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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1902)
July 35, 190a i JpBoph IL Choate, ambassador to the court d St James, recently advocated the abolition of Fourth of July celebrations in England, "because of the un pleasant' significance of tho event they commemorate." Mr. Choate Is the favorite candidate tor the presidency of that eminent reorganize Don M. Dickinson. Are we to understand that this will be the Choate platform? Mr. Choate' s Platform. Tha retirement of Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese minister to the United States, will be regretted by the very large number of people who have learned to ap preciate the great ability and rare good nature of this Chi nese statesman. Mr. Wu ha3 been able to beat down, so far as ho is concerned, the" prejudice in this country against the Chinese character, and his departure will be generally regretted. f Goodbye' to Mr, Wu. v The Commoner. rigidly to account under tho criminal law as tho less influential violators are held?" If, howover, Mr.' Roosevelt's sincerity In his anti-trust crusado will be judged by these facts, intelligent men will not have great confidence in tho Itoosevolt anti trust crusade. He has, so far, shown his unwill ingness to bring the existing law to bear against trusts generally. Ho has failed to enforce tho criminal section of -the anti-trust law and, al though congress was in session for seven months, Mr. Roosevelt never suggested to congress that it would be well to reduce the custom duties so that combinations may have their "unnecessarily high prices regulated by tho danger of foreign com petition." Yet It Is Not a Trust According to the answer of the United States Steel corporation made before Vice Chancellor Emery at Newark, N. J., tha earnings of that great trust ag gregate $140,000,000 per year. The value of the trust property is fixed at $1,400,000,000 and it is admitted that the conversion plan contemplates a payment of $10,000,000 to J. Pierpont Morgan & fio. This is the great aggregation of wealth concerning which Attorney General Knox recently reported to the president as not in violation of the anti-tru3t law. The National Grocer company has been or ganized with a capitalization of $5,000,000. The t purpose of the concern is to No Shackles gain control of the wholesale for grocery houses in Illinois, Ind- Cunning. lana, Ohio, Missouri ahd .Mich igan. The new trust will begin operations August 1. Another indication that it may be necessary in tho near future "to shackle cunning as In the past we have shackled force." And another demonstration of the fact that the republican administration, if it is really the shackler of cunning, is not working much at its trade these days. 'Power for Mere Men. , The Kansas City Journal says: "The United States can, by announcing that the friars are a menace to the peace of the coun try, expel them from the isl ands." It seems to be generally understood that the United , States can do pretty nearly any thing in their new possessions, and yet if by a mere announcement that a man is "a menace to the peace of the country," the authorities may ex pel men from United States territory, the au thorities would have, we think, considerably more power than the American people ever intended 10 confer upon mere men. Is 1 Roosevelt Sincere? Walter Wellman, the Washington correspon dent for the Chicago Record-Herald, says: "With out doubt President Roosevelt's sincerity in his anti-trust cru sade will be largely judged by two facts: Is he willing to bring the existing law to bear against such monopolistic combinations as the anthracite and tobacco trusts, which do not de pend upon the tariff? Is he willing to urge reduc tion of customs dut - so that combinations like tho steel trust, the glass trust and the leather trust may have their Unnecessarily high prices regulated by the danger of foreign competition?" Mr. Wellman might have added, "Is he willing to bring criminal proceedings against the wealthy violators of the anti-trust law and hold them as 4 i .1 Acquittal After all. In passing upon the court-mardal findings In the case of Major L. W. T. Waller and Lieutonant Day, General Chaffee said that tho "acts of these officers par took 'more of unlawful retalia tion than a justifiable act of war;" also that tho execution of tho natives was contrary "to tho reasonable de mand of civilized nations that war shall be pur sued with the least possible cruelty and injustice.". It is also stated: "In the opinion of the reviewing authority, the evidence is opposed to the findings of the court;" and after saying all this, tho re viewing authority approves the acquittal of Major Waller and Lieutenant Day. "dlory" for Admiral Schley. The Des Moines Register and Leader, republi can, says: "Admiral Schley uttered an admirable sentiment when he said, 'There is glory enough for all.' Tho un fortunate controversies of. that campaign are not yet dead, but already it is apparent that in the end this sentiment will be the sentiment of the country, and when it is a large and deservod glory will bo spontaneously awarded to this faith ful commander, whose bravery, capacity and un tiring vigilance brought fresh renown to tho American navy and gave our flag an added