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tributlng to the sum of human knowledge and
happiness. The farmer who adds something to
liis own purse by an improvement in breed, or
plant or method of culture adds something to
the world's wealth as well as to his own.
It has been too much the custom to advise
studious and ambitious boys to go into the pro
fessions, but the tide should turn. We need
educated boys upon the farm and it will bo a
glad day when we recognize that there is dignity
in all useful labor and that the possibilities of
the farm are infinite.
If the country boy longs for the excitement
of the city let him compare the pale-faced, narrow
chested clerks as they stream forth from board
ing houses and flats with the vigorous, sun
browned sons of the open field and he will be
able to estimate the penalty which a mistaken
pride has to pay for wearing "good clothes" and
having clean hands all the time. Our agricultural
colleges are doing a great work in setting higher
farm ideals before the farmer boys and these in
stitutions will be worth many times what they
cost if they teach the young men of the country
what splendid opportunities the farm furnishes
for a healthful life, spent amid the most whole
some surroundings, dedicated to a large ser
vice and capable of returning a sufficient reward.
JJJ
ELECTING SENATORS
The Milwaukee Sentinel complains because
"the trial and convictio- of Senator Mitchell has,
as was to be expected, been seized upon by ad
vocates of the proposition to elect United States
senators by popular vote as an argument in favor
of their schemes."
)riIlGiiSS?t,?eI states the case thl's way:
Mitchell, Burton and Dietrich proved unworthy
of the trust reposed in them. Ergo, the
method of electing senators is wrong." The
Sentinel says that this does not fit in with the
graft revelations that are now being made in
all parts of the country, and that "from Saji
Francisco to New York it has been discoVerd
that public officers elected by the-people also
have been false to their trust T e Sentine
fhf ,1s !10o, slV'prise t-among ninety men in
?!ea State ate -here and therd may
JMjBM-M&'rtHi 'puts pecuniary profit" above
personal honor and uses his position to advance
his own fortunes."
It is, of course, deplorable that men who have
been elected to the United States senate have
laid themselves open to the charges preferred
against Mitchell, Burton, Dietrich and Depew
But wh le these individual breaches of conduct
are to be condemned, advocates of the proposi
tion to elect United States senators by popular
Ir ument UPn thGSe indtances for tneir
When United States senators are chosen by
great corporations it is not surprising that it
develops that these men are as ready to indulge
in petty peculation as they are to assist the
corporations, through whose influence they were
elected, to oppress the people. But time was
when it would have been regarded as a very
grave situation when even four out of the ninetv
members of the United States senate are ar
raigned on charges affecting their personal in
tegrity. But, as The Commoner has said before,
while the conduct of the Burtons, the Mitchells
and the Dietrlchs are disgusting they are minor
offenses compared with those which Depew and
other senators are constantly committing.
It has been repeatedly charged, and it is
generally believed, that many of the members of
the United States senate serve as the special
champions of great corporations rather than as
the representatives of the people. The plan of
electing senators by the legislature has given
to the corporations, in most instances, the power
of selection, and they have not hesitated to use
that power. It is true that the people will make
mistakes in the selection of public officials, but
the man who accepts a public office at the hands
of a corporation having no moral right to bestow
the office may be depended upon to ignore the
public interests and to serve his corporation
master.
Mitchell and Burton both owed their elec
tions to corporation favor. Depew's senatorship
was secured for him by his railroad employers.
When Dietrich was elected two senators were
chosen from Nebraska, and these senatorships
were divided between rival corporation factions
one faction taking Mr, Millard and the other Mr'
Dietrich. Had the people had a voice it is weli
understood in Nebraska that neither Dietrich nor
Millard would have been mentioned for the place
"The senatorial elections of last winter show
the unwisdom of the present plan. In two in-
The Commoner.
stances that of La Follette in Wisconsin and
Warner in Missouri the corporations did not win.
But other legislatures elected to the senate men
who were confessedly under obligations to the
railroads. The most influential man in the senate,
Aldrich, of Rhode Island, has shc-n himself to
be considerably more interested in upholding the
special interests of the Rockefellers than in ad
vancing the public welfare.
The man who argues that the people are
likely to make mistakes in the selection of their
public official s-and w.ho objects to bringing the
government nearer and nearer to the people
must be prepared to confess that popular govern
ment' is a failure. The responsibility must be
placed with the people. Then they will have the
power to correct their errors, and their anxiety
to protect themselves will prompt them to act
intelligently and to profit by any mistakes they
' may have made.
fff
BLACK IS NOT WHITE
The Financial Age says: "The bureau of
labor has just completed an exhaustive investiga
tion into the cost of living, based on retail prices,
and is now preparing a report on the subject,
which will be made public late in August. While
the data have not been fully compiled, and all
the comparisons have not been made, tl) present'
indications are that the figures will show that
there has been a slight decline in retail prices
for staple food products during the last year. This
apparently substantiates the bulletin issued by
the bureau just before the last election, which
showed that there was a decrease in the cost of
living. It may be remembered that the figures
of that bulletin were ridiculed an, it was con
tended that they were prepared for political pur
poses." It is not at all surprising that any' report to
be issued by the bureau ,of-lal3or t the present
time willsubstautiate- the bulletin issued by the
urratr-just before the last election." There are
other elections.
But reports which undertake to show that
there has been a decrease in the cost of living
will obtain but small respect at the hands of
people who do not need statistical reports to in
form them upon a subject with, which the are
entirely familiar. ,
If the average man is tempted to rely upon
the reports referred to by the Financial Age he
can learn something to his advantage by applying
to the average housewife.
