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The Commoner.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 23.
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Fremont (Neb.) Leader. Every
tlrao Brother Hanna thinks of Tom
Johnson ho puts a new set of buffers
on his senatorial boom.
ML Morris'' (111.) Democrat: .It is
error to say that King Alexander and
Queen Draga were murdored. They
were only benevolently assimilated.
Tarkio (Mo.) Independent: Presi
dent Roosevelt's idea ot publicity
seems to bo that it is a good thing so
long as it does not injure tho repub
lican party.
M9quito (Tex.) Mesquiter: In some
of nis late speeches President Roose
velt has been telling his hearers how
to be a hero. Yob, and half tho tramps
touring the country can tell you how
to get rich.
Allegan (Mich.) News: A number
of republican papers are howling that
their party must punish the traitors
in the party. What's the matter with
tho people punishing tho party by
placing the democratic party in power?
Great Bend (Kas.) Democrat: An
oxchango says "the boom for Grover
Cleveland was taken out of cold stor
age too soon." Yes, and it has al
ready been out too long. Put it back,
you republicans; it smells bad al
ready. 'Seward (Nob.) Independent-Democrat:
The republican papers haven't
had time to boost Grover Cleveland's
candidacy for at least a couple of
weeks now. They are too busy apol
ogizing for tho scandals in the post
oilico department.
Fremont (Nob.) Leader: The Phil
ippine commission will make the op
ium business a mrnopoly and soil it
to the highest bidder. This, we pre
sume, is another stp in the process of
conferring the benefits of our Chris
tian civilization on tho heathens.
Salinas (Cal.) Journal: Every trust
in the country is echoing Mr. Hanna's
campaign cry of "Hands off!" Mr.
Hanna's campaign cries seem always
.acceptable to the mon who profit by
legislative graft. The cry has be
come so familiar that it will fool no
one.
Whitowright (Tex.) Sun: Grover
Cleveland denied that he is not seek
ing tho democratic nomination. Sinc-3
two negatives are equivalent to a pos-
itivo, the fisherman is undoubtedly
out after tho prize, but ovon his clos
est friends do not daro to hopo that
;h will land it.
Cay City (Ind.) Democrat: There
.en co was a western pioneer who ex
pended his entire capital fencing his
clalm and had nothing loft with which
-to put in a crop. Tho nation which
spends all its surplus preparing for a
possible war Is likely to be In tho
amo predicament.
Rochester (Ind.) Sentinel: The Trig
-republicans who are being put out of
office and indicted for general rascal
ity in tho postal service are not los
ing any sleep that any one has heard
of. They saw how It went with Nee
;loy and Rathbono In the Cuban steals
and they know they will not bo prose
cuted enough to hurt.
Gainesvlllo (Fla.) Sun: It appears
that the very name of Perry Heath
Tovented an investigation of appar
ent Irregularities in the New York
, postofflco. Evidently the officials knew
that they could not avoid a scandal
if they attemptod to investigate tho
actions of this illustrious member of
iho republican national committee.
Hastings (Mich.) Journal:- Tho
money that has been expended for the
subjugation of tho Philippines would
have built at least five lines of great
freight railroads from the Pacific to
the Atlantic. It is worse than the
waste of five hundred million dollars;
it has been a criminal expenditure of
money drawn from the American tax
payers. Crowley (Kas.) Signal: Tho spec
tacle of Honorable Perry S. Heath,
secretary of the republican national
committee, compiler of its two last
campaign books, sometime assistant
postmaster general, and -backer of
Neeley, Rathbone and others of that
ilk, posing as an injured victim of 'po
litical prosecution is enough to jar
the back teeth out of a cigar sign
Indian.
Thayer (Mo.) Tribune: Cleveland
has denied with a great show of in
dignation tho alleged interview in
which he was quoted as saying that
he was not a candidate for president
His denial is generally accepted as an
announcement that he will be a can
didate. He has not informed the pub
lic what ticket he will run on. In
view of the fact that he supported the
republican ticket in the last two cam
paigns, perhaps he intends to try
honors with Teddy.
