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JUNE T, II 1
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The Commoner.
9
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.wrat Ints along the way. From Cliff house,
.overlooking the broad ocean, the flower were
scattered on May 30, 1899. A friend who waa
. making the trip to Manila on the Senator, the.-
'lame boat froln which the bravo young soldier t
had been buried, asked the privilege of carrying
-, a box of flowers with 'her and scattering them
"to the waves as near as possible at 'the place
' at which the burial had occurred."
FROM THIS pathetic incident,, according to
the World-Herald, arose the custom in
Nebraska of each year sending out upon the
river a, small boat laden with flowers, in mem
ory of the defenders of homo and country who
Ho beneath the swiftly rushing waves. For this
purpose a special ritual was prepared by C. M.
Peters of the Unidn Veterans' Union, which is
always read at the ceremonies attending the
launching of the boat. "In memory of a son
whose silent tomb is the restless ocean, and
whose requiem is the beating of the waves on
two continents, are these flowers sent to be
carried by the receding tides far out to sea,
r -there to gently sink as if to find the boy whoso
body liqs somewhere within the mighty watery,
tomb. We send these flowers on their journey
to the sea in memory of the dead who lie un
cofflned in its depths and over whom no shaft
"or monument can be reared. -In memory of the
sailor dead we send them, wherever their wa-
tery entombment may be. And with them we
send our prayers of love and devotion for the
cause for which they gave their lives."
THE BOAT which was, used- this year at the
. Omaha celebration by the ladies. of Gar
field circle No. 2, Grand Army of the Republic,
was presented to them for this purpose by tha
Vicksburg "regiment No. 1, represented by
Colonel George B. Rathbun-, Vicksburg regiment,
No. 1, department of Nebraska Union Veterans'
Union, company I, Twenty-fourth Iowa volunteer
infantry, who was also marshal of the day. The
boat is named Senator in memory of the ship
from which George Geddes was buried. It was
covered with flowers and contained a bottle in
which the' following message was sealed: "In
memoriam of the sailprs and soldiers buried at
sea, this craft is launched by the ladies of Gar
field circle No. 2, Grand Army of the Republic,
and the Union Veterans', Union, division of Ne-J
braska, .who desire it to continue on its course
to the ocean, bearing the tidings, 'Peace on
earth and good will to men.' Whoever flnds
this boat will please send it on its way to the
gulf and inform by wire or letter the Omaha
World-Herald, where found and condition it is
in. By request of committee, Major General
J. Francis Hopper, division commander, depart
ment of Nebraska."
WITH APPROPRIATE ceremony this boat
- was launched at Omaha at 5 o'clock on
the evening of Memorial day. The World-Herald
report says: "An especially touching part
of theprogram of the launching of the memorial
to the soldiers and sailors buried at sea' was
the singing of 'Lead, Kindly Light,' sung by
Arthur Lillie, a comrade of the dead soldier,
who sang this song at the burial at sea. Judge
Jacob Fawcett delivered the speech at the
launching. The small craft, with its sails and
beautiful blossoms, was launched near the -smelter
in ttie bend of the river, and despite the
strong, swirling current, breasted the waves and
rode proudly away. " People followed the boat
with their eyes until it disappeared beyond the
railroad bridge."
JOSEPH H. CALL, who has for nineteen
years, been the special counsel for the
United States in land grant litigation against
the"" Southern Pacific, . Santa Fe and Atlantic
and Pacific railroads, has resigned his position.
Referring to his resignation, the Los Angeles
Examiner says: "In the history of the United
States there has been no parallel in the num
ber and importance of the litigations won and
the results accomplished compared to those
litigations entrusted to Mr. Call. The official
reports of the federal courts including the su
preme court contain the history of these litiga
tions commencing with volume 146 United
States reports and ending with volume 20 5.
