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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1904)
"Nv Thm Commoner. JUNE 17, 1904, . s t ognizlng that death was at hand, he said to the .visitor: "I am leaving a world that I did not appre ciate. I am going to , whoro I belong." A few moments later ho summoned up strength to continue the coavorsatlon. "I am Tascott that they have been hunting like a wolf for years. I cannot run any more. I -am getting paid for what I did. I know I am dy ing, and I know whore I am going." '-' The murder of Millionaire Snell created a 'great sensation at the time, and as much as ?20, O00 was offered as a reward, but all to no effect. fTascott was successful In eluding the public prose cutor and the detectives, but his life was a life of -misery. The relentlessness of the conscience is not of ten considered by those who are about to commit a crime. They see an opportunity to do a wrong which they think will result in advantage to themselves. They hopo to escape the vigilance of the officers of. the law, but when the act is once done the memory of it haunts them and they 3earnthat the avenger is with them day and night. If in a moment of temptation a man falls, the best plan is to acknowledge his fault, take his punishment and then enter upon a new life. The life of the fugitive, starting at the slight est sound and fleeing from a shadow, is less in viting than any punishment, short of death, that thestate inflicts. Hill's Summersault. A reader of The Commoner sends a quotation from-a speech delivered by Senator David B. Hill and reported in the New York Tribune of Decem ber 5, 1891. According to The Commoner's in formant, Mr. Hill said: "It is politics for babies and sucklings to preach that the gold and silver question should be kept out of the presidential election. It - is politics for cowards and straddlers to ad x vise and contrive that the democratic na tional convention's trumpet next summer shall blow some uncertain sound." It will be remembered that Mr. Hill was at that time a candidate for the presidency. The epeech above mentioned was made only a few 'months before the "snap convention" which elected Hill delegates to the national convention of 1892. Mr. Hill was then advocating a bold and straightforward platform. He declared that "cow ards and straddlers" only favored uncertainty. He wanted the democratic national convention's trum pet to sound forth clear and strong. Alas, what a change! He now stands sponsor for the Now York wplatform which did exactly what he objected to having done in 1892. His recent convention trum pet not only "blew some uncertain sound," "but it blew all uncertain sound. Mr. Hill has evidently taken a summersault. The advice which he gave in 1891 is a great deal better than the advice that he is giving now. His opponents in the demo cratic party are today insisting just as he in sisted thirteen years ago that the "democratic na- tional convention's trumpet" shall not this year "blow some uncertain sound." m "By Their Works." And now comes the Long Island Farmer and complains that Mr. Hill has placed Cord Meyer at the head of the democratic state committee, and deponent further says that the said Cord Meyer is "a representative of the mother of trusts, the iniquitous, grinding and corrupt sugar trust." And The Farmer further objects because Hugh J. Grant "who is a bigger trust manipulator than even Meyer, being a representative of no less than nine of them," is put on the executive com mittee to help run the Parker campaign. The iFarmei suggests that Hill is out for campaign funds. It is cortalnly loading Mr. Parker's can 'dldacy down to put him in the hands of conspic uous trust representatives after giving him a platform that says nothing clearly, but squints at a trust defense. The New York Press is another paper that calls attention to Meyer's connection ,with the sugar trust The Press also allege that Senator McCarron, the chairman of the executive fcommittee of the democratic state committee, xhe champion defender of the sugar trust in pub 4ic life. It calls attention to the investigation fwhich was conducted by the Lexow committee. Senator McCarren was the democratic member of $he committee, and presented a minority report n. which he defended the sugar trust His re port concludes: "In my opinion the presence of the American Sugar ""Refining company and loca tion of its plant in the state of New York has re sulted in developing our commorce, increasing our taxable property, and benefiting our people." .What kind of a fight will tho democratic .party be able to make against tho trusts if tho organiza tion is ofllcerod and engineered by men who aro closely connected with tho trusts? JJJ The Colorado Situation. The industrial situation in Colorado is un fortunato in tho oxtromo. The conflict botween tho miners and tho mino owners has terminated in violence on one side and military despotism on, tho other. On the merits of tho strlko, justlco is with tho strikers, but tho lawlessness charged'' to them will probably destroy their hope of suc cess. They are seeking an eight-hour day and the sentiment In Colorado is so largely on their side that a law was passed establishing tho eight hour day in mines. Tho supremo court doclared tho law unconstitutional. A constitutional amend ment was then submitted authorizing an eight hour law. This amendment was indorsed by tho republican party as well as tho democratic party and was carried by a largo majority. But tho leg islature yielded to the influence employed by tho corporations and failed to pass a law carrying out the constitutional amendment What shall wo say of legislators who would thus refuse to obey tho constitution? What shall wo say of mino owners who would secure a nullification of a con stitutional provision? Here is lawlessness of tho most dangerous kind, and it has been followed by a military despotism which is as harsh as tho rule of the czar, Tho explosion which killed six teen non-union miners was a dastardly and dia bolical act. Every person in any way connected with it as participant or advisor should be given tho full penalty of the law, but tho crime