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The Commoner.
JULY 20, 190
fTMiyfByaj5fy arigfy fpHPVW, '
mcmt roads as against roads owned privately. .
The great danger that Egypt has to fear is
the disinheritance of the fellaheen and the alien
ownership of the land. Unless groat care is
taken Egypt will drift into the condition of Ire
land and India and be drained of her resources
by foreign landlords. It is very difficult for a
foreign representative to arbitrate impartially be
tween his own people at home and the natives
among whom ho temporarily resides, and Lord
Cromer will deserve great credit if he is able to
protect the Egyptians from exploitation. How
over well meaning, the English advisers are now
or hereafter may be, Egypt's safety must lie in
the development of her own people. The legisla
tive council understands this and insists upon
the extension of the school system. It is wise
in so doing for every educated man or woman
adds to the moral force that restrains and directs
the government. An increase in the number of
the educated not only tends to the preservation
of law and order but furnishes a larger number
fit to be officials and thus lessens the excuse for
the employment of foreigners. There has been,
among reformers, some discussion of a constitu
tion but as that would curtail the powers of the
Khedive as wrell as define the authority of Eng
land, it would probably be opposed at present by
the Moslem leaders.
I can not conclude without a reference to the
pioneer work done in the field of education by
the United Presbyterians. They have several
churches and a number of very successful schools
and must be credited with having contributed
largely to the progress which Egypt has" made and
is making.
Copyright.
QUANTITATIVE THEORY
The Boston Herald says that Miv Bryan's (
statement "with respect to bimetallism "discloses
a strain of Bourbonism in his composition which
some of his speeches and writings had lead the
conservative members of his party to hope had.
been eradicated by the educational influences of
foreign travel." The Herald adds:
"Mr. Bryan holds that the 'quantitative
- theory' of money, which he upheld in 1896,
. has been vindicated by the wonderful in-"
, crease in the supply "of gold for coinage which
followed his campaign for the free coinage
of silver. So far as the quantity is con-
- cerned, his claim may be admitted."
There is something of a "strain of Bourbon
ism" in the composition of this Boston editor. His
writings indicate that since 1896 he has made
no progress in conception of the money question.
He answers Mr. Bryan's claim that the "quanti-.
tative theory" has been vindicated by the de
cidedly diplomatic statement: "So. far -as the
quantity Js concerned his claim may be admit
ted." Now that is .as clear as mud.
"So far .as the quantity is concerned" the
quantitative theory of money has be.en vindi
cated! And this from Boston the hub of the
universe; the center of the intellectual circle!
Would the Boston editor be surprised . were
he told that the quantitative theory :was not
"vindicated by the wonderful increase in the sup
ply of gold," but by the results flowing from that
wonderful increase.
JJJ
THEY FEAR THE JAIL
i I
Judge Kinkaid, who sentenced to prison sev
eral of the Toledo, Ohio, ice trust magnates, re
fused to be swerved from his determination, to
make the punishment fit the offense. He fined
each of the defendants $5,000 and imprisonment
in the . work house" for one year and provided
that when the men reduced the price of Ice to
a reasonable point, ho would decrease the term
of the sentence. The trust magnates lowered the
Bchedule and Judge Kinkaid cut the sentence in
itwo, telling the attorneys for the defendants
that he would make further reduction when the
trust magnates had made full restitution to the
people of all they had illegally taken from
them.
Judge Kinkaid insistB that these men who
have preyed upon the necessities of the people
must obtain a taste of prison life. He says:
"Nothing could have less force than to waive
the penalty or to impose a fine to be paid by one
amply able to pay it or to be paid by his rela
tives. It has been said by counsel that a night
in jail is more punishment to these men than a
year's imprisonment is to many who come before
this bar, and it is true. But under the law if a
man comes before me convicted of having stolen
property to the mere value of $35, this court can
do no less than send him to tho penitentiary for
a year, and if you sat upon tho bench and saw tho
weeping of women and children when men como
hero for sentence, having committod crimes
which do not affect society, ns this crimo does,
you would recognize tho position of this court and
its duty."
Judge Kinkaid has tho correct idea. Tlieso
influential men who violate tho law care little
for fines. They do fear tho prison bars and they
go very quickly to their knees when confronted
by a public official determined to enforce the law.
JJJ
AN OVERSIGHT
Tho republican congress passed the ren
tal item of $130,000 for the use by the govern
ment of the old New York custom house. That
was one instance which Mr. Roosevelt doubtless
overlooked when in referring to the work of
congress he said "not a single "measure which
the closest .acrutiny would warrant us of calling
of doubtful propriety, has been enacted." No
one pretends to deny that the New York custom
house deal is a fraud on the people.
JJJ
REMEMBER THIS, TOO!
The Chicago Tribune says: "Mr. Bryan will
have no difficulty in recalling tho circumstance
that things looked fully as rosy in 1896 as they
do now."
And -the editor of tho Chicago Tribune will
have no difficulty in recalling the circumstance
that It required several million dollars stolen
from the helpless policy holders, in order to inter
fere with that "rosy" condition in 1896 and with
all of that a considerable number of people be
lieve that even then they had to steal It.
JJJ
WHY?
The London Lancet asks: "Why should of
ficials appear before the public as if they held a
brief on behalf of Chicago packers and seem de
sirous of defending the paqkers rather than the
cause of hygiene; which it is their business as
health officials to endeavor to promote?"
That question has occurred to a great many
American citizens. Why should United States
senators, representatives in the lower house, and
even in some instances judges on the bench ap
pear as if they held a brief on behalf of great
corporations? Why should these' public officials
seem desirous of defending corporate greed, rather
than the public interests which' it is their business
as public officials to endeavor to promote?
