance of Trade" in Our Favor. Statistics of the Brooklyn bridge show that an average ol about 20,000 more people cross into New York each day than cross back to Brook lyn. These statistics indicate that Brooklyn is losing and New York gaining in population at the rate of 7,000,000,000 a year. Sensible men know that there is no such daily bal ance of population in favor of or against New York according to whichever political theory you accept. Somehow and In some way, about as many people return to Brooklyn daily as leave it. Similarly, Republicans are prating about the great " balance of trade" in our favor, amounting to from $400, 000,0(10 to $t;0o,ooo.n;o a year for six years, and are attempting to make the people believe that it is a good thing to be coming out of the country each year, this much more than is being brought in. Sensible men shake their head.- and refuse to swallow these figures. The trade and commer cial papers, like the Iron Age and the New York Commercial, are now dis cussing the "Invisible Balance of Trade," which punctures both the facts and theories of the politicians. The following table is from the Iron Age of Feb. 2ti: Invisible (Adverse) Balance of Trade. Interest balance 90.000.000 Ocean freight balance Kii.OoO.OOO Tourists' expenditures Sa.uOo.tMiO repatriation 30.tHm.000 Kent Balance 23.000,000 Money sent by resident for eigners 10,000.000 Total $293,000,000 As the Iron Age says, this table "shows that the invisible balance of trade must run along annually at not much less than $300,000,000 to enable this country to discharge its foreign liabilities." The return, last year, of 1100,000,000 of American securities held abroad wiped out all of the re maining visible balance of trade in 1902, says the Iron Age, which con cludes that "the United States is still a debtor nation." At least two very important factors have been omitted by the Iron Age. Our imports of dutiable goods amount to $500,000,000 a year. These are un dervalued to about 10 per cent, or $50,000,000. We export manufactured goods valued at more than $400,000, 000 a year. As these goods are sold to foreigners at an average of about 20 per cent below domestic prices, the manufacturers quote fictitious valua tions to government officials. It is safe to say that bur exports of manu factures are overvalued 10 or 15 per cent, or an average of $50,000,000 a year. Adding these two amounts to our nearly invisible and adverse bal ance, we have wiped out nearly all of the invisible balance in our favor even during the last six years. Un doubtedly the return of securities dur ing these years has wiped out any re maining balance. This reaches the sensible conclusion that we have not outstanding accounts with foreign countries amounting to $2,000,000,000 or $3,000,000,000, but that in some way each year's apparent balance is about squared. WTiile we may be slowly paying our foreign debts, yet it takes more than $100,000,000 a year to pay interest and rents to foreigners. Thus, if the invisible balance of trade Is not $100,000,000 in our favor we are losing ground and getting deeper in debt. BYRON W. HOLT. THE POLICY OF SUPPRESSION. Lodge's Committee a Graveyard for Facts About Philippine Cruelties. Among the names signed to the series of petitions calling for an In vestigation into conditions in the Phil ippines, presented to the Senate during the last month by Senator Hoar, are the names of fifty-seven presidents of colleges and four hundred professors. An examination of this list of profes sors shows the following representa tion from forty-two different educa tional institutions: Stanford University. Cai 47 Amherst College. Mass 29 Harvard University, Mass 2C Columbia University. N. Y 22 Tufts College. Mass 22 Smith College, Mass 22 University of Wisconsin 13 Cornell University. N. Y 17 University of Chicago 17 Yale University, Conn 16 Princeton University. N. J 15 Washington University, Mo... '...14 University of Michigan 12 Normwestern University, III 19 University of Pennsylvania 9 Oberlin College. Ohio 8 John Hopkins University, Md 7 University of Indiana 7 University of California 7 University of Illinois 7 Piatt Institute. N: Y , 6 Tulane University. La , 5 Syracuse University. N. Y 5 Ohio State University 5 Wesleyan University. Conn 6 Western Reserve University, Ohio. 5 Brown University. R. 1 4 University of New York 4 Lehigh University, Pa 3 Haverford College. Pa 3 William's College. Mass 3 Dartmouth College. N. H 2 Vanderbilt University, Tenn 2 Bryn Mawr College. Pa 2 Central University. Ia 2 Swarthmore College, Pa 1 Franklin & Marshall College, Pa... 1 Wooster University. Ohio 1 Albany Medical College, N. Y 1 Ethical School, N. Y 2 Institute of Technology, Mass 1 Bates College, Me .' 