The Commoner.
Dec . 5, 290a
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It is estimated that the advance in wages by
the railroad companies will moan $50,000,000 tor
railroad employes. It is also es-
ShippwB timated that the advance in
Foot freight rates will mean $120,000.-
the Bill. 000 for the railroads. This is at.
least one instance where It pays
I. certainly pays the railroads
to he "generous.
and the shippers foot the bill.
It seems to ho generally admitted after a
Careful reading of the scenes before the arbitra
tion board while John Mitchell
Mitchell waa on tne ojgMVthat the rep
as resentativo of the workingmen
Witness acquitted himself much more
creditably in the role of witness
and gentleman than ilr. Wayne MacVeagh or any
other attorney for the coal barons did in tho role
of gentleman and lawyer.
Congressman Hepburn of Iowa says that
should Mr. Cannon be elected to the speakership,
there would be but little neces
Weary of sity for having any other repre
Oneflan sentative in the house than tho
Power. gentleman occupying the speak
er's chair. For many years the
s speaker in a republican house has domitiated the
entire body. It would seem that Mr. Hepburn
'would by this time have become quite accustomed
to one man power.
A Washington dispatch under date of Novem
ber 18 says: "It can be stated positively that the
Panama canal treaty will not
be ready for submission to con
gress when it convenes. Com
plications have since arisen over
the question of the sovereignty
over the canal strip." Can it be possible that the
pifears of those who protested that the Panama route
n was favored by certain influential men merely tor
the purpose of delay are to be justified?
The St. Paul Globe gives the American people
a pertinent reminder when it says: "We have
played a contemptible part in
; A the Cuban transaction. Our
part was, moreover, foolish. But
it was dictated to us by the pro
tected interests and we filled the
role doubtless to their satisfaction. It will be
'still further to their satisfaction should it now
prove that little Cub., is in a position to refuse our
exports ind to seek elsewhere a market for her
Tho
Panama
Complications.
Contemptible
Part.
own.'
Abram S. Hewitt was recently asked by a re
porter for the New York World if he would ox-
press his views on the future of
the democratic party. "No, sir,"
replied Mr. Hewitt, "I have no
interest in the matter. I am not
a democrat" Mr. Hewitt has
made some progress. When he refused to support
the democratic national ticket in 189G and again
in 1900 his refusal was based on the ground that
he was "too good a democrat" to give support to
that ticket Now Mr. Hewitt is candid and there
are others who ought to be equally candid.
. Mr.
Hewitt's
Example.
It is reported in the newspaper dispatches
from Washington that "some.. of the statehood
boomers now 'are urging the ex
A traordinary strength of Presi-
Happy dent Roosevelt in Arizona, New
Hjt Mexico and Oklahoma; they say
that this strength insures ten
electoral votes for the republican ticket in 1904."
These statehood boomers have hit upon the "argu
ment" that will most appeal to republican leaders.
Anything that will conMbute to the success of the
republican party, is interpreted by these leaders
as being "good for the nation."
The Chicago Tribune, referring to the riots in
Havana, says: "President Palma has taken charge
of matters and there may be no
further trouble. He has all the
men he needs, and will maintain
order. He will be all the more
determined to do so because the
Cuban government is a new one and Is on trial.
If there were to be continuous disorder in Havana
many would jump at .the conclusion that the gov
ernment was unable to protect either persons or
property. President Palma is determined that
Building
a
Republic.
there shall bo no just causo for such a conclusion."
In other words, the Tribune means that some of
the land-grabbing politicians in tho republican
party miglit rush to the assistance of Senator
Elkins and insist upon tho annexation of Cuba.
If, however, there were any who imagined that
tho government of Cuba, or any other now govern
ment for that matter, could bo built up without dif
ficulties arising, they have not studied tneir history
to advantage. It has not been forgotten that oven
in our own country, because of the problems with
which our forefathers were confronted, there woro
many who were quite ready to jump to tho conclu
sion that self-government was a failure.
Strenuoslty
and
Addfcks.
If Mr. Roosevelt had hunted bear as persist
ently as he goes in search of trouble ho would not
havo returned empty handod
from his southern trip. Tho Ad-
dicks and tho anti-Addlcks fac
tional fight has raged within the
republican ranks of Delaware for
many years. By tho appointment of an Addicks
man to the position of United States attorney for
Delaware, Mr. Roosevelt, it is claimed, has rec
ognized the AddicLs faction. It la very likely that
before he completes his Delaware experiment Mr.
Roosevelt will experience all tho strenuoslty that
could be desired by a busy man.
SS
The Hartford (Conn.) Times asks: "Is It not
a well-known fact that certain republican leaders
in New York and Pennsylvania
Is it have gained what amounts to an
Well ownership of tho party organiza-
Known? tIon n those states by becoming
tho repositories of a secret fund
amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars an
nually, with which they pay the cost of political
campaigns and elections, thereby securing control
of legislatures and of tho lawmaking power?"
The readers of the Times are perhaps not in a po
sition to answer its question, although It must be
admitted that a great many people suspect that
that question might be well answered in the affirmative.
"Letting
Well Enough
Alone."
