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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1905)
'"Wft" 4 V' kV IR m The Commoner. ISSUED WEEKLY. tm Entered Rt tho postofllco At Lincoln. Nebraska, aa second jDlnus mull matter. I One Year $1.00 Slx Months gou la CIh bit ol 5 or more, per )r 75c Three Month ass 5lHgleCepy 3c Sample CepIcK Free. Foreign Postage sac Extra. SUBSCRIPTIONS can be neat direct to The Commoner. ThoycauRlBol)ooDt tlirouRh nowspapera which hare adrer tlficd a clubbing rate, or through local agent?, where sub agents Jiavo boon appointed. All remittances should bo Bent by postofllco mono; order, express order, or by bank draft on Now York or Chicago. Do not Bond Individual chocks, stamps or money. RENEWALS. The date on your wrapper shows when your subscription will expire. Thus, Jan. 81, '05, means that pay nlent lni) been received to and Including tho last Issue of Jan uary, 1905. Two wceko nro required after money has been ro eclved beforo the date on wrapper enn bo changed. CtlANUB OP ADDUESS. Subscribers requesting a change of addjeaa must glvo OLD as well aa tho NEW address. ADVERTISING rates furnished upon application. Address til communications to THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. " The Commoner. Organize, and then light for something worth lighting for, and which will bo worth while when. It is won. .. Mr. II. H. Rogers might bo of financial as sistance to tho "system" by contracting to make that defenso on tho lecture platforms. It is not at all probable that when the presi dent comes within gunshot of that bear he will stop and refrain from shooting. The bear is dif ferent game from a beef trust or Northern Se curities magnate. Mr. Hyde says the banquet cost $G,000 and that there was $24,000 added to the real cost merely to "advertise the Equitable." It will be cheerfully admitted that the advertising paid tho policyholders. The canal commissioners announce that in their opinion the 8-hour day law does not follow the flag, meaning, of course, that the laborers must work from ten to thirteen hours. It is noticed that the high salaried official with short hours of work always manages to land contem poraneously with the star spangled banner. Mr. Rogers is defending Mr. Rockefeller, don't you speak for yourself, John?" "Why "I am tho state," declared Louis XIV. But that was beforo tho day of Mr. Rockefeller and rMr. Morgan. Tho managers of those seven Chigo daily nowspapors should now engage-in. n ttlo thinking, If possible. With Mr. Rockefe'l0r's. mon3rJ&mg and vlr. H. H. Rogers clocuf s$P.fetf Oil is-havg a, sovoro fit of vocifoiVl.tess. ' -" It is announcod that "Mr. Burton will leave tho senate." Is there no way of persuading tho Kansan to take it with him? J. B. Corry, one of the large operators of Pennsylvania, is quite enthusiastic in his praise of Mr. Rockefeller. He regards Mr. Rockefeller as a great benefactor, and declares that Mr. Rockefeller is using his brain and money to bless his fellow men. Mr. Corf y explains that his company has at various times sold "ldrge amounts of coal to the Standard Oil company!" He speaks of Mr. Rocke feller as if he were expecting another order. ( The esteemed Sicjux City Journal says that "Mr. Bryan is looking for an issue that will be as popular as .municipal ownership In Chicago." The esteemed Journal is wrong, as usual. Looking for popular issues" Is copyrighted by the Journal's party. Mr. Bryan and all good democrats are looking for issues that will, if carried into effect, be beneficial to the country. If the Journal can. not understand this principle of politics the fault is the Journal's, not Mr. Bryan's. Tho announcement that the czar has $360,000, 000 In gold coin in his war chest is likely to inako Oyama march straight to St. Petersburg. Tho primary is tho place to docido upon can didates and principles. Sign the primary pledge and got to work in tho interests of truo democracy. .t.. Tho scutlemen who are saying such harsh things about tho Equitable management are all Insiders, so tho remarks may be considered official. As Mr. Hyde of the Equitable refuses to sell hl3 stock to the policy holders or to surrender tho power which, a controlling interest gives him, the policyholders will probably begin action to deter mine wliether the enormous assets held by the company belong to the policyholders or to the holders of the one hundred thousand dollars worth of stock. And what will be the final result? Leg islation which will protect the policyholders and not leave them at the mercy of anyone wno may get control of the stock. "War costs money," declares the Minneapolis Journal. But that is not the chief reason why war should be abolished. War is wrong, needless and foolish. Germany has notified Uncle Sam that the door Is open in Morocco. Uncle Sam will endeavor to see to it that it remains open, even if he haa to supply leather hinges. A groat many papers that did not dare say a word of sympathy for the Boers fighting for free dom are whooping it up for the Japanese who are not fighting for freedom. . . . '' The cry of "socialism" uttered by the mouth pieces of private monopoly seems to have lost all Its terrors for people who are studying the ques tion of municipal ownership. A man or organization wanting money badly enough to accept it from anybody or anything usually has no difficulty in framing up an excuse for accepting it when it is offered. Emperor William assures Morocco that "no other nation" will bo allowed to impose upon her Emperor William is a good grammarian? S doubtless ho meant it just that way. Dr. Lyman Abbott points to the case of Zac- cheiis as a warrant for receiving money from Mr Rockefeller. How about tho rich man who wS advised to sell all he had and give I? to" the p Jorl m It is claimed that there is a man In n. w? cpnsinjail who stolo $100,000 from the Srnmwi Oil .company. When he serves ?S tenn h? will experience no difficulty in gettlns a SS I! musee