Best Form On August Oth the Standard
of Giving and Oil Company declared a divi
Recciving, dend of 8 per cent. This
brings the dividends for this
company for the year 1001 up to 40 per cent.
It is estimated that the dividends for this year
I "will reach 50 per cent. John D. Rockefeller's
share in the dividend of August Cth'is said to
have been $3,200,000. Hot long ago Mr.
& Rockefeller said that the best form -'Of giving
f "was tho payment of wages. It cannot be
doubted that Mr. Rockefeller is fully con
vinced that the best form of receiving is Stand
ard Oil dividends.
Neely Will The United States District
Probably Attorney announces that ho
Go Free. does not think that Neely, the
republican politician charged
with Cuban frauds, can be convicted. It has
been discovered that there is no authority to
require witnesses to go to Cuba to testify against
Neely and tho witnesses decline to go. It will'
be remembered that during the campaign it
was repeatedly stated by republican politicians
that tho prosecution of Neely would be carried
on with all possible vigor. At the same time,
I" however, it was freely predicted that Neely
would not be convicted. These predictions
appear to' have had good foundation.
Senator Congressman Babcock says
Cullom the republican party muBt do
Probably Right. . something with the tariff ques
t '.-. -, rtion,. but Senator Cullom, after
having paid a visit to President McKinley, an
nounces that there will be no tariff legislation.
Mr. Hanna happened to be present at the time
Mr. Cullom called on the President.
It is not difficult to believe that Senator
Cullom is in better position to say what the re
, publican party will or will not do than Con
gressman Babcock is.. . -,.
It was, however, hardly? necessary that any
assurance be given that the . republican party
would not interfere with the privileges enjoyed
by the tariff barons.
The" Apple The general public has always
Crop an Im- shown alarm when any dam-
portaiit Factor, age was threatened to the corn
crop. Yet, ' according to a
statement given out by the Independent, the
apple crop is a very important feature. This
statement places the value of the corn crop of
1899 at $0'29,210,lio, the value of the hay
crop at $411,920,187, the value of the wheat
crop at $819,545,250, the value of the cotton
crop at $305,467,041 and the value of the oats
crop at $198,107,975, while the value of the
apple crop for 1900 is given in round figures
at $430,000,000. It will be seen that in point
of monetary value the apple crop was second
only to the corn crop.
Trade and The imperialists' claim that
the' Flag? trade 5 ollows the flag has re-
.'' ceived a severe blow by the
publication of figures showing our cotton
goods trade with Cuba. In 1899 Great Britain
Bold to Cuba cotton goods to the value of $2,-
The Commoner.
102,025. In 1900 tho valuo of the cotton
goods sold in Cuba was $2,005,807. This was
an increase of $773,282. In 1809 the United
States sold to Cuba cotton goods to the valuo
of -$1,337,741. In 1900 the value of cotton
goods sold by the United States to Cuba was
$420,142. -This was a decrease of $017,599.
It is explained that tho reason for this differ
ence in favor of England is that the Cubans
prefer the English made goods.
It is a very difficult matter to establish tho
claim that trade follows tho flag. As a matter
of fact trade follows the people who will pro
duce the best goods for tho smallest amount of
money.
Railroad In a recent issue the Chicago
Combinations. "Chronicle gives some interest
ing facts concerning railroad
combinations. The Chronicle says:
The community of interests in railroads, while
often made a subject of levity, is quietly working
out and the ultimate grouping of the railways of
the country is not far distant. Already three
fifths of the capitalization of the railroads has
passed into the control of the five great interests
and the extensions now under consideration will
absorb one-fifth more of the capitalization. The
south and southwestern systems will probably
form two more groups, and within a brief period
the railway systems will be controlled by seven
distinct but not rival interests, for at least four of
the interests now in control are working in har
mony. The only discord is between the Goulds'
Wabash line and the Pennsylvania.
The Vanderbilts and Pennsylvania, for in
stance, are jointly interested in Chesapeake and
Ohio and are pledged to maintain harmony and
stability of rates in trunk lines territory.
Mr. Morgan is an influential factor in most
of the Vanderbilt lines, and both Mr. Vanderbilt
and Mr. Gould have most cordial relations with
Mr. Harriman and his associates. The Rockefel
lers are Identified in a greater or less degree with
the Vanderbilts, Mr. Harriman, Mr. Morgan and
Mr. Gould.
