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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1902)
'wJWS wwjyp wrffwimwmwvr !'ewSBIPiPWF Why not Let Well Cue ugh Alone. no Interpretation. flarch 7, 190a THo Baltimore American says: "The Detroit banker who meddled with other people's money continues to criticise the news papers for 'meddling with other people's business.' " Probably this man thought that inas much as he made way with only $1,600,000, those who might be inclined to criticise him should "let well enough alone." The "magnanimous concessions" to Cuba, 'made by the republican ways and means com mittee, is referred "to by the Treading on Chicago Record-Herald as "the Dangerous attempt of the strong to impose Ground. usurped authority upon the weak. It is the Piatt amend ment again cropping up against the pledges 0 the Teller resolution." This is eminent republi can authority and it is difficult to understand how the Record-Herald hopes to escape convic tion on the charge of treason. The imperialists are having considerable trou ble in the effort to interpret the statements made by Jacob Schurman. Among Needs other things, Mr. Schurman said: "From the American point of view ultimate Philip pine independence is inevitable and devoutly to be wished. Any decent kind of government of Filipinos by Filipinos is better than the best possible government of Filipinos by .americans." That would seem to be plain enough for any one at all capable of understanding the English language. The character of the concessions to Cuba which the republican majority of the house is dis- ' posed to make" is described by the New York World in these words: "The agreement reached1 by the republican majority of the ways and means committed to recommend a reduction of 20 per cent on im ports from Cuba holds out no hope of real relief to the island. President Palma has declared that unless a 50 per cent reduction is made the Cuban planters cannot sell their crops at a living profit. And his declaration is not disputed by anybody except the champions of the protected twins beet and cane." "Public Opinion" says: "For the fourth time the house has adopted a resolution favoring the election of United States sena tors by popular or direct vote. Judging from the tone of edi torial opir'.on, there is little reason to doubt that this change is approved by a majority of the people. Up to this time, however, the senators have been sin gularly deaf to the popular voice on this subject, some having their hearing muffled by the fact that they could never secure election by popular vcte, and others like Mr. Hoar believing that the reasoning of the framers of the constitution still holds good and .that one popularly-elected house Is enough." Concessions to Cuba; ''' Deaf to the Popular Voice. co A report that President Roosevelt has di rected Attorney General Knox to prosecute the Northern Securities company for Why not Shackle violating the provisions of the all Along Sherman anti-trust law, was the Line. well received by the American people. But the manner in which the attorney general carries out his in structions will be carefully watched. It is to be hoped that for the sake of public interests the at torney general will exert his well known ability to the enforcement of the law with respect to this particular violation. And this calls attention to The Commoner. the fact that If the president can direct his at torney general to proceed against this particular trust, he can l 1 direct him to proceed against other trusts. And, if the situation is sufficiently serious to warrant the president to act, why may not congress act? Why may not congress adopt a plan suggested by Mr. Babcock which is prac tically the plan suggested in the Kansas City platform, and remove from the products of trusts the immense advantages obtained by the trusts because of the advantages provided In the high protective tariff? Why may not "cunning" all along the line be "shackled as In the past we have shackled force?" yCy "Burning the floney." Consolation is In store for those who have stood aghast because of the recklessness on th-a part of the republican leaders in the expenditure of public money. It is reported that recently quite a warm discussion took placo between an advocate and an op ponent of the Hanna ship subsidy bill. The op ponent of that measure insisted that It was out lageous to appropriate public money for subsidy purposes and after the opponent had made a vig orous and Intelligent statement of his reasons for opposing the subsidy bill, the advocate of that measure brought things to a crisis and closed tho incident by the statement: "Great Caesar, man, you talk as though we were going to burn money." JJ 1 . A Commission's Defective Document The Springfield (Mass.) Republican Is not greatly Impressed with the report of the indus trial commission relating to trusts and combines, Tho Re publican points out that in this report "there is not a word as to the bearing of tho tariff in the case, but instead a recommendation that this phase of the-subject- be'referred to another commission." Mr. Phillips of Pennsylvania, who made a minor ity report on this point, ridicules the idea of an other commission and declares that .there are enough facts In the possession of the