A
t MARCH 10, 1905
The Commoner.
n
THE DEMOCRATS of Chicago, on February 25,
nominated to be mayor of that city, Judge
Edward F. Dunne. Frederick W. Block! was
named for city treasurer, William B. Moak for
city attorney, Adrain C. Anson for city clerk.
Judge Dunne received every one of the 987 votes
in the convention. Judge Dunne delivered a
speech in which, referring to his nomination, he
said: "I accept it chiefly because I think it lie3
in the power of the city of .Chicago to blaze the
way among American cities for putting into actual
operation the principle of municipal ownership and
operation of public utilities. In the coming cam
paign wo will engage in a struggle for the posses
sion of our streets now monopolized by the trac
tion companies and begin at once to take steps
for the ownership and operation of the 3treet cars
of the city of Chicago. ThaU municipal owner
ship and operation is no idlo dream, that it is no
mere captivating fancy or alluring theory, but an
actual reality, can easily be established. We need
not discuss the theory of municipal ownership or
municipal ownership alone in the abstract. The
people of this city have learned long ago that
municipal ownership and operation is in practical
force a3 to street cars in over 100 great cities in
England, S'cotland and Ireland; that it is in ope
ration in many of the great cities of Germany,
Belgium, Austria-Hungary, Switzerland, Italy,
Australia and New Zealand."
EDWARD FITZSIMMON DUNNE, Chicago's
democratic nominee for mayor, was born- in
Waterford, Conn., Oct. 12, 1858. The Chicago Record-Herald
prints the following sketch of his life:
"In 1854 his parents removed to Peoria, 111. He
was educated in the public schools of Peoria and
when 16 years of age sent to Dublin, Ireland, en
tering Trinity University. On account of business
reverses qf his father he was called back to this
country only a few months before the date fixed
for his graduation from Trinity. The candidate
came' to Chicago from Peoria in 1876 and entered
the law office of W. W. O'Brien, the famous crimi
nal lawyer. He was admitted to the bar in 187S
and became a member of the law firm of S'cates,
Hynes & Dunne. Later ex-Judge Scates stepped
out and the firm became Hynes, Dunne & English
This law firm continued until 1892, when it was
dissolved because- of Mr. Dunne's nomination for
judge of the circuit court, to fill a vacancy caused
by the death of Judge Driggs. At the time of his
election Judge Dunne was credited with being the
youngest man ever elected to the circuit bench in
the country. He was re-elected in 1897 and 1903.
Until nominated and elected a judge he had never
sought nor held political office. Judge Dunne is a
fair type of the younger membere of the Chicago
bar who have forged to the front. His suavity of
manner is perhaps one of the reasons for his pop
ularity among all classes of lawyers. He is noted
for his dispatch of cases and for his untiring in
dustry no less than for his grasp of the law. For
several years lie has been an advocate of munici
pal ownership of the traction systems in Chicago,
and his publicly expressed views on this question
are said to have gained him the nomination for
mayor of Chicago. In 1881 Judge Dunne married
Elizabeth J. Kelly of this city. They have thir
teen children, ten ofwhom are living."
THE NAME of Senator Joseph V. Quarles of
Wisconsin was presented to the senate Feb
ruary 25 in the form of a nomination for the dis
trict judgeship in eastern Wisconsin. Senator
Quarle3' nomination created considerable surprise.
He 'has all along identified himself with the op
ponents of Governor LaFollette. A dispatch to the
Chicago Tribune, under date of February 28, said
that the president had -determined to withdraw
Senator Quarles' name until after March 4, owing
to the claim that Mr. Quarles is ineligible because
of a constitutional prohibition against the ap
pointment to office of a senator or representative
during the time for which he was elected to any
federal office, emoluments of which shall have been
increased during such time. By the act of 1903,
which was passed during Mr. Quarles' term of
office, the salary of district judges was increased
from $5,000 to $6,000 per year.
