''WJp' The Commoner. 6 VOLUME 9, NUMBER 14 ijPtfVPWVWipyi K&UIX4ylN I v-i 1UO AFTER THREE weeks of considoration tho Payne tariff biU paused the houso of reprc Bontatives by a vote of 217 to 161. The Asso ciated Press report says: "One republican, Austin of Tennessee, voted against the measure and four democrats, all from Louisiana Broussard, Es toplnal, Pujo and Wickliffe votd for it. An attempt by Champ Clark, tho minority leader, to recommit tho bill with instructions signally failed. The day was filled with excitement from tho moment the session began at noon until tho minute of adjournment. Tho members wore keyed up to tho highest pitch, and a practically full membership remained on duty throughout. Tho final vote demonstrated the capacity of tho republican organization to get together. The sit uation with respect to lumber was greatly re lieved to thovropubllcan leaders when it became manifest that tho advocates of the proposition placing it on tho freo list wove in tho minority. Because of tliat fact, Mr. Fitzgerald of New York charged that a midnight deal had been made last night whereby free lumber was to bo voted down and the rates on barley and barley malt in creased, and this notwithstanding tho denials of Messrs. Mann of Illinois, and Cushman of "Washington, who offered tho barley amendments. Tho general public was greatly interested in the proceedings and tho galleries were packed. Both tho diplomatic and executive reservations like wiso wore fully occupied, Mrs. Taft boing among thoso present. When the bill actually- was passed tho republicans cheered lustily, some dancing up and down the aisles and patting their fellow members on tho back." TO PASS the Payno bill did not require the time consumed in passing its predecessor, tho Dlngloy bill. The Ass Delated Press report says: "Whilo more consideration in point of time has been given by tho houso to the Payne bill, it was passed in fewer days than the Dlng loy bill was acted upon after being reported to tho houso. The Payne bill was introduced on March 17, reported to tho house by the ways and means committee on tho following day and was under general debate for sixteen days. On Monday of the present Tveek the rules commit tee reported a special order whicli closed tho general dlBcusBlon and provided, for tho consid oration o the bill -under tho live-minute rule. Chairman Payno handled the bill on tho floor and divided the time in such a' way that only para graphs affected by committee amendments and the amendments permitted by tho special rule had been considered whon the time to vote on tho measure was reached. The Dingley bill was under considoration in tho houso for two days longer than the Payne bill, but tho house was not in session as long each day as during tho consideration of the latter measure. All during the general debate on the Payne bill the houso sat for ten and one-half hours each day, thus es tablishing a record for that body. Mr. Olmstead of Pennsylvania presided as chairman of the committee of tho whole houso on tho state o" tho union throughout tho twenty days that were given to tho bill." CONCERNING THE changes in the bill as it camo from the committee tho Associated Press says: "One of tho principal changes af fected in the Payno bill since its introduction was tho placing of petroleum on tho free list This involvod a more seriously contested fight than any of tho other amendments. Speaker Cannon during tho debate to reduce the duty took the floor in defense of the higher rato of duty. Although an amendment to place oil on tho free list was lost yesterday, a similar amend ment offered by Chairman Payne today was car ried. Among the other important amendments that have been made since tho bill camo from committee wore thoso striking out the provision for a duty on tea and tho 'countervailing tlutv proviso on coffee. The elimination of the max! mum duty of 20 por cent on coffee, contained in the maximum section of tho bill was also sm nlAcant. To tho freo list were added evegrefn seed lugs, clover and nut oil, which is used in making varnish. Tho patent law provision in ended to retaliate for the new British patent law, was stricken out on account of -an intern? tional convention. Tho so-called 'joker' in tho cotton cloth schedule, which it was claimed would increase the duty of tho Dingley bill sev eral hundred per cent, was corrected, tho proviso for the method of counting threads in the cloth being made the same as in tho present law. The section restricting the contents of packages of tobacco was amended to conform with the pres ent law in order that union labels may not bo excluded from such packages. The drawback section was added to so it would not be taken advantage of for the purpose of speculating in grain, and tho Philippine free trade provision was amended so that rico will not bo admitted free from the islands. The countervailing clause on lumber was stricken out, but a strong effort to place lumber on tho free list did not succeed. Tho duties on barley, barley malt, charcoal, iron, pineapples in crates, saccharine, medicated cot ton and cotton collars and cuffs, as originally in the bill, were increased. To retaliate against Turkey, which country prohibits the importation of American filler tobacco, a proviso was in cluded in tho tobacco schedule increasing tho duty on filler tobacco from any country which prohibits the importation of the American to bacco. Tho internal revenue law was also amend ed so that raisers of tobacco will not have to pay a manufacturers' license in order to dis pense of their leaf tobacco. There were several technical changes in the steel schedule, princi pally downward, and lace curtain and netting machines were included in tho proviso, which permits the entry freo of duty of laco machinery prior to May 1, 1910, Hides, hosiery and gloves were left as reported by the committee, hides remaining free and an increased duty being pre sented for gloves and stockings." AN ASSOCIATED Press dispatch under dato of Washington, April 9, says: "It was ad vertised in c. local paper Thursday that there had been found in tho