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The Commoner
9
FEBRUARY 22, .1907
ment, only to take the canal out of their hands
and turn it over to contractors? The widespread
belief Ulat Thomas F. Ryan is the financial power
behind the contractors who seek this work makes
the duty of the government to avoid entanglement
With any such combinatidn all the more obvious.
Mr. Ryan denies tiTat he is connected with the
Oliver company. So long, however, as John l.
McDonald is put forward to head the contractors,
and so long as Ryan himself is so busy in the fore
ground, visiting the president and showing his
hand in other Avays, it will take more than his
diplomatic denial to convince. But if it is not
Ryan it will be somebody else. It is the principle
that is wrong. No private individual or corpora
tion should be entrusted with this groijt undertak
ing. It is a public service that should be divorced
from every suspicion of jobbery."
DR. WILLIAM II. RUSSELL, the famous
Crimean war correspondent, died last week,
aged 87. Dr. Russell was familiarly known in this
country as "Bull Run" Russell, and was the Lon
don Times' war correspondent during the Crimean
war. His Crimean letters were remarkable for
their interest aud they were widely copied in the
papers of the United States. When the civil Avar
became inevitable the Times sent Dr. Russell o
the United States, and he witnesseTl the first battle
of Bull Run. His sympathies were Avitli the soiuli
and his description of that battle and his prophe
cies of the outcome of the Avar made him odious
in the camps of the Union armies. He was de
risively called "Bull Run" Russell, and soon was
recalled to England by the Times. But Dr. Rus
sell's .Avork in the Crimen wns such that he aviII
ahvavs be remembered with gratitude. It was his
description of the dread work of filth and disease
In the camps that aroused action which resulted in
materially mitigating the hardships of the soldieis.
It Avas after reading his letters that Florence
Nightingale gathered about her the thirty or forty
earnest young women and proceeded to the Crimea
to do the magnificent work that has since re
sutled in the organization of the Red Cross.
THE UNITED MINE WORKERS' JOURNAL,
representing 300,000 organized mine workers,
opposes the ship subsidy steal in the name of or
ganized hibor. The Journal says: "This sugar
'steamship syndicate has virtually given our Pa
cific, islands to Japan under the cry of cheap labor.
They are endeavoring to do the same tiling to our
Pacific coast. At the time they are working this
foul scheme they are also demanding a high tariff
on sugar and tobacco, ostensibly to 'protect Amer
ican labor.' The employers of coolies championing
the cause of American labor. Bah! If the Ameri
can Avorkingmen were all of the same mind as
the editor of the Journal the employers of cheap
and coolie labor would also have to compete. It
Avould'be laid down in unmistakable terms that
if the American Avorkingmen had to compete with
coolie labor there would also bo universal free
trade Avith the world. The hypocrisy of protection
to American labor would bo done away AV.ith, and
speedilv at that. Let no man deceive himself Avitli
this talk of protection while the interests that ar
profiting bv it arc determined to flood the country
Avith coolies. Every steamship brings tangible
evidence of this. Already in San Antonio, Tex.,
the negroes arc being driven from employment ny
Japanese. The white laborer and mechanic m the
Pacific coast states have reached the alternative
of working at coolie wages or become criminals
or hoboes. This is no time for theorizing or spec
ulative pamphleteering. It is a time to act, to
let the 'interests'. knoAV that this tiling niust cense
or there Avill be more of it than they aviII like to
confront." ' -'
O
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT, like thousands of
other men, is disgusted with the disposition
to go into details sIioavii by neAVspapcrs in report
ing the Thnw minder trial. On February 11, the
president gave to the Associated Press tins state
ment: "The president has communicated AVitu
the postmaster general to know whether it is fea
sible to bar from the mails the papers that p
the full and disgusting particulars ot the thaw
case. He does not know whether or not it is fea
sible but if it is he wishes it done."
r ANDIDATES for positions in the new stntewf
'VJ Oklahoma are flocking to Washington, lho
Washington correspondent to the Houston, .Lex.it,,
Tost savs: "The federal judgeships are regarded
as the best plums and the fight for them is s hap tag
faster than for other places. Oklahoma w ill lluno
two district judges. John R. Buford a judge ,..r
one of the existing districts, wants to be made
the .presiding Judge of the western district of the
now state and his friends are putting up a fight.
