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The Commoner.
Issued IAekly.
Torms Poyablo in Advance
Ono Yoar. -..$1,00
Six Months 60
Threo Months 36
Single Oopy -At Newstands or at this Office 05
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all communications to
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Entered at the postofllce at Lincoln, Nebraska, as second
class mail matter.
It liiis boon found advisable to change the day
of publication from Wednesday to Friday, and
next week's issue will bear date of February 22d.
Tiie Commoner's circulation now reaches into
every stato and territory, and in some states into
most of the counties, but it is expected that every
subscriber will receive his paper by Saturday at
latest.
Tho inventor of liquid air has not yet asked
for a protective tariff on tho raw material.
It is to bo regretted that tho shipping subsidy
bill did not see its shadow.
m In tho hand of editors entirely busy the pen
is less convenient than the scissors.
Secretary Long should be content with having
Sampson receive the bulk of the prize money.
Tho ammunition makers seem to be the resi
duary legatees of the modern methods of civilization.
Justice is tho last thing Neeloy and Rathbono
should ask for, but it should be the first thin
they got.
ct
O
It is barely possible that tho groundhog did
not come out of his hole, fearing Pat Crowe or
a tax on holes.
Tho Nebraska senatorial deadlock might bo
broken by transplanting Mr. Quay's plum tree to
Nebraska soil for a few weeks.
Mr. Hanna objeots to having it called "tho
subsidy bill." Doubtless he.' would also enter
objection to the title of "steal."
The Commoner is grateful for tho kindly
welcome extended by friendly newspapers and ac
cepts the hostile criticism in the spirit in whioh it
, is given.
After reading Senator Towno's speech ono can
easily understand why tho administration sup
porters were in such a hurry to have his succes
sor sworn in.
The Commoner.
Crazy Snake should advance the pica that he
merely intended to benevolently assimilate a few
white men in his immediate locality.
It will be noted that tho army officer who so-
cures a "Washington detail is the ono who most
loudly asserts the need of an increased standing
army.
The "divine right of kings" gets a severe slap
when it is known that tho London police had to
work over time during the obsequies of the late
queen.
Congress seems to think that the farmer, who
receives a package of government seeds has no
right to object to the giving of a subsidy to a few
ship-owners.
A large number of congressmen who excuse
their conduct on the ground that they are filled
with missionary zeal are filled only with commis
sionary zeal.
The Boers scorn determined to force some
body into accepting sympathy, and recent dis
patches from South Africa indicate that Great
Britain is "It."
Most of the people who pay $4 for a Bernhardt
ticket pay 50 cents of it to see Sarah and the
other $3.50 to make the people believe they un
derstand French.
Possibly the failure of Mr. Carnegie and Mr.
Rockefeller to agree upon terms is due to a laud
able desire on the part of each to keep tho other
from dying disgraced.
$
Several cities report that they are infected with
"Jack-the-IIugger" or "Jack-the-Pincher." Wash
ington, D. C, is afflicted with quite a bunch of
' 'Senators- the-Grabbers. ' '
"The expectations of the administration have
not been realized," says General MacArthur.
Thus an even balance is maintained between the
administration and the public.
If wo have peace in the Philippine islands
why is it necessary to continue the press censor
ship? And if press censorship is still necessary,
why not admit that war is in progress?
A number of administration organs are pok
ing fun at the idea of a Jefferson-Jackson-Lincoln
banquet, but they remain very quiet on the Uncle
Sam-John-Bull-Imperialism saturnalia.
It appears that tho more peaceful the Filipi
nos become the more reinforcements MacArthur
must have. Tho Filipino commission seems to
need the services of a first-class ocoulist.
Mark Twain has written a strong article
against imperialism and tho republicans can't see
anything funny about it. In fact, they think that
ho has outlived his usefulness, and has lost his
sense of humor.
.
Master Allan Leo Swisher, a twelve-year-old
boy of Gypsum, Kans., is tho editor and pub
lisher of a little paper called tho Chronicle. The
work, both lettering and illustrating, is done
with a pen. Whether or not young Swisher be
comes permanently identified with the newspaper
fraternity, he certainly has found useful employ
ment for his spare time.
When it is officially decided just when a pig
becomes a hog wo may expect to have it officially
decided when an infant industry ceases to be an
infant industry and becomes full-grown.
$
Tho protected tariff barons object to an
income tax that forces them to pay out, but they
are unanimous in demanding an in come tax that
enables them to add to their bank accounts.
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat is quoting
General Otis as an authority on the Philippines.
Yet Otis never traveled far into the interior
while in command of the Philippine forces.
$
Some predict that Texas will rival Pennsyl
vania as a producer of oil; it is to be hoped,
however, that she will not rival Pennsylvania in
her political methods. Wo can use more oil,
but we do not need any more Pennsylvania
politics.
The initial number of The Commoner inad
vertently credited Francis Drake with tho author
ship of Joseph Rodman Drake's poem, "The
American Flag." As a very large number of ad
ministration organs have called attention to the
error The Commoner is inclined to the belief
that it is widely read in republican sanctums.
It is announced that the brass goods trust is
about to be dissolved because ' a leading member
of the association is going to withdraw. The
reason given for withdrawal is its inability to
obtain orders at the schedule prices. The public
may get some relief before another trust can be
formed, but why leave the public to periodical
extortion?
A test has at last been discovered for deter
mining when a paper is under corporate influ
ence. If the editor becomes violently agitated
when any reference is made to the common peo
ple the chances are sixteen to one that his paper
is a defender of every scheme whereby the organ
ized few seek to obtain an advantage over the
masses of the people.
It is objected to Mr. Kerns, Utah's new re
publican senator, that he lacks education and a
knowledge of history. It is no reflection on
those who have had the benefits of a collegiate
education to say that men who gather wisdom
from contact with tho world rather than from
books have often made good legislators, but it is
especially absurd to find fault with a republican
official because he is not acquainted with history.
If the party is going to pursue the course mapped
out by Mr. Hanna, the less knowledge a republi
can senator has of history the easier his con
science will bo.
Judge has a cartoon illustrating reorganiza
tion as viewed by tho republicans. It represents
the democratic party as a prodigal son while Mr.
Cleveland appears' as the 'patriarchi.il father ad
vancing to meet and wolcomc the penitent
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