gUPRIL 8, 1904.
The Commoner
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DR. THOMAS W. LAUTERBORN of
Morristown, N. J., is authority for the
statement that walking is a sure preventive of
appendicitis. Dr. Lauterborn says: "When a
man is active on his feet, when he is doing con
siderable walking, there is no danger of his hav
ing appendicitis, for the reason that the abdom
inal and intestinal muscles are kept continualiy
active, and so are in good working order all the
while. The jolting giyen to a man's interior
economy when he wralks causes the muscles of the
abdomen and the intestines to continually contract
to offset the jar of his step, and thus they are all
always in perfect condition. When the contracti
ble function of intestinal organs is operative, the
entrance to the appendix is always closed, hence
the individual has no fear of appendicitis. On the
other hand, when a man begins to take to the
trolley car, the steam car and to the carriage in
making his daily trips, he loses all that jolting
which is necessary as a tonic to the muscular
walls of his abdomen and intestines. So when
we see a man begin to get flabby and pot-be) -lied,
we immediately say that there 13 a good sub
ject for appendicitis."
COMMENTING upon the Morristown phy
sician's statement, the Des Moines Register
and Leader says: "There are certainly ample
statistics and deductions to support Dr. Lauter
born's theory. Appendicitis has increased to an
alarming extent within the past decade. It has
become almost a 'fad,' if disease and suffering can
ever be said to be a fad. Hundreds of-operations
are performed for appendicitis today where one
was a rarity a score of years ago. It may simply
be an interesting coincidence, but appendicitis and
the trolley cars have been companions in develop
ment throughout the careers of both. Dr. Lauter
born does not maintain that appendicitis is any
thing like that form of nervousness induced by
the electric current through the car trolley, con
cerning -which expert neurologists have been wor
rying, the public in recent years. He does not lean
toward the microbe theory. If horse cars had
ever roached that stage of progress where they
were- as fast as a man on foot, appendicitis would
have resulted just as it has in the electric car age.
It's the riding; not the electricity."
IN SUPPORT of his theory, Dr. Lauterborn
says that appendicitis flourishes in the cit
ies, while it is comparatively unknown in the
country, and the Register and Leader adds: "Men
ride to work, ride home in the evening,?sit in an
office, sit at home; in a few years Ihey are oper
ated upon for appendicitis. Men walk the plowed
fields, the country roads and the cow paths; they
are healthy, happy and ignorant of appendicitis.
It is only when they retire from the farm, are
introduced to the trolley car and the automobile
that they emulate their city-bred cousins and are
operated upon. There is no nation on the earth
moro healthy than the English. Walking is a
national pastime with them. Appendicitis is vir
tually an American disease. There is no nation
which sends its city men, day after day, with such
monotonous regularity, on trolley or steam cars,
to and from work, as the American."
AN INTERESTING feature of the trial
of United States S'enator Burton of St. LouIb
was the instruction concerning majority rule
given to the jury by Judge Adams. It is related
that after the jury had retired and taken a vote,
they entered the court room and were addressed
by the judge who pointed -out the great expense of
a second trial and quoted from theopiniohs of the
Missouri supremo court to show that in jury de
liberations, the majority might properly rule.
Some lawyers expressed the opinion that this in
struction from the judge was clearly in error and
may result in giving Senator Burton a new trial.
IF ONE is to believe the statements of the
metropolitan newspapers the trust mag
nates are not afraid that the administration will
proceed against them. A statistician recently
said that there are now 444 large trusts in this
country. Interesting comment on this subject is
provided by the Boston Globe, a. newspaper that
supported the republican ticket in 189G and in 1900.
The Globe -says: "In 1890, when the Sherman act
was passed, there were only a few trusts. Tho
law, however, has been circumvented by the pro
moters of trusts, and today they control tno
leading money-making industries of tho land. Al
though some of the trusts are not prosperous,
their total capitalization has reached the enormous
sum of $20,379,162,511; therefore, it will bo easily
discerned that they are doing an active business
at the old stand, in spite of all the much-praised
anti-trust laws which the federal government has
passed."
TH E well-known writer on Wall street affairs,
" John Moody; has recently compiled a publi
cation in which he asserts that 35 defunct trusts,
with a capitalization of $002,579,600, have been
palmed off upon the public. Referring to these
figures, the Globe says: "Even if these figures
are not exactly correct, there is enough downright
swindling' suggested by them to raise the query:
IS there not about as much if not moro financial
chicanery possible and practiced under combina
tions of capital as there was under tho old-fashioned
custom of competition in business enter
prises?" IT I S interesting to be told by this Boston paper
that is in part responsible for the election of
the republican ticket in 189G and in 1900 that the
trusts are the growth of the McKinley and Roose
velt administrations. The Globe elucidates as
follows: "The seven greater Industrial trusts, all
New Jersey corporations, and, with the excep
tion of one, the American sugar refining, all or
ganized in present corporate form not earlier than
1899, are shown to have an aggregate capital of
$2,602,752,100, and to operate a total of 1,528 in
dustrial trusts, 149 are New Jersey corporations.
Thirty-four hundred and twenty-six plants are
operated by the entire number, and their aggre
gate capital is $4,055,539,433. Thirteen important
industrial trusts, all but one , organized in New
Jersey, and all but three formed not earlier than
1899, are found to be in process of reorganization.
