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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 26, 1907)
TtfU 7' ' 'i" " " ' 3M ? HS -nj-m V- JULY 26,1907 The Commoner. 9 . ;;T -r,T- tH I ! " A" ,' tral Pacific railroad; fine, $1,000; Imprisonment not less than six months. Conducting a com bination in restraint of trade interstate and for qign commerce. His policy To gather- under Qne head all trans-continental lines, and to ex-, elude the Incoming of all competitors. His powcrr-Well-nigh absolute over his entire sys tem. His railroad control Seven great systems; every steamship line, on the Pacific south of Puget Sound, and two big steamship lines on the Atlantic. His partial railroad control Eleven systems and one express company. His 'indefensible .financiering' Talcing a rake-off of nearly $114,000,000 from a railroad that cost but $58,000,000 and nothing tangible added since to the property. His reeent ventures Ac quiring interests in eastern railroads within the last year, amounting to nearly $132,000,000. His future intentions Suppression of all rail road competition, if not headed off by federal interference. His burden on the administra tion Presidential vexation; exhaustive investi gation, legal perturbation and general denun ciation.. Probable result of it all Busting of his railroad combination: criminal prosecution under the act of 1874 .-d enactment of laws confining interstate railroads exclusively to the business, of transportation; preventing the con trol of one line of parallel and competing lines and regulating the issuance of railroad securities." THE "OHIO Idea" is described by a Toledo, Ohio,, correspondent for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in this way: "About one year from the date upon which Judge Kinkaide made Lucas county common pleas court famous by sending the ice trust barons to jail and work house for violation of the Valentine anti-trust law, Judge Lindley W. Morris of the same court overreached the famous ice trust cases by send ing twenty-three representative, wealthy and prominent business men to the workhouse for six months and fining nine others $1,000 each and costs for the same offense. The wholesale sentencing of prominent social and business men was the result of the Investigation of the grand jury last April, which found the lumber dealers, the brick manufacturers, the plumbers and the bridgemen in trust consipracy in vio lation of the anti-trust law. The brlckmen, the lumbermen and the bridge agents pleaded guilty. The plumbers decided to fight and are still in court. Judge Morris spent two months inves tigating conditions, as he stated in court this morning, and at the end of that time, he says, he feels that the only effective remedy that society now has in preventing this unlawful combination of capital against the common wealth is by enforcing the law-s to the very let ter. So he passed sentence, following a most scathing denunciation, which made the men, old friends and acquaintances of years, men who have been identified with the city's growth for a quarter of a century, men who are rated in the hundreds of thousands, fairly squirm and cringe in their seats." ATOKIO CABLEGRAM to the Houston (Texas) Post says: . "A high Japanese official estimates that at least thirty per cent of the entire Japanese people have so far been affected by the agitation against the United States as a result of the recent events in Cali fornia and the anti-Japanese provision in the im migration act. This movement constitutes a menace. The semi-official newspapers are now deprecating the popular bellicose attitude and are protesting that no cause exists for not wel coming the American warships to Japan if they should extend their journey here. The alleged interview in the Hochi Shimbun with Admiral Sakamoto, in which the admiral was represented as casting aspersions on the morale and patriot ism of the American navy, is now said to have been a fabrication and other reports of anti American utterances on the part of well known men are denied. Baron Kaneko,,a member of the privy council, and a Japanese statesman who is well known 'in the United S(tates, publishes a long article on the 'American problem.' He ascribes the anti-Japanese movement on the Pacific coast to the recognition by the people of that part of the world of Japan's increasing importance, since the Russian war, as a com mercial competitor. He denies that the1 anti Japanese feeling is shared by the people of other parts of the United States, and denounces the vendors of sensational news. He empha sizes the necessity of co-operation between the -powers for he future benefit of Asia, and rec ommends closer-social intercourse between Jap anese and the; nations of the west. -All these in- dlcations point to tho deslro of tho Japanese government to produco a calmer atinosphoro for the negotiations for a revised treaty with tho United States. There are also financial reasons for the pacific attitude of tho Imperial authori ties. Popular attention is now being directed toward the treaty embodying a Russo-Japaneso entente, which Dr. Motono, the minister in St." Petersburg, has been ordered to sign forthwith." THE SITUATION in tho Philippines is do scribed by a Manila cablegram to tho Houston (Texas) Post as follows: "Tho pos sibility of war between tho United States and Japan furnishes tho principle topic of discussion in tho clubs, tho newspapers and in army and navy circles. Tho leader of the Filipino junta stationed in Tokio is in rogular correspondence with the Independistas in the islands, and is con stantly urging them to prepare to receive the Japanese Invaders, who, ho says, will quickly give them their independence. In the last com munication he sent before tho American battle ships were ordered to the Pacific ho positively predicted a war within two years. American Intelligence officers are carefully observing tho attitude of the natives. Tho Filipino newspapers frequently, refer to tho expected war, discussing the position they should assume. The Sun cor respondent's observation Is that during tho last year there has been considerable pro-Japaneso talk in several of the provinces. Still, recent study of the situation seems to show that thero has been a reaction to Americanism among tho Filipino leaders and Influential provincials, and this conclusion is borne out by tho opinion of conservative and trained officers. This reaction Is due principally to the prompt military and naval activity at Cavlte, on the Islands of Cor regidor and Grande, and at the naval station, Olongapo, And especially oa account of tho for midable fleet -ordered to the Pacific and tho uni versal determination of Americans to offer the stoutest resistance. Moreover, the Filipinos, be ing Christians, naturally would not care to affil iate with non-Christians. Today General Malver, the former rebel who surrendered to General Bell, offered to raise a regiment of guerrillas provided the United