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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1903)
jUP-TT-- - .-"Itr-Tgrvw WiWpwl-r-,Tn. , . - ', , The Commoner. JUNE 12, 190 3, HMilW'UPJHUlU II II . 5 41 Tho Johnstown (Pa.) Democrat directs at tention to an important fact when it says: "The democratic platforms of 189ii and 1900 contained no essential ly populistic or socialistic doc trine. Ino party as a matter of fact has never attracted so cialistic support, but the platforms adopted at Chicago and Kansas City did attract hundreds of thousands of former republicans to the demo cratic ticket" Democratic to the Core. The New York World boasts that the United States now has "the greatest volume of money and the largest amount per Point capita over known in our his- It tory -and every dollar good for Out. 10 cents, thanks to tho sens and honesty of tho people in rejecting Mr. Bryan and his half-baked theories and demonstrated lunacies!" Will tho World bo good enough to point out the dollar that prior to 1896 was not "good for one hundred cents?" An "All President." In a speech delivered at Tacoma, Wash., Mr. Roosevelt said: "I would like to bo president of the United States for another term, but tms much I wlli say: I propose to be president tms term. I would rather be all president for three and a half years than half president for seven and a half years." Mr. Roosevelt might now proceed to make his word good by directing his attorney general -to enforce the criminal clause of thd Sherman anti-trust law. If he would really rather be "all president" it would seem that ho woull make a really serious effort to bring tho trusi magnates to time. Something is Wrong. monopolist." A writer in the Chicaco Chronicle undertook to defend the Standard Oil king, saying that result of hard work, ability, and foresight, and considering his power, he takes less advantage of the people than any other Commenting upon this interesting defense. Mr. S. H. Wallace says: "When a man's business is such that it will make him a hundred millionaire in thirty years there is something radically wrong with the industrial conditions of the country. . Surely ' somo . people are getting vastly more of this world's goods than right fully belongs to them." ;,. It will occur to a great many tfeople that the energy displayed by tho administration in in vestigating ie postofflco scan Thorough daia i8 not at all in keeping Clearing wlth the seriousness of the slt Needed. uation. one or two persons have been arrested, but if the half that has been charged be true, a number of other men should be arrested. It will not do to look lightly upon accusations affecting the in tegrity of the public service. The accusations made with respect to the postofflce department have been so explicit and of so serious a character that the most rigid Investigation should be made and this should be followed by a vigorous prosecution. m The New York corporations purpose to ap peal the franchise taxation case to the United states supreme court on the Tne ground that the taxation re- Franchise quired under that law violates Case. tno constitutional provision pro hibiting the impairment of con tracts. In its opinion,, the New York court of appeals said: "No municipality has the power to withdraw property from the taxing power of the state or to provide by ordinance or contract that it shall be free for all time from the common burden which properly generally has to bear." It will occur to a great many people that in this sentence the court of appeals has very amply an swered the point upon which the corporations will depend for a victory in tho supreme court The New York Mail ana Express, all along a radical single gold standard organ, thinks that the purchases of silver made the government for use in the Philippines have had much to do with raising the price of silver to the highest mark of the year and that "it Is likely that the prospect of success for a new international agreement pro posed by our government will help it still fur ther and encourage the legitimate and natural demand for silver." And then the Mail and Ex- 4 'Cannot If We Would." press, tho paper that has soldom had a good word to say for tho whito metal, adds: "Tho rally of silver cannot but bo regarded as a favorable symptom by sound financiers. It promises us a better price for one of our most valuable produc tions and increases mo estimate for a metal which wo cannot expel from our currency if wt would." The Washington Star pleads for "tho old fashioned Fourth with its rousing patriotic Fii speeches, Its reading of tho i-itting Declaration of Independence, its Place picnics, its general air of noll- Indetd. day making, its appeal to citi zens' loyalty to tho flag;" and the Star adds: "Hero in tho national capital is the most fitting place in the whole ropublic to organize an annual, patriotic, old-fashioned Fourth." Tho Star is correct The national capi tal is the most fitting place in tho whole republic to organize a patriotic old-.fashloned Fourth. But will the Star guarantee that tho person chosen to read tho Declaration of Independenco will bo ex empt from arrest on tho charge of circulating treasonable and seditious literature? While there is not tho slightest probability that tho democratic party will undertake an of fort to elect a man for tho ino presidency for a third term, tho Third Des Moines Capital gives an in- Term. teresting reminder when It di rects attention to tho fact that in 1875 the lower house of congress adopted a resolution declaring against tho third term in tha presmential chair. Representative Springer of 111 inois introduced tho resolution and it was sub mitted on December 15, 1875, being adopted by a voto of 223 to 18, 38 not voting. The resolution was as follows: "JUesolved, That in tho opinion of this house the precedent established by Wash ington and other presidents of the United States in retiring from the presidential office after their second term has become by universal concurrence a part of our republican system of government, and that any departure from this time-honored custom would be" unwise, unpatriotic and fraught with peril to our free institutions." The Wisconsin legislature passed a measure known as "the political lobbyists' bill." Gov- ernor La Folletto vetoed tho Wisconsin - Din on the ground that it did Lobby not affect the railroad lobby BUI. while it prohibited s.talo officers