Charles Watson, a brother of Ropresenta h cjnt
son of Indiana, is seeking to become clerk of om.
of the courts and Ib lining up his friends. The
president has given all inquirers to understand
that he Avill pay no attention to patronage until the
state has been admitted. He will then listen lo
the appeals to bo made. The president is also non
committal as to his action when the new Okla
homa constitution readies him In case it contains
the proposed "Jim crow" provisions. It is believed,
however, that he would refuse to issue the proc
lamation required by the enabling act passed by
congress on the theory that such a distinction no
'tween the races is repugnant to the federal constitution."
I") EPRESENTATIVE POLLARD of Nebraska,
Aj republican, announces that he is in favor of
the ship subsidy bill. The Lincoln News, a repub
lican paper, calls Mr. Pollard to task and says:
"The ship subsidy scheme is based upon
grat'l. It means that in return for benefits of n
doubtful value Ave shall tax ourselves tAVo or three
times that value. It is a poor business proposl-.
tion, it js not proper function of government, anfl
it is Avrong in principle. Mr. Pollard ought to get
in closer touch Avitli the sentiment of his people.
The state legislature undoubtedly expressed the
ideas of the great majority of the people of Ne
braska in its resolution of condemnation. We feel
sure that it at least expressed the sentiment 'n
Mr. Pollard's district. While it is true that the bill
uoav pending before congress ajpropriates but a
small amount, yet everybody recognizes that this
is but the entering Avedge for the installation of
Avhat avo believe to be a vicious system."
O
HEALTH OFFICER SOMERS of Atlantic City
says that kissing causes la grippe. An At
lantic City dispatch to the New York American
says: "In order to prevent the spread of intl
enza here Dr. Seiners has issued a statement
Avarning the public against osculation. Dr. Som
ers holds that 0 per cent of all kisses are laden
Avith germs, particularly grip germs, and that it
is not possible to sterilize kisses, therefore lie is
sues the following public statement: 'In view of
the rapid spread of grip throughout the city, and
in view of the known fact that osculation, com
monly described as kissing, is the most fruitful
agent of the propagation of the grip germ, it is
advised that temperance and moderation in respect
to said practice bo more generally observed.'
Chief Inspector Beck and the board of health is
backing Dr. Somers up in his attack on kissing,
and the council Avill be asked for an appropriation
to have the Avarning printed and displayed in rail
road stations and public places in general."
O
THE BERLIN cafes are drawing the color line.
A Berlin cablegram to the New York World
says: "A 1'cav nights ago a negro Avas hustled out
of one of the leading cafes for making eyes at a
barmaid, following which a notice was posted on
the door reading, 'Negroes not admitted.' Next
morning tAvo other Avell knoAvn cafes followed this
example, 'and it is expected Unit the boycott Avill
extend to the whole of Berlin."
O
A READER in the Philadelphia Public Ledger
recently quoted General Viscount Wolseley
as giving an' outsider's view of our late unpleas
antness. The general said: "In common with all
southerners, Lee firmly believed that each Of the
old states had a legal and indisputable right, l)y
its individual constitution and by its act of union,
to leave at Avill Uie great union into which it had
separately entered as a sovereign stale. This was
with him an al-ticle of faith of which ho wns as
sure as of any divine truths lie found in the Bible."
O
SAMUEL TROTH of Philadelphia, writing to
the Public Ledger with reference to the
above quotation says that in a letter to his son
dated January 2.'), 18(51, quoted by his biographer,
the Rev. J. William Jones, on page 1.'57, Robert E.
Lee wrote: "Secession is nothing but revolution.
The framers of our constitution never exhausted
so much labor, wisdom and forbearance In its
formation and Mirrounded it with so many guards
and securities, if it was intended to be broken
bv every member of the confederacy at will. It
wns intended for perpetual union, so expressed in
the preamble, and for the establishment of a gov.r
eminent, not a compact, which can only be dis
solved by revolution or the consent of all the peo
nlo in convention assembled. It is idle to talk
of secession. Anarchy Avould have been estab
lished, and not a government, by Washington,
Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison and the other pat
riots of the revolution." ' '
o
REPRESENTATIVE WHARTON of Illinois
has introduced a resolution authorizing the
president to exclude from the mails any and all
publications "containing the revolting details" of
the Thaw murder trial and cases of similar na
ture. In Lebanon county, Kentucky, the grand
jury returned Indictments against the Cincinnati
Enquirer, Louisville Herald, Louisville Times and
Evening Post for printing and circulating "offen
sive and indecent proceedings of the Thaw trial."