It is safe to say that any bulletin pretending
to show that the cost of living has decreased
wi 1 be "ridiculed" for whatever purpose such a
bulletin may have been prepared.
JJJ
REPUBLICAN TARIFF REFORMERS
, The Ohio State Journal, one of the oldest and
ablest of the republican papers of Ohio, has joined
the ranks of the tariff reformers.
In a recent editorial the Journal says "The
Boston Transcript, speaking of Congressman
Laurence of that state, says 'he is on record in
favor of tariff revision and yet is a good pro
tectionist.' Revision and protection are not in
compatible terms. The New York Tribune
'f2ff J.ce Greeley,' strongly advocates
revision. The Dmgley act was passed eight
years ago, and the country has outgrown it
Senator Hopkins, who was on the ways and means
committee of the house, which reported the bill
says that it was' well understood that the Dingley
duties were made higher than they should have
&abeCaU ifc was ejected that reciprodt?
treaties would reduce them. The New York Tri
bune sustains this view by declaring that 'the
law was faulty from the beginning.' With such
authorities testifying to the inherent faults of
the act, the persistency in opposing a revision on
some' items is unfriendly to theause of pr0.
tection itself. Revision does not call for one
step backward. It only insists upon cSrytag
out the principle upon which the Dingley hm
wac enacted, viz., that some of the dS were
fixed high in order to reduce them in th atTain
ment of reciprocity. That recinrocitv au i
HS!T' !Vhe Way t1c!?4tydoes no"
ofSSthe law 'Tfev J01 by the framers
or tne law. They fixed some rates high in order
to reduce them. That was eight years ago All
hope that congress, at the coming session wil
enact the . proper revision, and thuS fulfill thl
!Lt and 'sustain Xstho?
Ohioe
barons will-surrender the advantage whirl, rSS
Dingley bill gave them, but St if efcouragmg to
. T
.VOLUME 5, NUMBER 30
know that an increasing numbe- nfM ,
are becoming restive under the yaZ nfP!,I),ican3
tected interests. yoke of the pro.
fff
FEEDING THE DISEASE
It is reported that the secretary nfw ,
ture is thinking of raising the series Tf
crop report officials in order to remove the oL,ho
tion to sell information. The attempt A
to feed the disease rather than euro it m y
are apt to increase their living exneniP.. ,
their salaries are increased and a man Tho t
office accustoms himself to an expenditure whin!
he can not afford out of office is tempto
make money on the side in order to provide
against loss of position. Experience shows that
dishonesty is as common (if not more common)
among well paid officials as among the noorlv
paid. The Equitable grafters for instance v 2
well paid so well paid that they seem to have
lost, all sense of proportion between service and
compensation. The secretary of the treasury
does not receive any mor than the secretary of
state although the former handles hundreds of
millions while the latter handles scarcely any
money. Must we raise Secretary Shaw's salary?
Wat we need is a higher -standard of official
conscience, not higher salaries, and, incidentally
it may be remarked that it will be hard to
make officials regard office as a public trust so
long as manufacturers, railroad magnates and
financiers are 'allowed lo use the government
as a private asset in business.
If the instrumentalities of government are
used to enrich favored interests we must not
be surprised if administrative officials becomo
lax in dealing with the public. Special privileges
granted by legislation breed dishonesty in the
executive departments-
fff
THE VOTE TELLC THE STORY
The Democratic Majority Rule League of Illi
nois has issued a statement showing "what gavel
rule in the Illinois democratic state convention
did to the party in ,1904." In this statement the
official vote of Illinois in 1900 and 1904 is em
ployed ,in the telling of the story.
For. instance in 1900 the republican candidate
received in Jllinois 597,985 votes; the democratic
' candidate' received 503,061: republican plurality
94,924.
The republican vote in 1904 was G32.G45; the
democratic vote was 327,606; republican plurality
' 305,039.
The total vote in 1900 was 1,131,894; the total
vote in 1904 was. 1,076,499; net loss 55,395.
The republican gain in 1904 over the repub
lican vote of 1900 was 34,660;. that was normal.
The democratic loss in 1904 over 1900 amount
ed to 175,455; that was abnormal.
In 2300 the democrats elected ninety-one mem
bers of the general assembly; in 1904 they elect
ed sixty-seven members; net loss, twenty-four.
In 1900 the democrats elected eleven mem
bers of congress; in 1904tthey elected one member
of congress; net lpss, ten.
In 1900 the democrats carried forty-three
counties; in 1904 they carried seventeen counties;
net loss, twenty-six.
In 190G these seventeen counties carried by
the democrats gave a democratic plurality of 13,
002; in 1904 these seventeen counties gave a
democratic plurality of 3,540; net loss, 9,462.
Comment is unnecessary. In the language
used by the Democratic Majority Rule League or
Illinois "the official vote of Illinois in 1900 and
1904 tells the story."
JJJ
WILL MR. ROOSEVELT STAND FIRM?
It has been announced that President Roose
velt will call an, extra session for November u
and the .Railway World says that the semi
official dispatches announcing that an extra ses
sion will be held indicate "a striking change m
the administration's attitude toward the proWem
of railroad regulation." The World says that wr.
Roosevelt's sentiments in this respect seem w
have been modified of late and predicts that in
his message the president will content himseu
wtta a reference to rebates and discrimination.
That is exactly what the railroad's literary bureau
has contenCed for. It is to be hoped that tne
president will stand firm and vill insist upon
enlarging the power of the interstate commerce
commission. By his 'own declaration on uw
subject he won great popularity. "A strict
change in the administration's attitude to a
the problem of railroad regulation" would be uw
appointing to many who believe that "words ai
good when backed with deeds and only so.
K