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The Commoner.
OCTOBER 23, 1903.
3
WMWUW.'VFV
end public Interest In tho stock market declines as
it has during the present year," there Is a sharp
decline in tho price of stock exchange seats. Thero
are a few old members who Joined the stock ex
change thirty-five or Xorty years ago who paid
only $500 for their seats. In 1871 seats were sold
as low as $2,750. In tho boom year of 1882 tho
price reached was $32,500. In the panic in 1884
the price fell to $20,000. The next year the price
advanced to $34,000, which remained the highest
jprice for many years. In the panic of 1893 seats
were quoted at $15,250, and I . 1896 as low as $13,
000. During the following years there was a rapid
advance. This remained the highest price until
early last winter, when a single seat sold for
$82,000."
IT IS REPORTED BY CONSUL GENERAL
Guenther that a new plant has been discov
ered in South America that promises to supplant
the sugar cane and sugar beet. This plant is said
to contain a large amount of saccharine matter
and a high percentage of natural sugar properties
which are easy to extract. It is said to be easy to
cultivate in climates liice those of the southern
portion of tho United States and according to ex
periments made by tho discoverer, the director of
the agricultural institute of Asuncion, this plant
is said to yield a sugar which Is from twenty to
thirty times as sweet as ordinary cane or beet
sugar.
IT IS REPORTED THAT MR., ROOSEVELT IS
not at all disposed to abandon the- Panama
canal project. It is announced that in his mes
sage to congress, the president will give his rea
sons for waiting "a reasonable time" before mak
ing his decision. The Washington correspondent
for the Philadelphia Press says: "According to
confidential Information received from Minister
Beaupro, at Bogota, tho case Is not hopeless, but
is more encouraging than would appear from tho
dispatches which have been mado public. Thero
is no hope, of course, of the present Colombian
congress taking favorable action upon the treaty,
but the expiration of this congress does not mean
tho death of the treaty. The treaty has only been
rejected by the Colombian senate, and, as tho
whole congress must act, it will be much in tho
same position as a treaty which lias been disap
proved by tho senate committee on foreign rela
tions hero, but which has not been taken up by
the senate. It can bo taken up by the Colombian
house, approved and sent" back to tho senate, or
it can be held over for a new congress, and the
latter now appears to bo the most probable
course."
ACCORDING TO THIS SAME CORRE
spondent, several alternatives are presented
before President Roosevelt may feel compelled to
turn to the Nicaraguan route. They have been
carefully considered by him and by the legal ex
perts of the administration. First is the election
of a new Colombian congress and a president fav
orable to tho treaty. Second is a possible revolu
tion on the isthmus and the establishment of an
independent government by tho provinces of Pana
ma and Cauca. Third is tho power of this gov
ernment under the treaty of 1846. This last pro
position is one of the most suggestive yet con
sidered. It is held by some of the president's ad
visers that under article 35 of that treaty with
the republic of New Grenada the United States
was made the protector of the isthmus of Panama,
and that this government has the power to pro
vide, as well as guarantee, the free transit from
one sea to tho other across the isthmus. It -is ad
'mitted that the exercise of such power might In
volvo this government in a nominal war with
Colombia, and that there might be some foreign
complication, but tt is believed that the great
commercial powers of the world would approve
and justify the action as in keeping with the
advance of civilization and the development or
the world's commerce. It is said that England,
Germany and France would all approve of such a
decision to cut the isthmus in tho interest of
. commerce.
r
MR. ROOSEVELT AND HIS ADVISERS Ap
pear to believe that a congress favorable to
tho canal treaty will be elected and that a strong
man will succeed Marroquin as president next De
cember. It la believed by Mr. Roosevelt and his
advisers that General Raphael L. Reyes will be
elected on tho Issue that Panama must secure
the isthmian canal. The Washington correspon
dent for tho Philadelphia Press says: "The cabi
net and the isthmian canal commission fully ap
prove of the president's course in not acting hast
ily by turning to tho alternative proposition named
in the carial-act and negotiating with Nicaragua
i
for a canal territory. Attorney General Knox Is
quoted as saying that tho expression 'reasonable
tlmo' is relative In Its application. What would be
reasonable time to got out of tho way of a mad bull
is not necessarily reasonable tlmo In deciding a
question which will change tho map of tho world
and settle for all tlmo a great question which haa
boon beforo tho Amorican people for a century.
