The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, May 31, 1907, Page 9, Image 9

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Commoner.
9:
MAY 31, 1907.'
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pergonal, venomous spirit, while 4ts,li terrjvtylo
maio It fit fofrjthe waste basket. There is not
a magazine in the country which would print it
on its own merits. Were It not for President
Roosevelt's official position no attention 'would
bo paid to the article., 'President Roosevelt
arranged for this interview and, as I was in
formed, by the magazine, revised tho proofs, from
the gross personal flattery at the beginning to
the unfounded charge at the end. -In conceal
ing himself behind an alleged lntorviow, and
using his position to attack a man of whose spirit '
he knows nothing, his article seems to me not
only -venomous but a little cowardly just as
when he hides behind a tree and kHls three bull
elks in succession, leaving their carcasses to rot
in the woods.' "
-tP R LONG charges that Mr. Roosevelt is gov
8 ) erned by personal animosity and explains:
"Now, the reasons for this are perfectly plain.
Some years ago axviolent attack was made upon
me and my books by one of President Roose
velt's friends. That attack was met and every
honest argument it qontaineo" frankly answered.
But that was not enough. Mr. Roosevelt, with
that love of peace which characterizes him, im
mediately jumped into the conflict, and in the
preface to his last book goes far out of his way
for sake of repeating .his friend's attack. Then,
again, a short time ago I wrote a series of art
icles in which I attempted to look upon human
life from an animal's standpoint. In one of
these I considered the subject of hunting. In
this article it seemed to a simple mind without
prejudice as if the promiscuous slaughter of
game which, as Mr. Roosevelt claimed, develops
heroism and manly virtue was, in reality, a sort
of brutal thoughtlessness. Those who care to
read the -article will find it in the chapter on
'Heroes Who Hunt Rabbits' in 'Brier Path Phil
osophy.' Mr. Roosevelt" has never forgiven a
poor animal who dared to criticise his hunting,
and twice to my knowledge has declared to his
asspclates that he would 'get even,' and even
'do me up.' The magazine article is the fulfill
ment of his declaration. Hence we can under
stand its spirit perfectly. As for the argument
in the article it is precisely like its predecessors,
a series of dogmatic utterances and denials with
out a shred of positive evidence to support them.
He calls' for evidence,. but forgets the fact that
bis predecessors in their attacks did-the same
thingr-and that the evidence was instantly
produced." .
THE NATIONAL Association of Manufacturers
ot the United States at their convention
held in New York May .22, declared in favor of
tariff revision at the earliest opportunity and
also in favor of more reciprocity treaties. The
New York correspondent for the Chicago
.Tribune says: "A lively debate preceded the
vote, which was upqn the acceptance of the
report of the committee on tariff and reciprocity.
The committee based its recommendations on a
poll of the 3,000 members of the association.
Of the total number replying 55 per cent de
clared for immediate revision, while 20 per
cent expressed a 'hands off' sentiment. Eight
per cent believed that the time'for revision had
not arrived, and the other 17 per cent expressed
indifference or made non-committal answers.
This last resolution was given added force by
the convention's declared determination to raise
$1,500,000 to carry out a campaign of education
concerning dictatorial combinations. Of this
campaign of "education President Van Cleave,
following today's session, said: 'We shall en
deavor to assist in educating the public in in
dustrial righteousness. We shall be just as
ready to oppose unlawful acts by combinations
of-xfapital as those of combinations of labor. We
believe in industrial liberty and we are opposed
to all forms of industrial oppression. And, if
anybody undertakes to compel anyone to sub
mit to such oppression, we shall endeavor to as
sist the party so assailed. If a man threatens
me with a gun, I certainly don't intend to re
main quiet. We shall, in particular, endeavor
to sustain public officials who try to enforce the
laws. And wherever murder or violence is re
sorted to, wherever public officials are threat
ened and subjected to outrage, we shall do what
we can, whether the official in question be a
judge, a governor, a sheriff, a mayor, a police
man,, or a juror "
rpHE SECRETARY of the state board- ot ragri--i?)i-culture
for Kansas gave' a surprise" recently
to the United States secretary -of agriculture.
