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The Commoner
GUER8NT tropics
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A SURGICAL operation was performed in
a novel way recently by George M. Har
man of Savannah, Ga. The Savannah correspon
dent for the Chicago Tribune Is authority for
the story. Several weeks ago Doctor Harman
was reportedto be fatally ill. The Tribune cor
respondent tells tho story in this way: "A
month ago Dr. Harman was operating surgeon
in a hospital case and during the operation he
scratched the lower part of his face with the in
strument" ho Vas using. An antiseptic preparation
was applied and tho doctor paid little attention to
the matter. In a fow aays sepsis set in, starting
at the corner of the mouth. Its progress was stea
dy, accompanied by extreme pain. The side of his
face became swollen and discolored, and the right
eye closed. 'An abscess formed under the eye.
Dr. Harman described tne progress of the poison
to physicians attending him and advised an in
cision. There were objections and Dr. Harman
resolved to do the job himself. We.ak and ema
ciated from pain, he instructed his servant to se
lect certain instruments from the case in his office
and bring them to him. The servant then sup
ported him while the operation was in progress.
Dr. Harman ran the lance from inside his mouth
up almost to tho eye. The cheek was severed from
the bone and an opening made. Almost imme
diately Dr. .Harman felt relief, and he has been
improving ever pince. Dr. Harman feared the
poison would reach the cavity immediately under
the eye. He said he knew if the poison reached
the blood vessels and nerve which communi
cate directly with the eye he would live only a few
hours."
AS A RESULT of the Northern Securities
merger decision a desperate fight is on be
tween the Harrlman interests and the Hill and
Morgan interests. Harriman seeks the control of
the Northern Pacific to which ambition the Hill
and Morgan interests vigorously object. In its Is
sue of April 6, tho St. Paul Dispatch says: "Laws
of various western states, prohibiting parallel
lines from owning or controlling each other, and
which was so vigorously attacked by the securi
ties company when the merger was being formed,
have suddenly been found very advantageous to
merger interests, inasmuch as they may be em
ployed to prevent the Harriman people from get
ting control of the Northern Pacific. Laws which
once threatened to break up the combination are
to be employed in protecting it. This somewhat
paradoxical situation came to light today, when It
was learned that Attorney General Donovan of
Montana, who had been hastily summoned to St.
Paul by tho Great Northern interests, was impor
tuned to use tho strength of the Montana laws
to prevent the Harriman interests, through tlte
Oregon Short Line, from getting control of the
Northern Pacific."
IN THE same article the dispatch says that
Attorney General Donovan was closeted with
me Great Northern officials for some time, and
adds: "It is supposed that as soon as he returns
to Montana he will prepare an action which will
be commenced, if necessary, bringing into piay
the Montana laws prohibiting such consolidations.
There are one or two other1 western states which
have similar laws, and the legal departments of
these states will bo interrogated as to their will
ingness to accept. That Montana has been asked
to take the matter up is confirmed m a seemingly
official statement by the Great Northern interests,
as follows: 'Tho question of the legality of the
purpose outlined in the petition will be fought in
the preliminary battle and is admittedly a ground
on which the company will oppose the petition.
The right of the Oregon Short Line to acquire a
majority interest in the Northern Pacific will be
questioned, since, under the laws of Montana and
other states, to which the western lino is subject,
there is a grave doubt that it could legally hold
the Northern Pacific, if it so desired. The laws,
the company .-will contend.,, prevent the Oregon
Short Line from either owning or voting the
stock which it demands.' "
IN JERSEY CITY on April 6 an order was issued
to show qause why an injunction should
not be granted restraining the Northern Securities
company from holding a stockholders' meeting on
April 21; from distributing any stock of tho
Northern Pacific Railway company and the Great
Northern Railway company and from taking any
action in regard to the reduction of its capital
stock. An Associated press dispatch explains:
"The bill for the injunction was asked by tho
Continental Securities company, which asked the
court of chancery to compel tho Northern Securi
ties company to return to tho original stockhold
ers of the Northern Pacific railway, and of tho
Great Northern Railway company tho stocks for
merly held by them upon the same terms under
which the stock of the two companies was ac
quired by the Northern Securities company. Tho
complainant company holds stock in tho North
ern Securities company."
AT THE annual conference of the Mormon
church, Tield at Salt Lake City, April 6,
President Joseph P. Smith made an important
statement on the subject of polygamy. President
Smith's statement is as follows: "Inasmuch as
there are numerous reports in circulation that
plural marriages have been entered into contrary
to the official declaration of President Woodruff
of September 2G, 1890, commonly called the mani
festo, which was issued by President Woodruff
and adopted by, the church at its general confer
ences October 6, 1890, which forbids any marriage
violative of the law of the land, I, Joseph F. Smith,
president of the Church of Jesus Christ of'Latter
Day Saints, here affirm and declaro that no such
marriages have been solemnized with the sanc
tion, consent or knowledge of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I hereby an
nounce that all such marriages are prohibited, and
if any officer or member of the church shall as
sume to solemnize or enter into any such mar-
rlage, he will be deemed in transgression against
tho church and will be liable to be dealt with ac
cording to the rules and regulations thereof and
excommunicated therefrom." Tho church mem
bers present unanimously adopted a resolution oy
Francis M. Lyman which resolution is as follows:
'"Resolved, That wo the members of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in general con
ference assembled, hereby approve and Indorse
the statement and declaration of President Joseph
F. Smith, just made to this conference, concerning
plural marriages, and will support the courts and
the church In the enforcement thereof."
