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The Commoner.
yOLTJMB 6, NUMBER 20
THE FLAG THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH
Let's cheer till wo Durst
(Admiral Lord Charles Beresford
of the British navy, speaking o the
close friendship and common aims of
Great Britain and the United States
suggests that the time has come to
adopt a flag that will in future be
common to both countries. Associat
ed Press Dispatch.)
One flag for both? All right, my boy
. and hero's our hand to you,
By tho crimson dawn, and the white
'of stars, and sheen of the clear
sky's blue;
By tho blood-stained snows of Valley
- Forgo, by tho sufferings of our
sires
By tho works they wrought in the
days gouo by to kindle our altar
fives
We pledge our friendship strong and
true, hands clasped across the sea;
The past forgot in tho work ahead,
true brothers for aye we'll be.
No matter what flag floats high In air,
we'll cheor till wo burst our pipes,
For any old flag is good enough just
so it's tho Stars and Stripes.
Blood of our blood and flesh of our
flesh, why longer remain apart?
We scrapped, 'tis true, in tho days
gone by, but Time has healed each
smart.
Let's head the march of the world's
progress, keep step on the world's
highway,
"God save the King," and "America,"
two tunes our bands can play.
And when tho banner wo both shall
bear is kissed by the rising sun
Let us all clasp hands with a right
good will and boast of the good
deeds done.
One flag for both? That strikes us
right!
our pipes, -
For any old flog is good enough
just so it's the Stars and Stripes.
By the green-grassed lanes of Lexing
ton, by the banks of the Brandy
wine; By tho plains of Monmouth bleak and
drear where the ghostly campfires
shine;
By tho reeking swamps of the sunny
south where the "Swamp Fox" rode
and fought;
By the brave old sires of Seventy
six, and all of the works they
wrought, v
We are ready now to join with you
in all that is right and fair
And march 'neath a single banner, too,
as free as our mountain air.
One flag for both! That suits our
taste we'll cheer till we burst our
pipes,
For any old flag is good enough
just so it's the Stars and Stripes.
We boast of our Anglo-Saxon blood
the blood of a brave old strain
From Hampton Heath and from Run-
nymede the pride of our strength
we gain.
But we, too, have blood from another
source German and Norse and
Celt;
And their earnest worth in the land
we love in theyears gone by we've
felt.
They've helped to make this broad
free land the grandest old place on
earth.
And hero in the west a proud new
race American. had its birth.
Americans all we stand today, the best
of tho nation's"- types. ' '
And any old flag will do for us just
so it's the Stars and Stripes.
cut of nineteen per cent. A-l when
the men complained he said: "Go
each of you and soak your head. You
have no union no recoursD so yawp
away until you're hoarse."
Alas, too lato the men discerned
their fingers ha I been badly burned.
The man who claimed' to lo-e them
so was really out for all the "dough."
Ho didn't care a snap for men, but
only used thjm up and then stopped
up his ears and quick did flee to his
fine cottage by the sea.
"In union there is strength," they
say. Twas never truer than today.
And men who listen to the pleas of
Parryites may starve and freeze for all
they think or feel or care their open
shop's not on the square. They mere
ly want the unions dead so they can
pay men less per head.
MORAL:
When men profess great love for you
Twere well all sides of them to view.
The Price of Blood
SUNDRY LITTLE FABLES IN RHYME
When Justice Li mas
It happens every now ana then we
see a contract twixt two men, and
then it is that we observe how justice
.from the right will swerve, and let
her scales get out of plumb by free
ing one and cinching some. So com
mon has this come to be that we no
longer blush to see.
A well known "master of finance"
ne'er let go by a Single chancQ to talk
of national honesty, clean honor and
.,sound currency; and all who differed
from his plan he dubbed a "bad, dis
honest man." In fact, he posed as one
so pure that wrong near him could
not endure.
He ran a bank, this honest man, un
til into the ground it ran. While pos
ing bravely ' night and morn he
"fliers" took in wheat and corn with
money left within his care until there
was no money there. He stole the
bank's deposits clean until no more
were to be seen,
While spouting out his "honest" rot
he stole what trusting patrons brought.
While prating of integrity ho stole
upon the strict "q. t." Exposed, he
pulled "a. tearful face and mourned
about his deep disgrace. And, heed
ing his heartbroken tears, tho judge
gave him two, little years.
He stole two millions held in trust,
and though his victims raved and
cussed, he salted down a goodly pile
and lived in princely state the while.
But those whom he had robbed and
, spoiled got nothing for the years they
"polled. And then, by buying venal
men, this banker never reached the
pen.
A man who stole a loaf of bread
found vengeance quick brought on his
head. He had a starving babe and
wife and stole to save each precious
life. But what of that? A thief was
he, and dangerous to be left free. In
to the pen twelve years he's thrown,
and loved ones left to starve alone.
MORAL
If there's a moral herein spread
Tis this Don't steal a loaf of
bread.
The Ulterior Motive
A man there was who claimed to be
a friend of all humanity, and every
where and all the while he wore a
brortd engaging smile. "I love the
man who toils," said he, "but he
should be forever freeNf.-om union
rules in every form, for unions do
men nought but harm."
"The independent worklngman,"
said he, "I think much better can get
well along than he who tries with
fellow men to organize. The union
teaches strife and hate, supports the
walking delegate, and makes a slave
who should be free and working in
dependently." Much more he said of same effect
till many people did expect this man
would pay tho best of wage t work-
ingmen he might engage. And some
there were who lost their head and
into fighting unions led,-until he had
an "open shop" and then ' is love had
sudden stop.
