Commoner
Extracts From W.
-t4-m--:-:--:--;-m::
A Qnmtlun of Expediency.
The Boston Transcript - says that
there can be -'neither escape from nor
evasion of the conclusion that under
authority of the Porto Itican decision
congress can maintain a colonial sys
tem." Then the Tran script t.ays:
"Today there maybe a disposition in
some quarters to say that the people
will not acquiesce in the supreme
court's decision any more than it ac
eepted the Dred Scott judgment as
final, but that disposition will pass
away. It is but the ebullition of a
heated moment. The people will ac
cept, if for no other reason than it will
we the vast moral distinction )etwcen
the case of Drcd Scott and that of Porto
Hico. The former was in its essence a
ease of morals: the Porto Kieo tariff is
in its essence simply a question of ex-IH-diency."
It is f-trange that such a statement
as this should Ik made by a newspaper
printed in the shadow of Hunker Hill
monument, and within the sound of
the waves that dash against the harlxr
made, famous by the I lost on Tea Party.
There is no "vast moral distinction
lctwecn the case of Dred Scott and
that of Porto Kieo."
At the time of the Dred Scott de
cision slavery was an institution reeogj
nized by our constitution. Dred Scott
was a slave who sued in the federal
courts for freedom. He was put out of
court on the ground that although h'
bad been taken into territory covered
by the Missouri Compromise, he was
yet a slave and therefore not a citizen
and having- no standing1 in the federal
court.
At the very time that the supreme
court denied to Dred Scott the right to
sue for his freedom there were then in
the southern states at least 3.000.000
human beings in slavery and not one
of these would have the legal right to
jue for his freedom. If the Dred Scott
matter was purely a moral one then
how did it happen that no proceeding
was taken in behalf of the 3,000.000
slaves? The reason was that however
immoral the institution might have
been, slavery in certain states had a
recognized legal standing. In the
Dred Scott case. then, a purely legal
question was presented to the court.
In giving its sanction to the slavery of
this human Wing the supreme court
had at least the excuse that slavery
was recognized by our constitution and
our laws, however inconsistent it may
have been with our declaration of in
dependence. In tiie Porto Kican case was involved
the right of taxation explicitly fordid
en ry tne constitution, it a case were
presented involving the proposition
that a tariff duty le levied on goods
going to and coming from the state of
Massachusetts, the Boston Transcript
would very readily recognize that
great moral as well as legal question
was involved in the proposition. Such
a tariff would le illegal because ex
pressly prohibited by the constitution.
Such a tariff would le immoral because
every section of our union is entitled
to equal opportunities and equal privi
leges with every other section.
As the I tost on Transcript says of the
Porto Kican tariff, so the slave owners
of the Dretl Scott period said of that
case it was "a question of expediency."
Lvery public wrong sought to be per
petrated under conditions where fund
amental law must le violated has b-en
excused on the ground that it was sim
ply "a question of expediency."
Itoth the Dred Scott and the Porto
Kican cases were cases of law. The
element of immorality enters in both.
it is true. Itut the Porto Kican case
has the advantagelthat the immorality
sought to le accomplished under the
guise of a statute is forbidden bv the
letter of the fundamental law and re
pugnani 10 ine spirit or American in
stitutions. The Dred Scott case in
volved an institution likewise repug
nant and inconsistent with our deelar
ation of independence, but an institu
tion nevertheless formally sanctioned
by our constitution and laws of that
period.
If there are no morals in the Porto
Rican case there were no morals in the
Itoston Tea Party.
If there is no morality in the conten
tion of the Porto Kicans that they le
jjiven equal advantages and opportuni
ties with other sections of the country
of which they are a part, then there
was no morality in the contention of
the men of the revolutionary period.
Mr. Foraker announces that the Ohio
campaign is to 1h fought out on na
tional issues. This is an interesting
announcement lecause Mr. Foraker's
lieutenants were always loud in declar
ing that state compaigns should be
fought on state issues when they
thought that the easiest way of win
ning. The civil government of the Philip
pines will le answerable to the war
department. One of the first tasks set
for the Filipinos is to learn the intri
cacies of our elastic language.
Of course Kansas has rendered thanks
to the administration for permission to
harvest a bumper wheat crop.
It is amusing to read in a high tariff
organ words of rejoicing because Amer
ican manufacturers are competing suc
cessfully with foreign manufacturers.
