The American. (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899, November 04, 1898, Image 1
2S THE AMERICAN. 'AMI.KUA ltK A Mr.lMC AN Ifcst U www AViUv.s wt ttt Alti is. I tfct I'mit Witn eoh...t .tUt iwttlw i m n www i m A M.K1.V KKM'AI'Mt, VoUMK VIII. DMAIIA, NKMIAHKA, I IUH.W, NOVIMIilU 4. mh. 1 1 7 HUH HEAD gets ms He Voted to Beckett, 3 per Cent, on All Outlawed Claims. Many of His Endorsers Profitted by the Illegal Appropriation of the Public Funds, Or, Are Managers of Corporations ' Who Expect to Profit by His Re-Election. DID BECKETT An Interesting Interview Which a Representative of this Paper Had on the Subject. The American last week exposed Ibt work of Commissioner-Claimant Wra 1. Kiarstead Id manipulating the coun ty board, to allow himself over $3,600 and with It about f 100,000 of outlawed Douglas addition claims. After the publication of the article Mr. Kleretead Informed a member of The American company that be had aecured a letter from W. I). Beckett, peclal attorney for the board, In which Mr. Beckett atate that the board followed hi (Mr, Beckett') advice In the allowance the outlawed claim, At the time of the board'! illegal action M, II. Red field waa clerk of the county, and the .American this week Interviewed him In regard to the position of Mr, Beck ett aa claimed by Mr, Klerstead. "Mr. BoekoU filed with me," wild Mr, Kedfleld, In reply to our question, "a type-written opinion, advising the board that the claims were outlawed, and that It waa the board'a duty to plead the statute of limitation. I per sonally handed this written opinion to Commissioner Jenkins In the pre, once of Mr. KleraU'ad, and at the next meeting of the board, the opinion waa formally received by the board and should now be on file with other pa peri of the county board. In addition to thin, Mr. '.Beckett personally In formed me that If the board attempted to allow the outlawed clalma he would top them, aa he considered that b waa representing the taxpayer of the county, whose interest were at stake, Mr. Beckett further Informed me that he would aee to It that a bill wa passed by the legislature empowering the board to make deed to all the claimant whose claim were outlawed, and subsequently I met Mr. Beckett at Lincoln and he aald the attorney for the claimant! wa Hunting the bill In the legislature, ao a to make a strong er cane before the county board." "It wa ciialomary," continued the ex-clerk, "for commissioners to have committee reports made out In the NDORSEEENT Allow W. D. SEGRETLY REVERSE HIMSELF ? clerk'! office, and after the opinion ot Mr. Beckett waa filed I heard nothing more of the outlawed claims for soma time, when all at once, to my surprise, a large number of committee reports were laid on the desk, which I used to read from to the board, allowing these outlawed claims. The work of making up the reports was done outalde of the county clerk's office. I do not hes Hale to say, knowing what I do, that If Mr, Klerstead had nut read his office to get these claim through, they would never have been allowed, for the member of the board were by no means united, and at one time con sidered the claims defeated by Mr, Beckett's opinion." The reporter then handed Mr. Red field a printed circular containing Mr. Beckett's letter, and the x-ectk, after reading It, said: "Mr. Beckett does not deny the fuel s I have related them, He practically admits that he changed his portion, which Is what everyone know, and the change was no doubt brought about through the persistency of Com missioner Klerslead, There Is noth ing In Mr. Beckett's letter which changes the view I have had of this transaction. It Is the old story over sgaln . Anything gotten from the pub lic treasury Is by some people regard ed aa. honest, when If it was an Indi vidual or a private corporation which had to foot the bill every legal de fense would be pleaded." The reporter then asked Mr. Red field If It was not a fact that Attorney Beckett got a large attorney's fee out of the outlawed claims, and he replied; "Mr. Beckett wo allowed three per cent of all the money voted on the outlawed clalma." 10 RTO IlK'ANS ARE IGNORANT. Alderman Charles If. Rector of Chi cago has Just completed a tour of Porto Rico. He writes for the Chicago Times-Herald an account of his trip. Among other things he says: "The Mlgl 4 the Isi4 Iwn hotly tNsltnUie, lit tme t.eitetel ititmfc eief rtn t4 on the Ulsnd, and that la st INae, Aftet Wing nfi.