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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 26, 1910)
,"wri,siR,,i - "Tfjtrf!pwvr"" u The Commoner. 1 AUGUST 2$, 1910 "iqfpppjp'Ti - - w, wsTff.gs tyifQfWpimvtfmmW" v" FVcwirr' 'i , rwn'lPrr fo. $ t . Tho triumphant air that hovered over the gath ering of republican leaders as thoy emerged' from tho meeting and after the defeat of Colonel Roosevelt was remarkable. One of the leaders said that now at last scores had been evened and vengeance wracked for the interference of Colonel Roosevelt with two successive repub lican state conventions when the nomination of Governor Hughes had been forced through against the will of leaders as a result of orders from Colonel Roosevelt, then tho inhabitant of the White House. Some of the leaders, notably State Chairman Woodruff and William Barnes, who had engineered the defeat of the Sagamore Hill colonel, wero anxious to have it appear after the meeting that no discourtesy was in tended, that they still considered Colonel Roose velt a great man and that all the blame should be placed with Mr. Griscom, who had forced the vote involving so much humiliation to 'tho former president." A CONFERENCE between Roosevelt and his political advisers was held and it was determined that the former president would not take any part in tho coming stato campaign. Eleven hundred delegates to the national negro business men's league endorsed Mr. Roosevelt for tho 1912 presidential nomination. It is re ported that Mr. Roosevelt believes the republi cans will be defeated in the New York state campaign and he intends to relieve himself of all responsibility for that defeat, thus paving his way for a clear field in 1912. President Taft has written a letter stating that he had nothing to do with the defeat of Mr. Roosevelt for chairman. CALLING UPON Theollore Roosevelt to be como a reformer in earnest, the Denver News says: "One of the great troubles which his intelligent admirers have" found with ColSnel Ropsevelt as a reformer, has been his ardent assumption that he is 'reform.' There is no necessity to look farther. If he supports Lodge, the standpatter, in Massachusetts; there is re form. If he aids Stanton, the Southern Pacific candidate in 'California; there also Is reform. Arid let him -who doubts stand condemned. It has all been personal with Mm. The amazing nature of tho ' man so energetic, so certain, so self-satisfied made inevitably to this fact: that what he approved was, by his approval, endowed with righteousness; and what he did not accept was, by his rejection, filled with all manner of villainy. A triumphal march to the summit of human exaltation, accompanied by huzzas that took less account of merit than suc cess, lent certainty to his appreciation of un erring self. In recent days he has encountered his first rebuffs. He has learned that the Roosevelt dictum .is not the divine word, at whose sound all creatures must bow tho reverent head. Is he so splendid of soul that he' can grasp the lesson which this experience teaches? Can he acquire a human humility? We hope so. From him has emanated a spirit of revolt against Injustice. Millions of his fellow-citizens have accepted the impulsion which he imparted. .Happily, in many cases, their sense of direction aiid proportion was better than his own; and where he fought certain entrenched evildoers whom he personally disapproved, an army of less self-conscious reformers has been raised to wage war against the whole evil influence that dominates government in behalf of special privilege. Reform did not begin with him. It will not end with him. But ho would be one of Its mightiest captains, if he could learn that precious lesson of humility for after bending his pride, he might lift his soul into communion with Justice. He has been tremendous in his strength, but he has been infrequently unjust in its use. If he will cease to be a reformer from personal whim and become a reformer from principle, he can now repay a part of the debt which, he owes to his country." ASTANDPAT view of the Roosevelt episode Is given by the Burlington (la.) Hawkeye in an editorial entitled "The Roosevelt Turn down." That editorial follows: "Great excite ment will be occasioned by the news that tho 'old gugard' In New York state republican poli tics turned down Theodore Roosevelt hard yes-.,- terday by refusing to name him as temporary chairman of the state convention. But there should be of no such exhibition of emotion. The case is a very plain one. The party in power in New York has leaders who have been chosen