present com mission to warrant a report. Mr. Phillips insists that the tariff is being used to enable the trusts to charge high prices in the home market and soil at a low price in foreign markets. He suggests tlr t duties be removed from metals, ores, wood pulp, logs, and raw materials generally of re stricted supply; and the Republican, indorsing Mr. Phillips' view, says: "No treatment of the trusts can lay any claim to comprehensiveness which passes by the tariff side of It; and this long re port of the long-standing federal commission is therefore a defective document." On February 16, 1899, Secretary of the Navy Long delivered an address before the Homo Market club of Boston. In that address Mr. Long said: "It is certain cause for congratulation that the extreme imperialists who resisted the treaty have been signally overthrown. By resisting its rati fication they have been insisting upon the ex tremest imperialism and have now out-Heroded Herod. They not only would have prolonged the war with Spain, but would havo refused to take out of the hands of one man, the president, ab solute authority over the Philippines, liriilted only to tho indefinite scope of what is called tho war power, wielded by a purely military arm hold ing a naked sword. Think of that for imperial ism! It is a great credit to the president that, like Julius Caesar and George Washington, he has .refused this offer of a kingly crown. On the contrary, tho good old democratic plan has been adopted of putting the disposition of. these islands into the hands of the American people, who will rfulv nxnress their will through their reprpsenta- Thlnkof That For Imperialism. f ' tives In congress assembled. I have no 'doubt ths piesident is delighted to have tho elephant off his hands and on theirs." Threo years have gone by since this speech was delivered and yot tho presi dent appears to bo wielding about at much power In tho Philippines as he did in 1881. It is tro that congress is going through tho form of onact ing a tariff law, but tho form of government un der which tho Filipinos must livo is that of " naked sword." So thoroughly Imperialistic Is this authority that It has been charged and not denied that tho president's representatives In the Philippines prohibited tho reading of tho Declar ation of Independence before a gathering of Fili pinos on July 4, 1901. "Think of that for im perialism!" The Chicago Record-Herald has In Its tline poked considerable fun at tho populists, and yet In an editorial printed in its Hated issue of February 24, tho Rec- Popuiistic ord-Hcrald seriously discusses Doctrine, the question, "Shall wo have tho referendum?" The Record Herald says: "Tho referendum as a remedy for tho greatest evils of democracy, such as corrupt legislation and government by bosses, is receiv ing more serious discussion at this time than over before. A growing disposition on the part of tho people to test its efficacy in rescuing tho prin ciple of self-government Is manifest In .nearly ev ery state." Can it be possible that sedate repub lican or&ins are becoming converted to hated "populistic doctrines?" i?o. Tho Mystery of Gold Exports. Holland, the Wall street correspondent of the Philadelphia Press, sent in an interesting report recently. Ho confessed his in ability to understand the mys tery of gold going abroad. He says it Is one of tho great mya , terles of international finance,". that no man has been found who could explain it, and that if any one could explain it he would bo honored as a great financial philosopher. He also refers incidentally to tho extraordinary profits earned by tho coal combination, and says that the reports indicate that the earnings have been so great that tho managers havo deemed It .prudent to so frame their statements as to hide the earn ings, and the reason given is that "should tho con &umer of coal learn that these fat returns have been enjoyed they would at once demand that they havo some share in them through a reduction in the cost of coal to the consumers." The coal com bination will be able to contribute liberally to the next campaign fund, but will tho consumers of coal contribute their votes to the same party? A travelling man reports that the tobacco trust is just now engaged In an effort to break up all the tobacco buyers so that Tobacco it will have the market corn- Trust pletely in Its own hands. Tho Scheming. representative of the trust goes around and buys some tobacco at more than the market price, thus in ducing the producers to demand more than the market price of the regular buyers. Later the trust goes into the market and buys at a lower price, thus bringing a loss to the dealers who attempted to buy of the producer at the price first fixed by the trust. As soon as the local dealer's losses drive him out of the business, the trust will be able to pay whatever It pleases, and the producer must take whatever he can get. Thus the trust is pre paring to rob tho producer of raw materiaUon the one hand while it extorts from the consumer on the other. It is Impossible to overcome this ex cept by legislation. The small dealer cannot apply a remedy to the trust, and it is too much to expect that the producers, either individually or in con cert, can withstand the schemes put forth by con centrated capital.