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JULY IS, 10,
The Commoner.
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ATTENTION IS called to "eight pernicious
words" by the New York World In this
way: "There are eight words in the corpora
tion tax bill as passed by the senate which aro
hostile in every respect to the spirit of Ameri
can institutions. These words aro: 'Except up
on the special direction of the president' They
appear in section seven of the bill, which makes
it a misdemeanor for any agent of the govern-,
ment to divulge 'in any manner whatever not
provided by law' any information obtained by
him in 'the discharge of his official duties in
examining the books of corporations subject to
this excise tax. But what is a crime for a minor
official of the government to do is legal if dono
by the president of the United States!"
THE NEBRASKA supreme court has rendered
a decision, declaring the Donahoe non-partisan
judiciary election law invalid. This law
prohibited political parties from nominating
candidates for judges of the supreme court,
judges of the district court, regents of the state
university, county judges, or county superin
tendent of schools. Candidates for such offices
were to be nominated by petition and their
names wore to appear oh the ballot without
political designation. The republican state cen
tral committee caused the law to bo contested
and of the five supreme court judges, who
passed upon the law, three are candidates for
re-election. The chief objection of tho court
was to. the provision requiring 5,000 names to
be on a petition for judge, not more than 500
of which could como from one county. They
declared that it was a hindrance to the free ex
ercise of the franchise and was repugnant to
the constitution of the state. Tho entire court
defclr'e'd' the" provision denying the right of party
conventions t6 indorse candidates for the offices
affected by the act was without force and void.
GOVERNOR SHAFROTH of Colorado has
written for the New York Independent an
article, relating to Colorado's new campaign ex
pense law. Tho governor says: "On the 26th
day of July, 1909, In the state of Colorado,
there will como into effect a law passed by tho
last general assembly which provides that cam
paign expenses can only b,e paid by the state
and the candidates for the various state and
county offices. The amount payable out of the
state treasury is a sum equal to 25 cents for
eacji vote cast at the last preceding election
for governor. The sum for each political party
is ppid to the state chairman thereof. The
amount is limited not to exceed 40 per cent
of the first year's salary for which the candidate
aspires. It makes it a felony for any person or
corporation other than above Indicated to con
tribute any money or property whatsoever to a
candidate or political committee or member
thereof, and also for any candidate or political
committee or member thereof to receive any
contribution. Colorado is the first state in tho
union to enact such a law, and I have the high
est hopes of success for this reform measure.
In my judgment there is no way of preventing
the pernicious Influence of corporations In poll
tics except by pronouncing such contributions
bribery, and .punishing the giver and receiver
cf such contribution by fine or imprisonment in
the penitentiary."
THE WASHINGTON correspondent for the
Sioux City (Iowa) Journal (republican)
makes this reference to the two Nebraska1 sen
ators: "Burkett of Nebraska outdid even Craw
for of South Dakota in his zeal to follow the
lead of the finance committee on numerous roll
calls, and then sought to cover up hiB tracks
by voting against the 1)111. The Congressional
Record shows, however, that Burkett voted
against any further reduction in the finance con
mittee's or Dlngley rates on these products:
Lead ore, earthenware, farm implements and
tools, razors, scissors, umbrella ribs, printing
presses, sewing machines, typewriters, engines,
sugar, barley, meats, gloves, hosiery, works of
art, hides, boots and shoes, iron and steel, wire
nails, iron ties for cotton bales, school books,
salt, tobacco and window glass. Ho also .voted
against the income tar and for tho corporation
tax. Brown, the collcaguo of Burkett, did not
go quite the same length In opposing tho ex
treme tariff rippers, but he did add lomons to
. tho list of items on which tho senate votod to
increase even tho Dlngley rate. Brown also
voted for the finance committee's or tho Dlng
ley rates on lead ore, eaTthonwaro, farm Imple
ments and tools, typewriters, .scissors, sugar,
gloves, hosiery, barley, hides, works of art,
school books, tobacco, asphalt and window glass.
Ho opposed the" Income tax, though having
offered a constitutional amendment for its ulti
mate adoption, voting In tho meanwhile with
Aldrlch for a "corporation tax."
A CITIZEN OF Boston writes to tho Now
York Evening Post to say: "What could
bo more amusing than this display of apparent
indignation on tho .part of Senators Depow and
Aldrich over tho alleged interference of Germany
with tho noble tariff policy of tho United States?
One who is at all familiar with the reports of
tho chambers of commerce of Germany knows
that they are productions of remarkable ability,
based upon a careful study of conditions, and
published for the information of all Interested.
They are not partisan and Interested documents,
such as Aldrich and Depow tied on, but scientific
studies prepared by experts, and tho results of
a combination of studies, and, therefore, aro
usually unsigned. To raise tho charge of being
'anonymous' and hold it up to their discredit,
Is rank ignorance, and to reject them is to
exhibit a pitiful narrowness entirely unsuited
to the thirst for information that should charac
terize the framcr of a tariff schedule; The en
tire exhibition was childish, and better calculated
to make us blush for tho attitude of our sena
tors than to recognize so much as a grain of
truth In their cry against foreign interference.
