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The Commoner.
VOETJME -6, NUMBER- 1J
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The Commoner
ISSUED WEEKLY
OlIAULKS W. BttYAW
Publtohor.
Editorial Rooms and Business
Onico 8JM-330 So. 12tu Street.
William j. Bryan
Editor and Proprietor.
XlIOUAHD h. MwrCAMCH
Associate Editor.
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.4 THE- COMMONER, Llnooln, Neb
1 ",' n " : '... , v, , ;' i , i ' i
' -'I Tho Paul Morton precedent Beems to bo work
ing overtime.
Phonetic spelling will ho a great ,help to
tlioso who aro too lazy to study orthography.
It will ho notod that It Is not Andy Hamil
ton's "yellow dogs" that are doing the yelping.
"Tho tariff will not bo touched," says 'Con
gressman Payno. However the tariff will con
tinuo to "touch" the people. . , r
n II I .J
A largo portion of free seeds sent out by
congressmen aro sont to constituents who have
no ground in which to plant them.
Mr. Carnegie's new fund will not, however,
bo devoted' to a correction of tho "bad spell" of
tariff robbory the people hayo been enduring for
a long period of years.
The Sioux City Journal sarcastically calls at
tention to tho fact that "the best of order pre
vailed" during tho latest lynching in Tennessee.
Ohio is not yet able to do it that way.
The Associated PresB sends out a dispatch
announcing that Sen ' v Knox is opposed to the
freight rate bill. Every now and then even tho
Associated Press is hard pushed for something to
"fill up."
It has been reported that Mr. Bryan will
speak before tho democratic state convention in
In Indiana in June. This report Is not correct.
Mr. Bryan will not return from his foreign tour
until September.
Senator Warren of Wyoming opposed state
hood for Arizona. Yet Arizona toaay has more
peoplo, more Bchools, moro enterprises and claims
upon statehood than Wyoming had when It was
admitted to the sisterhood of states.
v, ,Tll nx7y. department is now asking for a
battleship that will cost as much as the entire
expense of maintaining the agricultural depart
ment of the government for a whole year The
"big stick" doctrine is bearing its expensive
fruit.
President Roosevelt complains to laboring
men that they "hamper me in getting what I
think they ought to have." Despite this asser
tion there aro a number of worjeingmen who think
x 1ow mllch aa President Roosevelt about
what they ought to have.
President Roosevelt says he will ask for an
Injunction against a labor union just as quickly
as ho will ask for one against a corporation. The
labor unions will not care just so tho injunction
against it is of no more offoct than tho one
KKtuuur. uifi npor T.riici- .
- . WN.V,
WASHINGTON CITY LETTER
Washington, D. C., April 2. So far as tho
railroad bill is concerned everything now hinges
on tho character of the amendmont that will pro
vide for a judicial review. It will bo recalled
that Mr, Bailey's amendment prohibits tho courts
from issuing injunctions against the enforcement
of the orders of tho interstate commerce commis
sion. The republicans, and notably Mr. Knox, of
Pennsylvania,' contend that such action by con
gress would bo unconstitutional. It has been
evident for the past ten days that senators of
tho same views as Mr. Knox are not going to
give up tho fight until they are certain they can
not .add to tho bill one or more amendments that
will smooth down tho proposed law in the interest
of tho railroad companies. They are exceedingly
shrewd and politic in warning timid statesmen
that it is best to go slow and. not put upon the
statute books a law that may not bo able to stand,
the test in the high courts of the land.
In these wonderfully interesting discussions
Mr. Tillman continues to play the most prominent
part. Ho takes occasion every now and then to
remind the senators, the visitors In tho galleries
and the country itself, that the role in which hd
finds himself was not of his seeking, and at tho
same time impresses upon his hearers that Inas
much as he was designated by the committee to
lead the fight for rate regulation his whole time
and energy will be devoted to tho accomplishment
of the object In view. ,
Not many days ago there was a running de
bate in tho senate during what is called the morn
ing hour that is, between the time the body was
called to order by Vice President Fairbanks and
2 o'clock when what is known as the "unfinished
business" is taken up. Mr, Tillman started the
discussion. First ho commenced to upbraid one
of the .committees for being so slow in consider
ing his resolution offered weeks ago on the sub
ject of campaign contributions by national banks.
Ho had not been long on his feet before Senator
Spooner got into tho discussion and not many -minutes
after that the argument by what ap
peared to be a well planned effort on the part of
the republicans was switched to the railroad rate
regulation. Mr. Tillman in the heat of the dis
cussion happened to make use of the word "in
fernal." For that he was severely taken to task
by Mr. Spooner in a manner that might have
angered most men. Mr. Tillman, preserving his
balance, promptly replied that he would admit -that
his language at times in debate was "more
or less lurid," and he added the following: "It
probably cuts deeper than I intend for the reason
that I take theflrst word that exactly conveys
my meaning, without undertaking to shade it
off, or oil it or sweeten it, but it does appear to
me an infernal anxiety, if it exists in any man
hero, to protect the corporations and leave the
man out of consideration."