The high tariff organs are continually
shrieking for protection against com
petition. The Ohio republicans have learned
that it is not their part to think. All
they have to do is to accept.
Mr. Beveridge should hasten home if
he expects to get his presidential boom
inflated before frost time.
Cirowth of ew Tork.
The excess of births over deaths in
New York is. on an average, about
5,000 a year, and if there were not
constant immigration into New York
from foreign countries and from other
divisions, of the United States, the
growth of the city would be 50,000 in
ten years, or less than 1 per cent in
a decade. Actually, the increase in
population is at the rate of 3S per I
cenL The territory of New York, 1
which had 2.433,000 population in 1630,
had 3.437.000 in 19D0. j
Comment,
J. Bryan's Paper.
Harrison xn. Rroirn.
In his now famous, or infamous
opinion. Justice llrown sought to re
assure our Porto Kican subjects by
telling them that thev could safelv de
pend upon the lenevolence and kind
ness of congress in the exercise of that
body's unrestrained possession of
power." The Pittsburg Post reminds
us that Justice Itrown, on this point,
was well answered by the Iat Uenja
min Harrison. In the January num
ber of the North American Review,
General Harrison had an article en
titled: "The Status of Annexed Ter
ritorv." In that article he said it was
expressibly absurd that the "constitu
tion does not apply, but all these pro
visions in it are in full force not with
standing."
Then General Harrison said:
"It should be asked further, wheth
er tli rule of uniformity of taxation is
a part of the 'law of our civilization;'
for. without it, all property rights are
protected. The man whose property
may le taxed arbitrarily, without re
gard to uniformity within the tax di
trict and without any limitation as to
the purposes for which taxes may be
levied, does not own anything; he is a
tenant at will. Hut if these supposed
laws of civilization" are not enforcible
by the courts, and rest wholly for their
sanction upon the consciences of presi
dents and congresses, then there is a
very wide difference. The one is own
ership, the other is charity. The one
is freedom: the other slavery however
just and kind the master may be.
'Our fathers were not content with
an assurance of these great rights that
rested wholly upon the sense of justice
and benevolence of the congress. The
man whose protection from wrong
rests wholly upon the benevolence of
another man or of a congress, is a slave
a man without rights "
It would le interesting to hear what
Benjamin Harrison would have to say
in the presence of such a decision as
was delivered by Justice Hrown. When
congress levied the Porto Kican tariff
General Harrison referred to it as "a
serious departure from right princi
ples." What would he have thought
had he known that the highest court
in the land had solemnly given its sanc
tion to that "serious departure from
right principles?"
Toy in k With the Constitution.
The Itoston Journal thinks the op
ponents of imperialism should be
thankful because of the supreme
court's Porto Kican decision. The
Journal says that had the court held
that the constitution followed the flag
and extended over our new
possessions, it would be impossible to
alienate any of these islands in the fu
ture. This is so. according to the
Journal. Wcause there is nothing in
the constitution that warrants the sur
render of any territory or any people
once formally pronounced American.
Will the Journal take another look
at the constitution anil discover if it
can any authority therein, either di
rect or implied, for the government of
subject peoples?
For people who are so ready to ig
nore the constitution, so quick to set
themselves above the constitution, the
imperialists are very prompt to rush to
the constitution to find prohibition
against doingr that which they do not
want to do. and authority for doing
that whicV.i they want to.
! i All Cunt Ion In the Cuban Affair?
When the Cuban commission visited
Washington they were told by Secre
tary of War Root that the Piatt amend
ment was the law of the land; that the
president was powerless to change that
law, and lefore the executive could ob
tain authority to act in the premises
the Piatt amendment, as a whole must
be adopted.
The Piatt amendment as a whole has
lcen adopted, and now the Washing'
ton dispatches say that the administra
tion counsellors have concluded thit it
would not be wise for the president to
act in the matter of withdrawing the
troops from Cuba, even after a govern
ment shall be organized there, until he
shall have submitted the question of
American evacuation to congress. It
is stated that the president has "fully
made up his mind that he will not act
upon his own responsibility in tne
premises.'
Is it possible to regard all thia a
mere caution ami a desire to conform
to the laws and the equities of the sit
uation? Are not the people justified in
suspecting that there is a vust amount
of insincerity and hypocrisy in the ad'
ministration's attitude on the Cuban
question?
The man who believes that he bene
fits himself by taxing himself poor to
make others rich is not in a good posi
tion to poke fun at those who lelieve
in the faith cure.
