The Commoner.
10
Vol. a, No.,18.
1
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THE NEWS OF THE WEEK.
1
A monument erected to the memory
of tho Into Richard Park Bland has
been placed In position at Lebanon,
Mo., and will bo unvollod on Juno 17.
On May 11 Prosldont-cloct Palma
arrived at Havana, and was received
with patriotic demonstrations. For
the first time a Cuban flag was hoisted
ovor tho famous old Morro castle.
Prcsldont Palma was inaugurated on
May 20.
Jcsso Stono, lloutonant govornor of
Wisconsin, died at Watertown, Wis.,
on May 11. Ho was twice olected to
tho ofilco of lloutonant govornor, and
lias hold sovoral other positions of
trust In tho stato. Ho was sixty-six
yoars of ago.
A fearful oxplosion of naptha oil
took placo at tho Shenadgn yards of
tho Panhandle railroad at Pittsburg,
Pa., on May 17, and a score of lives
woro lost and about two hundred per
sons were injured. Many of these
have since died from tholr injuries.
Lewis Nixon, who ouccoeded Rich
ard Croker as leader of tho Tammany
Hall organization in New York city,
resigned his office on May 14, after a
term of nearly six months. This ac
tion was duo to a deadlock among
tho thirteen advisory members.
Tho Nobraska stato board of equali
zation, which has been in session at
Lincoln for some time for the purpose
of fixing tho assessment of the rail
road companies throughout the state,
adjourned May 1G, after raising tho as
sessment about $180,000 more than
last year.
Mine workors to a number of 145,-
000 formally began their struggle for
increased wages and shorter hours on.
.May. 12. Not ono of tho 357 collieries
in,thoanthraclte coal roglona'ot Penn-
-sylvania is in operation. The strike
" movement is spreading more and
more throughout tho country.
Walter N. Haldeman, president of
tho Louisville Courier-Journal com
pany, and ono of the oldest active
nowspaper men in the country, died
at Louisville, Ky., May 13, at tho age
of eighty-one years. He has been con
nected with tho Courier-Journal since
1SG3.
A dispatch frohi Stockholm, Sweden,
"announces that the social democratic
.party has decreed a genoral strike In
support of the suffrage movement.
.The suffrage bill is helng discussed in
the riksdag, and it is expected that
rtho strike will continue until suffrage
.is secured.
Ono of tho greatest strikes in the
.labor history of tho world began May
lb, wnen 145,000 minors in Pennsyl
vania's anthracite coal region decided
to strike for higher wages and shorter
hours. Attempts will probably be
made to secure tho co-operation of all
co-workers in trades allied to miners'
organizations.
' A new combination of steel casting
plants is to be formed in Pennsyl
vania, and will bo incorporated under
tho laws of the stato of Now Jersey.
The now corporation will bo known as
the American Steel Foundries, and
will control one-fourth of tho produc
tion of steel castings in the country.
Tho capital of tho combination is to
ho $40,000,000.
The disturbances in Haytl still con
tinue and it seqms that tho govern
ment troops are being continually
worsted. Mob rule has been estab
lished at Port Au Prince, and busi
ness is suspended for the present.
.Former President , Sam has left tho
. island, and though a provisional gov
, eminent has been established, it seems
,t'o be unable to cope with tho sltua
t tion.
- The employes of The Commoner. en
joyed tholr second annual picnic Sat
urday, May 17. The day was spent at
Seward, Nob.,tho ofilcors of tho Soward
County Agricultural society throwing
open the beautiful fair grounds for tho
visitors. A moro delightful placo for
a day's outing could not have been
selocted. Soward citizens lent every
offort to add to tho pleasure of tho
excursionists. Tho day was spent In
bitlrj, fishing and kindred amuse
ments. Thirty-six employes were
present.
On Wednesday, May 14, tho German
emperor sent a message to President
Ropsovelt informing him that he
wished to commemorate the recent
visit of Prince Honry to this country
by tho presentation of a statuo in
bronze of Frederick the Great, to bo
orected in Washington. President
Roosovolt replied, thanking Emperor
William in the name of the United
States and promising to lay the mat
tor before congress Immediately.
