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The Commoner.
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
Tho trusts aro sadly in need of a "water cure."
The peace terras proposed by the Boers also
stagger John Bull.
It appears that after all Mr. Babcock was only
plng-ponging tho tariff question.
-
Mr. Dopow's efforts to ho serious in his old
ago rosult in making him really funny.
I I I. !
Another Filipino general has surrendered
and tho "insurrection" is ended again.
v Spealcing of Port Chalmette, Andrew' Jack
son did not oxpend all of his strenuity in voci
. feration.
Tho Waller verdict appears to be, "Not Guilty,
but no other American officers should do the same
things."
Thero is nothing democratic about a political
platform that receives no criticisms from repub
lican organs.
Tho now commissioner of pensions is also
a poet. "Tho literary fellers" are getting right
to tho front.
Lieutenant Potts has been promoted. He is
tho naval ofllcer who earned promotion by accus
ing Schley of cowardice.
Tho eleventh annual peace conference has
just adjourned and John Bull is negotiating a
war loan of $400,000,000.
"America is good enough for mo," remarked J.
Plerpont Morgan a few days ago. Whenever ho
doesn't like it he can give it back to us.
Tho special embassy to the coronation will de
fray its own expenses, but that does not alter tho
fact that tho special embassy is wrong.
Perhaps it would bo better if General Chaffee
quit capturing Filipinos generals and put in his
time trying to capture tho Filipino private.
The promotion of Potts, U. S. N., offers a poin
ter to any ambitious young army officer who wants
to rise. Ho should accuse Miles of something ,v
other.
Tho Lincoln, Nebraska, Journal avows that
tho treatment of Filipino prisoners is "not half
as had as painted." Well, a quarter as bad would
be too bad.
Ideals" is tho title of a new magazine pub
lished at Albion, Nebraska. It is conducted on
elevated l.nes and is worthy of tho most substan
tial recognition.
Considering tho fact that the steel trust has
the attorney general it is not strange that an
"Ironquill" should bo given a good berth under
the government
Thirty-seven vpnm n m mnna av-t
Lincoln died. During that thirty-seven years a
,t,.uL .uttuj jpuuuiyios uuvocateu by Abraham Lin
coln have been assassinated.
The Commoner.
Eight hundred men recently met in Kansas
City and slaughtered 30,000 pigeons in the name
of "sport." It seems that our language is not as
elastic as we thought it was.
As long as Mr. Depew can depend upon tho
railroad intorests to keep him In tho senate he
proposes worrying about how southern congress
men and senators aro elected.
It is arranged that the flag will be hauled down
in Cuba early in May, but up to date the name of
tho "traitor" and "little American" selected to
haul it down has not been made public.
Two years ago the republican campaign cry
was "a full dinner pall." Now tho republican or
gans, noting tho rapacity of the trusts, offer tho
laboring men this advico: "Don't eat."
"It is difficult to create prosperity by law,"
sagely remarked the president in Charleston. And
every tariff protected magnate that heard him
smiled a knowing smile and winked tho other eye.
"Supervision and regulation," remarked Mr.
Roosevelt at Charleston. Of course that is cal
culated to make certain industries contributo
cheerfully to the g. 0. p. congressional campaign
fund.
Several republican organs that advocate a 60
per cent tariff on clothing and 95 per cent on raw'
sugar predict that tho British taxpayers will re
volt when the ministry puts a 4 per cent tariff on
breadstuffs.
Anxious reader: No. Mr. Addicks of Delaware
Is not a conspicuous champion of the popular elec
tion of senators. Ho probably still prefers to
deal with the legislature notwithstanding the bad
luck ho has had.
Mr. Hanna's efforts to befriend Rattibone prove
that Mr. Hanna is a believer in reciprocity. Tho
investigation of the Hanna senatorial election
revealed that Mr. Rathbone was a mighty handy
man at tho telephone.
Thero Is .something portentious in the fact
that in all the college and school debates on tho
question of municipal .ownership of public utili
ties the advocates of public ownership have won
nine times out of ten.
Wo are informed that by a grand coup John
W. Gates has secured control of the Louisville
& Nashville railroad. From "coup" to "soup" is
a short distance, as the men who pay the freight
have long since discovered.
Mr. Knox asserts that if he finds such a thing
as a beef trust he will get after it. It will bo.
remembered that Mr. Knox could see nothing re
sembling a trust in the steel combine. The in
ference is that the beef trust is not worrying about
Mr. Knox.
It is reported that Colonel Crowder.who was sent
to investicate the report that a British camp ex
isted at Port Chalmette, is keeping three steno
graphers busy writing his findings. What tho
people want, however, is a plain answer to the
question: "Is there a British camp at Port Chal
mette?" and that answer need not take more than
two or three letters.
