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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1903)
V4Wf - a OCTOBER 30, 1903 at trust ovll, brpught Injunction proceedings against tho beef combine. Since tbose proceedings were commenced, that combine has come to be more audacious than ever. On the one hand, exercising the power within its grasp, It has reduced at a single stroke the price of cattle and hogs In tho hands of the farmer, and on the other hand bos raised the price of beef and pork to the consumer. Many representatives of tho coal trust have closed down their coal mines on th,e plea that there is overproduction and they have, therefore, thrown out of employment hundreds of miners. At the same time, the prlco of coal to the con sumers has been advanced on the plea that there is an under-supply and therefore the consumer must pay a larger price for his coal. The 'anti-trust law was enacted for the pro tection of the people. Criminal prosecution was provided in tho very first section of that law be cause the law-malcers understood that the rich rascal, just like the poor rascal, i nds vory much in awe of prison bars. Is it not reasonable, then, that the consumers insist upon a serious enforce ment of, the chief feature of the ariti-trust law? "What right have these men to conspire not only in restraint of trade, but aralnst the very life of the people? Is i not the duty of the government to enforce this explicit statute and to, call these men to account under the terms of the anti-trust law? In the presence of the .trust system of today and at a time when the representatives of our government show "ery clearly their disinclina tion to hold these rich conspirators strictly to ac count, may we not in the language of Henry Ward Beecher say: "Let all good, men pray that God will give us a government." f Outside the Official Family. Recently Charles J. Bonaparte and Holmes' Conrad, the spocial attorneys emploed to investi gate and prosecute corruption in the federal ser vice, made a report recommending the discharge of a number of Influential republican politicians. The Washington corresponaent for the Chicago Record-Herald says that in this report Messrs. Bonaparte and Conrad practically call for the res ignation of Robert J..Tracewell, comptroller of the treasury, but Secretary Shaw Is standing by him. It is also pointed out by this correspondent that the pushing out of Auditor Castle a few days ago, although it met with less resistance on Secre tary Shaw's part, has provoked hostility to Bona parte and Conrad. The Record-Herald correspondent says that several cabinet meetings have been devoted to the Bonaparte-Conrad report without reaching a con clusion as to what shall be Hone with it. This Correspondent explains that Secretary Shaw and Postmaster General Payne resent" tho reflections made on thp' departments by this report and that they are backed by a large contingent of influ ential republicans in and out of Washington. It is pointed out that neither Mr. Bonaparte nor Mr. Conrad is a "straight republican," and the Record Herald correspondent says: "There Is a good deal of talk concerning th bad pihcy of going outside of the official family and the republican party for investigators. The report, it Is known, t speaks out plainly and this Is what causes the . trouble." It will be remembered that Mr. Roosevelt said that "words are- good when backed by deeds, and . only so." He has had much to say In favor of honesty in the public service. More than any other presidenfMr, Roosevelt has preached to the people. Now is a good opportunity or Mr. Roose- velt to back his words with deeds. Perhaps from a partisan standpoint, it is "bad policy" to go out eide the "official family and the republican party for investigators," but every intelligent man knows that a serious investigation could not be bd if the work rrere entrusted to republican poll- . The Commoner, ticians or to men whose efforts would, be con trolled by party atercfits and whoso course would be dictated by party leaders. It seems that when Messrs. Bonaparte and Conrad accepted the task assigned to them that they did so in alncero spirit and now Mr. Roose velt ought not to permit in of his "official fam ily to interfere with tho good work which Messrs. Bonaparte and Conrad "u-o very evidently bent upon, accomplishing To, be sure, tho results of their efforts may bo disastrous to Uio republican party, but if these efforts are pursued with sin cerity and vigor, they cannot but result in benefit to tho country. jjj r Shied at 16 to i. Mr. Bryan, had an interesting experience re cently. He was leaving Now York and fell in with three residents of that city. Two wore demo crats and one a republican, but they agreed on one thing, namely, that Mr. Bryan would have been elected if he had given up freo silver. After ex plaining to them how tho silver question strength ened the party instead of weakening it, ho told them that most of the opponents of bimetallism did not understand the subject. To t ve it, he questioned the three men men above the average in experience and business ability and none of them knew what 16 to 1 meant. One of them the republican thought he 1 now and said it meant that the government would coin 16 silver dollars every time it coined 