A dispatch from Delagoa Bay, Por
tuguese South Africa, says that peaco
in South Africa is almost certain to
result from the conference of tho Boer
loaddrs to be held at Vereeniging,
Transvaal, May 15, and asserts that
peaco will be proclaimed May 20. Lord
Kitchener has reported to his govern
ment that tho conference is expected
tj be largely attended as no impedi
ment will be placed in the way of
those desiring to attend.
In addition to tho terrible loss of
life in the French West Indies on ac
count of the recent volcanic eruptions,
pestilence of disease has appeared and
aids hunger in increasing the already
largo death list. Tho local govern
ment is feeding and sheltering about
3,000 refugees, and though help is be
ing hurried thoro as swiftly as possi
ble, much suffering is still apparent.
Small attention is being paid to tho
disaster in Europe in the way of send
ing relief. It is feared that the danger
from another eruption is not yet over.
AccordiuK to late reDorts from the
scene of destruction of St. Pierre on
Martinique island, tho disaster is
greater in extent than at first believed.
The whole northwestern portion of
tho island is laid waste, three large
communities outsido.of St. Pierre have
been destroyed, and it is estimated
that tho loss of life is 30,000 in that
island alone. It is feared that' many
ships that were in the harbor at the
time of the eruption have been de
stroyed, as no trace of them can be
found. Tho volcanic disturbances
have also extended to the island of
St. Vincent, and it is estimated that
the total number of deaths there will
reach 2.Q00. This is the first eruption
on St. Vincent since 1812. The island
of St. Thomas in the Danish West In
dies is also experiencing earthquake
shocks, and the people are in terror
of a similar outbreaking of volcanic
disturbances as those of the neighbor
ing islands. It is reported that fifty
thousand refugees a.ro in great need
of food, and supplies are being hur
ried 'to their t aid as fast as possible.
Tho New York chamber of commerce
will send shins with sunnltas nnri
throughout tho civilized world great
sympathy is being shown with tho
sufferers from tho awful disaster, and
everything is being done for their re
lief that is" possible.
THE WEEK AT WASHINGTON,
On May 14 President Roosevelt laid
the cornerstone of tho McKinley Me
morial Ohio College of Government
of the American university at Wash
ington. On May 14 Secretary Root accepted
the offer of Mr. Louis Klopsch of tho
Christian Herald to send 1,000 barrels
of flour to the Martinique sufferers,
and directed that tho flour do carried
thither on a government transport '
Upon tho recommendation of tho
president that $500,000 will bo needed,
the senate on May 13 increased the ap
propriation to that figure, and on May
14 tho cruiser Dixie with food and
supplies of all kinds left New York
for the ill-fated islands.
On May 12 both houses of congress
agreed to an appropriation of $200,
000 to bo placed at the disposal of tho
president for relief work In those Isl
ands. The activity in army and. navy
departments for this relle" work is
preparing on a vast scale, and' imme
diate action resulted.
As the result of numerous confer
ences, it is expected that the demo
cratic senators and representatives
will agree with tho republicans on a
Philippine civil government bill on
lines somewhat similar to the recent
democratic substitute for the pending
bill.
The three treaties which have been
in course of negotiation with the gov
ernments of Colombia, Nicaragua, and
Costa Rica, are ready to be sent to.
tho senate for ratification. These
treaties confer the necessary rights for
the construction by the United States
of tho Nicaraguan canal or tho Pana
ma routo if preferred.
On May 13 tho- naval appropriation
bill which provides for two new bat
tleships, two armored cruisers, and
two gunboats and carries a total ap
propriation of $77,650,000, was taken
up in the house. Representative
Rixey of Virginia spoke for the bill,
arguing for government construction
of warships
The bill of complaint against the
beef trust prepared by Attorney Gen
eral Knox, was filed at Chicago on
May 10. The bill points to conspiracy
to control the price of meat, alleges,
collusion with tho railroads, asserts'
that secret meetings fix the extortldn
ato values, and that a plain violation
of the anti-trust law has occurred.
On May 13, George G. Boardman,
formerly of the 20th infantry, gave
testimony before the senate Philip
pines committee. He declared that
counterfeiters in high places are pro
tected in those islands. He also de
clared that an order such as General
Smith gave was to make the natives
realize that the United States was In
earnest.
The democratic congressional cam
paign committee held a meeting on
May 14 and decided to make Washing
ton its headquarters, and to increase
tho executive committee from eleven
to fourteen members, of whom eight
shall be members of the congressional
campaign committee and six outside.
