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conutllutlon aoation is involved. 4. Gives the
commission in tlio first hearing full power to so
curo witiicaBoa' ovidonce and to bring before it all
fnetH in the cane. C. Provides for speedy deci
sion and cuts out, ao far as the rights of the dis
putants permit, all the machinery to delay the final
sottloinont of tho case. (1) The present commis
sion should not bo made a court, and its adminis
trative worth is of great Importance and must bo
required to perform administrative and non-judicial
duties. (2). A court, as such, could not pre
scribe future rates. That is a semi-legislative
function, which congress can delegate to the com
mission but could not delogato to a court. A court
can only pass upon tho justness of an existing
utato of facts.
THE Washington correspondent for tho New
York Herald Is authority for a piece of in
formation that will doubtless bo agreeablo to tho
meat consumers of tho country. This correspondent
says that if tho government wins in the beef trust
enso now beforo tho United States supremo court,
it will immediately Institute criminal proceedings
against tho leaders of tho trust, not only for an
Illegal conspiracy, but for contempt of court. This
correspondent adds: "Tho leading members of tho
trust are allvo to tho critical situation In which
thoy aro likoly to And themselves. They did not
think that tho government would go to the extent
of trying to sond them to jail, and tho publication
of tho fact that this was in contemplation has
caused activity to sco what Influence will do. Tho
trust contributed to tho campaign fund of the re
publican national committee during tho recent
campaign, and a leading member of the Armour
brancli of tho combination in an interview declared
In favor of tho election of Roosevelt and Fair
banks. But nothing, it is said by high ofllcials, will
detor tho president and tho attorney general from
bringing tho great men in this monopoly to tho bar
if proof which will stand in court can bo obtained
of their dofianco of tho Injunction of tho United
States courts."
A DISPATCH to tho Cincinnati Enquirer, under
dnto of London, Ky January 9, says: "A
marriage license was issued today to A. G. Frost,
a resident of Brock, this county, to marry Miss
Rebecca Golns of Farlston, a village flvo miles
south of hero. Frost is only 17 years of age. It
was stated to tho county court clerk that his bride
to bo is a maiden lady 60 years old."
AN OLD chest containing more than $150,000 in
English, Gorman and American gold, was
found in a secrot alcove on tho last parcel of the
old Theodore M. Macoy estate to bo sold in tho
Bronx. James F. Median owns tho land and be
comes the! possessor of the gold. Tho New York
American says that tho theory is that tho former
owner of tho property hoarded thi3 money.
C y?EBLia H' MURRAY. who died recently at
V Elkhart, Ind., left an interesting note, giving
. instructions as to his funeral arrangements. The
following is an extract from Colonel Murray's note
My body will not bo taken to a church, nor will
thoro bo any funeral services by an officiating min
ster. If some of my Grand Army comrades wish
to accompany the remains from the house to the
railway station I should bo pleased to have them do
so. I want all mourning emblems dispensed with
and no mourning badges used on tho door or else
where. I do not regard death as a disaster to tho
individual, but esteem it as much of i nSurai even?
as a birth. It is something neither to bo dreaM
nor mourned. Much reflection causes mo to dis
countenance and disapprove the ordinary funeral
services, and I regard them as partaking of tho
customs of barbarous peoplo whoso minds have not
been enlightened by reason or by compYehlnVrvo
views of the order of nature. Feeling this v?
or 7T my ?eath t0 b0 the occasfon of a vain
or ogotistic display, but prefer that the last rites
romtlng to my physical organism be of unosten a!
tious and private character." unostenta-
OINGING with his last breath tho words of the
&ul " yFnnnii lS"l S woll-"Jus, Lover of My
WimSbS10? Richaro(ls' a 8ic
i,n la, (lied January 8. The wnirea
2S? -Eras?1? for th0 Ciclnnftt E Si:
says. Mr. Richards was strioknn win, . A .
