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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1906)
j-irpnff,npp- The Commoner. FEBRUARY 2, 1006 9 1 tendent to see that the companies are solyent and , -not go into details concerning the private invest- ments of trustees and directors. Mr. Barnes, .formerly a Piatt man, was one of the first, to join "the Roosevelt-Higgins combination in Btate poli tics, and some have thought the utterances of .the Albany Journal reflects the attitude of the administration people on the program to be fol lowedthat it was the idea of the governor and the president to minimize matters rather than follow them up with an aggressive policy. It has leaked out, however, that Mr. Barnes is no longer in sympathy with the Higgins-Roosevelt combination, and it is possible that Mr. Barnes' newspaper can hardly be regarded "as the official organ of the reorganizes in the anti-Roosevelt crusade. The article declares that not a single insurance company has been shown to be Insol vent by the investigation, which, of course, is not exactly true, application having been made for . a receiver for the Empire Life, which faile.d with obligations of $4,000,000 and assets of only a few thousand dollars. The article also asserts that it is the business of the insurance superintendent to see that the companies are solvent and not to go into details concerning the private invest ments of trustees and directors. The fact that all of the big companies have been practically reorganized lately will, it is thought, give the presidents of the organizations an opportunity to oppose what might be regarded as radical legis lation." AN INTERESTING STORY showing how in fernally fine webs are spun in the effort to maintain senatorial dignity is told in an Asso ciated Press dispatch under date of Washington, January 22, as follows: "One of the most remark able procedures in the history of the senate oc curred today in order to avoid a technicality which prevented Senator Burton of Kansas from drawing his mileage from the present session. In order to have his requisition honored it is necessary for some official of the senate to take oath that he had seen the senator in the chamber, but since the indictment and conviction of the Kansas senator he has not appeared in the sen ate. There is no disposition on the part of any one to withhold the mileage, and the senator, therefore, was asked to step from the cloakroom into the chamber" for a moment in order that he might be seen by some official. He declined, but an employe engaged him in conversation in the cloakroom near the entrance to the chamber. The employe suddenly turned the senator so that he faced the chamber, and, the attention of the officials previously having been directed toward this door, he was seen from the chamber. It ' was then certified that Senator Burton 'was in attendance, and his mileage was paid him." T UDGE MOSES HALLETT of the United States j circuit court delivered at Colorado Springs, January 20, an address which created something of a sensation. Judge Hallet spoke on the subject of "Private Ownership." He boldly advocated the repeal of the laws permitting the creation of cor porations. He refered to the remarks made by President Hadley of Yale university that "the way to bring corporations to time is to ostracise socially the wrongdoers to bounce them from so ciety." Judge Hallett says: "A year later John , D. Rockefeller made a gift of $100,000 to Yale university and President Hadley suffered a lapse of memory in his eagerness to get his hands on the $100,000 donation." Judge Hallett said that it was unjust that the individual transacting busi ness and who by the laws of nature is mortal, should be brought into competition with the cor porations "endowed with attributes of immortal ity." He declared that the old method of curing a mad dog by cutting off its tail had declared that the only place to cut it off was behind the ears. He said that every man's name should be writ ten in large letters on the ways of the institu tion where he transacted business and everybody should be made personally responsible for the business he transacted. He declared that to per- mit men to hide behind the corporate name was "a constant menace and temptation. TUDGE HALLETT referring to the American 'Smelting and Refining company said" that it . contained "within its belly no one knows how many minor or smaller corporations. The syndi cate now controls the food of which we partake at our breakfast and the sedative we retire on at night." Judge Hallett said mat the great hue arid cry at the time of the silver agitation was the inflation of the currency, but that after suc cessfully burying the silver issue and. within the past eight years "our currency has been .Inflated $100,000,000; that 2,240 more national banks exist V- and the circulation