,
NEWSPAPER readers near very mucn
these days concerning Marquis Ito and an
article printed in a recent issue of the London
World may bo of interest In this article, tho
writer says that Japan owes to Marquis Ito in a
very great measure the position which she now
holds In the world and that but for him Japan
might be today a second China. Marquis Ito is
described' by this writer in this way: "He be
longs by birth to what wo should call tho lower
middle class, and has therefore had neither wealth
nor influential connections to give him a helping
hand. None the less, at an age when in England
he would have been counted a boy ho was already
a minister plenipotentiary arranging terms of
peace with the great powers of Europe. For ho
had the good luck in very early days it was a
pure piece of luck to attract the attention of the
old emperor Komei Yenno, who was so struck by
Tiis extraordinary ability and all-round clever
ness that he took his education into his own
hands and set to work to train him for a political
career. In 1867 tho old emperor died, but his suc
cessor,' Moutsouhito, had just as high an opinion
of Ito as his father had had, and as soon as he
had power in his hands he made him governor of
HIoko A year later he made him finance min
ister, and from that day to this Ito has practically
ruled Japan."
SECRETARY OF WAR TAFT recently delivered
a speech at a banquet given by a political
club at Peoria, 111. Newspaper dispatches say that
Mr Taft on this occasion "clearly outlined the
course to be pursued by the administration in the
Philippines and answered the. challenge of tho
democratic party as to the date on which the
ndminWatlon proposed to grant independence to
f rSSSoF by stating that the time for a final
decision was not at hand, nor would it be for
probably several generations. He even went fur-
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ther when ho declared that at tho end of that
time, when tho Filipinos had reached a stage
whero they were capable of solf-govornment, they
might bo so woll satlsflod with tho government of
this country that they would prefer to maintain a
relation like that which now binds Australia and
Canada to Great Britain."
AN IMPORTANT bill has been reported
by tho house commltteo on banking and
currency. Tho bill's stated purposo la "to Improve
currency conditions." Tho Washington correspon
dent for tho Chicago Chronlclo, referring to this
moasuro, says: "The first section of tho bill re
peals tho law. which prohibits customs recoipls
from being deposited in national banks. Tho re
. suit of tho present law in this matter, tho report
says, is unnecessarily to tie up tho monoy of tho
country. The report says that if states and mu
nicipalities should lock up tho proceeds of local
taxation as tho national government locks up Its
receipts tho offect would bo disastrous, and yet
there Is as much roason for such a course In tho
one case as In the othor. Tho second section re
peals tho monthly $3,000,000 limit on bank noto
retirement. The report says tho repeal of this
restriction will give to tho national ' bank noto
circulation all the elasticity imch It is possible
for a bond-secured circulation 40 have. Tho. re
coinage of silver dollars Into subsidiary silver
coins is provided in tho third section of the bill.
The limit of $100,000,000 as tho total amount of
subsidary silver coins that can be in existence at
any time is repealed by this section." '
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NITS report to tho houso the committee says
that In July, 1904, the bullion from which
the subsidiary coin may bo made will be ex
hausted; that there is In the treasury 578,012,039
silver dollars, or, according to Secretary Shaw,
500 carloads of thirty tons each. Secretary Shaw
is quoted as saying that it would cost $100,000
to recoin this monoy and that it is worth in bul
lion less than half its face value in dollars. Tiio
bill reported proposes to coin into subsidiary sil
ver all these silver dollars as fast as the secre
tary of tho treasury shall order. The Chronicle
says: "Relief to tho treasury department in its
Inability to meet the demand for small bills, ow
ing to tho manner in which the present law lim
its their issuance, is sought to be'remedied by the
removal of these limitations. On this point tho
report says: 'It is p'robably true that the inabil
ity of the treasury to meet tho demand for small
bills, combined with tho shortage in subsidiary
coin In recent years, has compelled the retention
( -of small bills in circulation until much of that
' form of money has become ragged and filthy and
produced conditions which have fully justified the
vigorous crusade for "clean money" which has
been recently Inaugurated. It is believed, how
ever, that with the large discretion given to the
treasury and the national banks under tho pro
visions of this bill, supplemented by an abundant
supply of subsidiary coin, much of tho causo for
complaint will bo removed. An Ideal sanitary
currency, however, can only be secured by tiio
substitution of subsidiary coin for all $1 and $2
bills and improved methods of redemption for
paper monoy of denominations of $5 and up
wards.' "
ONE of the most interesting politicaj con
tests in recent history was that In the Sixth
congressional district of Alabama, wherein Cap
tain Richmond P. Hobson contested with Con
gressman Bankhead for the democratic congres
sional nomination. Although Captain Hobson was
a bit new in politics, he made It very Interesting
for tho congressman. Hobson carried Hale county,
his own home, by a majority of 600, but the re
sult at tho primaries was Mr. Bankhead's renoin
inatlon, ho having had perhaps 1,200 majority in
tho primaries throughout the district.
SYDNEY H. SHADBOLT, who is large
ly Interested in a 130,000-acre timber plan
' tatlon In the city of Vera Cruz, contributes an
interesting article to the Mexican Herald on the
purchase and marketing of mahogany. Speaking
of mahogany generally, Mr. Shadbolt says: "Ma
hogany has been esteemed a very valuable wood
for more than 200 years, and during all that tlms
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