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EDITORIALS BY
Minneapolis, Minn., October 14, 1905. While ,
exposing the insurance frauds, why not expose
the fact that it was policyholders' money con
tributed by the big insurance companies that
furnished the boodle that financed the campaign
to nominate and elect Grovor Cleveland? This
exposure is being neglected and is important in
view of the position G. Cleveland now holds.
A Neinda, Texas, reader of The Commoner,
writes:
"In a recent issue of The Commoner I notice
that Author Brown sajs that the history of re
ligion and education could not be written without
John D. Rockefeller's name. That reminds me
of the notorious individual who cornered the
brimstone business several thousand years ago
and of whom the same thing might be said with
equal propriety."
Hartington, Neb., October 31, 1905. On page
11 of tho issue of October 27 you have credited
an article to the Paonla Newspaper. There is
n sad mistake, however, in the Paonia newspaper
article. There will be 53 Sundays seventeen
years in this century, viz., 1905, 1911, 1916, 1922,
192S, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1950, 1956, 1961, 1967, 1972,
1978, 1984, 1989 and 1995. Every time a year be
gins with Sunday it has 53 Sundays, because there
are 52 weeks and one day in each com-non year,
with two extra days in leap year. Therefore
there are four years in each twenty-eight that
begin on Sunday, thus they nave 53 Sundays.
Further, when leap year begina on Saturday it
has 53 Sundays. This occurs once in twenty
eight years. This makes five years in twenty
eight that we have 53 Sundays. Let us calculate
a little further. In one century there are 100
times 3654 days, lacking one day, this would
make 36,524 days or 5,217 weeks with five days
over. As each week has a Sunday there is un
doubtedly an excess of seventeen Sundays to be
distributed through the century. Hope I have
explained the matter clearly.
The Commoner.
THE COMMONER'S
'.VOLUME 5, NUMBER 4J
READERS
A Detroit, Mich., reader or The Commoner
writes: The testimony of some of the conspira
tors in the insurance investigation now being con
ducted in New York, would indicate that they are
taking advantage of the opportunity to exploit
the gold standard and get in a good big wedge
for the 'republican party, while at the same time
tryingvto justify their criminal acts by claiming
that they took the policyholders' money and ap
plied it to the election of the republican ticket
because of their solicitude for the welfare of the
very people they took the money from, many of
whom were as firmly of the opinion that the gold
standard was against their interests, as Mr. Mc
Call and others of his ilk pretended to think that
it was for their benefit.
On the heels of the statements made In the
insurance investigation, now comes Mr. Frank
A. Vanderlip, in a speech before the American
Bankers Association in Washington, and gravely
informs us that the out-put of gold was increasing
so rapidly that if the present rate continued, the
volume of money would" be doubled in twenty
years, with tho result that the prices of many
commodities would be greatly increased, etc., and
that wages and incomes would not Increase pro
portionately, thus producing a state of affairs
which would result in much suffering, etc. I am
a firm believer in free coinace of silver and gold
in unlimited quantities, at the present ratio of
16 to 1, and I can not help feeling some solicitude
for the cause, when such men as Vanderlip and
others, make such outrageous statements, and
when the investigation courts are used to for
ward the interest of tho gold standard clique.
The banking crowd is apparently in tho saddle,
and another move is evidently on foot to give
another turn to the screw that squeezes the com
mon people, for the benefit of tne favored class.
In this connection I would say, that I think we
ought to show tho people why and how, what
might be called the banking trust, is more to be
feared than all the other trusts put together, for
the reason that all other trusts and all other
businesses are subject to the absolute control of
the banking trust which is gradually working out
of circulation every dollar of free money and re
placing it with bank money, through which they
are what might be called, double beneficiaries.
Lincoln, Ills., October 21, 1905. On the fourth
page of The Commoner of the 20th, Inst. I see
"Vote the Republican Ticket" reads a campaign
dodger posted on a country fence In Philadel
phia. This relieves my. mind of a horrible sus
picion. In 1896 I felt sure that the republicans
had bought the election outright. I said so out
loud at tho time and that ghostly thought clung
to me and was even strengthened by the investi
gation of life insurance companies now going
on in New York. McCall and McCurdy both gave
convincing evidence that my suspicions were
well founded. But I now see that it may have
been caused by a voluntary "materialization" of
the dead in our cemeteries. They came forth in
response to that patriotic call in materialized
habiliments and voted the republican ticket and
this was doubtless the cause of that slanderous
charge that the republicans "had voted the names
of men that had long since been dead. I am
glad to be relieved from that horrible suspicion
that' the election of 1896 was fraudulently and
corruptly bought.
Springfield, Ills., September 1. To the Edi
tor of The Commoner: Because universities and
colleges may have been founded and maintained
by "tainted money," is it incumbent upon the
professors of these institutions to teach the
youth in their care that graft ana dishonesty is''
a necessary qualification for success in life? This
seems to be, the standard erected by a historical
professor, Francis W. Shepardson, of the Univerr
gity of Chicago. In a lecture to the students of
that institution not long since, he, as a "foremost
historian of the country," endeavored to prove
that recognized graft and dishonesty has always
existed in this government even among its found
ers, and, therefore, is really the basis of the
great achievements of the United States and its
people. That isolated conditions of graft and
boodling are not any worse now than they ever
hare been in this country Professor Shepardson
may have learned in his historical books, but
were the books he reads the books of impartial
historians, or were the authors writing for re
venge? Probably there were a few corruptable
men in public places in the early days of the
republic. It does not seem possible, however,
there could have been such general and apalling
corruption, and dishonesty in officialdom and com
mercialism as is daily being uncovered in too
many portions of the United States as at thepres
ent time, and only the surface Is beinL scratched
in this behalf thus far.