by the majority of its members. These leaders are expected to direct the course of the party in campaigns. Mr. Roosovelt has como from a year's hunt In Africa, acquainted with condi tions in Now York state only from hearsay, and Very likely through distorted sources. Ho as sayed at once, on arriving on the ground, fresh from the killing of big game, to advlBo tho legislature how to attend to tho peoplo's busi ness. It refused to be so advised, and turned tho mighty hunter down. Again, yesterday, after tho name of the vice president of tho na tion had been presented for temporary chair man of the state convention, friends of Mr. Roosevelt's very unwisely suggested tho sub stitution of the former president's name. This, it was stated, was done with Mr. Roosevelt's consent. The stato central committee, which was deciding tho, matter, promptly defeated tho suggestion that VIco President Sherman bo turned down in favor of Roosevelt, as it was proper that it should. And that Is all thoro is about it. Mr. Roosevelt has only himself to blame in tho matter. Had ho considered tho wishes of the republicans, as indicated by tho action of the state legislature in refusing to bo dictated to by him, he would havo been saved the humiliation of yesterday. Tho whole thing can- be simmered down into tho frank statement that no normal group of men, politicians or otherwise, like to be dltcated to. Thoy will stand for it awhile, but not always." AN ASSOCIATED Press dispatch, referring to Mr. Roosevelt, says: "From an unques tioned source it is known that he has taken deeply to heart what ho considers to bo tho hostility of men close to the administration, and he regards the selection of Vice President Sherman for the temporary chairmanship of tho republican state convention as the result of this nttltude. Ho called to his visitors attention that he had spoken no word of criticism' of tho rdministratlon and made them understand that it was his plan not to do so, adding that he would confine himself solely to a policy of affirmation of the doctrines which he considers to be to the best interest of the nation, looking to the future and no.t to the past." I FOLLOWING A VISIT to President Taft at I Beverly, A Representative Longworth gavo out a statement declaring that,Mr. Cannon had to go as, speaker of the house. Dispatches from Danville, Mr. Cannon's home, say that tho speaker will continue in the race and that ho has no doubt that Jne Longworth statement was inspired by President Taft. It is becom ing a general opinion that the republican leaders have determined to throw the aged speaker oyerboard, using him as a sort of Jonah in the hope of saving the republican vessel. IN AN INTERVIEW printed in the- Chicago Inter-Ocean Speaker Cannon said ho expect ed to be re-elected to congress and that then he would be a candidate for speaker. Mr. Cannon paid his respects to the insurgents in this way: "The senators and representatives who call themselves 'insurgents' and who votod against the enactment of the Payne bill, voted to increase or maintain the duties on the In dustries and products of their own states and sections. They "were protectionists for their own people but were opposed to protection fcr other people in other sections. Senator LaFol lette did not vote to Increase the duties on lead and zinc, but he defended the finance commit tee's schedules on those products in speeches, saying they were not high enough, explaining, however, that he could not vote on the question because he said he had a personal pecuniary Interest In the outcome. Senators LaFollette and Bristow and other so-called 'insurgents' voted to increase the duty on barley and barley malt for the reason that their constituents pro duce barley. In other words, these gentlemen who call themselves 'insurgents' voted with tho republicans on schedules that protected tho product of their constituents and with tho demo crats on schedules that protected the products of other sections of the country." WRITING TO THE New York World Champ Clark says: "The riotous totals of tho appropriation bills should wake the American taxpayers up. They are now over a billion dol lars a session and still growing like Jonah's gourd vine. Hitherto and even yet whea democratic representatives have fought extrava- gance, we have been accused either of cheese paring or of a desiro to cripple the government; but republican extravagance-'has become so "flag rant that even certain republican leaders are scared and are seeking to call a halt. Senator SfaktQ Count- Aldrlch puts tho amount of republican at three