, rfytiM, mttrftrnKt n. T -.t ---' n-iT'y-yww-ijpiimi fiy
The Commoner,
JTEBRUARY 20, 1903.
wwnv" iimvi'VfimtmmiiMtwMuiim! m p.
Mr.
Monroe's
Statue.
The Clarksburg (Mo.) Review says: "Roose
irolt's authority as president of the United States
is to be found in the constitu
Bascd tion and the laws enacted under
on it. What constitutes his au-
Force. thority in the Philippines? Wo
answer, force. If anyone can
give any other answer we'd liko to hear it." It
is not at all likely that the Review will receive
any amendment to its answer. The Review's an
swer is complete. The Philippine government rests
upon force.
Minister Bowen in the capacity of the repre
sentative of Venezuela says that the operations of
Great Britain, Germany, and
Bowen Italy in Venezuelan waters
Talks "have' transgressed the rules
Plainly. governing civilized nations and
are an offense to modern civili
zation." Referring to this statement the Chicago
Chronicle says: "This is plain language, but It
embodies the plain truth." And it is fair to say
that the average American citizen will join with
this Chicago paper in its indorsement of Bowen's
plain language.
&& r
Senator Teller has said that one might as
well try to stop crime by publishing every crim
inal's name as to attempt, to reg
By ulate trusts by a bureau of pub-
Itselt licity. Referring to this state-
Alone ment tue Chicago Record-Her
ald say that "it publicity were
to be considered by itself alone or in conjunc
tion with other mild palliatives, the senator's con
temptuous disposal of it would be entirely justi
fied." And yet we may not forget that so far as
the "anti-trust campaign of the republican party
is concerned, publicity is to be considered prac
tically "by itself alone."
A correspondent of the Chicago Chronicle sug
gests that in return for the offer of a statue of
Frederick the Great, wnicii uas
been made to the United States
by the German emperor, a
statue of President Monroo
shouid be offered to be erected
in some public place in Berlin. This might be a
good suggestion if it were also stipulated that the
governments of Great -Britain and of Italy were ,
to be presented with a Monroe statue. It niight
also not be out of place for some one to propose
that a statue of President Monroe bo set up at
least for a time within the immediate view of the
.White house at Washington.
Special attention is directed to the fact that
Attorney General P. C. Knox was wined and dined
on January 16 by H. C. Frick,
Among the trust magnate. Is it en-
, the tirely unworthy of note that
Flowers. while. on the evening of January
1G Attorney General Knox wa3
the guest of the trust magnate, two days later he
.was at a conference with the president at which
conference "it is supposed the trust question waa
considered?" Can it be possible that at the Frick
Khox reception, these distinguished gentlemen
wandered into the conservatory and then and
there, agreed upon a plan that would "shackle cun
ning as in the past we have shackled force?"
r
Among the things which the St Louis Globe
Democrat thinks Rockefeller cannot buy are "a
xuu gD0( aPPette, a cure for norv-
wnat Qusness, a panacea for in-
Mney somnia, and a chance to make
Buys. more money." Undoubtedly Mr.
Rockefeller cannot buy an ap
petite or a cure for nervousness or insomnia. But
the generous contributions which Mr. Rockefel
ler has made to republican campaign funds," and
the readiness with which the republican party
responds to those contributions, would indicate
that Mr. Rockefeller has not yet entirely con
vinced himself that it is really impossible for
him to purchase "a chance to make more money."
yyys
Senator Hanna has introduced a bill granting
f pensions-and bounties to all-ex-
nanna s slaves who were freed by the
pension proclamation of President Lin-
Ssheme. coln- In this bill it is provided
that persons over fifty years ot
age and less than sixty, male or female, shall re
ceive a cash bounty of $100 and a monthly pension
of ?8 per month; persons between sixty and sev
enty years of age are to receive a bounty of ?300
and a pension of $12 per month; persons over
seventy years of age are to receive a bounty of
$500 and a pension of ?1d per month, Even if It
be true as stated by the chairman of tho Ala
bama republican state committee that tho "lily
whites" have abandoned Mr. jttoosovelt and are
behind the Hanna boom, It is very evident that
Mr. Hanna does not intend that Mr. Roosevelt
shall have a completo monopoly on tho votes of
negro delegates of the south.
past and that republican politicians In these days
do things with impunity which a fow years. ago,
even a republican politician would not have dared
to do.
