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The Commoner.
MAY-11903.
'5
N.
In every precinct throughout the United
JBtates, democrat who believe in democratic prin
ciples should organize for the
Organize fight that is now on. It is lm
forth portant that no man he chosen
Fight. & delegate to a democratic con
vention who may not he de
pended upon to faithfully represent the will of the
rank and file. v
The Philadelphia Record says: "There is no
mystery about the presidents attitude no
psychological expert is neeuea
to explain hiB mental opera
tions. As a man he knows the
tariff ought to be reduced; -as a
the nomination next year he is in the hands of the
republican leaders."
Not
a Great
Mystery.
Republican politicians insist that the tariff
be reformed by its friends and this is inter
preted by the Albany Argus to
'By mean "the beneficiaries of govr
Its ernmental partnership and spe-
Friends cial privilege." " The Argus
thinks that it, is about as rea
sonable to let the tariff be reformed by its friends
as it would be to appoint "a committee, of foxes
to devise, plans for the relief and greater security
of the geese."
Referring to a speech recently delivered by
Grover Cleveland the New York Sun says: "The
former president's remarks were
A what might have been expected
Great from a man of his sound under-
Change. standing and independence of.
character." If memory is not
at fault,-it was this same New York Sun that
coined "the stuffed prophet' and applied the
term to this man of "sound understanding and in
dependence .of character."
. The Johnstown Democrat says that "it is a
curious fact that within a year of the day when
Attorney uenerai ivnox ue
clared the Sherman act inade
quate, Mr. Knox himself dis
proved his claim in smashing
Am railroad mercer 'with the
Sherman law sledge." There is a Jarge 'amount
of 6tfter 'smashing, to 'be done ' and" the Sherman
law sledge -has not fteen weakened by its latest
contact with a combine. ' ' "
Sherman
Law
Sledge
The New York Commercial, a financial publi
cation that does not take kindly .to the prosecution
of trusts and speaks approving
ly of Judge SanDontfs modifica
tion of the merger decree, says
that "the resistance -'made by
the- United States district at
torney does not appear at this distance from St.
Paul to have been as strenuous as it might have
been. In fact, as reported in the dispatches, his
argument in opposition seems to have been more
perfunctory than otherwise."
Not
Very
Strenuous
20O2
What
About
tho Judge?
Deputy Collector of Customs Hood of Porto
Rico has shown considerable activity In the prose
cution of tho Porto Rican smug
gling cases and a "Washington
dispatch to the New York World
says that "if Mr. Hood does
not cease his activity in push
ing charges finally disposed of, the deputy col
lector will soon .find himself out of a government
job. He may even be removed owing, to disobed
ience, of orders to date." The judge also took
considerable interest in the prosecution of these
cases. What manner of punishment will the ad
ministration provide for the court itself? -
The Washington Post says, that "if there be
one man who more than any other citizen of the
United States should be exempt
Gold from ridicule or any other than
Standard respectful treatment -at the
Martyr. hands of the republican press, it
is Grover Cleveland- - ThePost
explains: "When the time comes for history to
give a fair record of the memorable conflict that
was waged and won between 1873 and 1897, the
names of two champions of the cause of sound
money , will stand side by. side, leading all the
rest John Sherman, the hero of resumption, and
Grover .Cleveland, the gold standard martyr." The
Post' is eminently correct In stating that the re-
publican editors or republican politicians are un
der deep obligations to Grover Cleveland; and yet
when the time comes for tho Post's history to bo
written, the historian will find it a bit difficult
to explain how it happened that tho gold stand
ard martyr accepted on throe occasions tho nomi
nation for tho presidency at tho hands of a party
that never claimed to bo a sraglo gold standard
party. -
&
When democrats read !; republican papers
like the Kansas City Journal the confession that
"with scarcely any modifica
tion," tho reorganizes' presen
tation of tho issues "could bo
adopted bodily into tho repub
lican national platform without
doing violence to tho views of that party," then
democrats must realizo tho importance of protect
ing democracy's temple.
The
Work for
Democrats.
It is reported that the Oregon was so dis
abled by her recent experience with a Pacific
typhoon that tho expenditure of
an Immense sum of money will
be necessary to make this fam
ous vessel seaworthy. It is also
estimated that it will require
?500,000 to repair the Iowa. Tho Philadelphia
Record refers to these instances as "further proof
of the costliness of tho gamo in which battle
ships and cruisers are the pawns when Neptune
takes a hand in tho performance."
Those
.Costly
Toy.
ACAA
Go to
Work
at Once.
No time is to be lost in the work of organiza
tion of democratic clubs. Democrats who do not
declare as true the falsehood
that tho democratic party has
been wholly wrong and the re
publican party has been wholly
rieht on nublio Questions, will
not enlist under the banner of those who would
republicariize the democratic party. The Com
moner will, upon application, furnish a form -of
constitution and membership blanks to all who
contemplate the organization of democratic clubs.
When these clubs are established they should be
reported to The Commoner for the information
and encouragement of others.
Yale
Prize
Winners,
" In The Commoner of April 17, a statement ap
peared relating to tho winning of a prize by a
negro stuuent at xalo and it
was said that this was the first
time in the history of that uni
versity when a student of Afri-
- can ancestry bad won a prize.
