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The Commoner.
j
.VOLUME 6, NUMBER-19.
Jfc-T- - -' " ' -... , ... . . . M
The Commoner
WEEKLY
ISSUED
William J .Buy an
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Riciiaiid h. MlCTrCAWB
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln. Neb
Perhaps the explanation is that Senator
Lodge got his telephone wires crossed.
Is it possible that the president is doing
some San Juan hilling on this rate question?
By this time Chancellor Day is doubtless
fully convinced that he has earned all the money.
Washington, D. C, May 21. But for the per
sistent efforts of the leaders of the democratic
party it is conceded by all fair-minded men here
that there would have been no legislation by this
congress on the subject of regulating rates on
railroads engaged 'in interstate business. It is
laiown to every intelligent youth of this nation
that in democratic national platforms only was
tho demand made for this legislation. On that
question the republicans remained silent. They
did not dare face the Issue for the .reason that
they were not only under very great obligations
to the railway corporations for campaign contribu
tions but also to every other sort of combina
tion and trust, and as has been shown by recent
investigations even the officers of the gigantic in
surance companies gave lavishly of the funds in
their charge to help the republican party to win
what republican orators and newspapers termed
a mighty victory over the forces berit upon "de
stroying the industries f the country" and plac
ing in power men who would bring about "chaos
in the land."
Unfortunately the democrats in the senate
are not as numerous as they were some years
ago. But it is due to the readers of this article
to state that never in the history of legislation
has the democratic party had a more active, ag
gressive lot of men in the upper branch of con
gress contending for what they believe to be
right. From start to finish they put the republi
cans on the defensive and kept them there right
up to the time the rate bill was passed with its
many amendments and sent to conference. The
controversies between the president of the Uni
ted States and Senators Tillman and Bailey and
ex-Senator Chandler, of New Hampshire are
fresh in the minds of the people, but it is due
to the three well known men last mentioned to
say that in this exciting contest all of them have
come outofjlt-'itb-feonprjind credit. t There has
been notrimming or sidesteppmfTon the part of
It will be noted jn passing that thcTsgtffflrk611116 democrats. They have met the issue
of veracity is between two vejxjgniftrenf repub
licans wj"r-,'T,
licans.
Newspaper compliments to the anthracite
miners will not put any bread and meat in the
lunch basket.
From his usual position on the top of the
fence Senator Allison can view the veracity sit
uation with equanimity.
President Roosevelt's letter to Senator Alli
son is another glittering proof of the fact that
language was given to conceal our thoughts.
A lot of metropolitan papers are congratulat
ing the anthracite miners upon their decision
to return to work under the old conditions. The
mine operators can afford to congratulate themselves.
If "Bob" Taylor were in the senate right
now his famous fiddle would' bo given an oppor
tunity to prove that "music hath charms to soothe
the savage breast." But it might prove a terrific
strain on the fiddle.
The Russian legislature, or whatever you may
call it, has started. In the very beginning it went
off just like our own house of representatives,
only in Russia it was "the czar," not a "speaker,"
that supervised things.
"While the democratic coterie is making-faces,
the republicans will go ahead and make a rate
bill. That is what the country wants," says the
Milwaukee Wisconsin. The country evidently
does not want the kind of a rate bill the bosses
of the republican side of the senate would make.
MIGHTY GOOD HUMOR
Referring to the railroad rate legislation, the
Minneapolis Journal (Republican) says: - "The
president has the Aldrich crowd -whipped." The
, members .of .the J'Aldrich crowd" . appear to .be-in
v mighty- good -humor .for people who -have -been
badly "whipped."
squarely, and if they had not taken a bold stand
no railroad rate bill would have been passed by
this congress.
"Under hack" is a common expression used
by boys in many of the southern states. Possibly
it may be known in other states of the union.
It means that a boy in that unfortunate position
not only keeps his mouth shut, but he hardly
looks at the 'other boys in the school room or on
the play grounds. For the past three or four
weeks over half of the republican senators have
been "under hack." They seemed afraid to raise
their voices in defense of the administration after
Senators Tillman and Bailey showed how the
republican administration had shifted position on
the rate bill and broken faith with the demo
crats, and in so doing enabled Senator Aldrich
and his followers to frame a bill that is more to
the liking of the railway corporations than could
have been possible if the president had not gone
back on his democratic allies. For a year or
more, Mr. Chandler has s'toutly maintained that
this republican administration would be lost in
the wilderness, so far as the rate bill is concerned,
but for the support given it by the democrats in
congress.
During the closing days of the debate in the
senate on the rate bill it was a study of intense
Interest to watch the faes of most of the promi
nent republicans. If ever a lot of men were
"under hack" they were. The venerable Mr.