ONCE BEFORE in recent years has the question
.arisen regarding constitutional prohibition
against the appointment of a senator to an offlco
whoso salary had been increased during hi3 term
of office. The Tribune dispatch says: "This was
the case of Senator Matt W. Ransom of North
Carolina, who, just before the expiration of his
term in 1895, was named a3 minister to Mexico by
President Cleveland. Within a couplo of months
it was found that the salary of the mission to
Mexico had been increased during Ransom's term
as senator, and the state department raised the
question of the legality of his appointment. Tho
then attorney general, Mr. Olnoy, rendered an
opinion that under the circumstances Ransom's
appointment was unconstitutional. President
Cleveland accordingly declared tho office vacant,
but next day reappointed Mr. Ransom as minister
to Mexico."
REPRESENTATIVE CRUMPACKER of Indiana
recently received a petition asking that Le
Roy Hayden be appointed postmaster at Lowell,
a small town in the state of Indiana. The
oddity of tho petition is described by the Now
York Evening Post in this way: "It carries seventy-one
names, all of them Hayden3. It seems
that there are ninety-one adult male members of
the tribe in and near Lowell, and the applicant
has rounded up all but twenty of them in his
support. The Haydens settled in the country
around Lowell in 1837, and there has been no race
suicide. Even the given names are similar. On
the petition, twelve John Hayaens appear, and
they are known as John Hayden first, John Hay
den second, and so on. The petition has been
turned over to the president, and it is a safe
prediction that Mr. Leroy Hayden will be se
lected to handle tho Lowell mail for the next four
years."
IT IS' not generally -known that recently the
United States -consul in Baden, Germany, made
a report xn the government ownership of railroads
there. The Washington correspondent for tho
New York Evening Post says that this report
"would make converts rapidly to that idea in
this country." The Post correspondent adds:
"This report first shows that the Baden lines are
operated at a profit. Last year the net profit,
freight and passenger, was upwards of $11,000,000.
It next tells that the number of accidents is small
er, proportionately, than in the United States, and
almost no accidents occur at stations. This consul
say3 that the Baden government within the last
year has gone to great lengths in providing for
the comfort of railroad employes."
IN THIS' REPORT the Baden consul says "the
government now commands 2,936 apartment
houses where officials and other employes reside.
Train crews have been furnished with sleeping
accommodations when their runs require them to
be absent from home overnight, and small cooking
stoves have been provided where meals may be
warmed. At Karlsruhe and Mannheim the gov
ernment has lunchrooms established where em
ployes may obtain meals consisting of soup, meat,
and vegetables for eight cent3. The intention is
to furnish the meals at cost. At these restau
rants the sale of liquors is forbidden. At Karls
ruhe a library, consisting of 1,300 volumes, has
been furnished the employes. Tho restaurants at
the various depots throughout Baden are rented
to private Individuals, but government employes
are furnished meals at reduced rates. Some of
the restaurants are sources of considerable rev
enue; for instance, the depot restaurant at Heid
elberg rents for $11,900, and at Mannheim for
$8,568."
THE SENATE, on February 27, concluded the
impeachment trial of Judge Swayne and ac
quitted him on all charges prefered. The Asso
ciated Press says: "The house vote for impeach
ment was 35 votes and the lowest against was 37.
On the two articles charging use of private rail
road cars, only 13 votes were cast for conviction.
The larger votes were largely along party lines.
