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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1909)
Hr- MPfne" rt if" i '-.-, r SEPTEMBER 3, 10 The Commoner. V : V through a long list, averaging about th samo. This is not a case whero an American manufac turer is disposing of his surplus abroad, but the company makes that price in a deliberate effort and as a settled policy to get the business abroad. Senator Beveridge said he understood It intend ed building a factory in England. The amend ment of Senator Beveridge was that the duty be reduced to 15 per cent. The senate rejected this, and adopted the committee amendment, which gives the concern a 30 per cent protection against foreign competition." MOORFIELD STOREY, president, and Erving Winslow, secretary of the anti-imperialist league, have addressed to President Taft the following letter: 'JThe executive committee of the anti-imperialist league respectfully but earn estly deprecates the transfer of Porto Rican af fairs to the insular committee of the war de partment from the department of the interior, its previous connection with this department be ing in line with the aspirations of the inhabi tants of Porto Rico as presented by her resident commissioner for 'statehood within the union whenever congress will see fit to grant it; mean while self-government and the right to make our own laws in some form or other." The action taken must inevitably tend to create dis couragement and discontent and to suggest in definite postponement of the hopes of the islanders. And this committee desires also to express most emphatically its hope that the ad ministration will not give 'any encouragement to the proposal which has been made from time to time that the affairs of the Philippines and other dependencies' shall hereafter be confided to a new colonial department to be created, thus crystallizing and tending to give permanence to their retention; such retention in the case of the Philippines being contrary to the solemn declaration of the senate of the United States on the 14th of February, 1899, that nothing in the conduct of affairs with the Philippine Islands should be 'construed as farthering an intention to incorporate the Inhabitants of the Philippine Islands into citizenship of the United States nor to permanently annex said Islands as an Integral part of the territory of the United States As recently as the 9th of July last, the senior senator from Massachusetts, speaking for his party and for your administration, did in effect renew this declaration when a repeti tion of it was urged; against such repetition the sole special plea available having been that such action would throw 'suspicion' upon the good faith of the government." ERVING WINSLOW, of Boston, writes to the New York World to say: "Those who had hopefully anticipated some steadying and sober ing effect from his high office with great regret see that Mr. Taft in his address at Norwich last Tuesday took occasion to Teiterate former ani madversions upon the declaration of indepen dence. Of course his interpretation of the loyal and traditional adherence to the doctrines of that Instrument was mere burlesque when he said that the instrument is so construed by some as to make It mean "that any body of men or children or women are born with the instinct of self-government so that they can frame a government as soon as they begin to talk.' But after this unworthy frivolity the president pro ceeded seriously to expound his previously ex pressed views that the declaration of indepen dence is but a glittering generality when he declared that men 'are not fit to govern them selves until they have sense and self-restraint enough to know what is their interest and to give every other man all that is coming to him according to right and justice.' Here, between the lines, is to be read the defense with which Mr. Taft must stifle the reproaches of con science for undertaking the satrapy in the Phil ippine Islands, absolutely inconsistent with his previous convictions of the duty of the United States in the matter, in pursuance of the ambi tion kindled by Mr. McKinley with auguries like those of the witches in 'Macbeth now duly ful filled! Of course Mr. Taft must maintain the doctrine that men 'have to be led on and taught the principles and lessons of Belf-government Abraham Lincoln is a better interpreter of the declaration of Independence than William H. Taft. He would say today, scorning the trim ming and qulbhling of the president, as he said In 1859, that such a contention inevitably leads to 'the supplanting of the principles of free gov ernment and restoring those of classification, caste and legitimacy Mr. Xiincoln believed, ' and the American people believed with scarcely any exception until Hi dorollction of the repub lic ten years ago, that the nations of the earth were entitled to pursue their own evolution, and that Jefferson and his associates 'had the coolness, forecast and capacity to introduce into a mere revolutionary document an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so to embalm it there that today and in all coming days it shall be a rebuke and stumbling block to the very harbingers of ro-appoarmg tyranny and oppression " JN AN EDITORIAL on the cost of living tho Now York World says: "Without impugn ing the accuracy of tho bureau of labor's 'rela tive prices of commodities published by tho World yesterday, the figures can not measure the actual rise in tho cost of living from 1897 to 1908. An increaso of 37 per cent only in tho price of all commodities does not begin to state tho actual situation of tho consumer. Still, the figures do follow tho tendency of prices. They reveal the huge. revolution which has come about in the control of industry in tho last fif teen years. In 1893 wo had a panic. Prices had begun to fall in 1891, when It was foreseen. By 1894 the statistical average of prices was 14.8 'points,' or say 15 per cent, below tho boom year 1890. Prices remained low for five years, showing at tho bottom a decline of more than one-quarter. Tho panic was cured by natural means. People who needed money sold their goods cheap, and purchases were stimulated. At the least, men out of work for a time could live cheaply. How different tho course of the panic of 1907! In the Interval tho trusts had grown to giant size and tho law of supply and demand had, we were told, given place to benevolent industrial dictatorship. Tho steel trust for months held up prices to its own loss and tho general disadvantage. The big glass makers hold the little ones in line. Lumber could not decline much, because under high tariffs wo have cut nearly all our trees. Food and cloth ing rose in cost. And tho stated prices of all commodities averaged ten points higher in 1908, in the profound depression after the panic, than they were In tho boom year 1890. Twenty years of progress and invention