1 It need only be added that these pe titions have been insolently disre garded by the administration. Sena tor Lodge has flatly refused to open an investigation. He has bluntly told those who were demanding it that no further light was" to be shed upon a situation which seems to be a dis grace to civilization. Every Demo cratic member of the Philippines com mittee expressed the utmost anxiety to undertake the inquiry so earnestly de sired by the men of light and learn ing, whose rames were signed to the petitions. But Lodge and his Repub lican confreres turned a deaf car. Thev declined toVopen the case. They sneered openly at Le men of heart and y s conscience who demanded that If cruejty and injustice are prevailing in the Philippines the fact shall be laid bare before the American people. And so the Fifty-seventh Congress dies with this Ineffaceable blot upon ita record. In view of the above facts from the Johnstown Democrat, the public of Chicago says: "Senator Lodge's Philippine com mittee has a justly earned reputation as a graveyard for all the disagreeable facts regarding American cruelties in the Philippines that find their way out of Manila. To seek Information about these cruelties is to have it referred to Mr. Lodge's convenient committee, and to have it referred to that cora mlttee is to see it buried." Changing Fashions. Judging by the declining prico of wool and the rapidly rising price of cotton, shoddy and old rags, the fash ions are rapidly changing from warm substantial woolens, to cotton and to mixed cotton and shoddy goods. This is one of the queer freaks of our friv olous and fickle people and shows that we are of those who, "can't stand pros perity." Why should people during theso times of piping prosperity about which we read so much in Republican news papers, suddently decide to substitute cheap and shoddy clothes tor good woolens? Have the doctors been talk ing disparagely of wool and in favor of shoddy? Certainly not. Is the price cf wool declining because of a great supply. No, the present genera tion never saw such a scarcity of wool. Are cotton and shoddy so high because of their scarcity? No, there is at least a normal supply of both. Why then. Is cotton selling at 10 cents per pound and why are the shoddy dealers "talking very bullish" as the Wool and Cotton Reporter says? It might be well for the Republi can prosperity tooters to try to an swer some of these questions and to try to explain this strange change in fashions. And, then, again, it might be best for them not to discuss these questions. They might have to re vise their opinions about prosperity and conclude with the Wool and Cot ton Reporter, that "the average per son is feeling rather poor by reason of his having to pay a great deal more for everything he buys than he has paid for a great many years," and that, "the average person to-day, is under the sternest necessity to economize." Necessity, then, is responsible for this change in fashions. The trusts, which have been multiplying and put ting up prices since they were licensed to do so by the Dingley bill, are re sponsible for this necessity and this change. How we do love the trusts. Judge Grosscup's Decision Unsatisfac tory to Attorney General Knox. Congress and the Trusts. When Congress is engaged in pass ing a real, genuine anti-trust bill the prices of stocks in Wall street will not continue to rise as they did dur ing the passage of the Elkins and Nel son "anti-trust laws, last January and February. Had Congress then been engaged in putting the products of trusts on the free list. Wall street would have been flooded with the wat er that would have been squeezed out of these trusts. The sleek managers of these trusts know, full well, that the major portion of their profits would vanish, if the tariff were re moved.' They would then be com pelled to sell goods at home at the low prices which they now charge for eigners. They will run fast when they see free trade in trust products coming; but they only smile at sham anti-trust legislation. Congress can not at one and the same time serve both God and Mammon. It had td choose between the people and the trusts and it took up with the trusts. Who Pays Tariff Taxes? There is a superstition to the effect that the foreign producer pays the im port duty. This is the prime protec tion argument. But if it be true, why is the duty refunded to the trusts? If the foreign producer of tinplate pays the duty when the Standard Oil com pany imports it, then it would seem that the rebate should go to the for eign producer and not to the trust. Johnstown Democrat. A Real Benefit. The only real benefit the people have received at the hands of the late congress is the repeal of the duty on coal, and that was forced on the un willing Republicans by such a popu lar uprising that it could not be de nied, and which was voiced in the United States senate by Senator Vest, who for twenty-four years has been one of the tribunes of the people in that body. The Convention Will Decide. When the time comes for the Demo crats to assemble in national conven tion they will select a candidate for the Presidency and will formulate a platform of principles. Meantime no man is commissioned to say what will be done, although every man may say what he thinks ought to be done at that convention. St. Paul Globe. They Never Fazed Philander. Mrs. Philander Knox is said to be suffering a collapse as a result of the severe strain of social life in Wash-, ington. She must go after society a! great deal harder than Philander goes' after the trusts. Houston Post. ; S5 Sfcislofi WASTE PUBLIC ONEY RECENT CON3RESS RECKLESS IN ITS EXPENDITURES. More Than $1,500,000,000 Appropriated During the Session Just Closed Danger in the Accumulation of a Gi gantic "Surplus." The Congress which has Just ad iourned appropriated over $1,500,000, J00 from the national treasury for the support of the government for two years. This Is twice the amount ex pended by the government ten years ago. It Is a vast Increase over the govern nent expenses during the Spanish war. It is more than four times as