NZ-SN
The Peoria (111.) Journal submits an inter
esting question and provides at the same time a
n plausible answer when it says:
guery it lg to be presume(i that Sena-
and tor Tolliver knew what ho was
Answer. talking about when ho said that
tho duties in the Dingley tariff
bill were purposely made high that they might bo
reduced in furtherance of reciprocity. But if Dol
llver is telling the truth why was not tho agree
mentfor there must have been one carried out?
Did the extremely high protectionists bunko the
ones who are moderate protectionists and after
getting these duties so high then proceed to hog
the whole thing? It really looks that way."
The
Senate
Oligarchy.
Sentiment in favor of the plan of the election
of United States senators by popular vote is
growing everywhere except
among the republican members
of tho senate itself. The New
York Evening Post says: "It
is increasindv hn.nl or for hfeh-
minded statesmen to pass into the senate. That
body under the present conditions draws to itself
chiefly the more presentable bosses and tho
mediocre sort of successful business men who fill
the party chest and do tho boss' bidding "Wealth
unguided and uninformed, untempored by a pa
triotic and statesmanlike regard for tho general
welfare." When the real power of the scnato
oligarchy is fully understood by tlie plain people
we shall probably have a constitutional amend
ment and popular election of senators. This will
bo no sovereign remedy for the ills we have spoken
of,. but it would at least improve the personnel of
the senate."
Mayor
Head's
Suggestion.
i The Tammany Times asked, a number of
democrats, "What must the democratic party do
io win.'" Among the replies
was one from J. M. Head,
mayor of Nashville. Mayor Head
said: "If tho people did not
realize in 18JG that tho ttkytipv
trust was at the foundation of all trusts, they are
now very fast beginning to-realize that tho meat,
sugar, tobacco, steel and transportation trusts are
not only capable or dictating the policy of the
government, but are actually prescribing what
you shall eat, what you shall drink, how long you
shall labor, and wherewithal you shall be. clothed."
The Tammany Times says that it has grave
doubts regarding tho maternity of trusts, but it is
certain of one thing, that "they have been suckled
at the breast and fondled on tho lap of the re
publican party until they are big and strong and
capable of planning and executing the destruction
of the nation." Perhaps tho Times will yet re
vise its opinion on the maternity question.
The New York Press, a republican paper,
commenting on the exposure of the republican
x ' politicians who have engaged in
l weed 4 the tax fraud8 say8. "Another
Big piece of lovely work by one of
Error. te handy men exposes another
Important department of tho
Piatt machine, that highly organized system ojf
political commercialism which had its humble
beginning with tho slender pickings of a quaran
tine supplies bureau, but has thrived and ramified
until It trades in governorships, and negotiates
for presidencies; traffics in all kinds of legislative
commodities from the right to open a street to
contracts for warships; owns county and state
conventions, and the men composing them; and
destroys any man whosoever obstructs the path
of the boss' engine; buys and sells every article
of politics and government for which there Is a
market and for .which it can make a market The
uncovering by District Attorney Jerome of the
stupendous tax frauds bares one more of the
many arteries which carry tlie blooa through the
powerful system the head and heart of which Is
Thomas C. Pratt" A writer In the Brooklyn Citi
zen, referring to this Indictment by a republican
paper, says that "Boss Tweed Wde the mistake
of his life when he became a democrat, He should
have been a republican and he might have hoped
to pursue his career without interference." But
the Brooklyn Citizen writer may have overlooked
the fact that the republican party of today is con
siderably; worse' than the republican party of the
Is
Very
War-Like.
long for peace.