Bcvoral days ago, MSVZJSSSX
ho was to dip he sent lor his nastor nm, lol hat
-bcrs oTtbo dmrch and asl cd ulS m? "I?-
hymn. As ho tJ'ZlfZTl
The Commoner
more whisper and could barely be heard. As the
hymn started ho motioned to tho attendants to
bolster him up in bed, and then, to their surprise,
as if with superhuman strength ho burst forth in
a full, ricli boss voice and sang the hymn with
them. S'o firm and strong'was the voice that it wa3
heard by his sorrowing relatives downstairs. A
look of the greatest happiness lighted his face as
ho sang and when tho last note died away ho
slipped backward and the next moment was dead."
THE last act of Governor Durbin of Ohio was
to grant a pardon to William E. Hinshaw,
who had been sentenced to prison for life on the
charge of murdering his wife. Hinshaw was a
clergyman and a very largo number of people have
insisted that ho was wrongfully convicted. Hin
shaw claimed that his wife was killed by a bur
glar. Mr. Hinshaw was finally arrested and after
a long legal trial ho was convicted and sentenced
to tho penitentiary for life.
IT IS estimated by experts that tho area of Amer
ican coal fields at present opened to mining
is more than five times as great as that of the
coal fields of England, Franco, Germany or Bel
gium, the great coal producing countries of Europe.
A writer in tho Success Magazine says: "While
practically all tho available coal areas of those
countries have been opened to mining, ours havo
scarcely been estimated. When we take into con
sideration the fact that coal is one of the great
motive powers in the manufacturing world, it is
evident that this immense wealth of coal will be
of such an advantage to tho United States as to
be beyond any man's calculation."
THE public seems to bo greatly stirred on the
question of railroad freight rates. The Phil
adelphia North American, a newspaper that will
at least bo readily acquitted of radicalism, says:
"It is clear enough to the minds of the railroad
official who wants to serve his stockholders in per
fect good faith that the way to larger earnings
and larger dividends lies right along the path of
strict adherence to just rates and final suspension
of the free pass lawlessness. Or, if the stockholder
already has his share, lower rates for shippers may
be given safely if justice shall be done on all
sides. The demand of tho people, then, is simply
for justice. What thoy want is: (1) The same
cost always for the same conditions. (2) No short
haul to cost more than a long haul. (3) No pass
ever to be issued to any man not actually upon
the pay-roll of a railroad company. (4) A heavy
penalty whenever, after due notice, cars are not
supplied to a shipper. (5) A fixed rate for private
cars. (G) Absolute prohibition of direct or indirect
control of a competitive company. (7) No fines,
but imprisonment always, for discrimination in
either freight rates, pass-issuing, hauling of pri
vate cars or any other matter inflicting hurt upon
individuals or communities."
FOR several days President Roosevelt has held
conferences with- members of congress on
tho subject of tariff revision and legislation pro
viding for an increase of tho power of the in
terstate commerce commission. On Jan 11 the
Associated Press sent out what seems to be an
authorized statement. In this it was said that un
ess congress at the present session enacts railroad
legislation in lino w. the president's views an
extraordinary session of congress will be called.
The Associated Press said: "It can be said that
the president regards the interstate commerce
question as the paramount issue now before the
American people." The Associated Press added?
"Ho indicated, in so many words, that, while
fify years hence practically nobody would be
ab o to say whether ue ta iff duties on any given
article at this time were 50 per cent ad valorem
or 5 per cent ad valrem and nobody would car
anythg about what the duties were, tho inter
state commerce question involved a principle dW
to every right thinking and right ml?!
can, precisely as tho whole matter of deaHntm"
corporations involves a principle La ll S wI L1
ALTHOUGH it has been stated thaf mmM. T
Burkett would bo elected tn mer J'
States senate by the Nebraska rJLthe ,United
ture, considerable doubt ? hMhPnD Wican legisla
Mr Burkett's mSalf to
It has repeatedly been charged K qiestln-
brought into the t$S
VOLUME 5, NUMBER 1
' ' ".'
