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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 17, 1903)
lUfnpUl ,.. Illllll i Hil 'WMpPPW in W'lnptwt"' """ wmyiiiw)wMi 'T The Commoner, JULY 17, 1903. 5 WtMHWH iCUPli f HW The Two Wing." Investigate all of Them. Tho Chicago Chronicle say3 that those who Object to tho republtcanization of the democratic party are misiaiten in me as sumption that there are two wings of tho democratic party." Tho Chronicle adds: "There is sl democratic nartv and there Is a populist party." Commenting upon this state ment, the Buffalo (N. Y.) Times says: "Accord ing to this there must be about 6,600,000 populists and 133,000 democrats, judging by the returns of 1890." Under tho title "How to Improvo Your Dic JJon," a writer in tho Philadelphia Inquirer in structs the rising generation In Improve this brief way: "For clearness Your read Macauloy. For logic Tead Diction. BurKo and Bacon. For action read Homer and Scott. For con ciseness read Bacon and Pope. For sublimity of conception read Milton. For vivacity read Stev enson and JCIpling. For imagination read Shake speare and Job. For elegance read Virgil, Gold smith, Milton and Arnold." Do not forget that in the great work of pro fiervihg democratic principles and protecting the democratic party from the mer- Work ciless hands of the trust mag- For, nates, even the humblest mom- Every Democrat. Der ' e Party can accomplish great results. One democrat firmly devoted to tho principles of his party,- ever .watchful for-the welfare of his country, and will ing to speak and to work according to his con victions, may accomplish more in the organiza tion of his party and the sucxsssful defense of its principles than a dozen reorganizers equipped though they may be with an ample supply of syn dicate money. "When the Cubaa scandals involving Rat.hbone and Neeley, proteges of Mark Hanna and inti mate friends of Perry S. Heath, became known, republican pa pers insisted that these were mere "slips," and provided no reason for criticism either of Mr. Hanna or tof Mr. Heath. The peculations of Rathbone and Neeley, considerable though they were, were insignificant compared with tho cor ruption and dishonesty that has prevailed In tho postoffico department Is it not reasonable to be lieve that cor-jption is not confined to one de partment in tie federal service,' but that under tho powerful republican machine that was built up in the campaign of 1896, fraud and dishonesty may be exposed in every department by rigid investigation? . trf The Chicago Tribune,- a republican paper, Bays: -"The London limes has received advices . 'of the annexation by Great A Very . Britain of three small uninhab- Famlllar ited islands near Pitcairn isl- Rlng. and including Ducie Island, which has a safe harbor. Mr. Simons, the British consul at Tahiti, it is stated, regarded the island as valuable In view of the prospect of the completion of the Panama canal, and, fearing that France would annex them, he did not wait for instructions, but had the islands taken over," etc. The words have a familiar ring." In other words, tho Tribune means to say that there Is small difference between the preliminaries of imperialism on the part of Great Britain and imperialism on the part of the United States. Whatever explanation may be advanced for the steps taken, "the words ha- a familiar ring." Referring to the report that actuated by the disclosures in the postofilce scandal, Perry S. Heath will resign his position as secretary of the republican national committee, the "New York Commercial-Advertiser says: "That he should resign from the secretaryship of the committee, under compulsion, if that be necessary to get Tid of fclm, is not a debatable question. His continu ance In that position would be a scandal which would taint the entire party management" But if Mr. Heath's continuance in the position of secretary of the republican national committee would be "a scan "-il which would taint the entire party management," is not the situation so serious as to call for something more than mere resigna tion from the committee secretaryship? If Mr. Heath Is innocent of wrong-doing, then there 13 no reason why he bo required to resign the posi tion of secretary of the republican national corn- Why Not Prosecute fir. Heath? mittce. If Mr. Heath is guilty, ho should bo called to account in spite of the high position ho occupies in republican councils and regardless of tho fact that ho has the favor of the men most influential in republican circles. An Instructive Puzzle. love Bho asked: An instructive puzzle Is presented In fablo form by the publication known as "Smart Sot" Hero It is: An American heir ess was wooed by a foreign princo, who urgently besought her to become his wife. In or der to test tho sincerity of his "Will you still marry mo if I give away all my money for charity and becomo as poor as yourself?" Tho princo considered awhilo and then responded: "Yes, provided you will still marry mo if I renourco my title and be come a plain, republican person like yourself." Query: Did she agree to his proposition? Judgo Siebccker, according to a correspon dent, for tho Boston Post, has displayed Solomon like wisdom in at least one of Siebccker his decisions. According to tho and Post story, two men recently Salomon. appeared before Judgo Siebcck er. One was a butcher, who claimed that the 'defendant owed him $10 for a meat bill. The defendant, a strikingly thin and gaunt figure, denied the bill. Statements and counter-statements followed eacli other with great rapidity. The lie was passed, but tho constable intervened. "When was this meat purchased which you sold the defendant?" asked tho judge. "During the past four weeks, your Honor," de clared tho butcher. "Then I decide this case in favor" of tho defendant," remarked the judgo, de liberately, as ho scrutinized the emaciated figure before him. "His appearance indicates that ho has not eaten $10 worth of meat in his lifetime." Perry S. Heath, former first assistant post master general, has recently been called upon to make several denials. In his latest, Mr. Heath refers to "tho attacks upon me by the yellow newspapers." It has come to be quite common that public ofll- clals whose shortcomings have been exposed un dertake to minimize their offenses or excuse them selves on the plea that they ara made the victims of "yellow journalism." But the revelations con cerning Mr. Heath's administration