-tird tr a short time It wss t l4 by ntttf of somebody, and IkH vrej until our soldier caw They broke In the IIM doww and Ml seMlcea ther. The pf teelhood fca rwtlly had a greater rontrot if the people if the Island than the rtvll rv rwitirM, and ha. Iwcn Ihe heavy tat gstherer. On account of this the na tive population Is hostile to the pile a, and will welcome the protectant churches, which seek no connection with the government. "Schools have boiMi practically un known. Such schools a were kept up were of the parochial kind, and only that wa taught which the church and state permitted. The text-lxioha furnished were grossly Inaccurate, nd the pupil that mastered them waa but little better off than before. I may say that one of the greatest benefits of th war to I'orto Rico will be that It places In the Island forever free public schools, free churches, Independence of rllgious faith, and abolishment of all tax-gathering by any church. The priests are relegated to religious func tions purely. I do not believe that naturally the Porto Rlcana think very much of any religion. Slothful In their natures, religion compels thought on their part, and thought la tlresomo. Why should one think when the sun is warm, the shade Inviting and the earth so kind?" UNITKI) STATES AS A PACIFIC POWBit. A short time before the outbreak of the recent Spanish-American war a discussion took place at a Washington luncheon table between two distin guished American public men. One of them was a strong believer In the "forward" policy, who accepted, and even gloried In, the title of Jingo; the other whs "conservative" and an op ponent of external expnnslon and ag gressive activity. The latter remarked that the United States should have no concern with militarism and Imperial ism. "We are a paclfle power," he said. "I guess so," replied the other gen tleman, "But we Intend to spell pa cific with a large P." The words seem prophetic already. The appearance of the United States as an actor In the drama which Is be ing enacted on the shores and waters of the Pacific Ocean may turn out to be the most abiding and Important re sult of the brief struggle with Spain The American republic mode Its sud den dash Into military and naval ac tlvlty through a series of emits which many people regarded as fortuitous. But If there had been no tale of out rage In Cuba, and no shattering of the Maine In Havana harbor, the United States would not have been able to maintain It Attitude of passivity and freedom from International complica tions much longer. A manifest des tiny, If ever nation had one, has been driving It In the direction along which It has moved with startling rapidity since the spring of the present year, The change has been accelerated by the circumstances which forced on In tervention In Cuba and the rupture with Spain; but It was Ismnd to come In any case. It Is a curious fact, which may pos sibly receive explanation from some historian of the future, when history has become more scientific than It Is at present, that a whole chain of causes has iK-cn steadily drawing the United States on the way of Imperialism. Two years and a half ago the present writer pointed out that the novel Interpreta tion of the so-called Monroe doctrine asserted by President Cleveland and Mr, OIney, In the Venezuela dispute, was not to be taken as a merely per sonal m erit rlclty on the part of a par ticular administration. The motives and principle which Induced Mr. OI ney to declare that the United States was entitled, If It so pleased, to Inter vene In a quarrel between two govern ments having possessions in South America might also furnish the warrant for Intervention In the Csrrlbean Sea, or the Pacific. If the Interests of the re public seemed to be affected or men aced In either of these regions. It would not have been difficult to dem onstrate that there were other quar ters of the globe In which, on the gen eral OIney doctrine, the Washington government might feel Itself called upon to act The theory has been re asserted In a broader and more em phatic form by Mr, OIney himself In the course of the last few months. Here Is a passage which moy be worth quoting: "In our country, as well as in monarchies, traditions and cus tom a-e strong. This nollcv of ln- (Continu d on Page 4 ) EYE-OPENERS FOR VOTERS The Objectionable Features of the HcCleary Bill Pointed Out. Country Banks Outside of New York Would be Driven Out of Busi neis by Its Passage. Farmers, Merchants and Mechanics Affected by Its Provisions. Tlia American'! article of last week, expqtyig the Inlqultlea of the Me.Cleary banking bill, has created wldspread In terest among patriotic citizens, who, with us, see the danger