The Commoner.
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The Commoner.
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HIE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
Eighty-seven years ago last January a British
camp near Now Orleans was Knocked out with
out waiting to hear from Washington.
Perhaps Mr. Chamberlain did not resent Mr.
Dillon's charge because of a well-grounded fear
that if put to tho test Mr. Dillon could provide
tho proof.
Tho tobacco trusts are engaged in a war in
Great Britain. American consumers of tobacco
will have to smoko up to make good the trust
losses in England.
The Washington Democrat says "President
Roosovolt is tho Grover Cleveland of tho republi
can party." It will tako a commission to decide
which is tho aggrieved gentleman.
While Speaker Henderson was helping to nail
on a few looso sugar tariff boards some enter
prising republicans In his district have been raz
ing a few panels of Lis political fences.
iii m
Mr. Morgan Is forgotful of details in little
fifteen million dollar deals. Ho thinks in billions
now. And Mr. Morgan is chiof factotum in a lit
tle Infant industry that must he coddled with,
tariff.
It is believed that Mr. Roosevelt's forthcom
ing "History of Toxas" will bo carefully edited
with a view to keeping out those things that might
ho quoted against him when he makes his run
for tho presidency.
Thoughtful republicans are watching for some
one to Thomas Carter tho river and harbor appro
priation bill. Thoughtful republicans realize the
danger lurking in that proposed wanton waste of
the people's money.
General Smith explains that when, ho ordered
Major Waller "to take no prisoners he meant that
captured natives were to bo disarmed and turned
loose. Tho Philippine business keeps right on
demanding explanations.
Colombia has submitted tho terms under which
Bho will permit tho United States to build tho
canal, and if the state department approves the
matter will bo laid before congress. This means
some extra work for Lord Pauncefote.
The Chicago American has beon doing excel-
mJSf in .bhailf. of th0 munIclIal ownership
of munclpal franchises, and tho recent vote on
municipal questions shows that tho American is
on tho popular sido of tho question,
Ne 70rk judgQ recently refused to admit
to citizonship a man who did not understand tho
first principles of the constitution. Perhaps the
judge will undertake to explain tho constitution
In the light of a few recent supreme court de-
How would Young Rockefeller do for tho -a-publican
candidate for vice-president? His re
cont utterances at church meetings show that ha
loses no opportunities to say a word for the trusts
?nd,iofnai?Pgn WOuld glvo hira a Bpendld chS
n0romifnnndtlle mnPOly that him in 0
.. -.,
Some one has defined a farmer as a man who
makes his money on a farm and spends It in town
and an agriculturist as one who makes his money,
in town and sponds it on a farm.
"Tho Imperialist," which was published by
tho Imperial Publishing company, 37 Mercer
street, New York, in 18G9, will feel justified in
starting up again if our government makes much
more progress toward arbitrary power.
Mr. Ivey still insists that Great Britain is
stealing our Alaskan territory. What does tho
man want, anyway? Does he expect us to make
a fuss over a patch of ground just at the timo
when Whitelaw is being fitted with his corona
tion knickles?
Tho "durham heifer," of which the republi
can papers especially tho Washington Post
havo talked so much, has been received at Fair
view, and while she is a credit to the shorthorn
breed, our esteemed contemporaries will bo
pained to learn that she cost less than half as
much as they reported.
A Benton county, Arkansas, reader of Tho
Commoner writes that the democratic convention
of that county endorsed the Kansas City plat
form and resolved not to select as a delegate
to the state convention any man who did not en
dorse it. The reorganizers do not seem to bo
strong in that section.
When it is remembered that St. Louis county
includes tho precincts immediately surrounding
the city of St. Louis, the resolution referred to on
another page is tho more significant. If the dem
ocrats immediately adjacent to Missouri's largest
city aro unanimously opposed to reorganization,
what hope have the reorganizers in tho more re
mote counties?
United States Judges Grosscup and Humphrey of
Chicago have so modified the assessment made by
tho board of equalization, under the order of tho
state court, as to materially lessen the taxes of
the corporations affected. Acording to the Times
Herald tho federal court has reduced the assess
ment until it is within from 2 to 7 per cent of tho
assessment of 1901, while it is from 30 to 47 per
cent lower than tho amount fixed by tho state
court. After examining a few such decisions as
this it is not difficult to understand why the cor
porations always rush into the federal courts
when in trouble.
The Los Angeles Times and other pro-English
republican papers are trying to justify their
opposition to the Boers on the ground that Kruger
was not a good president. The charge made
against Kruger is not true, yet it is worth while
to remember that that sort of logic would justifv
a monarchy if the king happened to be good and
would condemn a republic if the president turned
out to be a bad man. If the editor of tho Times
will read the Declaration of Independence he will
find that the self-evident truths set forth in that
document were not conditioned upon officials be
ing perfect.
.j . .