im portance upon the seas." The republican presi dent, by insinuation, sought to put the brand of cowardice upon Admiral Schley. The republican senate refused to incorporate in a bill formal rec ognition of the fact that Schley was actually n command in the battle of Santiago Bay, but passed a bill providing for placing Schley upon the re tired list with the full pay of a rear admiral. But even this measure failed to pass the republican house. So far as the American people are con cerned, Schley has already won the glory. This republican paper that seems to be friendly to the hero of Santiago Bay might bend its energies to ward persuading the leaders of Its own party to refrain from doing Injustice to Schley. An Eminent Reorganlzer. Don M. Dickinson, who was postmaster gen eral in Mr. Cleveland's cabinet, was "too good a democrat" to support the" demo cratic ticket in 1896 or in 1900: and in this year of "1902 Don M. Dickinson is so "good a demo crat" that he has chosen Joseph H. Choate, United States ambassador at tho court of St. James, as his candidate for the presidency. In a speech delivered at London on the evening of July 7, Mr. Dickinson said: "Mr. Choate 'does not belong to my party, but it Is very near to the heart of the American people that he shall go from the court of St James to the presidential chair, and I wish he may get it.' It will be somewhat surprising to many people In the United States to hear Mr. Choate mentioned in connec tion with the presidency, and many more will bo surprised when they are told that "it is very near the heart of the American people that he shall go from the court of St. James to the presidential chair." What manner of surprise does Mr. Dick inson have in Btore for us? He is an eminent re- organizer. Can it bo possible that after ho has reorganized the domocratio party to his own lik ing, he will tako tho platform In tho national con vention in 1904 and present tho name of Joseph H. Choate as tho democratic candidate for tho presidency? the Important Privilege. Tho Chicago Tribune enumerates tho right3 guaranteed td the1 Filipinos by 'the Philippine bill,4 and says: "If the Filipinos have it in them to becomo a self governing people now is tholr opportunity to acqulro.tho rudi ments of a political education and show tha.t'thdy are deserving of all tho rights Americans enjoy Most of them congress has al ready glvon the Filipinos." But tho most Import ant privilege, of all is denied them. They are to bo "citizens of tho Philippines" citlzons of a government that does not, in fact, exist. They are denied the right of setting up a government for themselves and are also denied tho privilego of becomingcltlzens of the government that has been forced upon them. Thoy will have no opportun ity to "show that thoy have it in them to becomo a self-governing' people," because, by tho provi sions of the Philippine bill, thoy are not ac corded the privilege of participating seriously in the government that has been set above them. Tho New York World gives tho public this bit of consolation: "The beef packers are prompt t ly meting out their punishment - The to the public. Tho eighty mil- Poor lions of Americans have tho Public. temerity to .object to being robbed, and tho government, af ter much pressure, brought action which has not yot acted so far as prices are concerned. The packora, accepting this as a piece of importlnence, now proceed to form a new trust that will place them above all the laws against Increasing prices. It begins to look as though the poor public had better keep quiet or cease to exist." If the "poor public" does not possess the courage and industry to stand up for its rights against a handful of mn who seek to impose upon it, then it would bo better for the poor public "to keep quiet or cease to exist." But If the American people shall be como thoroughly aroused and shall bo persuaded to use the power within their grasp, there is no trust and no coterie, of men seeking to thrive upon public misery that can long withstand tho determined aixrault. Too Effective a Weapon. It is safe to say that the explanation for tho administration's faijure to bring criminal pro ceedings against the members of the beef combine Is found in the fact that tho criminal clause of tho federal anti-trust law is very clear and conviction could readily be obtained. It is something of a problem to know just how to deal with a trust that Is rep resented by a single corporation. But when a number of men representing different concerns, as in the beef combine, conspire In restraint of trade, with the ample evidence already at .hand to sup port of civil proceedings there would bo little difficulty in making a criminal proceeding effec tive. An effective criminal prosecution would land every member of the beef combine behind tho bars in short order. The members of this combine are enormously wealthy men. They are influential in commercial circles. They have pow erful political influence and. it, would nbt do for these rich transgressors of the law to bo placed in jail. Suchfca thing is not to be thought of. Jails were built for unlnfluential men who violate the law. Rich and powerful men who conspire against the very life of the people are to be dealt with through the clumsy process of injunction proceedings.