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VOLUME 3, NUMBER 48
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Jon Mall, Mr. A. W. Black, until recently mayor
Df, Nottingham, and Mr. A. J. Shephcard, a mem
ber of the county council of London. Among the
passengers aro the Earl of Denbigh and .wife, Hon.
h A. Pease, a liberal member of parliament, Mr.
B. B. Boulton and family of London, Father
O'Grady of the Argentine Republic, Mr. Wetniore,
a Chicago grain merchant, and son, and a num
ber of others, each possessed of information Jn his
particular lino of work.
Mr. Michaelson and Mr. Wallace are com
panions in journalism, Mr. and Mrs. Barrett en
tertained us with music, while Mr. Black and Mr.
Shephcard have given mo many valuable sug
gestions in the lino of municipal ownorship;-sug-gostloTis
feathered from tholr connection with the
gove; nuichts of their respective cities. Lord Den
bigh i& colonel of tho Honorable Artillery regi
ment., wiiich was recently so handsomely ente.r
talnod, by Boston and othor eastern cities. His
banquot speech at the Massachusetts capital
showed him to.be a happy after-dinner orator, his
reference to the tea Incident being espcelalljf
felicitous. He said that the English and the
Americans once had a little difference about tea
in Boston harbor. The former, he declared,
wanted the tea "in fresh water, hot," whiles the
latter seemed to prefer it "in salt water, cold."
Ho added that the English had learned during
that experience "how not to govern colonies."
The earl, being a conservative inembor of tho
house of lords, has enlightened mo in regard to
campaign issues and election methods and has
also given me letters to a number of officials whom
I desire to meet. Through Mr. Pease and Mr.
Black I have arranged to hear Mr.'Asquith, one of
tho free trade leaders in tho parliamentary contest
now in progress. He speaks near London next
Thursday night. I hope to hear Mr. Chamberlain
while in England.
Mrt Boulton has for, several years been . con
nected with the arbitration of differences between
labor and capital, and conversed most instructive
ly on that subject, as well as regarding the work
ingmen's clubs and other means employed for
bettering the. condition of the wage-earners.
Father O'Grady enlightened me on many mat
tors connected with his religious work In South
America, while Mr. "Wetmore supplied statistics
on grain transportation. All in all, tho week on
the boat has proved most beneficial and but for the
necessity of an early return to tho United States
I would regret the separation that must take place
at Liverpool tomorrow afternoon. .
I shall mail this at Queenstowh.
While darkness conceals the land, we can see
the light houses on the Irish coast and feel that
the ocean voyage is nearly ended. In the morn
ing wo -will pass up St. George's channel with the
land of. Brian Boru on one side and Wales on the
other. From now until the hour comes to re-embark
I shall see and hear and learn, and from time
to time give the readers of The Commoner the re
sults of my observations. W. J B. .. .
Serving God at the Ballot Box.
In a sermon recently delivered. Rev. L. A.
Crandall, a Chicago clergyman, said. "Duty is
not transferable. We cannot worship God by
telephone or fight the battles of righteousness by
substitutes. Religion reaches Into every detail -of
life, and includes our duty as citizens. . We may
serve God at the ballot bpx as certainly as in the
church. Te man who evades his duty by leaving
the conduct of affairs in the hands of the profes
sionals is guilty before God. Suffrage is not only
a privilege, but an obligation; and ;the man; who
holds himself too good to cvote is too bad for the
kingdom of hoayeW '-
' It must be admitted, tpat the rovererid gentle
man stated the case in Very vigorous fashion;
and yet who will contend, thsrt hc'dld not speak
' wilh authority?
The Commoner.
" With ovils existing and growing all about us,
who will say that wo cannot servo God at the
ballot box as certainly as in tho church?
Tho man who, on the Sabbath day, sings
"Lead, kindly light," and then, oh election day,
casts his ballot in support of policies advanced
in the interests of those who oppress the weak
and the helpless, is by no means discharging his
duty.
Doubtless there are many conscientious Chris
tian men who vote with the trust magnates
through ignorance; and yet as much as it is the
duty of tho Christian to search the scriptures tn
order that he may not be misled, so it is his duty
to observe carefully the events of the day and
study thoughtfully the policies advanced by po
litical organizations that call for his vote.