The election of Dennis Mulvihill, a furnaro
stoker, to he mayor of Bridgeport, Conn., and tho
election of Ignatius A. Sullivan, a dry goods clerk
to be mayor of Hartford, Conn., proves that lab
oring men can rule the country if they will but
get together, quit voting in the interests of trusts
and corporations and go to voting for their own
intorests and the interests of their wives and
babies.
Senator Spooner is another republican senator
who promises to give his "careful attention" to
the constitutional amendment providing for tho
election of senators by the people. Isn't it strange
that the senators who are opposed to tho plan al
ways talk about "serious consideration" and "caro
ful attention," while tho friends of tho measure
state their position frankly? The explanation is
that tho opponents aro hoping to avoid a vote.
In 1896 tho republican organs denied that tho
republican party stood for the gold standard. Af
ter the election the republican organs claimed
t ionnUii t0 be a vindication of tho gold standard.
In 1900 tho republican organs denied that the re
publican party stood for imperialism. After tho
Vol. a, No. 14
election of 1900 the republican organs claimed
tho result to be a vindication 6t the policy of im
perialism. Now tho republican organs declare
that the policy of subsidizing ships is not a re
publican party policy, but if the republicans aro
successful in tho coming congressional election
tho organs will declare that tho result is a Ylndl-.
cation of tho policy of subsidizing ships.
I ! !
A Maryland democrat writes that the demo
crats of that state havo no senators to write to
in regard to the election of senators by the peo
ple. He is' mistaken. There is no reason why
democrats should not write to republican sena
tors, especially upon a proposition which passed
a republican house practically without opposi
tion. While the democratic national platform
has endorsed the election of senators by the peo
ple, two republican congresses havo also en
dorsed it, and the democrats ought not to hesi
tate to write to thpir senators even though they
be republicans, and republicans should not hesi
tate to write to their senators even though they
be democrats. All senators who have not declared
themselves urfequivocally for tho resolution, should
be appealed to.
The Columbia (Pennsylvania) Independent
warns the democrats of Pennsylvania that in se
lecting candidates for office they must not yield
to the demand of tho reorganizers and nominate
men who have been working with the republicans.
It is strange that such a warning should ho nec
essary in any state, and yet wherever the reor
ganizers are pleading for harmony they are pro
posing to secure it by tho nomination of men who
have been recreant to the party in the recent past.
If the men who have opposed the party really do
sire to help the party in the future they ought to
be willing to serve in the kitchen a short time be
fore they demand the place at the head of the
table. A harmony that requires the degradation
of those who have been faithful and the exalta
tion of those who have been unfaithful is a har
mony that will not yield a return in votes. Any
person with any knowledge of human nature
would understand that the rank and file would be
offended by the giving of undue prominence' to
those who havo boasted of assisting the republi
can party. . ,
A reader of The-Commoner asks why the' con
stitution should not be so amended as to call con
gress together at an earlier date than now Thero
ought to be such an amendment, and it will
doubtless come in time. When the constitution
was adopted travel was so slow that thirteen
months were allowed to elapse between the elec
tion of the congress and the beginning of the first
session. Now that tho result of the election is,
known within a short time after the polls close,
and especially since a member elected can travol
across the continent within a week, there is no
reason why so much time should be permitted to
elapse between the day of election and the date
fixed for legislation. Congress ought to convene
not later than :ay and the second session should
adjourn sine die at least a month before the next
election. A great many deals and steals are now
worked through congress at the second session
which convenes after the election and when a'
considerable portion of the membership has been
retired. When the people get ready to make the
amendment suggested they will probably postpone
the inauguration of the president for a month or
so, so as to make congress convene when the
president takes his seat.
A few people have expressed themselves -as
opposed to any change in the methods of elec
tion of senators because they think the senate
should be abolished entirely, and they argue that
the more odious the senate becomes the easier it
will bo to abolish it. There is much more logic
in their arguments than there is in the arguments
of those who insist that the present method of
electing senators should be retained because of
its antiquity. The opponents of the popular elec
tion of senators have been quick to seize upon
benator Penrose's amendment and havo paraded
it as an evidence that a change in the methods
of election is likely to be followed by a demand
lor a change in the equal representation of tho
states in the senate. If the senate stands in th3
XSrf?n??pulap eorms t will arouse an antagon
Jn f hi L fmUC? ""? likely t0 re3ult injuriously
1 n,rate the ProP03ed change possibly
can. Tho equality of the state in the senate is in
inaZZllCtf ,wlt? the methods f Election
JE? of f Vh? ?esAre t0 Pservo the equality of
the states had bettor stir ' themselves and assist
in removing from the senate the suspicion which
has been brought upon it by the fraud and cor
ruption resorted to in legislative contest.