The president feels fully justified in waiting for a
now Colombian congress and Colombian president
to take up tho treaty. Tho canal commission still
holds to its roport in favor of tho Panama route,
and tho president will not abandon that route for
Nicaragua until tho engineers have passed upon
tho question and reported to him definitely their
opinions and recommendations in favor of Nicar
agua. Thero Is no probability of any change in
tho present situation for some time, and negotia
tions with Colombia will not bo abandoned, at
least before congress meets,"
WHEN GEN. H. C. CORBIN WAS TRANS
ferred to tho command of tho department
of the east, it was announced that it was a pro
motion and that the transfer was made at his
request The Washington correspondent for tho
Now York World says, however, that thero aro
few who aro not convinced that President Roose
velt took arbitrary action to break tho power of
tho long controlling army clique headed by Cor
bin. Tho World's correspondent says thero was
no cause open to General Corbln but enrapturtd
acquiescence In the president's program. Tho
World's correspondent says: "Mr. Roosevelt Is
tho first president since Grant who. has not been
completely hypnotized by Corbln. From the be
ginning Mr. Roosevelt and General Corbln were
not especially friendly. Tho president could not
forget that Corbln had sought to interfero with
him in a manner which, if successful, would have
prevented him from now boing chief executive.
When Mr. Roosevelt was organizing his regiment
of Rough Riders just before tho Spanish-American
war began and was arranging for rapid transit to
the firing line, General Corbln urged that he bo
held In the background. Mr. Roosevelt and Gen
eral Corbln had a personal interview, during
which strong words were used. There can bo no
gainsaying tho fact that General Corbln fully
expected to succeed Young as chief of staff. Ho
had this Idea in view when Secretary Root suc
cessfully pushed tl3 staff corps bill through both
branches of congress. But tho president had for
years been a warm personal friend of General
Chaffee and determined he should have recog
nition." HENRY DEMAREST LLOYD, WELL KNOWN
as a writer on social economic subjects, died
in Chicago September 28. Referring to Mr. Lloyd,
a writer in tho Now York World says: "Although
ho was active in tho promotion of many reform
ideas, Mr. Lloyd's most conspicuous work was his
'Wealth vs. Commonwealth,' a history of the
origin and development of the Standard Oil com
pany. The book made a stir, for it set forth,
mainly from the records of court proceedings and
of legislative and other official commissions, an
arraignment of the Standard's oft-described meth
ods of gaining its aim to monopolize the petroleum
industry. John D. Archbold, testifying before the
United States industrial commission three years
ago, called tho book 'unreliable.' Mr. Lloyd re
torted, quoting tho official sources of his state
ments and adding: 'Occurrences since the publi
cation of the book indicate the continuance to the
Standard company of railroad favors mado to the
South Improvement company (its predecessor).'
Another important work of Mr. Lloyd's, 'A Coun
try Without Strikes,' Is a review of the success
of the compulsory arbitration system adopted by
New Zealand. He studied tho subject exhaustive
ly on the ground. His conclusions were the basis
of arguments for the recognition of tho miners'
union beforo tho anthracite strike commission.
One of his recent works, 'Labor Copartnership
dealt with tho progress of the co-operative factory
movement in Great Britain. He lectured fre
quently in the laqt few years In propagating this
Idea."
THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY HAS RE
cently Issued its eighty-seventh annual re
port The report shows that during the last yar
the society has printed and purchased 2,058,989
Bibles of which 1,993,358 were issued in foreign
countries. The statistician of the society states
that since Its organization, the society has Issued
more than seventy-two million Bibles.- The total
number of Bibles Issued In the United States in
the year ended March 31, 1903, was 746,423, of
which New York received 225,735, Pennsylvania
135 938 and Illinois 62,878. Wyoming received
only 56 copies, and Arizona 87, while the Philip-
pine Islands stand charged" with 11,774 coplei.
Among tho "sales and granto" to foreign lands it
In Interesting to note that Cuba received 20,393,
Africa 6,725, China 1,425 and Canada only 218.