As much as it is, the duty of the Christian to
refrain from doing evil in tho ordinary affairs
of life, to withhold his indorsement from ques
tionable transactions, to hurt nobody and to give
every one his just duo, it is also his duty to with
hold his indorsement from political parties or po
litical candidates who would so arrange the poli
cies of the government that the few may live in
luxury while the many must struggle for bare ex
istence. It is not only his duty to vote, but it is
his duty to yoto right; and voting right means
that ho must make an intelligent and patriotic
study of the principles and policies advocated by
the respective political parties and, without re
gard to the prejudices of the past, cast his vote
with those who seem most willing and most iike
ly to bring about the best government and to
establish policies that will result in the greatest
good to the greatest number.
Wo may,, indeed, servo God at the ballot box
as certainly as in the church; and when the ma
jority of the American people come to appreciate
this clear-cut statement, whenever Gpd is as
faithfully served at the ballot box as ho is 4n
the church, it may be depended upon that tho era
of trusts, of imperialismi of spoliation and of
corruption will be at an end, and. the probability
of evils in our public life will be reduced to the
minimum. . . ,
- J J
The Great Injury.
The injury done to Colombia1 was great
enough, but it was not nearly so .great as .the in
jury we have- done ourselves by violating a sol
emn treaty and overriding respect for law and
national obligations.
The Great Contest of 1904.
Of course the contest during every presiden
tial year is important, but the contest of 1904
will be of extraordinary Importance owing to the
fact that it will bo possible In that year for one
party or the other to elect not only the president,
but also to control the senate and the house of
representatives.
A writer in the Philadelphia Public Ledger
directs attention in an interesting way to the im
portance of tho 1904 contest. This writer points
out that the republicans must have forty-six north
ern senators in order to retain control of the sen
ate and that the democrats need but seventeen.
In the Fifty-third congress, in 1893, there were; in
the senate thirty-eight republicans and forty
four democrats. In the fifty-fifth congress, in 1897,
the senate membership comprised forty-six re
publicans and thirty-fqur democrats. In the Fifty
seventh congress, in 1901, the senate membership
comprise fifty-six republicans and thfrty-twp
democrats. In the Fifty-eighth congress,- in 190i,
the senate membership comprised fifty-seven re
publicans ;and thirty-three deniocrats, " J'v,
' It is pointeout jbyi the Publo Ledger yrxiiqr
that the . legislatures' ejected on' November, 4' last
In Ohio and Maryland will choose successors to
... .
HahnaofOhlo and McComas of Maryland Ham,,
will bo re-elected in Ohio and a democrat Tt
succeed McComas- in Maryland.
The legislatures to be elected in 1904 are to
choose successors to tho following United States
.senators whose terms expire March 3, 1005. Aid
. rich of Rhodo Island, Ball of Delaware, Bard of
California, Bate of Tennessee, Beveridge of Ind
iana, Burrows of Michigan, Clapp of Minnesota'
Clarke of Wyoming, Cockrell of Missouri, Culber
. son of Texas, Daniel of Virginia, Depew of New
York, Dietrich of Nebraska, Foster of Washing.
ton, Gibson of Montana, Hale of Maine, Hawley
of Connecticut, Kean of New Jersey, Reams of
Utah, Lodge of Massachusetts, McCumber of North
Dakota, Money of Mississippi, Proctor of Ver-
'mont, Quarles of Wisconsin, Quay of Pennsyl
vania, Scott of West Virginia, Stewart of Ne
vada, and Taliaferro of Florida.
' Tho Public Ledger writer says that "the po
litical complexion of the United States senate
that will begin its sessions with the new presi
dent March 4, 1905, is attracting the attention of
the thinking men of the republican party."
It is important that those who are opposed
to government by the trusts begin to pay serious
attention to the oncoming contest. If the demo
cratic party remain true to its principles, it might
. bo possible for that party not only to elect the
president, but to obtain control of the senate and
house. Demo6rats need not be disdouraged by the
failures of the past. They should not be misled
by the pleas of those who .seek to make it appear
that fidelity of a party to its principles is a fault,
and that the party may be strengthened by aban
doning 'its principles and adopting a platform and
nominating candidates to suit those who seek spe
cial favors at the hands- of the government.
In the coming contest The Commoner hopes
-to play an important parti Those .who believe in
Hhe principles Advocated by The .Commoner aro
invited to co-operate with the publisher in the
effort to extend The Commoner's circulation and
' thereby widen the sphere of its influence. To this
end, a special subscription offer has been arranged.
This offer is similar to the "Lots of Five" plan,
presented with such signal success last year.
Cards, each good for one -year's subscription
to The Commoner, will be furnished in lots of flvo
at the rate of $3 per lot.
This places the yearly subscription rate at
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' Any ono ordering the cards may sell them
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contest.
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