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The Commoner.
VOLUME C, NUMBER U
6
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S. W. McCALL, republican, member of tho
house from Massachusetts, has written to
Sereno 13. Payne, chairman of tho committee on
ways and means, urging tariff revision Mr.
McCall cites tho last national republican platform
which, reforring to .tho tariff, declared that "rates
of duty should bo re-adjusted only when condi
tions havo so changed that tho public interest
demands their alteration," and that "to a repub
lican congress and a republican president this
groat question can safely bo intrusted." Mr.
McCall says that the conditions have so changed
that tho public interest requires tariff revision,
and on behalf of tho republican members from
Massachusetts, who authorized Mr. McCall to
speak,' ho ashed tho ways and moans committee
to consider tho tariff with a view of its revision
and readjustment.
REPLYING TO Mr. McCall, Chairman Payne
says .that he is thoroughly in sympathy with
tho national platform that rates of duty should
bo readjusted, etc. Ho says that conditions are
not now such that tho public interests demand a
change. Ho admits that there is a group of
mombors in tho house who believe that a few
changes should bo made, but that a majority of
tho republicans of tho house do not concur in tho
opinion that tliero should be a general revision
of the tariff. Ho says that congress is not pre-,
paved to review the tariff schedules "in that calm,
judicial frame of mind so necessary to tho proper
preparation of a tariff act at a time so near the
coming congressional elections." Mr. Payne
makes it very plain that there will be no tariff
revision under the republican party.
WH1TELAW REID, ambassador at the court
of St. James, has beon criticised for wear
ing knee breeches at stato functions in England.
In an article on tho opening of parliament the
London Daily Mail said it was noted with much
interest that "America's representative had in
some degreo relaxed the customary severity of
. tho republican attire. It was seen that for once
he'had assumed knee breeches."
THE BUFFALO (N. Y.) TIMES reminds its
readers that significance attaches to long
trousers. The TimeB says: "At the time of the
" French revolution the nobility and upper class of
K people generally hi Franco, wore knee breeches.
Tho masses of the people, however, were taking
to long trousers. Because they did not wear
knee breeches they wore spoken of as tho sans
culottes, moaning, literally, 'without breeches.'
When tho revolutionists won, long trousers, there
fore, became a symbol of triumphant democracy,
and knee breeches were never thereafter worn by
good French republicans. With , us Washington
and some of the other founders of the country
never wore anything oxcept knee breeches. It
was not until afterward that the French mean
ing attached to long trousers became prevalent
hero. There is, therefore, less 'reason against an
American republican wearing knee breeches, if
ho wants to, than there is against a French re
publican wearing them. At London court func
tions all men who attend must wear knee breeches.
French ministers havo always so worn them.
Tho only exception xover made was in favor of
President Loubet of Franco, who attended King
Edward's court balls in the conventional evening
dress suit with long trousers. It might, there
fore, appear that a French president has more
respect fqr.the republican tradition In respect to
trousers ' than an American ambassador."
NO PUBLIC MAN has ever lost supporters so
rapidly as District Attorney Jerome of New
York has during the past two weeks. It will bo
remembered that he filed with Judge O'Sullivan a
brief holding that the insurance officials could
not bo prosecutod for tho payment of campaign
funds to tho republican party, and then when
Judge O'Sullivan took issue with him Mr. Jerome
showed considerable feeling. Later Judge O'Sul
livan instructed the grand jury that they must
make a thorough investigation of these campaign
contributions and must demand of tho district
attorney the evidence in his possession. Subr
sequently Mr. Jerome appeared before Magistrate
Moss and secured a bench warrant for tho ar
rest of George W. Perkins, who is charged with
paying $48,000 of insurance funds to tho repub
lican committee. Mr. Jerome's best friends seem
to bo unable to explain tho peculiar position he
lias taken with respect to' the prosecution of the
insurance magnates. Tho New York World and
other newspapers that supported him during the
campaign have turned upon him, and many men
who were prominent In advocating his re-election
have deserted him. As soon as the war
rant was issued by Magistrate Mo3s Mr. Jer
kin's attorney applied to the New Yorlr su
preme court for a writ of habeas corpus, and they
hope to havo that body declare that the misap
propriation of policyholders' money for the use
and benefit of the republican party Is not larceny.
THE REFUSAL OF THE, house committee to
adopt the scheme of federal control of life
insurance is interpreted by the Johnstown (Pa.)
Democrat as "in some respects the hardest blow
of all the smashing blows rained upon President
Roosevelt by the present congress." The Demo
crat says Mr. Roosevelt is bound to feel the ef
fect of this blow, as in this instance he had
little popular support to fall back upon, as ho
had in the matter of the Philippine tariff and
some other proposals to which he had committed
himself. The Democrat says that Mr. Roosevelt's
attitude on the insurance question was taken "in
almost open defiance of the more cautious advice
of some of his ablest partisans, and he took but
little, if any, account of the legal phases of the
problem involved."
THE DEMOCRAT' thinks It more than signifi
cant that the members of. the 'house com
mittee, well knowing that Mr. Roosevelt was be
hind the federal control of insurance schemes,
subscribed In their report to the following declara
tion: "Let It be said kindly, but not offensively,
that it is a monstrous doctrine, subversive of our
dual system of government even to suggest that
the federal government, created by the states,
can take from tho states the power they have
always enjoyed and which is expressively re
served to them by the constitution. Hamilton
himself never made such a claim."