Sigourney (la.) review: During all
the talk of postofflco officials becom
ing rascals, does any one believe who
stops to consider that the dirt and
corruption is all in that department
Lift tho lid and you will undoubtedly
find similar transactions in all depart-
hangers-on to be taken care of some- J
Linus uitu to ue uone piaces naa 10 De
found and if no other way they were
made for the convenience of the men
demanding recognition."
Mexico (Mo.) Intelligencer: The
Intelligencer has been disgusted at
tho large amount of tommy-rot
giving Cleveland's alleged candidacy
for the presidency. Of course Cleve
land has been willing to have the
mugwump press advocate his candi
dacy, it being hur-an nature that he
should enjoy the nice things said
about him by the reorcanizers. Now
that the boom has been punctured, we
are not surprised ij see these words
from tho ex-president: "It is perfect
ly absurd to suppose I have any de
sire to re-enter public life."
Merkel (Tex.) Mail: Nothing could
be more heart rending than the recent
statement from the war department
that ten officers and seventy-three en
listed men have killed themselves in
the Philippines because of home-sickness.
This all comes of our imperial
istic tendencies, or. rather, tho rraH
for conquest. The profits of "benev
olent assimilation" and exploitation
aro piling up thick and fast, and In
our efforts to Christianize (God for
give the word) tho Filipinos we are
falling into the brutal methods of in
human warfare ruthlessly waged.
Honesdale (Pa.) Herald: Mark A.
Hanna in his speech reminded his
hearers of Roosovolt's promise to car
ry out McKinley's policy and Hanna
says ho has done so. It Is well known
that during McKinley's administra
tion most of the great trusts were
formed. Does Mr. Hanna want to have
it understood that President Roose
velt is in favor of the trusts and his
prosecutions thus far aro only a farce?
Hanna certainly insinuates as much.
He is chairman of the national repub
lican committee and his sympathy
with tho trusts is well understood
As to Fishing.
Wearied by business cares, tired
even of the hurrying life that wo so
dearly love, and with brain dulled and
deadened by the strain of concentra
tion incident to tho struggle for ex
istence, we leave it all and go a
fishing. And in tho first week of our new
life, with the stream's melody for our
twilight lullaby and sunrise reveille;
with the sweet airs of the forest per
meating every vein and bringing new
vigor and energy; with the divine
peace that is the horitance of all those
who love to go a-fishing wo are led
to say that, after all, this outdoor life
or freedom is the ideal existence and.
determine nevermore to roturn to the
worries and struggles of the other
world.
But mark a change. This sort of
thing is all very' well for a few weeks,
perhaps, but wo soon find ourselves
ready to leave the privations of the
camp and return to the flesh-pots of
Egypt; ready tp plunge again into the
wild but fascinating whirl of the life
we knew before we pitched our tent
upon, the banks of this merry stream.
To be out of the world is to be for
gottenand that hurts man's pride.
Once having known tho exhiliration of
wielding power there iJ forever after
ward the yearning to again be in
command. Forgetfulness of one who
has been in powers and is deposed is a
distinguishing characteristic' of the
American people. There is little time
for tho worship of former heroes
the hero of the moment demands all
our attention. And this is far from
satisfactory to the one deposed. The
American atmosphere gives birth and
nourishment to a desire for power,
not temporarily, but permanent pow
erand our history furnjlshes few in
stances of men who have been able
to conquer this powerful influence of
Americanism.
It is not strange, therefore, that. Mr.
Cleveland should have grown weary
of the quiet and solitude of retire
rrent; that he should have found him
self thoroughly refreshed after a per
iod of rest on the banks of the do
mestic stream; and that he should
long to elevate himself from tho
depths of the sea of oblivion to his
former high position of power and
honor. Having once been the "man
of the hour," a man will never be
content to be anything else for very
long at a time. The noison of nniiH.
cal preferment, having once entered
the blood, cannot be eradicated.
It is not strange, then, that Mr.
