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The Commoner.'
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"THE TOUCH THAT MAKES US KIN'?
Recently a child was born to Mr. and Mrs.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The newspapers printed
an interview with Mr. Hadloy, the attorney gen-
cral of Missouri, to the effect that the attorney
general was ready to declare a truce, permitting
the elder Rockefeller, who for several months
has been dodging subpoerias, to visit his new
grandchild without fear of being molested by the
authorities. Sad to-say, a number of newspaper
editors enthusiastically, if not hysterically, en
dorse the attorney general's "generous offer.'
One newspaper prints an eloquent editorial on
titled "The Touch That Makes Us Kin." That
paper Bays: "The law is not cruel. Its intent is
Justice, justice for the rich and the poor alike.
The law is for justice, and not for the persecu
tion' of a poor old man."
This may be said to be sentiment "gone
mad;'
What is to prevent John D. Rockefeller visit
ing, his grandchild? Simply the fear that he may
encounter an officer of the law holding a simple
"writ commanding him to appear and glv.e testi
mony in a court of justice. Honest men do not
avoid such writs. If John D. Rockefeller does
not love his grandchild sufficiently to run the risk
of being served with a subpoena, than he
does not come within a thousand miles of "the
touch, that makes us kin."
If Attorney General Hadleymade this offer
to the oil trust magnate he acted unwisely. The
happiness and, indeed, the lives of thousands and
thousands of little children who are just as pre
cious as the Rockefeller infant depend upon such
proceedings as those instituted by the attorney
general of Missouri, the purpose of which is to
require justice for the people at the hands of the
oil magnate. There is "the touch that makes
.' us kin.J'
One newspaper editor says that when tne
attorney general of Missouri said to "the poor
old man skulking through his broad acres in the
Jersey hills: 'Go and see the boy. You shall
not be molested,' he spoke the words of fellow
feeling that makes the whole world Jtind."
-There have been several Instances where
fugitives from justice charged with crime
sought to attend the funeral of loved ones under
a truce with the authorities. Wo do-not remem
ber that any such truce was ever granted. But
suppose that, In this day, some such proposition
'" came from some fugitive 'other than a captain
of industry? Would any newspaper editor up-
' -hold the authorities did they grant such a truce?
We make bold to say that the proposition would
he laughed to scorn in every newspaper office in
the country. Then why, when such a truce is
granted to the oil magnate, who is dodging noth
ing more" serious than a subpoena, do newspaper
editors fall over themselves, as it were, to write
in plaintive terms of "the touch that .makes us
kin?"
"The touch., that makes us kin," indeed! If
John D. Rockefeller had his just deserts he would
have long ago been confronted with something
more serious than the writ of subpoena. In the
name bfa plundered people, spare us trom any
sentimental gush with respect to Hadley's absurd
i offer to the oil magnate.
JJJ ,
'VI WHAT A "FLEW"
; Recently the ISfew Yor.fc World, and other
" news"pap.er severely criticized Mr. Jerome because
of his refusal to proceed against the insurance
magnates. Somebody reminded the World, "You
invented Jerome." The World replies 'Eyen if
we did it Is not the first time somebody invented
an airship that would not fly." A few months
ago the World referred to Mr. Jerome in the
most complimentary terms and declared that his
re-election would give impetus to every good
government movement throughout the -United
States: but now the World likens Mr. Jerome to
"an airship that would not fly?" What a "flew"
, my-countrymen!
JJJ
WHO IS TO BLAME7
In a recent wreck on a western railroad
'thirty people were killed and many more wound-
' ed The wreck was caused by the failure of an
operator to deliver a train order. The operator
frankly confesses that he wentto sleep and
neglected the order. But he asserts that on
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday he
had worked practically day and night, without
v sleep. For seventy-two hours he was on duty
without relief. Then he went to4 sleep, the train
"' he was supposed to hold went by, and a collision
-' reSUwho Is to blame? Is it the operator, whose
N physical, frame, was unable to stand the .strain?
' ois it the fault of themanaeement which, de-
manded so much of this operator? Tho com-'1
pany expended millions of dollars in building a
fine roadbed, equipping it with heavy rails and
running thereon palatial trains to carry thousands
of men and women. It pays its trainmen a bet
ter .average wage than most railroads. And thon
It demands that a $60 a month operator, into
whoso hands is given tho safety of these trains
and human lives, shall work seventy-two hours
without relief in order to save tho paltry salary
of an assistant. Upon whoso shoulders should
rest tho blame for this awful accident, and for
similar accidents that have happened under like
circumstances?
JJJ
CITY VS. COUNTRY
The Washington Post has fallen into tho bad
habit set by other metropolitan nowspapers and
is just now engaged in reprinting extracts from
country papers. This is done for tho purpose of
having iun with the country odltors by copying
what the metropolitan journalist too often looks
upon as a sample of "country journalism." The
Washington Post should bo above -that sort of
thing. We venture the assertion that the dally
newspapers print more of what they are pleased
to call "rot" than the country papers do. If a
country paper devotes six or eight items to one
family, the city journalist copies it with groat
glee and chuckles over the humor of it all. And
yet the metropolitan papers recently printed more
insufferable "rot" about one or two particular
families than a hundred country newspapers
could possibly print in a year.