With men he had disorganized one
day he sprung a sad surprise by post
ing high a cign which meant a wage
A man who robbed folk right and
left and did it in a manner deft
through purchased laws and venal
courts and subsidizing press reports,
hit on a plan to silence blame and
glorify his name and fame likewise
to make his graft secure as long as
time should e'er endure.
He formed a trust in coal and oil
and heaped up high his wealth of
spoil; then when the people kicked
he spent a little bit with wise intent.
He, with deep thought and wisest
care, endowed a college here and
there. And foolish, victims with, ac
claim paid graceful tribute to his
name.
With schools dependent on his
whim they dared not lay the blame
on him. Indeed, to get more of his
gold, big stories of his good were told;
and students taught to emulate the
ways of him who paid the freight.
'Twas thus he choked our largest
schools and played the faculties for
fools.
He thrived by starving women, men
and children by the thousands; then
gave thousands into mission hands to
spread God's word in other lands.
He robbed and wroucht his wicked
ways, and with, the spoil bought
I o.hnrohlv Tvrnisn hv nfrnrtlnjr -mfaoirmn.
ries out to spread the gospel's truths
about.
The tears of widows stained his
gold. The sobs of orphans, hungry,
cold; and men with hopeless, broken
hearts who begged a crust in labor's
marts, black marked the coin" he gave
so free and bought a name for charity.
And all the blood-bought coin he ten
dered the church snapped upr and deep
thanks rendered.
When Judas, filled with grief, re
turned the bloody coin his treach'ry
earned, the priests and elders turned
aside, and in their very shame they.
cried; "It is the price of blood!
Don't touch! God has no use for any
such." They bought a potters' field
straightway "The Field of Blood" 'tis
called today.
MORAL:
No matter from whom the money
came
The blood stains show up just the
same.
robbed beneajh a legal guise whlin
justice only winked her eyes.
He owned a senator or two who did
just what he bade them do; And offl
cers ' winked at his crimes because
he paid them well betimes. He starved
ten thousand that he might build hos.
pitals upon a site where men might
see and point and say. "Such kind
ly men are scarce to day."
He forced the children in tho shon
to toil ten hours without a stop. hIb
sweat shop was to him a thine nf
profit unto which to cling. And wid
ows' tears and childish moan affect
ed not his heart of stone. His god3
were Money and Applause, and theso
he chased without a pause.
An humble man there was, and ho
worked hard and long and faithfully.
He'd no desire for lots of pelf, and
loved his neighbor as himself. Tho
world of him heard not a word but
hearts about him all were stirred to
love him as a man who tried to do
the right whate'er betide.
These men died on the self-samo
day; their souls together sped away
to where St. Peter stands and waits
beside the Great White Pearly Gates.
"Halt!" Peter cried. "Show cause or
go to nether regions down below.
We're rather choice in company hero
you've got to have a record clear."
The rich man had to tell his tale,
and Peter's look made him quick quail.
"Go down below!" St. Peter cried.
"Your victims all are now inside."
The poor man took one forward paco
and children laughed to see his face.
"Come in," said Peter, "here's your
crown; whom children love we'll not
turn- down."
MORAL:
What boots the richest early goal
To saving your immortal soul?
Brain Leaks
Some men deceive themselves only
in their efforts to deceive others.
We get no particular credit for
bearing crosses of bur own deliberate
manufacture.
Falling short of success I4 not al
ways failure to win.
A man is poor when he has to take
care of' more than he needs.
Real genius looks for the right way,
not the easiest way.
Two Goals
A man who cornered wheat and
corn and people's rights looked on
with scorn; who lived in state with
princely pose while thousands 'round
him starved and froze; who thrived
on wants of fellow men and gave no
heed to how or when they ate this
man one day wont prancing down the
broad highway.
Men hailed him as he passed along
"Behold, he's rich!" exclaimed the
hi; Tyo s .a SautoTo EeH? T k itfo '" DAWS-
Ho bought a legislatures laws; ho Theyorld-known houachold remedy for caU,
uriuuu u juuge to gain ills cause; he urnB, brakes concha, colds, soro turonu
BOOKS RECEIVED
Progress and Poverty. An inquiry
into the cause of iLdustrial depres
sions and of increase of want with
increase of wealth. The renudy. By
Henry George, Doubleday, Page & Co.,
New York.
The Life of Henry George. By his
son, Henry George, Jr. Doubleday,
Page & Co., New York. Price $1.00.
The Recording Angel. A novel. By
Edwin Arnold Brenholtz, Chicago.
Charles H. Kerr & Co., 56 Fifth Ave.,
Chicago. Cloth, $1.00.
Speculative Ventures. (Pamphlet)
Pointers on Get-Rich-Quick Enter
prises, Genuine and Fraudulent. By
Paul De Ruyter, permanent address,
P. O. Box 927, Chicago. Price 10
cents.
Poverty. By Robert Hunter. The
Macmillan company, New York.
Mass and Class. A Survey of So
cial Divisions. By W. J. Ghent. Tho
Macmillan Co., New York.
The Walking pelegate. By Leroy
Scott. Doubleday, ,Pa, j & Co.
The Dark Side of the Beef Trust.
A treatise concerning the "Canner
cow, the cold-storage fowl, the dis
eased meats, the dopes and preserva
tives. Herman Hlrschauer, James
town, N. Y. Orders r.. u ommunlca
tions should be addressed to Theodore
Z. Root, Jamestown, N. Y. PaiJr
cover 50 cents, cloth 75 cents.
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