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The Commoner.
'AUGUST 4, 1905
tbought lie wielded, but it was considerable. The
end to it liaa come. He is now an outsider.
What effect this may have on Mr. Lodge's fortunes
as the leader of his party in Massachusetts is
problematical. No one would be surprised if dur
ing the next few years lie were to lose his grip
and Mr. Moody were to come to the front as
the strong man in that state."
WE ARE TOLD by the same authority that
other senators besides Mr. Lodge have
lost Mr. Roosevelt's friendship, and that they may
be made to 'know th:.t they are no longer in favor
at the White House. Mr. Wellman says: "Mr.
Roosevelt expects to be president for more than
three years yet, and he is not going to be a
candidate for re-election. While in the White
House he proposes to have a gret deal of sport
and his own way just as often as he can get it."
Mr. Wellman forgot to explain what might be
expected in the event that some of the senators
concluded to have a little "sport." If Mr. Roose
velt makes open war on senators like Lodge it
is not at all improbable that several very infill
ential senators will be very ready to. make open
war on Mr. Roosevelt.
GOVERNOR HOCH of Kansas is having trouble
with the race question. Nick Chiles, a negro
and editor of a paper publishel in the interest
of his race, recently purchased a home immedi
ately adjoining the gubernatorial mansion at To
peka and in the midst of the capital's exclusive
residence district. Chiles announced that the
governor might borrow from him whenever he
desired anything from a cupful of flour to the
family silver and that he would undertake to bo
a model neighbor for the chief executive. The
Topeka correspondent for the Chicago Record
Herald says: "Society is in a furore of indigna
tion over the initial omen of the black invasion,
and it is declared on all sides that the effrontery
of Chiles, as it is termed, is due wholly to Gov
ernor Hoch's cordiality to prominent negroes in
the past. Chiles treats his incursion into the
home precinct of the Kansas '400' as a matter of
course and merely says he wishes to live in a
pleasant neighborhood. He adds laudatory re
marks about his own desirability as a neighbor
for the governor. What society terms 'this out
rage' is declared to be the result of Governor
Hoch's friendliness toward Booker T. Washing
ton and W. T. Vernoc, a negro orator. The gov
ernor walked up the middle aisle of Representa
tive hall arm in arm with Washington last winter
and made a speech to the legislature introducing
the negro leader. It was in January that the
state executive paid attention to Vernor, sitting
beside the negro at the Kansas Day club ban
quet. Letters are now pouring in upon Governor;
Hoch with congratulations on his acquisition of
Chiles as a neighbor, and among those who are
forwarding felicitations are some of the anti
negro republicans who criticised Hoch last
winter."
"I7REDERICK L. CUTTING, commissioner of in
JP surance for Massachusetts, has issued a
lengthy report in whicU he reviews the methods
employed by high insurance officials in recent
years. He recommends that the Massachusetts
legislature take up the matter of deferred divi
dends and the relation between insurance com
panies and their allied trust companies and other
questions with the view of compelling reform.
Commissioner Cutting is unsparing in his criti
cism of insurance officials. He refers to the Equit
able Life, the Mutual Life and the New York
Life as "the big three," and "the racers." He
says that these companies have been largely
responsible for the excessive expenses of the busi
ness; to swell the volume and become the biggest
has led each to "pour out money like water."