The metropolitan papers take themselves too
seriously. They seem Inclined to the belief that
they are "it," when the fact of the matter is they
wield comparatively little influence as compared
with the country weeklies. And they are by no
means free from the faults they so joyfully point
out in their country contemporaries. Only a few
days ago the Washington Post said: "The pro
gram opened with a. greeting song by the whole
vocal class, followed by a selection by a part of
the class called 'The Little Bird Tells.' " We re
fuse to -believe that any part of the vocal class
was called "the little bird tells."
The city journalist should remove the beam
in his own eye before pointing out .the beam in
the country journalist's eye. "
JJJ
MORTON AND THE PACKERS
In justifying his position in the Paul Morton
case, Attorney General Moody, replying to
Messrs. Harmon and Judson, said: "I have not
as yet been able to overcome my repugnance to
proceeding individually against tho officers of the
railroad for contempt of the injunction without
some evidence with respect to every individual
proceeded against that he had some culpable con
nection with tho contempt of court."
Replying to the attorney general, Messrs.
Harmon and Judson pointed out that the corpora
tion can not be imprisoned and that punishment
by fine 4s not only inadequate but reaches the'
real culprits only lightly, if at all, adding, "the
evils with which we are now confronted are cor
porate in name but individual in fact. Guilt is
always personal. So "long as officers can hide
behind their corporations no remedy can be ef
fected. When tho government searches out the
guilty man and makes corporate wrong-doing
mean personal punishment and dishonor, the laws
will be obeyed." They said that while they re
spected the attorney general's opinion, "the end
and circumstances of bur appointment impose a
certain independent responsibility upon us which
we feel would not be by a proceeding against
the corporation alone." Messrs. Harmon and
Judson resigned and their resignations were ac
cepted. In his speech In the beef trust case, At
torney General Moody said: "I care but little
about- this corporation issue. Tho great govern
ment of the "United States is too deeply interested
in the vital trial here to be diverted by pursuit
of that nerveless, senseless, soulless creation of
law. We are not much concerned about the cor
poration. But if wrong has been done we want
to get the living, breathing sinews behind it."
But he did care about the "corporation issue"
when the president's friend, Paul Morton, was in-
- volved, and now the chickens have come home to
roost
JJJ
REFORMING THE "CAPTAIN"
A Harvard professor asks: "Can the great
capacities of the captains of industry bo turned
direetlv and unauestionably to the general good
without the bribe of a lortune, ana or
tMniv voiipt nnri lleMlv trammelled?"
What are the "great capacities" of
"nimtaintf of industry?" Mav it not be tru
the world" is full of men of equal- ability?
great success of most of them has been due t
their willingness to take advantage of Bpoclal
privileges within tho law and without the law;
to engage in conspiracies against the consumers
of their products; to exert an unduo influence
with public officials to tho end that tho selfish
interests of tho few may bo made paramount to
th welfare of the many. To turn tho "great ca
pacities" of these men to tho "general good' would
be a mighty undertaking, Wo may, at least, with
draw all special privileges enjoyed, by these men;
we may call them to account for violations of tho
law; wo may protect tho public from their greed
and wickedness oven as we protect tho public from
tho wickedness and greed of the ordinary plund
erer. Then wo may leave tho rest to tho "cap
tain's" conscience. If he finds there Is no money
in waywardness he may conclude to bo decent.
JJJ -
THE REAL "DEFENDERS"
The Chicago Chronicle asks: "What was it
that plucked us from tho dark despair In which
tho free silver crazo had plunged us, and Inaugu
rated this unheard of and indescribable pros
perity?," The Chronicle itself answers: "It was the
contributions of these corporations to tho McKIn
ley campaign fund." And then. tho Chronicle
gives this warning: "If the republican party
now Insanely punishes those for contributing to
campaign funds who have the most at stake in
"elections and whose contributions have often been
the salvation of the party in tho past, it can
confidently reckon on some kind of disaster in
tho future."
JJJ
A BIT OF HUMOR
Tho St. Louis Globe-Democrat (republican)
says: "There are intimations from Washington,
New York and Chicago, that tho heads of the
great combines are to take a hand against the
republican party in the congressional canvass of'
190G."
Why should the heads of tho great combines
fight the republican party? In spite of the far
famed prosecution of the Northern Securities
company, the people are suffering from the same
old Impositions in that neighborhood. The prose
cution of the beef trust began with the farcical
investigation by Garfield and has terminated with
tho discharge of the "captains of industry." We
are told that in his investigation of the coal and
oil trusts Garfield pursued the same tactics he
adopted in the beef trust, and that the same plea
of immunity through which tho packers escaped
will be used .to give freedom to other violators
of the anti-trust law. In congress trust interests
are as carefully protected by republican members
asthey are" in court by paid attorneys.
JJJ
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