The Commoner.
Sept.: 26, 190a
A reporter for tho St Louis Post-Dispatch is
Entitled to the honor of persuading J. K. Murrell,
the "business agent" of the St.
Louis municipal assembly com
bine, to return and make tho
confession that has so startled
the country. The name of thiB
reporter is Frank R. CNeil and he is entitled to
the thanks of all good citizens.
A Reporter'
God
Work.
An interesting suggestion concerning tho best
,way to strike is given to tho workingmen by the
Philadelphia Record. The Record
Strike says: "When the -striding min-
with tho ers look over the list of things
Ballot. they must have to clothe, feed
and shelter themselves they will
find they have as many causes for strike on hand
as there are spokes in a wheel. Their next best
plan of remedy is to strike with their ballots. This
can be done by taking one day off instead of
months."
"I cannot acquiesce in administering free trade
jpoisonto cure the trust ex.il," said David B. Hen
derson in his telegram to Lafe
Afraid Young at Des Moines. Of
of -course Mr. Henderson and other
Poison. republican leaders cannot ac
quiesce in administering any
icind of poison" to the trust evil. Poison.might de
stroy the trusts and republican -leaders like Mr.
Henderson are not inclined to kill tho goose that
..lays the golden egg or to destroy the conspiracies
whose ill gotten gains are shared with the repub
lican party In tho way of generous campaign
funds.
Congressman Cannon of Illinois, commenting
upon the suggestion that he would bo the proper
man to .succeed Mr. Henderson
Uncle Joe as speaker, said that it would be
Will time to consider that suggestion
Wait. - after the election. Mr. Cannon
said that the first thing to be
consideied was . republican victory, of which he
is by nu means certain. That is an eminently wise
suggestion. Mr. Cannon and other shrewd repub
lican leaders ate not likely to waste any time in
a chase for the speakership at the hands of the re
publican party in the presence of the many indlca
j tlbns that tho republicans will not have the power
to elect the speaker in tho next house.
It is significant that at the moment when Mr.
Roosevelt received the news that Speaker Hender
son had retire"flfrom the con
A gressional race laecause of tho
Significant popular sentiment in the re
Result, publican party in favor of tariff
revision, that Mr. Roosevelt was
engaged in a conference with a number of repub
lican leaders, at which conference it was decided
that no attempt would be made to revise the tariff.
The president and his guests, were at a loss to un
derstand why Mr. Henderson retired. By their
agreement that no attempt will be made to revise
the tariff they show that they are not nearly .so
.well informed as to the temper of the people as Mr.
Henderson is.
The Chicago Tribune, reviewing the report of
the Massachusetts bureau of statistics, says: "The
bureau finds that the cost of liv
ing in 1902 xias increased notice
aoly as compared with 1897.
There has been an increase of
11.16. per cent in the price of
food, of 16.07 per cent in 'the prices of dry goods
and boots, of 52.43 per cent in rents, and of 9.78
per cent in the price of fuel. As a consequence,
absolutely necessary items of food, clothing, rent,
and fuel which cost now 683.84 would have been
purchasable in 1897 for $586.90." In the light of
this statement the Tribune admits "the Massa
chusetts workingman is not so well off from the
point of view of the cost of living as he was in
1897."
That
Full
Dinner Pail.
"A Little
Group of
Capitalists."
'" TneNew York Evening Post Bays: "President
Baer and his associates cannot afford to maintain
their present atutiuae. jpudiic
opinion is overwhelmingly
against them, and no little group
of capitalists can defy the na
tion." To be sure, nubile opin
ion is overwhelmingly against Baer and his asso
ciates, but when the New York Evening Post says
that "no little group of capitalists can defy the na
tion" it flies in the face of facts as they are be
ing presented to the American people every day
In tho week and every Lour of the day. A "little
group of capi-alists" are defying thenatIon in .the
very affairs that effect the necessities and Jives of
The
Henderson
Bombshell.
tho people and there are nowspapers in this coun
try that insist that it is tho people's duty to tarao
ly submit to tho impositions.
Secretary Shaw and other representatives of
the administration insist that "patriotism" and
"business Interests" requiro that
Cummins the advantages of tho monopol
Reverscs Ists bo not disturbed. But Mr.
Shaw. Cummins, tho republican gov
ernor of Iowa, who evidently
has his hand upon the public pulse, insists that it
is necessary that tho monopolies bo destroyed,
and Mr. Cummins says: "Tho truth is that those
who are enjoying monopolies are every day laugh
ing at the inertness of tho people, and wondering
how long the reign of Inactivity will continue."
This statement made by tho republican governor
of Iowa cannot be too often reproduced by news
papers whose editors -are anxious to bring about
reform in public policies.
The Kansas City Journal Is at a loss to un
derstand why Mr. Henderson retired simply bo-
causo tho Iowa republicans de
Tariff Schedules clared- in favor of reducing the
" are tariff on trust-made artlclesTTho
Sacred. Journal says: "There is noth
ing sacred about the tariff sched
ules. They might safely be altered in regard to
reciprocity or for other wholesome purposes as
occasion demands. Mr. Henderson seems to think
otherwise." Yes, and nearly all tho other na
tional leaders of the republican party "seem to
think otherwise." The "no shelter to monopoly"
plank in the Iowa republican platform has been
very generally repudiated by national leaders and
any opponent of tho trust Bystem who deponds for
relief upon tho republican party will discover, in
time, if he does not already realize it, that he is
leaning on a broken reed.