The following is a summary of the capital
ization, bonded indebtedness and mileage of the
five railroad groups dealt with:
Group Capital. Bonds. Miles.
Vanderbilt ....$ 483,648,000 $ 673,556,727 18,744
Pennsylvania . 654,453,800 687,400,000 16,422
Gould 388,000,000 422,500,000 14,170
Morgan-Hill .. 976,943,000 1,269,000,000 33,500
Harriman 544,833,700 502,000,000 20,921
Totals $3,047,878,500 $3,554,456,727 103,757
The aggregate capitalization of all the rail
roads in the United States is something less than
$5,000,000,000 and the aggregate mileage is about
200,000 miles.
The Greatest A recent issue of the Chicago
Need of Tribune contains an editorial
Cuba. under the caption of "Cuba's
Needs.' It is not necessary
to. waste any time reading the editorial in ques
tion, for it does not come anywhere near set
ting forth the chief need of Cubar That need
is expressed clearly and fully in the resolution
adopted by congress on April 18, and in the
platform adopted by the republican national
convention in 1896. The congressional reso
lution declared that "The people of Cuba are,
and of right ought to be, free and indepen
dent." Continuing the resolution says: "That
it is the duty of the United States to demand,
and the government of the United States does
demand, that the government of Spain at once
relinquish its authority and government in the
island of Cuba, and withdraw its land and
naval forces from Cuba and Cuban waters.
The United States hereby disclaims
any disposition or intention to exorcise bot"
ereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island,
except for tho pacification thereof, and aggerti
its determination when that is completed to
leave tho government and control of tho island
to its people." Tho republican national plat
form of 1890 said: "From tho'hour of achiev
ing their own independence, tho people of tho
United States havo regarded with sympathy
the struggles of other American peoples to free
themselves from European domination. Wo
watch with deep and abiding interest the he
roic battle of Cuban patriots against cruelty
and oppression, and our besl hopes go out to
the full success of their determined con
test for liberty." What does Cuba need?
Merely tho fulfillment of a solemn congres
sional pledge and the carrying out of the plat
form upon which tho present administration
rode into power the first time.
A Victory Tho British war office hag
For Publicity. been compelled by the powor
of public opinion to 'recede
from its attitude toward tho London Daily
Mail. The war office took offense because tho
Mail printed the truth concerning tho Boer
war, and in order to punish tho newspaper, de
barred its representatives from all official news,
also directing the various news agencies not to
supply the Mail with any information obtained
from tho war office. The English people have
made their protest against this plan very ef
fective. They vhave been; deceived tin many
ways and will not tolerate any deliberate effort
to keep the facts from them.
It is probable that if the people of Great
Britain knew half the truth concerning the
Boer war, a storm of righteous indignation
would hover in the vicinity of the British min
istry. A Foolish " A young woman who drew
Rule. one of tho prizes in the Okla
homa land lottery was. married
a day or two after the drawing, and was noti
fied that because of her marriage she would
lose her right to the land. Tho Washington
Post very properly condemns the notion that
this woman could be deprived of any right
which she had fairly acquired because of her
marriage. The Post says:
"Now, surely, this Is an incredible condition
of affairs, for which an enlightened government
such as ours is herein made responsible. These
two women have apparently complied with the
regulations Issued by the interior department and
have had the luck to draw homesteads under the
official process. If they were not eligible they
would, presumably, have been excluded. If they
were eligible as must be taken for granted what
right has tho government to deprive them of their
properly acquired rights? Was there any proviso
that the winners in the drawing should ever after
lead a celibate and lonely life? If so, we have not
heard of it, and in any event it would be so irra
tional and tyrannical as to invite the condemna
tion of all just men. The department might as
well have said that any prize winner subsequently
losing a leg or inheriting a piece of property else
where would, ipso facto, forfeit the holding ac
quired under the drawing. It is well enough to
forbid the sale of such property until title shall
have been perfected by fourteen months of actual
residence, for otherwise the door would be opened,
to gambling pure and giraplef But' to say that
those who. have secured awards shall not marry .
theJ Very best guarantee "of good faith they could
possibly give is to say a stupid and a cnel
thing."
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