Allison, of Iowa, credited with being the author
of the court review amendment that was fixed
up at the White House, sat in his seat with his
eyes riveted on the floor while Senators Bailey
and Tillman scored the administration and a
couple of correspondents of republican newspapers
for their misrepresentations. Senators Hale and
Frye of Maine, usually on the alert and ready
o talk, could not command nerve enough to
. plunge into the debate. Senators Spooner and
Knox seemed to be pained, and Mr. Lodge, of
Massachusetts, supposed to be the closest friend
of the president in the senate, also ot lost after
his rash performance in telephoning the White
House and getting a reply from the head of the
nation that impelled Mr. Lodge to state for the
president that Mr. Chandler had been guilty of a
deliberate falsehood in saying that he, th. presi
dent, had said anything derogatory of Senators
. Spooner, Knox and Foraker, and which Mr.
Chandler subsequently asserted in most positive
terms had been told to him by the president.
To use a common expression Mr. Lodge made a
"bad break" and got his friend, the president,
into more trouble than was expected.
Beyond any doubt the popularity of the pres
ident with the masses of the people is on tho
wane. For a month or more visitors from all
sections of the United States have expressed this
opinion. They are frank enough to say that
the head of the nation has only himself to blame
for the change in sentiment that is apparent all
over the country. This reference is not made
with any Intention to do the head of the nation
an injustice or written in a partisan spirit. Other
presidents have won and lost popularity and in
future years it will be the same. Mr. Roosevelt
parted company with the democrats, and has
been convicted by ex-Senator Chandler, who is such
a rank republican himself that in order to apply,
salve to the sore spots some of the eastern re'
publican dailies are trying to discredit Mr.
Chandler by shouting that he and his namesake
from Michigan thirty years ago robbed Samuel
J. Tilden out of the presidency and that no demo
crat ought to have anything to do with the New
Hampshire man if consistency with democrats
amounts to anything. For more than a year Mr.
William E. Chandler has contended that if the
democratic support were withdrawn from Presi
dent Roosevelt he could not possibly be given an
opportunity to consider a reasonable railroad rato
bill.
Ex-Governor Robert L. Taylor recently desig
nated by the democrats of his state to be the
next United States senator from Tennessee, is
expected here shortly. "Bob" Taylor, as his
friends call him, has never been defeated before
the people of his state. Once before he tried to
come to the senate, but in that instance he had
to appeal to the legislature. They adopted the
primary law in Tennessee virtually on the same
lines as that of Virginia, and Mr. Taylor, felt
confident that under that system he would win.
What te "known as Wxe-JSast Tennessee congres
sional district is overwhelmingly repuafican,.ana
yet Mr. Taylor, when barely of constitutional age.
carried and was sent as a democrat to the house
of representatives. Tennesseans in this city who
are acquainted with conditions in the state say
that Mr. Taylor could carry that district this
year if he had made up his mind to come to
congress as a representative instead of a senator.
The republicans of Tennessee are preparing for
a big fight this year on the governorship and
will nominate as their candidate former Con
gressman H. Clay Evans, at one time assistant
postmaster general, commissioner of pensions
and more recently consul general at London. Mr.
Evans is conceded to be the strongest republican
in 'his state. His nomination will compel the
democrats to bestir themselves. Mr. Taylor is
going on the stump, and when Governor Taylor
takes the field the republicans have to sur
render. Because ex-Governor Taylor used to play the
"fiddle" and has for the past fifteen years been
delivering humorous lectures quite a number of
the republican daily papers have been trying to
prove that he will be a misfit in the United
States senate.- "Bob" Taylor, it is true, is full
of fun. He believes in smiles, in mirth and do
ing all he can to make life's burdens light; and
wherever he has lectured since he adopter? that
as a calling he has never failed to have a large
audience. In addition to the stories that he tells
and the songsthat he occasionally sings in con
nection with a lecture Mr. Taylor is an orator
and word-painter and his best friends maintain
that if he lives to take his seat in the senate
and serves out his term it will not be many
years before he demonstrates that an alleged
"funny man" will prove that his people made no
mistake when they sent him to the upper branch
of congress.
The chances are the railroad employes' -liability
bill will pass the senate before the end of
the session. It has already passed the house. The
senate republicans held back as long as they
could before ordering a report on the measure.
They would not have done anything this session
but for the active work on the part of the demo
cratic senators. . Fully 000,000 . railroad .employes
are interested in this matter and through their
legislative committee have insisted that a law
should be on the statute books giving them the
right to collect. -from the roads , damages for acci
dents in such a .-hazardous service. , , . ' .
ALFRED J. STOFER.
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