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APRIL 16, 190
The Commoner.
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the Rio Grando we felt ourselves secure under
the stars and stripes of the American republic.
But alas, we soon realized that the same power
which had driven us from our native land also
ruled the American states. Our papers were
suppressed and we were tracked from place to
place by the spies of the Mexican government,
reinforced by American detectives, also in its
employ. In due time we were arrested upon
baseless charges. Some of my comrades have
bren in jail almost two years. This seems very
strange in a land of freedom. Why is trial de
nied them? I do not know and no one can tell
me. In my own case I was arrested upon the
charge of having violated the neutrality laws.
Being a poor man I had but small chance to
make any defense. It seems that a poor man
here fares about the same as he does everywhere.
The trial was soon over. The judge sentenced
me to a term of two years and a half in the
federal prison at Leavenworth. Very few knew
anything about it at the time. But since then
many thousands now know about it and are
actively interested in seeing that justice is done.
It is well known that the judge who tried me
admitted that he was prejudiced, trying to ex
cuse himself upon the ground that he was bound
to destroy the opposition to the Diaz adminis
tration. This shows how he feels, and of course,
my sentence was a foregone conclusion. The
people of this country can hardly imagine the
terrible condition of the millions of peons in
Mexico, the men, women and children who are
half naked, hungry, in filth and disease, and
who. are the unhappy victims of the present ad
ministration. No man can look upon these
dreadful scenes and not feel his blood rising
within him. But to take a stand against the
bureaucracy, with Diaz at its head, which is
robbing the people and causing all their misery
and suffering, is to be charged with being a
traitor to the country. My comrades and I are
guilty of no other crime than that we have op
posed this. despotic administration and have sym
pathized with and endeavored to help our suffer
ing countrymen. Citizens of the United States,
this is all the crime we are guilty of. If for
this we are to be sentenced, to penitentiary in
the great American republic it may seem very
strange and very sad to us, but we will make
no complaint. For my part I would rather re
main here the rest of my days than to abandon
my principles and forsake my oppressed and de
spairing fellow men. I must not close without
expressing my sincere thanks to the sympathiz
ing friends in this country who. have taken my
case in hand and are appealing my case to a
higher court. Whatever the outcome may be I
shall remember them with gratitude. They have
never seen me but they appreciate the cause I
am striving -to serve, and their sympathy and
support is that- of comrades who recognize no
boundary line between nations when human be
ings are In distress. The unfortunate exper
ience which' has come to me will be made up
for. ntany fold if .the Mexican people and the
American people are drawn closer to each other
in the great struggle which Is agitating all na
tions and which can never end until despotism
in every form has been destroyed and human
brotherhood prevails throughout the earth."
HERB IS A fine story from lifo told in an As
sociated Press dispatch under date of Day
ton, O., April 8: "Rather than run down a little
girl who was in their path James L. DInsmore
and F. O. Probasco turned their automobile
down a thirty-foot embankment and plunged in
to the waters of Miami river. The men were
driving the car along the top of the levee only
eight feet wide, when the child was seen a few
feet ahead of the car. Probasco, who was driv
ing, said: 'Is it the child or the river, Jim?'
DInsmore replied: 'The river for purs Al
though the river "was at a high stage and the
current swift, both men escaped injuries."