The total vote on the fir3t article follows: Guilty
Bacon, Bailey, Bard, Bate, Berry, Blackburn, Car
mack, Clark (Mont), Clay, Cockrell, Culberson,
Daniel, Foster (La.), Gorman, Klttrcdgo, Latimer,
McCreary, McCumbcr, McEnery, McLaurln, Mal
lory, Martin, Money, Morgan, Nolson, Ncwlands,
Overman, Patterson, Pcttus, Simons, Stone, Talia
ferro, Teller 33. Not Guilty Alger, Alee, Allison,
Ankcnoy, Ball, Bcveridge, Burnham, Burrows,
Clapp, Clark (Wyo.), Crane, Cullom, Depew, Dick,
Dietrich, Dolllver, Dillingham, Dryden, Dubois, El
kins, Fairbanks, Forakor, Foster (Wash.), Fryo,
Fulton, Gallinger, Gamble, Gibson, Hale, Hans
brough, Heyburn, Hopkins, Kean, Kearns, Lodge,
Long, McComas, Millard, Penrose, Perkins, Quarles,
Piatt (Conn.), Proctor, Piatt (N. Y.), Scott, Slnoot,
Spooner, Stewart, Warren 49."
A READER of Tho Commoner, living at El
Toro, Calif., writing under date of Feb
ruary 7, says: "Your number of 3d inst. reproduces
a historical sketch of Russia's rolgnlng house,
taken from the New York World. The articlo con
tains several errors, of which I beg to rectify tho
most notable one. It says that Nicholas I suc
ceeded his brother Alexander I In 1850, and reigned
only three years. This is wrong, as Nicholas oc
cupied Russia's throne, after Alexander's death
in 1825, and reigned 30 yeara until 1855. The error
is the more striking, as Emperor Nicholas was,
since tho time of Peter I and Catherine II, prob
ably the strongest among Russia's rulers. He was
the most complete typo of autocrat in the Nine
teenth century. An absolute and relentless despot
at home In his own empire, he was tho recognized
head of reaction in Europe. By tho way, the New
York World has the strangest sources of historic
information, if one has to judge by another article,
equally reproduced in the same number of your
paper. Speaking of the great upheavals that have
changed the fate of the world, or at least tho
destinies of great states, it omits the French revo
lution, as well as the great English one, which de
prived Charles I of his throne and life, and
brought out the power of Cromwell."
GEORGE S. BOUTWELL died at his homo at
Groton, Mass., February 27. A writer in
the Louisville Courier-Journal, referring to Gov
ernor Boutwell, says: "Born in January, 1818, ho
had recently passed his eighty-seventh birthday.
In the beginning of hl3 public life he was a demo
crat, and rose to the rank of a leader of that party
in Massachusetts. He was twice the democratic
candidate for governor, and was twice defeated,
but ho was elected in 1851, and again in 1852, by
a coalition with tho free-soil party. Governor
Boutwell broke with the democrats in 1854, in con
sequence of the repeal of the Missouri compro
mise, and helped to organize the republican party.
He was the first commissioner of internal revenue,
and afterward served three terras in the lower
house of congress. During his last term in tho.
house he was one of the managers for the Impeach
ment of President Johnson, and made a speecU
which attracted much attention. It contained a4
allusion to a 'hole in the 3ky,' which was tha
occasion of some hilarity at the time. It is worthy
of mention that he died on the day which marked!
the acquittal of Judge Swayne. Mr. Boutwell waa
secretary of the treasury in General Grant's first
term, and afterward served in the senate. In his
last days he was distinguished for his opposition
to imperialistic tendencies, and was the president
of the anti-imperial league. He was the author
of a number of books, one of whicl was "Sixtj?
Years in Piib'lic Life,' containing ma'ny interest
ing reminiscences."
IN THE APPROPRIATION BILL as it passed the.
senate, Mr. Roosevelt gets the two new battle
ships, but Walter Wellman, writing in the Chiw
cago Record-Herald says that this appropriation IsJ
"accompanied by the warning that this is the lasli
for some years to come." Referring to this action)
by the senate, Mr. Wellman says: "The senate hasi
served notice upon the president and the country
that the growth of the navy must now be stopped,.
It appears to be the consensus of senatorial opln
ion that the American navy is now really the sec
ond" navy of the world in fighting efficiency, rank
ing next' to tho British navy and ahead of the?