"An immediate and complete reform of these three
companies in respect to the extraordinary de
posits made by them with a few favored bankers
and trust companies" is demanded- by the com
missioner. REFERRING to the .Equitable Life Assurance
society, Commissioner Cutting says: "To
all outward appearances life insurance has been
booming along serenely and beautifully during
the past twenty-five years, with money rolling into
the treasuries in broad streams. But a rude
awakening came. A chasm opened, showing the
hidden secrets of a groat 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde insurance company. It Lad suddenly
dawned that during these twenty-five years of
peaceful conquest of millions cf public money
there had been Judases ct work betraying their
trusts for financial gain." After dealing at
length with the subject o life insurance, of tho
enormous amount of money Involved and of tho
close relations between tho companies and tho
subsidiary trust companies, the commissioner
says: 'It must bo said that tho situation con
stantly presents the temptation to directors who
also have stock In the trust company to glvo tho
latter all tho advantages they possibly can In
the way of deposits and loans. The interests
of their pockets are in perpetual conflict with
their duties as fiduciary agents of the policy-holders
and stockholders of the Insurance companies,
a most unfortunate state of affairs, from which
sooner or later, In some Instances, tho Insuranco
company is coming out second best.' "
PORTO RICANS are demanding home rule for
that island. On July 25 a cpnvontlon was
held at San Juan in which convention sixty-flvo
of the sixty-six municipalities of Porto Rico and
both of the political parties were represented. A
memorial to congress was adopted with a view of
'bringing about sweeping changes in the Porto
Rican government. An Associated Press report
says: "The memorial recites that this is tho
seventh anniversary of the American invasion of
Porto Rico, and complains that the preponderance
of power still rests with an executive council
composed of heads of departments appointed by
President Roosevelt. It says: 'These heads of
departments arrive here knowing nothing of tho
language, customs or needs ot the country, and
twenty-four hours after disembarking tako their
seats in the executive council and determine the
fate of the Island.' The memorial calls for no
change in the composition of the house of dele
gates, which consists of thirty-five members, elect
ed by the people, but domands the following
amendments to the Foraker law: '1. The organi
zation of an insular senate, to ba composed of.
two senators each from seven districts, in place
ot the executivo council. 2. That the proposed
senate and house possess the same privileges
granted to the house under the Foraker law.
3. That the secretary of Porto Rico, the attorney
general, the treasurer, the auditor, the commis
sioner of education and the commissioner of the
interior, continue in their present ofllces under
the present titles, but that they form no part of
the executive council. 4. That the officials named
be appointed by the governor, with the consent of
the insular senate, and not by' the president of
the United States.' The memorial was adopted
by a rising vote, the delegates cheering for five
minutes. R. H. Todd, mayor of San Juan, In
itiated the -movement, on account of the growing
anti-American feeling throughout the Island."
THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR reports
that the value of our agricultural exports
for the fiscal year 1905 was $751,755,000. This
was a decrease of $38,000,000 from that of the
previous year, and the Chicago Record-Herald
says the showing would be less favorable had not
the cotton exports shown a decided gain. During
the last fiscal year we sold nearly $380,000,000
worth of cotton alone. The Record-Herald says:
'.'The exports of wheat were insignificant not
quite 4,000,00 bushels, in spite of the fact that
the wheat crop, while sma?ler than for the pre
vious three years, was considerably larger than
for certain earlier years in which exports reached
and passed the 100,000,000 bushel mark. The flour
export trade is not what It should be, notwith
standing special privileges accorded to the millers
under the liberally interpreted drawback act. Here
is an interesting table giving our agricultural ex
ports for a series of years:
1905 $751,755,057 1897 $G49,421,292
1904....... 790,211,051
1903 784,731,143
1902 . 777,559,260
1901 867,238,579
1900........ 707,504,382
1899 720,270,671
1898 801,818,581
1896 547,981,360
1895 520,690,932
1894 628,363,038
1893 615,382,986
892 799,328,232
1891 642,751,344
1890 629,820,808
"Aside from cotton, in the production of
which our advantage is overwhelming, students
o" the export problem predict a steady relative
decline in our agricultural exports that will ren
der it necessary to devote Liore and more atten
tion to the manufacturer and "nished products,
into the production of which the United States has
tended to throw its energies and skill. It is a
truism that our foreign trade is still in its in
fancy so far as manufactures are concerned,
though there havi been remarkable increases in
the last ten years. The problem of our manu
factures 'surplus' was described as pressing by
President LTcKinley five years ago. It is even
more pressing today, thanks to the changes above
noted and to the tariff legislation that threatens
to cloia Important IBuropoan mnrkat id out, oifjji
tal und InUor."