Thesbry is told by the Topeka (Kan!.) corres
pondent for the Chicago Tribune in this way:
"F. D. Coburn, secretary of the Kansas board of
agriculture, was happy today when ho received a
letter fronu Jaine- Wilson, secretary of tho de
partment of agriculture, complimenting Kansas
on its wonderful production of hard wheat. Mr.
Wilson says: 'My dear sir In view of tho jnis
chief, more or less, being done in your country
by the green bugs, I wish to say a word about
a fact that has como under my personal obserr ,
vation. I learn incidentally that a. largo part
of your winter wheat is Turkish Ted winter.
I experimented swith that wheat, among others,
at the Iowa experiment station in 1891 and 1897.
Every other wheat during those six years disap
peared and the Turkish red winter remained.
At that time we recommended it to everybody,
and it has found Its way down to your people
Secretary Coburn is amused that Mr. Wilson
was 'recommending' tho red winter wheat to
Kansas when a professor in Iowa a few years
. ago, and 'learns incidentally' that 'it has found
its way down to your people,' considering that
at that time Kansas was producing 70,000900
bushels of this wheat in a year, and prottably
forty times more than Iowa over produced in
any season, and had produced hard wheat for a
quarter of a century."
THE OLD FRIGATE Saratoga, on which Perry
sailed for West Africa in 1843 and which
knew Farragut as captain in 1847, has recently
been declared out of active service. The Now
York World says: "Since September, 1889, she
has served the purposes of tho Pennsylvania
Nautical school. Her bows have been wrenched
beyond repair by recent heavy seas. Boys of
the New York Nautical school are still accom
modated, but handicapped, on tho old sloop
rigged Stt-Mary's, also a government boat. Built
in 1854, the St. Mary's is twelve years younger
than the Saratoga. Except in point of sea
worthiness she is no more fit for her present
service than is the older vessel. For a school
of modern seamanship a ship is requirod with
an approach at least to modern equipment. The
official judgment went sadly wrong which lately,
on pretense of preserving a marine monument
to Farragut, denied the iule, reconstructed Hart
ford to New York, as a substitute for the out
grown if not wornout St. Mary's."
JJDGE SWAYNE of ti)c federal court in Florida
recently decided a naturalization case, which
may 'become of national importance. Judge
Swnyne granted final papers of citizenship to a
Japanese subject. The Pensacola, Fla., Journal
tells the story in this way: "Taneamatsu Mat
suki, according to his statements in the applica
tion for final papers, came to the United States
from Japan sixteen years ago and made his declar
ation before the United States district court for
the eastern district of New York on November 0,
1002. First papers were issued to him at that
time, notwithstanding the fact that there appears
to be some doubt as to -whether a person of Mon
golian blood can become a citizen 'of tills country.
Prior to the adoption of the XIV and XV amend-
ments to the constitution of the United States
the law provided that 'all aliens, being free white
persons' could be admitted to citizenship, and nu
merous decisions are upon record where courts
have held that Chinese and Japanese, as well as
natives of other Oriental countries, were Mongo
lians and, under the law, could not be admitted to
citizenship. After the negro was made a citizen
an amendment was passed which made the law
read: 'All aliens, being free white persons, and all
aliens of African nativity and of African blood'
may be naturalized. In 18G7 an amendment to the
immigration law- was passed especially prohibit
ing the naturalization of Chinese, Japanese have
never been specifically prohibited from" becoming
citizens, although many United States district
.courts, particularly in the west, have held that
they were ineligible to naturalization. Judge
Swayne, In granting the application of Matsuki
held, in substance, that Mongolians had never
been prohibited from becoming citizens of this
country; if the law had contemplated such pro
hibition, a specific amendment Including Chinese
would have been unnecessary. An interesting
feature of the case is the fact that the bureau oC
immigration and naturalization of the department
of commerce and labor, when advised that the
application had boen filed, as iscustomary in such
cages, wrote to Clerk F. W. Marsh, of the United
States court, Instructing that the first papers, is
sued to Matsuki should be cancelled and the appll-
catibn for final papers denied as, under the law, a
subject of Japan could not become an American
citizen. ' Mr. Marsh replied that he had no au
thority in the , premises and referred the matter
' to Judge Swayne who granted the application,
notwithstanding the action of the immigration do-
partntcnte"-IWs believed the doprtrlrajfjiHUco,
by request of the depart nieut of cpmmcurc,q and
labor, ilLdirdct that tho mailer be? ifpejifed jtd
uiu .ujmi'u diuuum circuit, cuun ujjHiJi?;i,iniiu
tfbmfiitrbi if Judge Swayne's dadslblLm sus
tained, to tho supremo court of thok unitcuv8tiuerf
fiTY '
for final settlement"
(
ALBERT WILLIAMS '
Speaking at tho funeral of Hon. Albert Wil
liams of Ionia, Mich., John F. Bible, mayor,
delivered the following address:
It is with head bowed with reverence, pro
found grief and sorrow that I stand in tho pres
ence of the dead body of ono who was great
in life and great in death, and pay a tribute of
love to his momory. It Is too often tho case ,
that a man must die before ho is appreciated as
ho deserved.
