The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, June 23, 1905, Page 6, Image 8

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    ,-r.f-f m- rrrvr- wf w w$ipFJB?
fWP
it
I
i.
I
6
Me Commoner.
boon growing moro distinct, and the Norwegians
havo again aud again demanded a separato min
ister of foreign affairs and a separate consular
servico."
THE venerable King Oscar, now in his seventy
fifth year is referred to by Mr. Creelman
as "a scholar and philosopher, a man of gentle
and meditative temperament." Mr. Creelman
adds: "Ho is not the sort of monarch to com
pose a dispute among his subjects by military
force. The mild protest which he sent to the
Norwegian parliament when its members declared
Norway to be independent of his rulo was char
acteristic. Ago and 111 health compelled King
Oscar to placo a regent on the throne for some
time. But the increasing demands of Norway for
a separate consular system, accompanied by
throats of secession, compelled the white-haired,
feeble king to return to his duties. The Norweg
ian parliament passed a law providing for sepa
rate consuls. Two days after his resumption of
power tbo king vetoed the law. Norway asked
tho king to withdraw his veto. The king refused.
The Norwegian council of state issued a decree
putting Swedish war vessels on a footing with
foreign war vessels in Norwegian ports. There
were signs that Norwegian troops were being
preparod to support a separate policy. The lead
ers of tho two great political parties in Norway
agreed that if tho king persisted in denying to
Norway the right to be represented abroad by
consuls of her own choosing the separation of the
two kingdoms was inevitable. Yet there was lit
tle talk of wnr. Tho controversy was carried on
with equal dignity and firmness. It would be
hard to conceivo of a free trado and protection
war wagod In such a placid spirit in America.
Yet, in its resolution declaring Norway Independ
ent of. King Oscar, the Norwegian parliament
made plain tho economic nature of tho issue by
protesting its respect for his person, its lack ofv
hostility to Sweden, and its readiness to place the '
crown upon tho head of some prince of the house
of Bernadotte. It is not a. racial or dynastic
quarrel, but a plain business dispute, sharpened
somewhat by the greater democratic tendencies
of one of the partners."
fTJBA appears to bo enjoying prosperity. A
K& writer in Harper's- Weekly says: "In 1899,
when the Jast census was taken, tho population of
tho island was 1,500,000; it is now computed to hare
increased by some 300,000. Tho number of immi
grants who arrived last year was about 15,000,
tho great majority of whom came from Spain.
Tho fact bears witness to the confidence now felt
by Spaniards (formerly so pessimistic) in the
maintenance of law, order and prosperity. In the
first year of Cuban independence the sugar crop
was about 300,000 tons; it had. increased last
year to 1,000,000 tons, and is expected this year
to reach 1,250,000. A large amount of raw cotton
is now raised in the department of Puerto Prin
cipe. The output of fruit and vegetables has un
dergone remarkable extension; a great part of the
surplus is sent to the United States by steamers
twice a week. According to the figures compiled
by tho bureau of statistics in our department of
commerce and labor our imports from Cuba have
advanced from about $57,000,000 in 1903 to nearly
$75,000,000 in 1904. Our exports to the island have
grown still more rapidly, their value last year hav
ing been $32,644,000, as against $23,504,000 in tho
preceding twelvemonth."
ILLINOIS is one of the pioneer states in rural
free delivery. The Rock Island (Illinois) Argus
says: "This state leads all others in the rural
free delivery service, having a total of 2,478 rural
free delivery routes. Illinois will continue in this
position, the postofflce department having made
a statement that it is hardly probable any ether
state will overtake her. Indiana has more coun
ties in which have been installed complete ser-
vice, but the Hoosier state can not compare with
Illinois' in the total number of routes in operation.