IN A SPEECH DELIVERED AT GLASCIOW, Oc
tober 7, Joseph Chamberlain mado public
his plan for a preferential tariff system. Mr.
Chamberlain proposes: First, a tax of 2 shillings
(48 cents) a quartor on foreign wheat, but none
on wheat from British possessions. No tax on
corn (raaizo), but a tnx on flour. 8econd, a tax of
G per cent on foreign meat and dairy products, but
no tax on bacon. Third, a substantial profcrenc
to tho colonies on wines and fruits. Fourth, a.tnx
.of 10 per cent on imports of manufactured goods.
Fifth, a reduction of three-quarters of tho duty
on tea, and half tho duty on sugar, with corre
sponding reductions upon cocoa and coffee.
i? so
MR. CHAMBERLAIN DECLARES THAT HE
did not wlBh to tax raw materials used In
British manufactures. He safd that nothing bo
proposed would add one farthing to tho cost of
living of any worklngman or of any family In tho
country. Ho said that ho proposed no tax on
corn, partly because It formed tho food of most
of tho poorest among tho population and partly
becauso It was raw material aa feeding stuff.
But ho proposed a corresponding tax on flour,
and ho said ko would glvo special preference to
tho miller with the object of re-establishing one of
England's ancient Industries and of preventing a
rush from tho country to tho town, and also of
placing corn and feeding stuffs more cheaply
within tho possession of tho farmer. Mr. Cham
borlaln declared that ho would not say that ho
anticipated ruin for tho British empire, but ho
would say that he plainly observed "signs of
decay,"
THE AUDITOR FOR THE POSTOFFICE DE
partment rccontly completed his quarterly
report. For tho year ending June 30, 1903, tho
roport Is as follows: Expenditures, $138,784,487;
receipts $134,224,443; deficit, $4,360,044. Tho total
financial transaction of the postal service for the
year, Including tho money order system, aro $1
026,731,408, thus for the first tlmo passing tho $1,
000,000,000 mark. Compared with last year's fig
ures, the aggregates are: Increaso in expenditures,
$13,975,271; Increase In receipts, $12,376,390; In
creas In financial transactions, $122,506,172. Dur
ing the six years of the auditor's Incumbency, tho
aggrcgato financial transactions which have been
audited and settled In tho bureau amount to $5,
000,000,000. Tho postmaster general calls atten
tion to tho fact that tho deficit Is more than $1,
000,000 below tho cstlmato of what It would bo,
made a year ago. That cstlmato was $5,602,227,
whereas the actual figures aro $4,560,044.
FOR THIRTY-NINE YEARS PROMINENT IN
the service of tho government and formerly
postmaster general, James N. Tyner was recently
Indicted by the grand jury for conspiracy to de
fraud tho government. Tyner Is seventy-seven
years of age, he he- been Btricken with paralysis,
discharged summarily from his position and on
October 5 was held for trial on the indictment re
turned against him and was released upon ball
in tho sum of $5,000. Tyner and his former as
sistant, Harrison J. Barrett, aro charged with con
spiracy to defraud tho government, three indict
ments having been returned against them on theso
charges. Barrett has also been indicted on the
charge of receiving fees for services rendered in
cases pending beforo him as a federal official. A
largo number of indictments have been returned
against other federal officers and It now seems
certain that congress will be forced to make in
vestigation at least of the entire postofflco de
partment If not of other departments in tho fed
eral service.
& jr
MOST PEOPLE HAVE THE OPINION THAT
strikes aro unprofitable and this view Is il
lustrated in tho case of tho Tecent strike among
he street railway employes at Richmond, Va. Tho
Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegraph says that the pop
ulation of Richmond at the census of 1900 was
85,050. Tho Chronicle-Telegraph adds: "Tho
strike lasted just sixty-nine days and Is estimated
to have cost tho street car company $125,000; the
strikers, in loss of wages, $50,000; the state, for
troops to maintain order, $75,000, and the city
for special police, etc., $5t000. One man was killed
by soldiers. One motorman was fatally stabbed by
another, while scores of persons have been more
or less feerlously injured. At this rate a strike is a
pretty expensive matter for a town of the size
of Richmond. " The bill of expense suggests one
more that strikes are unprofitable."
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