General Mac-Arthur still acts on the
assumption that telling alxmt it, not
stealing the commissary goods, is what
menaces the military situation.
It is estimated that 75,000 yards of
ribbon will le required to properly fit
out Great Britain's South African war
medals. This is only a)out three yards
of ribbon for each British soldier who
who has died in the unjust war upon
the Boers.
The money the shipping subsidy pro-
motors ask for would make habitable
many millions of acres of western arid
land. But the benefits of irrigation
would be enjoyed by the many, while
the subsidy would be enjoyed by the
ffW
War Destroys Forest.
Twtnty-five years ago. in 187, Ser
via was clothed with forests and was
aptly termed "the land of the forest,"
but the Servian-Turco troubles of
1876-78 played havoc with the forests.
Thousands of acres were stripped of
trees in order to serve for fortifications
or to bar the advance of the Turkish
army or to warm the great masses of
troops that camped on the land during
two winters. The war was followed by
a period of ruthless destruction of tho
forests, vast tracts being sold at a rid
iculous price or denuded to supply the
railroads.
ALLISON COIINERED.
CANNOT WIGGLE OUT OF
DIFFICULT POSITION
ri Kab of the High. Tariff Kobbery I
That Atoeiloao Goodi An Uelng- Sold
for Slorh Lea to Foreigner Than to
Americau Tariff (Jarsiloa too lu
Senator Allison was interviewed
while in Washington and speaking of
tariff revision and the Babcock bill,
he said: "I can understand that pop
ular sentiment will endorse the prop
osition that American manufacturers
should not sell at lower prices abroad
the products which they sell to the
American people at a higher price.
But rMs question is not a new one.
Some years ago, upon the motion of
Senator Vest, we had an investigation
of this assertion. lie quoted the prices
at which agricultural implements were
sold in Buenos Ayres to prove that
the people of the Argentine Republic
were getting those implements at a
lower rate than the American farmers
paid. We found that it was true that
the wholesale dealer in Buenos Ayres
did pay less for plows and harvest
ers than was charged in this country,
but we also found that he had to bear
the cost of distribution, so that by the
time the machines passed through two
or three hands and freight was paid,
the individual consumer paid as much
as the American farmer. The manu
facturers did nothing but ship the
goods to Buenos Ayres, so that the
expense was very light."
Now that case proves the contention
of those who want the tariff revised.
It does not matter how many profits
are made by middlemen and thus raise
the price to the Argentine farmer, hut
the fact that the manufacturer sold
the plows and harvesters, after paying
the freight, for less money to the for
eign wholesale dealer than the same
implements were sold to dealers here
is the nub of the matter. The distri
bution of them in a new country like
Argentina is, of course, more expensive
than in the United States, especially
as the lack of railroads and the high
freight rates there make it more diffi
cult. It is a similar condition there
as existed from I860 to 1SS0 when some
of the western states were being set
tled and before there were many If
any railroad facilities. In those days
farm machinery sold for double what
it was selling for in the central states.
Senator Allison is a slick and smooth
politician, but he cannot dodge the
fact that the trusts are selling at a
lower price to the foreigner than to
ur own people and to try and do so
inly shows that he, with other Repub-
icans, is willing to aid the trust by
legislation to rob the people.
THE COAL TRUST TAX.
A soft coal trust is organizing, the
Indiana consolidation is practically ef
fected and options have been obtained
on mines In other states, and it is ex
pected that a complete combination
will be brought about. The price of
this claBs of coal will be largely ad-
anced when the combine has been
effected, this has been the effect of the
organization of the anthracite coal
trust. At this time last year anthra
cite coal was selling in the market at
3.25 a ton, whiie today it brings ?6.70
and the price will rise steadily until
n September it will be $7.
ine i-ennsyivania combination was
engineered by the Morgan interests
and under an agreement in which the
railroads of the state are included, a
graduated price for coal has been es
tablished. Beginning with May the
price dropped to $6.60; this month it
is $6.70. and with a gradual rise of 10
cents per ton each month the cost Is
to be increased until in September the
figure reaches its limit. This price is
maintained throughout the winter.
The prices quoted are the Chicago
market and a similar advance of $1.35
per ton has gone into effect elsewhere
and every family in the land Is paying
that tax to J. P. Morgan and the other
trust magnates to increase their al
ready enormous fortunes, and yet Mark
Hanna says the trusts are "good
things" and must not be legislated
against and the greater portion of the
Republicans follow and endorse that
policy.
