The Commoner.
ITEBRTJiCRY 13. 1003.
Less than two months ago Mr. Roosevelt do
ItJajM that "the progress of the Philippine islands
in material well-being has. been
Progress astounding." Referring to this
and statement, the Springfield
Distress. (Mass.) Republican calls atten
tion to the fact that recently,
Mr. Roosevelt sent to congress a special message
calling for an appropriation of $3,000,000 to re
lievo "the present distress in tko islands."
The withdrawal of Addicks from the sena
torial contest in Delaware and the rejection by
the senate judiciary committee
Byrne of tQ nomination of William
and M. Byrne to bo United States
Addlcks. district attorney for Delaware
did not materially help the
Roosevelt boom for 1904. Byrne was an Addicks
man and Mr. Roosevelt was severely criticised for
appointing him in view of the fact that so many
republicans were arrayed against the Addicks
machine.
A resident of Des Moines, la., writing to the
.Chicago Chronicle, gives expression to a thought
- that doubtless has been in the
Preaching minds of very many people when
and ho says: "It is really amusing
Voting. to read the comments in our
newspapers by preachers of God
and by public men who are not identified by any
religion whatever, but yet "we find when the elec
tion comes around to choose officers to rule our
nation the preacher and the professional office
seeker marching shoulder to shoulder to vote for
the party in power irrespective of any conscien
tious principles."
Should bo 'equal to the difference between wages
abroad and at home.' " Tho editor of the Courant
has overlooked the fact that Mr. Roosovelt said
that these duties should be "more- than" rather
than "equal to" tho difference between wages
abroad and at home.
His
Only
Thought.
Commenting upon J. Piorpont Morgan's state
ment that he gathered in tho Louisville & Nash
ville railroad because ho wanted
to prevent John W. Gates from
making it tho instrument of his
evil purposes, tho St Louis
Globe-Democrat says: "Morgan's
only thought was to servo the public. This is a
tquching example of tho merger man's sheer lovo -of
his kind. But isn't-it curious? In the course
of this touching transaction he touched the stock
holders for $2,100,000 for tho house of Morgan.
Curious, yes, but the coincidence is manifest in
all these mergers. They are all conceived in tho
purest spirit of benevolence, achieved in tho no
blest motive of 'othordom' and consummated with
huge profit to the merger man. "What was un
selfishly intended for tho good of all falls unac
countably into tho possession of a few."
Senator
Burton's
Repartee.
Senator Burton of Kansas" recently had a lit
tle tilt with Senator Beveridge of Indiana. Tho
senator from Kansas advanced
two propositions. "In one of
his statements the senator is
correct," remarked Mr. Bever
idge; "in the other ho is not cor
rect." Mr. Burton hesitated a moment to take in
the effect of the utterance. "I am glad to know I
got one right," he said finally. "So am I and sur
prised," retorted Mr. Beveridge. This time Mr.
Burton paused not so long. Quick as a flash ho
exclaimed: "The senator is always surprised if
any one except himself Is right." Mr. Burton
gives promise of becoming a master of repartee.
The chairman of the republican state com
mittee for Alabama has declared in an interview
that he is in favor of Mark
nanna Hanna for the republican nomi-
for nation in 1904. This Alabama
19o4. republican declares that the re
publicans of the south known
as the "lily whites" are prepared to make an or
ganized fight upon Mr. Roosevelt and that they
have chosen Mark Hanna as their candidate. In
spite of the disclaimers made by Mr. Hanna, a
great many people have believed that he has pri
vately encouraged the cultivation of the Hanna
boom and there are many indications that after all
Mr. Roosevelt will not have a walk-away in tho
republican national convention.