1 gold dollar. It al most surpasses belief that intelligent men should fear free silver and yet be Ignorant of the mean ing of the simplest terms employed in the dis cussion of the subject , Sixteen to one, as readers of The Commoner know, describes the ratio existing between tho silver and gold dollars when measured by weight that is, the silver dollar weighs sixteen times as much as the gold dollar. The silver dollar con tains 412 grains of standard silver, while tho gold dollar contains only 25 8-10 grains of stand ard gold. The exact ratio ic not qUito 16 to 1, but the difference is so small that it is always spoken of as 16 to 1. If, as tho republican above referred to thought, the government would, under freo coinage, coin sixteen silver dollars every time- it coined ono gold dollar, we would have tm coin sixteen billion silver dollars to offset the bil lion dollars in gold coin, but if we coined all the silver held by all the people In the world, we could not coin more than about four billioni. A a matter of fact, free coinago would not so much increase tho number of s'lver dollars as it would restoro to the silver coin already in existence throughout the world full faith and credit and end the war which has been mrdo against ono of the monoy metals. Tho United States and Mexico produco the great bulk of the silver produced in tho world and silver would bo exported from the United States under freo coinage, but England would havo to pay $1.29 por ounce for it instead of tho presont price and that would not only lessen tho powor of India to compete with us In wheat and cotton, but would broaden tho base of the world's financial structure. In dealings with gold-using nations tho balances would be paid in gold; in dealings with silver-using nations, the balances would be paid in silver, and our nation would maintain tho parity between the two metals as tho Latin union U -merly did. JJJ The Race Problem. Various public spirited citizens aro suggesting solutions of tho raco problem, and one of tho solu tions offered is that of migration to Africa or some other distant country. An Illinois reader of The Commoner suggests that Africa is tho proper place, and insists that if tho negroes go there they will trade with this country and oe of great ben efit to us. Senator Morgan of Alabama has been quoted as favoring tho colonization of tho ne greos In tho Philippines, but Governor Hogg of Texas calls this a dream 'and says that the negro raco Is increasing at the rate of 750,000 a year. Ho figures that if the government should under take to send them to the Philippine islands It would take a tremendous fleet of transports. One transport carrying two thousand passengers and making six trips a year would only carry 12,000 persons during the year. Fifty transports would thus carry but G00,000. It would seem that fifty transports would not be able to quito keep up with the increase in the colored population. PREPARING FOR THE CAMPAIGN OF J904 Nearly 16,000 orders have been received for The Commoner's special subscription cards. In order to enlarge The Commoner's circula tion and therefore widen its sphere of Influence, this special subscription offer has been arranged by the publisher. The plan is similar to the ono submitted last year and Jknown'as tho "Lots of Five" plan. Cards, each good for .one year's subscription to The Commoner, will be furnished in lots of five at the rate of ?3 per lot This places the yearly subscription rate at 60 cents. Any one ordering tho cards may sell them for $1 each, thus earning & commission of 2 on each lot sold, or he may sli them at the cost price and find compensation in te fact that he has contributed to the effort to widen Tbe Com moner's sphere of influence. These cards may be paid for when ordered or they may be ordered and remittance made after they have been sold. A coupon Is printed below for tho convenience of those who desire to order these cards. We are rapidly approaching the presidential campaign of 1904, and thoso who believe that the democratic party should remain true to its prin ciples are urged to participate in the effort to increase The Commoner's circulation Those who desire to republican! the party aro not idle and it may be depended upon that they will redouble their energies from now on. The democratic party once under the influence of the trust magnates and controlled by the representa tives of special interests cannot be depended upon to stand for the welfare of the people. In every precinct, county and, state democrats should at once begin the work of protecting the democratic temple from tho assaults of thoso who would desecrate it and destroy its foundations. THE COMMONER'S SPECIAL OFFER Application for Subscription Card 10 15 20 25 50 75 100 Publisher Commoner: 1 am interested In In creasing Tbe Commoner' circulation, and de sireyou to send mea supply of en Inscription cards. 1 agree to ate my utmost endeavor to sell tbe cards, and will remit for them at tho rat of M cent eacb, when told. Name ( , Box, or Street No. , P.O. .State. Taalcata tto mr at etras ntt4 by saarklac X potita ose erf te aaaatttni prists ea tod sf tate Uaa J(f you believe the paper it doing a work that merits encouragement, Jill out the above coupon and mU jt .0 Tk G9mmmuMr, L!cUe, Net. ,