This historical teacher of the youth of the
Chicago university says it is a "mistake" to
suppose that this is an age of graft and dishon
esty, after referring to the fact that United
States Senators Dietrich, Burton, Mitchell and
Depew, two of whom have already been con
victed of criminal acts, a third would have been
if the law had been permitted to take its coursn
while a fourth, and "there are others," who a
very liable to be if grafting and grafters do not
control the course of the law. Yet this teacher
of youth, in effect, tells his pupils that United
States senators think of it United States sen
ators can commit criminal acts, officials in hich
places criminally violate the trusts committed to
their keeping, to say nothing of the frenzied and
dishonesty practiced in commercialism. All ex
hibiting low moral and even criminal conditions
in too many instances, especially in official quar
ters, never before seen in the United States; that
it does not amount to much, and to suppose the
existence of such rotten conditions is a mistake
in fact "is not much of a shower" for corruption
existed in the "good old days of George Washing.
ton." Yes, crime and wrong doing existed in tho
days of Christ. Judas Iscariot was a grafter, but
to suppose that he was is a "mistake" according
to Professor Shepardson. It seems that the
learned professor's historical lore does not go
back into, the history of the "Prince of Peace."
Probably this is because another learned profes
sor of the university of Chicago not long sinco
in a lecture derided the Bible, declaring before his
students that this book the only book that has
survived the ages of man wai not esthetically
written, and in fact is not at all up to date.
Professor Shepardson, in his lecture also
says that Faneuil Hall in Boston, the "Cradle
of Liberty," was built with tainted coin; that
Peter Faneuil, by whom itw as constructed, was
a "dishonest liquor dealer" and made his money
by "beating the government." (My understand
ing is that Peter Fanueil made his money by
slave trading.) The professor forgets how tho
major part of the University of Chicago was built.
Many people believe it was largely erected with
money out of which many men and the public
have been "beaten." Is this why tLe professor
justifies the present reign of graft? All this
seems to indicate that at the University of Chi
cago about the only standard authority on im
portant matters is the Standard Oil company's
check book.
The learned professor's efforts seems to he
to show that grafting and general corruption is
not a serious condition, and is no worse now than
it has always been in this country, denying that
the country has gone mad over commercialism.
Professor Shepardson's opinion on the present
epidemic of greed for the "almighty dollar" is
on a par with that of the other professor's idea
of the Holy Bible. He gently admits before clos
ing his lecture, however, that "we are far from
being what we should be," but is optimistic and
declares that "it is up to the present generation
of college youths to straighten us out."
With teachers of the "college youths" who
are ready to condone crime apparei.ily because
it is in ligh places, and who belittle the Holy
Bible, because it is not "esthetically written,
will the "college youths" of today be any better
fitted to cope with crime and immorality than tho
teachers of today? m
EDWARD L. MERRITT.
(In the above letters the signatures of tho
writers have not been used because it is not
known whether they desired the publicity. Con
tributions to this department should be brief, ana
permission to print signature should be stated.
It is not possible to print long communications,
but comment made, in brief and interesting form,
on matters of current interest will be published
from time to time. The Commoner reserves tne
right to reject anything which in its opinion is
unsuitable and In the future communications to
this department must not exceed 200 words.
WORLD VANDERING .
Under the title "Forty Thousand Miles of
World Wandering" Mrs. Helen M. Gougar has
published a book of travels that in at once in
teresting and instructive. The author has de
parted widely from the stereotyped methods in
writing of her travels, and the reader at once no
tices the absence of stilted phrase, the seeking
after effect and the effort to impress the reader
with the wonderfully careful observations of the
writer. The descriptions are of things as they
are, not as the writer would' have the reader
believe they impressed the one describing them
and there is a freshness and a wholesoraeness
about it all that makes it a charming companion
for the quiet hour. Mrs. Gougars ability as a
writer is too well known to need mention here.
Possessed of a keen and analytical mind, shrewd
observation and the knack of getting at the heart
of things, she has shown all of her abilities in
the writing of this really pretentious book. Her
comments on men and affairs as she saw them
abroad are in themselves an education. Speak
ing of her observations in the Philippines she
says:
"But one thing is sure, a speedy declaration
should be made that it is the purpose of the
United States to do this (withdraw from the
islands) in a stated number of years and under
proper conditions. Such a declaration would do
more to inspire confidence than all the standing
armies that can camp on Philippine soil."
Commenting further on this line Mrs. Goucar
says: ' to
"The un-American espionage now practiced
over freedom of speech and press should cease;
the prison doors should, open for the speedy re
lease of those men whose only crime has been
that they have dared to arraign dishonest,
drunken, and incapable ofllci.als before the bar or
public opinion."
Mrs. Gougar states with emphasis that "j
due time" the people of the Uni'.ed ' States shouiu
utter no uncertain sound, that wherever the nag
goes there goes the constitution with it. ine
book was written before the close of thw R"s.slJl"
Japanese war, but Mrs. Gougar -ventures uno
prophecy, and it seems to have been inspired.
Writing of Russia she spys:
"The black pall of the Far East is being
lifted to admit the light of the later-day civiliza
tion." Mrs. Gougar has issued an .edition de iiu
which is a model of typography and binding. uu
may be addressed at LaFayette,- Ind.
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