much as was expended during the civil war, when the cost of the armies In the field was a million dollars a day. When Speaker Reed was reproached with the fact that the Congress in which he was "czar" was "a billion :lollar Congress" be replied that "thi3 is a billion dollar country." It might now be described, as a country of billion-dollar trusts. This rate of public expenditure can not go on forever. Under the appar ently illimitable prosperity of the coun try there lurks always the danger of panic, disaster and bankruptcy. If this condition shall be precipitated it will be caused mainly by the fact that the money of the people is being with drawn from the uses of legitimate I business by the enormous accumula- tions of hundreds of millions of dollars as "surplus" in the national treasury. If the powers that be are wise they will take in sail before the storm comes, but there do not appear to be any signs at present that this prudent policy will be adopted. Butler's Rights Calmly Ignored. The calm and deliberate manner in which the House of Representatives last "chawed up" Mr. Butler of Mis souri, who has been sitting as a mem ber during this session of Congress, will serve as a caution to reckless Democrats elected by a narrow ma jority of 7,000 who seek to break into the Republican house of representa tives with only a certificate of elec tion as their credentials. How grand and strenuous is the grand old party! How irresistible is its power when it gets its grappling irons on a de feated brother and drags him from under the avalanche of Democratic votes and lands him safely on the floor of the house! And how helpless the poor devil of a Democrat is with only his certificate of election from the governor of his state, based upon a majority of 6,400, when the Republi can house wants his seat for a Re publican brother on the outside! Influences That Debauch. Fully 90 per cent of all that is dis honest, all that is corrupt and all that is menacing to free institutions in municipal and state government can be traced directly to the influence of these quasi-public corporations upon local politics. They not only debauch city and state governments, but it is their consistent policy to maintain these governments in a state of pros titution their influence is cast habit ually against all decency and efficiency and integrity in public affairs. The sentiment in favor of municipal own ership is grounded almost wholly in the belief that the people have no other means of protecting themselves against the rapacity and criminal greed of quasi-public corporations. They are not flying to municipal own ership, but are being driven to it as a last desDerate measure. Campaign Pledges Repudiated. Senators and representatives in dorsed the pledge of the President that Cuban reciprocity should be passed. Republican state platforms declared in favor of it. Next to the promises of anti-trust legislation there was no pledge more general or uni versal than the one that Cuban reci procity should be enacted this winter. Having won the election on that prom ise what has been the performance? When the treaty was sent to the Sen ate it was kept sedulously in the rear until the statehood farce presented a shallow excuse for letting it expire. There have been more glaring individ ual cases of the repudiation of cam paign pledges, but there have been few in which the bad faith assumed so wide a national character. The Devouring Steel Trust. The steel trust continues to show signs of a deliberate and comprehen sive policy of absorption of all other concerns in the same line of business which are of much importance. Need less to say, its purchases will have to be made at very high prices, and its policy will lead bold and ambitious men to establish new iron and steel mills for the purpose of selling them to the big trust at a fat profit. If that sort of thing goes far enough there will be grave trouble ahead fcr the greatest of the industrial com binations. Phipps and American Labor. Henry Phipps. who rolled up a for tune in connection with the starvation wages long paid by the Carnegie com pany, is playing Prince Magnifico in the far East. While poverty stalks the regions where his corporation subdued a strike with guns he has given the gov ernor general of India a large frac tion of a million dollars to be used in developing that portion of the British empire. Never was there a more conspicu ous violation of the proverb that char ity should begin at home. Phipps was shrewd enough to col lect his interest, however, in advance. Special attentions to Phipps as a guest at the governor general's recent durbar secured the donation of a for tune got out of the sweat and star- ! vation of American labor. Rotten Boroughs in the Senate. Speaking of rotten borough repre sentation in Congress, what's the mat ter with. Delaware? With a measly 185,000 inhabitants so corrupt that even "Gas" Addicks owns and uses them like cattle, it sends to Washing ton two Senators to do his bidding. Addicks' great strength, outside of his money, was the knowledge that his opponents had too much "principle to admit of the coalition of minority Republicans and Democrats to effect ft decent election. New Mexico has a larger population than Delaware, and It certainly would never fall under more Ignomlnous bosslsm than Dela ware now tolerates. Delaware, ought to be annexed to Pennsylvania. Quay and Addicks would be a