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The Commoner
VOLUME 3, NDMBEIU7,
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rCURBNT TOPICS
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IT Iti REPORTED FROM MANILA THAT
leaders of the federal party are preparing a
petition to the United States congress asking that
the Philippine commission be reorganized. A Ma
nila cablegram to the Chicago Tribune says:
"They will ask that the membership bo increased
by tho addition of two Filipinos and one Ameri
can, and also that tho salary of the Filipino mem
bora bo increased because the auditor, the col
lector of customs, tho attorney general, solicitor,
and treasurer recoivo salaries of ?5,000 in excess
of those paid to tho present native commissioners.
Tho petition also will set forth the desire that
tho secretary of finance, .secretary of justice, sec
retary of commerce, and secretary of police, be
so appolnteu that two natives may hold office as
secretaries. It is believed that this is the motive
for a concerted demand for tho appointment of
more native officeholders at higher salaries."
STATISTICS RECENTLY GATHERED SHOW
ing the various employments for women in
Great Britain are attracting considerable atten
tion in tho newspapers of the world. A writer
in tho New Orleans Times Democrat referring to
these statistics, says: "It appears that in Eng
land and Wales alone there are nearly 44,000 wo
men bootmakers, 3,239 ropemakers, 4,730 saddle
makers, 5,140 who make a living by gardening, 3,
850 butchers, 7,707 who keep body and soul to
gether by tending bar, nearly 3,000 cyclemalcers,
and tho highest flguro. of all 117,640 tailors. It.
appears that there are' female bailiffs, boatmen,
boilermakers, bricklayers, iron founders, plumb
ers, plasterers, slaughterers and veterinary sur
geons. One woman in the kingdom is set down as
a dock laborer, and another as a road laborer,
while 279 are undertakers, and 12 are shepherds."
THE HOUSE IN WHICH CHARLES DICKENS
was born is to bo sold at auction in October,
and an effort is being made to purchaso tho build
ing and preserve it along with other "Dickens
relics." A London correspondent for the New
York American, referring to this plan, says:
"Two schemes toward this end have been sug
gested. One is that the Dickens fellowship should
provide the necessary money out of its funds
and tho other that the municipality should find the ,
money. Forster, in his 'Life of Dickens,' makes
the following interesting reference to the novel
ist's birthplace: 'He has often told me that ho
remembered the small front garden to the house
from which he was taken away when he was two
years old, and where, watched. by a nurse through
tho low kitchen window almost level with the
gravel walk, he trotted about with something to
eat, and- his little elder sister with him.' "
M:
it r
R. ROOSEVELT'S POLITICAL MANAGERS
are said to bo seriously disturbed hw.aufm of
the accumulated evidences that organized labor js
. disposed to object to Mr. Roosevelt's election to
the office he now holds. Walter Wellman, tho
Washington correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald,
says: "Organized labor's crusade
against President Roosevelt over the case of Book
binder Miller is attaining serious proportions, and
tho members" of the administration are becoming
more anxious as to the effect which this warfare
may have upon next year's elections. The letters
sent out by the central labor union of 'this city,
asking for an expression of opinion from labor or
. ganizations throughout the country, are meeting
with quick and cordial response. It is already ap
, parent that labor unions genorally are usposed to
Indorse the action of the Washington organiza
tion, which, by resolution, condemned the presi
dent's reinstatement of Foreman Miller and de
claration in favor of the 'open shop' as an act
unfriendly to union labor.'"
CHAIRMAN SALEN OF THE OHIO DEMO
cratic state executive committee, recently
proposed to Chairman Dick of the republican com.
mittee that the Campaign expenditures of both
Bides be limited, and that each committee publish
a sworn statement just prior to election, showing
the total amount. thus oxpended. Referring to this
proposition, John H. .Clarke, the, democratic .nom
inee tor United States senator, in a publicspeech,
said: "Thoro are more than enough men in tho
state suspected of having obtained their positions
by questionable methods. I believe I am of firm
enough fibre to refuse even a certificate of election
were it tendered me if tainted with suspicion of
its having been obtained by improper use of mon
ey, and that no such suspicion shall be attached
to my election if I snail be successful in this can
vass, I make this public declaration of my in
tentions." IT !C
CHAIRMAN DICK OF THE REPUBLICAN
committee declined to accept Chairman Sa
len's proposition, and in explanation said: "Since
your party did not comply with the law when it
was in force, I cannot now understand your great
anxiety to carry out its provisions after It has
been repealed. So far as the republican state com
mittee is concerned, its books are open to the in
spection of all whose business it Is to examine
them. Beyond this the committee declines to go."
It will be observed that while the republican
chairman said that the books of the republican
state committee are open to inspection, he took
pains to say they "are open to the inspection of all
whose business it is to examine them," and ho
added by way of emphasis, "beyond this the com
mittee declines to go." In other words, the re
publican committee intends to use so much money
and in such a questionable way that It is not
willing that the character of its expenditures be
made known to the people.
ig
IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE TROUBLES IN
the British ministry are not disposed of by
the retirement of Joseph Chamberlain. Austin
Chamberlain, the son, remains a member of the
cabinet, and the London correspondent for the
Chicago Record-Herara says: "A well-known
Londoner who has been behind the scenes df
British politics for many years says that Mr.
Chamberlain's resignation is only part of a very
carefully thought-out scheme. According to this
Londoner, Austin Chamberlain will remain In
the cabinet, and the father's voice will be heard
through the son." It is further predicted by the
same authority that "it . is almost certain there
will be a general election, when the liberals will
come into power, but the liberals cannot count
on a long tenure of office. Then there will be a
turn in the tide and Mr. Chamberlain will be car
ried on the floor to the premiership."
