The Commoner.
A 'cleric, writing to the Now York World, pro
vides food for considerable thought when he says:
"The times, we are told, are generally
Not prosperous, yet It is a kind of prosper-
Enjoying lty that 'has a string to It.' The draw
Prosperity, hack Is this: Many men, like my
self, have fixed incomes and earn no
more than they did five years ago. Meanwhile
the price of every necessity of life has greatly In
creased. The average bookkeeper, clerk or office
employe has harder work than before making
both ends meet. And xjongress will again refuse to
lower the tariff!"
The administration must not Imagine that the
public has forgotten Maclay, the famous "his
torian" who wrote down Admiral
" Schley as a coward. Maclay is re
ported to have said that if the decision
of the court of inquiry is favorable to
Schley, he will revise his "history."
The American people are not interested in this
"history" or its revision.. They are, however,
interested in the question, I'Will the administra
tion permit Admiral Schley's detractor to remain
in the navy department?"
How
About
ticCIay?
-NC
The London Globe, commenting upon Secre
tary Hay's speech at the New York chamber of
commerce banquet, says: "Mr. Hay '3
Applauded by declaration of American foreign poll
English cies so completely accords in principle
Press. with British policies that it might have
been spoken by an English secretary
of state." Mr. Hay has created a similar im
piession on this side of the big pond. Indeed,
some of the American paragraphers are wont to
intimate that in sympathy Mr. Hay is considerably
more of a Briton than he is an American.
.VVSS
The Indianapolis Journal says: "In spite of
Mr. Bryan's criticism of Governor Durbin for not'
surrendering Governor Taylor, it may
Assassination., he. doubted if even he would be willing
a "Political to be tried for a political offense by a
Offense." jury composed of twelve republicans."
When did assassination become a
"political" -offense?' Old-fashioned people were
taught that assassination was ajrlme; and yet the
Indianapolis Journal's idea that when the man as
sassinated happens to bo a democrat it is a politi
cal offense seems to be entirely in keeping with
the notion persistently cultivated in certain re
publican quarters these days.
r
The London Spectator urges the United States
to formulate the Monroe doctrine and Great
Britain to accept that dootrlne. If we
recall rightly, the Monroe doctrine waa
Formulated
and Accepted
Already.
'formulated" many years ago. If any
thing new in the way of "formulation"
was necessary, we had it in the Vene
zuelan case, when Richard Olney, then secretary of
state, declared, "On American soil the United
States is practically the sovereign, and its fiat is
the law." And if wo recall history correctly Great
Britain seemed to "accept" the Monroe doctrine on
that occasion. If our memory is not at fault, then,
it would-seem superfluous to act upon the Specta
tor's suggestion.
?
Caught
Mr. Madden
Napplag.
The Appeal to Reason, a socialist paper pub
lished at Girard, Kas., has been guilty of a brutal
practical joke at the expense of che
postal department. The Girard post
master was notified that bundles of the
Appeal to Reason should not bo sejit
through the mails unless the proper
amount of stamps was affixed. The editor there
upon sat down and wrote to a number of republi
can organs, enclosing postal -orders and asking
for a specified number of copies 'of a certain issue.
The papers came, but without "any stamps affixed,
having been sent as second class matter In tho
usual way. Then tho editor called tho attention
of tho Girard postmaster to the fact, and tho post
master asked tho pdstofllco department for in
structions. Immediately tho order against tho
Appeal to Reason was rescinded. t Such a mean
advantage of the genial and unprejudiced Mr.
Madden calls for universal reprobation.
A London cablegram to the Chicago Tribune,
referring to a dinner given to Sir Thomas Lipton
in London says that Lord Tweedmouth
Cheers of Lib-"In terms of exceptional heartiness
erty Lovers proposed the health of Theodore
are Desirable Roosevelt, president of the United
States." Then It Is said that "the
demonstration which followed rivaled tho out
burst of enthusiasm at the recent chamber of
commerce dinner when tho name of King Edward
"was pronounced. The great audience responded to
a man, and the hall rang with tho shouts and
cheers of approval, each guest seeking to out
sliout his neighbor." While it is well to keep on
good terms with nil of our neighbors, 'it will bo
difficult for many American citizens to avoid tho
wish that the name of tho president of the United
States could be cheered as heartily and as cor
dially -by the Dutchmen who are fighting for a re
publican form of government in South Africa, as
it was by the representatives of an empire as
sembled at the London banquet table.