THE TRUSTS AND THE TARIFF
BARONS.
The trusts and the manufacturing
combines are getting by the ears about
the protective tariff, they cannot much
longer hold together, which is some
consolation to all of us who pay the
taxes. "The tariff." says Senator Han
na. "is so scientifically arranged that
it must not be meddled with." There
Is no doubt that Hanna is right about
that, as far as the perpetuation of the
present tariff is concerned. If the tar
iff on the products of the 6teel trust is
taken off it will break the combination.
The carpet manufacturers will demand
that coarse wool be free. The shoe
people will ask for free hides. The
6ugar trust will want free raw sugar
and so on up or down the whole gamut.
The people will say a plague on all
your houses, give us a tariff for reve
nue sufficient to meet the wants of the
government economically administered.
V will no longer pay taxes to build up
collossal fortunes or pay vast divi
dends to monopolies that can take ca-e
of themselves much better than tBe
farmer or the worklngman can do.
CUBAN RAILROAD FRANCHISES.
Sir William Van Horne, the Cana
dian railroad magnate. Is building
railroads in Cuba and a dispatch from
Santiago de Cuba reports hira as very
well pleased with the conditions there.
This is very comforting, but how will
it be with the Cubans when Van Horne
begins to tax the traffic all it will bear,
will they be as pleased at the pros
pect? There is another matter that
will perhaps take some of the pleasure
from the full cup that Van Horne and
his American partners are now quaff-
ng when the new Cuban government
comes into possession of its own. Un
der what terms and what authority
was the franchise given that allows
Vaa Horne to build these railroads?
There has been no authorized govern
ment in Cuba, except the military one
that we have set up, since the Span-
ards evacuated the island, and the
power of eminent domain and the
other franchises that are necessary ie-
fore railroads can be legall7 eon
structed cannot have ba coustitu
tionally granted this one of the
reason; why the Piatt amendment was
so vigorously insisted upon by the ad
ministration, so that this case migU
be covered?
THE TRUSTS THREATENING
LABOR.
The threat of the trusts to reduc
the wages of their workingmen if in
tariff is taken off their product'on $
an old tale and should deceive no one
Reducing or taking off entirely the tar
iff on trust productions wouli
have no effect on the sur
plus they Fell abroad and if tbs
cost of what they sell at hon
Is reduced it should increase con
sumption here and if that is the cast
the factories will be running full bias
and the demand for labor will be in
creased instead of diminished. Wage;
follow the law of demand and supply
quite as closely as the price of the ar
tides made ty labor follow liks
causes.
It is quite likely that the steel trust,
for instance, might shut down its
plants if the tariff is removed from its
monopolies and its workmen refused
to accept a. reduction of wages, but it
cannot Ions remain closed or the inter
est on its bonds would he unpaid and
a change of owners would again take
place and it would have to fill con
tracts already entered into, which gen
erally extend six months ahead.
WACES IN A PROTECTED
IN-
DUSTRY.
The cok industry, like coal mining,
is very profitable to the operators, but
according to the figures given in cen
sus bulletin No. 63. prosperity has cer
tainly not struck their workmen. There
has been an absolute decrease in in
dividual yearly wages of more than
$33. In 1S89 the average annual sum
for each operative was 452.61. But in
1S99 this decreased to $416.83. or enly
a slight fraction over $S a week and in
many cases this small sum is dwindled
by having to pay lrrge profits at the
store for all they eat and wear and at
which their masters compel them to
deal.
Now the coke industry is protected
under the Dingley tariff by a tax of 23
per cent ad valorum. but it does not
appear to have protected American la
bor although the operators were able
to build up vast fortunes which is
pretty strong evidence that protection
protects the rich and not the poor.
THE PEOPLE PAY THE FREIGHT.
How much stock the railroad manag
ers have in the steel trust is an im
portant question, for if they
participate in the enorm;u3
profits they will not kick so
hard against paying from $7 to $8 a
ton more for steel rails than they
would have to pay if the tariff was
taken off. The railroads controlled by
J. P. Morgan will, of course, have to
be silent, and It is probable that some
of the other railroad magnates have
been squared by being on the inside of
the steel trust deal. The people who
travel and pay the exorbitant freight
rates are the ones that suffer and they
are demanding that the tariff be re
vised and the passenger and freight
rates lowered.