SIR JOHN NUTTING OF DUBLIN, WHO IS
now visiting the United States, was recently
interviewed by a representative of the Chicago
Record-Herald, and speaking of British politics,
said: "Chamberlain is one of the greatest flgurps
in English public life today, and he will be a
greater one in the future. When ho outlines his
policy and backs it up with the figures with which
he is familiar in connectionwith colonial affairs,
there will be a change of sentiment in his favor.
He has not yet done more than Indicate what he
prdposes to do with the tariff. The majority of
the people just now seem opposed to him and his
policy, but his enemies need only wait a short
time to find out what he will do to turn the tide
in his favor and. overwhelm them by the force and
logic of hiaposition."
IT
THAT THESE ARE TRYING DAYS JTOR MR.
Balfour cannot be doubted by those who
carefully obsorve conditions in the British min
istry. Mr. Balfour became prime minister in
July, 1902, upon the retirement of Lord Salisbury.
A writer in the Chicago Record-Herald describes
in an interesting way the embarrassments with
which Mr. Balfour has been confronted, saying:
"He found his party with an overwhelming ma
jority in parliament, and the loyalty of its par-
liamentary representation was shown in the sup
port of the education bill, vrhioh wan WftAriv
assailed throughout the kingdom. There can. be
no doubt that this bill was excessively unpopular
in a broad sense, 'or" that if it could have been
brought before the country as a clearly denned
Issue, the strength of the conservatives wouil
have been greatly reduced. But there was no ap
peal to the .electorate, and tho conservative mem
bers of parliament 'accepted it generally without
a thought of dissent"
IT IS POINTED OUT BY THIS SAME WRITER
that .nothing could indicate more conclusive.
ly the great advantage of position which Mr Bal
four had over his opponents. It seemed as though
it was impossible to budge the government, and in
spite of the recent war office scandal it would
probably still be impregnable except for diamine
Iain's revolutionary scheme. This was first ex
pounded May 16 and was amplified May 28. It
proposed a tariff on food stuffs with compensation
to the workingmen in old age pensions, included
a promise of higher wages, aeclared for prefer
ential tariffs with the colonies, and suggested a
retaliatory tariff war against Germany and tho
United States. Mr. Balfour accepted the scheme
by saying that he was in agreement with Mr.
Chamberlain, but he raised doubts about the food
tax and spoke generally in a rather tentative
manner. ,
SINCE THAT TIME AND FOR A PERIOD OR
four months, according to the Kecord-Her-ald
writer, the cabinet has occupied the most
anomalous position imaginable. According to this
writer several of the cabinet members were un
compromising free traders, and as hostile to
Chamberlain's views as any liberal could be. Yet
there have been hints of modification and com
promise, and the premier, with his open mind
and his tentative way of putting things, has kepty
the country in the utmost confusion. Even after
the publication of his pamphlet this week thero
was doubt as to just where he stood, and a lib
eral paper, suggested recently that lights of dif
ferent colors snould be prepared to announce to
the world on the occasion of his Sheffield speech
whether he was protectionist or free trader or
still on the fence.
&$ if
IT HAS BEEN REPORTED ON SEVERAL Oc
casions that Mr. Chamberlain was willing
to omit certain features from his scheme. But
the Record-Herald Writer points out that tho
"general explosion" that hc.3 just occurred has
put an end to rumor and dispelled doubt. This
writer adds: "Balfour proclaims himself a Cham
berlain man while accepting Chamberlain's res
ignation, making this distinction only that iC
thero has been any difference between Uem it has
been with regard to 'the practicability of the pro
posal, which would seem to require on the part
of the colonies a limitation in the all-round devel
opment of a protective policy, and on tho part
of this country a preference in favor of import
ant colonial products.' This difference would not
eliminate the hostility of free traders to Mr. Bal
four's program, which is one of retaliatory tariffs
against foreign countries, and. it will be curious
if more free trade cabinet members do not follow
the example of Mr. Ritchie and Lord George Ham
ilton and resign. That the premier can now
command sufficient parliamentary support to
maintain his governmenl through the storm of
debate is of course highly Improbable. The Pall
Mall Gazette describes the crisis not inaptly as
the 'most extraordinary, in tho whole history of
parliamentary government,' and the titular leader
who has brought it about or permitted it to ho
brought about to the dissipation of his own su-
perior forces must suffer a serious loss of prestige.'
SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO WILLIAM HED
rick was sentenced to the Missouri peniten
tiary from BUtler county to serve three years for
grand larceny. After serving six months, Hedriclc
escaped from the prison and subsequently located
in Arkansas. There he became a farmer, mar
ried and raised a family of five children. For
nearly seventeen years he resided in Arkansas,
enjoying the confidence and respect of his neigh
bors. -Finally he was discovered and returned to
Jefferson City to servo out his time. A dispatch
to the St. Louis Republic, under date of Jefferson
City, September 22, says: "Governor Dockery to
day, after reviewing the case, decided to give him
his liberty in consideration of his endeavor to he
a good citizen. It is the first instance on record
at the Missouripenitentiary where a man received
a pardon after an attempt to oscape."
T' HE MONUMENT 'ERECTED -BY. THE Peo
ple of New Jersey on the battlefield of a
tietam --was -dedlcatedSeptember 17. 'Mr. Roosc