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The Commoner.
'.,- WILLIAH J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR. "
Vol.' 3. No. 44.
Lincoln, Nebraska, November ao, 193.
Whole No. 148.
..A BLACK SPOT..
In the public statement issued by the state
department, Secretary Hay placed great emphasis
upon the fact that In the treaty between this gov
ernment and tnat of New Granada (now Colom
bia) in the year 1846, the latter government guar
anteed the right of way across the isthmus of
Panama. Mr. Hay says that "this is the tright
which we acquired by the treaty for an important .
compensation."
It will be interesting to examine the treaty of
184 G. In that treaty, after New Granada had
guaranteed to the government of the United States
the right of way across the isthmus and certain
other privileges which the representatives of our
government eagerly sought for, it was provided:
"And in order to secure to themselves
the tranquil and constant enjoyment of these
advantages, and as an especial compensation
for certain advantages, and for the favors
they have acquired by tte fourth, fifth and
sixth articles of this treaty, the United States
guarantee positively and efficaciously to New
Granada, by the prosent stipulation, the per
fect neutrality of the before-mentioned isth
mus, with the view that the free transit from
one to the other sea may not be Interrupted
or embarrassed in any future time while this
treaty exists; and, in consequence, the United
States also guarantee in tne same manner the -rights
of sovereignty and property which New
Granada has and possesses over the said ter
ritory." It will be seen, therefore, that the Roosevelt
administration is very particular with respect to
the obligations which Colombia owes the United
States, but is not at all particular as to the sol
emn pledge the United States made to Colombia.
In order to secure to themselves the tran
quil and constant enjoyment of certain import
ant advantages and as an especial compensation
for these advantages and favors, the United States
guaranteed "the right of sovereignty and property
which New Granada has and possesses over the
said territory." And yet instead of fultilling this
guarantee, instead of standing by this pledge in
an honorable way, there is ample evidence that
representatives of the United States deliberately
encouraged a scheme to destroy the sovereignty,
which this government was pledged to maintain,
and gave encouragement to a secession movement
among the citizens of a South American republic,
with which we were under treaty agreement.
However popular Mr. Roosevelt's filibuster
ing expedition against Colombia may be, it is
safe to say that our connection with "the Panama
revolt will be regarded as one of the black spots
in American nistory.
Waved His Hand in Glee.
In the Chicago Record-Herald of Wednesday,
November 11, Walter Wellman," the Washington
correspondent for that newspaper, printed an in
teresting dispatch. That dispatch follows:
President Rodsevelt, likes a joke, even if
it is one which touches a tender spot Last
night, with Mrs. and Miss Roosevelt,, he oc
cupied a box at the National Theatre to hear
Fritz" Scheff score a great success in Bar
bette. One of the lines ran as follows:
"What, a diplomat steal? A diplomat
never steals. He only annexes!"
The entire audience turned toward the
president's box and joined in a shout of
laughter. The president laughed as heartily
as anyone and waved his hand In glee at
Senator Hanna, who was in another box. It
was some minutes before the singers could
go on with tho opora.
It was bad enough for tho president of the
United States to give his sanction to a filibustering
expedition against a weak and helpless powor
with which wo were under solemn treaty agree
ment But have wo not tho right to insist that
tho presidont shall not make sport of so serioug
a situation, displaying before a thcatro audience
tho great pride ho evidently has in a very ques
tionable transaction for which transaction his
administration is responsible?
JJJ
Bennett's Bequest to Colleges.
The multitude of letters received since the
publication of the Bennett will would indicate
that many do not understand tho nature of tho
bequests. The will provides that $10,000 shall bo
distributed by Mr. Bryan among i twenty-five in
stitutions of learning. Tho $400 given to each in
stitution is to bo invested by such institution,
and tho proceeds used for an annual prize for the
best essay on "Tho Science of Government" Tho
institution, of course, determines tho terms upon
which the prize will be awarded, as it docs in caso
of other prizes.
Another ten thousand dollars is to bo dis
tributed among colleges and institutions of learn
ing, and is to bo used for tneaid of poor and
deserving young men who aro endeavoring to ob-
.tain an education. A similar amount is to bo di
vided among colleges and institutions of learning
by Mrs. Bryan and Is to bo used to aid poor and
deserving young women to obtain an education.
No attempt will be made by Mr. or Mrs. Bryan
"""to select the persons to be benefited. Their duty
is ended when they select tne institutions to which
the money will be given. A great many letters
have been received from students who desire aid,
who, not understanding tho nature of the bequest,
supposed that Mr. or Mrs. Bryan would attempt
to select tho individual students who were to bo
aided.