IN THE CURRENT publications of Lincoln
matter will be found an interesting discus
sion between the Nashville American and Henry
Wattersqn of the Louisville (Ky.) Courier
Journal. The Nashville American said: "Henry
Watterson, In his contribution to the Cosmopoli
tan Magazine, giving an estimate of Lincoln,
repeats his former assertion that at the famous
Hampton Roads conference 'Lincoln took the
slim, pale-faced, consumptive man aside, and,
pointing to a sheet of paper he had. in his hand,
said: "Stephens, let me write 'Union' at the top
of the page and you may write below whatever
you please." ' This assertion made by Mr. Wat
terson some years ago aroused some spirited
discussion and was strongly controverted by
leading ex-confederates. The late Judge Reagan
of Texas, the then surviving member of the
confederate cabinet, who was in a position to
have heard of this remarkablo proposition if it
had been made, waB confident that nothing of
the kind had ever occurred. On what authority
Mr. Watterson persists in this statement is not
clear, and it is not taken as history by those
most familiar with the times and conditions
when it is reported to have occurred. The
Hampton Roads conference was abortivo be
cause the confederate commissioners went with
instructions to accept no terms not based on the
recognition of the confederacy, and Mr. Lincoln
was equally determined to insist on maintaining
the union. This antagonism prevented any
serious discussion, and though the picturesque
incident Mr. Watterson insists upon was entirely
possible, it was not reported at the time and
can hardly be accepted without better authority
than has been produced to sustain it. Mr.
Stephens lived for some time after the qivil
war and wrote much, but he did not mention
such an incident. There is no doubt that Mr.
Lincoln was prepared to offer liberal terms at
the Hampton Roads conference if the southern
commissioners had been empowered to roceh'o
them. In the light of subsequent events it is
regrettable that some agreement had not been
reached; but for the sake of accuracy Mr. Wat
terson should produce some substantial evidence
that his pretty Lincoln story is authontlc."
rEPLYING TO the American Mr. Watterson
JK said: "It Is simply shocking that an In
telligent newspaper should make such a publi
cation as this. Mr. Watterson did publish his
authorization abundantly and repeatedly. He
got the story originally from Mr. Stephens him
self. It was directly corroborated by at least
four credible witnesses General John B. Gor
don, Mr. Stephens' close friend and neighbor;
Mr. Felix G. de Fontaine, the famous southern
war correspondent, with whom Mr. Stephens
passed the night in Richmond after he came
up from Hampton Roads; the Rev. Dr. Green,
for many years Mr. Stephens' pastor, and the
Hon, Evan P. Howell, of Atlanta to each and
all of wliom as to very many others Mr
Stephens related It The testimony of these
gentlemen, coupled with the joint resolution to
be passed by congress appropriating $400,000,
000 to be paid the south for the slaves, which
still stands in Mr. Lincoln's handwriting, Mr.
Watterson published in answer to the attacks
made upon him having nothing but negations
to support, them, and yet the American the
Courier-Journal's next-door neighbor forgets
everything except Mr. Reagan's statement that
Mr. Stephens did not tell him, and demands that
'Mr. Watterson shall produce some substantial
evidence that his pretty Lincoln story is au
thentic' Such a gratuitous butting into a
closed Incident and chapter seems about as far
as the mean and litigious historic spirit can go,
short of, .personal and professional defamation.
Mr. Watterson never made an issue of veracity
In his life, nor a statement of fact he was not
prepared to prove before a court of law. The
American owes him an apology."
A READER OF the New York Tribune writes
to that paper to say: "Your Washington
correspondent is mistaken in his assertion which
appears In your columns that Andrew Steven
son and Joseph G. Cannon are the only men that
have been elected four times speaker of our na
tional house of representatives. Henry Clay was
elected speaker of that body six times, by the
Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Six
teenth and- Eighteenth congresses. Everybody
is entitled to his due; nobody is entitled to any
more.
REFERRING TO the late Admiral Cervera, the
Spanish fighter, who died recently at Puerto
Real, Cadiz, Admiral Winfiold Scott Schley pays
this tribute: "I have felt deeply grieved since
I first heard the reports that this gallant officer
was ill. I have always had the greatest resnect
for him, and even In his misfortune one could
see that he was a brave and gallant officer and
one willing to make any sacrifice for his country.
I have always considered Admiral Cervera as a
man of excellent judgment and, I might add,
that during the disastrous battle he used the
best means to stave off the inevitable. His let
ters since published, have shown to the world
that he understood the difficulties under which
he was laboring as none of the other Spanish
offlcorB did. At the battle of Santiago I consider
that ho did the best thing In bringing his fleet
out, despite tho fact that his fleet was destroyed.