States would furnish equip-, ment. Probably the former generals, Callles and Tlnio, will follow his example. One ques tion that is little considered by the public, but which Is engaging the careful thought of tho authorities, is the disposition, In case of war, of the 5,000 scouts and 5,000 constabulary. All the former and approximately half the latter are armed with tho Krag-Jorgensen rifle. Their American officers generally vouch for the in tegrity of the native troopk But a similar con dition prevailed during the disarmament of tho native" troops before the Indian mutiny irt 1857." IT IS NOW announced by a member of the interstate commerce commission that E. H. .JIarriman will not be prosecuted for tho Alton deal because he was given an Immunity bath. Referring to this Harriman deal the New York World says: "The Chicago and Alton swindle was a simple transaction, and it was as dishonest as it was simple. First of all, thero was a comparatively short though a rich and prosperous railway which was owned by a few elderly men. It paid more than eight per cent on its stock and its bonds were insignificant in amount and gilt-edged. Conservatism of tho severest kind actuated its financial and physical management. In 1898 Mr. Harriman and others.,' purchased all but about 4,000 of the 222,306 shares of Alton stock, and, thus in control of the property, they proceeded by new stock and bond issues to increase the capital indebtedness of the company from $33,000,000 to $114, 000,000. It is of record that $18,000,000 was expended xfor betterments," but the proceeds of the remaining $68,000,000 evidently went into the pockets of the syndicate. Exactly how much was realized may never be known. It Is be lieved, however, that by selling bonds to them selves at low .prices and disposing of them on their own account at much higher prices, by appropriating the sum which they paid the com pany for the bond's by means of a special and secret dividend amounting to more than $6,000, 000, by capitalizing losses and current expenses the latter mere renewals and repairs by sell ing out to a new company controlled by them selves, by paying themselves a high price for . a branch road, by mortgaging another branch not yet built, and finally by unloading upon the Rock Island and the Union Pacific companies, also controlled by themselves, the syndicate must have mado at least $30,000,000 by its. operations,. Two orthree things are to be rioted t ,4 in this connection: 1) No such enterprise an this would have been possible if the Alton road had not been rich and in good repute; (2) com ploto control of the stock was necessary to nuc coss; (3) Mr. Harriman and others' owned near-, ly all of tho stock and so In this case It was not tho stockholders but tho investing public, In-' eluding Bomo insurance companies, which suf fered. How great this loss has been In the ag gregate may bo learned by comparing tho prlcca now obtained on tho exchanges for Alton securi ties with thoso which prevailed eight or nino years ago." SPEAKER CANNON is busy with his presi dential boom these days. Tho Washington correspondent for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat says: "While Vice Presldont Fairbanks Is rescuing pretty waitresses from drowning, Sec retary Taft nursing his boom In the shady re treat of tho Canadian forests, and Secretary Cortelyou bringing vetoran political managers like James S. Clarkson to his support, Joseph G. Cannon, 'speaker of the house of represent atives, is likewise making hay while the sun shines. Word comes to Washington from an au thoritative source that his friends are engaged In a schome whereby he is to receive the support of the New York delegation' in tho national con vention In tho ovent It Is seen that Governor Hughes can not win. The plan Is well under way. Tho men who appear to be behind tho movement are Representative Sherman of Now York, chairman of tho republican congressional committee; Representative LIttauor, Hopresent atlve Payne, chairman of the ways and means committee, and ox-Representative Wadsworth. All of these men aro Now Yorkers, and each has considerable influence in his state. They are able to reach powerful interests, bo that if handled right, the movement may become ono of much importance. The visit of Mr. Can non to the New York legislature and his call on Governor Hughes aro said to have been a part of tho scheme; In fact, that Is what set the wheels moving. Since then his friends have been very active and, according to reports, havo made gratifying strides. The details of tho understanding are not known here. There are politicians hero who think that the country mo&y be underestimating the strength of tho Cannon boom. Ho Is being supported by a number of influential members of congress, In addition to those mentioned above men like Tawney of Minnesota, chairman of tho appropriations com mittee, and Watson of Indiana, the 'whip' of the last house. He is, Indeed, what may bo termed tho candidate of the 'house ring,' that group of congressmen who stick together on all matters of legislation and come pretty near to running things at the capltol. When these men get busy, secretly or openly, In their sev eral states, it would not be surprising to seo a number of wires set to working in tho in terests of the speaker. Mr. Qannon's office, it self, of course, places him in a position of van tage for the nomination, if he wishes to -exercise his power. At the same time his friends keep insisting that he is not' a, candidate, biit that, naturally, he would not decline the honor if It came his way." A- POLITICAL campaign is on In the Philip pine islands and a Manila cablegram to the St. Louis Globe-Democrat' says: "Manila Is entering upon its first real political campaign 'reasonably interested, although tho masses who are not qualified to vote are, naturally enough, apathetic. However, the bitterest rivalry char acterizes certain factions. Indiscriminate mobs of the poorer and uneducated non-voters follow the brass bands, assemble in the theaters and enjoy hearing a few leaders expounding widely varying doctrines, their speeches often punctu ated with strong personalities. Dr. Domlnador Gomez has been organizing meetings, at which ho has swayed his hearers by means of lurid oratory, In which he demands independence for the Philippines. Recently he dramatically kissed the insurgent flag at one of these meetings, while vilifying the Americans as 'swine.' To day he occupies a police cell,- owing to the with drawal of his bondsmen in the case that is now before the supreme court. This kind of inflammatory campaigning Is not taken serious ly by the authorities, who consider it merely a convenient escape valve for a volatile and unstable people. The matter before the su preme court in which Gomez Is Interested is a sentence of six months' imprisonment for trea son, which, was passed upon him several month ago." , " - ,$ a-ft-miX j -u &&&& JSi M jm,i&IMtou JX, i;V 'i