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The Commoner.
Issued Weel:ly.
Terras Payablo in Advance.
Ono Year '. .... 81.00
Six Months : ' .60
Threo Months .-..... ,35
Singlo Oopy At Newstands or at this Ofiice ...'.... ,05
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Sllhcrlnttrmc n Vn Crtlif lUrfirt in TlIP f.OMMONER.
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til communications to
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Entered at the postoftice at Lincoln, Nebraska, as second
class mail matter.
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The friends of tlio shijhsubfjiu'y bill arc not
willing to include the prairie schooner among the
ft beneficiaries.
Mr. Mitoholl, who has just been returned to
i the senate from Oregon, has long been an advo-
jp catb of tho popular election of senators.
The Nebraska legislature, although republi-
.- can, has unanimously adopted a resolution declar
ing in 'favor of tho election of senators by tho
people. Tho administration's regret over tho enormous
W" appropriations comes at about tho same time as
the regrets of tho man who is spending the morn
ing hours after tho night before. '
Mr. Rockefeller has just given $250,000 to.
Brown university. And thus again does vindi-
gkr cation como to tho subsorviont trustees who pro
ffer monoy to tho American right of free speech.
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"Dry your oyos and cease to weep," advises
t Alfred Austin. With tho gracious aid of Alfred
we'll undortako to do it. But Alfred must help
p us by refraining from further poetic convulsions.
Because of the greed of the sugar baronB the
I', manufacturers of rnachinory in this country are
f1' being given an objeot lesson by llussia, she ha v-
f; ing a tariff just liko tho ono drawn by tho late
Mr. Dingloy.
There is only ono difference between the river
and harbor bill and tho subsidy bill. Tho former
? distributes tho "pork" among a groat many. The
latter is drawn with tho idea of giving tho whole
hogto a dozen men.
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Tho National Watchman of Washington, D.
..,0., has published tho speoohes of Senator Towno
' and Senator Vest almost oomplote. Auy ono do
I: liring a copy of the. Watchman containing either
g specoh can seouro it by Bending two cents to that
..''paper.
Senator Chandler has introduced a bill pro-
f: hibiting corporations from contributing to cam
s', paign funds. The principle is all right, but the
HP i 1 1 l
re penalties wnicn no suggests are grossly inado
j$rquate. It fa .not worth, while to discuss tho details
, of tho bill just now because .the republicans are
it
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The Commoner;
too busy with legislation paying back to the cor
porations the campaign funds subscribed last year
to devote any time to tho consideration of such a
measure as that proposed by the gentleman from
Now Hampshiio.
A newspaper correspondent has discovered
that the Filipinos would rather fight than work.
Well, history has recorded tho names of a great
many people who preferred to fight for liberty
rather than work for a foreign master.
Considering the rapid increase of western in
fluence in political affairs it is not surprising that
tho eastern states are opposed to a national system
of irrigation in the west which is certain to result
in a rapid enlargement 'of western political in
fluence. It is oustommary for the outgoing president
and the. incoming president to ride to inaugura
tion together. As Senator Hanna has been so
lected to ride with President McKinley the ques
tion arises: Is Mr. Hanna just ending or just be
ginning his executive term?
Mr. Hanna greatly deprecates the selfishness
of 70,000,000 people who object to being taxed
for the purpose of bribing men to engage in a
business admittedly profitable.. If Mr. Hanna
will wipe his glasses he ho will bo able to see a
rapid growth in this sort of selfishness.
The St. Louis exposition, celebrating the cen
tennial of tho Louisiana purohase, should be one
of the greatest expositions in history. It will
celebrate- the 'peaceful -acquisition by purchase
from a foreign power of a magnificent territory
whose inhabitants were guaranteed tho rights of
citizenship and statehood. ,
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If the Congressmen who are constantly ion
doavoriug to raise the rate of postage on second
class mail matter would give a little attention to
the compensation paid railroads for carrying tho
mails, they would find it possible to make such a
reduction in expenses as to render an increase in
postage rates unnecessary.
Mr. Hanna has expressed his individual opin
ion of the river and harbor steal, and it is now
up to some other administration leader to express
his individual opinion of the shipping subsidy
steal. There seems to be a faint hope that, just
dues are about to be paid to those who always
profit when certain interests disagree.
Sixty-four years old and unable to secure
work at his trade, that of coatraaker, George
Zeigler of Canton, Ohio mark the place was
ordered sent to the Stark county poor house. At
tho door of tho almshouse he fell dead. Aud all
this ore the echos of the cry about the "full din
ner pail" had died out in the hills of Stark
oounty.
The monopolists sometimes try to defend trusts
by olaiming that thoy are identical in principle
with the labor organization. There is this differ
ence, however,, between tho two kinds of organi
. zation which ought to be apparent to every one.
Labor organizations have not yet. secured .for their
members more than a fair compensation for worK
done and in many branches of industry they have
not secured what is fair, while many of .the trust
magnates have within a few years amassed fabu
lous fortunes. When labor organizations reach
the point where the wage earners are able to
spend their summers in the north, their winters
in the south and the autumn montho in Europe,
it will be time enough to class such organizations
with the trusts.
Senator Kearns of Utah, in a recent speech,
said that gold is now so plentiful that it is "roll
ing into the lap of every fireside." Some of the
newspapers indulge in sarcastic comments and ac
cuse the Senator of using bad English. Why do
these journals lay aside in this case tho rever
ence which they habitually show to the wealthy?
Mr. KearnB is rich enough to make firesides to
suit himself; if he wants them witb lap attach
ments he is certainly able to afford them.
The Minneapolis Tribune calls attention to a
mistake made in the first issue of The Com
moner. In an editorial on the Vice-Presidency
it was stated that Vice-President Breckenridge
was, never consulted by President Buchanan except
ing in regard to the phraseology of a Thanksgiv
iug proclamation. The Tribune brings to light
the fact that President Buchanan never issued a
Thanksgiving proclamation. While the correc
tion does, not lessen the force of the editorial in
which-the inaccuracy ocourred, The Commoner
makes acknowledgement of the error.
The logic of the protectionist is something re
markable in its weirdiiess. Here we have Amer
ican sugar makers complaining because our impost
on sugar is not high enough while American mak
ers of "machinery are complaining because tho
Russian impost on machinery is too high. And
although Russia raised the machinery duty in re
taliation for our having raised the duty on Russian
.sugar, tho loyal protectionists insist that Russia's
action is unfriendly and declare that Russia has
no right to deem a similar act on the part of the
.United States unfriendly. When a protectionist
starts out on a logical journey he in variably, meets
himself coming back.
St
What's all this talk about withdrawing tho
United States troops from China and leaving the .
allied forces of Europe to settle the Chinese ques
tion! Treason, deep, dark, inexcusable treason!
Haul down the flag from the place where it was
planted by the valor of American arm's? Cop
perhoadism, to say nothing of Little American- .
ism and provincialism! ! Such a chance to prac
tice benevolent assimilation, such an opportunity
for manifest destiny to expand must not bo
missed. Withdraw from China and lower 'tho
flag? Onco more we are reminded of Bene
dict Arnold and a few mouth-filling jphrases used
in continuous performances by the g. o. p. spell
binders only a few months ago.
Republican papers claim to have discovered
that, silver never was popular in the South. What
.a pity this discovery, vyas not made sooner. If
the republicans had only found this out five years
tago they might have been saved the expenditure
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