The Philadelphia Ledger, a so-called indepen
dent paper that habitually supports the republican
ticicet, referring to the suspen
sion of the coal tariff, says:
"The hot haste with which tho
bill was rushed through the
two houses nf pnnprARa la vl
dence of the panic into which tho exposure of this
typical example of Dingleyism has thrown its de
fenders. It is like a small part of the plunder cast
away in flight In the hope of stopping the pur
suit" It is true, however, that the pursued would
be required to throw away considerably more plun
der if influential newspapers like the Philadelphia
Ledger vould fight "Dingleyism" as' vigorously
during political campaigns as they do after they
have helped to win victory tor a party that sun
ports "Dingleyism."
Discarding
the
Plunder.
The editor of the Hartford Courant has been
reading John Sherman's Reminiscences and re-
iJiuuuces tnererrom some inter
esting statements relating-to the
tariff question. The Courant
editor Insists that Mr. RoOSe
Velt.'ff -nnsfMrm r flio foSff ,.,,,.
tion Is directly in line with that of John Sherman.
Referring to Mr. Sherman the Courant editor says:
"He held with the republican national convention
of 1892 that the duties levied upon imports com
ing Into competition with our home products
"More"
and
Equal."
Income
Tax
Now.
Tho New York World is in favor of an in
come tax, and says: "Under our crude and
shamelessly unequal system tho
federal government collects its
revenues mainly from tho neces
saries oftho people, without tho
slightest reference to tho two
cardinal bases ofjust taxation (1) benefits re
ceived and (2) ability to paywhile the stato and
city tax real estate at its full value and permit
eight-tenths of .personal property to escape alto
gether. In a countrywhero the people rule, when
they have a mind to, this outrageous .state of af
fairs cannot much longer endure." But what as
surance have we that when there is a disposition
among the people to protest against this outrag
eous state of affairs, newspapers like the World
will not be found pleading in favor of a "lot
well enough alone" policy, and urging tho elec
tion of a "keep on letting well enough alone"
candidate?
Subversive
of
Liberty.
In a speech delivered at Indianapolis John
Mitchell said: "Government by injunction is not
only hostile to organized labor,
but it is hostllo to constitutional
liberty. If the American people
do not check this arbitrary
power it will result in tho anni
hilation of labor unions and then of all forms of
associations disliked by capitalists." Commenting
upon Mr. Mitchell's statement, the Chicago Record-Herald,
a republican paper, says that while
this may be extravagant language, it is true that
the abuse of the power of injunction Is undoubted
ly a very serious matter. This republican paper
admits that whatever the pretext for the extension
of the power may be, it will bo, as Mr. Mitchell
sayB, subversive of liberty in the long run. And
yet republican papers had much to Bay in con
demnation of the democratic national platforms
in which government by injunction was arraigned
in very moderate language.
The appointment by Mr. Roosevelt of a negro
to be third assistant district attorney at Boston,
has brought vigorous protest
Try from tholawyers of that town.
It The New York Sun says: "It
Again. s rather absurd that Massa
chusetts should have an unnec
essary official foisted upon it for the sake of sup
plying an argument as to the impartiality of the
administration," It appears, however, that the
objection to tho Boston appointment is not so
much that an unnecessary office Is created as t
is that the man appointed is a negro. Inas
much, however, as some of the Boston people
claim that they do not object to the man's color,
but merely because the office is an unnecessary
one, it might be well for the president to appoint
a negro to a "necessary" office in some other
northern town. Mr. Roosevelt might see to it,
for instance, that some ambitious white republican
is defeated in his race for an office at the hands of
this administration by an ambitious colored re
publican. A pathetic letter was recently written to the
editor of the Chicago Tribune by a broken-hearted
- mother.. In this letter this wo-
A man wrote: "I forgot my sta-
Pathetlc tion in life and came to Chica-
Letter. so to spend a day with my son.