hundred millions pur annum. .'Count ing our population at 90,000,0.07 that's $3.33 1-3 a year for ovcry man, woman and child within tho broad conflnoH of tho republic which, allowing flvo persons to the family, makes a wastago of $1G.G0 2-3 to tho family. This la a waste, romombcr, nnd that amount makes vast dlfferenco in tho comfort of millions of families. Of course, with many families it la inconsequential, but with most famillos ovon the small sum of $16. GG 2-3 per annum hi a; very desirable thing. President Taft puts tho amount that could bo saved at $100,000,000 per annum, whijlo Senator Thomas II. Carter of Montana states that $125,000,000 a year could . bo saved in tho postofllco department alone. Senator Halo of Maine says that largo savlngB could be made without detriment to tho public sorvlce, though ho falls to stato tho amount. The8o aro all republican witnesses. The rouub-.' licans havo had absolute possession of tho Whlto House, tho senato and the house of repre sentatives for over thirteen years. Why, then, havo thoy not cut down tho appro priations Instead of Increasing thorn? Simply becauso they can not. They do not know how. It's a clear caso of gross Incompetency. Thoy havo proved incapacity or their unwillingness to economize and theroforo should bo put out of place and power. In one of his recent reckless statements Mr. Speaker Cannon tried to load tho extravaganco onto tho democrats. Ho know that that was not true. Brother Samuel Walker McCall tries to mako tho Panama canal tho scapegoat; but that will docelvo nobody outside of Massachusetts and very few persons Inside. Ho seems to think it a waste of money to improve tho Mississippi and its tributaries, but he thinks it-a good thing to spend tho public money for" tho White Mountain Reservation. Much de pends" on whoso ox is gored. Yea, verily." REFERRING TO tho report that Oklahoma' guarantee deposit law is a failure, E. B. Cockrell, bank cdmmissionor fdr Oklahoma says: "If the editors of somo of tho eastern financial journals would attend a convention of tho Oklahoma Bankers' Association and meet tho hundreds of conservative and Intelligest bank officers who aro managing 900 institutions in this stato, they would form different con clusions concerning them. It is certainly a sad condition of affairs when a large proportion of the financial journals of tho country will deliberately attempt to misrepresent and malign all of the banks of a great stato like Oklahoma becauso such Institutions see fit to form an alliance for tho purpose of protecting depositors in all institutions against loss, as well as pro tecting themselves against a loss of confidence on accpunt of tho bad management and failure of a few banks. As, an Illustration of tho differ ence in liquidating a failed bank under the ojd regime and under the present law, tho Capital National bank of Guthrie, which failed flvo or six years' ago with assets of about $1,000,000, has only paid 65 cents on tho dollar to 'deposit ors, and in such small amounts that it" has scarcely been more than a fair rate of interest on the amount they had deposited, while tho Columbia Bank and Trust company of Okla homa City, which failed on the 28th day of last September, with assets and liabilities In excess of $3,000,000, has been completely liquidated and all depositors have received one hundred cents on tho dollar. The Oklahoma stato banks have reserves of 35 per cent, which shows a stronger position than tho banks of nlrie tenths of the states In the union. Tho Oklahoma banking laws surround tho financial Institutions of this stato with more safeguards than tho laws of any other state, and correct many of the evils which are prevalent under, the national banking law, such as giving the bank commis sioner the authority to regulate the rate of In terest which banks may be permitted to pay on deposits, and power to remove any bank officers who are found to be dishonest, reckless, and incompetent. Under date of May 25, 1910, the Hon. Lawrence O. Murray, the best man who has ever occupied the comptroller's office at Washington, wrote this department concern ing the payment of interest on deposits, saying: 'I congratulate you on your good fortune in having a law under which you are able to cor rect a real evil.' " The American Homestead, a monthly farm journal of national scope, will be sent to all Commoner subscribers, without additional cost, Who renew their subscriptions during the month of September. Take advantage of thJs offer 'at once, and send in your renewal. t V 4 'A n M n m ?! n l 2 ji', . .. R3&raHBba( ' 'fc