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The Commoner.
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CURReNT VOPICSJlif
AT THE recen'; session of the Texas legisla
ture a primary election law was passed.
This law contains an initiative clause as follows:
"Section 140. "Whenever delegates are to bo se
lected by any political party to any state or county
convention by primary election or primary con
vention or candidates are instructed for or nomi
nated, it shall bo the duty of the chairman of the
county or precinct executive committee of said
political party upon the application of ten per
cent of the members of said-party (who are legally
qualified voters in said county or precinct) to
submit at the time and place of selecting said
delegates any proposition desired to bo voted upon
by said voters, and the delegates selected at that
time shall be considered instructed for whichever
proposition for which a majority of the votes are
cast; provided, that the number of 'voters be
longing to said political party shall be determined
by the votes cast for the party nominee for gov
ernor at the preceding election; and provided
further, that said application is filed with the
county or precinct chairman at least five days
before the tickets are to be printed, and the chair
man may require a sworn statement that :he
names of said applicants are genuine; provided,
further, that all additional expense of printing
any proposition on the officiul primary ballot shall
be paid for by the parties requesting the same."
WALTON PETEET, editor of the San Antonio
(Texas) Dispatch, referring to the initia
tive feature of the Texas primary election law
says that it is highly important because it will
enable the voters of the party to make party
platforms. Mr. Peteet says that "the credit for this
provision is in large measure due to Hon. M. A.
Kennedy, of Mart, Texas. Mr. Kennedy was a
member of the lower house and the adoption of
the initiative paragraph was due "more to per
sonal efforts than to any widespread sentiment
although . of course the education of the public
generally has prepared the way and lessened
opposition."
THE AUTHOR of the initiative feature, M. A.
Kennedy, of Mart, Texas, referring to the
measure says: "You will observe that it simply
applies to parties holding primaries or conven
tions for nominating delegates or candidates. The
sole object of this clause is to Lcure an expres
sion from the voters direct on platform demands.
In this state for several years past a committee of
thirty-one has usually made the platforms for the
dominant party, and the result has been the party
platforms are looked upon with suspicion and
alarm by a great- many legislators and others.
Becently the salaries of district judges were in
oased $500 annually 'in the name of the people
ul 'Texas' when not one-fifth of them wanted the
ciiange. To meet this condition is the reason
why I prepared the feature alluded to. I don t
look for it to be invoked for a few years yet,
but ultimately it will be used in two-thirds of
the counties in the state. It is also a safe propo
sition, that three years, from now it will be in
voked against th- delivery of the Texas demo
crats to our friends Belmont, McCarren et u.
Whilst the idea, so far as placing it in the elec
tion bill was concerned, was original with me,
still there was on a final show-down absolutely
no opposition to it. True, it was left out of the
senate substitute for the house bill, but the house
put it in the bill by a unanimous vote and in the
free conference committee it was agreed to with
surprising unanimity."
A CLUB has been organized at Caruthersvillo,
Pemiscot county, "Mo., -hose purpose it is
to aid in bringing about a reduction in the prices
paid the railroads for the transportation of the
mails. Corydon Garrett, editor of the Pemiscot
Press, one of the leading spirits in this organiza
tion, says that they have communicated with sen
ators and congressmen, and in many instances
have had much encouragement, though some mem
bers are evasive while others have not taken the
troulle to reply.
THE Lh3ACRS of this club have gathered con
siderable valuable information. One of the
club members writing to The Commoner explains:
"The rate of pay on 'star routes' for carrying tho
mails is not per hundred nor per ton; star route
bidders are informed that they are supposed to
carry all tho mail (be it largo or small) from
ono- certain point to another certain point for
so many dollars, the amount being their bid, and
as many as may wish can make a bid to carry
the mail, but ono whose bid is the lowest gets
the contract for four years, at the end of which
time the contract is relet to tho lowest bidder.
Thus it is that tho pay on star routes aro being
continually reduced every four years. Tho amount
of mail carried on star routes varies from 50 to
500 pounds, but no attention is paid to the amount
of the mail; it is the trip which i3 supposed to bo
paid for. All postofllccj that have star routes
are supplied with a book showing every star route
in the state that said postofilce is in and the
distance and amount paid on each route. From
such books you can get the desired information
on star routes. Now the pay to railroads for
carrying the mails is di erent, they are paid twice
for carrying the same mails, oce per hundred
pounds per mile and onco per car mile. Go to tho
postmaster and ask for his postal laws and regula
tions of 1902 1 see sections 1,104, 1,1GB and 1,160
on pages 536 and 537 and you will find that tho
railroads are .allowed from $42.75 per mile per
annum for carrying 200 pounds of mail to $192.37
per mile per annum for carrying 7,000 pounds of
mail. Now in addition to that see section 4,004 R.
S., act of March 3, 1873 and you will find that
the railroads receive' from $25 per mile per an
num for furnishing a forty foot car in which to
carry the mails to $50 per car per mile per an
num for furnishing a sixty foot car In which to
carry the mails. Thus you will see the railroads
are paid twice for the same service."
IN ORDER to show what this double pay
amounts to, this same authority says: "Sup
pose on a line 100 miles long the railroad com
pany should carry an average of 200 pounds jf
mail daily; tha would amount t $42.75 per mllo
per annum and in addition to that suppose tho
car furnished for carrying this 200 pounds -f
mail be a forty foot car that would be $25 per
mile also, whic'i would be a total of $67.75 per
mile per annum for carrying 200 pounds of mail.