by tho Union Pacific and Elkhorn railroad com
panies. Recently tho Omaha World-Herald called
upon Mr. Burkett to say whether he would stand
with tho president or against him in his fight
against railroad discrimination. Mr. Burkett de
clined to answer and returned from his homo at
Lincoln to the national capltol without making
public his views. But on January 11 the lower
house of the Nebraska legislature adopted one
resolution endorsing Mr. Roosevelt's railroad pol
icy and another resolution calling upon Mr. Bur
kett to appear before the house and explain hte
position. Mr. Burkett replied by wire promising
to stand by the president. Mr. Burkett's promise
to stand by the president seems to have been
satisfactory to the republican members, for on
Tuesday, January 17, he was elected by receiving
the majority vote in each house. On Wednesday
tho legislature in joint session formally declared
Burkett the senator. He vill succeed Charles H.
Dietrich on March 4.
ALTHOUGH pacification of the Philippines is
once more completed by benevolent assimila
tion of a large number ot Moros, General Wood
say3 that it must be completed again before long.
Commenting upon this, the St. Louis Post Dis
patch says: "It is remarkable how thirsty these
people are for pacification. If they are not pacified
once a week they creak out into open mutiny and
discontent and make a discouraging row.
"Can it be possible that some traitor has car
ried the declaration of independence to the swamp3
of Mindanao and taught the inhabitants of the isl
ands that 'governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed? If so the Fil
ipinos commit no logical fault although it must be
admitted that they are woefully ignorant of tho
limitations of logic.
"Of these limitations a Mauser rifle in tho
hands of the other man Is the m03t important.
Whatever truth there may be in the doctrine of
consent, it can have no force against well-armed
regiments. This, it is hoped, the Filipinos will
learn before the assimilation and accompanying
pacification are completed. It -vill be too bad to
fly the star spangled banner over a land whose in
habitants died in defense of the principles tho
flag symbolizes."
ATTORNEYS for Alva Adams, governor-elect of
Colorado,' applied to the court Dec. 28 for an
order to open all of the 204 ballot boxe3 used in
Denver at the late election for the purpose of
making a thorough examination of their con
tents. "I have no question about my election by
substantially the majority represented on the face
of the returns." said Governor Adams. "I believe
if the frauds in outside counties could be unearthed,
my honest majority would amount to 20,000. But
I want no tainted seat, jt is of far greater impor
tance that the extensive election frauds should
be unearthed and punished than that t or any other
particular individual should be sworn in as gov
ernor. I don't know who committed the alleged
frauds in Denver. I know nearly thirty men are
in jail, ostensibly for contempt of court but really
charged with election crimes. If they 'are or tho
cnaracter represented, I feel assured that there are
men at liberty far more deserving of jail than
those who are incarcerated. I feel that some of
those in jail have been unjustly dealt with. But
be that as it may, I want this investigation made- I
want it to extend from the head to the foot and I
want the truth known."
THE methods of Mr. Rockefeller are interesting,
i , ltln5T Tarry town correspondent for the Phila
delphia North American, referring to Mr. Rocke
feller, says:
"For three years he has vainly endeavored to
buy John J. Mo in's property In Briggsville, a vil
lage near the oil magnate's largo estate here. Me-
n?i &Bc ,LteyernTi? the road t0 tne Standard
Oil king s home. It Is obnoxious to Rockefeller.
th inn frntiy tried to get possession of
the land. He has even -.ttempted to get Melln's
license revoked but Melin has beaten him. When
Rockefeller realized he had foiled to bud&e Melin
"S f Jake the tavern k&eVta
i y r im He Proceeded to buy un Briires
ville. If Mr Rockefeller purchases the whole til
lage and ousts tne tenants there will be nobodv to
Patronize Melin who must .hen close out at RoLe?
hadleoctf;8 many P'seflte
dwindled LimUi t , elin' whose business has
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