In spite of his activities in trust organization,
J. Pierpont Morgan has time to devote to art.
Recently Mr. Morgan purchased a pic
ture know as the- "Lost Duchess." It
was claimed that this was what U
called "a genuine Gainsborough," but
a cablegram to the New York World
from London soys that this question is being con
siderably discussed in art circles. According to
tho World's correspondent, Gainsborough had "a
marvelous trick of getting the expression of the
eyes and the shape of the nose by a method all hi3
own," and this feature is pointed out as missing
in Mr. Morgan's picture. It is admitted, however,
that the paintingis "a most attractive one" and
one eminent art critic offered Mr. Morgan $50,000
more than he paid for the picture and tho critic
asserted that even at that prico he. would make a
profit on it. Men who aro engaged in the effort to
solve the problem of existence may not speak with
great authority on such u question; and yet tho
looker-on might be pardoned for saying Jthat
whether or not Mr. Morgan's picture Is "a genuine
Gainsborough" is not Immensely material in the
presence of the fact that according to all reports
every one has" been captivated by the painting, and
its merits are. so pronounced that an art critic of
high standing has offered to give Mr. Morgan $50,
000 profit on his purchase. If this is true, why
should it be necessary to discuss the question, "Is
Morgan's picture a genuine Gainsborough?" May
it not be, after all, that great artists are being
born every day?
After all
Is it
Material?
VNN
Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona territories
are clamoring for admission Into the union. The
Washington correspondent of tho Chi
jho cago Tribune Bays ' that there Is "a
Territories strong sentiment manifested among
ore Knocking, congressmen favorable to tho admis
sion of Oklahoma, but decidedly ad
verse to the admission of Arizona and Now Mex
ico." The Tribune's correspondent explains that
the congressmen are a little puzzled as to how they
will justify their action in favoring the promo
tion of Oklahoma 'while New Mexico and Arizona
aro kept in the kindergarten class, but they be
, Hove the figures will fully justify them in making
the distinction. All three territories will be repre
sented here this winter, and the leading men of
each will labor with congress on the statehood
proposition. Tho most insistent just now'are tho
Arizona and New Mexico statesmen, l)ut if the
opinions of congressmen already on Iho ground
count for anything they might as well have staid
at homo. Tho feeling against elevating tho two
Mexican territories into ' states is surprisingly
strong. Men who aro ready and anxious to give
Oklahoma a chance will voto and work against
Arizona and New Moxico, and particularly tho
Xormor. No doubt tho republican congressmen
are finding considerable difficulty in Justifying tho
admission of Oklahoma and in refusing to admit
Arizona and New Mexico. The republican plat
form of 189G declared: "Wo favor admission of
the remaining territories at tho carllost practic
able date, having duo regard to the lntorests of
the people In tho territoles and tho United States."
In 1900 tho republican platform read: "Wo favor
homo rule for, and tho early admission to state
hood of New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma."
Both New Mexico and Arizona have grown ma
terially during tho last five years, yet it is con
fidently predicted by republican newspapers that
the republicans will not permlt'Arteona and New
Mexico to becomo states. Probably tho Baltimore
Sun suggested tho explanation when it reforred
to tho fear that these new states would send demo
cratic senators to Washington. According to tho
Sun, tho Interest of tho republican party rather
than the pledges of that party or general public
welfare will becomo paramount In tho considera
tion of this question.
S5
Extortion
by a Coal
Trust.
The American people aro considerably inter
ested in the coal question and many of them will
naturally congratulate any one who
has been able to purchase coal at a
reasonable price. Tho Chicago Tri
bune is responsible for the statement
that the German emperor has placed
orders in America for 300,000 tons of anthracite
coal. Tho prico which Emperor William will .pay
is from $1.25 to $2.00 less than tho Chicago busi
ness man must pay for his coal. The contract is
that tho coal must cost not more than $5.50 a ton
at tho docks in Germany. Tho Tribune, quoting
a coal dealer In Chicago, says that on a similar
order a Chicago merchant would have to pay at
least $C75. It costs dealers in Chicago $3.50 a ton
to bring coal from Pennsylvania. From the mines
to Buffalo $2.00 is charged by the railroads and
the lake freight of 70 or 80 cents and the expenso
of loading and unloading make up the $3.50. Ac
cording to the 'Tribune, the ability of tho German
emperor to buy American coal delivered at German
docks for from $1.25 to $2.00 per ton less than the
American business man is required to pay is ox
plained "by the difference in tho cost of transpor
tation. The German coast is far away, but ocean
freights are lower." Whatever the explanation
may be, the fact remains that it is absurd that the
German emperor should be able to purchase Ameri
can coal, delivered at German docks, at a con
siderably smaller rate than that demanded of the
American consumer. Certainly tho difference In
expense of ocean steamships and the railroad line
cannot reasonably account for this great disad
vantage to the American consumer. . Unreasonable
greed and the unf.Ir advantage accorded to cor
porations in this country account for the disad
vantage, and yet republican papers have a liablt of
denouncing any democrat who suggests that tho
time has come when we should "shackle cunning
as in the past we have shackled force."
Henry Watterson Is Infavorof taking the con
stitution as tho democratic platform. Wouldn't
that be a little too specific? Why not have fh&
candidate promise to do what he thinks Is right
and not hamper him by the constitution? That
would be more In keeping with the Watterson
philosophy. A democratio platform Is not in
tended merely for the enunciation of general prin
ciples, but rather for the application of those prin
ciples to pending issues. The Kansas City plat
form indorsed the constitution and then applied it