When Mr. Call entered upon his task the rail
way claims occupied and exercised ownership
over all the lands within granted and indemnity
limits in Southern California, Arizona, New
Mexico and Indian Territory, those railroads
claiming .not only lands opposite the construct
ed roads but also millions of acres where the
road had not been built. The result accom
plished In California Im the taking of over five
millions of acre from the Southern Pacific and
restoring the game to the public domain and
which land are now largely embraced in gov
ernment forest reserve. The lands" claimed" by
the Santa Fe between the states of Missouri
and California recovered by the government
amount to more than thirty millions of acres.
In all of these litigations which Mr. Call com-
menced and. carried through to the supremo
court of the United States the government was
victorious in each and every one and in only
one case not commenced by Mr. Call did ho meet
defeat. That case was brought up by the inter
state commerce commission against the South
ern Pacific and Santa Fe roads and involved
the right of the initial carriers to route citrus
fruit shipments upon connecting lines. This
case was decided by the supreme court upon the
findings of the commission and was adverse to
the orange growers."
A LONDON cablegram, printed in the Min
neapolis Journal, follows: "With a
single exception all the members of the West
Ham board of guardians and the workhouse
and infirmary officials, whoso trial began at the
central criminal court April 24 on the charge of
receiving bribes, were found guilty today and
sentenced to terms of imprisonment at hard
labor varying from six months to two years.
In summing up Justice Jelf characterized the
practices disclosed in the evidence as being a
curse to the country. He added that ho was
afraid it was a growing curso, and that the peo
ple wore losing their hold on all that was best in
the civil life of the country. The sums involved
were comparatively small. A doctor, for in
stance, ftild $500 for a hospital appointment."
T'.IE NEW YORK Evening Post having said
that "army regulations forbid a United
States army officer to talk back to a senator,"
one who signs himself "an army officer" writes
from Boston as follows: "Article of war 19
forbids the use of 'contemptuous or disrespect
ful words against the president, the vice presi
dent, the congress of the United States, or the
chief magistrate or legislature of any of the
United States In which he (an officer) Is quar
tered.' Article 20 forbids disrespectful be
havior towards one's commanding officer.
Should an officer call his immediate commander
perhaps a captain an ass, or say that con
gress has acted foolishly, or that the president
or vice president habitually meddles with affairs
outside of his proper sphere, he would bo guilty
of a military offense. But to publish an open
letter to an individual senator, accusing him of
gross Ignorance, prejudice, or cvon wilful mis
representation, while it would doubtless bo most
impolitic, w&uld' not be a breach of any regula
tion. A senator Is not sacrosanct, nor need ho
evoke the awe naturally inspired by a little
tin" god on wheels."
UPON HIS ELECTION to the United States'
senate, Mr. Stephenson, who succeeds
Senator Spqoner) announced his platform as
follows: First Prompt and thorough revision
of all tariff schedules, reducing duties wherever
possible without reducing wages of labor. Sec
ond Strengthening the interstate commerce
law, giving the commission full power to regu
late rates and services. Third Legislation au
thorizing and equipping the interstate commerce
commission to ascertain the true value of rail
road property; the lowest cost of operating the
railways and the amount paid therefor. Fourth
Legislation requiring the adoption of the best
known safety appliances and prescribing strict
regulation in the operation of trains in connec
tion therewith. Fifth Strengthening the Sher
man anti-trust law and imposing such additional
penalties as will deter property interests from
combining -in violation thereof. Sixth A con
stitutional amendment for -the election of United
States senators by direct vote of the people.
Seventh A federal tax upon incomes. Eighth
A federal tax upon Inheritances, the same not
to Interfere with the taxation of inheritances
under the Wisconsin state law."
REFERRING TO Mr. Spooner's successor, the
Omaha World-Herald says: "The break
of the lohg senatorial -deadlock in the Wiscon
sin legislature is a victory for the people, as
against special Interests. The unexpired two
years of Senator Spooner's term will be filled
by Isaac Stephenson, who has been 6np of the
consistent supporters of LaFollette, and who is
declared to be a thorough-going believer in the,
Ideas for which LaFollette stands. LaFollette
and Spoonor are as far npart"In thqlr .views of
the great political questions of -the day as if
they wero of opposing political -parties. La
Follotto and Stephenson will stand together up
on these questions. This is well not on
grounds of 'harmony,' but as an additional In
dication of a better state of things. Mr.
r Stephenson's tenuro of office will bo but two
years, continuing through the Slxtloth congress.
