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AUGUST 2, 1907
The Commoner.
9
ney General Bonaparte to try to avert the threat
ened clash between the federal and state courts.
Assistant Attorney General Edward T. Sanford
was then taking his vacation in North Carolina.
Ho was directed by Mr. Bonaparte to see the
officials of the Southern railroad and try to in
duce them to secure a stay of execution and take
successive appeals through the various state
courts until their case could be brought to the
United States supreme court, where it was prom
ised expedition would be requested by the de
partment of justice. He was not instructed to
see Justice Pritchard, as such a course might
be construed as interference by the executive
with the judiciary. The president is embar
rassed by the appearance of federal interference
just at the time he is seeking to secure solid
delegations from the south to the next republi-.
can nominating convention for himself or his
legatee. To make matters worse, Judge Pritch
ard must be supported to the end. The depart
ment of justice is momentarily expecting a re
quest from him for a losse of United States
marshals to enforce his orders. "While Acting
Attorney General Russell refuses to intimate
what course then will be followed, it is known
that the force will be furnished. There is said
to be no other alternative, as the dignity and
prestige of a United States court must be main
tained. As a climax any further legislation in
creasing, the government's control of railroads
may be opposed by southern senators and rep
resentatives on the ground that the complete
domination of the state by the federal judiciary
has already been demonstrated. This statement
was made by a high legal authority of the gov
ernment today: 'Judge Pritchard is interfering
in a matter in which his jurisdiction is ques
tionable, and waving a red flag of legal, irregu
larity in the faces of the already infuriated state
officials. If he does not involve the government
in a serious muss it will not be because he has
not laid a perfect groundwork for trouble.' "
A RICHMOND, Va., dispatch to the Chicago
Record-Herald says: "Attorney General
Anderson refused this morning to go into any
details touching the result of the conference
between the governor, himself and the mem
bers of the state corporation' commission con
cerning the fight of Virginia for two-cent pas
senger rates and incidentally the integrity of
the commission, the very life of which has been
attacked by Judge Jeter Pritchard of the United
States circuit court in his injunction prohibiting
the state from enforcing the order of the com
mission promulgating such rates. However, it
is learned upon semi-official authority that the
state will probably violate the injunction by
publishing the order of the commission, which
publication is prohibited in Judge Pritchard's
order, thus forcing the issue in a higher court
on a contempt charge. It is probable also that
the state will adopt the policy in vogue in North
Carolina of refusing to recognize the prohibition
imposed by the federal court and proceed to
arrest ticket agents of the railways who sell
tickets to passengers at a higher rate than that
imposed by the commission in its order."
A BIG QUARREL is raging between Mr.
Roosevelt, aided by Senator Lodge, and
Senator Crane, according to the Washington cor
respondent for the Boston Herald. That cor
respondent says: "What Senator Crane claims
to be a presidential war upon him for refusing
to support the Taft boom has resulted in an
ultimatum from the senator, and a test of po
litical strength, with far-reaching consequences,
is in prospect. The junior senator, as the story
brought here by a prominent politician, who has
it from apparently reliable sources, goes, balks
at what he considers an attempt by the presi
dent and Mr. Lodge to drive him upon the Taft
reservation. There was a stormy Bcene at Dal
ton not very long ago, in which Mr. Crane told
Mr. Lodge that he would have none of it. He
was his own man, and could wear no one's col
lar, even if it were the collar Theodore Roose
velt would place upon him. The interview, ac
cording to the stories that reach here from
Massachusetts, went much farther. Mr. Crane
said he did not propose to be punished because
he deserted the Taft boom when the secretary
of war and the president refused to enter a
harmony alliance with Senator Foraker in Ohio.