Cleveland, seeing no candidate upon
the demcoracy's horizon, should mod
estly start his 'ship out upon the po
litical sea, announcing to the world a
pleasure cruise but secretly hoping
that the political breezes may blow
his craft into the harbor of national
honor in which it once rode so gayly.
However the public may take Mr.
Cleveland's candidacy, there is lit
tle reason to doubt that he takes it
seriously and that is really what
makes it so ludicrous.
The layman may laugh but every
fisherman knows just how Mr. Cleve
land feels and will tell you that he
ib in dead earnest
Mr. Cleveland's devotion to the rod
has not been In vain. It has taught
him care and discretion. The skilled
angler does not break through the
brush and immediately send his cast
to the center gf tho pool. Ho creeps
carefully and noiselessly to a point
of vantage and with consummate clev
erness and skill tests with his flies the
edges of the pool before sending hm
1 to their last and most important work.
wr. Cleveland Las learned these little
tricks of the gentle art. and Tin i
how to apply them to tho greater ef-
iorcs or are.
Mark the soft .manner in which he
breaks through the brush and stands
jiiivemea aimost before we realize
what is happening. Note his delicate
testing of the edges of the pool and
how carefully he watches for that up
beaval of the deep waters which de
notes that his flies have been seen
Observe how adroitly he draws away
his cast for tho moment, nor suffers
to disturb the peaceful depths where
the quarry lies. Notice how exasper
atingly ho arouses curiosity and makes
the big trout wonder what became of
that luscious miller that a moment
before flashed on the surface.
These are some of the wiles of tho
fisherman and the politician.
All in good time tho cast will bo
made.
But when that time comes there will
be no wild sweep from the depths of
the pool.
The dweller in them is a wary fel
low and' he has seen that bait before.
He recognizes it.
He has felt the prick of its steel
and he will not again be tempted.
And after the cast that failed the
fisherman will sit down upon the quiet
bank and remark, between pipe-whiffs,
just as many an angler has remarked
in the past:
"I was sure I'd get one out of that
pool!" St Joseph Gazette.
Columbus' Log Book.
A Murphysboro, 111., dispatch to the
Kansas City Journal under date of
June 19 says:
A book In script, on parchment, pur
porting to be the secret log book of
Christopher Columbus on his great
voyage of discover , is In possession
of Frank Reeves, a resident of Mur
physboro, living at 108 South Fourth
street
This book is a record of the events
and of the secret hopes and fears of
the great navigator on his first voy
age across the Atlantic. The record
bf-gins when the fleet of three small
vessels left Palos, Spain, August 3,
1492, and continues complete until the
two vessels that returned from tho
New World were caught in a terrific
storm about 200 miles west of tho
Azores.
At this stage of the voyage, when
Columbus and his crew had given up
all hope of weathering the gale, the
last entrance is made that the secret
log was placed in. a secure box and
cast overboard, In the hope that it
might reach the shores of Europe and
bo picked up arid the people would
thereby learn the cruel fate which had
overtaken the groat discoverer and his
crew.
It is written in quaint language, and
the orthography is that of 400 years
ago. It gives a vivid description of
the discovery and of the disappoint
ment of Columbus when he failed to
find either gold or spices on the tropi
cal islands which he visited.
Mr. Reeves received the book from
an old German family in Cincinnati
several years ago. He has been of
fered a handsome price for the book.
The Senator's Share.
Senator Tillman tells of an old
darky in his employ that he once per
mitted to make use of certain land for
farming purposes, on condition that
the darky should give to the senator
one-fourth of the crop raised.
At the harvesting of tho crop the
senator was amazed to find that the
darky had not kept his part of the
agreement, for, while he hauled away
three wagon loads of produce, he had
not sent a single one to the senators
barn, Tillman called the negro's at
tention to the fact that he had taken
the entire crop," asking: n
"Now, how's that, Zeb? Wasn't
to receive a fourth of the crop?"
"You was, Massa Tillman, you was,
excitedly exclaimed the darky; "but
dere's only three loads, sab, only threa
loads!" Now York. Timo3.
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