are so serious that references of this sort will not fill the bill. If he Ib really Innocent, he should explicitly meet tho charges. The Investigation has proceeded too far to permit It to be sidetracked by any Imma terial retorts. Tho only adequate answer to what Mr. Heath calls the product of yellow journalism is a reasonable showing that the charges which the so-called yellow journals make are without foundation. Heath' 0 Consistent Excuse. Johnson for Example The example set by Tom L. Johnson of Ohio in invading tho district of a democratic legisla tor and opposing hla nomina tion, because of his faithless ness to public trust, has" had a good effect throughout the coun try. TJuo Omaha Bee, a repub lican paper, says that "if retribution (Jrcre ad ministered promptly everywhere to public officials who repudiate platform pledges, as hap been ad ministered by Tom L. Johnson, platform pledges would some day count for something." The Bee adds: "To make good his declaration that none of the turncoats should be returned Mayor John son invaded the county of ono of them and by personal appeals compassed the defeat of his aspirations for renomination. The trouble gen erally is that the public memory is too often too short to harbor up tho misdeeds of the sell out lawmaker and to keep his bad record con fronting him whenever he bobs up for a new commission." A Very Great Concession. Commentlnguppn the-proposition that Groyer Cleveland be made the nominee for tho democratic party, xne wew xonc worm, says: "The question is not, as it, so obviously is with Presi dent Roosevelt, what he desires; It Is what the democratic party may desire, need and demand. Mr. Cleveland's nomination for the fourth time may not seem very probable just now. But stranger thlng3 have happened." It Is significant that the World, now admits that "Mr. Cleveland's nomination for the fourth time may not seem Very probable just now." Heretofore the World has been cocksure that Mr. Cleveland will become tho democratic nomlnco In 1904. But tho interesting point Is that tho World admits that tho question is not what Mr. Cleveland desires, but rathor "what tho democratic party may desire, nocd, and demand." This is, indeed, a great concession for tho World. Heretofore wo h'avo been told that the question is not what tho democratic party may dcalro but what Mr. Cleveland may desiro. A Simple Remedy Is at Hand. A Washlngtcn dispatch announces that Mr. Roosevelt has called upon a number of federal judges handling suits brought under tho Sherman anti-trust law as to the best methods to bo pursued by tho bureau of cor porations in gathering informa tion relativo to tho trusts. It will occur to a groat many people that Mr. Roosovolt is going to a great deal of troublo to discover a method that is readily at hand. Tho first section of the Sher man anti-trust law provides for criminal prosecu tion. The Injunction mothod is morely incidental. Mr. Roosovolt hag not undertaken to enforce the criminal clauso nor has ho explained his failure to do so. Rich and. influential men are not. afraid of injunctions. They do, however, fear prison bars. This fact is shown in tho recent and sev eral prosecutions of rich and powerful men be cause of corruption in municipal politics. In the presence of fearless prosecutors like Joseph W. Folk of St Louis, tho rich corruptionlst trembles and in the presence of tho criminal clause of the Sherman anti-trust law, backed by a vigorous prosecutor, the most powerful of tho trust mag nates would tremble. If Mr. Roosevelt Is sincere on the trust question, let him enforce the chief feature of tho Sherman anti-trust law. ' Tho Chicago Inter-Ocean that has never been known to bo particularly friendly to democrats, says: "Having received the A Very highest honor that men can con- Self-Sacrlfictng for upon their fellow man, and Individual. neither hoping nor desiring more, Grover Clovoland must still continue to do what ho can for his country and his party, asking no reward for himself, but simply doing what ho can for them. He must do this, and ho does do It, not because he is an ofllco-seeker, but because ho Is a good party man, a good citizen, and a patriot" It Is interesting to bo told by this republican paper that Mr. Cleveland asks no reward for himself, but Is ly ing awake nights becauso of a desiro to do what be can for his party. According to this republican paper, Mr. Cleveland Is "a good party man." There are a great many democrats who will ob ject to republican papers like the Inter-Ocean designating for them "a good party man." If Mr. Cleveland had been "a gori party man," he would not have caused his administration to stand sponsor for the abuses which the financiers sought to place upon the people; and if he had been "a good party man" he would not have deserted the party simply because it had taken a position that wag not agreeable to Wall street "On the Borderland of Outlawry." Tho Chicago Tribune, a republican paper, while contending that no evidence has yet been produced that Perry S. Heath "has committed any crimnal act," admits that "it Is suffic iently established that he ran constantly on the borderland of outlawry." And then tho Tribune says: "The Irregularities in the postofilce department under his administration were constant and deliberate. He knew all about them. Ho sanctioned them. He instigated them. Ho wished to violate the civil service rujes by making appointments In an irreg ular and unlawful manner, and he did it Ho behaved as a representative of the lowest typo of political spoilsman. This Is not the worst about Mr. Perry Heath. His tenure of office in the postofilce department was marked by scandalous conduct from beginning' to end. More than any other official In Washington he seems to be re sponsible for th6 frauds in the Cuban postal ser vice." This being true, why should Mr. Roose velt hesitate to direct the arrest and prosecution of the secretary of the republican national com mittee? Can it bo possible that the Roosevelt ad ministration Intends to confine its proceedings against small politicians who were without Im portant Influence? It would, to be sure, be unfair to convict Mr. Heath on the charges preferred against him without fair and thorough Investi gation, but if half that has been charged is true, Mr. Heath should be proceeded against just as would be done in the case of an uninfluential man against whom serious accusations were made. ':! tl 4 3 i