team for you. What the Combines Have Done. Among the labor measures that a Republican majority has shelved in the Senate are the anti-injunction bills, the eight-hour bill, the railroad appliance measure and the immigra tion bill. It is very well known who are the opponents of these salutary measures. They are great combines, the shipping, steel and other trusts, who are deadly foes of any measure that Is designed to help workingmcn. They fear most the passage of the anti-injifnction measure, which would curb the power of federal judges to Issue sweeping injunctions that de prive laboring men of every light which the constitution has conferred upon tli em. Both Houses to Blame. Tlio Senate rules certainly need modification, but the Iious: goes as far in one direction as the Senate does in tho other. The Hou.se refuses to deliberate, and this forces on the Sen ate the duty of giving proper consid eration to bills which pass the House inconsiderately. Tho House does worse than this by continually passing bills, or parts of bills, for buncombe with the confident expectaton that tho Senate will kill them. The truth Is that the members of botli houses are largely responsible for the conditions of which .hey are continually com plaining. Legislative blackmail is rampant at both ends of the capitol. lift. -1., The D. igers of a Surplus. The derangement of the currency system and extravagance in public ad m'ciistration that amounts to almost robbery are not the only evils arising from the large accumulation of rev enue in the United States treasury. A surplus tends to centralization and an unnatural and undesirable strength of the federal government. It leads to the creation of a great many unneces sary offices and the erection of many unnecessary buildings and the culti vation of the false idea that the great government of this country Is at Washington and that the states are mere provincial establishments. The Lesson Taught by Congress. The fifty-seventh Congress, in spite of failure in ?he performance of duty, has, nevertheless, Indirectly served the people. Its record proves that a change in the majority control 01 Congress Is imperative if the people's will is to prevail. Voters have been taught that the trusts control the Re publican party. Anti-trust legisla tion, tariff revision and a wise and profitable reciprocity must come through a Republican defeat at the polls. The effect of this teaching should exercise a compelling in fluence in next year's election. The Policy Is Responsible. "Most of the mob were foreigners," is the familiar statement carried in the dispatches from West Virginia. The list of casualties does not wholly bear out this statement, but the na tionality of the rioters is not impor tant. It has a certain significance, however, when one recalls the policy that has flooded the mining regions with labor that knows nothing of out language or laws and has no concep tion of that ingrained respect fot legally constituted authority which alone makes possible a government by the people. Nothing Worse Could Be Done. President Roosevelt has summoned an extra session of the new Senate Since some of the work expected tc be accomplished in this special meet ing will require enabling legislation bj the House of Representatives, and since the expiring Congress has dons none of the things which the interesti of the nation require should be done there ought to be an extra session ol both branches. Possibly there mighl come no more good from the new Con gress than from the old one, but there could come nothing worse. Mr. Littlefield's Inconsistency. Congressman Littlefield has had e great fall. He has been heralded as the champion trust buster, the fierc foe of monopoly, the author of bill that would fix the combines. Anc he voted in committee to favorably re port the subsidy bill which would give $20,000,000 to one of the most oppres sive trusts on earth, a gift that would transform it into a remorseless mon oply to prey upon the agricultural In terests of the United States. Encouraging Extravagance. Now we are a "two-billion-dollai cation." and it i3 not probable that the limit has yet been reached. Oui statesmen will be extravagant just af long as the people are willing to b taxed to pile up a surplus in the treas ury. If taxpayers are indifferent tc their own interests they may rest as sured that Congress will place nc curb on the reckless expenditures o; the people's money. In the Hands of Their Friends. The trusts need have no fears sc long as the Republicans continue tc control all branches of the govern ment. There may be strong antl trust talk on the part of the Republi can president and a few Republican members of the House, but with the Republican party in control the trustfi are in the hands of their friends. Kill Them in Infancy. The thing to do with the trusts ie rot to wait until they have done the damage, but when their intentions are clearly avowed as they are in most cases, if not by admission at least by construction to so legislate that thel? power for doing evil may be curbed. Ought to Bear Their Share. Somehow it never seems to occut to the mine operators that the burdec of increasing the wages of the miners needn't necessarily be entirely born by the consumers, but that the mine owners might shoulder their share of iL DYER THE TELEPHONE MANY AND VARIED ARE THE MES SAGES SENT. It Rescues Girls from Undesirable Callers, Aids in