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DECEMBER 10, 1909
Aldrlch, republican leader of the senate and
foremost advocate of the establishment of a
central bank, has-been in the middle west re
cently making numerous public addresses. It
is interesting tonoto that while the democrats
are strongly opposed to such a bank, a majority
of the republicans in all sections are in an un
certain frame of'mind. The World presents the
following concrete expressions of opinion on
this point: Against a central bank Democrats
(16) representing each of the four geographical
divisions, Senators Johnson, Alabama; Fletcher,
Florida; Congressmen Palmer, Pennsylvania;
Nicholls, Pennsylvania; Small, North Carolina;
Lamb, Virginia; Slayden, Texas; Ashbrotik,
Ohid; Barnhart, Indiana; Sabath, Illinois; Gra
ham, Illinois; Borland, Missouri; Booher, Mis
souri; Latta, Nebraska; Martin, Colorado;
Rucker, Colorado. Summing up the general
drift of opinion on this bank question, it would
seem that 90 per cent of the democrats are op
posed to it, while 75 per cent of the republicans,
regardless of sectional lines, are of undecided
mind and apparently open to conviction. The
next important question raised by President
Taft is that of amending the Sherman anti-trust
law so that its scope shall be narrowed to actual
conspiracies and monopolies suppressing trade.
This would relieve labor unions of liability in
case of boycott and likewise exempt a great va
riety of corporations that are now technically
violating the law'. On this subject there is no
division of opinion politically or sectionally,
democrats and republicans alike can be' divided
into two classes -those who favor a Revision of
the law and those who are of doubtfuropinlon.
They stand in about equal proportion in these
two attitudes. Very few members of congress,
are opposed to considering the subject.v Among .
tliose who declare'op'enly for amendment of. the
law reducing its ;rigidity and scope are: Rep
resentatives Palme" r pt Pennsylvania f Nicholls,
Pennsylvania"; Splglit, Mississippi: , Astxbrook,
Ojiio; barnhart,. Inftianfc, Sabath, Illinois; tatta,
Nebraska; Rucker, ( ' Colorado, all y, ? democrats,
Among the reptiDljeans, Hayes,, .jSaiifornia;
Kopp,' Wisconsin 'c . PearTe, .Maryland Fuller,
Illinois, may be citeX as 'specific examples of
those' who are "decisively for amendment. . The
establishment of postal savings- banks appears
not to meet with the general favor claimed for
it by persistent advocates in the past. On this
subject, .as with others at issue, there is. no par-,
tlcular party line division. The proposition has
strong advocates and strong opponents, among
both democrats and republicans. For example,
out of twenty representative democratic mem
bers of congress with whom the World com
municated on this subject eight declared t for
postal savings banks, nine, reported themselves
opposed, and three were not prepared to give
an answer either Way until examination of the
details of the scheme., Similarly, among twenty
republicans nine layered the plan, two opposed
it, and nine preferred to. give no definite answer.
Among members pf congress approached by The
World on this Subject there appears to be al
most unanimity of .opinion that a new law gov
erning the practice of, injunctions must be en
acted. There is very little expressed opposition
in either party, the only question being how
strong a curb should, be imposed. Among re
publicans, particularly those of the eastern and
northern central states, there is a more favor
ableview to subsidies, as a number of repre
sentatives who assert that they have not yet
made up their minds are inclined to take a
rather lenient attitude toward the proposition."
THE UNITED STATES government has sev
ered diplomatic relations with th6 govern
ment of Nicaragua. Secretary of State Knox
on December 1 returned the passports of Felipe
Rodriguez charge d' affairs of the Nacaraguan
legation with a letter scathingly denouncing
President Zelaya and his government. An As-
sociated Press dispatch from Washington says:
"The Letter is definitely declared to represent
the views of President Taft, and is about as
plainspoken" as anything emanating from the
state department in many years. The extra
ordinary feature of the letter is that it seems
to evidence an intention on the part of the
"United States to hold President Zelaya person
ally responsible for the alleged torture . and
execution of the Americans, Cannon and Groce,
and exhibited the unique situation of one gov
ernment holding the chief executive of another
practically as a common malefactor. Zelaya
is branded as a violator of solemn international
convention, a disturber of the national and in
ternational peace, a tyrant whose administration
The Commoner.
has been a blot on the namo of good govern
ment. Secretary Knox virtually announces the
recognition of the Nicaraguan revolutionists, de
clares it to bo the conviction of tho United
states that tho revolution represents tho senti
ments of a majority of tho Nicaraguan people,
and that therd is evidently no responsible gov
ernment with which tho United States can deal.
