Richardson's The death of Thomas II. Caswell
New Honors. 0f San Francisco has elevated Con
gressman James D. Richardson of
Tennessee to the position of Sovereign Grand
Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Ma
sonry. The honor is his for life, and carries
with it an annual salary of $3,000. It also cnti
ties him to occupy the Holy House of the Tem
ple, belonging to the Scottish Rite Masons and
located at Third and E streets, Washington, D. C.
He now outranks the Prince of Wales and Presi
dent Diaz.
Publicity Bills have been introduced in
That Should several legislatures providing
be Avoided. that the death penalty shall bo
inflicted only at the state peni
tentiary. This is a good measure. When exe
cutions are confined to the state prisons, publi
city is avoided and the public is saved from the
bad effects upon a community that always attend
the execution of a human being. It would be
well if every state in the union would abolish the
hangman's noose, substituting therefor the elec
tric chair, and requiring that whenever an execu
tion must take place, it shall take place within
the walls of the state prison.
Typewriter m The London Mail is considerably
Subsidy. - agitated because there are so few
British typewriters on the mar
ket. The TVIail has discovered that the American
typewriter is superior to that of the British make,
and that in addition to being unsatisfactory, the
machines made in Great Britain cost 20 per cent
more than those made in America, even after pay
ing freight and charges on the latter.
It will now bo in order for some republican
statesman to father the "typewriter subsidy."
There aro just as many reasons for paying a sub
sidy to typewriter syndicates as there are for pay
ing subsidies to ship-building syndicates.
The fact that Americans make a better machine
at less cost than the machines of Europe may be
the means of placing American typewriters in
every clime.
The Commoner.
or to governmental favoritism. Occasionally the
difference between th,o successful and the unsuc
cessful id due to a. difference in consoionco rather
than to a difference in brains.
When One is " One on God's side is a majori
a Majority. ty." . Thatis what Wendell Phil
ips once said. And ho added,
"No civil society, no government, can exist ex
cept on the basis of the willing submission of all
its citizens and by the performance of the duty
of rendering equal justice between man and man."
Men who imagine that injustice can permently
triumph because of a temporary victory will do
well to remember, that no greater truth was ever
uttered than when Philips said, "One on God's
side is a majority." For a time the wrong may
appear to have a majority. But men who stand
for principles that have had the test of American
history, men who stand for truth, even though
for a while they are in the minority, will become,
eventually, the great majority.
Matter for
Investigation.
A Scientific
Question.
A New York physician appeals
to the noted successful men of
the country to leave their brains,
by will to scientists for post-mortem examination.
Mr. Post, of Chicago, in his excellent weekly,
The Public, commenting on the request, says:
Why not make the same request of noted unsuc
cessful men? The brains of both will be needed for
comparison before valid conclusions can be drawn.
But suppose that such comparison reveals no differ
ences, what then?
If such an investigation should show a physi
cal difference between the brains of the successful
and the brains of the unsuccessful it would still
remain a matter of dispute whether the difference
in brains caused the difference in success or the dif
ference in success caused the difference in brains.
Tho question will not be entirely settled until
the scientists discover a method by which
they can examine the brain when the subject
reaches maturity and again in old age, and even
then tho "Success" must be examined to besure
that it is not due to cornering the market, mo
nopolizing an industry, corrupting a oity council
The orbits of tho planets aro so
well known to astronomers that
they can note the slightest de
viation. Whenever a planet acts qucerly they
know that it is due to the influence of some here
tofore unknown heavenly body and they proceed
to search for that body.
Democratic principles are so well understood
and so easily applied that tho oonduct of a faith
ful democratic representative can be easily pre
dicted. Whenever, therefore, a democratic sena
tor, a representative, or a state legislator acts
queerly, it is well to investigate at once and find
out what earthly body is exerting an influence,
over him.
He may be paying for some favor received or
expected, or he may be in close proximity to some
corporation. The eccentricities of a representa
tive can always be explained when the facts are
known.