The treasury officials are taking
some heed of the protests of the labor
organizations and are making a be
lated effort to enforce the Chinese ex
clusion law. There is no doubt that
thousands have crossed the Canadian
border either by the laxity or conniv
ance of the officials. The railroads and
some other large employers of labor
are anxious to employ Chinese, who
accept less than the going rate for la
bor and do not strike for higher wages
The admission of another horde of
Chinese like that before the exclusion
law was passed would degrade Ameri
can labor and bring about the same
riots that then occurred.
It is rather amusing to see the way
the state department treats Venezuela
by transferring Minister Loomis to
Lisbon. Portugal, at his own request,
and sending another minister who will
represent the asphalt trust just as
faithfully. The department gives out
the information that the new minister
goes to his post "with instructions on
the same lines as those supplied to
Mr. Loomis." The trusts certainly do
dominate our home and even our for
eign policy.
Our subsidized sultan of Sulu Is al
ready learning the way we do things
and has undertaken to exploit his sub
jects by leasing the Island of Paraguao
for fifty years to a foreign syndicate
headed by Prince Poniatowskl. As we
paid $20,000,000 for the Philippine is
lands it will be interesting to know
how the sultan can lease one of them
but perhaps Senator Hanna or some of
his friends are side partners of the
prince.
hich ever way we turn the sugar
trust confronts us and it seems all
powerful. Secretary of the Treasury
Gage is its willing tool and Interprets
the law in its favor by imposing coun
tervailing duties on Russian sugar,
This has cut off our export trade to that
country which has imposed in retalia
tion, for the aid given the sugar trust
an extra duty of 50 per cent on prod
ucts of the United States.
The Atlanta Constitution wants a
bill passed to pension all the con g res
sicna! "lame ducks." The better way
is as the president has arranged Jt. He
tells them to pass a bill creating a
commission, of which about twenty
have come Into existence tinder this
call, and then he appoints the "lame
ducks" to investigate something, prin
cipally, however, to draw a good, fat
salary.
A mutual admiration society has
been organized in Iowa with two mem
bers. Governor Shaw proposes Sena
tor Allison for president and Allison
proposes Shaw. The railroad corpora
tions have too good a hold on both of
them for the people to second the nom
ination of either.
What are the Republicans going to
do with Neely and Rathbone when the
Cubans set up their own government?
Bring them here for trial they cannot
and leave them to the tender mercies
of the Cubans wouid merely result In
dividing the swag with, the new of
ficials. i
WANTS PARTY AID.
NEW YORK SUN CALLS BACK
DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
To tho Position It Occupies In tha Day
of "Frophtthm" ray That the
Jilly or the l'opuliata Miut Iter urn to
Plutocracy.
That Republican organ of the trusts,
the New York Sun, voicing, no doubt,
the general feeling of the "better ele
ment of society," says: "War upon
plutocracy is hopeless. The democra
cy will never prevail until it satisfies
the country that the Democrats, not
the Republican party, are the friends
and instruments of plutocracy. They
must offer more favorable eondi'ons
for money-making than the Republi
cans can furnish, or they will remain
indefinitely as poor in political
strength as they are today.
This brazen echo of Wall street Is
as ignorant, as insolent in thus giving
advice to the Democracy. The Sun
evidently does not know what Democ
racy means or has forgotten it. Many
years ago, when it was an honest sheet.
It published an essay on the wide gap
between Democrats and Republicans
and if the flippant editor who now
holds rule will refer to It. ho may
learn something to his advantage, if
only not to expose his ignorance again.
The Sun now believes that by the bait
of success the Democrats should be
willing to forego their principles and
go the Republicans one better in their
march of commercialism, imperialism
and exploitation of the people.
The war upon plutocracy will never
be hopeless while the Democracy ex
ists as now organized under fusion.
If for a while a majority of the people
are led away to worship at the shrine
of plutocracy and are willing to pick
up the crumbs that fall from the table
of Dives they will soon find their mis
take. The rule of the rich cannot be a gov
ernment in the interest of the people
and any party that is "the real friend
and instrument of plutocracy" and that
appeals to the people to support it Is
a fraud, delusion and a snare that only
the Sun editor could belong to.
But it is well to have this exposure
from such high Republican authority
of what the real purpose and plans of
that party are. Before this if a Dem
ocrat accused his opponents of being
in league with tho plutocrats he was
denounced as a demagogue. Now .he
can cite this high Republican authority
to prove his assertion.
