j7r' "Tqmfmvii "p-xfcS--w "." ,w -frr i tnri '"""i IT f The Commoner. 3 JUNE- 19, 19 0 3. . - methods employed by organized wealth and thoso who speak for It It seems that the eastern capitalists are not pleased with the democratic ad ministration in Chicago, ihat administration, al though evidently satisfactory to the people of Chicago, is not acceptable to the New Yorc financiers. The Wall Street Journal, thereforo, . reads the people of Chicago a lecture on their duty, and winds up with this warning: "Wo know the pulse of eastern capitalists towara investments in Chicago about as well as anybody, and we have not h.esitated to say that disgust with Chicago has been evident among them aii, and it will take very attrac tive offerings to get investment capital from the east to Chicago again." - The people of Chicago are advised that "the terminal charges of the railroaus in Chicago suould bo carefully scrutinized," and that "capi tal should bo encourage'd to come to Chicago." It will be remembered that Mayor Harrison has op posed the ninety-nine-year street railway lease, and insisted upon giving the people of Chicago a chance to speak on the subject of franchises; even the legislature of Illinois was finally com pelled to indorse the position taken by Mayor . Harrison and His supporters. Having failed to coerce the city, the capita ists now seek to in timidate It with the threat of withdrawing capi tal. If the New York financiers are not willing to loan money to Chicago, Chicago might issue the bonds in small denominations and sell them to the people of Chicago. It would not be difll cult to find a demand for all the bonds that Chi cago is compelled to issue, and it would be just as well for those bonds to be held by the people as to have the people's money deposited in sav ings banks. Whenever any state attempts to " reduce the rate of interest or to legislate for the protection of its people, it is always warned, aa Chicago is now being warned, that capital must "be tenderly dealt witn, and laws made for foreign Investors rather than for the benefit of the citi zens of the state. If the Wall Street Journal wants to find a legitimate field for its energies let it turn its at tention to the watered stock that is being palmed off upon- the public and made valuable by extor tion practiced on the public; let it arraign the street speculators who are shocked at E-iall gambling, but swindle the public with corners, raids and , concerted manipulation of stock. If the people outside of New York were as careful to protect their own interests as the Wall street financiers are to advance theirs, these who are now tha masters of commerce would find their power for harm greatly curtailed. JJJ Timely Warning". The New York Commercial Is one of the lead ing financial publications. In its ibsue of April 2 the Commercial had an editorial in which it de c ed that "the principle of a"bitratlon 'has not been strengthened or popularized by the appoint ment, the deliberations, and the final awards of the anthracite coal strike arbitration commis sion." The New York Sun had said: "An arbitra tion commission is never organized to dispense justice according to the evidence submitted to it, but for compror lie, for harmony. The habit of giving each side something seems too deeply rooted to be Interrupted." Quoting this statement by the Sun, the Com mercial said that "it is so patent to all unpreju diced observers of the course of arbitration of the past that the wonder Is that important questions in the conduct of industry and business continue to be turned over to such tribunals." ThTm the Commercial predicts that "When the anthracite miners shall have received their back pay and when the new sliding scale of wages shall have been put in operation, the net result of a bitter con troversy and its adjustment consuming near ly a whole year will be found to be little more than, an jidvance in the retail price of coal to the consumers. That will very accurately measure the extent to which the public was or is a 'party' to the great coal strike. The public will pay the bills that's all." Undoubtedly it Is the purpose of the coal barons to require the public to pay the bills; and yet may it not be true that after the laboring men in the mines have obtained some sort of justice at the hands of the coal barons, the public will, sooner or later, find means for protecting Itself from the imposition of these men who pretend to believe that they are ordained of God to admin ister the property of the country? . After the Commercial had made It very, clear that it does not indorse the principle of arbitra- tion, that publication made tho most interesting -prediction of all. The Commercial said: "We predict that before tho end of this decado employers .will bo so generally and so effectively-organized that no pressuro of pop ular opinion will bo strong onough to force them into arbitration whon thoy have nothing to arbitrate." Every one who has studied tho trust system understands that tho Commercial has made a fair picdiction if that system bo permitted to continue. But it is somewhat surprising that that financial publication would tako tho public so completely into its confidence. It Is true that if tho trust system is allowed lo flourish and to fatten, long bet'oro tho end of thitf decado the trust. magnates will bo "so generally and so effectively organized that no pressure of. popular opinion will bo strong enough to l'orco them into arbitration;" and It Is also truo that thoy will be "so effectively organized" that no ap peal from the people for relief lrom trust imposi tions will receive any consideration at tho hands of tho men responsible for thoso impositions. It would seem that tho consumers of the coun try have had ample warning concerning tho trust system in tho increasing cost of living and In tho growing powers of that system. If, however, tho situation needs elucidation for tho enlightenment of any of these consumers, it may be found in the New York Commercial's candid statement. Rockefeller's Prayer. A reader of The Commoner sends in a clip ping containing a dispatch from New York re porting a speech made by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., to his Blblo class. The Gispatch stated that Rockefeller "practically stated today that the Standard Oil company was under divine guid ance." In the quotation from tho speech young Rockefeller is represented as saying: "In one Important matter Involving big money I prayed every night and morning to God to direct me.s The matter was so big it seemed beyond me. Sud denly one day light came, and I saw the proper path clear. God answered my prayer. The con sciousness that wo are divinely directed gives comfort, courage, strength, and then tho way