Ho had forgotten me or tried to
forget me. Ho sent mo from his office with his
office boy to dine. Ho promised to meet us; came
lato and reproved mo becauso I had not chosen,
a more secluded seat Ho tried to hide when ho
Baw any of his frionds. Ho reproved mo for look
ing around. Finally ho said: 'Mother, if you had
not conio I could have gono to tho opera.' I left
him then and am now writing from tho restroom
of a store, tired out and ulck. I am going back
to tho farm. I cannot forget tho boy who woro
jeans clothes, hut tho man who wears broadcloth
wants to forget his mothor.". There la in tho
make-up of a man something decidedly out of
gear when ho can offer a slight to tho woman
who gave him birth. Tho man who "ants to for
get his mother," although ho may not know It, la
making rapid strides toward tho precipice.
Moro
"Bab"
Predictions.
Congressman Babcock in a recent interviow
with a reporter for tho Chicago Tribune, said:
"if tho republican party fails
to redeem Its pledges to do
somothing to regulate tho trusts
and revise such portions of tho
tariff as havo becomo burden
somo, tho constituencies will becomo distrustful
of us, and tho tendoncy to break away from tho
party, which has begun to be apparent in tho
cities, will continue. If wo redeem our pledges,
pass a reasonable, conservative anti-trust law,
and weed out of tho tariff everything which tends
to create a monopoly, tho republican party will
bo returned to power by tho people beyond a
shadow of doubt Otherwise not" Mr. Babcock,
it will bo remembered, is tho man who at one
time pretended to bo determined to remove the
tariff from the products of tho trusts. It is rather
absurd to hear a republican statesman insist that
tho republican party shall redeem its platform
pledges. Republican platforms were made to get
in on, not to stand on; and so long as tho re
publican party is in power trusts will multiply
and monopoly will thrive, while tho people will
suffer.
Commoner's
First
Subscriber.
When it was announced that Mr. Bryan would
begin tho publication of a wookly newspaper
tnere was, much to his satisfac
tion, a friendly rivalry to seo
who could becomo tho "original
first subscriber." Tho first dol
lar received on Riibsfirlnt.Wn wna
from Mr. H. F. Rockey, of Lincoln, Neb., conse
quently Mr. Rockey is tho "original first sub
scriber," and he expresses himself as being proud
of the fact In renewing his subscription for tho
third year Mr. Rockey writes as follows: "Lin
coln, Neb., Feb. 4, 1903. To tho Editor of Tho
Commoner: I enclose one dollar for third year's
subscription to Tho Commoner. While political
success as tho world measures it has been denied
the democratic party, its principles aro succeed
ing and must In tho end gain the approval of a
republic. Tho holding of position is but for a
period, but the holding of the esteem and lovo and
approbation of your countrymen will bo for ages.
Though one may not aid in the shaping of tho
republic today, he may help 1n the molding of it
for tho morrow. I rejoice in the great good Tho
Commoner is doing for humanity. Yours very
truly, H. J. Rockey." The editor of The Com
moner appreciates Mr. Rockey's expressions of
good will.
yyvN
When summoned before the New York tax
commission, J. Pierpont Morgan made an inter-
esting statement Ho said that
morgan no waB reany not subject per-
and sonally to taxation. He ob-
Taxes. jected to taking an oath relat
ing to his assessment and said
that if the oath were required ho would not pay
a penny of taxes. Oh the other hand, ho declared
that if tho tax commission would accept his per
sonal statement, he would pay taxes on a
$400,000 assessment The New York World re
cently printed a cablegram from London in which
it was said that the London News had a report
showing that Mr. Morgan's income for tho year
1902 was $40,000,000. The World points out that
If this is correct Mr. Morgan voluntarily offered o
pay taxes upon a personal assessment represent
ing one-tenth of his yearly income. Tho moral
which the World draws from this Incident Is that
"it Is time for tho state or the United States to
levy an Income tax as is done in every civilized'
government in 'the world that maintains a just
and scientific system of taxation." Was It nec
essary fpr the World to wait for this Morgan In
cident before reaching the conclusion that an in
come tax should be levied in this country? To
bo sure, there is In this incident an obvious moral
and yet it is not the only incident that should
have impressed upon intelligent men the import
ance of an income tax.
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