Despite the blandishments and cor
ruption of the plutocrats there are yet
six million Democrats that have not
wavered or bowed the knee to the
golden calf they have set up in the
Wall Btreet wilderness. A Fusion
Democrat.
A FOREIGN COMPETITOR.
The steel trust is not going to have
clear sailing in its efforts to export its
productions to Europe. Not only will
tariffs be raised to prevent its com
peting in Russia, but a combination of
all the iron industries of that country
has been organized to hold that mar
ket, according to a dispatch from Lon
don, which says:
American consolidation of industries
has already borne fruit in Europe. V.'e
have news of the formation of a gi
gantic Russian iron and steel trust,
whose purpose it is to compete with
the American combine formed by J.
Pierpont Morgan. The scope of the
new trust Is a wide one. All the ex
isting metal works of South Russia
are to be combined into one enormous
steel and iron trust, their respective
shares and debentures to be replaced
by shares in the trusL The immediate
advantages of such a trust are obvious
The price of raw products will come
down and the different branches of
the manufacture will be specialized
Then the prices of manufactured iron
and steel will be raised, as all compe
tition will be done away with. All
those factors which have hitherto done
good work will be assured of a con
tlnuance of remunerative trade. The
weaker factories will be strengthened
by means of the trust.
When asked what benefits the trust
would bring to the consumer Mr. Tra-
sonstoeur, the manager, could only
shrug his shoulders and look wise. He
added, however, that all the iron works
of western Russia and Poland would
probably combine to form a similar
trust and that he looked upon it as
his life's mission to combine these two
trusts into one gigantic whole. This,
he hoped, would take place in the com
ing tummer.
As long as we have ultra protection
which prevents foreigners from send
ing any of their products to this coun
try, we must expect retaliation to pre
vent our products froij being pur
chased abroad. A tariff for revenue is
the only sensible solution.
THE EXPRESS MONOPOLY.
There is no greater monopoly in the
United States than the express com
panies enjoy. For many years they
have had an agreement not to cut
rates so that competition has been en
tirely eliminated. It now appears pos
sible, however, that a rival corpor
ation may Invade the eastern section
of the country and a possible rate war
may be inaugurated. Express rates
can be cut in two and still allow the
companies to pay large dividends, no
merchant or farmer who has to use
this means of shipping perishable
freights but has to pay these cormor
ants the greater portion of his profit
and in some Instances the charges
have been known to eat up all the
goods brought when sold on the mar
ket These corporations are adepts In
evading taxation and it 13 estimated
that they do not pay on 10 per cent
of the value of their stock or asset3.
It is now stated that an express trust
Is to be formed by the consolidation of
the American Express Company, the
Adams Express and the United States
Express, of which Senator Thomas C.
Piatt is to be president.
The United States Express Company
under Senator Piatt's management has
become one of the most prosperous
companies in the country and is said
to be earning 20 per cent on the stock.
It enjoys a monopoly of government
business, procured . through Senator
Piatt. The price that the government
pays is kepi from the public but it 13
7,-ell known that many treasury of-
ficials have franks that give them fre I
use of the express service and that 1
many Senators end Representatives
have like favors and as B06S Piatt is
noted for r.ot giving unless he receives
some equal advantage in return, the
government must be fleeced to an
amount that is considerable and year
ly growing larger.
These big pickings have Induced
Georre Gould, it is said, to bring his
Pacific Express Company to the east
with his transcontinental line and the
three companies will combine to meet
the competition of the new company.
May the fight be prolonged and
fierce, though there is no doubt that
a trust covering the whole continent
will result unless some means Is found
to prevent it, for competition Is im
possible as long as railroad monopoly
continues.
FEDERAL CONTROL OF THE
TRUSTS.
The trusts and corporations that are
monopolies are quite willing to have
a law passed giving national instead
of state control of such corporations.
They have seen the inter-state com
merce law and the anti-trust legisla
tion nullified by complacent Republi
can r.ttorney generals and feel that
they would be safer in such hands than
at the mercy of those states that have
enacted laws against unjust combina
tions or under the common lav which
has power to suppress monopolies.
It is a preposterous proposition that
congress could take avvay from the
states the control of corporations that
have been chartered by any state, that
would be an Infringement of state
rights that even the most ultra fed
eralist Judge would at once declare un
constitutional. It would be undemo
cratic and yet some few Democrats
have proposed such a measure of re
lief from the extortions of the trusts.