UNOFFICIAL DISPATCHES from Manila pub
lished March 18 stated that such women and
children as were killed were "killed at long
range by shell' fire." Tho Springfield (Mass.) Re
publican says: "This and other statements of
the same dispatch have been used by adminis
tration papers In defense and extenuation of the
slaughter. Some of the statements were em
ployed by the New York Tribune in the way of
explaining and excusing the affair. But it will
be seen that General Wood says the killing of
women and children took placo in 'hand-to-hand
fighting' and not from long range shell fire.
Meantime, however, what does General Wood
mean by saying that the sensational cables were
made up in Manila and that there have been no
references to tho killing of women and children
'in any cable from Mindanao,' etc.? Is it the
intention to deny, that any such thing happened
right in the face of his own cable of a week ago
that such a thing did happen? 'Or do we have
here a deceiving play upon the words In any
cable from Mindanao' all sent to Washington
at high cable rates? It is certainly an extra
ordinary dispatch this last one, and no wonder
they are puzzled at Washington about it."
CABLING FROM MANILA,. March 19, General
Wood said: "Sensational cables sent to
the United States relating to the Mt. Dajo fight
were made up in Manila. There has been no
reference in any cable from Mindanao to the kill
ing of women and children. On receipt of Colonel
Andrew's condensed report from me "in Wash
ington, the American newspapers cabled for other
information than was contained in my report to
Colonel Andrews, and- supplied sensational fea
tures." REFERRING TO.Genoral Woods cablegram the
Springfield (Mass.) Republican says that the
war department is 'greatly mystified. by General
Wood's dispatch. ' The Republican says: "The
fight took place March G-8, and the ofllcial news
of it reached this country on the 9th in the form
of a report from Colonel Andrews at Manila,
condensing a report received there from General.
Wood at 'Camboango' (Zamboanga?). This stated
merely that 'about 600' Moros were killed.
March 11 the American newspapers published un
official dispatches from Manila saying that tho
military authorities at the seat of the trouble
had refused further information to the press, biit
adding: 'An unofficial report says that the fam
ilies of tho Moros remained in the villages located
in the center of the crater at the apex or the
mountain, and the women and children mingled",
with the warriors during the battle to such an
extent that it was impossible to discriminate, and
all were killed in the fierce onslaught. Major
General Wood Is not available at present to con-,
firm tho report.' This was the first intimation,
conveyed that women and children had been in
the fight and had been killed in greater or less
number." ;,
THEN CAME THE outcry in the United States "
over the killing of women and "children.-.
Secretary Taft thereupon cabled General Wood"
for information. The Republican says: "This
was furnished, and appeared in a letter sent to
President Itoosevelt by Secretary Taft March 13,
General Wood's dispatch having been received
that day. This dispatch, inclosed in Secretary
Taft's letter, said, among othdr things: 'I was
present throughout practically entire action and
inspected top of crater after action was finished.
Am convinced no man, woman or child was wan
tonly killed. A considerable number of women
were killed in the fight number unknown for
the reason that they were actually in the works
when assaulted and were unavoidably killed in
the fierce hand-to-hand fighting which took place
in the narrow, inclosed space. Moro women wore
trousers and were dressed and armed much-like?
the men. The children were in many, cases used'
by. the men as shields while charging the troop's."?
ANEW YORK NEWSPAPER asks: " "The
bureau of .corporations may be useful as an
incentive to campaign fund generosity, but of
what public value has it been during its three
years of existence? What excuse is there for
continuing it?" Attorney General Moody's re
marks in the beef trust case provide the answer
to that question. Mr. Moody said that if the im
munity plea of the packers were sustained"Wash
ington will become the Alsaitia to which xall can
resort for the pardon of their offenses. All of
the people who are violating the laws of the
land may go there at intervals and obtain their
immunity from punishment. I can fancy Mr.
Swift and Mr. Armour meeting some great mag
nate who has been there, and who has washed
in what I may call 'Miller's bath' in order ,to
ire cleansed of niisdoing I can imagine them
meeting and saying, 'Good morning Mr. Rocke
feller; have you had your immunity bath this
morning?' "
MAJOR CARRINGTON, a United States army
officer was recently convicted of Em
bezzling $1,500 while serving under the civil gov
ernment in the Philippines. He was tried and
sentenced to sixty years in the penitentiary.
Pointing out that this sentence is beyond the
natural expectation of life, the Pittsburg Dis
patch says: "It would certainly be wiser to hava
inflicted a 10-year term on Major Carrington and
to have saved the other fifty for distribution
among the embezzlers of considerably larger
amounts. in the United States who generally es
cape with five or six year termsif they are
convicted at all." Some of these "fifty years"
might be adyantagequsly distributed among the
men who embezzled the money belonging totlie
policyholders.
THE MISSOURI AUTHORITIES aVe not the
only seekers after John D. Rockefeller?
Indeed, it is claimed by the Philadelphia North-
: -American that Mi. .Rockefeller . has .not been
dodging tho Missouri, authorities, but lias really
been in hiding "from federal marshals. ?tvia
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