A reader of Tho Commoner writes to say that
"in 1587 a student of African ancestry, in other
words, a negro, won a $100 prize for delivering
the best oration in his class. Ho was a member
of tho senior ,class of the Yale law school, , de
partment of Yale university. His subject was
the Fourteenth Amendment His name has
slipped from me, but is easily ascertained."
Want
to Repeal
It Now.
The New York Commercial suggests: "Should
the Northern Securities decision be approved by
tne united States, supremo court
some persons would not be a
bit surprised to see congress
speedily repeal the Sherman
law. Possibly, the people may
not want to exercise to the last limit a power
that the constitution may give them in the way
of "restricting the conduct of business through
legislation." Possibly tho Commercial may be
right; and yet it would seem that, suffering as they
now are under trust Imposition, the people may
conclude, In order to protect themselves, to exer
cise to the last limit the power of prohibiting con
spiracies in restraint of trade.
The Philadelphia Press is greatly shocked be
cause of "the story of bribery and boodling which
comes from Missouri." This
other Pennsylvania paper says "all
Door this Is a discouraging revela-
Steps. Hon;"- but dds that "If it
arouses tho conscience of the
people- to -anydegree,rcform-wlIl 1)6 deraanded-
and will result in good to the republic." Would
it not be well for the Philadelphia Press to sweep
the dirt from its own doorstep? The exposure of
dishonest work In Missouri has been promptly
followed by vigorous prosecution on tho part of
the democratic law officers; but in Pennsylvania
the rascals escaped punishment and if we are to
Relieve the Philadelphia papers, dishonest methr
ods continue unchecked both in the municipal gor-
ernmont of Philadelphia and tho Pennsylvania
state government
Was
it
Effective.
In his Milwaukee speech Mr. Roosevelt said:
"Not only is tho (trust) legislation recently on-
acted effoctivo, but in my judg
ment? it was impracticable to at
tompt more. Nothing of value
is to bo oxpected from cease
less agitation for radical and
cxtromo legislation." If tho legislation rocontly
enacted was effective, how did it happen that
hardly had tho republican congress adjourned, be
fore it was announced that tho beef trust had
been organized and wo were told that in wealth
and importance that trust was second only to
tho steel trust?
Gorman
aad
Aldricb.
Tho Chicago Inter-Ocean, a republican paper,
while condemning The Commoner for Its criticism
on the solection of Mr. Gormah
as leader of the democrats, says:
"Republicans do not object t)
Mr. Gorman as leader of tho
democratic party in tho senate
Their complaint is that a good many republican
senators seem to have tho Impression that Mr.
Gorman Is not only tho loader of tho democrats In
tho senate, but of tho republicans." Practically
there is not much difforenco betweon tho leader
ship of Mr. Gorman and that of Mr. Aldrlch. It
is not at all likely that oven though Mr. Gorman
should become tho leador of tho republicans at
well as of the democrats in tho senate, ho would
make any mqre serious assault upon special Inter
ests than is made under tho leadership of the
senator from Rhodo Island.
The Philadelphia North American Is authority
for tho statement that J. Pierpont Morgan first
called up President Roosevelt by
Mergan ong distance telephone and bit
Was terly took Mr. Roosevelt to task
Arrogant. ior nlB proceedings in the
' Nortnem Securities case. It is
related that subsequently Mr. Morgan took a
special train for Washington and that In tho
presence of the president ho assumed "a very
arrogant air." The North American says that
while Mr. Roosovelt was incensed at tho way he
was treated by this trust magnate It Is under
stood that he controlled his temper. It will occur
to a great many pedfple that If a touch of the
strenuous life were over justifiable, it would have
been on an occasion when tho greatest trust
organizer the world has ever known undertook
to lecture the president" of tho United States be
cause of the effort to enforce tho anti-trust 'law
in one instance." ;
STBAKING OF MABPLOTB
(Continued, from Pago 3.)
those who 'seek to republicanizo tho democratic
party, he could not carry a dozen men into tho
opposition camp. Ho would simply forfeit tho
confidence and excite the contempt of those who
havo supported him. Tho contest between dem
ocracy on the one side and plutocracy on the
other, is still on, and the result of that contest
means much for weal or woe to the. American
people. Tho democratic party ought to bo kept
democratic. In order that It may be an efficient in
strument in tho hands of the people for the pro
tection of tho people's rights. Those who believe
in tho Kansas City platform are not ashamed of
tho part that they havo played, and they do not
Intend to surrender tho control of the party into
the hands of those who havo openly antagonized
those principles and who boast of their intention,
if successful, to take the party back to the posi
tion which It occupied under Mr. Cleveland's ad
ministration. All that the friends of the Kansas
City platform ask is that all questions be sub
mitted to the voters In order that the policy may
be determined by the voters, and to this end they
propose to organize and marshall their forces at
the primaries. They know by bitter experience
that they have powerful and cunning enemies to
meet enemies who are not only in close and
' constantcOmmunicatlon-'With themonopolfsts in
trade and finance, but who will employ republi
can methods of coercion, deception and corrup
tion wherever those methods can he employed.
No amount of abuse or vllllflcation will deter tho
friends of the Kansas City platform, tor they have
an interest In the preservation of their party s
virtue and in the protection of their country from
the assaults of predatory wealth.
i