The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, October 21, 1904, Page 2, Image 2
W .4 I VOLUME 4, NUMBER 40 m i B- R S 4 r been forced Into war against Ills "will and in do fonso of high principles are the things that mako timid men brave and mako bravo men more cour ageous. , A few years ago wo were congratulating our selves that the "hip pockot" had gone out of style. Wo were congratulating ourselves that men woro growing farther and farther away from the prac tice of carrying firearms. But hero we have, a national organization whoso purpose it is to placo a rifio in the hands of all the young men of the land and to teach them that the all important thing to learn is to shoot and hit tho thing ho shoots at. An organization upon which this great duty devolves is to ask congress for an appropria tion of ?1,000,000 per year in order that it may bo able to thoroughly inoculate tho American public with the virus of war. "' J '.,' An Absurd Statement ' "Secretary ShaW is a vory interesting speaker, but' he occasionally makes some very absurd state ments. In a speech recently delivered at Indian apolis, Mr. Shaw denied the right of congress" to investigate tho executive departments of the fed eral government. He said that tho executive de partments have welcomed congressional investiga tions "as a matter of amity" and "not because tho constitution expressly authorizes such investiga tion." Mr. Shaw added: I fancy it would cause a great commotion If tho chief- executive should send a demand f6r a copy of defeated bills in congress and for the .correspondence between congressmen and their constituents with reference thereto,' Implying thereby that there was something wrong. I fancy it would bo a subject of com ment If either of the two co-ordinate branches of the government should send to the supreme court for the files in a given case, and should ask for tho correspondence between members of the supreme court and supposed parties in interest, with the implied, insinuation that those high officials were believed to be corrupt. This is indeed a strange statement coming from a member of the cabinet. - The Milwaukee Journal commenting upon this remarkable state ment hits the nail on the head when it says: "A schoolboy, taking his first lessons in civil govern ment, who should make such a statement would bo ' sent to the foot of his class in disgrace.. The executive departments of ,the federal government are creatures of congress. They exist" by tbe suffrance of the legislative department. They-aro executive departments, but they are hot the execu tive and are not clothed with his prerogatives. i Congress can not abolish the office of president. ' It may, at will, abolish tho office of secretary of tho treasury. That, however, tfduld be too heroic a remedy to work riddance of Shaw." JJJ Of The Mob The Detroit, Mich., Trlbii.no. is responsible for the statement that Prof. Barrett Wendell of Har vard university recently said: "It should be1 the duty of this society to work in Buch a way that' the American mas again assume his, old position at tho front. A mob made up of ail the lower classes Is surely in the majority at tho present Abraham Lincoln was certainly of. the mob but he outgrew his class." Is injustice done Prof. Wendell when it is taken for granted In the light of his remarks that tho Morgans wia the Rockefellers are really rep resentative of "the American" while the millions of people upon "v. hose necessities the trust inag nates prey come under the designation of "mob?" We incline to the opinion that the Chicago Record-Herald states the case well when it bluntly admits "That Lincoln belonged to the mob we all fci.ow, but he called It tho plain people, not the lower classes." JJJ A Alone In The Fight '" The New York World is very much incensed because Mr. Bryan Is on tho stump in behalf "of tho democratic ticket. The World asks: Does the national committee think the election of a democratic president next'mon'th v - ..will be greatly promoted by the speeches of a man who confesses his lack. of sympathy with . tho democratic ticket by declaring that "when the election is over I want to renew tho fight . for economic reform" meaning "for popu lism-. m who In the first place, it Is strangefor an editor claims lo be a democrat to 'cone 'concede topopu- The Commoner. lisih a monopoly upon tho championship of "econ omic reform." . .. Perhaps Mr. Bryan's efforts to aid in tho .election of the democratic ticket will not be pro ' ductivo of great results. v Every one, however, may do his part And every little helpB. It might bo said that tho election of a demo cratic president will be as greatly promoted by .the efforts of ?non whdhavo ever supported demo cratic principles and democratic candidates as by the efforts of a newspaper editor who, while pro fessing atrong antipathy toward the trust system and undying devotion to "public Interests, deserted the party to which he claims to belong during two presidential campaigns and contributed his efforts toward the election of a national ticket confessedly tho ticket of the trust magnates. It is difficult to believe that the World editor expects the democratic ticket to be elected by his solitary vote. That vote, although admittedly a very important one, is not sufficient to elect tho democratic ticket. Of course democrats generally concede to the editor of the World the privilege of Issuing daily Instructions to every one connected with the dem ocratic campaign, from the nominees to the hum blest attache at committee headquarters'. But tho plain every-day democrats should, at least, not bo denied the privilege of doing their humble part to aid the great man upon whom the management of the New York World devolves and around whom so far as concerns the present