The Commoner.
WILLIAH J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
&
Vol. 2. NO. 2.
Lincoln, Nebraska, January 31, 1902,
$1.00 a Year.
M
' Observing "Coronation Day.
. 'At a mass meeting recently held in Chicago it
was decided to send an invitation to Paul Kruger, .
president of the South African republic, to be the
guest of the people of Chicago on June 26, the date
of the coronation of the king of England. It is
expected that five hundred thousand names will
be signed to the invitation. President Kruger
might feel that a visit to the United States on that
particular day would be construed as a rebuke to
tho president, T)ut it is to be hoped that ho will
come to the United States on some day of his own
selection and give the American people a chance
to show to the world that the administration does
not reflect the wishes of the people of this country
When it makes an ostentatious display of its sym
pathy with England's effort to overthrow two re
publics. If .Kruger could be induced to come in
April and help celebrr.te Jefferson's birthday the
demonstrations which would greet him might in
duce the president to recall his special envoys and
leave the king to adjust his crown without Ameri
can aid.
At any rate it might be well to arrange for
a few large Boer demonstrations on coronation day
so that the true sentiment of the people may be
made known to offset the demoralizing influence of
the president's act.v When the real, feeling of the
-P6p)flis expressed the .president. , may regret the'"
coneetJBiSn lie has made to the monarchical and
arist6cratic ideas which have developed with the
progress of imperialism.
JJJ
What Two Women Did.
v KfinH KITn wns Mi A TJTi 1t nvkrl TVT JrtM ""1r 4-Tt ft t
Goggin have recently shown what persistence and
courage can do. The teachers of Chicago were
brought face to face with a reduction in the school
I appropriation. Upon investigation they found that
a larger sum could be expended for education if
corporations would bear their fair share of public
I burdens. Beginning with this proposition, the
ladies above mentioned, after informing themselves
as to the facts, brought complaint against the
4 board of equalization, and asked the court to com-
,-; J-'Ci LUt! UUitlU LU liOL IU1 UDOCDaillCll u uuuul twu
hundred and thirty-seven million dollars worth of
x property belonging to twenty-three Chicago cor
porations. At first the corporations were inclined
to smile at the effort of two comparatively" un
known, women. Haying dealt successfully with a
number of prominent' and influential men, the
corporations felt justified in looking down with
contempt upon the plans of a couple of school
) U'auucia. nut uic aunuui Lcauuci o nuic iui tuuaiu
in getting into a court presided over by a righteous
judge, and before long the corporations began to
realize that they were engaged in a sure enough
law suit, and the farther they went into the suit
the bigger it got. They couldn't buy the teachers
out or scare them away; they couldn't frighten
tho judge or corrupt him, and finally, in spite oC
all they could do, they were brought face to face
with the law. The decision was against the board
y-at equalization and therefore against the corpora-
;? tions. An appeal was taken to the supreme court
-was miRf-JiinPfl. nnrl rnlpsq Rnmo TTnlfprl Rfntocs pnnrf
"MM -...-- , ..H ...-wH ,v.w w-v-wv IWVVWW NWt b
can be rouna to restrain tne collection of Hia
tax it looks very much as if justice, accepting the
invitation extended by Misses Haley and Goggin,
were about to take up her abode in Chicago. All
praise to these fearless women and all honor to. the
juBt judge who listened to their petition! This is
a casa that ought to strengthen the faith of those
who are Inclined to be pessimistic.
JJJ
A Reflection on Our Nation.
The fact that. the inhabitants of tho Danish
islands have protested against the sale of , the
islands to the United States and have demanded
that the question be submitted to the people before
final action is taken, is a sad commentray upon
this nation. That we should have so conducted
ourselves as" to make near neighbors prefer to be
subjects of a king rather than risk the protection
of their rights under the American flag is the. most
serious reflection that has recently been cast upon
our government, and yet we have deserved the
reproach.
We found the Porto Iticans enjoying representa
tion in1 the Spanisli legislature, but, although they
welcomed our armies with joy, we have denied to
them the privileges which they had under a king.
No wonder the inhabitants of the Danish isles
look with suspicion upon our efforts to secure title
to them. Those who represent' the United States "
in the negotiations that have taken place ought .
., -tp-vhavema'dQ- apeUtion.and .'a1proestnnecesvii
sary: IfVought to haveuetounced'in the'tje
glnnirig that tinder 'no condition would the Danish
isles bo accepted by the United States even as a gift
without the consent and approval of the inhabi
tants. "We are not so much in need of territory
that we should disregard the will of the people
inhabiting those islands, even though a distant
king were willing to dispose of them without con
sulting the people.
