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.
,