Ben T. Cable of Illinois is to be chair
man of tho executive committee.
On May 10 Senator Foraker intro
duced a bill in the senate for the ben
efit of the neonle of tho. French Wpnf
Indies who are in distress on account
of recent volcanic disturbances, au
thorizing the president of the United
States to purchase and forward such
supplies as he shall deem ftrtvfanhiA
and appropriating $100,000 for the pur
pose. The president has directed Secre
tary Root to confer upon the Cuban
court of appeals tho right to review
the testimony in tho case of Estes G.
Rathbone, convicted of complicity in
Cuban postal frauds, and it is ex
pected that as soon as this power Is
conferred the court will act imme
diately on this case. In accordance
with the Piatt amendment this statute
will be made permanent.
The secretary of war has transmitted
to tho senate committee on tho Phil
ippines a report made by Captain J. H.
Grant, civil govornor of the province of
Leyto. This officer reports some dif
ferences between himself and Gen. J.
H. Smith in the control of affairs in
tho province. Captain Grant asserts
that General Smith has accomplished
nothing in the island and is working
J to have military government restored.
During the discussion of tho Philip
pine bill on May 12, Senator Foraker
made a speech against tho bill. In
that speech ho maintained that tho
United States could not leave the isl
ands until order had been r.estored and
a stable government had been estab
lished. Ho also warmly defended tho
methods employed by the 'American
army in those islands and declared
that it JUad shown a humanity unsur
passed in history.
On May 15 the Philippine bill was
again taken up In hoth houses of con
gress and much excitement was ap
parent during the debate. Personal
ities were exchanged during the de
nunciations of cruelties and in, tho
senate Mr. McLaurln of Mississippi
forced the admission from Senator
Spooner that our title to the islands
was incomplete from the first. Sena
tor McLaurin declared, "In purchasing
the Philippines, we purchased only the
right of criminal aggression."
The senate committee on Cuban re
lations held another meeting' May 14
and a witness of a sugar brokerage
house in New York was examined as
to the effect a reduction of the tariff
would have upon the suger intoresls
of this country. This witness declared
that should the Cuban reciprocity bill
pass as it now stands, within a few
yoars the sugar refining business in
the United States will bo a thing of tho
past.
Tho army appropriation bill was
considered in the senate on May 10
and Mr. Bailey of Texas offered an
amendment providing that no part of
the appropriation ,shall be expended
for the special embassy at the corona
tion ceremonies of King Edward of
England. This amendment, however,
was voted down, and the bill ,as
originally prepared was passed. Mr.
Bailey then Introduced his proposi
tion in the form of a resolution. which
is pending.
An effort is being made in the sen
ate to reach a vot6 on 'the' Philippine
government bill, but some opposition
is being made to the plan ' on tho
ground that all discussion is not yet
over. On May 16 Mr. McLaurin of
Mississippi concluded his speech in op
position to the present Philippine pol
icy. Mr. Deboe of Kentucky supported
the pending measure, maintaining that
peace would come quickly when the
sympathizers with Aguinaldo would
cease their attacks upon the American
army and the American flag. It is an
nounced that Monday, May 2G, has
been fixed upon as the day for a vote
on the bill.
During the discussion in the house
on May 16, both the Philippine pollqy
and the Schley case came in for com
ment. Mr. Cannon declared that
though he admired our navy and sup
ported the building of new ships, one
of the dangers of our navy was in tho
fact that one-third of the 1,700 officers
were not on salt water, but on dry
l&na. Mr. Hepburn of Iowa also com
mented on the large number of naval
officers on shore duty, and believed
there must be something wrong about
the system of the naval academy, with
about ono officer for every four cadets.
Mr. Williams, Mr. Grosvenor, Mr.
Foss, Mr. Grow, and Mr. Cochran also
took part in the debate. The debate
was closed for the day by a spirited
discussion of the difference in tho
methods uBed by American soldiers in
the Philippines today and those in
use during tho civil war.
Not to be Trusted.
We have a war department in Wash
ington that has nlfioldlv nrmlnnnrt At it-.
has not encouraged a policy of Wey
lerism in the Philippines, meanwhile
systematically deceiving the American
nePle with regard to the seriousness
of the problem there and the infam
ius thods taken to solve it. It is
clear that we cannot trust the war de
partment ithor f l,on. a-
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