The Union League club of New York has
adopted a resolution commending the president
and other federal officials for their efforts to sup
press from public circulation the details of iv
Thaw case. A Pallas, Texas, dispatch carried by
the Associated Press follows: "W. II. Atwed,
United States district attorney for the northern
district of Texas, issued a letter of AvaVnlng to
the newspapers of his district with reference to
the publication of the TIwiav trial proceedings. M,
At well calls attention to that section of the fed
oral statutes which prohibits the depositing of
obscene matter for mailing and delivery in the
United States, and says: The nauseating testi
mony of a witness in the Thaw case, now being
tried in New York, in my opinion is superlative
obscenity within the statute above mentioned and
federal courts so have repeatedly held. The re
production of further testimony giving rise to
libertinous thought and forwarded through the
United -States mail in tills district will be made
the basis for presentments to the next federal
grand jury convened in this district.' "
any one
ran from
PROFESSOR CREEXIIILL asks if
can determine how fast Hiawatha
the following data:
"Strong of arm was IlhiAvalha;
He could shoot ten arrows upAvard
And the tenth had left the bow-string
Ere the first lo earth had fallen.
SAvift of foot was Hiawatha;
He could shoot aii arrow from him
And run forward Avith such swiftness
That the arrow fell behind him."
The London Post answers: "Neglecting the
resistance of the air and granting that Hiawatha
could shoot one arrow a second, the solution Is as
folloAVs: The time of lliglit of the arrows shot
upAvard must haAe been nine seconds. Therefore,
the velocity Avith Avhich they Avere shot, being
equal to the time multiplied into half the value of
the constant of gravity, Avas 11-1 feet a second.
Now, In shooting an arroAV from him Hiawatha,
to obtain the furthest fight, would let fiy at an
angle of 45 degrees, and by a simple trigonomet
rical calculation avo therefore arrive at the fact
that the horizontal velocity of the arrow Avould he
rather less than 1M feet a second, and Avould In
fact be 102 feet a second, or 70 miles an hour.
HiaAvatha Avould therefore have to run faster than
this. Could he do It on a sprint? Again having
recourse to calculation avo find that an arroAV shot
at 1-M feet a second Avould fly 210 yards, or nearly
a furlong. Hiawatha Avould run that distance in
about seven seconds, so that he would be able to
give the present holder of the record some 113
yards start."
W
HEN PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT returned
from Panama he sent to the senate a mes
sage on the canal. Referring to tills the Balti
more Sun says: "Mr. Roosevelt proved that the
canal was rapidly being built by producing wllb
his message actual photographs of forty-eight
scenes, among Avhich Avere the following: 'Presi
dent Roosevelt climbing a steainshovel.' 'Presi
dent Roosevelt making four speeches at the same
tilne to the astonished multitude.' 'President
Roosevelt eating his Avay through a Panama din
ner.' 'President Roosevelt Avatching at their work
the three laborers avIio are actually digging the
canal.' 'President Roosevelt's smile, Avalk, face,
feet, ears, boots, clothes, and conversation in sun
dry front, rear, and profile views.' To avoid an
other such message, the senate agreed to let Mr.
Roosevelt dig a three-story canal, Avitli basement
and cellar, and put in modern plumbing if he
thinks best. Noav Senator Beveridge proposes to
embellish his speech on child labor with all kinds
of harrowing photographs, accompanied by af
fidavits of the photographer that they Avere taken
by a camera and not by a hand-organ. These
photographs of the evils of child labor ought to be
mighty aids to the Indiana senator's SAveeping
eloquence."
GOVERNOR HUGHES' HINT
In a Lincoln Day speech Governor nughes of
NeAV York said that whenever it appeared that the
interests of the people tis a whole imperatively
demands the extension of the federal power "the
whole people will provide for the assumption of
that power."
A very plain hint indeed to those public officials
who may he tempted to assume authority never
contemplated by the builders of our government
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