Ohio ranks second with 2,186 routes', Iowa third,
with 2,068; Indiana fourth with 1,934; Pennsyl
vania fifth, with 1,737; Missouri sixth, with 1,589,
etc., showing Illinois well in the lead. This
means much for Illinois. This state was recog
nized by the department as tho best state in
which to initiate it the topography of the state,
its population, the character of its people, and
all conditions pertaining to the installation of
rural service being such as to invito the rapid
extension of that great connecting link of city
with city, county with county and district with
district, insuring a convenient delivery of mail
undreamed of a few years ago, but which has
proved one of the most practical systems ever
afforded by the government to its rural citizens.
' S - (VOLUME 5, NUMBER 23
May 1 the total number of routes in tho UnitPrf
States was 30,982; as against 24,556 on Uig samo
date of -the preceding year, showing a ranid
growth in the service all over tho United States.
AN AMERICAN lawyer by the Lame of Georgo
Clark, writing from New Zealand says: "i
have traveled around the world via New York
London and the Suez canal, and I am now in tho
land of government ownership of public utilities
and ,a moro contented aiid' prosperous people does
not exist in the world today lhan the inhabitants
of New Zealand, The goverLmeut owns the rail
roads,' life arid 'Are insurance 'and the coal mines.
The fare on the, railroads ;is about, a cent per
mile, and workmen are -arr,ie,d twenty miles each
day to and "froni their w6rk for 24 cents per
week, between, tlie cities, of J "Wellington and Pe
tone. The government owns the telegraph and
telephones and conducts a 'savings bank. Tho
sayings bank lends : criey ' to the farmers at
3 ,per cent, and the minimum wage for labor
is 25 cents per hour. The government gives a
pension of $100 per year to all persons over tho
age of sixty-five. The country is not the place for
plutocrats and. exploiters who live by the sweat
of other men's f-.ces, but. 'for merchants and
store-keepers, as well as tlje workmen this is
the best country in the world. The man with
$10,000 invested gets the same freight rates as
the man with a million dollars."
A STENOGRAPHER for Armour company, ac
cording to Collier's Weekly, testified before
the interstate commerce commission that it was
his particular duty to "handle correspondence,
order icing for cars and make rebate statements."
He interpreted some items in the code-book em
ployed in these transactions. Tlie vocabulary of
illegal rate making was given as follows:
"Launch," better arrange rebate there;
"launched," burning the stock at both ends;
"launching," can make rebate; "Laura," handle
rebate matters very carefully; "lava," pay rebates
from cash on hand; "laveallo," rebate must bo
confidential; "Kinsley," shade rebates a little
rather than lose business; "junk' if necessary to
secure shipments you can - make rates to -;
"kaland," meet rate by voucher; "kalatna," meet
any rate offered; "kashger," if this rate will not
secure advise what is necessary.
"MAN"-MR. BRYAN'S COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
(Continued from Page 2)
of great value. There is justice in giving him
a reasonable compensation out of the thing which
he has discovered, but the fact that the govern
ment under whose jurisdiction the land lies limits
by metes and bounds tho land which the pioneer
may claim is evidence of an effort to fix a rela
tion between service and compensation. And so
if one discovers precious metals the law deter
mines the amount of land that can be claimed
under the discovery. The inventor, also, in re
turn for the benefits conferred upon society, is
given a temporary monopoly of the sale of the
thing invented, Lut the fact that lie "is protected
for a limited time only is another proof of tho
general desire that the reward collected from so
ciety shall be proportioned to tho benefit conferred
upon society. It is hardly necessary to add that
in the case of an invention tho attempt is often
a crude one, tho inventor in many cases losing
in large part or entirely the protection intended
for him, while some one prepared to furnish
money :or experimentation receives the lion's
share of the benefits.
Tho inheritance would seem to furnish tho
most notable exception to the rule of rewards
and yet it can not really be considered an excep
tion, for a man's right to provide for those depend
ent upon him is as sacred as his right to provide
for himself, and the mutual obligations between
parent and child take inheritances out of tho
ordinary rules of property, and yet oven in this
case the graded taxes now imposed upon inherit
ances in various states and they should be im
posed in all states indicate a tendency to limit
the testamentary disposition of property. Gifts
are either first, an expression or affection or
friendship, or, second, payment for service ren
dered or payment in advance for service to bo
rendered to the donor or to others.