If he had deserted Gonoral Linares ho would
probably have been accused of cowardice by his
countrymen; if ho had remained in tho harbor
after he got thoro ho would have been accused
of allowing himself to be caught In a trap. Con
sequently, he did tho beat thing in making a
sortie with his vessels. All who know Admiral
Cervera had only the kindliest words for him.
Ho made a lasting impression on us all."
HERE IS A good story from lifo told In a
Louisvlllo, Ky., dispatch to tho Nashvillo
(Tenn.) Banner: "A special from Now Orleans
says that John Bellis of that city, who Is heir
to a $100,000 estate, left by his aunt, Mrs.
Lizzie Watson of Louisville, has announced that
ho will surrender any clnim he might have on
the estate In favor of his two fostor cousins,
Mrs. Thomas Swan, wife of the assistant general
passenger agent of tho Rio Grando railroad at
Denver, and Mrs. George Venus, wife of a Now
Orleans business man. Mrs. Swan and Mrs.
Venus had been reared as daughters by Mrs.
Watson, and it was not until after her death that
they learned that they had been adopted by her
when infants. Mrs. Watson was a sister of
Bellis' father. Bellis says ho has a good busi
ness and Is comfortably fixed and believes it
right that Mrs. Watson's estate should go to tho
children sho adopted, though he is really next
of kin and tho legal heir."
THE PHILADELPHIA North American, arc- r
publican paper that preaches against repub
lican doctrine and policies between campaigns
and supports the republican ticket during elec
tion contests, prints a two column attack upon
George T. Oliver, Pennsylvania's now senator,
Tho North American says: "Pennsylvania owes
an apology to tho United States senate, though
no apology can have much weight, because it Is
the second unworthy member inflicted by this
state upon tho senate within a month. Oliver '
is wholly unfit and unequipped for the place.
It would be difficult to find a man of affairs ,
more, devoid of the qualifications requisite for
an able and useful senator," Hero tho North
American seeks to wash Its hands of both the
, United States senators but it is in part respon
sible for Penrose and Oliver just as It Is respon
sible for Cannon and Cannonism, against which
it has launched such hysterical assaults. If tho
North American would but print a few lines of
plain, square talk while tho campaign is on
then its two column denunciations of republican
leaders and republican policies would not prompt
men. to doubt Its sincerity.
THE WASHINGTON correspondent for the
Omaha World-Herald says: "Perhaps tho
least desirable watch of -the capitol police dur
ing the closing days of the session is that of
guarding the mace in the house when a recess
Is taken over night. The mace, familiarly known
as 'the buzzard,' is tho American eagle in silver
on tho top of a rod, and It is always raised at
the speaker's right hand when the house is In
session. When the house goes into committee
of tho whole the mace Is lowered. As time
becomes precious toward the end of each session
the house saves time by recessing until 11 or
perhaps 10 the next morning instead of adjourn
ing, in which case they would not meet until
12. An hour or two for work Is thus gained,
besides doing away with the reading of tho
journal each day and other routine business and
thereby saving more time. Tho legislation en
acted at such sessions is dated as of the day
the house last met after an adjournment and
all these recessed . sessions are considered as a
part of that 'legislative day,' so that a congress
man often has to make considerable inquiry to
learn whether it te Monday or Friday, legisla
tively. When the house is recessed the mace
must stay in position, or all the legislation of
the legislative day in progress is void. A guard
is then set to keep watch over the 'buzzard'
lest he fly away with the work that congress
has done. Of course, if the guard removes the
bird from his perch and puts him to roost In
the cloak room, while he. himself takes a nap
there, the legislation still stands, provided he's
at his post in the morning and nobody find it
out. The office of the sergeant-at-arms admits
that this has probably been done, though of
course they know nothing of it, and It would
cause an awful bother if they should."
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