It is in this congress, In all likelihood, that La
Follette will prove himself as a fighter. Tho
outcomo of tho Spoonor succession struggle will
help LaFollette mightily not merely by giving
him a trustworthy lieutenant in tho senate, but
still more by wiping out the irritation, the-perpetually
disturbing effects of Senator Spooner's
opposition. Spoonor within LaFolletto's party
has boon - infinitely -moro liarrassing than ho
might have been out-of it. For tho time being,
LaFollctto will bo sustained by tho fact that,
although his party is not in accord in his stato,
tho opposition can now cause him .comparative
ly llttlo embarrassment. He will co Into the
next congress froe of that heavy handicap. This
presages good . things."
SENATOR FORAKER spoke on Memorial day
. at Stetibonvillo, Ohio. He took occasion to
say; "There is a practical unanimity of senti
ment in favor of the general policy of efficiently
regulating trusts, railroads and largo corpora
tionsespecially those engaged in interstate
commerce but there are many honest differ
ences as to details. Are they to bo impatiently
brushed aside as not in harmony with some
bod" s policy, or are they to be carefully con
Bideied? Much legislation has been qnacted to
accomplish UiIb general purpose, upon which wo
are all agreed.. A. part of this legiolatlon has
been put to test and found efficient and benefi
cial. Some of It has not yet been tried. Until
it. has been, wo shall not bo able to judge In
telligently as to the relative merits of the sev
eral statutes we now havo in force, or as to what
further legislation, if any, wo may need. Is it,
out of order to hear each other before we decido
such matters? Are we to confuse policies and
methods, and failing to distinguish between
them forgot that one may be favored and tho
other condemned without any inconsistency or
lack of fidelity to tho principle involved?"
THE NEWSPAPERS are having coawfWe
fun with Henry Xugs&i ti-f n making
sport- of his "English." Romancing the opening
sentence of Mr. James essay on "The Manners
of American Women" in ETnrpcrs Bazar, one news
paper says that "it reads just as well backward."
We dont' know but what this is true. Let tho
reader judge for himself. This is the "opening
sentence:" "There was always of course on the
threshold, for admonition, that familiar little truth
about 'the people one knows the truth that tholr
manners, when once knowledge had gone far
enough, seemed, as one might say, all right; and
that the question had somehow been practically
supersededsuperseded by that of their morals,
as a general thing so extraordinarily good, by that
of their almost inveterate and quite explicit good
intentions, their amiability, their vivacity, their
veracity; conditions as to which one could scarce
say If they consisted of forms, if fliey. even alto
gether consorted with forms, or not"
SOME STRANGE stories. come from a Winsted,
- Conn., newspaper correspondent. One of
these sent recently to the New York World follows:
"William C. .Phelps, who died last week in his
one hundred tli year, outlived the mortuary tables
of a Connecticut life Insurance company In which
he carried a $1,500 policy. In March, 1849, Mr.
Phelps took out a policy, payable to his heirs a
death, anticipating his birthday in September by
using the age at which he would then have at
tained. At the anniversary last month of rhe
Issue of the policy the company Informed Mr.
Phelps that he had reached the age at which an
the 'tables "used in calculating premiums ended,
and it was ready to pay the face of the policy,
with the last year's dividend. The proper papers
were executed and the company paid the mondy
to him, remarking that it was the first experience
of the kind in its sixty years of history."
The Washington Herald
Allison as saying "The tariff:
live issue soon." We mud'
Herald submitting positive 1
Allison said It. The statement
too positive, to be accepted ;f
.the senior senator from Iowa.
quotes Senator
is going to be a
insist upon the
oof that Senator
3ouri al torather
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