and employes from doing so much as to ask the members to support a meas ure. In his veto message, Governor La Follette said: "This legislature has witnessed the opera tions of a paid lobby. This session has seen tho defeat of important measures accomplished in whole or in part through its work. It may fairly be directly or indirectly credited with having pro vented the passage of tho vote committee bill, the bill to prohibit increased charges in freight rates, the grain inspection and other measures of the greatest importance to the people of Wis consin, and to have seriously impaired tho ef ficiency of the bill for investigating into the pay ment of rebates and the failure to report gross earnings in full, as well as tho railway co-eni-ploye bill, and many other acts of the legislature." Governor La Follette's veto message will meet with general approval throughout the states whose people have suffered because of the main tenance of powerful corporation lobbies. Definition of a Gcatlemnn. An English judge recently Instructed a jury as to the definition of a gentleman. In a case on trial In the city of London May 23 one of the counsel ob jected to a certain letter offered in evidence as being improper because It referred to a house and sign painter as a gentleman. Tho London correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald says that in addressing tho jury,, tho judge injected some humor in tho proceedings by telling the jury that the Herald's college would say: "Man," not "gentleman," unless the .grandfather, father or man himself was entitled to wear a coat-of-arms. They would observe, however, that both tho learned counsel and himself had addressed them as "gentlemen of the jury." Ho thought that if they had votes to give away and were in tho habit of attending political meetings they must have noticed that the speakers were careful to give them the title. The painter, it appeared, was the possessor of a card. That was not the came as having a real coat-of-arms, but there was another thing- that went to show that he wa3 a gentleman he suffered from the gout If thi3 judge had desired to be serious, he might have provided a complete definition by quoting th words of an observing and ablo man who said: Whoover is open, loyal, truo; of humano nnl affablo demeanor; honorablo himself and in hl3 judgmont of others; faithful to his word as to law, and faithful, alike to God and man such a man is a truo gcntloman," A movement Is on foot to rcmovo tho body of Iatrick Henry from ita present neglected grava Patrick V Cnarlotto county to St r-wicK John's churchyard in Rich- Henry mond, Va. -It is proposed that a Statue. sultablo monument bo erected ,,. , k uPn which tho famous words Giyo mo liberty or givo mo death," aro to bo made conspicuous. After this monument shall have boon orocted, it might bo a good plan to In vito tho peoplo of- "our now possessions" to in spoct It They may bo consoled by tho reflection that tho government undor which they livo was established by mon who believed that lifo, lib erty, and tho pursuit of happiness aro among tho inalienable rights of mon. Do not forgot that effective work may be accomplished in tho interosts of tho democratic party by tho organization of nomocrntic clubs. Such a club should bo organized in every precinct in tho United States. mo moniDors or this club should bo pledged to tho defense of democratic principles and should carefully investigate tha record of tho men who aspiro to bo delegates to democratic conventions. No one should bo chosen as a dolegato to a county, state, or national con vention who may not be depended upon to stand up for democratic principles. Upon application to Tho Commoner office a form of constitution and membership blanks for the use of democratic clubs will be furnished and as rapidly as theno clubs aro organized, tho fact should bo reported to this office. Orgaaiza Dtmecratlc Club. iAAA Not on One Individual The Atlanta (Ga.) Journal, whose editor has preached "harmony," says: "Speaking very so. bony, we do not bellevo that the democratic party can ever hope for harmonious action un til William Jennings Bryan U unaiiy extinguished." It Is strange that mop who Insist that their policies represent tho intelligence and tho patriotism of tho democratic party also Insist upon the destruc tion of a particular Individual before thoy can hope to bring intelligent democrats to their way of thinking. Does not tho Atlanta Journal mako poor comment on the intelligence of democrats when It intimates that those who Insist upon an adherence to democratic principles as set forth In tho national platforms of 189G and of 1900 aro controlled by a single person? The editor -f tho Atlanta Journal Is so blind that ho cannot sos that even though the editor of Tho Commoner permitted the editor of the Atlanta Journal to do his thinking for him, there would be no difference in tho attitude of democrats toward democratic principles. 0N2 Former Attorney General Griggs does not ap prove of tho decision In tho Northern Securities case. Mr. Griggs says: "If this Mr. decision carries with it tho Griggs broad principle it seems to, Objects. congress will have power to tell a man what ho shall buy and forbid one man from purchasing what may bo owned and used by another." Tho court Itself touched on this point in an Interesting way when it quoted from a decison rendered by the supremo court of the United States, in which the court of last resort said that the constitutional provi sion regarding the liberty of the citizen is to some extent limited by the commerce laws of tho constitution. The supreme court pointed out tho power of congress to regulate interstate com merce as comprised in the right to enact laws prohibiting a citizen from entering into "those private contracts which directly and substantial ly and not merely indirectly and remotely, inci dentally and collaterally, regulate to a greater or less degree commerce among the states." In that same case the supreme court said: "We cannot so enlarge the scope of the language of the con stitution 'regarding the liberty of the citizen aa tc hold that It includes or that It was intended to include a right to make a contract which in fact restrained and regulated Interstate com merce, notwithstanding congress, proceeding un der the constitutional provision giving to It the power to regulate that commerce, had prohib ited such contracts." wj -n ttj. M