Reuniting Parted Lovers, and Has Numberless Other Recommendations. We have become ho lined to Inclini ng the telephone among the comforts )f home that It is doubtful now If we really appreciate; all of its advantage-. The telephone Is more than an lnalni .nent over which to talk to tho butcher md baker, it in a medium sometimes 'or furthering treason and Miategeni ind acquiring spoils. Does a young woman receive a enll "torn a iiiaHculine friend who bores jer to extinction and she be ln-ni-tus. she gives her brother or Hlvter. or, as legal documents nay, lx-r ii'-xt friend, a look of entreaty, and directly he disappears, and uliiieisl immediate ly thejtclephoiie rings and the yening kiiiikiii Is f-umiiieiiiei, mid comes Ii.icm to say that her Ki'aiilmoll-r is ill iu the next block and she- must co t h-e at once. When the vislu.r has departed tie rescued one I hunks her rescuer ;n in ly and adds a blessing for the tele phono itself, such is the illicit.-ity in' her gratitude. Sometimes the telephone saves tie-self-respect of young men who ha s o quarreled with their sweethearts. To go back to pay a visit, after he ha-, flung himself out of a house ijei lari 11 In; will never darken its doors again. would not be consistent with any mas culine's dignity, but il cannot be con sidered as a confession that he was in error in his premises If he call up Hi" young woman who has insulted him by telephone the next day but one, and asks her in a voice made carefully frigid any one of the following qui-.- tions: Have I any books of yours which you wish me to return? How shall I send your letters back, by mail or by messenger? Will it incommode you at all if I send to your house to-nighl for my copy of Omar? Did 1 injure the glass In your front door when I shut it night before last? I am afraid I used almost loo mm h emphasis. Do you still wish me to take you t'i the theater, or shall I se nd you the tickets and allow you to select your own escort? If the young woman replies with proper tact, diplomatic relations will be resumed In a shorter time than It takes to write all this, for it is ten to one the young man Is in the druic store on the? nearest, corner, nit houh his voice sounds as far away as the polar icebergs. It is a mighty good thing, by-lhe-by. that that Invention has never been perfected that was once; talked of and that was dsigned to permit the users of telephones t'j see each oilier while conversing, for not only would this be Inconvenient to the men who declare; they are In their offices, when in re-alley they are at the club engaging in the great American game, but also would it be exceedingly disagreeable to the young woman who helds con versations over the wire with the man who admires her most with her golden hair hanging down her bac k and wear ing her bathrobe, for sue h things are. Imagine the feelings of the youth who expects tcj take a girl Into eilnner at 7:30 o'clock, whe-n she; is clad like the lilies of the field, calling her up an hour before this time', only to be-hold her with an aureole of curl papers around her he-ad anel a elab of powde-r on her sweet n'ise: This is purely a fancy pie tut e-, for curl papers are as much ejiit of date ax crinoline, and powder went ejiit. with the fashion of wearing the hair in queues; but. just feir argument's sake, try to imagine sue h a contretemps Would it not break up many a premi ising affair of the heart? To return to our mutton, the tele phone is a most valuable invention. It reunites loving hearts anel It furnishes reasons for jealousy to lejvers who need prodding, and excuses to those who wish to get away from bores but it is great enough as it is, anel we do not want any improvements with it in the line of machines to tiff around corners. We have troubles enough already, and tor much knowledan doesn't add to any one's happiness. Baltimore News. Love r-d the Teleqraoh. ' Clarence Manuel lejst a bride through a Western Union telegraph operator's mistake. Manuel was en gaged to be married to Miss Maggie Bryant of Jeffersonville, anel in Janu ary of last year he telegraphed her to meet him in Louisville. The telegram re-ad "Nashville" and Miss Bryant went there. When she did not find Manuel she Jest her temjer. declared their engagement off anel has since refused to listen to his explana tion. Manuel sued the telegraph compir.y for damages, but Judge Field dis missed has case yesterday. Lol l ing that unless the importance e;f cor rect transmission Is impresed ujyori the company' agents n1 re-cove ry can ! had. The North Ame-rfeari. The Detective Was Detected. The home detective had the floej: "Yes." he replied, promllv. v.e broke into more than fejrty private houses just to show them how e asy it was." The visiting constable expectorated in an introductory manner. "Like us out in Cripple Gulch, in the early '80s," he remarked. "People got so keerless going about without their weepons that we had to hit a eoupJu dozen on the head with a pole ax just as a warning to the others. Yes, sirree!" A smile passed over the hejme de tective's face. This was promptly shadowed by an uneasy look In plalrt clothes. "What did you say you would take?" he asked, with unexpected acumen. New York Sun. Needed More Than One. Ethel I do wish It were nrt the custom to wear the engagement ring on only the third finger of one's left band. Clara So do I. I can't get more than half the engagement rings on at one time now. 1