Suppose again that a line 100 miles long carry ; a
average of 2,000 pounds of mail each day; that
would be $128,25 per mile per annum and the
same size car that it took to carry the 200 pounds
of mail will also carry the 2,000 pounds of mail
at not one "cent more cost to tho railroads for
carrying tho 2,000 pounds of mail than it cost
them for carrying the 200 pounds of mail, and
I see no reason why this government should pay
them any more. The total cost for carrying 200
pounds of mail per hundred pounds and per car
is $07.75 per mile. The total cost for carrying
2,000 pounds of mail both per hundred and per
car is $153.25 per mile." Notwithstanding the fact
that it costs the railroad company not one . cent
more to carry the 2,000 pounds of mail than it
does to carry the 200 pounds of mail still they
are paid almost $100 per mile more for said ser
vice. It is a great puzzle to my feeble mind why
we should pay per 100 at all for carrying the
mail if the amount per car is right and vice versa
why we should pay per car at all if tho amount
per hundred is right. Now it seems to me that tho
wiser plan would be to do away with the rate per
hundred per mile and leave the rate per car per
mile stand what it is as it is easy to see that
the only additional pay the railroads should re
ceive for carrying the mail is when the amount
should be so much that it should become neces
sary to attach en additional car. Another fact
which should not be overlooked is that the ex
press companies get their express carried on r.li
railroad lines at a less cost than this government
pays for the cars in which the mails are carried.
It seems to me that it should not cost this gov
ernment any more to have the mails carried than
it does cost the express companies to have the
express carried. The amount of express carried
over every railroad line Is much greater than
the amount rof mail."
JUDGE HOLDOM of Milwaukee recently made a
temporary order, giving a two-year-old child
into the custody of his mother. The parents
disnuted for the possession of the child. In mak
ing the order Judge Holdom said: "There is
nothing that would compensato for tho loss of
mother-love and protection, and this court has to
do with tho wolfare of tho child and not tho
parent." Tho newspaper reports say: "Whllo
tho hearing was going on the boy, who was In
charge of Mrs. Krausc's brother, toddled over to
his father, whero ho sat cooing and laughing at
his mother across the courtroom. As counsel re
tired to draw up terms for a settlement, Judge
Holdom came down from Che bench and took tho
child in his arms. The baby laughed and pattod
his cheek. 'I don't seo why In the world you peo
ple can't get along with a baby like this to play
with,' said tho judge shaking his head. By tho
order of the. court the father will be allowed to
see his child as often as lie pleases. The mother
is forbidden to take the child from under tho
jurisdiction of tho court until some definite scttlo
moi ' of tho case Is made."
THAT an alliance between tho United States,
Groat Britain and Japan is not unlikely to
bo developed In tho near future Is tho opinion
expressed by the Washington Post. The Post re
fers to this as "a great and exciting Issue," and
says: "In its self-evident greatness it will, If or
when it comes, dwarf all other questions of for
eign or domestic policy. In its capacity to pro
duce excitement it will have no equal. If any
suggestion as .o national policy could be depend-
ed upon to excite, to startle, not to say shock,
the people of this country, it would bo the propo
sition, seriously pressed, of such a departure from
tho counsels of Washing .on as that. To the con
tention that our unfortunate, our deplorable de
parture from traditions and precedents In acquir
ing sovereignty over the Philippine islands and
their 8,000,000 of people necessitates this depart
ure, as one false step calls for another, the people
may not have a satisfactory answer, for they see
that In the event of war with Japan our reten
tion of tho Philippines would be extremely diffi
cult, if not quite impossible. But no argument
would rcconcllo this nation to any foreign alli
ance. The people, not only tho 'plain people,' but
the other kinds, with few exceptions, would rnako
any administration or party extremely uncomfort
able if it should attempt to consummate such
an international compact. Still wo think the Issuo
is coming is well on its way, and will arrive be
fore many months shall have passed."
THE ASSESSOR at Newport has discovered
and listed for taxation $13,313,100 of per
sonal property which has not been taxed before.
Referring to this fact the Saturday Evening Post
says: "Tho amount of the tax, if grossly meas
ur. " In dollars and cents, is a bagatelle to Now
port, but the galling fact that these particular
owners of personal property were unable to es
cape paying these taxes must sadden and hu
miliate them as often as they recall it Intrud
ing its grinning head at their richest feasts and
derisively poking them in the. ribs as they Ho
on their downy beds. It is something that few
self-respecting property owners can stand. Many
millionaires have been driven from their homes
by it, and gone wandering from state to state, and
township to township in order to escape."
ONCE THER71 was a resident of Chicago who
listed all her personal property for taxa
tion. Recalling the instance the Saturday Even
ing Post says: "The local newspapers put it on
the front page under scare heads. Such a thing
had never happened before. People date reminis
cences from it now, as from the, year of tho
great fire, or tho winter of the deep snow. Opin
ion was divided. Some thought this miraculous
property owner waa merely eccentric, others arg
ued for insanity. It was pointed out that tho
total personal property returned for taxation was
less than it had been thirty years before when
the city had a third of the population and a sixth
of the wealth. The episode made a record, as
they say in sporting circles. To date nobody
seems ambitious to match it. There is tnfliqg
formality in connection with the personal prop
erty schedule. It consists of the affidavit 2t the
bottom where the property owner does solemnly
swear that he has listed above all his taxable
possessions. On account of this some timorous
gentlemen draw their balances out of the bank
the day before, put the money In a safe deposit
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