He therefore announces that all parties will bo
held accountable for their actions as affecting
the interests of Americans and tho poaco of
Central America. Ho further informs Sonor
Rodriguez that while ho haB loBt his diplomatic
quality, ho may still serve as an 'unofficial' chan
nel of communication with tho faction which
ho Is regarded as representing. This brings
the crisis as near to the status of war as it
could bo brought by oxecutlvo action without
a dofinite declaration by both houses of con
gress which will convene next Monday. Mr.
Knox's letter in all but so many words makes
it plain that the action represents tho wish and
attitude of all the Central American states with
tho single exception of Honduras, which Is re
garded hero as entirely dominated by Zolaya.
Mexico has all along shown its sympathy with
the United States in this matter."
A STUDY FOR men and women everywhere
Is provided in tho following news item
printed in the Chicago Record-Herald of Thurs
day, December 2: "Tho benevolent management
of 'Freiberg's,' Ike Bloom's notorious resort on
Twenty-second street, yesterday served notice
of a series of 'Christmas awards' on all the girls
who frequent the place. The prizos are to bo
given to the girls who sell tho most drinks be
tween December 1 and January 1. They are
three in number as follows: To the girl who
sells the most drinks, $100; to the next most
proficient drink seller, $50; to tho third most
proficient drink seller, $25. About twenty girls
are regular -attendants at tho dance hall and
the' monthly sales of drinks, especially during
holiday Reasons, run up to many thousands of
dollars. Although the character of the resort
Is 'well known numerous efforts on the part of
reform organizations to close it have been in
effective, chiefly because Alderman 'Bathhouse
John' Cough lin, poet and cotillon leader of the
First ward ball, owns the building which houses
it. Formerly the resort was run in a rough-and-tumble
fashion that brought down on it much
public condemnation and even warnings from
tho police, but recently Bloom has put it on a
'business basis,' Which has eliminated much un
necessary expense and brought in the money
fasten Under this new regime 'Freiberg's' has
become very exclusive as to the women who are
admitted within its portals. Applications for
'positions' are referred by the attendant at the
door to Bloom himself, who, before accepting
any girl, makes her subscribe to a series of rules
of which tho following are a few: 'All girls
must be in the hall by 9 a. m. and must re
main until 3 a. m. No girl may leave without
the verbal or tacit consent of the manager. No
girl may refuse a drink if her companion offers
to 'buy.' She need not drink It, but she must
accept it.' The only pay the girls receive is
the right to remain in the place. All the 'house'
gets out of it is the profit on the drinks but
that's plenty. A complete system of white
slavery is, however, obvious. Largely on ac
count of the political influence that Is back of
the place 'Freiberg's' has been immune from the
order recently enforced against all tho other
resorts in the district, requiring that no men
shall be employed on the premises, So far as
the moral tone of 'Freiberg's' is concerned it
is no better than the worst 'joint' in the 'ten
derloin.' "
AN INTERESTING statement relating to tho
government's revenue through tho liquor
traffic is given in Washington dispatches. These
dispatches relate to the annual report made by
the commissioner of internal revenue. Accord
ing to this report the receipts from taxes on
whiskey were $5,509,831 less during the fiscal
year of 1909 than in the preceding year and on
ales and beers, $2,444,183 less. Apparently, if
the figures are any indication, the drinkers
turned to tobacco for solace in their deprivation,
for the revenues from that source increased
during the same period $2,024,423-. The largest
increase was in chewing and pipe tobacco, $1,
478 875 and the revenue from cigarettes in
creased $722,912. The total revenues amount
ed to $246,212,719, of which $128,315,181
came from spirits, $50,303,496 from fermented
7
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liquors, and $51,887,187 from tobacco. Tho
clgaretto hnblt Is stoadily growing despite tho
efforts of loglslaturos in somo of tho Mutes.
