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VOLUME 10, NUMBER 19
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY.
Entered at tho Pontofllco r.t Lincoln, Nebraska,
b accond-clann matter.
WlM.lAM J. UMYAM
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nob.
reached at last where it 1b plain that the chasm
which opened following tho enactment of tho
tariff law can not bo bridged, and it is about
equally plain that tho president now does not
caro to bridgo it if ho could. Ho now holds that
tho insurgents in congress aro his enemies. He
proposes to light them. There is to bo no quar
ter. Tho man in tho White House will regard
tho insurgents, bo they known as progressive
or by any othor namo, ns secessionists, and ho is
going to fight with Aldrlch and with Cannon."
WOODRUFF IS THE LEADER
By tho election of George II. Cobb as presi
dent pro torn of the Now York state senate, Tim
othy L. Woodruff, former lieutenant governor,
becomes tho republican leader for Now York
Woodruff won out over tho combined effort of
Senator Root, President Taft and Governor
Hughes. An Associated Press dispatch under
dato of March 11 says:
,, 'Ic, Pro8l(len.t Sherman and Representative
McKinloy, chairman of tho republican congres
sional committee, are evidently disturbed by tho
developments in tho republican caucus at Al
bany last night. Together they called to seo
Prosidont Taft today and while waiting in tho
ante-room Mr. Sherman, whoso expressions
Boomed to have boon endorsed by Representative
Mckinley in commenting on tho caucus said
I was not pleased with tho selection (referring
to Cobb as president pro torn to succeed Allds)
The other selection (meaning Hinman) would
havo meant plain sailing for tho campaign, with
no clouds or squalls in tho way. I would Tot
say that tho courso of ovents complicates mat
ters, but it certainly disturbs them.' "
GARFIELD ON THE STAND
Washington, March lO.Jaihes R. Garfield
former secretary of tho Interior, was finally evl
ousod from tho witness stand at the Ballinger
Pinchot investigation late this afternoon. His
final half hour boforo tho committee furnished
tho sensational of what had been up to that
timo a decidedly dull day. Mr. Garfield state
that Mr Ballinger, after having been comn ?s
sloner of the land office, submitted to him on
September 17, 1909, an affidavit signed by cia
once Cunningham and containing tho statement
that the Guggonheims had no interest whatever
in tho Cunningham group of coal claim? ?i
Alaska, while, as a matter of fact, tho record
of a recent hearing beforo a senate committee
on territories shows that prior to tho making
of tho affidavit the Guggenheim syndicate had
boon given an option of a half interest in all the
Cunningham claims. XUQ
Attorney Brandies, who was questioning Mr
The Commoner.
Garfield, followed up this declaration by read
ing from Secretary Ballinger's report to Presi
dent Taft on September 4, last, concerning tho
Glavls charges, the statement that Mr. Ballinger
had suggested to Mr. Cunningham an amend
ment to an affidavit made prior to tho one which
ho presented to Secretary Garfield on September
19, and that Mr, Cunningham made the amend
ment by explaining in detail what ho meant by
certain terms used in his former affidavit.
Mr. Garfield said Mr. Ballinger, in giving him
tho affidavit, left tho impression that his action
was entirely casual, and that ho had been re
quested by friends in Seattle to leave it on file
for whatever it might be worth. Mr. Brandies
then called attention to the fact that tho namo
of Mr. Ballinger's law firm was printed on the
backing of tho affidavit. Associated Press dis
patch. BALLINGER'S EARS BURN
Ono day's proceedings before tho Ballinger
investigating committee are given by the Asso
ciated Press in this way:
Engineer Davis said Secretary Ballinger de
ceived tho president when he represented to him
that ho was prompted to order the restoration
of public lands to entry because the reclamation
sorvico had recommended it. Davis said the
recommendations of the reclamation service were
mado only when Ballinger had given orders to
havo such recommendations.
Ballinger, tho witness declared, was at heart
against reclamation, and he feared all that had
been done in the past would be undone if the
secretary had his way.
Ballinger, he said, in public commended re
clamation, but in private he criticised it and com
plained that all of Secretary Garfield's acts in
ordering withdrawals were illegal.
Ballinger, it was testified, ordered restorations
made quietly, so as not to attract too much attention.
MR. TAFT FULL OF FIGHT
Washington dispatch to the Philadelphia
North American (rep.):
It is no longer a secret that the republican
congressional campaign committee will endeavor
to prevent the re-eleotion of every man in the
house who has fought Cannon, and that the
same effort is to be directed against the members
of the senate who have refused to follow the
lead of Aldrlch.
This is to be done despite the general fear
among republicans of all factions that the next
house will bo democratic. Obviously, the efforts
of the Cannon and Aldrich partisans will con
tribute to that result.
President Taft is in full sympathy with the
plans of tho campaign committee. They have
been discussed at tho White House, and no move
is being made without the president's knowledge
and consent.
