The Commoner.
.VOLUME 6, NUMBER 23
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JAMES It. DAY, chancellor of the Syracuse
University, the gentleman who refrred to
"anarchy in the White Houso" because of
" President Roosevelt's Standard Oil message,
Wade some decidedly interesting remarks in, his
baccalaureate sornion. Chancellor Day said that
a government by the people bqcomes a misnomer
and a deception "when sonators and representa
tives receive orders from the executive and when
app'oals to, popular passion are made to force
them to action to which their sound judgment
and honest convictions are opposed." Tho chan
cellor made a defense of corporations, saying
that tho poor man owes more to corporations
than to any other commercial force. Ho declared t
that this is tho day of the scandal-monger and
denounced those who had criticised the methods
of the packers.
VERMONT WILL CHOSE a governor at the
fall election and the Philadelphia Public
Ledger says: "Actually democrats see a ray of
hope for carrying the state." The Public Ledger
adds: "The fact that the lowest majority the
republicans have had since 1872 is 14,163 does
not cool the ardor of the Green Mountain demo
crats, The republicans are having great difficulty
in choosing a candidate as successor to Governor
Bell. There may be two republicans in the field.
In 19Q2 the democrats polled 7,364 votes; repub-
llcans, 31,864, and prohibitionists, 2,498. The
vote in 1904 for governor was, democrat, 16,566;
republican, 4S,115; socialist, 769, and prohibition,
1,175. The democrats are harmonious and hope
ful. In James E. Burke, the blacksmith mayor
of Burlington, who is serving his fourth term
the democrats have a candidate who is likely to
make a strong appeal. Aside from the regular
party support Mr. Burke expects to win over
many independent, republican, and labor voters.
He appears to bo a particularly attractive per
sonality in Vermont politics. Working regularly
at the forge ho has obtained. at the same time a
wide knowledge of books and men. Without the
means to make an extended campaign, he pro
poses -to go back to 'the plain ways of politics,'
when an individuality counted more than a gen
erous campaign fund. New England has not lost
her liking for her Elihu Burritts. The fact that
Mr. Douglas had been a cobbler before becoming
an. effective tariff-reform advocate helped him
to the. governorship of Massachusetts."
npHia LATE William F. Switzler of Missouri,
X had an intlmato acquaintance with Thomas
H. Benton, A writer in the Columbia (Mo.)
Herald says that of all the men Colonel Switz
ler knew, he could talk, perhaps, the most en
tertalnly about Thomas II. Benton. The Herald
quotes Colonel Switzler as having said- ''Ben.
ton was a most remarkable man in s0lnn !
LZZVtTT l e overow
TnonX , " e?r. at this time'.
yJlMss even a stranger hv hi. li0.'0 d
d ns if i, ,7 i I,."'" -ue. lie
- - v. w.iiu iUO earui. With hpnr?
I at an ane n nf ,ik ,i .,, . .aa
rn-J-Z
o tho left ;;: """"' . l "' "st.
PPOtataHmt 'to -spo-uu'ST " SS,1 , &X
o'clock ho wmiiri ov,.t TT. ' i"u"P"y
is carrlnco ..n.L; ,l,aB would conio
,"
begin. 'Citizens " wl " ? ,V.y,10 tlle Blrum
:zx jssr,. : --
s wav bnnir tn nVX 1W""IUUU" ne would make
WrSL? TL ? Pl-vtoout Personally
ierrimt him in hi-o" rui?"w'. nG da'ed
izo the riirht of vW 5 reg-
o stood on any subject"' lQ asK him how
f AJINETEEN . YEARS AGO William pim,v
EL nL olnteeeS
r iriniefl. stat senator,
to benttn;;: Xl-"-, u?ncrats of Maryland
m? yzwzrzz "Vo'Xn s
oralship would be an excellent way for me to
close my public career." Referring to this the
New York Evening Post says: "Mr. Whyte was
then a youth of sixty-three. At the expiration
of his term in 1891 he retired to practice law
and enjoy his reputation as Maryland's most dis
tinguished citizen. His choice now by Governor
Warfield as Gorman's, successor In the United
States senate is an admission that even at
eighty-two Mr. Whyte .is still the state's foremost
democrat. If the new appointee lives to com
plete his term, in 1909, his public career will have
extended over sixty-two years, for he first went
to the Maryland legislature in 1847. His first
appearance in the sena'ce, when he was appoint
ed by Governor Swann to the seat made vacant
by the resignation of Reverdy Johnson, was . in
1868. .A term as governor, a full term, as United
States senator, and two terms as mayor of Bal
timore preceded his election to the attorney gen
eralship in 1887. If, as 'Mr. Dooley' asserted,
'th' enthrance of Beveridge into th' senate at th'
age of six reduced th' average age of that body
to 92.' Mr. Whyte's reappearance will help to
restore the former impression of maturity. Still,
he is nearly two months younger than Senator
Morgan and more than three years younger than
Senator Pettus Alabama's wise counsellors who
blithely talk of re-election in 1907 and 1909, re
spectively. Dr. Osier has evidently left Mary
land for good."
