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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1904)
,rrjr5tl "WJ' K fr ft .- tholr incomes excited their resentment. Several of tho sonato lcadors oxprcss the hope that Mr. Burton will havo the good judgment to relievo tho sonato of any necessity of taking notice of hs conviction. Tho statute under which ho was con victed (lobars him from holding any place under tho government and, unless ho Is successful on appeal to havo tho verdict rovorsed or set aside, will operate to make vacant his seat In the senate. Novortholess, these leaders will welcome Mr. Bur ton's resignation, and say they do not expect him to return to tho senate." IOWA'S municipal elections took place Mon day, March 28. In Des Moines, George W. Mattorn, republican, was elected by 2,500 majority. Tho balance of tho republican ticket was victori ous with tho exception of the candidate for police judgo, W. A. Tris, the democratic candidate, be ing chosen for that place. In the town of Adel, Qcorgo Messenger was elected mayor on tho citi zens' tickot. The republican council was also chosen. Tho town of Boono elected a council composed of two socialists, two republicans and one democrat. Thrco republicans and one demo crat wore elected In Iowa City. Four republicans and ono democrat were elected to the Oskaloosa council. Three democrats and two republicans woro elected to tho council In Creston. A tie in tho council, with a republican mayor, results. Newton elected two democrats and two republi cans, the mayor being a republican. Independence elected four republicans and one democrat in the council. In Cedar Falls threo republicans and two democrats woro chosen to the council. Clinton elected James Patterson, republican, mayor, by 1,500 majority. Burlington elected J. S. Caster, republican, by 700 majority. Nora 'Springs elected H. F. Schnedlor, democrat, mayor, by a majority of 40. At Donnison, Secretary Shaw's. home town, J. L. Carey, domocrat, was chosen mayor. S'ioux City, heretofore a republican stronghold, elected W. G. Soars mayor by 1,000 plurality. Tho ma jority of the democratic city ticket was successful. Council Bluffs, another republican stronghold, elected Donald McCrao mayor and also elected seven democrats out of the nine councilmon. REPUBLICAN leaders are Having consid . orablo difficulty in filling tho campaign man ager's shoes worn by tho late M. A. Hanna. One republican newspaper says that tho work assigned to Mr. Hanna may bo found too large for any sin gle individual and that it is probable that a divi sion of Mr. Hanna's labors will bo made. Among tho plans that havo been submitted to Mr. Roose velt aro these; "A chairman of tho national committee who shall havo general supervision over both headquarters, dividing his time between tho two, as Chairman Hanna did in tho last cam paign, and two vice chairmen in direct charge at Chicago and New York, respectively. An eastern chairman and a western chairman, each of whom shall havo supreme power In his respective terri tory, tho national chairman himself to havo only nominal power in connection with the financos. A western man for national chairman, with head quarters in Chicago; a vice chairman in charge of the Now York headquarters, and a chairman of tho general committee on finance, who would be Cornelius N. Bliss, with headquarters in New York." For tomporary chairman of the republican convention, Senator Bovorldgo of Indiana and Congressman Cousins of Iowa havo been men tioned. For chairman of tho republican national committee, these names aro montioned: J W Blytho of Iowa, former Govornor Franklin Murphy of Now Jersey and Governor Odell of Now York. AB I L L in equity has boen filed in the supreme court of the Dist. of Columbia, praying for an injunction to restrain tho secretary of tho treas ury from paying tho republic of Panama and pro hibiting the Panama Canal company from receiv ing any money, under the canal act. Warren B. Wilson, a Chicago lawyer, has made this petition. Ho claims that the canal law is void and that no appropriation has been made for acquiring title to tho canal or for paying for work upon it. Ho also claims that the treaty with the republic of Panama is unconstitutional and invalid. Mr Wil son says he represents no ono but himself and Uiat ho proposes to fight tho case up to tho United ?weSA?fUI)r0moourt Wa3nlngton dispatches say that Attorney General Knox and the senators do not regard Mr. Wilson's petition seriously. IT WILL be romombered that whon the renort showing tho influence exerted by members of congress on -tho postofflce department w?s made The Commoner public, Mr. Bristow was bitterly denounced, con gressmen being under tho impression that he was tho author of the report. In his testimony before tho committee, Mr. Bristow said that he was not responsible for tho report and it now develops that this report camo from Postmaster General Payne. Congressman Overstreet testified before the house committee that it was made public after it had been submitted to several members and hints of its existence had been made in newspapers. Mr. Overstreet said that tho members with whom he consulted feared that if it was not published, con gressmen would bo suspected of a desire to con ceal the facts. IN H I S message, Mr. Roosevelt emphasized the necesJlty for economy in public appropria tions and yet in the appropriations for White house expenses, the president did not show a disposi tion to follow the rule he laid down. The house committee on appropriations, however, acted on Mr. Roosevelt's economy suggestions to the ex tent that the appropriation of $60,000 asked for the care, maintenance and refurnishing of the White house, was reduced to $35,000. It is charged that tho expenses of tho White house have stead ily increased during the last three years, 'lhe Washington correspondent for the New York Her ald says that from 1892 to 189G the White house expenses amounted to $139,000, that from 1896 to 1900 the expenses were $144,000. During Mr. Cleveland's first term, in no single year did the amount appropriated exceed $40,000, while during Mr. McKinley's administration, the highest an nual appropriation was $46,000. Although Mr. Roosevelt has been in office less than three years, tho White house appropriations, so far, exceed $784,000. TH E service pension order recently issued by the administration has attracted widespread attention. A Washington dispatch to the Chicago Record-Herald says: "Pension officials stand aghast at the number of inquiries flooding the bureau from veterans who intend to make applica tion for service pensions under the recent order. Inquiries and applications are