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OCTOBER 13, 19.05
The Commoner.
ONE WHOSE EXAHPLE WOULD
An important hint was given to Theodore
Roosevelt, president of the United States, in an
address delivered by A. B. Stlckney, president
of the Chicago Great Western Railway company,
at a meeting of the Washington Economic society,
held at Washington City, February 3, 1905. Deal
ing with the evils of the free pass system and
frankly admitting those evils, Mr. Stickncy sug
gested that "President Roosevelt set to officialdom
the example of refusing all corporation favors.
Mr. Stickney quoted Mr. Roosevelt as saying:
"No one can too strongly insist upon the elemen
tary fact that you cannot build the superstructure
of public virtue save on private virtues."
Referring" to the free pass system, Mr. Stick
ney said: t
"Tho interstate commerce law not only for
bids discriminations in freight rates, but it also
prohibits free transportation or passengers. It
makes the acceptance of a discriminating freight
rate or a free pass by an individual a misde
meanor, each punishable alike by fine or impris
onment. "If we examine the principles or law and tho
principles of sound morals which justify the law
we shall find that every principle applies to tho
one as to the other. If we inquire as to the rela
tive importance to men of small affairs we will
find that one is as important as tho other. If wo
inquire into the heart-burnings growing out of
railway discriminations, which are breeding class
distinctions and class hatred, and even anarchjsm,
among the so-called lower classes, we will find
that the bitterest feelings are aroused by being
compelled to pay fare while richer men ride free.
If wo go among tho laboring classes, olthor as
individuals or in their public meetings, wo will
hear bitter denunciations, not of unreasonable or
m discriminating freight rates, but of freo passes.
In times of railway strikes we can hear tho park
orators proclaim, 'Why should w,p work for scant
wages in order that rich men may rido in tho
trains free? Probably eighty per cent of tho en
tire population pay fares, while not moro than,
flny, ?cr conL I,ay fro,Ght rates.
Tho law which makes- it a misdemeanor for
any Individual not an officer or employe of a rall
way company to uso a pass wsb enacted by con
gress and approved by the president fifteen years
ago, and as an individual rule of action it was
ignored by the congressmen who passed it and
by the president who approved it, and subse
quent congressmen and president with rare ex
ceptions, have ignored its provisions. Traveling
they present the ovidonco of their misdemeanor
before the eyes of tho public In a way which
Indicates no regard for the law. The governors
of tho states, many of tho judgos in short, all
officialdom from the highest to tho lowest tho
higher clergy, college professors, editors, mer
chants, bankers, lawyers, present tho ovidonco
of their misdemeanor in tho samo manner. Now
while sheriffs, district attorneys, courts and pris
ons may cope with the outcasts of society, they
are powerless against tho classes which have
been mentioned. Think of the Impossibility of
committing these classes to prison! Think of a
sheriff arresting himself, of a district attorney
prosecuting himself, and of a court committing
himself to the penitentiary!
BE EFFECTIVE
"In England, whoro tho laws against discrim
inations are enforced, Uiobo condition do not
exist. Tho mombcrs of parllamont, who enacted
tho lawn, havo ohoyod tho laws, and cvon tho
king, whan travollng on tho railways, pays tho
regular faro, and If ho has a special train ho
pays tho schcdulo ratos for its una. Tho minor
officials, tho railway officials and tho public fol
low their oxamplo. Therefore tho law of England
against discriminations Is effective
"I am not willing to admit that tho avorago
standard of official and Individual morals Is low
er In this country than In England, but for flf
eon years tho public consclenco has apparently
boon In a sort of solf-hypnotlc trance or an ex
pectancy which can never bo roallzed, natnoly,
that tho virtues of tho railway companies will
render It Impossible for tho individual to offend
tho law. While I am willing to admit tho uncom
promising virtues of railway officials, I submit
that it Is too much to expect tho fow rnllway
presidents, who are growing- rower, to furnish
tho virtues for elghty-flvo millions of people
"What tho country needs to break tho tranco
Is an Illustrious oxamplo, llko tho oxamplo of
the king of England. There Is ono man, and but
one man, whoso oxamplo would bo effective:
and, unless tho American people havo misjudged
his character, if ho realized that ho was trans
gressing tho law In accepting tho courtesy of freo
transportation, Thoodoro Roosevelt would havo
tho vlrluo and tho courage and the ability to
set tho oxamplo, which shall awaken official
dom and all good citizens to a sonso of tho in
dividual duty to obey this law."
OHIO DEMOCRATS AND THE PRIMARY PLEDGE
In 1896 there were cast In Ohio 477,494 dom
ocratic votes. In 1904 the democratic vote
amounted to- 344,674 a loss in eight years of
i:J2,820.
It is unnecessary to say that democratic
principles' have not fallen into disfavor among tho
people of Ohio. There are many reasons for be
lieving that in that state, as in the other states,
democratic principles are more popular today
than ever before in the history of our govern
ment. Indeed, Ohio's Senior senator, elected by
the republican party, confesses that the greatest
reform for which the republican In tho White
House stands i3 a domocratic mea'sure, and not
a republican measure. As evidence of this fact,
he points out that that measure as been re
peatedly endorsed in democratic national cbn
ventions and reaffirmed in democratic state con
ventions, while the republican national plat
forms have not endorsed it, arid the latest re
publican state convention In Ohib , deliberately
barred the measure from its state platform.
