Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 25, 1902)
The Commoner. 7 ,. J 1 July 25, 190a most happy if he could follow faithfully in tho foot-steps of his distinguished predecessor. ARTHUR JAMES BALFOUR, SALISBURY'3 successor, is conceded to be a man of great abil ity. His ancestors were known as "the bloody Balfours," and while for many years the Irishmen were very unfriendly to him, it is said that in re cent years they have entertained for him more kindly views. Balfour is 64 years of age. He en tered parliament in 1874, and in 1878 ho began service as private secretary, to the Marquis of Salis bury, who, by the way, is his uncle. A writer In the New York World, commenting upon Balfour'3 career, says: "He began by being despised; no went on to be hated; and he has now conquered respect." ' This same writer quotes a distinguished Irish clergyman as referring once tp Balfour in these words: "If the people only hated the devil half as much .as they hate you, my occupation would bo gone.i' But this same writer adds: "At last tho Irish members of parliament learned to give him the respect due to a relentless, consistent, fearless opponent. The people them selves regarded him even more favorably after a time. Among the measures he brought forward was the "bill for the improvement of Ireland by the drainage of the Bann, Barrow and Shannon and by the construction of light railways. The New Purchase of Land bill, which created a con gested districts board, was a measure of real re lief to the peasantry. Ten years ago Mr. Balfour was unanimously elected conservative leader in tlie house of commons. His speeches added to his reputation for statesmanship and showed his abil ity as a debater as well as a student. He rose by sheer might of intellect. His relationship to the prime minister, instead of advancing him at once, as might have been expected, rather tended to keep him back. But he was not to be kept back. He rose in the councils of his party, and at last Lord Salisbury was forced to take him into his cabinet, where he has since held a foremost place." ' ALTHOUGH CHAMBERLAIN FAILED IN obtaining the position of. premier there are many indications that under the new regime the shrewd colonial secretary will have considerably more influence than he had under the Salisbury ad ministration. Sir4 Michael Hicks-Beach, the chan cellor of t: 3 exchequer, has also resigned. Hicks Beach has generally beeh unfriendly td Chamber lain, and some say that Chamberlain may succeed Hicks-Beach as controller of tho money-bags. Others declare this to bo improbable, however, and yet it is' very generally understood that under the now arrangement, the Chamberlain star will be very clearly in the ascendency. ' THE OUT-GOING OF SALISBURY AND THE in-coming of Balfour marks, as one newspaper writer well puts it, "the end of an era." Salis bury was in the seventy-third year 01! his age and for fifty years he has been conspicuous in English politics. He was an old-time opponent of Glad stone and he succeeded the "Grand Old Man" as prime minister in Juno, 1885. In the general elec tions of that year Salisbury was retired from office, but in the general elections of 188G he once more became prime minister. In the general elections of 1892 he was again retired, and in 1895, when Lord Roseberry resigned, Salisbury formed a new cabi net, .and sinoe then has held undisputed sway. Salisbury figured in international politics so long ago thatjt is recorded that at one time he was a big enough man to arouse the ire of Bismarck, and that the great German statesman once re ferred to Salisbury as "a wooden lath painted to look like iron." THE CITY OF JOHNSTOWN, PA., SEEMS to rest under adverse fate. Thirteen years ago ., dam broke above the city and the resultant flood in the Connemaugh valley literally wiped the city of Johnstown from the face of the earth, atid nearly five thousand people lost their lives. It was one of the greatest disasters of the civilized world. Johnstown pluckily rebuilt and in two or thred years all traces of the great flood were re moved, save for the monuments erected to the vic tims of the disaster. Now Johnstown is suffering from another great disaster, and nearly one hun dred and fifty of Johnstown's citizens lost their lives there. An explosion of gas in the Bethlehem Steel company's Johnstown mine, known as "The Klondike," caught the miners while eating their jaoonday lunch, and hundreds were killed and in sured. The list of dead foots up one hundred and fourteen, so far aB actually known, and several miners are still missing. No other American city has ever been called upon to mourn two such fear ful disasters. . ONE OF CECIL RHODES' GREATEST AM bitions was to build a Cape-to-Cairo railroad, but he' died before work was. begun thereon. Indeed, many thought it but a day dream that could novcr bo realized. Now thero Is ovcry likelihood that work on the great scheme will begin in a short time. On July. 1G the state department at Wash ington made public a report on railway develop ment in Africa from United States Consul Raven dale, at Beirut, bearing dato of May 10. Tho con sul says that by an agreement signed at Brussels the previous month by Robert Williams with the king of the Belgians tho German route was aban doned and the railway from Cairo to tho Capo 's to bo carriod through the Congo Free State to the upper waters of the Nile. From Stanley Falls, .on, tho Upper Congo, a railway is to bo built to Ma hagi, on Lake Albert Nyanza, and this connection will supply the missing link between the Capo and Egyptian railways. The consul reports that the new railway project does not necessarily re place tho original central lino through German territory, as planned by Mr. Cecil Rhodes and tho German government. In fact, ho says that it i ; quite likely, if the proposed railway bo built from the coast of DarrEsh-Salaam, tho capital of Ger man East Africa, that tho original Cape-to-Cairo scheme, by way of Tabora, will be realized. "Both lines," says the consul "may astonish the. world before many years as full-fledged realities.'' Tho consul says that tho United States Is not playing an important part in the development of Africa, and that "Stanley's momentous work in the sev enties has not been followed up by his quondam countrymen." Only with Cape Colony is our com merce of any material importance. WAR PROPHETS ARE AGAIN AT WORK, and this time they declare that Japan and Russia will be the next great nations to engage in war. Japan was deprived of the fruits of her great victory over China by reason of the interference of other nations, chiefly Russia. By tho terms of tho agreement reached in the settlement of the Chlnb Japanese war Russia was to vacate Manchuria, a