Mr. Tillman says ho will keep right after the
republicans and do his utmost to force them to
name the day for the vote. He thinks that April
9 ought to be late enough for everybody to bo
prepared to settle the question, but if that Is too
soon for Mr. Aldrich he will ask them to fix the
time themselves. Of course, as Is so well known
to those who keep the run of legislative proceed
ings under the rules of the senate the debate can
not be limited except by agreement. The most
interesting part of the discussion Is probably yet
in store for readers. It will take place when the
various amendments are brought before the
senate.
A report in the case of Senator Reed Smoot,
of Utah, can not long be delayed. The republican
members of the senate committee on privileges
and elections will not have to, to use a common
but forcible expression, "face the music." The
case haB been in the hands of the committee for
more than two years. It has cost the government
the considerable sum of $23,000 to prosecute the
inquiry demanded by hundreds of religious and
other organizations. It has also greatly worried
and harrassed Senator Smoot himself, for ho
has been on the ragged edge of uncertainty during
the past year. It Ib only fair to him and the
constituency that he represents that the senate
committee on privileges and elections ahould dis
pose of the matter at the earliest possible mo
ment. Just what the report will be It Is difficult
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to predict. The republicans are embarrassed, tcr'
say the least. They 'would like to have the mat-1
ter go over until after the congressional elections ,
which are to be held in November next. If they,
should decide in favor of Senator Smoot they v
know they will seriously offend fc powerful elo-
ment that has been demanding loudly that Mr..- ;
Smoot ought to be expelled from the upper
branch of congress. If they decide that he is en-'v-
iiueu lu aula uiu setti mo irieuus. tuiu luiiuwuro , - .jv
of the senator in Utah and other portions of th 1 S&g
ttrnof will Virt tryant-ltr HoriYrrtlTifa1 1 Tif nnnirn1 " '.' ' tT"
I uu Hill MV tjlUUUJ UOUl(UlU.CU XJL UV i-LJ.U.,GU.
And if they simply declare the seat vacant, as
many believe they will do, that does not help -the
situation. The republican members of th
committee would really like to withhold the re- ,
port until next session, though it will be hard to "
irame an excuse for such unwarranted delay.
The house of representatives to a greater.
extent than ever known in pie days of "Reed
rule" is applying the gag to Its apparently help- -less
members. For more than thirty years under"
a provision that was framed for the express pur- '
pose of permitting points of order against Items
in appropriation bills that should not be there tho f "
rules committee of the house during considera
tion of the legislative, executive and judicial bill .
brought in a mdt drastic rule that tied com- ."
pletely the hands of the members who felt it
their duty to raise objection to new legislation -that
does not properly belong in appropriation .
bills, or to block extravagant schemes that hid' -crept
into the measure. It is hardly necessary f ;
to say that the democrats of the house-almost
solidly opposed the proposition to still further" '
limit the rights of the representatives of the v
people. Mos't of the republicans were whipped -Into
line and in the face of the fact, too, that
nearly one-third of the republicans are known ,to'.' "
be severe in their private conversations against.
the system of running the popular branch of con-"
gress under a plan which places all power abso-
lutely in tho hands of three men the speaker
and the other two men of his party constituting
the majority of the rules committee. Two very1 -prominent
republicans who voted to gag the house "
on the occasion referred to are Col. "Pete" Hep-
burn, of Iowa, and Mr. Cushman, of Washington'
In taking such a stand these members simply "
threw consistency to the winds. They have both "
in times past howled loudly against the power
usurped by the presiding officer and his party "
associates on the rules committee, and on numer
ous Occasions Tmvfi naaorfol i 4 .
IMf !!? rem,estatlves were not given more" i'yfed
atitude there would to a rebellion in the repub- '
.- 0 XCO.UU1B wuum never rorget. But
these gentlemen have become as meek and jrentfo
S nhrnUmT!ratC0Uld wi8h' had not a word '
of protest when the most outrageous gag In the
history of congress was applied. Messrl. dte;
of Minnesota, Burton, of Ohio, and Jtfondoll of "
Wyoming, are three republicans who had the
reared0 to. G n the -
Many of the prominent republicans explain
the policy that has been adopted by sayinthS
too much time was being consumed in debate '
and on points of order. They aro trying tS mo?
lify the rank and file by telling them that aa
soon as all of the appropriation bills ae out of "
the way and in the hands of the "slow senate"'
an opportunity will be 'afforded membeTs to call
up and pass bills of local Interest to those intro '
ducing them. They admonish the brothrln that
If things are not hurried along conceal wiiiS
n session during the hot days of S 5 that
it is better to shut off the talk How and frrce the '
senate to attend to business with a fitu morS-'
alacrity than the gentlemen over at the other ed
of the capitol have yet displayed this seLfon -They
complain that the senate hasn't been co
siderate of the house at all this year The Senate
has had numerous adjournments from ThursdaV
to Monday since the holiday recess. That is ' tS
usual custom before Christmas, but t f hoSfe'
managers think it not only bad form in the mon?t
of March, but n utter disregard of the f eriSS "
and wishes of the members It the lower trlncl
bo anxious to wind up the business and hie tW
selves off to prepare for the appraching campiS
ALFRED J. STOFER. '"
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