that lurks In the provisions of the bill by concen trating Into the hands of a private cor poration thd power to control the money supply of the country, and thereby regulute the value of labor us well as commodities, Including the power of being able to control business and politics, and to hold within Its grasp the very llliertles of the people. Below we give for the benefit of our rendeir a few of the objections to lbs bill, and we request all patriotic citi zens to study them, bearing in mind that the clique of speculator! who are favoring this legislation has not dared to discuss It In the campaign, but in tend that It shall be sneaked through congress In the name of "sound money," In the first place the memlrs of the board of comptrollers are appoint ed for twelve years; with an Interval of four yeara between appointment, requiring sixteen years to change the character of the board, and which makes It practically a perpetual body appointed by one administration. Section 20 of the bill Impowers these comptrollers to withdraw from circu lation all national reserve notes, thus giving them the right to contract the currency at will, A gold reserve, as provided In sec tion 4, shows Unit It Is to be main tained by the Issue of Ixmds, which means a constant Increase of the bond ed debt for the reason that It Is Im possible for the banks to hold the amount of gold required without a re duction In the price of breadstuffs le low the cost of production, and be cause the exportation of an excess of farm products Is the only thing that will draw gold to this country, In ad dition to this the bill also empowers the comptrollers to Insure certificates of Indebtedness without stint or limit. It completes the demonetization of silver by making the silver coins re deemable In gold the same as green backs (see section 8). Section 12 of the bill provides for three classes of notes, via.: "National reserve note," "National bank notes" and "National currency notes." The "National currency notes are to be ex changed for greenbacks and that money Is to be destroyed. See Hon 19). The government Is to be pledged for the redemption of the na tional reserve note the same as it Is for the greenbacks. Why the govern ment should give the banks the con trol of the currency and still be re sponsible for Its redemption Is a mys tery. "National bank notes" mean circu lating notes issued by national bank ing associations which are to be se- cured by la deposit of United States bonds. Thli Is practically the same as the present national bank note, with the exception that they are to be Is sued to the full face Value of the Ixmds held by the government According to section 17 at the end of four years the bunks are permitted to withdraw their secrltles and In eight years leave their not issue In the air with Uncle Sum holding the bag. By section 12, subdivision C, It will be seen that the "national currency notes" are a gratuity to the banks and are without security, except the money of it depositors. In case of a bank failure the government Is to undertake to handle these assets and pay the creditors from any available revenue, It Is readily sen that this whole fabric Is to rest upon the credit of the gov ernment and the' complicated machin ery proKsed by this bill Is to place the banks In complete control of the volume of money and consequently the average of prices of all commodities, Including real estate. Section 16 gives legal tender power to the "national reserve notes," but section 20 provides for their destruc tion by the comptroller! ai fust aa the Interests of the Isinks may require, It I true that It authorizes the comp trollers to re-Issue them In exchange for gold, but this simply means the de struction of all legal tender money, except gold, thus placing the country on an absolute gold busts . flection 21 gives the banks power to contract Ihe currency at will. Section 22 provides for the "clearing house districts," In which country banks have an arrangement with a city clearing bouse bank to redeem their notes. This, with section 23, which re quires each bank to hold an amount equal to B per cent of their national currency circulation in gold, Is a scheme by which city banks can bold the country Imnks at their mercy. Sup pose a city hsnk should wish to ap propriate the gold reserve of a country bank: all they have to do Is to ac cumulate enough notes of such bank to cover the amount of gold and draw it through the clearing house, thus leaving the country bank high and dry, No Independent country bank can exist under this