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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 26, 1901)
mcr homes. During the course of the after noon the hoat passes through several rapidi, "but the four pilots at the wheel know the chan nel, and it has been several years since there has been an accident on the river. Montreal, the metropolis of the Dominion, is at the foot of Mount Royal (from which it derives its name) and from Jhc summit, which is now converted into a park, an excellent view can bo obtained of the city and the river. A night's ride takes the tourist from Montreal to Quebec, the most distinctly French city on the continent. It was conspicuous in the early history of North America because of its stra tegic value. At the citadel which crowns one of the hills upon which the city is built they exhibit a cannon captured by the British at Bunker Hill. An officer was showing the can non to an American, and with apparent pride said: "This, Sir, is the gun which we took at Bunker Hill." "I believe that wo still have the hill," replied the American, and the con versation drifted into other channels. . We made the return trip by rail in the daytime, in order to enable the children to see the French Canadian farms. The first thing that strikes the stranger is the rectangular shape of the fields. They are long and narrow and the houses are brought near together, lining the main road on either side. Some explain this by saying that fear of the indians in early days led the emigrants to huddle together for mutual protection; others say that it is duo to the disposition of the French to be sociable and companionable. The thing next most noticeable is the curve at the lower edge of the roof. - It makes the roof" more graceful and pleasing to the eye. The liberal party, with the able, eloquent, and versatile premier, Wilfred Lourier, at its head, is in power in Canada, and while this party is considered more friendly to the United States than the conservative party, it must be confessed that the annexation sentiment is not as strong in Canada as it was a few years ago. It is a melancholy reflection that the conduct of our nation has not been such during the past decade as to increase in Canadians an ad miration for our institutions or a love for our people. We went from Montreal to New York City "by way of Lake Champlain and the Hudson river, passing near Fort Ticonderoga and West Point. But as the object of this article is not, to describe the incidents of a trip, but to call . attention to the Pan-American Exposition and some of the places of interest near Buffalo, enough has been said. The exposition itself is well worth seeing, but the other places which can bo visited at the same time add pleasure and profit to the journey. W The Two Platforms. Whcn the Ohio democrats refused to re affirm the Kansas City platform they found it necessary to formulate their views on certain issues which they desiredto -present. Extracts from the two platforms are given below in The Commoner. order that the reader may observe how demo cratic doctrine has been diluted to make it ac ceptable to the prodigals. On the trust ques tion tho Kansas City platform says: "Privato monopolies are lndcfcnslvo and Intol erable. They destroy competition, control tho price of raw material, and of tho finished prod uct, thus robbing both producer and consumer. They lessen tho employment of labor, and arbi trarily fix tho terms and, conditions thereof, and deprive individual energy and small capital of their opportunity for betterment. They aro tho most efficient means yet devised for appropriating the fruits of industry to the benefit of tho few at tho expense of the many, and unless thoir insat iate greed is checked all wealth will bo ag gregated in a few hands and tho republic de stroyed. "The. dishonest paltering with tho trust evil by tho republican party In state and national plat forms . is conclusive proof of tho truth of tho charge that trusts are tho legitimate product of republican policies, that they aro fostered by re publican laws, and that they aro protected by tho republican administration for campaign sub scriptions and political support. "We pledge tho democratic party to an un ceasing warfare in nation, state and city against private monopoly in every form. Existing laws against trusts must bo enforced, and more string ent ones must be enacted providing for publicity as to tho affairs of corporations engaged In inter state commerce, requiring all corporations to show, before doing business outsldo of tho state of their origin, that they have no water in their stock, and that they have not attempted, and are not at tempting, to monopolize any branch of business or tho production of any articles of merchandise, and the whole constitutional power of congress over interstate commerce, tho mails and all modes of interstato communication shall bo exercised by the enactment of comprehensive laws upon tho subject of trusts." "Tariff laws should bo amended by putting tho products of trusts upon the freo list, to pre vent monopoly under the plea of protection." "We favor such an enlargement of the scope of the interstate commerce law as will enable the commission to protect individuals and communi ties from discriminations, and the public from unjust and unfair transportation rates." These are tho principal paragraphs in the anti-trust plank. Tho trust question has con stantly grown in importance, and the Ohio con vention could not reasonably have done less than reaffirm or reiterate tho position taken at Kansas City. Instead of this it presents the following: "The enactment and vigorous enforcement of measures which shall prevent all monopolies and combinations in restraint of trade and commerce the matter of first importance being to prevent tho use of tho government as an Instrumentality for the creation and increase of the wealth of the few, while preserving intact tho right of privato property and the fullest measure of individual lib erty of contract and assuring to every man the just reward of superior Industry and skill. We. de mand tho suppression of all trusts and a return to industrial freedom. As a means to that end all trust products should bo placed on tho free list and the government should exercise a mora rigid supervision of transportation lines and "abol ish, in fact, all discrimination In rates." It will be noticed that the only means sug gested for the extermination of trusts are, first, the free list, and second, the prevention of dis crimination in railroad rates. The Kansas City platform suggests both of these remedies, and points out how railroad discrimination can be prevented, namely, by enlarging tho scope of tho interstato commission. Tho Kansas City platform goes further, and endorses legislation providing for publicity as to tho affairs of cor porations engaged in interstato commerce, and also and more important it favors legislation which will shut a corporation up within the state of its origin until it shows that there is no wator in the stock and that it is not trying to monopolize any branch of industry or the production of any articlo of merchandise. On tho subject of imperialism a subject declared to bo paramount in tho last campaign tho Ohio utterance is even less satisfactory than on tho trust question. Tho Kansas City platform condemns tho Philippine policy of tho administration; declares that the Filipinos cannot bo citizens without endangering our civilization, and cannot bo subjects without im periling our form of government. It declares that tho constitution follows tho flag, and de mands "an immediate declaration of the nation's purpose to givo the Filipinos, first, a stable form of government; second, independence; and, third, protection from outside interference, such as has been given for nearlya century to the republics of Central and South America.' Tho Ohio platform condemns "any exten sion of the national boundaries not meant to carry speedily to all inhabitants full equal rights with ourselves." This is all right as to future acquisitions, but what about tho ques tion wo aro dealing with 'now? Thop Ohio platform says: "If these (inhabitants) are un fitted by location, race, or character to be formed into self governing territories and then incorporated into the Union of states in ac cordanco with the historic policy of tho repub lic, they should be permitted to work out their own destiny." This is an admirable doctrine, but it ought to bo applied to present condi tions. Tho Ohio platform lays down funda mental principles, but is not sufficiently specific to bind a senator if he is disposed to avoid tha instructions given in the platform. lie might admit tho general 'principles, but insist that present conditions prevented their application. The platform fails to make any reference to the recent Supreme Court decision. Why should a democratic convention hesitate to con demn the doctrine set forth by Justice Brown? Why, it may be asked, should attention bo called to the weakness of 'the- Ohio platform? There are two reasons for it. First, that tho legislative districts may remedy the 'defects of the state platform, and instruct candidates for the legislature to vote only for a senator who will pledge himself to abide by tho Kansas City platform; and, second, that the other states which hold conventions nmy avoid the err on made by the Ohio convention. When a state refuses to endorse the national platform it takes upon itself the responsibility of writing a better one, and the Ohio convention.failcd miserably in its attempt to improve upon the Kansas City platform. The tariff plank is the first plank dealing with national issues, and, if position in tha platform indicates anything, the Ohio conven tion intended to make the tariff question tha paramount issue. This is the contention of n t .A