Recently thero was a conference at the White
House respecting the' possibility of besting both
Cummins and Dolliver in Iowa. This proposi
tion is so manifestly absurd that it caused noth
ing but laughter when it was announced in the
newspapers.
In tho meantime, the president is finding that
any attempt by him to influence the political
situation brings additional embarrassment to
him.
His appointment of Wade H. Ellis as the cam
paign manager in Ohio has been so bitterlv re
sented by the Ohio republicans that the presi
dent is protesting that ho had nothing to do
with it, and is putting the blame upon Arthur I
Vorys.
MONEY TRUST FOR WAR
Washington, March 10 The "money trust" is
attempting to make the state department pull
Its ch estnuts from the fire in tho far east ac
cording to Congressman Francis Burton Harri
son (dem.) of New York, and unless we intend
to follow England's example and go to war for
trade, the open door forced by tho late secreta?v
?aceSse' Jhn Hay' WiU be "mnodTS
In his opinion, it is a banker's war that blaoir
ens tho diplomatic horizon. "It looks as thonih
"; Russia and Japan had all got togethS
said Mr. Harrison, commenting on the lntrS JL
velopments in the oriental situation "and
they are all Mongolians, Russia as well as the
other two, it is not to be wondered at that Uipv
have done so. If we were in England's SW
we might go to war over tho thing for En X ?!S
fights for her trade. The staie i L? eIan?
whilo for us to do so. Our factories canS
along without the Chinese or Japanese ftrSS S?J
don't make a bit of difference to the workmen
in these factories whichever way the squabble
turns out. If tho Morgan banks do not get their
share of tho division over there, I guess we can
stand that, too. Certainly the people of the
country would not sanction for a minute the
idea of going to war to fight for the 'money
trust's' share." Associated Press dispatch.
IOWA DEMOCRATS HOPEFUIi
Des Moines, Iowa', dispatch to the Omaha
World-Herald:
Iowa democrats are expressing the greatest
satisfaction over tho reports from Washington
which reached Des Moines Saturday to the effect
that President Taft had gone over to the Aldrich
Cannon camp, and that he was interesting tiini
self in the outcome' of the Iowa' republican con
vention. Democrats believe that greater bitterness than
ever will result from the president's efforts to
mako the state convention standpat, and that
the democrats are surer than evor of victory in
the Second, First, Sixth, Eighth, and possibly
the Seventh congressional' districts, and in the
gubernatorial fight.
The reports from Washington state that Sen
ator Dolliver's political scalp is in danger, and
that the president would crush every Iowa in
surgent. The democrats believe that the pro
gressives will never support a standpat candi
date for the United States senate. ,
TROUBLE IN NEW YORK
Albany, N. Y., March 10. Disregarding the
advice of United States Senator Elihu Root and
Governor Hughes, the republican members of
the state senate at the close of an all night con
ference elected George H. Cobb of Watertown
as president pro tem to succeed Jotham P.
Allds. Cobb received seventeen votes, including
his own.
Much more than the mere selection of a ma
jority leader was involved in tonight's struggle.
It represented a test of strength between Chair
man Timothy L. Woodruff, of the republican
state committee, William Barnes, Jr., and others
of the old party leaders and Senator Root, Gov
ernor Hughes and the national administration
at Washington. Thirty-three senators went into
the conference, making seventeen necessary for
a choice. Associated Press dispatch.
THE PEOPLE. BETRAYED
Tho controlling organization of the republi
can party is worse than discredited before ther
country. It stands condemned, by public senti
ment and overwhelming public expression, for
betraying the people on the tariff.
That betrayal was conscienceless, brutal and
defiant. The people may know that the in
creased cost of living is not entirely due to the
tariff, but they are keenly sensitive to the enor
mities of the tariff burden. That sensitiveness
forced the nomination of President Taft and his
promises and those of the republican platform
that the tariff would be revised downward
No party, no president, ever had a finer oppor
tunity to merit and enlist enlightened popularity
than had the republican party and President
Taft one year ago. That opportunity was dis
regarded. The country was betrayed and has
utterly repudiated those leaders who are re
sponsible for the betrayal.
But the amazing spectacle is that with tho
best possible means for knowing pub ic feeling
with evidences of party demoralization on every"
hand, .and with a congressional election com?S
on, not one thing has been done and not nSf
w , ,R(J0SEVELT ON THE STUMP
Washington, D. C, March 9. The rennhHmm
Officials of the committee, it is said havA hoon
in correspondence with Mr SAnmSv f ?een
unfolded to him a Plan fti1"179
spectacular speech making tour of X S?l?eS a
ticularly in states where the so-called in JLPf 7
movement is militant. insurgents'
Tho former president's attention ia DnIJ
have been called to the fact 2St m laor l ?
dent Taft, then secretary of war 5' Pesl"
of the west upholding 5L poHcies tf Pri5U!
Roosevelt and appealing for a T return PLesIdent
publican house of reprelentatives Tha? it Jm
?hTrruytrrjr ffi
belief of the commifttoM &
grwpwriMwwo
& wAiaiftttytiika.