Are we not losing the moral prestige that wo
once possessed when we bargain for people as we
would bargain for merchandise, and then And that
they prefer to live under- another flag?
JJJ
Filched From Whom?
The New York Press, republican, enters vigor
ous protest against the proposition that the tariff
duties on Cuban sugar be reduced. The Press
says:
If the American people - on sentimental
grounds think they ought to sive Cuba $40,
000,000 this year or every year, let them go
' down into the pockets of all the American
people for the gift, and not into tho pockets
of a few interests selected for proscription
and spoliation. If Governor Wood or Pres
dent Roosevelt or anybody else wants Santa
Claus to stuff that forty millions into Cuba's
Christmas stocking, why in the name of Amer
ican industries and American decency should
the forty millions be filched from two or three
stockings in the fireplaces of American h6mes?
'Why 'not from all?
Republican papers have all along told us that,
the foreigner pays the tax and that a high protec
tive, tariff is to the interest of the American people,
rather than of spepial benefit to any one concern.
This being true, then the abolition of all tariff on
Cuban sugar would be-equivalent to "going down
into the pockets of all the American people for
the gift."
If, however, the Press is justified in saying, that
by the abolition or reduction of the tariff on
Cuban , sugar $40,000,000 would be filched from
"two or three stockings in the fireplaces of Amer-
lean homes," then the question naturally arises,
how does it happen that tho republican party has '
persistently advocated a tariff policy that would
place $40,000,000 in "two or three of tho stockings
in tho fireplaces of American homeB?"
And If a tariff on sugar would mean '
$40,000,000 for "two or three stockings in the fire
places of American homos," does not this fact
raise tho suspicion that, after all, tho American
people, rather than the foreigner, have been paying
the tax?
Whence comes this $40,000,000 that will be
filched from "two or throe stockings in tho fire
places of. American homes?"
Is It paid by tho foreign producers of sugar
to 'tho American manufacturer or docs it represent
the amount "filched" by the proprietors of tho
"two or three stockings in the fireplaces of Amer
ican homes "filched" from tho great mass of
American sugar consumers, and "filched" by rea
son of tho republican tariff laws?
Why Not Promise It?
' President Jacob Gould Schurman of Cornell
university has recently made a speech that ought
to have great influence with republicans. His
speech was not accurately reported, but in an at-
tpmpt .to; correct the: report he has written a letter,
to-'tho Chicaco .TilUumuw2ikh admits amuchlS
aily' ahti-imporidlfit'cad wish,. His. letWr"8Hif
a& follows:
Boston, Mass., Jan. 21. (Editor of the
Tribune.) Tho report that I have joined the
anti-imperialists, and that at a dinner last
night I said "The Filipinos must have their
independence" and that "McKinley so in
tended" is not correct. I have not joined the
anti-imperialists. I was a guest of the Bos
ton Reform club last night, and after dinner
spoke on the Philippine question. My speech
was a part of a long address recently given
before Cornell university, which is now In the
press of Charles Scribner's Sons. I must re
fer for details to that publication, which will
appear in a few days. In the meantime I
would say this to the Tribune: When Presl
- dent McKinley invited me to accept the presi
dency of the first Philippine commission he
said the solo object of taking tho Philippines
was the humanitarian one of carrying them
the blessings of liberty. Our commission re
ported that the intelligent Filipinos, though
recognizing the need of temporary American
intervention and tutelage, all desired and
hoped for ultimate independence.- I said last
night that these two objects coincided. The
Filipinos want ultimate independence, and
our progressive grants of liberty and home
rule must eventuate in independence, and it
is American sentiment and Philippine senti
ment that must finally settle the question.
JACOB GOULD SCHURMAN.
The statement which he makes in his correction
is fully as strong as the one first attributed to
him. He says that President McKinley in inviting
liim to accept tho presidency of the first Philip
pine commission said that "the sole object of
taking the Philippines was the humanitarian one
of carrying them the blessings of liberty." That
completely does away with the pecuniary argu
ment now made for holding the Philippines. If
the sole object was a humanitarian one, It is en
tirely oiit of keeping with the original purpose
to discuss the profit that may arise from a
colonial policy, and yet those who defend imperial
ism never fail to emphasize its commercial ad
vantages. l
Mr. Schurman proceeds to say that his corn
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