r,
The Commoner.
13
BBPTBMBER 1, 111'
not particular classes of American
citizen; but, sir, as I have listened
to tlieie debates I have been struck
with the fact that those who own
woolen mills have been most active
in the defense of the tariff upon
manufactured woolen goods and that
those who own sheep have been most
intensely Interested in the welfare of
the sheep owners. I put it hard upon
the conscience of every man within
the sound of my voice whether the
duties devolving upon a senator are
not as high and as sacred as those
devolving upon the judges of our
courts.
I have heard in this chamber
beautiful eulogies pronounced upon
the bench of America, and I have
joined in those eulogies, indorsed
those sentiments, and applauded
their utterance; and yet, sir,
great as is the. supreme court of
the United States, far as wo have
tried to place its members above the
influences that reach into the life
and mind of every man, well as
these judges have been trained in
their profession, long as they have
walked the straight path of equity
and observed the bounds of justice
marked by the law, fortified as they
are by experience, guided though
they be by precedent, oxample, rule
of, law, and the light of learning,
there is not one of them who would
sit in a' case where he had the slight
est personal or financial interest.
There is not, sir, a circuit judge
upon the federal bench, there is not
a district judge sitting in any of the
counties of our states, there is not a
justice of the peace in any enlight
ened community who would claim
the right to decide a case in which
he had a direct financial interest.
If the judges of courts, then, are
not above the touch of influence, and
wealth; but I do, sir, solemnly pro
test against any man using tho
United States senate as the point
from which to subserve his personal
interests. I apply that to every man
who sits in this chamber, or has over
sat in this chamber, who votes a tax
upon the people of the country when
he knows that a large part of that
tax will Anally jingle down into his
own capacious pockets.
So, since the challenge has been
thrown out by tho senator from
Wyoming, I venture to say that while
men may rightly come to this body
who possess great wealth, while men
may rightly come to this body who
have great property interests, yet if
the proper spirit animates them, if
clean ideals animate their souls, they
will do as the just judge does when
he finds his interests are involved in
the case on trial just as the judgo
will step down from tho bench and
refuse to sit in a matter in which he
is financially concerned so tho In
terested senator will step aside when
ever the question to bo determined
directly affects his personal interests
in any other manner than it affects
the interest of the, people of the
country at large. If that be not tho
conscience of the senate today; if
tho rule embraces a horizon too
broad for the vision of this hour, I
make the prediction that within the
lives of nearly all of us you will find
the rule has been adopted and obtains
hero without dispute ' and without
breach.
Mr. President, I know that they
have many fine flocks of sheep out
in Montana, out in Wyoming, and
out in the west generally; "and I have
been noticing, while this debate was
going on, a few figures. Tho as
tonishing fact is that one-half of the
not above the touch of influence, and sheep of the United States are found
if they all shun the mere possibility grouped in what is known as tho
of Delng warped in their judgment
by their personal interest, I ask you
what it is that has created Immunity
for men in this body?
C . r M V s. S" 1 I iJrnv WttJ. MMmminy )
ommoaoiift
I do not care how just the man
may be, I do not care how he may
seek to serve only his country, his
conscience, and his God, there is no
man who can make certain that in
the end it is not his own personal
interest which is controlling him, if
he have a great personal interest.
Mr. President, it was In effect said
by the senator from Wyoming that
men should not come to this body
?!!?H.S?55K.1'!3!?JEr Socks Sd"tto nerdV . are
The inference was broad that those Ked JaAv?rbPy1Sdve,rZ
Kill, ' OVBI'Jf UttUtJ CUCIO HCD J1X JUJ
western division, embracing Mon
tana, Wyoming, Coloratfo, New
Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada,
Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Cali
fornia. I observe, too, that the number of
sheep is small in several of those
states, but that when you come to
Montana you find 5,372,639 sheep, in
Wyoming 5,194,959 sheep, and In
Utah 1,670,890 sheep. Nearly one
third of all the sheep of the United
States are in those three states.