had gone for naught. Processes were cheaper but prices were higher It was costing much more to live In 1908, when a vast army of honest and industrious men were out of work, than in 1890, when all were em ployed. And all that we had to compensate us for this manifest lowering of the conditions of general prosperity was a sheaf of vast and sud den fortunes whose vulgar and profligate dis play amazed the world." THE NEWSPAPERS are printing just now an instructive story from New York City and relating to the redemption of a young man who, although born to brilliant prospects sounded the depths. A New York dispatch to the Chicago Tribune tells the story in this way: "Tho scion of the man who by laying the first Atlantic cable became world famous, and later a financial ruler, Edwin F. Field, is working as a day clerk In a Chatham Bquare lodging house, trying to regain his manhood after years of dissipation. The eldest son, confidant and business successor of Cyrus W. Field, who owned his own steam yacht, coaches, and a palace on 'the avenue and who was surrounded by luxury, is now the associate of Bowery habitues, longshoremen, fakers, broken down 'touts' and a scattering of those who really work. The transition seems almost incredible. Field is cheerfully laboring , to regain a place and name in society, a place lost through dissipation and a name obliterated for almost ten years while the man lived on tho bounty of former friends. Such was the condi tion of Field when one night he wandered into tho Hadley rescue hall, 293 Bowery. Provi dence that night led another man into that mis sion. It was Bradford Lee Gilbert, the architect of the Grand Central station and an old friend of Field. Mrs. Gilbert and the widow of Jerry McAuley, the slum missionary, were also there. Mr. Gilbert was a college chum of Field; they had not met in all the years intervening sinco they were graduated until the chance meeting in the mission. Mr. Gilbert from a poor boy had become rich and famous in his craft. Field had lost his Inherited riches, his home, his friends and even his name. Mr. Gilbert per suaded Field to become one of the 'mourners' seeking a changed life, and a few nights later in the McAuley's Water street mission Field professed conversion. Superintendent John H. Wayburn of the mission interested himself in Field and helped him to get a job. That was two years ago. 'I don't 'like to talk of the past with Its nightmare of misery, but if it will help any on to 'come to himself I win gladly ten how said Field. 'When I was a homeless, helpless, and hopeless man, a slave to drink, and lost to all that was, upright and good, I wandored Into a mission and found that it was possible for mo to roform and load a different life Sing ularly Bradford L. Gilbert who 'found' Fiold in the mission and led him Into tho bettor life, now occupies tho old Fiold auito in tho Mansard of 1 Broadv.ay." NORMAN BUCK died recently at Spokane, Washington. Ho was at one timo assoclato justice of tho suproino court of Idaho, and ren dered a famouB decision known as tho "donkoy enso." An Associated Press correspondent Bays: "Judgo Buck was appointed assoclato Judgo of tho supromo court of Idaho in 1881. Ho was assigned to tho four northern counties and took up his residence at Lewlston. In this cervico lie had some Interesting experiences. Ho first held court at Pierce City, tho old seat of Shonhono county. This was changod to Eagle, and tho judgo was taken up the river in a canoe to hold tho first session in the now court, Tho discovery of tho mines In northern Idaho shifted the scono and Judge Buck established court at Murray, where United States Senator Hoyburn, W H. Claggett, Frod Ganahl, Patrick Honry Winston, Frank Allen. Major Wood, Judgo Mayhow and others wero engaged in tho practlco of law. Theso were tho days when the court room was ofton filled with minors and when 'Teddy Guth rie, former prize fighter and sheriff, stood by tho judgo and maintained order with drawn revol vers. During that poriod Judgo Buck rendered his famous decision In tho 'donkoy' caso. Cooper and Peck, who owned tho burro, which Kellogg and O'Rourko found whilo kicking up 'pay dirt Instituted suit for a' share of tho 'find Tho caso was tried before Judgo Buck and a jury. Tho latter had decided against tho plaintiffs when tho court reversed the finding and handed down his opinion, which Is part of tho Judicial rocords of Idaho: 'From the ovldonco of tho witnesses, this court Is of tho 6pInion that tho Bunker Hill mino was discovered by tho jackass, Phil O'Rourko and N. S. Kellogg; and as the Jackass is tho property of tho plaintiffs, Cooper and Peck, they are entitled to a half Interest in tho Bunker Hill and a quarter interest In tho Sullivan claims The caso was appealed to tho supremo court, but compromised botoro-lt came to trial, Cooper and Peck receiving ? 70,000 for their share and many thousands of dollars wero distributed among other principals, law yers and middlemen." IN AN EDITORIAL entitled "Fighting- It to tho Last Ditch," the Saturday Evening Post says: "In Juno, 1906, it may bo recalled, con gress passed an employers' liability act, the pur pose of which chiefly was to enable railroad employes to recover damages for injuries re sulting from accidents even though the negli gence of some far-off 'fellow-servant' had con tributed to the accident. In January, 1908, the supremo court declared this act unconstitu tional on the ground that it applied to acci dents arising in state as well as in interstate commerce, and congress had power ovor the latter only. To cure this defect congress passed a new act, in April 1908, applying only to acci dents Tarislng in interstate commerce. Article VI, Section 2, of the Constitution says: 'This constitution and the laws of the United States made in pursuance thereof shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby Under the act of April, 1908, two Connecticut brakemen sued a railroad. The trial court dismissed tho suit, and recently the Connecticut supremo court of errors, on appeal, upheld the trial court, rul ing that congress did not Intend, and had no power, to make the act of April, 1908, Incum bent on state courts. Consequently, if the brakemen wish to recover damages they must sue in the United States court Generally speaking, to sue in the United States court is expensive and Inconvenient. In one western case, recently ended, whero a brakeman sued for loss of both feet, there wero seven different trials In the state circuit court, the stato supreme court, the United States circuit court and tho United States supremo court before the cripple finally got his money. How much of tho money there was left, after paying costs and counsel fees, wo do not know. The spectacle of an affluent corporation fighting to tho last ditch in order to beat a maimed workmen out of his claim for damages js common, but not edifying' vLjwr