Oklahoma has made a poor bid for statehood
by, allowing her towns and cities to go democratic
at their first election. Had Oklahoma
Oklahoma's shown signs of being safely republican
Plea for there would be less republican opposl-
sutchood. tion to statehood when the matter
cornea up before congress. By going
democratic Oklahoma affords the republican man
agers an opportunity to renew their old cry of
"rotten borough." A brief glance backward will
show that the republican party has never been
Blow- in admitting a territory to statehood when
assured that the new state would go republican.
cy
The Charleston exposition is the next one on
the list, and in addition to its worth from a stand
point of display it is entitled to con
Tlio sideratlon for another reason. It was
Charleston started and carried out without gov
Exposition. ernment aid. True, government aid
was sought, but it was not obtained.
Nothing daunted, the energetic citizens of Charles
ton set to work to make the exposition a success,
and the indications are that they have succeeded
admirably. It will well repay a visit because of
its worth and because of the fact that it is held
at a time when those who go from the north will
experience, the delightful change from cold to
balmy temperature.
vvv
Turkoy
not
Worried.
Of course no one takes seriously the demon
stration France is making against Turkey for the
purpose of collecting a bill. Germany,
Russia and Great Britain would not
permit France to make war on Tur
key. The sultan knows this, hence
he is not at all worried, although he
is making an opera bouffe show of preparing for
resistance. The extreme jealousy of European
nations is responsible for the continued existence
6i Turkey. Each is afraid that the other would
get the big end of a division of Turkish territory,
hence each is watchful lest the other make war on
the Sublime Porte.
It is to be regretted that the promoters of the
pan-American exposition at Buffalo failed in their
efforts to make the exposition pay its
Pan-American way. It is reported that the exposition
Exposition will be considerable short and that
Closed. bonds and stocks will be defaulted. Var
ious causes contributed to the finan
cial failure of the exposition, among them being
the fact that people are surfeited with expositions
and are waiting to attend the greater exposition
at St. Louis. Another was the deplorable event in
the Temple of Music when President McKinley
was assassinated. But from the educational and
artistic standpoints the pan-American exposition
has been a pronounced success and the promoters
have conferred a lasting benefit upon the people.
General
Disgust in
England.
One cannot observe the various things hap
pening in England these days without being im
pressed with the thought that unless
something radical occurs in Great
Britain's favor in South Africa at an
early day, the British ministry will
be confronted with a popular revolt.
"Bobs," otherwise known as Lord Roberts, on
whom a grateful country bestowed a liberal pen
sion for bis services in "conquering" the South
Africans, is frequently scoffed at on the streets of
London. Sir Redvers Fuller, who was degraded
by war officials, appears to be very popular in
many sections. Many prominent Englishmen who
had been silent for a long time, have spoken in
strong protest against England's foolish policy in
South Africa, while humanitarians generally have
boldly denounced the barbarous methods em
ployed against the courageous Boers. The chan
cellor of the exchequer has given timely, warning
that it may be necessary to increase the burdens
upon. the British taxpayers in order to carry on
The Commoner.
the war, and in one way and another things aro
being said and done to show very clearly that the
English public is becoming discontented and dis
quieted because of tho prolonged struggle in the
Transvaal.
While we have learned to look upon Sir
Thomas Llpton as a model sportsman and have
repeatedly assured him that ho is a
Money jolly good fellow, it would seem that
not Well ho should, in justice to himself and
Spent. to his employes, devote a portion of
the money he spends for sport In pay
ing living wages to his workmen. News comes
from England to tho effect that the men work
ing in tho Llpton warehouses have asked that
their wages bo increased to IP cents an hour, and
that tho women have also asked for more pay. It
is reported that Sir Thomas spent $1,000,000 in his
offort3 to life the America cup. Doubtless he se
cured vast enjoyment in tho effort, but he might
have secured just as much if not more by devoting
a portion of that sum to paying' fair wages to his
employes in the Llpton warehouses.
The death of LI Hung Chang Is a severe loss
to China and a severe loss to the world at large.
There was a suspicion that LI Hung
China's Chang was not open and above board
"drandOid during the "boxer" troubles, but this
Man" is Dead.does not outweigh the services ho has
rendered to China and to civilization.
To him is due in large measure whatever of lib
erality China has shown in her intercourse- with
other countries, and his influence has doubtless
prevented serious trouble on more than ,one oc
casion. His death, together with the recall of Wu
Ting Fang, is not calculated to make the United
States stronger in Chinese affairs. The recall of
Minister Wu is based on the fear that he was be
coming so intimate with Americans that he could
not be guarding Chinese interests. As yet, China
seems unable to realize that this republic is en
titled to thanks for standing between China and
partition.