Thoro wcro 6,080,291,908 "coffin nails" smoked
SJJSIns th,s flscal ycar ftn Increase of 703,087-
. 278 over tho amount consumed in 1908. At tho
samo time thoro was a decrcoao of 152,185,830
i ol.-,VLn!bor oC c,KurB mlKl and an Ihcronso
or- .$4,047,925 pounds of smoking and chewing
tobacco consumed. Tho snuff hnblt nluo uooms
to bo growing, for there woro 27,019,027 pounds
of this sneczo mlxturo sold during tho year an
incroaso of 4,471,866 pounds over tho procodlng
year. Tho commissioner estimates that tho re
ceipts from tho tax on corporations will produco
$15,000,000 in 1010 and $52,000,000 in 1911.
Tho cost of collecting tho Internal rovonues for
tho pnBt fiscal year was 2.02 por cent, compared
with the average cost of 2.09 por cent since tho
creation of the buroau. The states producing
nlH, ln,'K8t nuantitlcs of spirits aro Illinois, 37,
793,376 gallons; Indiana, 21,916,486 gallons;
Kentucky, 27,521,275 gallons, nnd Ohio, 9,119,
611 gallons. Now York loads in tho production
of ales and beers, followed by Pennsylvania, Illi
nois and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania and Now
York produced the greatest numbor of cigars,
New York the largest numbor of cigarettes and
North Carolina and Missouri ran closo in tho
amount of smoking and chewing tobacco pro
duced. Because or tho restrictive legislation
against tho sale of liquors In tho southern' states,
thoro has been an lncreaso In tho numbor of'
seizures of property for violation of tho Internal
revenue laws in that section. In Georgia thoro
wero 688 such seizures, In Alabama 228, North
Carolina 450, South Carolina 20, Virginia 204
and Tennessee 108. Tho total valuo of property
seizod during tho year was $543,255.
REFERRING TO the result of tho liquor fight
in Alabama tho New York World says:
"Alabama has rejectod by a substantial majority
tho proposed prohibition amendment to tho stato
constitution, but tho fact does not necessarily
imply a repudiation of prohibition. All that tho
stato has done Is to refuse to make abatlnonco
a constitutional question. It decline to bind
Itself Irrevocably to prohibition. The opposition
of "temperance leaders to tho amondtnont and
the reversal of tho vote of cities and counties
which had long fn some cases for twonty yoara
given their support to prohibition undor local
option may properly bo taken as evidencing a
view of temperance as a question of legislation
and not of fundamental law. It was moreover
Inevitable that a reaction should occur. against
a drastic law rigidly enforced. A protest qgalnst
the strict enforcement legislation enacted last
August may perhaps be discerned In tho result
of Monday's election. But even so, tho verdict
Is not conclusive. The liquor Interests may bo
expected to make the most of this apparent set
back to 'the dry law. It Is their first victory
to break a long series of defeats. Prohibition
has made gains during tho past twelve months
In thirty states. Nino states with a population
of above 12,000,000 havo prohibition Jaws
Maine, Kansas, North Dakota', Georgia, Okla
homa, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and
Tennessee, where liquor traffic was stopped last
July and the manufacture of liquor abolished
after December 31 next. Florida will voto next
year on stato prohibition, and active tompor
ance campaigns are In progress In twelve other
states. There aro 375 prohibition cities with a
population of 2,000,000, and no one knows quite
how many inhabitants of towns and counties
living under 'dry' conditions by local option.
Tho Alabama verdict may prove hardly more '
than a' temporary check to the Impetus of the
extraordinary wave of prohibition sentlmeht."
MR. STEVENSON'S BOOK
Mr. Bryan has just received an autograph cop
of a book recently Issued by a former vice presi
dent, Adlai E. Stevenson, through his publish
ers, A. C. McClurg & Co., of Chicago. The title
of tho book Is "Something of Men I Have
Known." Those who are acquainted with Mr.
Stevenson personally need not be assured that
tho book Is worth reading. Mr. Stevenson has
had an unusual opportunity to meet and know
personally the great men who havo come into
prominence since the civil war. His skill In
narrative has given him more than national re
nown, and his comments upon the men whom ho.
has known will enhance his reputation. Thoso
who read "Something of Men I Have Known"
will add to their store of general knowledge,
as the book will be an invaluable addition to
this department of literature.
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