The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, November 13, 1903, Page 5, Image 5

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    NUPWP WH
lnriHimHnrnnmmm
5
NOVEMBER 'l3 ' 1903.
In a recently delivered speech, Mr. Roosevelt
(expressed the hop that the city of Washington
' x would soon have1 a proper statue
Also or Abraham Lincoln. A very
Liocola'A excellent wish, indeed. In the
Principle!. -meantime, would It not he well
for the political party which
Claims Lincoln as its patron saint to respect his
memory by respecting his principles?
The Albany (N. Y.) Argus says: S'K Society
for the Extension of the Statute of Limitations
. '.' t may soon be formed and only
"' ,, those who have escaped pun
Latest . lshment, either criminal or civil,
Society. Dy lts operation, will be eligible
to membership. The organiza
tion will no doubt be national In Its character, al
though there will undoubtedly be municipal and
state associations affiliated."
Prosperity"
and
Prosperity,
With crashes in Wall street, bank failures in
Baltimore and Pittsburg, runs on savings institu
tions In St. Louis, men and wo
men complaining that the cost
of the necessaries of life having
increased to such an extent that
they cannot make both ends
meet, there .Is not great encouragement for re
publican editorial writers to prate that the boasted
prosperity is general and genuine. And yet there
are republican papers whose editors do not hesi
tato to palm off upon their readers some of these
well-worn prosperity editorials.
General
Shake
up.
Where.
Ho la
Strong."
The Commoner.
strange that a member of Mr. Roosovelt's official
household should, under the circumstances, mako
tho mistake of hoisting In plain view a real dis
tress signal.
Recently the Wall Street Journal said that
In the American government, the rcoplo are at
w onc0 tnc crcators anl tho sub-
Net au jeck oi jaw "rjecauso all are
by any equally represented In the mak
Meaas. lnK of the laws," Bald the Jour
nal, "and because, undor the
constitution, all are equal before tho law, there
fore all are expected to respect and oboy tho law.
All are free so far as their freedom does not
interfere with the rights of others." And yet the
Journal does not mean that "all" the peoplo sub
ject to American authority are equal before tho
law. The peoplo of the Philippines, for Instance
are subject to. whatover law we see lit to im
pose upon them, but they have no voice in the
creation of that law.
Tho Des Moines (la.) Capital, a republican
paper, in a burst of candor, makes this interest
ing statement: "Hon. Kooert
G. Cousins says in private con-
versation that ho believes the
presidential campaign next
year wyi be the most exciting
of any election held in recent years. Ho points
out many sources- of minor disagreements in par
ties and. thinks there will be a general shake-up,
with new alignments, etc. Other thoughtful men
agree with Mr. Cousins. They believe this year is
hut the calm before the storm."
In a recent speech; Mr. Roosevelt exhorted his
hearers to practice in civil life "the honesty that
not merely deplores corruption
There n B eagy- enough to deplore
.are corruption but that wars
Other, against and tramples it under
foot.".tThe Louisville Courier
Journal therefore observes: "And there is no
man alive who has done so much to uphold and
aid the chief of corruptlonists, Addlcks, as the
"preacher of this sermon,- It may be added that
the alliance between AdOicks and the Roosevelt
administration is not the only incident that
prompts one to echo Mr. Roosevelt's statement:
"It is easy enough to deplore corruption."
The Des Moines (la.) Register and Leader
asked its readers for an expression of opinion as
to whom the democrats should
nominate for president. The re
sult was 1,848 votes for Cleve
land and 938 for a democrat
The Sioux City Journal inti
mates that as most of tho Register's readers are
presumed to be of the republican faith, democrats
may have no reason to worry over the showing.
This is not tho first instance wherein it has been
remarked that Mr. Cleveland finds his strongest
support for the democratic nomination among re
publicans and those who habitually refuse to sup
port democratic nominees.
Q. O. P.
Distress
Signal-
Newspaper dispatches report that recently
Jerry Smith, the veteran negro factotum at the
rriTnel1nrt'a OYPfMlHvA nfiflpn
caused great excitement by
hoisting the White house flag
upside down. The Washington
corresnondent for the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch says that the distress signal was
soon made out from the state, war and navy
buildings and gave rise to all sorts of rumors of
death and accident. It happened that during
the afternoon of that day, certain distinguished
British .visitors were to call on Mr. Roosevelt
and it was rumored that the one who hoisted the
flag in this shape had this visit in mind. The
mistake was speedily remedied. But there are
several genuine distress signals-being put out by
the Roosevelt-administration these days. The
exposure of corruption In so many official quarters
are piling up thick and fast and it is not at all
Paid for
"5toIea
Marks."
. The Des Moines Registor and Leader, a re
publican paper, says: "There Is something wrong
with the moral standards of a
people who can read tho record
of John D. Rockefeller and not
feel toward him as they would
toward a man who had claimed
a prize at a social party on tho strength of stolen
marks on his tally card. And what is true of
Rockofeller Is true of Schwab and Morgan and
hundreds of the great men of the business world.
Fair 'play Is the watchword of sport. It cannot
too soon becomo tho watchword of business and
politics." Is it not true, however, that Rockcfoller
and others of his class paid for their "stolen
marks" by liberal contributions to the campaign
fund of the political party which the Register
and Leader represents?
In its issue of October 2G, the Chicago Chron
icle' said: -"One thousand men employed in the
South Chicago mills of the 11
4,Four llnols Steel company were laid
Years off Saturday night and when
More." no no'ws spread through tho
streets of tho great manufactur
ing . district it created general consternation.