But I observe another thing.
Since we are asked to protect the
In Retrospect
Seems to mo tho years go faster than
they did in times gone by;
Then thoy used to creep at snail's
pace, now thoy seem to fairly
fly.
Weeks like days and days liko hours,
and the clockhands fairly raco
As they make their dally journeys
'round tho old clock's solemn
face.
Evening shadows ever crowding on
tho glowing lights of dawn;
Morning's crimson over breaking ore
tho twilight gray is gone.
Yes, tho sandB of life run faster, run
along at rapid rate
When a fellow's hair is graying and
he passes forty-eight.
Forty-eight! And drawing closer to
the grim half-century mark;
Silver sheen that shines so clearly in
tho hair onco deeply dark;
Littlo crowsfeet slowly spreading,
deepening wrinkles o'er tho
face
All a .proof that time is flying at a
swift, relentless pace.
Growing love of peace and quiet in
the sweet confines of home;
Gone the old unrest that led mo in
days gone to widely roam.
So the changes come upon me,
changes slow but growing great,
And I realize the difference one can
feel at forty-eight.
Forty-eight! Mere year.o in num
ber what care I how swift
they go?
Every one has brought me blessings
not all men can claim to know.
Love and homo and happy children,
sweet companion by my side;
Creature comforts without number
as adown life's stream we glide.
And I hear tho ringing laughter of
my children as thoy play,
Feel the handclasp of life's com
rade as we pass along tho way.
And I thank God. for my blessings,
thank Him for my rich estate
Home and love and happy children
young of heart at forty-eight!
who have little money should not
come at all and. sit here in "the
councils of the mighty." I grant
you that men should not be sent
here because they have no money;
neither should they be sent here be
cause they have much money nor
should they get here by the use of
money. I grant you that a man
ought not to be sent here be
cause he has little money; but
I say that it is as true today as
it was in the days the sentence was
uttered that "It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter into
the kingdom of God." That ancient
aphorism does not seem to apply to
the United States senate. But then
sometimes I even entertain a fear
that this forum does not very much
resemble the celestial fields. Why
did the sentence I have just quoted
fall from the. lips of Christ? It was
said, sir, because it was true then,
as it is true now, that those who own
vast properties, who control immense
riches, are likely to let their property
interests outweigh the interest of
country and humanity.
I would not attack the flocks and
herds of the great west; I would not
take an honest dollar from any
honest man's pocket. I object to no
swaddling clothes in the cradle, and
every mother of this land; since wo
are asked to tax the entire 90,000,-
000 people none of th'em escape
1 challenge attention to this very
significant fact: While in Wyoming
they have 5,194,959 sheep, there are
only lj.670 men who own those mil
lions of sheep. That number counts
every man who owns a ewe or a
lamb; it counts every man who
owns een one sheep. I presume that
unon the farms out there, as else
where, many farmers only keep 4 or
6 or a dozen sheep for the purpose
of raising mutton or other domestic
uses. These figures then,' teach tne
fact, nay, make It patent, that nearly
a)l these millions of sheep, are owned
by an exceedingly limited number of
people. The figures also suggest, if
they do not demonstrate, that the
sheep are owned by wealthy corpora
tions not the humble farmer, not
the shepherd who is struggling, with
adversity and contending with pover
ty. It is these vast corporations,
owning vast herds, which they graze,
I doubt not, largely upon the free
public lands; that are rbero today
clamoring that a tax ibe,5 levied, upon
every rag which goes upon the back
of an American cltlz.onj . They are
demanding that- tnis tnpuie oe- mm
always gavo tno tho chills to look
at it.