collection plate of the tfloscoe Methodist Espicopal church near here, after the services last Sunday night, a $10,000 bill and the church officers think tho donor made a mis take. The yearly collections of the church do not average much more than that amount, and the officials in the advertisement say they will return tho money to the. owner if he wants it back and can prove he inadvertently dropped it into the plate." NEBRASKA WILL have no state-wide pri mary this year. Under a law enacted at the recent session of the legislature political parties are not permitted to nominate candi dates for judges, regents of the state university or school officials. All such candidates must go upon the ballot by petition and without party designation This year Nebraska will choose judges of the supremo court and regents of the state university and, therefore, a primary elec tion will be unnecessary. Each party will hold a convention July 27, whicli convention will select the state committee. Each county will be entitled to at least one delegate in this convention and the state committee will apportion the number' of additional dele gates to which each county is entitled in ac cordance with the vote cast at tho presidential IN GIVING his approval of the daylight si loon bill Governor Shallenberger of Near as ka made tho following statement: "Senate emi No 283 is a regulatory amendment to ?he pres ent Slocumb law, which has stood for twenty live years upon our statute books as an examnlo of reasonable liquor legislation for tho sate The Slocumb law was passed at a time when public opinion was excited upon the liquor nues ton much as at present, and because of the fact hat it was a decided step in-advance of afy thing before enacted, it has remained intact through the years past as a model of teguS tory legislation. Tho tide of further limitation and restriction of the liquor traffic has recent y risen so high that a great many states liavo lately taken action upon it, some enacting coSn ty and others -state wide 'prohibition. Nebraska through this amendment, has elected to apply further restriction to the liquor traffic by limit ing the time that liquor may be sold to thoso hours universally admitted to be the least ob jectionable of the twenty-four. The plan pro posed in this amendment for the entire state has been tried In the capital city of Lincoln, and both 'wets' and 'drys' alike commend its effect. Business thrives in this city and the hotels and places of amusement claimed most to be affected are being continually improved and constantly crowded Tvith patrons. It is admitted upon all sides that in this city it has had the effect of eliminating much of public rancor from the liquor question. This amendment has much opposition in the two Omahas, because business men are fearful that it will affect trade and com merce adversely, and for the further reason that it limits to a certain extent the policy of 'home rule' upon this matter. I believe, however, that experience will justify the law, and that our large cities will find that their prosperity does not depend in any way upon two or three extra hours for the sale of liquor. If the law is as wholesome in its effect as I believe it will be, it will give solid standing ground for those who believe in strict regulation as the best way to handle this question." ATTORNEY GENERAL Wickersham has given an opinion that the national banks of Kan sas have no right to participate in the assess ments and. benefits of the bank depositors' guar anty funds under the provisions of a recently enacted law by that state, on the same terms and conditions as apply to the state banks. The decision says that only an act of congress can confer such powers upon national banks Referring-to this opinion the Associated Press says: "The attorney general quotes from an opinion of Attorney General Bonaparte in the Oklahoma guaranty case that a national bank could not lawfully enter into the plan contemplated by the act, because it involved essentially a guaranty to the depositors of all state banks in Oklahoma and other national banks which might accept the terms of the act, that their respective de positors should be paid in full. This objection, he says, is not avoided in the Kansas law. The attorney general says he is strongly 'of the opin ion that a national bank is without corporate power to expend its moneys to provide insurance that its depositors will be paid in full. It is indisputable, he says, that the assets of a na tional bank deposited as a condition to accept ing the benefits of the act are subject to for feiture in case Tt shall fail to comply with the requirements of the state bank commissioner under the act. He holds that 'such a contract as is proposed is wholly without the-powers of a national bank and would expose its charter to forfeiture under section 5238 of the revised statutes." T.-IE COMMONER is asked to give publicity to a statement made by Antonio De P Araujo, a Mexican citizen who with other com rades has been confined in tho federal prison at Tombstone, Arizona, on the charge of vio- ?r!?e2ftpaLty laWG Arau3's statement is addressed "to the American people" and fol lows: It is hard to be sentenced as an innocent man to a Jong torm of imprisonment in a stranire Ifinciryrnvilf " ' ?? ?jWFto$. I find myself. But I have no regret and I ad dress you in no spirit of despair. I havo felt from the first that if the American peopfe knew the truth about my case I would not now be ' in a convict's cell. But the American neonle do not know the truth. In fact but few of them know anything at all about my conviction Th silence of the press v. as a part i of the consnlraw to destroy my activity by sending me to prison For some time there has been trouble ta Mertco growing out of the awful condition of the people For this the administration cf Diaz, backed by : American capitalists, is responsible. Mysflf and ' comrades- of the liberal party were opposed to ' the administration. We urore persecuted spied ' upon and. hunted down until we haS to' leave ' -the country. When we landed on this sidloff . Vrrwflf"w W - '".