brightens." Mr. Rockefeller Is to be commended for his trust in God, and he is right also in saying that there is comfort and courage In faith. But tho fact that ho prays is not In itself conclusive evi dence that his business is under divine guidance. It is not necessary that all Christian people shall sanction the Rockefeller method of making mon ey merely because Rockefeller prays. In everv great war in which Christians have been en gaged on both sides, prayer has been offered en both sides, and men of both sides have believed themselves justified in appealing to the God of Battles. In every persecution that has been car ried on in the name of religion both those who persecuted and those who were victims, lifted up their voices to God and prayed for help. Mothers have sacrificed their children to appease or to propitiate idols, and mothers have protected their children to please God. There must be intelli gence as well as zeal, and tho zeal must bo di rected to righteous ends before it can be com mended. Lincoln drew the proper distinction; when asked if ho was not anxious to have God on his side, he said that he was anxious rather to be on God's side. Mr. Rockefeller must make tha same distinction. He may think that he is doing his full duty when he prays that tho Lord will help the Standard Oil company to make an enor mous profit by the practice of extortion, but mil lions of people believe that his prayer would be more In keeping with holy writ if he prayed for strength to resist the temptation to use trust methodsmethods which differ in form, but not in principle, from tho methods of the robbers upon the highway. JJJ A Real Democrat. The Chicago Public and the Columbus (O.) Press Press have been giving prominence to the suc cessful fight recently made by Tom Johnson against a democratic aspirant for tho legislature who voted with the republicans to give the Cin cinnati street car lines a forty-four-year lease. There were eight of these democrats who fur thered the Interests of the corporations, and they were afterwards known as the "eight black' sheep" of tho Ohio legislature. Johnson notified them that he would do what he could to prevent theii ever representing (or n representing) the democratic party again. Ho told them that ho would oppose their renomination, and if they wero renominated, would oppose their election. Six of thorn wero discreet enough not to bo candidates. One who aspired to a renomination afterwards gave it up, and tho eighth attempted to raako tho race. Mayor Johnson lubricated his automobi.e nnd Btartcd for tho seat of war. Ho made a canvass of the county, speaking at a number of places and Inviting nny friend of the corporation candidate to moot him In debate or ask quontlons. As a result of his contest the "black sheep ". al though supported by tho local or .nizatlon. was defeated. Bravo, Johnron! If wo had more deraocra'h. loaders IPo him the democratic party would poon bo invincible. Tho election of undemocratic demo crats to oillco Is infinitely worse for thb pnrty than defeat A party can afford to ho small If Jt stands for the right, because then It will grow; but If a party, however largo, selects for offiro men who do the bidding of corporations nnd then renominates sucn men after their filiations are known, Unit party must, sooner -x later, have, as It deserves, the contempt of good citizens. Tho republican pnrty Is controlled by he corpora tions; we cannot defeat It by putting the demo cratic party under tho same control, but we can defeat it by maling the democratic party an hon est exponent o honest government Tho democratic party of Ohio Is tho stronger for the purging it Is recolving. 'iuc largest part of Tom Johnson's greatness Js to be found In tho fact that ho has faith In the right, faith In the people and the moral courage to put his faith to the test bv his acts. He has ion his fight In tho city of Clevolmd because ho hns had the cour age to fight for the people and to appeal to them. He will ultimately win his fight In Ohio In spite of tho rlurs and slandors of papers like tho Cincinnati Enquirer. jjj In a Monarchy, Too, Tho press dispatches report that King Alex ander. Queen Draga, his wife, the queon's two brothers. Premier Markovltch, tho minister of war, two aides-de-camp, and two other officers, wero assassinated in tho royal palaco at Belgrade, the capltil of Servia. The assassination was tho work of high officials in the army. It is reported that the people are very : ich pleased and that the new dynasty is fully installed. If this had occurred in a South American re public It would have been heralded by the lovers of arbitrary power os an evidence of tho incapac ity of the people for self-crovornment and it would have been sagely sugrcrted that tho republic should be ta'cn in charge by some European government for the preservation of law and or der, but as the apoasslnation, atrocious in Its conception an,d horrible in its derails, occurred In a monarchy It will probably bo passed over as a matter of little importance. JJJ An English View. The Daily Mail of London publishes tho first of a series of letters from Perclval Landon, IU special correspondent at Manila. Tho following item from the press dispatches shows that he agrees with Miles rather than with the adminis tration in regard to present conditions there: "Landon declares that the American cam paign has made no Impression in tie islands; that the firing line Is co-extensive with the coast lino 8nd that a feeling of uttei insecurity prevails at ' headquarters. The correspondent asserts that in a country depending entirely upon agriculture for its prosperity the Islands aro being largely aban doned. He says it is time for the United States to decide whether there might be a reconsidera tion of its policy of the past few years." JJJ Mr. Hill's Indignation. A reader of Tho Commoner calls attention to tho argument made by ex-Senator Hill before the court of appeals as attorney for the corpora tions which are fighting the franchise tax estab lished under Governor Roosevelt's admlnistro- . tion. Mr. Hill Is quoted as saying that Governor Roosevelt had forced the bill on the legislature at the behest of "certain minor, semi-political and socialistic organizations, self-constituted, irre sponsible and noisy associations, mostly of non taxpayers, assuming a monopoly of the cham pionship of the people's alleged rights." Of courso Mr. Hill was Indignant When he was in the senate he did not listen to such organizations, but was entirely subservient to certain major . non-political and largely plutocratic organiza tions, self-constituted, irresponsible and noisy as sociations, mostly of tax-dodgers, assuming a . monopoly of the championship of the business interests of the country.