circuit fanung a job on the ' V T f f For genuine frankness a Kansas City dairy man is entitled to the prize, and his example is commended to a number of eml- ' The nent financiers and "captains of Genuine industry." This dairyman was Reason asked why he adulterated the milk, he sold and he replied, "Be cause I want the money." This is much better and more honest than the excuse that Mr. Baer put up that he was a "trustee of divine providence" and that given by the actions of another financier who tries to make it appear that he is "God's almoner" !n ffie ?IstriDUtion of money. "I want the money" is the honest explanation, even if it does not jus tify tho crooked methods resorted to to obtain it The financiers and "captains of Industry" would do well to admit the real facts, and thus relieve themselves in a measure of some of the blame. The .excuses they offer only add to their other sins. 4, 1. '' O.M, l t; - ti - i PrIdent Stuyyesant Fish of the Illinois Cen- tral railroad asserts that "agitation in favor of tu DaA 1 government regulation" and gov- The People eminent interference with prl- aSh ,y Vate buSnes," has "all hwn Aroused over." Optimism is all right When is the right kind of nnff' mism but the self-deluded optimist s due sooner or later to a rude awakening. Mr. Fish in ??m . mon with many other railroad mangers ove? , chandising or real estate business has ,, governmental affairs to poor advantage AnSf railroad manager who imagines tha f the TLJ ! , VOLUME 5, NUMBER 14 realizing sense of the injustice that has beer heaped upon them, and having a clearer knowl edge of their rights and of their powers are de termined to have all that is due them. Mr. Fish may feel good Cursing the idea that the "agitation has all blown over," but a few glances over his shoulder may reveal the fact that the little blow ho has just experienced is but a forerunner of tho cyclone following fast behind. The Record, published' by the Baptist church at Lincoln, Neb., refers to a conversation between Mr. Moody and a friend. In re A ply to the remark "my citizen- Deserved ship is in Heaven and I do not Rebuke take very much interest in the politics of earth," the great evangelist replied "Well, you had better get it down to earth for the next few weeks." Mr. Moody's rebuke was well deserved. One has a very selfish religion if it leads him to spend his whole thought on the con templation of heaven, indifferent to the work that lies about him. The citizen has a duty to per form in helping his brother and good government is one of the ways in which he can help his brother. Investigation into the affairs of the "gas trust" in New York has revealed a queer state of affairs. The Consolidated Gas Private company buys most of its gas Ownership from other companies, paying Scheme from 36 to 40 cents per thousand feet for it, and selling it to its own consumers, the city being the largest, at $1 per thousand feet. Of course the small companies are not losing money, but the Consolidated Gas company pleads that it 13 not making a profit on its municipal contract and is complaining that its taxes are too high. As the Consolidated receives about 60 cents per thousand feet for pumping through, its mains the gas that other companies make and sell at a profit for 38 cents, its conten tion will not have much weight. But it will show thoughtful men that even municipal ownership in its crudest form could hardly be a heavier burden on the people than the methods used by this arro gant corporation. Tho attention of the eminent divines who ad vise the acceptance of all the money Mr. Rocke feller sees fit to donate for re- Donations ligious'work is called to another That May Be eminent philanthropist, the Secured Prince of Monte Carlo. The prince has an income of several millions a year, all of it from the gaming tables in his capital city. Ruined homes, lost fortunes, suicide and death follow in the train of the prince's income. And yet he is a very liberal gen tleman. Doubtless the ministers who defend the acceptance of Mr. Rockefeller's money would be able to secure a very liberal contribution from the Prince of Monte Carlo if they approached him In the proper spirit. The "Imperial Mexican Lot tery, too, would doubtless contribute if called upon. And there are others. If the source of do nations is of no moment the missionary boards should have no difficulty in securing liberal dona tions, provided always that those who accept fa vors are gentlemanly enough and courteous enough not to criticize the methods of the donors. wrld has long held in contempt the man who 'bites the hand that feeds him." The Nashville American points out that five months ago Roosevelt carried Chicago by 110,000 c iu, Plurality, and that, week before bomethlng last a democrat was elected ir uir S,a7or h? 240M plurality. Fight For "This," remarks the American, o , i , h J!is a cnanse ot 135,000 votes in a slnsle ettar." The American, however, does not go into detail. It could have pointed out, if it so desired, that a republican carried Chicago flvo months ago because democratic democrats had S2?g in )articular to fight for, while week be rore last democratic democrats carried Chicago oecause.they had a vital issue and a strong prin ciple to fight for. When democracy goes' before the people on issues that are of vital Interest, and defends principles dear to the hearts of all loyal Americans, democracy will win, The democratic party has tried catering to the plutocratic inter ests that control the .republican party, and has found that it can not outbid the republican party for the favor of plutocracy. Let the democracy now get back to the people, stand for the interests of the people and fight for the interests of all instead of the Interests of the privileged fow. The American' is one of the democratic newspapers that has tried'to outbid tho republicans for pluto cratic favor. " ifMt has learne'-ita lesson it case is indeed hopeless. k' o- ... fc.,V