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The Commoner.
VOLUME. 7. NUMBER 2J
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IT IS REALLY becoming sorious in the col
umns of tho Now York Evening Post when
a reader of that newspaper Writes tho follow
ing: "If your news from Washington of July
10, that it is the bollof at foreign embassies
that tho prosldont is playing politick with the
.Japanese war scare, is true, the facts should
be immediately investigated by patriotic leadors
' drboth of tho great political parties. And if
this dpjnion is misceptiblo of satisfactory prooff
thon an impeachment proceeding should be in
' stituted whon congress meets. Roosevelt will
cut his fingers if ho doesn't look out,"
HENRY WATTERSON'S secret is out. This
story is told in a Washington dispatch to
the Now York World: " 'Govornor John A. John
son, of Minnesota, is the candidate to whom I
rof erred as capable of carrying tho democratic
party to Victory next year,' said Henry Wattor-.
son, according to Colonel Gharles A. Edwards,
secretary of the democratic congressional com
mltteo, who returned today from Louisville. 'I
had a conference with 'Marse' Henry,' Colonel
Edwards said, 'and lie went over tho ground at
length, Colonel . Wattorson, you will remem
ber, some tlmo ago stated that at tho proper
timo he would name a democrat living north of
Mason and Dixon's line and west of the Alle
ghany mountains, who never has beon beaten
- for public office, and who wears a mustache, and
who, if nominated, could lead the democratic
party to victory. Immediately guesses were made
as to tho identity of Colonel Watterson's man.
Somo ono finally hit on. Governor Johnson, but
it was found that Johnson wears no mustache,
and so he was dropped 'from the guessing. It
became known later that Governor Johnson wore
a mustache up to the timo he became governor
since which time he has gone clean, shaven.
.Colonel Wattorson asserted that Governor John-
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'available, against whom no faction in the party
entertains animosity, who has a record of carry
ing, a strongly republican state 'twice, and who
is at this time before the nation without a flaw
of any sort.' "
It has not robbed him of his optimism, his
cheerful readiness to believe the best of his
fellow men. Every nian carries in himself the
open record of his deeds. In the aspect of this
young governor one sees at a glance the history
of years of grinding, patient, endless toil, of
sacrifices gladly made, of hardships endured, of
unchangeable resolve to fight tho good fight to
ythe end. He is long-armed and tall a shade
less than six feet in height not of noticeable
breadth of shoulder, but of whalebone fibre;
a long, lean, hard, enduring" man, the type that
survives many perils and looks around for more.
The first impression you get of him is one of
inflexible determination. .He neither courts nor
avoids popularity. When he grips your hand"
he is not boiling oyer -with enthusiasm, but is
unaffectedly glad to meet you. His interest is
not diplomatically" effervescent, but modqrate
and sincere. You note at once, inevitably, the
height and breadth of the forehead; then the
full, eloquent eyes of hazel shot with blue, set
well apart and alive with the spirit of keen .in
quiry, yet frank and unflinching; the heavy
brows that frown with concentration; the long
straight nose; the high cheek-bones, typical of
the latter-day American, and the heavy jaws
that terminate in a deep, out-jutting chin. Per
haps undue emphasis has been laid here upon
the aspect of combativeness. That would bo
unjust to the subject of the article; for the first
impression one receives upon meeting Governor
Johnson is one of simple, genial kindliness, a
vivid realization of the descriptions of Lincoln's
unaffected cordiality, and that first impression
. lasts all the time. He is the very antithesis to
the politician playing to the galleries."
ABARTLETSVILLE, I. T., dispatch to the
. Little Rock Gazette follows: "William J.
, Bryan has written to William McKinley asking
,that his thanks be conveyed to Jeff Davis for
the return .of some underclothes. The letter
reached Mr. McKinley here today and ho
thanked Davis tonight. The letter ends the
shirt episode, which aroused comment through
out me country. Two weeks ago Mr. Bryan
moralized, and one indication of that is tho
manner in which Judge Parker harks back to
the presidential election of 1904, almost as
though the presidential canvass of that year had
not ended but was continued to this time. An
other reason given for the probability that an
imposing demonstration will be made for Mr.
Hearst at the democratic national convention is
the now apparent decrease in the popularity of
Colonel Bryan. He maintains his power to at
tract multitudes to hear and to see him, but
tho sentiment elsewhere, as so strikingly in this
state, which controls these multitudes, is cur
iosity and tradition rather than any expectancy
that Colonel Bryan will either be name.d, or, if
named, will be chosen president."
A WASHINGTON city dispatch to the Sioux
City (la.) Journal (republican) says:
"The activity of General James S. Clarkson,
formerly of Iowa, now surveyor of the port of
New York, in behalf of the presidential boom
of Secretary Cortelyou is an indication that, al
though Secretary Taft may be the administra
tion's favorite son, President Roosevelt is by
no means in an attitude of disapproval of tho
aspirations of Mr. Cortelyou. General Clarkson
is a past master in the art of rounding up dele
gates. He is also a federal officeholder and ho
would hardly dare to get active in Mr. Cortel
you's interest if the president should disap
prove. General Clarkson- was appointed sur
veyor of the port of New York soon after Presi
dent Roosevelt succeeded McKinley and began
to think about landing the nomination In 1904.
General Clarkson was of great aid to him then.