Without organization it wilP"be .impossible
for men to effect great reforms. THe ''democratic
measure" to which Senator ForakoVJ referred Is of
the utmost importance, but it is by no means
the only important reform for which the demo
cratic party stands, and for tho accomplishment
of which the people must finally depend upon
democratic success. These reforms are so essen
tial to the best interests of tho people that they
demand tho faithful, persistent co-operation of
democrats everywhere to the ond that tho party
may be so organized not only to deserve success
by tho character of its platform and its candi
dates, but to win success through tho formation of
its line of battle.
The Commoner bolioves that the primary
pledge plan provides a practical method for ef
fecting this desired organization. Ohio democrats
now thoroughly aroused againBt the evils of
bosslsm and fully awakened to tho enormity of
the impositions under which they havo been re
quired to suffer in national life, aro in a good posi
tion to give marked impetus to tho primary
pledge movement. In this work every Ohio dem
ocrat may have a part. In tho number of pri
mary pledges sent to Tho Commoner office, Ohio
stands fourth. This Is creditable to the Ohio
democracy, hut a great work in that field Is. yet
to be accomplished. To this end The Commoner
makes to every one of Its Ohio readers the samo
appeal it ade to its readers in Missouri.
If every Ohio reader of this paper will soo
to It that every democrat of his acquaintance
signs tho primary pledge himself and asks his
own neighbor to do likewise, tho field will bo
covered In a short time, and tho results will tell
in tho democratic vote of tho future. It would
be well for several democrats in every county in
Ohio to get togothor and circulato tho primary
pledge form in ovory precinct, obtaining tho sig
nature of overy democrat, who is willing to dio
charge this duty. This work of organization is
not to terminate with a mere signing of tho
pledge. The Interest of domocrats once aroused
Is to be maintained. Clubs aro to be organized
in every county of the state and in every pre
cinct of the county, these clubs having for their
purpose tho promulgation of democratic prin
ciples and the protection of thp democratic creed
from those who would destroy It. t
To those Ohio democrats who have assisted
in this good work, The Commoner gives its
cordial thanks. If those who have so faithfully
co-operated will renew their activities and will
also arouse the Interest of their fellows, the re
sult will tell, not only In the Ohio election to bo
held in November, but in tho future elections in
that state.
THE FIRST CRIME
Below will be found a statement Issued by
Edward J. Lewis of Wheaton, 111., as he entered
the state penitentiary to a servo a term for
forgery. Before his crimes were discovered he
was prominent in local society, belonged to sev
eral exclusive clurs and was regarded as a rising
young man. After his crookedness was found
out he was a fugitive from justice and traveled
in several countries. He was finally captured
and is one more witness to the fact that "tho
way of the trAnsgressor is hard." It is a good
sign that ho desires to make his own sad ex
perience a warning to others it shows that he
is anxious to do something to atone for his mis
deeds. What a vast amount of suffering would
be avoided if all young men would heed the ad
vice which he gives! He says: "Arriving in
.Toilet to serve an indeterminate sentence for
forgery, I feel it my duty to write a letter and
make a statement, hoping thereby to prevent
other young men from putting themselves in the
same position. When I first sold1 a mortgage for
$400 I thought I could easily repays it by a lucky
strike or a commission on a real estate deal.
When I found that 1 could not 'do this and the
person owning the mortgage asked for her money,
then I had to sell another and larger mortgage
to make good. Afterward I thought this was so
easy I could keep up the crime forever. Boys
and young men, don't play poker. Don't start
when you aro young sneaking back of the barn
with other small boys and using corn for poker
chips. Don't smoke cigarettes. Don't drink your
first glass of beer or whisky. Don't bet on horso
races. Be sure your sins will find 'you out. Boys
and young men, if you knew the suffering I have
gone through you would shun crimes, untruth
and deceit as you would poison. If I am tho
meaps of preventing any one reading' this from
committing the first crime.then I am the happiest
convict In Joilet. That's tho trouble, boys tho
first crime. It leads you on and on till you will
surely land where I am. Boys, if you ever have
committted a crime confess it to the ono you
have wronged and don't do it again. If you do
you will be sure to come to my end."
TO GET IN ON
Republican newspapers in Nebraska whose
editors are free from tho control of corporations
boast that the anti-pass platform adopted by tho
republican state convention shows the determina
tion of that party to be freo from corporation
control. The Norfolk News may be said to bo
a representative republican newspaper, and in
a recent issue tho News printed the following
editorial: "Tho huo and cry that has been go
ing on over the state on the question of passes
brought forth a mild anti-pass resolution, which
was Incorporated in the platform. It really Is
of very little force at the present time, because
before a legislature can bo elected to carry out
its provisions, another state convention will
havo met and another republican platform will
be In effect; but in spite of the fact that it was
shooting In the air, the plank was allowed to
go info tho platform to satisfy those republican
newspapers and politicians with popullstlc ideas."
A man on the rear of a railroad coach was
admonished by the conductor not to stand on tho
platform 'the passenger Inquired: "What aro
platforms for, anyhow?"
The conductor replied: "They are not mado
to stand on; they are mado to get in on."
According to the Norfolk (Nebraska) News,
the anti-pass plank In the state republican plat
form was made to "get in on," and those re
publicans who are In earnest In their antj-mo-nonoly
fight should govern themselves accordingly.
Mr. Loomis has received another vindica
tion. Incidentally the stock of presidential white
wash has been somewhat reduced.
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