It will bo some months before tho estate is
settled up, and no attempt will bo made to select
colleges or make a distribution of the fund until
the estate is settled up and tho money turned
over to the trustees. The letters already received
have been answered, and this notice is given for
the information of those who may have been
misled by the newspaper reports that have ap
peared in regard to tho matter.
RIGHT JOURNALISM.
In tho city of St. Louis while a once highly
revered man lay stricken with disease and resting
also under the shadow of suspicion affecting his
personal integrity, one newspaper seemed to leave
no stone unturned to add to the afflictions of tho
distressed man. The St. Louis Republic contained
an editorial entitled "Right Journalism," and
doubtless the writer had the conduct of this par
ticular St. Louis newspaper in view. The Re
public's excellent article on "Right Journalism;'
concluded in this admirable way:
"The heart of a newspaper, which Is tho
heart of men, should be strong for duty, but
it should be equally strong against inhumani
ties. Its strength should combine a sane
sympathy; not a mere maudlin tenderness
which forgets the wronged to weep over tho
wrongdoer, but an element of uuman nature
consistent with rigid, inexorable justice a
touch of mercy that pities though it must
nunish-a humanity that will not unnecessar
ily wound a decency that will not hound tha
stricken to death a fair dealing that will give
oven the very devil his due."
That paragraph is good enough to be framed
and placed in a conspicuous position in the edi
torial rooms of every newspaper in the world.
ARTISTIC SWINDLE
Receiver James Smith, Jr., recently made hta
report on tho United States Shipbuilding com
pany. Referring to this report, tho Now York
American says: "Mombers of tho Morgan steel
underwriting syndicate woro painfully surprised
at tho recommendation of tho receiver that a suit
bo instituted against all persons who rccoived the
stock of this company without paying full value
therofor."
These "captains of Industry" were "painfully
surprised" bocauso If tho recommendations made
by tho receiver are carried out, it means that the
J. P. Morgan company must bo sued for tho $5,
000,000 of bonus stock issued to thorn as managers
for tho steel syndicate In connection with the
Bothlehcm deal.
It will occur to a great many people that these
"captains of industry" aro "painfully surprised"
on very slight provocation. In his report, Receiver
Smith refers to this scuemo as "an artistic swin
dle," and "wholesalo plunder." Why should men
who devise and carry out "an artistic swjndlo"
and who engage in "wholesale plunder" bo "pain
fully surprised", when, after their dishonest work
has been exposed, it is recommended that an ef
fort be made to require them to disgorge their
in-gotten gains? Every day men are arrested
on the charge of petty larceny. Every day men
aro called to account for stealing a few hundred
dollars. Why should men who steal several mil
lion dollars be permitted to escape tho penalty for
their wrong-doing? Why should they bo "pain
fully surprised" because it is suggested that they
bo called to account?
Tho explanation Is that as "captains of in
dustry" men have done things on a largo scale
which, if done on a. smaller scale, would very
quickly relegate thenr to tho class of common
rogues. Tho explanation is that while wc are
very quick to call to account the minor offender,
when a man's peculations reach into the mil
lions, his influence and his power operate to dis
courage investigation and prosecution and servo,
also, in the minds of many who aro regarded as
good citizens as ample justification.
In his report, Receiver Smith charges Schwab
and his associates with the deliberate purpose of
wrecking tho shipbuilding company. Ho recom
mends that "as soon as tne debts of the company
shall have been ascertained, siitt bo inst'tuted
against all persons who received the stock of this
company without paying full val'io therefor, to
recover from them such an amount as shall be
necessary to pay said debts in full."
Tho receiver does not hesitate to use the
word "fraud" and ho charges that earnings, pros
pective profits, working capital and assets were all
falsely stated. H charges that the enormous
sum of 355,500,000 over and above their actual
worth was paid for the different companies con.
stituting the trust. Ho asks: "Who particl
pated in this wholesalo plunder?' And then he
says he will leave that for tho proceedings 1
court to disclose. He adds, however:
"Blocks of tho stock went to tuo vendor!
of tho constituent plants and to the pur
chasers of bonds as bonus, absolutely without
benefit to the company; $20,000,000 of it ad
mittedly went to Mr. Charles M. Schwab, itt
addition to the agreed price for Bethlehem
Some of it went to tho proi otcrB of this
artistic swindle; and when all had been pro-
vided for, what was left of the bonds, amount
ing to $1.500.u00, was handed back to the
company ostensibly to supply it with, 'work
ing capltil.'"
Tho receiver refers to the gullibility of th
dummy directors who authorized the issue c
millions of the shipbuilding bonds and stock,
saying that thoy should be held accountable but
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