Inough the company announced that the cutting
of the force was caused entirely by slack busi
ness, the army of workers were aroused to fear a
general shutaown of the mills would result." And
an this in the midst of a boasted prosperity which
republican leaders tell us is, general and perma
nent. How many of the thousand men discharged
"In Chicago recall Mr. Hanna's famouB campaign
slogan: "Four years more of a full dinner pail?"
Tho Petty (Tox.) Enterprise aays that the
constituents of Congressman Morris Sheppard of
Texas insist that he bo given a
Sheppard place upon the roll of honor.
of The Enterpriso directs attention
Texas. to Congressman Baker's re
fusal to accept a free pass from
a railroad company and says that in conversation
with friends, when this incident wag mentioned,
Mr. Sheppard quietly remarked: "I myself have
never and will never accept a rree pass from any
railroad company, though I suppose it would savo
me ?l,00o a year. I resolved when I was elected
that I would not accept material favors from any
source which might excite my gratitude and hence
bo liable to hamper me in the discnarge of my
duty." Mr. Shoppard has the right idea. It would
ho well if every other pubfic official took the
same firm stand against tho pass evil.
"VVVS
The Louisville Courier-Journal says: "Perry
Heath, who has filled quite a large space in the
political view for some years,
Who will seems to have come to grief at
bathe last. His name has. for a pcr-
Next? Iod dating back to the postoflice
scandals in Havana, been un
der the critical eye of public suspicion, and at
times he has broken out in violent denunciation
of his alleged traducers. Instead of affecting his
standing with his party, the accusations seemed
to have endeared him to It to such extent that
he was made ana is now the secretary of tho na
tional republican coniniittee. It Is reported now,
however, that in the Brlstow report on the post
office scandals which the president has under ex
amination hi3 name is mentioned in a manner
damaging to his official character as former first
assistant postmaster general, and that his re
tirement from the committee. is .rendered neccs
"sary. The question in the mind of the public. Is,
who' next?"
' Why
Arbitrate
the Question?
A Denver, Colo., reader, of The Commonor mh
mlts th6 following: "Why did tho United State
senate consont to argue with
Great Britain over tho Alaskan
boundary question? When we
bought Alaska from tho Rus
sians. Great Britain had noth
ing to Bay about tho boundary line being In the
wrong place; then why should wo consent, at this
lato date, to arbitrate any such question with
her, when every truo American knows thnt nil
she wanted was to gobble up a few more gold
mines? Why had not some of tho old American
spirit shown Itself, as It did over tho Oregon
question? As far as 1 can sco, we did an unwise
and un-American act In permitting any such
question to be arbitrated."
Knew
What They
Were Dolag.
Tho Wall Scrcct Journal reminds tho mem
bers of tho American Bankers' association that
"when thoy rocommonded that
dcpoflltn of government monoy
be made in tho national hanks
secured by securities accepta
ble to the secretary of tho treas
ury, thoy substantially ndvocntcd an Idea which,
carried to Its last limits, would make tho gov
ernment a partner In nil the buslnoss enterprises
of tho country." Tho Journal need not Imagrno
that It can frighten the gentlemen who adopted
this resolution. They evidently knew what thoy
were doing and It may be taken for granted that
they would not bo persuaded from their plan by
tho claim that It tends to socialism. They knew
that plan was to tholr own personal advantage
and they will doubtless Insist upon It regard I e3
of any label that may be applied to It.
Saved by
Statute ef
Limitation.
Republican papers that claim credit for the
party because some of tho corruption In tho fed
eral service has been exposed,
overlook tho fact that tho re
publican administration per
mitted the statute of limitations
to operate to the benefit of a
largo number of distinguished republican offend
ers. The secretary of the republican national
committee was one of the beneficiaries of tho
statute of limitations and now Congressman Llt
taucr has come within the protecting shadow of
that statute. The American people cannot expect
an Investigation that will Investigate until they
turn out of power tho party that Ib responsible for
the appointment of the corruptlonlstn nor can tho
people reasonably expect a. vigorous enforcement
of tho law against tho offenders now under In
dictment at Ihe hands of a party thnt permits tho
statute of limitations to operate In faor of a
number of conspicuous wrong-doors.
The Des Moines (la.) Capital, a republican
paper, says: "It is reported that President Rooso
velt contemplates recommend
Subject Ing.the adoption of free trade
and with the Philippine islands.
Citizen. Governor Taty will also recom
mend the same. The recommen
dation of the president ought to be adopted. There
ought never to have been a tariff established be
tween the government of the United States and
the government of the Philippine islands, which la
one and the same. It matters not what effect free
trade with the Philippines might have upon the
commerce" of tho 'home government.' It is ridic
ulous to have a tariff duty between one part and
another part of the same country." Is it not also
ridiculous to have some of tho people subjects
while others are citizens? Is It not just as ridic
ulous to have tho nation part subject and part
citizen as it Is to have a tariff duty between one
part and another part of the same country?
The Wall Street Journal says: "The men who
are opposed to Mr. Roosevelt because he believed
It to be his duty to enforce the
Not Sherman anti-trust law may be
at all Hove that it Is an Injury to
Real. tlDeIr interests, but they will
find tho Injury Is only apparent,
not real." To be sure, the Journal did not mean
to be really candid. As a matter of fact, Mr.
Roosevelt has not made a serious effort to en
force the Sherman antitrust law. If the Journal
really thinks otherwise, It might explain, what no
spokesman of Mr. Roosevelt has ever yet under
taken to explain, how it happens that the presi
dent has failed to direct the enforcement of the
criminal provision which is the chief feature of
the Sherman anti-trust law. The Journal unwit
tingly stated the truth when It said that the trust
" magnates will find that tho Injury to trusts
brought about by Roosevelt's "fight" against them;
Is "not real."