The Now York Mail and Express is still harp
ing away on the old and exploded argument that
that the value of silver bullion in tho
dollar can be measured by the value
of silver bullion that has no oppor
tunity for coinage. The fallacy of tho
argument lies in the fact that It over
looks the increased value of silver created by an
increased demand for it. The free coinage law, by
giving silver access to the mint, would create a
demand for it, and this fact, recognized by all
who think, is entirely disregarded by most of the
advocates of the gold standard. It was thought
thai the Sherman act of 1890, although it provided
for the purchase of silver instead of its free coin
age, would create a demand for all the surplus
silver, and under the stimulus of this demand sil
ver rose to $1.20 an ounce, Secretary of Agricul
ture Rusk, in his annual report, pointed with pride
to this increased value which the Sherman law had
caused, and declared that agricultural products
rose with silver. The Mail and Express, however,
does not require facts. Its theory looks better
when facts are kept out of sight.
The Law's
Effect
on Silver.
AAVN
In a speech recently delivered in London, John
Morley said: "The government is. aggravating the
essential mischief of the situation in
rioriey on South Africa by its management of
South the concentration camps. The death
African War. rate of children, measure it as you
will, is hideous, excessive, and ap
palling. The policy of devastation has been ad
mitted to be a mistake. I wonder what Lord
Palmerston would have said of a government jus
tifying itself by saying that Russia in Poland and
Austria in' Bosnia had done something like the
same. The war has entirely changed in character
and Is drifting into a war of extermination of a
5
peoplo fighting for their own land. The policy of
unconditional surrender and submission means
extermination and annihilation. Tho present atti
tude of tho government is one of sullen despera
tion. There is nothing worso than mottle in a
blind horse. Tho king will perhaps at no distant
date have to seek other ministers with a better
insight and a more pliant mind in tho face of tho
dangerous and complex situation which confronts
tho country." It Is significant that many thinking
men in Great Britain aro exerting every effort to
open tho eyes of tho British ministry to tho folly
of its course in South Africa. It is strange that
there aro any men in any portion of tho country
who cannot realize that Great Britain has as
sumed an enormous burden in tho Transvaal, and
that unless a change comes soon, civilization will
stand aghast at tho barbarities practiced by a na
tion that claims to bo tho leader in law and in
morals.
SSSlfc
An Innovation in marriage proceedings was
presented In New York recently when Henry Kel
logg Wllllard and Miss Holen Wilson
An Innovation Parker became husband and wife. In
ln Marriage stead of being attended by a man, Mr.
Ceremony. Wllllard was accompanied to tho al
tar by his "best friend," his aged
mother. The proceeding was an unique one, and
while it may not be imitated generally, it would
seem that, if a man desired to be accompanied to
tho altar by his very best friend, ho could not
possibly make a more appropriate selection than to
choose tho woman who gave him birth, who
trained him in childhood, lavished upon him the
bountiful riches of a mother's heart, and during
her declining years, pays to him tho tribute of
constant thought and anxiety for his welfare
The Chicago Record-Herald boasts that at
present we have tho largest per capita circulation
on record. The Record-Herald says:
Morefioney "According to the treasury statement
Better the amount of money in circulation in
Times." the United States on November 1 was
$2,240,300,542. On an estimated pop
ulation of 78,211,000 this was equal to $28.72 per
capita, which is the highest point tho circulation
has ever reached. This circulation consists of tho
following kinds of money, all as good as gold:
Gold coin, $633,858,471; gold certificates, $281,
078,659; standard silver dollars, $73,113,520; sll-,
ver certificates, $441,810,337; subsidiary silver, $83,
999,351; treasury notes of 1890, $41,384,614; United
States notes, $338,781,028; national bank notes,
$351,674,562. It is a noteworthy fact that' tho
money in circulation November 1, 1901, was $107,
119,130 greater than one year ago, despite tho fact
that there was a reduction of over $24,000,000 of
treasury notes of 1890 outstanding. The chief in
crease was in gold and silver certificates and na
tional bank notes." It will be remembered that
during tho discussion of the money question in
1896 the champions of the single gold standard as
sured us that we had plenty of money. And yet
hero is a gold standard organ pointing gleefully
to the fact that on November 1, 1901, we had $107,-
000,000 more in circulation than on November 1,
1900, and this in spite.of the fact that "there was a
reduction of over $24,000,000 of treasury notes of
1890 outstanding." It "Ull be observed that tho
Record says: "The chief increase was in gold and
silver certificates and in national bank notes." It
also boasts that all this money Is "good as gold."
The standard silver dollars and silver certificates
aggregating more than half a billion of dollars,
are not redeemable in gold. The silver certifi
cates are redeemable in silver dollars while the
silver dollars are not redeemable at all. it is an
old question, but nevertheless will bear replti
tlon: "Why is this half a billion dollars, repre
sentative wholly of silver money, as good as
gold?" It would also be in order for the champions
of the single gold standard to explain why they.
. are so proud of an increase in the circulation,
when they assured us before the Increase that wo
had plenty of money?