The Hon. Albert Williams was one of tho
great men of tho nation. Ho was the moving
spirit in the organization - of a great political
party, which has, with but slight interruptions,
ruled the greatest nation on tho face of tho earth
for tho last forty-seven years. Who is there
living today who can say that Albert Williams'
hand, brain and heart were not powerful instru
ments in shaping tho destiny of this God favored
nation? Had it not been for the mind and heart
and courage of this great man, there might have
been no Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, McKin
ley or Roosevelt. Ho antedated all these men
in- tho advocacy of an organization which made
it possible for them to gain tho ascendency in
this nation.
Is not a man who originates a plan greater
than the man who executes it? Tho great po
litical party which had its incipiency in tho
heart and brain of this great man, should re
vore his name and memory, as tho whole nation
today pays tribute to the memory of Patrick
Henry and Tnomas Jefferson; and I say In all
sincerity that Albert Willicras' memory should
be perpetuated, not alone in this city, county
and state, but in our whole nation. Ho should
have a statue in our national capital, side by
side with tho other great men who have played
important parts in shaping the destiny of this
nations
' That he did not follow blindly tho organiza
tion ho inspired, possibly more than any other
man, was characteristic of the man. With him
organization was only a means to an end, and
when he could not agree with the trend of tho
organization, which was the pride of his heart,
he had tho courage to forsake it and stand forth,
as a man who had tho courage of his convic
tions. To me this was an exhibition of courage
greater than any man ever oxhibited in battle.
Too many men follow blindly political par
ties regardless of platforms or leadership. Not
so with this great man, whose body lies before
us and whose departure we so deeply mourn.
His life should be an inspiration to every young
man in this country. His history should bo
written in our text books and taught in all our
public schools and his name be perpetuated in
song and halls of fame.
His undaunted courage and spirit of inde
x pendence has already borne good fruit. We find
that Qur nation of voters are becoming more
independent with each passing year and that
they are looking more to men and principles
than to mere party name and organization. As
Albert Williams did much to inspire a great
political party so did he even more Inspire a
spirit of political independence, a thing which
should be encouraged by every lover of demo
cratic government.
It was my pleasure to know Mr. Williams
intimately and to enjoy his confidence and
friendship, and I want to say that he was an
inspiration to me and I feel that I am a better
man for having known him. He was pure in
character and lofty in thought. He was un
compromising on matters of principle, yet al
ways courteous to and considerate of those who
did not agree with him. He wore the collar of
no man or political party. He was my idea of
3, typical American citizen. He would not sell
his convictions for political honors and he would
not even permit pride to obscure his judgment
or control his public declarations. Unfortunate
ly we have too few such men. He was truly,
grandly, nobly great. Long live the memory'
of Albert Williams. When his spirit passed
from us to cross Jordan and enter Paradise, I
can imagine that all Heaven, sung songs of wel
come and that God greeted him with "Well done
thou good and faithful' servant, thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things. Enter thou into tho
joy of thy Lord."
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