of one, or, at most, a few men, cannot justify tho depor tation of nearly a hundred men against whom no .criminal charge could bo brought If the men deported were guilty of violating tho law they ought to have been tried and punished. If they were not guilty, it was an outrage against our form of government to carry them to the border of tho .state and leave them without food. Even In Si beria the exiles have food But in this, as in all .disputes botween labor and capital, the lawlessness charged to labor is denounced by all, as it should be, but the lawlessness of capital is less heard of. For this reason the laboring man who resorts to violence does his fellows an inexcusable wrong. The officers of the Federation of Miners declaro that the minors are not responsible for the ox plosion and offer their services to help find and prosecute the guilty, but military rule continues and the corporation papers continue to place tho blame on the unions. Like a Republican. Oliver Boque, a vice president of the Hock Isl and railroad and attorney for the Tinplate trust, writing to a friend, says of the Now York plat form: "The platform is peculiar in thatJt ic sembles what a republican would probably write on most points." Democrats, how would you like to make a campaign on such a platform aa that? It is cer tainly peculiar and quite such a one as a repub'i-' can would write. Preparing a Protest, A large number of New York democrats have signed a call for a convention to meet on the 20th day of this month to protest against tho action of the Albany convention. It Is not the purpose of this convention to question the regularity of the -New York delegation, or to name a contesting delegation. Its purpose is rather to appoint a committee to visit St Louis, and present to the convention a protest against the action of tho Albany convention. The call, signed by about a hundred, and fifty democrats scattered throughout v the state, says: TO THE DEMOCRATS OF NEW YORK. The Albany convention wag a disappoint ment The platform is meaningless. Tho section of the state which furnishes demo cratic majorities is misrepresented despite the protest of its delegates. The convention adopted an ambiguous, platform and pledged the democracy of the state to a candidate whose political views can be surmised only . from the character of his sponsors. The ma jority of the convention registered tho will of 'M . . - ' 'r a leader who has beon repudiated by the I people. Wo warn tho national democracy tliat a candidate who has no principles or doc's not declare thorn and stands on a platform of platitudes cannot carry tho stato of New York and does not doscrvo success. Tho good of tho j nation and common honcritv renulro that tlin b national democratic platform shall oxpress the purposo of tho party clearly and so dollne lta policy with referonco to presont issues that it cannot bo raisundorstood. r Tho democrats of Now York who bollovc In honesty in politics and desiro a democratic vic tory that moans something aro to be congratulated upon tho courago which they manifest in making this protest. Judge Parker has no afllrmatlvo strength. Nobody Is urging him because of any thing that ho has done, bocauso of anything that ho is doing or because of anything that he is ex pected to do. A candidate who stands for noth ing and whoso opinions cannot bo ascertained Is not tho kind of a candidate who appeals to tho earnest and courageous democrats. As soon as it becomes evident to the soutaom domocrats that Judge Parker is tho candidate of Wall street and of tho New York machine rather than of tho voters of Now York, his boom will collapse. Tho stock in trade of his supporters Is that he can win, and when it Is found that his candidacy is not popular oven in tho stato of Now York, ho will bo cast aside like a worn-out toy. If his friends were attached to him becauso of his iden tification with a principle, his position would bo strongor, but whon a man's only chance lies in creating an impression that ho can win, ho losca all whon that hopo grows dim. 7, Nothing For The Farmers." Governor Herrlck, tho banker governor ot .Ohio, has vetoed tho entire appropi lation for tho college of agriculture the only thing vetoed in the appropriation for tho stato university. The governor will havo to furnish some good excuse, or stand convicted of discriminating against a vory important interest of his state. The in crease in the attention given to agilcultuio in tha colleges throughout tho country, is both notable and praisoworthy. It Is a hopeful sign to see tho farmers' sons educated In their special Jfno or work with the view to raoro successful agricul ture, and Governor Herrlck ought to recognize tho right of agriculture to fair consideration. JJJ JJ Special Offer. 'N The Commoner Is now making a special sub scrlption offer. , According to the terms of this offer, cards, each good for one year's subscription to The Com- moner, will be furnished in lots of live at tho rate of $3 per lot This places tho yearly subscription, rato at CO cents. Any ono ordering the cards may sell thenx for $1 each, thus earning a commission of $2 one each lot sold, or ho may sell them at tho cosh price and find compensation In tup iact that hef has contributed to the effort to widen Tho Com- monor's sphere of influence These cards may bo paid for when ordered or they may bo ordered and remittance mde after they have been sold. A coupon is printed below for the convenience of those who are willing to assist in the comlngf contest. THE COMMONER'S SPECIAL OFFER Application for SNbstriptlon Cards 10 15 20 25 50 75 Publisher Commoner; I am Interested In In creasing The Commoner's circulation, and de sire you to send me a supply of subscription cards. I agree to use my utmost endeavor to sell the cards, and will remit for them at the rat nf CO cents each, when sold. name Box, or Street No. p o .. JHate.. 100 Indicate the nuiiiber of cards wanted by market1" - in a. opposite oue oi mo uunowi printed on end ol this blank. If you believe the paper doing a work that merUt encouraaemant, fill out th$ above coupon and mail it u The Commoatr, LIbcoIs, Neb. i i fl o -d A . i . - -