JJJ
WHERE IS THE CALHOUN REPORT?
1 The Independent reminds the Roosevelt ad
ministration, and incidentally the public, of a
very important report that has not yet seen the
light of day. The Independent says: "One of
the results of tho Loomis scandal was the sending
of William J. Calhoun, of Chicago, to Caracas
to investigate the past and present relations of
the United States with Venezuela, and report the
truth to the president. Judge Calhoun went to
Caracas,' stayed there several months, and then
returned to Washington. Month after month has
gone by, and yet his report has not been made
public. Tf not Incompatible with the public wel
fare' we respectfully suggest that it is time it
be published. It was certainly expected that
the report would not be withheld from the public."
JJJ
, "BY ITS FRIENDS" OF COURSE
Tho South Dakota republican state conven
tion declared that it "specifically adheres to tho
republican policy of protection of American enter
prises, but believes that tariff rates should be
modified from time to time to meet changed con
ditions, such modifications to be made by tho
friends of protection and not by its enemies."
In the same platform it said, "for the benefit of
the American home builder and the protection of
our forests, we favor abolishing all tariff on
lumber.'1 But our South Dakota friends certainly
would not have the tariff on lumber abolished
other than by the "friends of protection," and
certainly they will not find fault if the "friends
of protection" are just as averse to free lumber
for the republicans of South Dakota as they are
to -free hides for the republicans of Massa
chusetts. JJJ
THE ANNUAL MASSACRE
Attorney General Moody will have the cor
dial support of the people in his move to prose
cute railroads that haVe flagrantly violated the
safety applianco law. Tho government has been
unusually lenient with tho railroads, oxtcndlnE,
on several occasions, tho time sot for equipping
all cars with safety appliances. And, although
tho roads litivo had many years in which to ihieot
tho requirements of the law, thousands of ('cars
aro still equipped with tho old hand brakes l.ind
link-and-pin couplings. In 3904 tho number fat
railroad omployes killed whilo In tho discharge "
of their duties was 3,632 a number greater than
the deaths on both sides in many heavy battles
of tho civil war. Tho total number of people
killed in railroad disasters and at grade crossings
in 1904 was 10,046. A majority of tho deaths
among the employes is duo to tho lack of safety
appliances. Certainly it is high time that tho
legal department of the government move in tho
mattor of compelling tho railroads to comply
with the law.
JJJ
'FUSION IN THE EAST
The New York World rejoices because tho
democrats of Pennsylvania havo fused with tho
"Lincoln republicans" of that state in an effort
to. wrest control from the hands of tho political
buccaneers who havo so long controlled that great
commonwealth. Tho democrats havo endorsed
tho Lincoln republican nominee for governor,
Lewis Emery, jr., and tho Lincoln republican con
vention will re-convene shortly for tho purpose
of endorsing tho democratic candidates for liou-tenant-govornor,
auditor-general and secretary of
internal affairs. Tho World's favorable comments
on fusion in Pennsylvania are In sharp contrast
to its many and heated editorials in opposition
to fusion in some of the western states a fusion
that sought to wrest control from political ma
chines as corrupt in point of opportunity ns tho
machine in Pennsylvania. The World would do
well to offer some explanation as to why it makes
flesh of fusion in Pennsylvania and fowl of fusion
in Nebraska or Kansas.
JJJ
WHERE THINGS ARE DONE DIFFERENTLY
An American millionaire who was making ah,
.automobile -tour of Franco ran ovor and killed a
girl. He was arrested, put on trial arid sentenced
to pay a fine of- $120 and damages to the amount '
of $400, and to spend nix weeks In jail. Tlio '
fact, that he possessed millions and had many in
fluential friends cut no figure with tho French
judge and jury. He had to pay up and go to
jail. In this country it would havo been different.
The auto scorcher's number would havo been
taken and ho would havo been summoned to ap
pear in court. On tho day appointed he would
have sent his chaffeur to court with a blank
check properly signed. Tho complaisant
prosecutor would havo accepted tho plea of guilty
to the charge of exceeding tho speed limit and
a nominal fine would havo been assessed. Tho
chaffeur would have filled in the amount, handed
the check to tho clerk and returned to take His
employer out on another wild rido in which
the rights and safety of pedestrians would have
been ignored. The French way of attending to
this sort of thing is the better way.
JJJ
IT MIGHT BE WORSE
Some enthusiastic member of the Now York
reception committee Invited President Roosevelt,
to attend tho reception given Mr. Bryan in New
York. Referring to this incident the Chicago
Chronicle says:
"To Invito tho president to go to Mad
ison Square garden to do honor to such a
man is as absurd and insulting as if he were
invited to preside at a dinner in honor of
Lew Dockstader or at one of Carrie Nation's
temperance meetings, or at a boxing bout."
The Chronicle can't keep its comparisons on
straight. Lew Dockstader is a pretty good fellow
and mixes and associates with some of the
best of men, while Mrs. Nation, with all her
eccentricities, has been welcomed to some good
homes. Now if the Chronicle really wanted
to say something mean it would have said: "To
invite the president to go to Madison Square
garden to do honor to such a man, is as absurd
and insulting as if he were Invited to preside
at a dinner in honor of John R. Walsh, proprietor
of the Chicago Chronicle, 'defender of the national
honor,' violator of the law and wrecker of banks."
Perhaps, however, the Chronicle was not in
its usual bad humor, and did not care to go
quite so far as that.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR.
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