scheme. Section 35 provides for branch banks which Is the end to be gained by the squeezing process provided for In sec tion 22 and 23. The ultimate purose of the bill Is the erection of a gigantic money mo nopoly composed of one bonk with Its branches, which shall control the busi ness of the country, with power to dic tate conditions upon !i-h every bu. l ness man may transact his business, and thus absolutely nbsord all the pow ers of the government. Inside of ten years our government would be an ol- tM lid kpt the mtirl if ih Mtf f Oi tomtit It fnntstfcsM thsl ant iwl-r rf Ml hn I fii( a ttfliitier. tf R 1dm i sl.l Vote fr a xhcmr which tssea aasv ety Inn ftr himself mil tiit.li t-n tn a rsrwr In litt. r puldle life, by the sunVtsme of a art-M?, rtf'H lisrhr, i The euitsiMy dlt.nrt In the ftinrrplbtn of Oil in ii. p something astound lug It I not surprising that a man of the Intclltgi'nce of Mr. Mit'lcary should stand dumb be fore the piaiple hen called upon to explain the provisions of this bill. Ill Is peer Is rrltlclied by certain republicans for Its altiu k on the Mr Cleary bunkng bill because It Is claimed that our representative In congress ran be trusted not to foist un just legislation iiK)ii the people. The fact that the measure Is receiving the support of the Wall street money sharks, and also that of many congrea slonal representatives, and seeks to take our monetury system out of the hands of the government and place It In the hands of three, men for whom almost a life tenure of office Is to be created, Impels this paper to sound the alarm. Tlia monetary system of today l fsr more satisfactory. This paper believes Uie measure would bo obnoxious and unwise In I1 a present form. Not even tne bankers dare en dorse this bill ss a good thing for the Hople.. They know It Is not and Hint the American Is right, Some of them who want to go out of business tuny profess not to bellevo as we do, but they are looking out for their own in terests, not for the Interests of tlnl public. "" ! 't Til 15 I'OI'K WHO ABDICATED. I'opt Nicholas IV. died on April 4th, 12, and on his d'int.h the Papal See was vacant for two yesrs ond throe months. During all that long period the Church of Rome was a body with out a head, At last a new Pope was elected In the person of Cclestlno V. The story of, his election consltutes one of the strstigest romances In tni history of the Papacy. He was Pope for only five months, and then resigned the Papacy, ihe only genuine Pope, we bftlisve, who ever did so of bis own free will, and glodly. The following Is the text of the document by which he abdicated: "I Celestlne V., Bishop of the Holy Roman Church, being thereunti moved by good and sufficient consld erstlons, for the exercise of humility, the desire of a more perfect life and undefiled conscience, and because of the Infirmity of my body, my want of knowledge, and the evil passions ot the people, as well as the hope of re turning to the tranquil habit of my former life, do, of my own free and uneonst rained will, abdicate the Pap acy, and expressly renounce Its pin e and dignity, its burthens and Its hon ours: hereby Imparting full powers to Ihe holy College of Cardinal, to proceed to the csnonlcal election of a Paetor of the Cnlvcrsal Church." (('(em wood's Culhejra Petri. Bxk XIV., chap, vl page 271, note ) The rcelf'uitlnn of Celestlne ws accepted, and within a few day hi su.xessor was elected. The "Koiuaace of the Papacy" lo hlch we have referred, was, bow ever, connected with the election of Celestlne V., rather thiin with his res ignation, 'llie story Is graphically related by Mregorovhis, In the fifth volume of his History of the City of Home In the Middle Ages. (Ixmdon: Oeorge Belt A Sons, 1H97.) "About tiie same time," writes Ore gorovlus, "the Cardinal assembled (In conclave) In Perugia; the winter, however. siaed away, and even a vis it of Charles II., who went there to meet his youthful son Charles Martel, titular king and claimant of Hungary, made no Impressions. Furious party jealousies prevented the Cardinals from uniting their vote on any one of their company, and the result was an election, than which none could have been more unfortunate. The ac- dental mention of the visions of a pious hermit caused Cardinal Lati nos, who personally knew and hon ored the saint, to propose him as Pope. The suggestion might have ap peared a Jcnt, but it was agreed to in canient, ami the perplexed Cardinal!, who grasped ni a straw, unanimously elected the hermit as Pope on July Tlh tU'SM). The decree of . l.H'tida was (Continued on Psge 5.)