territory Russia long has coveted. Russia, how over, has thus far failed to withdraw her troops from Manchuria and Japan is said to be preparing to fight 'to enforce the terms of the agreement. . A CONVICT NAMED HARRY TRACEY, who escaped from tho Oregon penitentiary, has been holding the center of the stage for an unusual ly long time. Tracey. eluded the officers, baffled tho bloodhounds, forced people to feed him and killed several of his pursuers, in the meantime keeping the newspaper readers of the country busy follow ing the accounts of the fruitless efforts made to capture him. Tracey's escape and flight possesses 'Some really wonderful features, and one is im pelled to wonder what such a man might have ac complished for good had ho bent his energies in the right direction. AFTER READING A LITTLE INCIDENT that occurred at the Piasa, 111., Chautauqua, ono cannot censure Captain Richmond Pierson Hob son for remarking that he is "tired of the Jiero business." A young woman named Miss May Cerf) of St. Louis, wondered if Hobson really pos sessed heroic qualities, and in order to ascertain asked him if he would rescue her in .case she fell into the river. He replied that he would try. A moment later Miss"Cerf was struggling in tho water. Captain Hobson dived overboard and suc ceeded in grasping her as she was about to sink for the third time, and after a desperate struggle brought her within reach of parties, on shore. Miss Cerf is now convinced that Hobson Is a hero, and it is not difficult to imagine what Hobson thinks of the young woman who put him to. tho test, although he probably .would decline to express his thoughts saye in the privacy of his own apartments. THE JOKE RECENTLY PLAYED ON THE Official Police Gazette of Prague by which in the columns of that publication was printed a notice offering a reward for the arrest of the German em peror and referring to him as a lunatic, recalls to a writer in the Washington Post incidents that occurred during the reign of King George II. Ac cording to this writer, this particular king was wont to spend far more time in his kingdom of Hanover than in his British dominion. The no tices which appeared in the papers of the day and which "were likewise posted in the shape of big bills on the palace- walls, read as follows: "Lost, strayed, or stolen, a man known as George of Hanover, who has deserted his wife and children, leaving them dependent upon public bounty. Four shillings and eleven pence three farthings is the reward offered for any informa tion which will lead to his restoration to his aban doned family, as ho is not worth a crown." (The latter being the denomination of the five shilling bit.) The Post writer further points out that "an alogous notices havo likowlso appeared within the last fow years in tho Belgian press, especially onco when King Leopold was found to bo missing from Belgium during tho midst of a ministerial crisis. Nothing could bo dono to straighten out mattors without his presonco. Ho was sought high .and low all over Europe but In vain, and it was only a, tho end of moro than a fortnight, during which everything had boon at a standstill at Brus sels, both politically and administratively, . that: King Leopold was suddenly discovered ongagnd in a driving and walking tour in fair but frail com? pany in bno of the most remote portions .ef Switzerland.' - RECENTLY JOSEPH MARINER, A WALL paper manufacture of Philadelphia, failed In business. A meeting of his creditors was hold L discuss ways and means of saving as much as possible from tho wreck and it was decided to np point a committee of four to outline a plan of pro cedure. A proposition to incllido a banker creditor on the committee was opposed op tho ground thnt tho bankers were already amply secured by life insurance policies. A banker present admitted that tho banks held the life insurance policies, but declared that they were such that the banks could not. realize on them. "There is only ono course," said tho banker, "by which the banks can figure as preferred creditors in this case, and that is for Mariner to considerately commit sui--clde." The brutal remark was afterwards re peated to Mariner, and after brooding1 over tho matter for several days ho "considerately com mitted suicide." Need Only to Watch. The ease with which the schemes pf tho "re organizers" may bo thwarted was shown by tho action of the Missouri democratic convention. The committee on resolutions sought to evade reaffirm ation of the Kansas City platform, asking that it be left to a later convention. But watchful and loyal democrats, knowing that In the meantime tho "reorganizers" would be perfecting their plans, refused to accopt the advice. The resolutions re ported by the committee contained no reference to the Kansas City platform, but loyal democrats on the floor of the convention offered an amendment reaffirming that platform and the amendment car ried by an overwhelming majority. What ws done in the Missouri convention can be dono in any other democratic state convention if loyal democrats insist upon standing by demo cratic principles. And loyal democrats need only to be put upon their guard to nullify the schemes of those who would make tho democratic party So like the republican party that the trusts and com bines would be willing to accept either. Tho Com moner discusses live political questions and top- , ics of the uay. Its news summary and other de partments are being constantly Improved. Tho Commoner will arouse loyal democrats to a sense of the duty imposed upon them. Its" influence is limited only by its circulation, and an extension of the circulation means an. extension of its influ ence. In order to extend its influence and circu lation tho "Lots of Five" plan has been adopted. By it The Commoner is placed within reach of all, and democrats .are enabled to assist in securing subscribers. Subscription cards, each good for one year's subscription, are sold in "lots of five" at the price of $3 per lot, or GO cents per card. Each card is good for one year's subscription when properly filled out and mailed to this office. Will you not undertake to place five or moro cards among your friends? If you doubt your ability to sell the cards, order one lot and pay for them only after you have disposed of them. Tho Com moner Is willing to trust its readers. Fill out the following blank request for one "Lot of Five" and address it to this office: APPLICATION FOR "Lots of Five Subscription Cards." Publisher Commokeb: -Pleaso Bend mo five subscrlpUon cards. I jjromlgo to use my utmost endeavor to sell theso cards, and will remit for thom at tlio rate of CO cents each when sold. Namo , ' ' r ' . t ' , Fostomco ..'. County...,. , ,-. State ;.... ....'. & V