The Information offered was of a very high qual
ity, much better than the reports pf our con
suls on industrial conditions in their districts
when a new tariff law is contemplated; and was
rendered by tho departmei of state in full sin
cerity. It marks one more phase In this truly
'American system,' where a greedy domestic
manufacturer is permitted to write the schedule
of duties affecting his product, but the offer of
Information from any source tending to reduce
his claim is flung out as an interference, some
thing to be resented, and it will ever be so while
tariffs are framed as they now are."
CONSIDERABLE light Is thrown Into a dark
place of the tariff discussion by tho follow
ing editorial which appeared In the Omaha
World-Herald: "In view of the vociferous
claims of the republican organs in this state
that Senators Burkett and Brown are entitled
to the lion's share of the credit for securing a
heavy tariff on barley, it is interesting to note
that the interest they served was the brewers
of the west and northwest. A Washington dis
patch says: 'New York stato wished barley and
malt at a cheaper rate that she might compete
with the malsters of the west and northwest in
the general trade of beer. A tariff that would
permit the importation of Canadian barley would
interfere with the northwestern brewers. Sen
ator Aldrich remained firm with the Minneapolis,
St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee brewers. Their
great force of lobbyists that has been here for
months was today in ecstasy. In 1897, when
the duty was 30 per cent ad valorem, the United
States Imported 1,254,968 bushels of barley. At
40 cents price, that meant a tariff of 12 cents
a bushel. The duty was raised under the Ding
ley act to 30 cents a bushel, and in tho year
following we imported but 10,220 bushels. The
present rate is almost prohibitive.' This is in
deed a 'glorious victory' for Senators Burkett
and Brown, fighting under the Aldrich banner,
to win for their Nebraska constituents! That
they assisted, by their efforts and their votes,
to put the great force of brewery lobbyists that
has been for months in Washington, fighting
for this tariff, 'in ecstasy,' is a great achievement
But what of tho consumers? Is thcro still to
bo nothing for them? It goes without saying
that Nobraska Is thankful for what her aonatora
havo been ablo to do in tho way of high tariffs
for tho beef trust and tho brewers but thoro
aro pcoplo In Nebraska besides theso. Peoplo
who aro interested in low tariffs on clothing,
hats, caps, boots and shoes, hosiery and gloves,
implements and machinery, sugar and salt, coal
and Iron and steel and a thousand othor things.
Aro Senators Brown and Burkett so busy sorv
Ing tho brewers and tho beof trust thoy can do
nothing for tho plain peoplo, who feel tho heavy
hand of tariff taxation laid upon thorn every
time thoy spend a dollar in a Nobraska storo?"
HERE IS A republican newspaper's (tho Chi
cago Inter Ocean) opinion of tho repub
lican tariff making: "Tho most surprising feat
ure of tho present tariff situation in congress Is
the graceless facility with which certain repub
lican sonators aro turning their coats. Theso
gentlemen seem to think a party pledge is not
binding is not oven serious enough to bo ex
plained when violated. By many republican
newspapers tho Inter Ocoan among them tho
policy of tariff revision downward wat accepted
last year without enthusiasm. But having ac
cepted it, tho republican press, without impor
tant exception, stands by It and urges that tho
party now show its good faith. On tho othor
hand senators who either hastened to approve
a tariff reduction policy or were blandly acquies
cent to it last ydar aro now urging a tariff 'ad
justment' rather than a 'reduction and are
pleading, even tearfully, ainst any lowering
of tho tariff for Industries In which they happen
to bo sectlonally or personally interested. Be
cause they may not havo given a personal pledge
under hand and sea! and had it. Irrevocably
recorded In cold type, theso persons scorn to
think themselves under no obligation of party
or personal honor. What their concopfcfon of
party and personal honor uay bo it Is difficult
for tho average republican to understand. It Is
certainly not the conception of the republican
press. There are difficulties In tariff revision
downward. Theso aro duo to the stato of busi
ness and tho condition of tho treasury. But
having promised to take the dose, the republi
can senators In Washington aro obligated not
now to reject it. Ldt us take our medicine.
Sugarcoat the pill with an inheritance or income
tax or stamp taxes, or what we will, but let
us take our medicine and not oxposo ourselves
to tho charge of broken rromlses and violated
honor. In this case all republicans in congress
will do well to follow tho example of tho repub
lican press which took the pledges of 1908 as
irrevocable arid stands by them now as then."
LOST THREE LITTLE WORDS, "REVISE,"
"Unequivocally" and "Immediately." If
found please return to the lost republican no
tional platform.
. BUNKOED
The ultimate consumer has been bun-
koed by the republican party in con-
gress. Seventy-five per cent of the ex-
lsting rates stand without change In the
o bills recently passed by tho house of rep-
resentatlveo and reported to the senate
by the committee of the whole of that
body. Of the remainder it Is conser-
vatlvely estimated that fifteen per cent 0
is raised and slightly under ten per cent
reduced. The average rate of duties is
higher In the house bill than In the 0
0 Dlngley law and will be even higher in 0
the senate bill. Washington Dispatch to 0
0 Chicago Tribune (Repf) 0
s)
.
Who says Nebraska is not in tho tariff fight?
Even the republican senators from Nebraska
can tell the difference between an upward re
vision and a downward revision.
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