The number of plants concerned in tho readjust
ments is 334, and the aggregate capital $528,55,
000, making a grand total ,of $7,246,342,533 capital
involved in a total of 318 combinations."
r
IT IS further pointed out that in the group
franchise trusts there are 1,336 plants oper
ated, with an aggregate capital of $3,735,456,071;
in the "great steam railroad" group, 790 lines, with
an aggregated capital of $9,017,086,907, and in the
"allied independent or lesser systems" group, 250
lines, with a capital of $380,277,000, making a to
tal of $13,132,819,978 for tho "franchise or trans
portation" trusts, and a grand total of capital of
all trusts reaching the enormous figure of $20,
379,162,511. IN CONNECTION herewith tho Globe
makes this interesting comment: "Mean
while the Washington authorities practically ac
knowledge that they will not seriously injure any
of the monopolies. All the conditions surrounding
the trusts lead to the belief in financial circles
that they are strong enough to take care of them
selves in spite of the laws. It is even suspected
that they feel that nothing detrimental to their
interests will be attempted by tho xedcral admin
istration until after the presidential election.
There may be a reference to them in the republi
can platform, but they will have plenty of time in
which to concoct new schemes for their protec
tion They feel that the republicans have only
been playing a halting part in the band-wagon
crusade against them."
BOSTON is credited with being the city of
culture, and yet many people will be in
clined to doubt the correctness of the story sent
out by the Boston correspondent for the Chicago
Record-Herald. Tho story is, however, interest
ing and is as follows: "Norbert Weiner, nine
years old, is ready to enter Harvard college ho
already being master of several of the dead lan
guages, higher mathematics and the sciences. He
is the youngest student ever fitted for entrance to
tho college, and is a soilo Professor Leo Weiner
of Harvard. He says it is a pleasure to study and
make chemical testsvin, a. laboratory built for him;
Trouble with his eyes has forced cessation of
roading for tho present, but his mother reads to
him an hour each day, except Saturday, which in
his vacation."
THE merger distribution schomo ns arranged
by J. J. Hill does not find favor with E. H.
liarrlman. Mr. Harriman declares that ho will
appeal to tho courts in defense of what ho be
lieves to bo tho right of tho Union Pacific stock
holders to rcceivo Northern Pacific stock in re
turn for Northern Securities stock, held by the
Union Pacific system. Mr. Harriman and his as
sociates are lined up against J. J. Hill and J.
Piorpont Morgan. Tho Hill-Morgan people claim
that tho Union Pacific has no just ground for com
plaint because Mr. Harriman sold the Union Pa
cific holdings of tho Northern Pacific stock to J.
P. Morgan & Co. and not to tho Northern Securi
ties company. It Is held therefore that Mr. Mor
gan alone has tho right to object to tho distribu
tion. On the other hand, Mr. Harriman claims
that tho stock ho transferred to J. P. Morgan &
Co. was a mere formality. Tho Now York corre
spondent for tho Chicago Record-Herald says:
"This distribution may be delayed for a time by
injunctions, but the longor it is delayed tho great
er will be the burden of the Union Pacific, as It
will then have to finance tho payment of interest
on the bonds based on its Northern Securities
holdings and for which no return will be re
ceived as long as tho Northern Securities holdings
remain undistributed."
IT IS not known just what action tho senate
may take on tho Burton case, although the
opinion seems to be that nothing will bo done un
til Senator Burton's case has been finally passed
upon. There seems to be really no precedent for
action in tho Burton case. The Washington cor
respondent for the Chicago Record-Herold says:
"No senator ever, was expelled on conviction of a
crime, though' members of tho senate have re
signed before action on charges. Tho first ex
pulsion for any cause was that of William Blount,
a senator from Tennessee from 1796 to 1799. A
special investigating committee found him guilty
of tho authorship of a letter capable of various
constructions, but which in his own mind, accoid
Ing to the letter, appeared to be 'Inconsistent with
the interests of the United States and Spain.' He
was found guilty of high misdemeanor and a res
olution of expulsion was adopted by a voto of
25 to 1."
IT IS pointed out by this same authority that
for complicity in tho Burr conspiracy, an ac
tion was brought to expel John Smith, a senator
from Ohio, until he resigned April 25, 1808. In
dictments had been found against Senator Smith
in the courts of Virginia, but he was not con
victed. When the resolutions for expulsion were
presented to the senate tho voto, after long de
bate, resulted 19 yeas and 10 nays. Two-thirds of
the senate not concurring, he was not expelled,
but about two weeks later he resigned. Several
of tho southern senators were expelled when their
states seceded. Jesse D. Bright, senator for Ind
iana from March 4, 1845, to February 5, 1862, was
expelled on the charge of disloyalty to the United
States after it was shown he had written a letter
to Jefferson Davis, president of the confederacy,
introducing a Texan whose business was to dis
pose of "an improvement in firearms." Another
case where a senator resigned without final action
having been taken on charges brought against
him is that of James P. Simmons, who, while a
senator from Rhode Island, resigned in AugUEt,
1862, under charges that he had received compenr
sation on government contracts.
IN HIS testimony In his own defense, S'enator
Burton said that in seeking to build up a
private law practice in Washington, he was sim
ply doing what most other senators have done.
Washington correspondents say that Mr. Burton
is not at all popular among his colleagues and the
correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald says:
"The developments of tho trial at St. Louis addeft
nothing to Mr. Burton's popularity. His refer
ences to his colleagues were distasteful to them,
and his allusions to their methods of increasing
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