Senator Hanshrough of North Dakota has
written to a constituents that ho will support
the constitutional amendment providing for tho
election of United States senators by popular
vote, but hiB colleague, Senator McCumber from
that state is not quite so outspoken. He says tho
proposition "seems to be very .auch before the peo
ple at tho present time, and is certainly Impor
tant enough to merit very serious consideration."
Come, senator, "serious consideration" is not
enough. The senate has been seriously consid
ering that proposition for several years. What Is
.needed now is not more time for "serious con
sideration," but prompt action.
On another page will be found a table giving
the contents of The Commoner Condensed. In
stead of containing from 300 to 350 pages as
?ml??n the volume will contain something more
than 450 pages. The tablp gives the titles of tho
editorials reproduced and also shows the selec
ri sa"!ereJ fom tHe other departments of tho
paper. Tho index has been carefully prepared
K?wn H iS n?W ready for the Press- Not
withstanding the increased size of the volume
it will be furnished with renewels or new sub
scribers for fifty cents bound in cloth, twenty
five cents in paper cover. The editor recrets the
unavoidable delay which has occurred Notice
will be given when tho books are ready for de
livery, which will be in two or three weeks.
Vola,Nb. 13
The Democrats of Texas are unfortunate in
that there are several daily papers of considerable
circulation, like the Dallas News, that pretend 0
be democratic and yet support republican policies
and often republican candidates. These papers
are constantly putting forth the arguments made
by the reorganizers and expressing great solici
tude about the welfare of the democratic party.
If the Texas democracy was not "rock ribbed and
ancient as the sea" it might bo led astray. But
tho democratic voters have a way of speaking out
with no uncertain sound when tho time rolls
around for a convention.
Director of the Mint P.oberts is reported as
expressing fear that the increased production ol!
gold will "seriously disarrange the world's credit."
It is said that he has announced his purpo3o
to discourage the production of gold by refusing
to recommend any more assay offices. Can it
be that gold is likely to become so plentiful that
it will bo cheap? Will tho financiers swing around
to silver as the more stable and scarce metal, as
they did between '50 and '60? What tho finan
ciers want is a dear dollar, and they will detest
gold as much as thoy have detested silver if gold
becomes so plentiful as to lessen the purchasing
power of tho dollar.
A reader of The Commoner calls attention to
the fact that the halance of trade for 1901 was
$679,625,475 and as the currency of the country
was not increased by that amount he asks what
became of it. This is a question which cannot bo
definitely answered. A part of it went to pay in
terest due on notes and bonds held by Europeans;
part of it was used by Americans traveling abroad
and a part may have been used to pay on the prin
cipal of obligations due to foreigners. Sometimes
we hear of Americans huying bonds of foreign
nations 'and such purchases would be charged
against the balance of trade.
Senator Harris of Kansas informs a con
stituent that he favors the election of senators by
the people and will do all he can to secure the
adoption of the resolution. Senator Burton of tho
same state informs the Bame constituent that he
will give the matter "most careful consideration."
This is the difference between an advocate of tho
election of senators by the people and a friend
of the present method. The advocate does hot
hesitate to declare himself; the-opponent is go
ing to give- it "careful consideration," and the
chances are sixteen to one that the opponent will
avoid a vote on the question if possible.
A few weeks ago The Commoner reproduced
a cartoon which flrst aPPeared in the Record-Herald
of Chicago and afterward in the Gatling Gun.
The picture represented Aguinaldo and a Maca
hebe soldier. The editor of The Commoner has,
received two letters in regard to this cartoon!
Both say that the Macabebe soldier, instead of
being a dwarf as shown in the Record-Herald pic
ture, is as large as the Filipino soldier, if not
larger. One correspondent says that the Maca
Sfi w Paction from the Tagolas and have
been loyal to tho United States as scouts, and tho
other correspondent says that somo of the Mac
abebes were serving as mercenaries in the Span-
JImysmn? against thG Filipinos, and tSati
these soldiers who were in the employ of Snain
offered their services to the United States army
when our nation took the place of Spain as the
dominant power in the Philippines. Tho Corn
Son Z1 ra2?rS the benefit of tlie informal
tlon furnished by these correspondents.
According to a dispatch from Coppenhagen'
the upper house of the legislature of Denmark
insists upon delaying the ratification of the treaty
until the people of the Danish Islands havo a
thZUJ0nJhQ subject of annexation to
the United States. The vote stood 35 for delaying
SHfl?HfiCatl0U Until after the Plebiscite; 8 fo?
ratification on condition that a popular vote
St Sea onndof r afteard P21 for the
ratmcation of the treaty without condition It
now goes to a conference of the two houses ' nnd
the dispatch says that tho compromise Tsi'ikel?
to be in favor of ratification with a subsequmit
submission to the people of the islands It K
infS?1111116 have our abators so indiffer
ihl i Ve 7Ul cf the pePlG of the islands,. while
Hni-legif8laturG of Denmark recognizes the prin
ciple of government by consent. And yet this
rpnPal f?ult 0f an imPerial Policy which
ignores the wishes of the people and builds a
taking tho land and people by" force. - "
I,
f n