Since Mr. Henderson's retirement republican
papers have discovered that after all tho speaker
is a very inferior man. Whilo
heretofore wo have been given
to understand that ho was ono
of tho strongest statesmen this
country has ever produced, read
ers of republican, papers are now being regaled
with interesting stories tending to show that Mr.
Henderson is "a man of moods and that his pop
ularity was really confined to a limited circle, upon
whose members he bestowed all his favors. These
republican papers are also going so far as to inti
mate that the speaker withdrew because he was
afraid of an investigation Into his private life.
These things are necessary, in the estimation of
republican leaders, in order, to discount tho em
phasis which Mr. Henderson's withdrawal gave to
the fact wat the people are determined to obtain
relief from trust impositions?
Russell Sage is pretty well Informed as to the
power and influence of Wall street men." In a re
cent interview Mr. Sage de
Enorrnous clared: "Mr. Morgan is tho
Power for greatest man in tho financial
One flan. world of this country. No one
can deny this, and it is through
this fact alone that ho can bring an end td tho
coal strike. His influence is so great that all that
is necessary for him to do is to speak, declare his
mind on the subject and if it favors a termination
of the strike It would not be long before the min
ers would resume work." The man whoso influ
ence is so great that all that Is necessary for him to
do is to speak in order to settle tho coal strike
and give relief to the millions of coal consumers
certainly wields enormous power; but If Mr. Mor
gan, will do tho speaking and bring this strike to a
termination the people will perhaps in this Instance
be willing to overlook the undue power wielded
by a single individual In the much needed relief
that would be obtained.
Some republican organs and republican orators
are seeking to convey the Impression that the so
called Fowler currency and
banldng bill has been disposed
of. It Is true that the measure
originally . introduced by Mr.
Fowler together with other
similar measures were nofj reported by the com
mittee, but out of the several bills presented the
republican members of the house banking and
currency committee framed a bill which era
braced, in the main, the features provided by
Mr. Fowler's bill. Mr. Fowler is also chairman of
that committee and when the committee Bill was
reported favorably by the republican members
It came to be popularly known as the Fowler bill.
That bill is now on the calendar in the house and
may bo taken up at -the December session pro-
The Fowler
Bills
Live Issue.
videl a sufficient, number of republican votes can
bo 'obtained 0 insure its passage. Otnerwiso it
will bo reintroduced at tho next session of con
gress in tho ovent that tho republicans aro suc
cessful In tho congressional olections of noxt No
vember. Tho Fowler bill, theroforo, is a thorough
ly livo Issue and ono on which ovory candidate for
congress should bo required to tako his stand.
Platform
to set
in on.
Commenting on tho retirement of Speaker
Hondorson, Secrotary of tho Treasury Shaw intl-
matod that ho could not see that
tho speaker's withdrawal was
justified simply because ho hap
pened to differ with the languago
employed in tho political plat
form. Mr. Shaw said: "Republicans generally
stood on tho platform last year. Tho tariff should
occasion no disputo and each puts construction on
tho shelter for monopoly utterance as ho pleases.
Tho languago docs not say that tho tariff does af
ford sholter, bit demands any modification that
may bo required to prevent their affording a shel
ter. I think most speakers took tho old tlmo re
publican view? that tho tariff Is not responsible
for trustfi. If sentiment has changed I am not
advised." In other words, and in tho opinion of Mr.
Shaw, republican platforms aro not made to stand
on; they aro made to get In on. Although tho tar
iff plank in tho Iowa republican platform was very
clear and explicit, according to Mr. Shaw, "each
puts construction on tho shelter for monopoly ut
terance as ho pleases." Mr. Shaw thinks that
"most speakers took tho old time republican view
that tho tariff Is not responsible for trusts." That
- is true, but the republican state platform for Iowa
took tho democratic view that tho tariff is respon
sible for scno trusts.
&&
Forewarned is Forearmed.
Democrats who believe In standing by tho
principles of tho democratic party should study
tho adage; "Forewarned is forearmed." Those who,
from expediency or otherwise, would turn tho
party's back upon party principles are ever alort
Those who beliovo In standing firm should bo like
wise. Tho democracy of Iowa would havo taken
no backward step it supporters of the Kansas City
platform had aroused themselves In time. Not un
til the last week or ten days before the convention
did they discover that tho "reorganizes" had boon
at work for months. And in that ono week staunch
democrats worked hard and came near overturn
ing tho plang of those who preferred stumbling
into the republican ditch to standing on tho firm
ground of domocracy. Had tno staunch demo
crats boon aroused in time Iowa democracy would
not now be in the hands of the reorganizes. It
is The Commoner's purpose to keep the warning
sign before the rank and file of tho democracy
and thus prevent the republlcanlzatlon of tho dem
ocratic party. This must bo done by dlscusslng
democratlc principles and applying them to gov
ernmental problems. In this work you can bo of
great assistance to Tho Commoner by assisting in
enlarging its circulation and thus widening tho
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