AN INCIDENT occurred rocontly in Nov' York
City which according to somo of tho Now
York newspapers Indicate that a home can rea
son. Tho story is told by ono of the newspapers
i this way: "Whether or not Tom, flro horse of
the tondor of engine No. 19, know what ho was
doing yesterday, nobody can toll. Tom is dead,
so ho cannot. He was clattering through Twen
tieth street, near Ninth avenue, when a little
girl, Lulu Schut-., aged 7, of C57 Ninth avenue,
ran in front of the tender. Rose Prandogast of
417 West Thlrty-thlrd'street ran out into the street
to save the girl. Just as she was about to snatch
Lulu, Tom jumped as far out as he could. Ills
shoulder struck Miss Prandogast, and she was
sent spinning to the gultor. But the horse had
jumped so far out. that tho little girl was saved.
As she fell, tho t 'o horses passed, one on each
sido of her, as did the wheels of the lender. She
didn't suffer a scratch. An elevated pillar is
directly ahead. Tom could not turn and ran head
first Into tho pillar, lie fell dond as though shot.
Tho tender smashed against the pillar, Klrchner
and his crow of four being spilled. Miss Prando
gnst was found to be practically unhurt. The
small boys and girls of the neighborhood mourned
ovtt the death of Ton, whom they know well,
and they were firmly convinced that the big
horse sacrificed his own life to save the girl."
WILLIAM S. WAUDBY, apodal agent for tho
United States bureau of labor has written
for the Buffalo (New York) Progress, an inter
esting article entitled "Shall the United States
Suspend Immigration?" Mr. Waudby says that
nearly two-thirds of the entire emigration ot i'le
world Is directed to the United States, and that
out of these Immigrants railroad and steamship
companies make a profit of $50,000,000 per year.
He declares that restriction has failed and it is
now a question of exclusion for a term of years
at least. He says that exclusion is necessary for
the purpose of self preservation. Mr. Waudby
gives an interesting description ot Immigration
legislation. The first immigration law was
passed by congress in 1864 and was for tho pur
pose of "encouraging" Immigration, being entitled
"An act to encourage immigration." This act
was repealed In 18:8, and from that time until
August 3, 1882, there was no statute bearing upon
immigration. The first step taken for protection
against the pauper labor of Europe was in an act
which took effect February 26, 1885, and which
was entitled "To prevent the Importation of for
eign labor under contract to perform labor or
service of any kind in tho United States." Mr.
Waudby says that under this law It has been al
most impossible to apprehend contract laborers
in the casual examination to which they are sub
jected at the various ports of entry.
MR. WAUDBY claims that the United Stale:
has full power to occlude aliens altogether.
Me cites an opinion dell ered In May, 1905, by
Justice Harlan of the United States supremo court
in which Justice Harlan said: "The power of
congress to exclude aliens altogether from the
United States, or to prescribe the terms and con
ditions upon which they may come to this coun
try, and to have its declared policy In that regard
enforced exclusively through executive ofllcers,
without judicial intervention, is settled by our
previous adjudications."
MR. WAUDBY charges that each of the lead
ing steamship lines has several thousand
agents engaged in working up immigration traffic,
and that in ono of the senate investigations it
was shown that the Italian banks of New York
City sent to Italy In an average year from $25,
000,000 to $30,000,000. According to Mr. Waudby
in one day in May (the 8th) ten steamship com
panies landed 12,039 immigrants at ELIis Island.
Never before have so many stesrage passengers
come into this port. During the month of March,
1904, the total number of immigrants was 78,225
or an average per day of 2,523. For the month of
March, 1905, the number was increased to 126,932
or an average daily number of 4,094.
In view of the fact that the board of trade
gamblers are the only ones who have ever taken
much Interest in the government's advance sta
tistics of crops It is strange tha. the govern
ment should be so worked up over the statistical
leak that enabled market gamblers to reap an
added profit.