national campaign this homely world of the solar system seems to revolve.' JJJ That Criminal Clause A Berwick, Pa., reader writes: "To settle' an argument in regard to tho criminal clausja' of the anti-trust law, will you please let me know if such clause has been repealed. Enclosed find clipping from tho New; York American." The clipping enclosed is an editorial from which, this extract is taken: What is' the "legislation enacted to in crease the 'effectiveness" of the enforcement of the laws agdfnst the predatory 'trusts to "which President JWoseVel't refers' vso rlngingly? Is it th'ft last, , s.ignqd jby "him, by which , the anti-trust tfor was emasculated by having, stricken from its provisions the only section - .of .which the men who engineer the great rob bing trusts are afrald-r-the provision' pro vi ding imprisonment as t!he penalty for forming and maintaining combinations in restraint of trade? That is the only legislation enacted under Mr. Roosevelt on tho trust question, and who is there that doubts, that it .was at 'the in stance1 of tho trusts themselves -that the cap tains of piracy, where freed from the only menace th?, law held for thgm? The writer Of the article referred to undoubt edljf acted under, misapprehension. ""As has been repeatedly stated' by The Com . , moner, the criminal clause of, the . Sherman anti ' trust law is on the statute book just' as it was originally enacted. v t The 'reason so" many peopl6 rest under the im pression that the criminal clause of the Sherman anti-trust law was repealed is that in the law an entirely different statute -from the Sherman anti-trust law where it was sought to prohibit re- bates and favoritism on tho part of railroads the clause providing imprisonment as he penalty, was repealed and a fine, without imprisonment, was substituted. As the writer of the editorial referred to says the men who engineer the great robbing trusts are " afraid of the provision providing for imprisonment as the penalty for forming and maintaining' com binations in restraint of trade. They are not, however, afraid that that law will be enforced under the Roosevelt administration. They have every reason to believe that that most effective weapon will never be used so long as. the repub lican party remains in power. JJJ The Killing: Department Speaking before the International congress of military surgeons, Maj. Louis L. Seaman said: " "The Japanese authorities permitted our gov ernment to send five military attaches to accom pany their army in the field. Was a surgeon or a quartermaster or a commissary officer detailed0 "No. They represented tho life-saving and life prel serving departments, and were omitted. The kill ing departments got the appointments, and today Japanese officers are laughing in their sleeyes "at our senseless. failure to have representatives on what they consider their three vital points, whilst tho only, weak, jUmoat burlesque feature f their army, Its cavalry,-Is considered of sufficient iM portance to Jje worthy of special study" m" What did Major Seaman expect of an mimi istration:Uiafisfldevoted'to war? Does not ftr" . Seaman kfcow thkikl the administration had ISt to the Japanese ariiiy representatives of "the in! , .Nsavlng and tho life-preserving departments'- ! administration' Vchief might be r&aS as ft weakling:' Of course, "tho killing department J? tho appointment," .as "tho killing department-' takes precedence at All times and under all dr.. cumstances in the Roosevelt code. JJJ Frank J. Morgan ; , Franlcjr. Morgan, one of the best known clem-" pcrats in this; state, died recently at his homo in Plattsmbutii, Neb. Mr. Morgan had a host of . friends jamong men of. all political parties. He was one of Nebraska's best citizens and a better democrat than he never, struggled for the publlo Interests. No truer words were ever uttered than When,- in paying a tribute, to Mr. Morgan, tho World-Herald said: "Frank. J. Morgan had a wide acquaintance throughout the state of Ne braska; and yot everyone did not know the lino characteristics , that "endeared him to those who know him well. ThoBe who did know him will - have no hesitancy in saying that 'if everyone to whom he did some loving kindness were to lay a blossom on his grave he would sleep tonight be neath a wilderness of flowers.' " JJJ A Changed Man The New York (Commercial, it paper that is presumed to be supporting the republican ticket, ' says: "Tho appointment of Robert J. Wynne, .first assistant postmaster general, to succeed tho late -Postmaster General Payne, pending the ap pointment of Mr. Cortelyou to the po.stofilce port folio, is a sort of application of civil service prin ciples with a long, string attached thereto. It is not the kind of action that would have been pre dicted ofvTheodoro Roosevelt a dozen years ago; . but it Is not likely, o awaken much criticism, be cause Mr. CJbrt'elyqu's fitness for the position, both in the matter of ability and of fidelity to the pub lic interests, can np-be seriously questioned. The incidents, however, will serve to convince many people that the present tenant of the white house is, -not missing njany ..points ,in the ,fin. game of . pontics."4; : , ; vv" ".,;,!:,' . . rr ,Afie Tnepaore. JK.oo,sev.eit ; pi ipcmy ih nums many things which ' would npl.' have, been predicted of tucTneoaore Kooseveit f.pi.a dozen years ajjo. T '' u Lend a Hand "" Every reader of The Commoner is invited to .participate in the effort to widen The Commoner's sphere of influence by increasing its circulation. To this end la special subscription offer has been arranged. ' 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 five, at the rato of ?3 per lot. This places the yearly subscription rate at 60 cents. . 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