w
i
p
r
Very
Interesting
FigurM.
A Simple
Request
. Denied.
July It, i? 1
Congressman Benton of Missouri has been
Investigating the appropriation figures and he
discovers that while both ses
sions of the Fifty-third congress
appropriated $917,013,523, during
the single session of the Fifty
seventh congress the appropria
tions amounted to $1,059,577,052. Does it not seem
reasonable that Mr; Benton has good grounds for
the charge that the republican party "prefers to
expend in needless and wasteful appropriations the
taxes wrung from the people." ' '
4
ft '" I
Mrs. McKinley asked for the retention of a
PQstmisW&8- in. "Pennsylvania. This- postmistress ,
was appointed by Mr. Mciviniey
Senator Penrose, however, per
suaded the Roosevelt adminis
tration to reject Mrs. McKinley's
Tequest and remove this official.
The republican party has repudiated Mr. McKin-
loy's Buffalo speech. It refused to give rec'ogni-
tipn to a "very simple request made by the late
president's widow, and yet whenever a democrat
criticises any of those policies to which Mr. Mcj
Kinley was committed, the prestige of the Mc-Kfnley-inemory
is invoked and the critic is charge
with faithlessness to that memory and disloyalty
to the government
t m ii
;,. In his Fourth of July address, Mr. Roosevelt
eaid: .'Words are good if they are backed up by
deeds, and only so." This is
eminently correct and Mr.
Roosevelt cannot expect the
American people to place re
liance in his anti-trust "words"
unless , these words are. backed up by "deeds;"
and the people will not be content with deeds that
do not involve the use of every weapon within
the president's grasp. Criminal prosecution is
amjy.pirpvidied tQn the, federal anti-trust law.
driminal prosecution is ( the effective ..court pro
ceeding and until the president proceeds against
the trust magnates in criminal prosecution, the
people will suspect that he is not disposed to "back
up" his words by deeds.
,. Words
i .and -'
' Deeds.
'Ik Noise
mk and
ft Votes.
In its report of the Missouri democratic ju
dicial convention, referring to the fight on the
platform, the St Louis Globe-
Democrat said: "The temper
of the convention seemed
strongly against the Ball res
olution on Bryanlsm, but when
the test of a roll call came .timidity overcame
the delegates and the majority of the resolutions
committee was rebuked and the Kansas City
platform was indorsed by a vote of 501 to 199."
It is not always safe to judge the temper of a
convention by the noise. The Kansas City plat
form won a distinct triumph when the issue was
set fairly before the delegates! The vote in the
resolution committee stood 12 to 4 against the
Kansas City platform, but the vote in the con
vention stood 501 to 199 in favor of that platform.
To every appeal for tariff revision republican
leaders have insisted that the tariff must be re
vised by its friends. Those who
The - thought that "its friends" would
Tariff not touch the tariff owe an apol-
Revlsed. ogy to the republican party. The
tariff has, in a way, been "re
Tised" by the executive department, to be sure,
but "revised" nevertheless. A "Washington dis
patch to the Chicago Chronicle says: "Secretary
Shaw has notified customs collectors that cats of
the varieties known as Angora, Persian, Siamese.
Manx, Russian and others imported into the United
States for breeding purposes shall be admitted
free of duty. Feline pets of common varieties
shall be taxed 20 per cent ad valorem. " The evi
dent purpose of the order, for which it is alleged
The Commoner.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson Is responsible,
is to do away with the thousands of common cats
which bolong to nobody and which occupy their
time fighting on back fences to the destruction of
sleep of many citizens. He believes that this can
bo accomplished by levying a prohibitive duty
upon ordinary cats and admitting aristocratic fe
lines with long .pedigrees free, which will tend to
elevate the standard of cat excellency in this coun
try." The American peoplo will bo delighted to
know of the vigorous way in which the republican
administration has taken hold of a mighty
problem.
. The .
Important
Privilege.
A Michigan reader of The Commoner says that
in re-reading the Declaration of Independence ho
was surprised to find so much in
it that he had forgotten. It oc
curred to him to question some
of his fellow townsmen and ho
r found that none of them had
read the Declaration of Independence within ten
years. Possibly that acounts for the fact that
so many republicans are indifferent to the doc
trine that governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed. In order to en
courage reading of the Declaration of Independence
by republicans The Commoner hereby offers to
accept a year's renewal from any republican sub
scriber for 75 cents, provided the subscriber states
in sending in his renewal that he has read the
Declaration of Independence complete within the
year." -
That
Anti-Trust
Amendment.
A -reader asks whether it is true that the rer
publicans have proposed a constitutional "amend
ment on the trust question? Yes.