Spain's Conditions in Spain are sadly
Condition. mixed. The popular protest
against ecclesiastical privileges,
the prospective Carlist uprising and the wide
spread dissatisfaction with general conditions
aggravatep the seriousne'ss of conditions immedi
ately due to the Spanish-American war.. The
government has founcr it necessary to call in the
services of a strong man, and General Weyler
who won notoriety because of his brutality in
Cuba, is in military authority. Weyler is ambi
tious and unscrupulous. Those who have care
fully watched the career of this man will not be
surprised if he seizes the first opportunity to
gratify his ambition, and in Spain's present eon
. dition there is reason to believe that such an op
portunity will arise. At all events there are
many indications that Spanish affairs will occupy
a very conspicuous place in public attention dur
ing the coming year. .
Scandal of The New York Press apologizes
Extravagance, for tho "scandal of extrava
gance" of the republican con
gress, but says: "It is doubtless too late for the
party managers to save the party reputation in
this respect of lavish appropriation." ' Tjie
Cleveland Leader says: "Patriotism does no I
mean extravagance. Only a few years ago the
expense of tho government in all of its depart
ments amounted to about $1,000,000 a day, whila
now more than that sum is expended for soldier,
sailors, pensions, guns and ships." Tho Now York
Press and The Cleveland Leador aro both repub
lican papers. What right have they to oriticige
republican administration of public affairs? Do
they not know that our national dinner pail is so full
and that the confidence in the wisdom and integ
rity of tho republican party has boon so thor
oughly expressed by tho American people, that
"tho King can do no wrong?" To bo sure, it in
difficult for plain, everyday Americans to become
accustomed to tho wild extravagance now prac
ticed by republican loaders, but are wo not to ac
cept whatever our "rulor" may do as boing the
best for our interests and our welfare?
A Sage Russell Sage is not noted for his
Opinion. interest in struggling humanity,
but he is shrewd enough to know
that people will not alwaya tolerate & private
monopoly. Speaking of tho groat rail road yn
dicate ho said:
It is a gigantic combination in which twelve men
get the absolute control of more than 25,000 miles of
railroad and a practical monopoly of all linos leading
to tho Pacific. Such combinations of concentrated
capital are sure to arouse tho people. And the
people once aroused aro more powerful than this
railroad combination or any other that might be
formed. I regard it as very dangerous to have such
great combinations. It is right and proper that cap
italists who invest money in railroads or other great
enterprises should be assured of reasonable and fair
returns. It is right that railroads' should have as
agreement not to cut rates below a fair profit-making
figure. But this should bo done in conventions,
by meeting, by agreement, not in stifling competi
tion. In the end this deal will excite distrust, arouse
resentment and incite to retaliatory measurea the
people, the stato legislatures and eventually the na
tional congress. Tho farmers will consider them
selves injured by rates, tho states will inaugurate leg
islation and there will be deep hostility to combined
capital.
An Effort That Mr. Postmaster-General Smith has
Will Fail. been considered tho "spokesman
of the administration" ever since
his appointment, just up Mr. Hanna is deemed the
administration manager. Mr. Smith is always
flowery in his utterances, as evidenced by his
Washington's birthday speech, oven though his
utterances fail to harmonize with republican
pledges. Such phrases as "unfolded a wider
sphere," "enlarged opportunities and obliga
tions," "mandate of humanity," "American
faith and courage," "the mighty events of thia
administration," and like remarks calculated to
catch the unwary, will not deceive thinking
men who know without further discussion
that it is the intention of
to violate the pledge to
and who know that a war
ity has degenerated into a war for gain. With
all his skill as an orator and special pleader, Mr.
Postmaster-Goneral Smith cannot make honest
men forget that a great wrong has been done, not
only to peoples who were our friends and wanted
to remain such, but to this republic, which was
founded on justice, equal rights and liberty.
tho administration
Cuba if possible,
begun for human-
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