The London correspondent of the. New York
World cables to hispaper as follows:. "Tho for
eign agents, or tne unitea states
steel corporation havo been In
structed to offer finished steel
abroad at prices below those
quoted here. This plan was tried
by the constituent companies of tho United States
steel corporation three years ago and was very
successful. Excess of production over consump
tion in certain lines is said to be The cause of the
reduction." And yet republican leaders are in
terpreting the result of the recent election as a de
cision by the people In favor of "letting well
enough alone" on the tariff question.
Sentiment
and
Subsidy.
The Rochester (N. Y.) Herald says: "The
vigorous opposition to tho ship subsidy grab
waged by democrats and inde
pendent republicans for tho past
-hree years has thus far borne
fruit' in the stimulation of a
healthy sentiment in favor of
the protection of the federal treasury against tho
more brazen schemes of individual favoritism."
Undoubtedly the Herald is correct in its statement;
and yet it remains to be seen whether this fact
will have any effect upon a republican congress.
It did not restrain the senate from passing the
ship subsidy bill and recent dispatches announce
that Congressman Grosvenor has been at Wash
ington for several days with the view of making
a special effort in behalf of this iniquitous meas
ure. The town of Hopkins, Mo., boasts of the old
est voter In the person of "Grandpa" Russell who
is 100 years of age. Mr. Russell
drove several miles from bis
farm and cast a democratic bal
lot There are a number of
younger men who might profit
by Mr. Russell's example. Those who did not
seize the high privilege of casting a democratic
ballot do not know the gratification they missed
and those who remained at home on election day
and .would not tane the trouble to travel a few
miles for the purpose of discharging their duty as
citizens may not understand what it was that
prompted this 100-year-old man to travel several
miles in order to cast his vote. But Mr. Russell
has the satisfaction of knowing that he discharged
A 100
Year Old
Voter.
his duty as a citizen by voting; and ho has tht
further satisfaction of knowing that ho discharged
this duty well by voting tho democratic tickot
Something for tho farmors to think over is
provided by tho Now York World when it says:
"Grain exports for ton months
' A aro $81,000,000 smaller than last
.Sorry year; provisions and Hvo stock
Joke uavo fallen off f33.000.000. But
manufactured goods woro sold
abroad In quantities greator than last year. Tho
sorry joke id that to farmer gets tho same prices
for homo and foreign sales, while tho manufac
turer 'extends his markot' by cnarglng Amorlcan
farmers and other consumers 50 per cont moro than
tho export price with tho aid of tho boneflcent
tariff."
vvs
Make
tho Mcssago
Readable,
In his address before tho Now York chamber
of commorco, Mr. Roosevelt said: "It Is a pleas
ure to addresi a body whose
membors possess to an eminent
degreo tho traditional self-reliance
of spirit which makes
them scorn to ask from tho gov
ernment, whothor of state or of nation, anything
but a fair field and no favor; who confide not In
being helped by others, but in their own skill, en
ergy and business capacity to achieve success."
Pity Mr. Roosevelt did not have the courage to in
corporate something like this in his message to
congress with respect to thoso men who In return
for their generous contributions to tho republican
campaign fund, insist upon obtaining from tho gov
ernment special favors at tho public expense?
Senator Allison made several speeches in Iowa
during the recent campaign and some republican
papers claimed that tho senator
Allison vvas devoted to the "Iowa Idea."
and the But in an interview recently
"Idea." printed In the Chicago Tribune
Senator Allison says that con
gress will bo too busy at tho coming short session
to undertake "even an examination of tho tariff,"
and even if an extra session should be called in
March or April, Mr. Allison says congress could
do nothing because "a long and patient Investiga
tion must bo made by somebody before congress
can be put in possession of tho necessary informa
tion upon which to act" It begins to look as
though tho senator's devotion to tho "Iowa idea"
was for campaign purposes only.
The New York Herald says: "What our own
country needs is rest rest from tho manufacture
of new securities, from flare-ups
in Wall street and from 'corners
in Chicago and a chance to pull
itself together, find out where
it is at, pay off its foreign do in
and readjust credits at homo after tho several
years of speculative debauch through which it
has passed. This must be done if we are to avoid
a crash in financing and speculative circles, which
would react to the injury of the legitimate indus
trial and mercantile interests, which are now so
prosperous. This is no time for fireworks." Would
the Herald have the American peoplo overrule the
decree of destiny? Would it havo tho United
States' prestige as a world power utterly destroyed
by penning up the bulls and bears of Wall street
within reasonable limits? What has come over
the spirit of the Herald's dreams? Does it not
know that what it has said on this subject is a
very near approach to leso majeste?
Look
Out
Mr. Bennett
President Eliot of Harvard recently said: "Wo
have lately, to bo sure, felt some hesitation
whether there were not in our
Some own country powers stronger
Strong than our government We have
Powers. kal occasion to observe that
combined capital seemed to re
gard the government of our country as a secondary
power. We havo also observed that combined la
bor seemed to regard the government of our coun
try as a secondary power. But it is not so, gen
tlemen, and the coming years aro going to demon
strate that the American democracy has the su
preme authority in tho continent it occupies."
But what is President Eliot doing to bring about
this reassertion of the American democracy? He
seems to hpve many words by way of criticism for
laboring men; but if he has yet uttered a vigor
ous protest against the trust system and tho pow
erful influences that for selfish ends are con
trolling our government today, such utterance
have not been given wide publication.
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