In his speech delivered at Canton, O., Secre
tary of War Root said: "Another war Is sure
to come, howover much wo may
long for peace." It is some
times difficult to beliovo that
tho representatives of ,our
strenuous administration really
The president said that n. koI-
uier suouid not only bo willing, but anxious to
fight and now tho secretary of war assures us
that anothbr war Is sure to edine, howover much
wb may long for peace. Truly this is a war-liko
ago and so far at least as words and words "and
words are concerned, it is a war-liko administra
tion. . . . . '
, Election
of
Senators.
The Seattle (Wash.) Post-Intelligoncor, refer
ring to the een't election by tho republicans of
iui. juLiiueny io oo unucu mates
senator, says that "tho entire
campaign has indicated some
thing of a commercial aspect"
'mis republican paper says that
four years ago the Ankcny campaign began and
the managers used tho unlimited money at their
command for tho purpose of building up tho An
keny boom. According to tho Post-Intelligeicer,
"Mr. Ankeny had control of caucuses, primaries
and conventions through tho uso of his monoy and
tho campaign had a commercial aspect that robbed
it of the enthusiastic turn under which other cam
paigns had been marked." Does (his not suggest
to tho Post-lntelligoncer and other republican pa
pers the advisability of urging the plan of elect
ing senators by popular vote; and if this Wash
ington paper has stated the facts has not tho sit
uation become so serious that it is necessary for
every republican editor who desires to protect
public interests to insist that republican senators
shall lend their aid to tho popular election plan?
Cummins
and the
Idea.
In. a speech delivered in Omaha recently Gov
ernor Cummins said that "there is no Iowa Idea
It by that it is meant to convey
the impression that republicans
of Iowa hold any ideas which
distinguish them from tho par
ty in other states." Tho pro
test. In tho Iowa republican plotrorm against the
shelter which the trusts find in tho tariff has come
to be known as tho "Iowa idea." Can it be pos
sible that Governor Cummins really believes that
the republican party In other states than Iowa
believe in depriving the trusts of tho tariff shelter?
In that same speech Governor Cummins said: "I
do not want to turn the party over to the demo
crats and to save this country that contingency, I
belioVo wo should do what ought to bo done our
selves whenever it ought to be done." Governor
Cummins cannot bo ignorant of tho fact that
there are many republican leaders who are de
termined that the tariff advantages enjoyed by
tho trusts shall not be interfered with. Ho can
not be ignorant of tho fact that among tho repub
lican leaders of this nation ho is not regarded as a
good republican because ho has on several occa
sions entered vigorous protest against trust im
positions and insisted upon practical relief for the
people so far at least as the tariff is concerned.
VSS
Breed
and
Liberty.
Referring to an appeal for relief made by the
representatives of tho allied chambers of com
merce in the Philippine archipel
ago, tho Chicago Tribune says:
"Tho Filipinos are asking us
for bread. The scriptures imply
that when a son makes that re
quest of a father the father does not give him a
stone. Now our attitude toward the Filipinos is
paternal. Wo have assumed paternal authority.
We must undertake paternal obligations." The
Tribune must remember, however, that the re
publican national convention promised the Fili
pinos all tho liberty they were capable of enjoy
ing. Would It not from thj republican standpoint
be a sufficient answer to the Filipinos request
for bread to say that they will be given all the bread
they are capable of enjoying? And if wo are to
bo the judge of the degree of liberty which theso
people are capable of enjoying, if we are to close
our ears to their appeals for liberty and a gov
ernment with the consent of tho governed, why
should we hearken to the appeals of tho chambers
of commerce? Perhaps if we gave them their lib
erty, it would not be incumbent upon us to pro
vide .them with bread. Men who enjoy liberty gen
erally find a way of getting bread for themselves.
i
i;c i
Ni .,