Just before -the campaign of 1900,
they proposed a constitutional
amendment ostensibly for the
purpose of destroying. the trusts,
but really for the purpose of taking from ,tho
states the power which they now have. The demo
crats opposed the amendment because it was in tho
interests of the trusts rather than against them.
They joined, nowever, in an anti-trust bill pro
posed by the republicans immediately afterwards,
but when the election was over the bill died in
the senate. If the republicans in the senate would
not pass an anti-trust bill which was supported
almost unanimously in the house, wnat reason is
there to believe that they would favor any amend
ment to thoxonstitution thafrwas really intended
to hurt the trusts?
Just
Like
George III
In a v )cent issue the Independent said: "It is
a eight to cheer the hearts of angels' to see Roose
velt and Hay and Root and
Taft, backed by the American
people, attempting such a sort
of colonization as the world has
never seen before. When be
fore has a war been waged to liberate from op
pression another people of an alien stock and
then to set them up as an independent nation?
What country has acquired colonies of another
eastern race and then even begun lo inaugurate,
liberty by establishing self-government?" There
is something familiar about this. In his speech
to parliament, October 31, 1776, George III. said:
"One great advantage, however, will be derived
from the object of the rebels being openly avowed
and clearly understood we shall have unanimity,
at homo, founded in the general conviction of the
justice and necessity of our measures. In this
arduous contest I can have no other object but
to promote the true interests of all my subjects.
No people ever enjoyed more happiness, or lived
under a milder government than those now re
volted provinces: the improvement In every art,
of which they boast, declare it, their numbers,
their wealth, their strength by sea and land,
which they think sufiiclent to enable them to
make head against the whole power of the mother
country, are irrefragable proofs of it. My de
sire Is to restore them to tho blessings of law and
liberty, oqually enjoyed by every British sub
ject, which they have fatally and dosperatoly
exchanged for tho calamities of war and tho arbi
trary tyranny of their chiefs."
Always Making Promises.
Immediately after a session of congress in
which they do nothing in the interests of tho peo-
pie, the republicans begin to talk about what
great things they 'Intend doing for tho peoplo in
the next congress. Only those who dearly lovo
to bo deceived will bo deceived by that sort of
thing.
Alertness $he Watchword
That democrats who believe in democratic
principles are becoming thoroughly aroused to
tlie dangers confronting tho party is evidenced by
the interest they are taking in the work of thwart-.'
ing tho efforts of tho so-called "reorganizes." The
rank and file of tho democratic party are not willing
to compromise with evil merely to win a party
victory. To them success means something 'more
than holding the vOfllcesit means tho enforce
ment of democratic policies and the carrying into
effect of democratic principles. They realize tho
futility of hoping for these things if party con
trol is given into the hands of mon ready to com
promise with evil if thereby they may securo
office, or securing relief from oppression through
the efforts of leaders who would, foe, selfish ends,
make the democratic party so near like the re
publican party that tho trusts and combines and
all special Interests wpfajd be satisfied with either.
For these reasons democrats who are actuated,
by principle and not by4notives of expediency,
are standing squarely upon tho democratic plat
form. Tho Commoner appeals to all democrats
who desire to preserve democratic principles It'
seeks to arouse tho 'rank and file of tho party to
tho danger of the efforts now being made to re
publicanlze the democracy. In this work it needs
your assistance. In order to secure it tho plan of
"Lots of Five" subscriptions has been inaugur
ated. The plan is simple, and should appeal to
every democrat. Subscription cards in lots of five
five cards in a lot are sold at the rato of $3
per lot, or GO cents a card. Each card is. good
for ono year's subscription to Tho Commoner
When properly filled out and mailed to this office.
The regular subscription price of Tho Commoner
Is $1.00 per year, but by means of this "Lots of
Five" plan a year's subscription may be secured
for 60 cents.
Will you not undertake to dispose of ,one oru
mCro "Lots of Five" among your friends? You
can sell the cards at $1 each and retain the 40 cents
profit, or you may sell them at 60 cents each and
give your friends and neighbors the benefit of tho
discount If you are doubtful of your ability to
dispose of the cards, order them anyhow and re
mit after you-haye sold them. The Commoner will
trust any of Its readers. Fill out the coupon
found below and mail to this office. The cards
will be sent you at once, and you may remit after
you have sold them.
APPLICATION FOR
"Lots of Five Sbscriptkfl Cards."
Fobmshkr Commoner: Please send me flro subacrlpUoa
cards. I promise to tuer utmost endeavor to acil tbee
card, and will rcmltfor Jhem at ike rate of 60 ceata oaek wfeea
sold.
.
Name ,, , .T... .......
PoetoJTlce ......;f.hrt;..Jh-..'.,.'.;.;.
County ......':
4
State .7T.
. "