received at the rate of 1,000 a day and are coming from every section, of tho country. On ijhe subject of the probable cost of tho order there is the following: It was stated today by an official that the estimate of Representative Miers that the order would In crease pension payments $14,900,000 probably would bo far below the mark. He said it appeared as if every old soldier and every old soldier's widow had become suddenly active." T'HIS pension order was issued by Commfs , sioner Ware, March 16, under the authority ot Secretary Hitchcock. It provides that claim ants for pensions who are more than 62 years of ago shall be considered as disabled one-half in power to perform manual labor and fixes the rates as follows: On reaching the age of 62, $6 per month; 65 years, $8 per month; 68 years, $10 per month; 70 years, $12 per month. The theory of the order is that "old age is an infirmity, the av erage nature and extent of age the experience of the pension bureau has established with reason able certainty." TH E minimum of 62 years is justified by tho administration by referring to the Mexican pension act of 1887. That act authorized tho pay ment of pensions to soldiers of the Mexican war who had reached the age of 62 years. Commis sioner Ware said: "It would seem that if thirty threo years after the expiration of service a Mexi can war soldier was entitled to a pension at 62 years, and no other requisite for drawing a pon s on Bhould exist except age, to soldiers of the civil war, who fought vastly more and longer at least as good a rule ought to apply. The order could not have been issued earlier, because it iq only now that the thirty-nine years fixed by the congressional limit has been reached." PE R H A P S the opinion of a republican news paper on this pension order will be interest ing. The Chicago Record-Herald refers to Com missionor Ware's statement as "a simple explanT ton in appearance." The Record-Herald leminds its readers however, that that order deals S a complicated subject. This republican palrsavs that congress acted specifically in tho case of the Mexican soldiers and fixed no general Cit Fur thermore, congress had before it at th tim JL order was issued certain civil ZVZZ VOLUME 4, NUMBER 12. i bills, one of which provided rates slightly differ ent from those of the order, though they beenn at 62 years. The interesting point in this con nection is that the secretary of the Interior should havo undertaken to proceed without congressional authority. Ho appeals to a congressional prece dent while congress itself. is considering the new proposition, then relieves that body of the burden of legislation. THAT this was certainly a bold method for getting rid of a difficult question is ad mitted by the Record-Herald, and that paper adds "But even If the legislators should experience a feeling df temporary relief it is evident that they cannot escape, the financial consequences of tho order. Neither the commissioner nor the secre tary can find the $14,000,000 or the larger sum that is demanded. It will have to bo secured through an appropriation, and the case as it now stands is hardly creditable either to the congress or the ad ministration. It looks like an attempt to please a certain class by a trick which will prevent an embarrassing debate. "With the project thus launched and hopes soaring, high, the natural de velopment of gifts, pledges and engagements may be pleaded later as a necessity for making good." TH E results of municipal ownership in British cities are attracting considerable attention iu the United States. A -writer In the New Yor American has pointed out that Glasgow, Liver pool and Manchester have made remarkable achievements on municipal ownership lines and that London, the metropolis of Great Britain, has been the slowest of all large cities to municipal ize its traction lines. London has, however, adopted the plan and the American writer says that it bids fair to eclipse the most progressive of its sister cities in the scope and beneficence of its public undertakings. RECENTLY municipal power has been cen tralized in the London county council and to this change is attributed the adoption of mu nicipal ownership. The American writer says tnat in London there are only 115 miles of street rail ways, but that the county council has plans for 130 miles of new track. Many -people will be sur prised to learn that electric cars have been oper ated in London less than a year, but London's county council has adopted public ownership as a settled policy and the advantages to the public since the termination of private ownership are stated as follows: 1. A general reduction in fares and the running of workmen's cars at a rate not exceeding two pennies for a round trip, or, four cents a day. Single fares at all hours average two cents. 2. The institution of an all-night car ser vice. 3. Reduction of the hours of employes from twelve and fourteen a day to ten, one day's rest in seven and a material increase in wages. 4. Free uniforms for drivers and conductors. 5. Re moval of all advertisements from the cars, better accommodations and a faster schedule. 6. In stallation of electricity, including- two large pow er stations at Greenwich and Pimlico. 7 After paying all expenses and allowing for sinking fund there was a profit last year of about$150,000, of which $100,000 was applied to the reduction of "rates," or taxes. AN AGED. WOMAN CLERK in the pension office resigned recently, and the New York World says that she wrote a remark awe letter to Commissioner Ware, of which letter tne following extract is about one-fourth: "It is , with peculiar sadness that I place my hand in tho horny old palm which has so long extended bread ana shelter to mQ and mine, saying 'Good-bye, uncie Sam. As one who sails from a port where years of deepest meaning and solemn earnestness nave been spent where the surges call with voices of friends and comrades whose tender sympathy and helpful hands have sweetened with iiyuromel the cup of rue God's children all must unnk--so turn I from the old building where some ol my tenderest memories are garnered, and where n i. my two nelPless children were shepherded out or the storm into the fold of a great and good government. In looking backward upon a long S f ?n,ce U Beems t0 me tnat oy 'the true, tho oeautiful and the good' arise to greet us, for they are the real things the immortal part of our life on earth. The rest has dropped from us as tho worn garments of our upward struggle: often tear stained, perhaps blood-dyed in some dark Gethse mano known only to God and tho soul." "Gee;" sing itre' ould ,etthatot(r,3husIc and I 1 ll . ! 'M v - 'X.'& ', ,? t .u -.wAj inimvht