"v'yCy
N
ABlLL HAS BEEN introduced in the house
of commons, requiring "all railway compa
nies and all steamship companies in the United
Kingdom' to affqrd, free of charge, facilities to
all members of both houses of parliament to
travel between their usual place of residence and
London for the discharge of their parliamentary
duties." ThiB measure is supported by a number
of influential members of parliament. The New"
York Evening Post quotes from the London Econo
mist a satirical reference to this measure as fol
lows: "As legislators necessarily wear out a
certain amount of shoe leather when they walk
down to Westminster, it is to be presumed that
the next proposal will be to compel ' shoemakers
to supply them with free boots and shoes a pro
posal that would not be a whit more extravagant
than the legislative project-which seeks to render
it obligatory on the proprietors of railways to
bear their traveling expenses. It may, of course,
be argued that railways, unlike other traders,
are the holders of public franchises. But these
franchises were granted under well-defined con
ditions, which are not to be altered at the mere
caprice of legislators. The bill is backed, among
others, by Mr. Rothschild, Sir Christopher Fur
ness, Sir John Brunner, and Sir Edward Sassoon,
and tho idea of railway companies being required
by law to give these gentlemen free tickets is
more in keeping with the traditions of comic
opera than with the dignity of public life It
s to be noted, moreover, that peers are under
the bill, to share in the joys of free passes; so
that the number of legislative 'deadheads' creat
ed If the measure became law would be consid
erably more than a thousand."
NATHAN COLE of Los Angeles is prominently
mentioned ,as the democratic nominee for
governor of California.. The Los Angeles News
says: "Nathan Cole is the choice of the demo
crats of southern California for governor. Chair
man Spellacy has a high admiration for him and
it is thought will not oppose his candidafcy. Mr.
Cole is vice president and general manager of the
Pacific Sugar company, and never held political
office. His work in the San Joaquin valley where
he is building a sugar refinery, Is regarded as
a splendid building movement and has made his
name familiar in that section." Mr. Cole says
ho is not a candidate for the position, but it is
plain that his friends will make an earnest effort
to bestow upon him the honor. Referring in a
general way to the California contest, Mr Cole
in a newspaper interview recently published
said: "In the state fight there will be large inde
pendent voting, and If the party furnishes a clean
ticket and a progressive platform thousands of
republicans will vote the democratic ticket this
fall. The democratic party can not go backward;
it must go forward. It must be radical it can
no longer be conservative. If you asked my opin
ion as to the platform, I would say: First A
declaration in favor of government ownership of
railroads, telegraphs and express companies.
Second A declaration in favor of municipal own
ership of all public utilities, hird A declara
tion in favor of direct legislation and the recall.
Fourth A declaration in favor of an honest and
businesslike administration of state affairs, with
due regard to party, but with all regard to the
people."
A LAW PROHIBITING the trimming of hats
with birds' wings and "feathers will go into
effect in Iowa July 1. The law provides that
any milliner trimming a hat with feathers or
wings of other than game birds shall be punished
by a fine. Referring to this law, the Sioux City
Journal.. says: "Milliners all over the state have
thrown up their hands in holy horror at this
latest blow to the aesthetic in dress. In several
cities of size meetings of the women with tho
thimble and thread of the art of hats have been
held at which words of indignation streamed
from every female present. In Des Moines an
indignation meeting was held at which many in
cendiary views were expressed, the sense
of the meeting being that th,e milliners of tho
state unite in their wrath anfl bring upon those
horrid legislators all the grief possible. There is
always the humane society side of the law to look
at. There ,are men who have no grudge against
milliners, because of the monthly bills, but who
would rather see a well turned wing of red or
blue against its natural background, the green
of the Woods, than glued on a hat at an impos
sible angle above the prettiest pair of eyes that
ever twinkled."
JOHN BUN.YAN will have grounds for a -grudge
against President Roosevelt as long as Pil
grim's Progress endures, according to a writer
in the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal. The Journal writer
explains: v'As was frequently remarked at tho
time ,of the president's now famous muckrake
speech, the muckraker of Bunyon was not a
stirrer up of scandal, flinger of filth into people's
faces, but the man who devoted himself to tho
acquirement of filthy lucre to the neglect of high
er things. In the spirit of Pilgrim's Progress the
man with the muckrake would be Mr. Rockefeller
himself, not the exposer of Rockefeller. In a
sense it is unfortunate that the term came thus
to be misapplied, for no better word for the money
grubber could have been found than the title of
muckraker. On the other hand the word, with
Its unsavory significance, does an injustice when
applied to the numerous authors whose litera
ture of exposure has hastened greatly the day
of cleansing. But. as the battle of Breed's hill
can never be anything to Americans but the bat
tle of Bunker Hill, because they got starred to
calling it that way, so the muckraker will always
be a Lincoln Steffens instead of a, Russell Sage."
CHARLES L. TUCKER, who was electrocuted
Juno 11. at the Massachusetts state prison
charged with the murder of Mabel Page, insist
ed that hlf was innocent of the crime. The clergy
man who attended him and many friends were
convinced of his innocence and urged Governor
Guild to commute his sentence. The governor
declined. Tucker's last words were: "I hop
God will forgive me for all the wrongd I have
over done in my past life. I forgive everybody
who has ever wronged me. I am at peace with
my Maker." He also left a letter addressed to
one of his attorneys in which he declared: "I
have been misjudged and wrongfully accused of
a crime that I know nothing about, one that I
am entirely innocent of." Tucker's letter con
cludes as follows: "It is awful to die when one
is innocent, and when one is so young, good
hearted and healthy. Oh, I am so glad that I
am innocent, dear James; one feels much better
when one's conscience is clear. I would tell yon
willingly if I were guilty and I would make my
peace with God, but I am not James, and I did
innocent as a child unborn of this crime. I am
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