He would not stand the flings he charged the
president with having inspired from the White
House and from Oyster Bay, and even intimated
that Senator Lodge had been urging the presi
dent to make them. His commission as a United
States senator and his place as a member of
the republican national committeo, he said, wore
nothing to him, as compared with his right to
think and act for what ho rogarded as tho party
welfare Ho was not sufficiently enamored of
either office to surrender his self-respect. Tho
big stick might swing at Washington or at Oys
ter Bay, but it had no terrors for him. Ho was
not for Taft and did not believe ho could bo
nominated. If that wore treason, tho president
and Mr. Lodge could niako tho most of it. The
junior senator felt fit for a fight with all comers.
If he had to do it he could Join tho proscribed
Foraker class, Tho class would soon bo assum
ing a respectable size in the sonato, and there
might be a few sympathizers in tho ranks of
Massachusetts republicans. In any ovont Sen
ator Crane was certain he would not bo lone
some."
SCORE ONE FOR Governor Glenn. An As
sociated Press dispatch under date of Ra
leigh, N. C, July 27, says: ,"Tho state of North
Carolina has won in its flght to have its pas
senger rate law of 2 cents observed by all
the railroads pending an appeal to the courts
by the roads of the state which propose to flght
the law. The promise of obedience to the law
by the Southern railway and the Atlantic Coast
Line railway, which, since July was the date
set for tho rate law to go into effect, have been
violating the law, was given this afternoon at
a conference' which the railroad sought with
Governor Glenn, who had stated that as a pre
cedent to any agreement ho might make tho
2 cent rate must first be put into efTcct. Tho
conference was a private one. After It ended
Governor Glenn stated that at tho beginning
of the conferences tho railroad representatives
stated that they were ready to agree to the
2 cent rate in letter, it later to be tested in
the original injunction case before Judge
Pritchard, an appeal, if necessary, to be taken
by the state to the supreme court of the United
States while tho railroads would appeal the case
to the North Carolina supreme court, and if
necessary take the case on writ of error to the
supreme court of the United States. Tho 8th
of August was agreed upon as the time for put
ting into effect the 2 cent rate. Messrs.
Thomb and Humphrey, as counsel for the South
ern Railway company, state that" the Southern
railway will not inaugurate contempt proceed
ings because of anything heretofore done by
any of the state officers in connection with tho
rate litigation."
ANEW YORK dispatch to the Chicago
Record-Herald says: "From all parts of
the country President Roosevelt has within the
last few days received postal cards urging him
to reconsider his declaration of 1904 and ac
cept another nomination for the presidency.
They are elaborately printed, containing a pic
ture of the White House, under which is the
inscription: 'Uncle Sam will renew the lease' and
bearing the printed paragraph: 'I desire to ex
press my entire satisfaction with your adminis
tration as president of our country, and, be
lieving that the great works inaugurated during
that time would best be completed, were you
again president, I would urge you to reconsider
your declaration of 1904 and accept another
nomination.' Printed in Philadelphia, the cards
have come from many states, and the growing
flood of them indicates that some one has started
a vigorous campaign to Induce the president to
change his mind."