The federal way to curb the trusts
is to take from them the protection
that a Republican tariff law has given
them and thus enabled them to con
trol the market. Independent Repub
lican newspapers like the Washington
Post, take this view of the situation.
They see that some remedy must be
applied or the people will revolt
against the party of protection. The
above named newspaper says:
There could be no effective national
control of corporations without
amending the constitution so as to
make provision for it. That is practi
cally impossible.
No impairment of vested rights is. or
ever can be, constitutional. Existing
state charters could net be annulled
by national legislation. As the trusts
and combines now include nearly all
the great industrial interests of the
country, the proposed law would have
but a limited sphere of operation. The
only effective anti-trust work within
the jurisdiction of congress is in the
tariff schedules. Only a part of the
trusts are, in any way, dependent on
the tariff. But there are a few great
trusts or combines that are abusing
protection by demanding exorbitant
prices for their products. They do not
need, nor does labor need, the favor
which they are abusing.
There is no parallel between fed
eral control of barking and federal
control of all business corpora
tions. The law does not in direct
terms prohibit state banks to issue
notes. It simply puts a tax on Eiich
Issues. State banks doing a deposit
and loan business are numerous, and
some of them are very prosperous.
No constitutional amendment was re
quired to open the way for national
banking. Without such an amendment
federal control of corporations would
be impossible. And even with such an
amendment all the state charters
granted before its adoption would be
valid.
THE PROTECTED TIN TRUST,
One of our infant Industries is the
tin plate trade and that it is growing
out of its baby clothes and has become
large and strong enough to enter into
competition with its older rivals on the
other side of tho Atlantic is a matter
of congratulation. The figures show
that the exports of tin plates from the
United States which in the ten
months ending with April, 1899,
amounted to only 183,953 pounds, and
in the ten months ending with April,
1900, to 275.990 pounds, were in the
ten months ending with April , 1901,
1.306,100 pounds. So, before long, we
may hope that this product of the
steel trust may also be placed upon
the free list and thus bring about again
'.he competition that It has wiped out
by combining about all the tin plate
mills in this country. There is also
another very good reason for desiring
competition and that is the deteri
orated class of tinware that Is being
sold to the public, which, although the
price appears cheap, is dear at any
price, as the tin and lead coating
which covers the Iron that Is sold for
tinware, will hardly stand the use of a
single week witho-. being covered
with rust and practically worthless.
THE FARMERS FOREIGN TRADE.
All this excitement about our enor
mous exports would dwindle to a small
matter if it was not for the farmers,
as our agricultural exports Increased
during the month of April nearly $6,
200,000 and made 63.53 per cent of the
total. On the other hand manufac
tures decreased about $5,000,000 and
contributed but 29.15 per cent of the
total. These comparisons snow that
the American farmer is the great
standby of the nation and the above
percentage would be much increased on
agricultural exports if packing-house
products and some other articlts were
transferred from the manufactured
products to that of agricultural as
they ought to be.
The farmer who receives no protec
tion on his productions, except on
wool, has prospered in spite of pro
tectloit and having to pay his share to
make the manufacturers rich enough
to be able to sell their wares in com.
petition with the balance of the world.
The discord in Hawaii is increas
ing, eharges have been prepared
against a Judge by the Dole faction
who charge him with oppression and
anti-Americanism because he take3 the
side of the natives, which of course is
a crime in the eyes of the exploiters.
Dole should be removed by the presi
dent and a fair-minded man appointed
in his piaca-
STORY ON STOCKINGS.
filany Women Match Their Ciuwu with
Their Hosiery.
This is the story of the woman an'J
her stockings. It Is a story that must
be told in whispers, for the world trt
gereral is never supposed to think that
the woman wears anything more per
sonal than hosiery. But the stocking
of the woman this year are something;
to dream about. The detiire for thra
footwear has come In with the demanJ
for light and airy fabrhs in drus.i
goods, and the stockings are quite tho
thinnest of them all. There are no
particular stockings for any particular
I purpose. The finest and most beauti
ful of hosiery Is worn for all purposes.
Naturally, the more elaborate deslgn-t
of lace and embroidery are reserved
for evening and dress wear, but ttock
ings of the finest quality are worn tor
all sorts of outing purposes. It h
natural that, with short skirts and
low shoes there should be a desire for
pretty stockings, and they come with
fancy clocks, open work, and with em
broidered figures in little nat pit
terns, as well as in more elaburat de
signs. The most elaborate silk stocklijsj
have medallions of laco running up
over the InsteD, handsome embroidery
appliqued upon net, and vertical line
of lace set in with embroidered edges,
and there are alternate lines of lace
and open work. There arc designs In
roses, butterflies, bow knots, cupiiN.
baskets of flowers, and the eagle and
violets In tho L'AIglon stocking.