Personally General Clarkson has long held a
high opinion of, Mr. Cortelyou as presidential
timber, and should the political fates give the
prize- into his hands General Clarkson would
have good ground for a .claim . of being -'the
original Cortelyou man.,' Within the last few
weeks General Clarkson has made frequent trips
to Washington for the purpose of conferences
with Cortelyou."
IN THE MIDST of tho heated term the Charles
town (S. C.) News and Courier indulges
in this bit of loving kindness r' "Tho Wilming
ton Star thinks that tho state democratic con
vention of Pennsylvania acted wisely in declin
ing to pass a resolution naming William Jennings
Bryan for tho presidency in 1908, aild declares
that it is 'the plain duty of every state demo
cratic convention that will be held during the
next year to indorse no candidate for the presi
dency.' The Star would have delegates to the
national convention untrammelled by instruc
tions. We would go a step further and have
them instructed against Mr. Bryan. His nomin
ation would be fatal to the party, already more
than half dead because it has followed his lead
ership. It would be of tho greatest value to
the party if the democrats, of Nebraska should
rofuse to send Mr. Bryan as a delegate to the
convention. If he had any real regard for the
party which has sacrificed its dignity and inde
pendence and self-respect in his behalf, he
would announce his retirement from the political
field and give the party a chanco to rebuild its
broken fortunes. Thero appears to be, however,
no deliVoranco from this body of death."
A WRITER IN Harper's Weekly says: "Tho
regard in which the people of Minnesota
hold Govornor John A. Johnson is a rare com
bination of affection and respect. They honor
him for his ability as a statesman, his integrity,
and his success in forcing great interests to pay
their fair share in the taxation nf the nfofo.
they love him for the battle he' has fought
against bitter povorty and. obscurity to achieve
tho highest position in the commonwealth.
Those who know him best say he does not know
, how to flinch. In adversity he never whimpered
ana m prosperity no is unspoiled. It has been
a hard battlo, and you will find the marks of
it in me ueep lines around his eyes, the furrows
in ins Drow, tiie rigidity of his jaws, tho iron
like fixity, of his . determined mouthi. And yet
L? P!le?e STORY is told by the Mont-
d2 A-. eomery, Ala., correspondent for the St.
F "Tr , " . .. "' "uwo "" .uouis uio De-Democrat in tills way: "Rena Riv
found by Jeff Davis, the Pullmanconductor. The
latter brought the commoner's wearing apparel
to Bartletsvllle that afternoon and turned them
over to William McKinley, mentation agent. In
the evening Mr. McKinley sent them' to Mr.
Bryan's hotel. Today he received the following
note from Mr. Bryan: 'Dear Mr. McKinley: I
thank you for sending the underclothes and have
noted with interest the names of tho -parties
concerned. Please present my compliments and
thanks to Jeff Davis. Yours truly, W. J.
Bryan.' "
THIS INTERESTING bit of political gossip is
sent to the Cincinnati Enquirer by its New
York correspondent: "It may seem mere 'mid
summer madness' to speak of the contemplated
and even probable nomination of William R.
Hearst by the democracy as the candidate of
that party for the presidency. The improbable,
the so-called midsummer frenzy in the past has
proved to be the certainty and the fact. It was
the late Senator Ferry, of Connecticut, one of
the great intellects of the federal senate of his
day, who spoke of the report that the liberal
republicans in 1872 might nominate Horace
Greeley for the presidency, in the certainty that
the nomination would be indorsed by the democ
racy, as 'mere mid-summer madness.' It may
have been madness the result of the election
might prove that assertion but it was a fact,
after all. For it must be reported that among
the democratic leaders in this state there are
whisperings, which speedily may be louder utter
ances, telling of the organized work now under
way for Mr. Hearst, and of the vindication in
it of the methods which made his nomination for
governor of New York by the democracy in
evitable, and which has for its purpose the cap
ture of tho democratic nomination for the pres
idency. Mr. Hearst, they say, has the only or
ganization. The democracy outside of his de
voted following is poor. Its leadership is de-
ers, who died a few days ago at one .of the
state prison mines, had served the state as a
convict for nearly twenty years on a sentence
that was for only twenty months. The clerk,
when the papers were made out, made a mistake
in calling the number years instead of months.
She was only about twelve years of age, and
was sent up from a poorly settled part of tho
state, where the court at that time was crudely
administered. She was arraigned for laropnv,
and went through the trial and was given 'a
sentence of less than two years. In a few days
she was sent away to the mines, and there she
remained until her death recalled who she was.
The white man for whom her mother worked
became interested in the case," and it occurred
to him that the sentence was a long one for so
small a crime, so he looked it up. He discov
ered the mistake, but too late to help the girl.
However, her mother, who is now old and ill
and needs help, has had a bill presented to
the legislature to, have the state pay for tho
difference in tho time the daughter served and
the time she should have served."
EH. HARRIMAN, the railroad magnate who
has had the administration by the ears
for the past year, stands charged by the inter
state commerce commission with a criminal
offense punishable by a fine and imprisonment
of not less than six months; with maintaining
a gigantic combination in restraint of interstate
and foreign commerce; with draining the re
sources of a prospective railroad, and with con
ducting his operations under what the commis
sion characterizes as a method "of indefensible
financing." The commission's report concerning
Harriman's offenses are summarized by tho
Springfield (O.) News in this way: "The inter
state commission's formal characterization of E.
H. Harriman, the railroad magnate: JHis crime
Violation of act of June 20, 1874, in practicing
discriminations in the management, of the Cen-
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