TEMPERANCE HAS recently made great ad
vance, particularly in the southern states,
and the New Orleans Times-Democrat says that
the indications are that the present movement
will bring about prohibition in many states. The
Times-Democrat adds: . "Temperance has for
the past twenty years been making inroads into
the south, mainly through the provision of local
option, which the southern people have so far
found the most satisfactory way of solving tho
liquor problem. This spread of temperance is
due, in large part, to the activity of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union and kindred or
ganizations and to the folly and lawless methods
of the saloon people, who in many sections,
blind to the condition of affairs prevailing, have
by their arbitrary methods, their Interference In
politics and their control of legislation done all
in their power to stir up public opinion against
them. In Texas they proved themselves so law
less as to arouse even the wholesale dealers and
brewers to protest that if the saloons continued
to defy and break the laws it was only a ques-'
tion of time when all Texas, instead of a ma
jority of its counties, would be prohibition. The
saloons have continued to show their contempt
for law, and tho conooquenco Is that tho Texas
legislature, just adjourned, passed a still rnoro
stringent liquor law, now In offeot, and likely
to be still further extended if tho saloon people
continue their policy of doflanco. More than
two-thirds of all tho towns and counties In tho
south arc now 'dry,' that Is, liquor can not bo
sold or manufactured in them. The number
has boon greatly increased In tho last few
months, and tho Indications arc of a still further
increase by next year. Tho temperance move
ment, which recently readied whlto heat In Ten
nessee, swooping not only the rural districts
but largo cities as well Into line, has poured over
Into the neighboring states of Georgia and Mis
sissippi, demanding an advance from local option
to state prohibition. Wo have already spoken
of the movement In Mississippi, where the noxt
legislature to be elected this fall, has been asked
to submit to the voters an amendment to tho
constitution prohibiting tho sale or manufacture
of liquor in the state. By a vole of thirty-four
to seven, tho Georgia senato has paised tho
Ilardmnn-Covington bill, prohibiting tho manu
facture and sale of Intoxicating liquors In
Georgia after January 1, 1908. Tho bill has
gone to tho house, and as that body Is said to
bo overwhelmingly in favor of state prohibition,
there is little doubt of Its passage. Governor
Smith has already announced that ho will sign
it, so tli rtt Georgia will, for a time at least, bo
placed In the ranks of prohibition states. This
is only another indication of tho trend of popu
lar sontlmcnt on the liquor question."
SURELY THERE Is lots of trouble on the mind
of Editor George D. Perkins of tho Sioux
City (Iowa) Journal. In a leading editorial
the Journal discusses seriously tho suggestion
that Iowa may go democratic in 1908. In that
editorial the Journal says: "A democrat of
state reputation said the other day that they
were going to eltfct the next governor. He could
not give tho name, but ho said It was sure about
the election. There has been talk among re
publicans that the democrats might carry the
legislature, and in that event choose the senator.,
There has been talk among rcpubUcuiitt that
the electoral vote of the state inlght be given
to Bryan. It would look queer to see Iowa In
the Bryan column. Both democrats and repub
licans who talk of a slump to tho democratic
side anchor posslbllltlos In republican factious
ness. If tho democrats are doing any business
they are doing it under cover, and the republican
war cloud gives them all the cover they need.
In fact, Iowa has three parties now, not count
ing tho socialist, the prohibition, tho people's or
the secular government party. The reason a
larger number is not stated is because it is
beljeved the democrats will go into the campaign
as one party. . The republicans were not close
together last year, and there Is more or less
figuring that they will be farther apart next
year. So far as preliminaries are concerned
everything" is being done by the dominant fac
tion to deepen the wedge. Only those who have
taken the oath and who are fearless in display
ing the badge are to have honorable recogni
tion on the state primary ticket. After the nom
inations have been made discredited republicans,
along with democrats, may vote the ticket."
IN THE OPINION of the Journal the situation
will be obscure until after the national
conventions have been held. Tills republican
paper adds: "The Journal does not want to
be misunderstood. It does not believe the demo
crats will elect the governor. It does not be
lieve the democrats will secure a majority on
joint ballot in the legislature. It does, not be
lieve the electoral vote 5f the state will go to
Bryan. A probability of Iowa recording a choice
for Bryan would render his election certain.
Though the republicans in national con
vention assembled should nominate Cannon
or Fairbanks, and though the platform should
be nothing at all like the platform adopted at
the second nomination of Cleveland, yet it is
unthinkable, on the part of men of normal life,
that Iowa long known as the Vermont of tho
west should range Itself on the side of Bryan.
Let it bo admitted, however, that the democratic
party, state and national, is lighter in its hope
than it has been since 1896. It feels that heavy
burdens have been lifted from its shoulders and
dropped as if under divine guidance on tho
drooping shoulders of tho republican party.
Moreover, money is a little tight in the east and
the south is 'noting recession in the wave of
prosperity. There is no telling but what the
democratic party may get enthusiastic."
9
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