But turning from the exceptions to tho rule
what could bo moro salutary today than a univer
sal recognition of this law of rewards'' If in-
stead of measuring success by the amount re
ceived, each one measured success by the amount
actually earned, what a transformation would
be wrought in the world! If each one were so
perfectly under self-control and so attached to
a high ideal as not to desire more from tho
world than a just reward for his contribution to
the world's welfare, society would present a
changed appearance. Nearly all injustice, nearly
all of "man's inhumanity to man," can be traced
to an attempt on the part of the wrong-doer to
obtain something for nothing or something for
which only part payment is offered. A conscien
tious application of this law of rewards would
not only go far toward adjusting disputes between
labor and capital, but it would go far toward re
mov ng the barriers between the classes. Tho
employe to make a just complaint against his em
ployer shows that the latter is claiming a larger
share of the joint profit than is his due, and the
employer to bring a just indictment against his
employe alleges that the employe is seeking a
larger compensation than he has earned. There
would be little difficulty in adjusting hours of
labor and the conditions of labor if the primary
question of participation in profits could be ad
justed, and that adjustment can not be enuitablv
made upon any other basis than that of equiva
lent values. With universal acquiescence in th?s
rule tho usurer would disappear, carrying his
train of evils with him; with the establishment
of this rule the stock jobber and the S
gambler would cease to disturb the law of s im
ply and demand, and the reign of watered stock
and of exploitation would be at an end The ob
servance of this rule would make factory laws
SSdrtrX nnd YeUre fr Premabireton
hundreds of thousands of children who now to
the shame of our civilization and t the perma
nent harm of our country, become sullen smt
ueiights of childhood and the advantages of
mueTthev Wh' ,n8tead ot tryingTslo how
mucn they can squeeze out of tho world nr
anxious to give to the world -a dollart worth of
service for a dollar's worth of pay, are protected
against every form of swindling, for the "get-rich-quick"
schemes Which spring up and impose
upon the public until they are exposed and driven
out, always appeal to the speculative spirit, and
lead their victims to expect something for nothing.
It must not be understood, however, that the
law of rewards comprehends all of one's obliga
tions. There is a clear distinction, between jus
tice and benevolence. Justice requires that each
person shall be secure in the enjoyment of that
which he earns, but there is something better
than justice. True, the elimination of injustice
is greatly to be desired, but if the world con
tained nothing more comforting there might still
be a vast amount of suffering and woe. After
the government has exhausted human wisdom in
the effort to so adjust rewards as to secure to eacli
person a fair and just compensation for all that
he does, religion steps in and suggests a still
higher and broader rule. Justice would leave
the individual to suffer for his own errors and to
pay the penalty for his own mistakes, but love,
as taught in the Bible and exemplified by the
Author of our religion, teaches us "to feel an
other's woe" and to bear one another's burdens.
If sickness overtakes a neighbor it does not sat
isfy the conscience to say: "He brought it upon
himself, let him suffer." If a wife is impoverished
by the dissipations, of' a husband it does not satisfy
the conscience to say: "She ought to have known
better than to marry him," or "She ought to leave
him." If a child is left friendless it does not
satisfy the conscience to -say: "It is not my
child; I owe it nothing." In a multitude of ways
we are daily brought face to face with the fact
that this world needs something more helpful
more encouraging, more uplifting than justice,
and love supplies this need. A high ideal of life.
therefore, 'leads us to be more exacting with
ourselves than we are with others. We must
use a larger measure when we estimate society's
claims upon us than when we. calculate our claims
upon society, for while we have a right to expect
from society a fair compensation for what we
r
m
.. a
-v.
m "j
V .. x,1t HLMmb .
.fe.MjiM M teilydtoMMnMto.,!,.,. AiS
sa.