Many women like to match their
gowns In their stockings, and there am
tans and grays and blues. Blues al
ways are in demand, for bhie Is "a
popular color; It comes nearly up lo
the black stocking, which Is the mast
satisfactory in the long run. He'd
stockings are sold to go with red shews
for house wear, and there are beauti
ful white stockings, which are sold 1
the bride and to wear with wh'to
shoes.
KEEPS KEYS OF THE JAIL.
Woman Ilaa Charge of the t'onnty'e
Home for Malefactor.
Probably the only woman jailer in
the United States In Mrs. Anna McDon
ald of Marysville, W. Va. She occupies
the position of a deputy sheriff am
has charge of a Jail in which some of
the most desperate characters are kept.
She Is a widow and live
alone with her two children
In the Jail, in which there ant
now confined two of tho mort d-tperat
moonshiners ever captured In the ttat
and one man charged with murder.
She was appointed by Sheriff
Isaac Iewls over several oth
er applicants because of her
great personal bravery and her
skill In handling a rifle and a revolver.
She does not know what fear is; t-he in
a dead shot with either a rifle or a re
volver, and has a killed a good deal of
big game especially deer which he la
very found of hunting. She will be 42
years old this month, is descended
from one of the original gettlers of
Grant county and has never been out
of the country. Her husband died laf-t
year, leaving ber dependent upon her
own resources. The Jail is at Marj'"
ville, but the county teat Is at Peters
burg, and when her prisoners uie want
ed In court she has to take them ten
miles under her own protection, but
none has ever yet escaped from her.
Sam Self, one of the most notorious
moonshiners the state has ever known.
Is now in her custody. Officers havi
been trying for many years to arret
him, but he always managed to eludo
them till a few weeks ugp, when they
slipped up on him at night at hi
home at tho Smoke Ho'es. After his
arrest he said that he had ten gun
on his premises when he was arrestee!.
Scheme to Annihilate Dlttanre.
A description of the propot-ed ex
press electric mono-rail line between
Manchester and Liverpool was given
to a committee of the House of Lords.
The railway Is constructed on an A
shaped platform, on which is laid the
line which bears the carriage. Twa
sets of rails at the side, against which
two sets of wheels operate, keep the
car steady when running round a curve
at a high speed. It Is Intended to Tun
these trains at 110 miles an hour, so
that if a line were constructed be
tween London and Liverpool the dis
tance would be covered under two
hours. There is no risk of collision,
as by a system of blocking and signal
ing the trains are kept fourteen
miles apart, London Daily Mail.
O ran t for Marylaart.
There is a prospect, it seems, that
Maryland and Virginia may be able
to add oranges to their annual crocs.
The Department of Agriculture is mak
ing experiments that promise well for
these states. Five years ago the first
experiments were begun with the Jap
anese orange, which is extensively
used for hedges. Later the sweet or
ange was grafted upon this hardier
fock, and trees representing the cross
are growing vigorously In the depart
ment grounds In Washington and are
now covered with blossoms. Should
the yield this year be up to expecta
tions, steps will be taken toward
planting the new variety extensively
in Virginia and Maryland.
Little Flnanrlal Fable.
The new director was positively
revolutionary In his devices. "Instead
of paying all this money to detectives
for catching defaulters," said he, "why
not use it to effect such an increase
of salaries as would place our help be
yond the necessity to defalcate?" The
old directors sneered withering!)-.
"You evidently don't understand bank
clerks," said they. "Why, if we were
to raise wages that way, probably al
most every man In the bonne would
fall dead, and then where fhould wo
be?" This made the new direc tor feel
very foolish, of course.
Did Sot Fanrjr "rarrhlnr Tower.
One morning our washerwoman a
lady of color very dark color rame
hastily in, and, without any prelim
inaries, exclaimed: "Sparatuallara!
What is sparatuallsm, Mbs Cora?"
My sister explained as well as h
could and asked why ehe wished tt
know. "Well, you see," she went on
excitedly. "Sarah she's my daughter,
you know, and she went last week to
live with a lady what says nhe Is a
sparatualist; and she says if Sarali
takes anything che'll know it Sarah'.-
going to leave!" Harper's Magazine.