Thoro was ono littlo old picturo
that hung upon tho wall that I'd glvo
a great deal to havo hanging on tho
wall of my "don" tonight. I do not
know what ovor became of It. But
I can close my eyes and sco it right
now. Thero was a plump littlo wo
man sitting in a chair, her crinoline
banked all around her, her hair
smoothed down ovor her cars, her
hands wore foldod primly In her lap,
and thoro was a big brooch fit tho
throat of hor wide whlto collar and
big half-moon earrings dangling
from her ears. At ono side and Just
a littlo behind her stood a great big,
bearded, six foot two Inch man, ono
hand upon her shoulder and tho
other thrust Into tho bosom of his
closely buttoned coat. A row of big
brass buttons decorated tho coat's
front, and the sleeves bore tho
chevrons of a first sargoant. To my
childish mlpd tho man In that pic
ture was a greater soldior than "Or
Grant," for It was a portrait of
father and mother, taken a day or
two before father marched away to
fight for tho old flag. Tho picture
did not show tho overcoat ho wore a
bit later, but I havo a distinct recol
lection that my first pair of pants
was mado from that samo old bluo
army overcoat.
And there was another picture.
It represented two baby angels neer-
I Ing over tho top of a fence, or somc-
tning eise. Ait wo couiu see wan
their heads and tho tips of their
wings, and they seomod to bo gazing
very intently at nothing in particu
lar. I used to fear that I'd grow
up to be like that precious pair, but
I've been told since that my fears
wore groundless.
I've overlooked a lot of pictures.
A fellow can not think of everything
at once, especially if ho has some
thing liko forty years to think back
over. I'd like to havo you remind
me of some that I haven't mentioned.
mnti minWHnfr hfo flocks and guard- ... -h industry oft -the land for
Mlt-Si? D"m (Continued on Pa6e 14.)
Some Old Pictures
A good friend in Pennsylvania,
reading our recent animadversions
on the old rag carpet and the cottage
organ, and "Wide Awake" and "Fast
Asleep," writes to ask mo if I re
member certain other pictures that
used to be quite the fashion. Of
course I do. Thero was one of
Abraham Lincoln and his family.
Mr. Lincoln was sitting in a chair
on one side of a library table, an
open book upon his kneo. On the
other side of the table sat Mrs. Lin
coln, doing some sort of fancy work,
her crinoline billowing out until it
occupied most of the available space.
By Mr. Lincoln's knee stood oner of
the boys, evidently listening to his
father reading, and standing by was
another boy. I've often wondered
what book it was that proved so in
teresting to the two Lincoln boys,
and moro than once I've had a no
tion to write to Robert T. Lincoln
and ask him about it.
There was another one showing
"Washington Crossing the Delaware."-
I'll wager anything 'that
tliere never lived a man who' could
balance1 himself in a roqking boat
amidst great cakes of Ice HkVGeOrgo
was pictured. That would 'bo -a feat
worthwhile, I tell you. m JY'" '
'Ana say, did I ever mepuldn tho
hair motto? My, how I wlsnicould
describe that artistic monstrosity. It
Modern Fiction
"Tho greatest bargain ever
offered."
"The handsome Miss Blank of Po
dunk is the guest of friends in our
city."
"Only ten minutes' walk from the
heart of tho city."
"Will Smltbcrly has accepted a
position with Catchem & Cheatem."
Brain Leaks
Service is the real measure of life.
If a man could wear his hindsight
before he'd be all right.
Dollars may buy sycophancy, but
not genuine love.
The best thing about our yester
day's Is tho profit we extract from
them today,
The world owes mo a living, but
I've learned tliat it Is in the habit
of making a fellow hustle to collect
the debt.
I surmise that Job never had to
undergo the affliction of a host of
electric light bugs.
The "good fellow" down town is
mighty apt to be otherwise at home.
Men Who practice what they
preach usually say very little.
A lot of people define reciprocity
as trading something they do not
want for something they must have.
Too many reformers exhaust their
energies In the prospectus.
When a public speaker says, "And
now just one word more," we settle
back for a snooze. .
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