per capita has increased from 21 and a fraction to 31 and a fraction; that Banker Schiff; seconded by Lyman Gage, was still clamoring for more money and for what purpose? Simply to carry on their speculation." The Den ver News, from whose columns these extracts from Judge Hallett's speech are taken, says: "Judge Hallett spoke hardly more than a half hour and while he was talking not the slightest sound but that of his voice was heard in the ban quet room so intensely interested were the law yers in what he was saying." Judge Hallett made other remarks which sound very much like some of the democratic campaign speeches of 1896. We do not recall, however, that republican newspapers generally have condemned Judge Hal lett as "a foe to the business interests of tho country," as "a disturber of the peace and good order of society," or as "an assailant of the na tional honor." Can it be possible that, in the language of Cato Sells of Iowa, "The anarchy of 1896 has become the patriotism of. 1906?" THERE ARE 249 republican representatives and 56 republican senators in the Fifty-ninth congress. Of course all the representatives who expect to continue in office must submit their claims to the people next fall. A writer in the New Work World says that the terms of thirty three of the. republican senators will expire on or before March 3, 1909. For instance: The terms of fifteen republican senators will expire in 1907. They are: Alice of Delaware," Cullom of Illinois, Dolliver of Iowa, Frye of Maine, Burton of Kan sas, Crane of Massachusetts, Alger of Michigan, Nelson of Minnesota, Millard of Nebraska, Burn ham of New Hampshire, Wetmore of Rhode Island, Gamble of South Dakota, Elkins of West Virginia, Warren of Wyoming and Dryden of New Jersey. The terms of eighteen other republican senators, will expire in 1909. They are: Perkins of Cali fornia, Brandegee of Connecticut, Heyburn of Idaho, Hopkins of Illinois, Hemenway of Indiana, Allison of Iowa, Long of Kansas, Gallinger of New Hampshire, Piatt of New York, Hansbrough of North Dakota, Kittridge of South Dakota, For aker of Ohio, Fulton of Oregon, Penrose of Penn sylvania, Smoot of Utah, Dillingham of Vermont, Ankeny of Washington and Spooner of Wiscon sin. ROBERT. J. COLLIER, publisher of Collier's Weekly, purchased the birth-place of Abra ham Lincoln a little farm of 110 acres two miles from the" village of Hodginsville, Ky. Mr. Collier ' intends to donate this farm to the federal govern ment and proposes that through voluntary con tributions that the place be parked, monumented, and developed into a great national museum. The original log cabin in which Lincoln was born is now owned by an exhibition in New York City, and is to be restored to its original place. Mr. Collier expresses the hope that the popular sub scription will reach at least half a million dollars. Collier's Weekly for February 10 will be a Lin coln number and in that issue an appeal will be made to the people for contributions for this en dowment. ANEW YORK DISPATCH to the Denver News follows: "When John D. Rockefeller took to wearing a wig less than a year ago he adopted a disguise that has proven almost impenetrable. It was thought when the black and gray head cov ering made its appearance that the old man de cided to wear it because of his abhorrence of a bald head. A close friend of Mr. Rockefeller,, however, says it was not the millionaire's vanity that prompted the change, but his desire 'to con ceal his identity from an inquisitive public. Mr. Rockefeller, because of his hairless head and sharp features, used to be easily recognized when traveling about the country. This was vividly impressed upon him during a trip to San Francisco about a year ago, when a porter, within three minutes after Mr. Rockefeller boarded the train, spread the news about that 'John D.' was aboard. On his return to Cleveland, Mr. Rockefeller bought the wig, and since then he has been able to go about unmolested. Mr. Rockefeller has made sev eral trips since he got tho wig, and has escaped the attention that he used to attract. His closest friends have to look twice to be sure it is Mr. Rockefeller. It is considered possible that the process servers in the Standard Oil Investigation may have passed Mr. Rockefeller on the street without having recognized him." GOVERNOR FOLK of Missouri recently, ad . dressed a gathering of business men at Boston. On that occasion Governor Folk said: "A civic regeneration is going on all over the land, and its influences -arc extending from the domain of tho public to that of tho private wrongdoer and probing Into the doings of rascals of every kind. The elections of last November were but tho taking of tho first brestworks of the opposi tion. The fight must bo and will bo kept up with unceasing vigor, and the time will never- come when tho people can be securo of their political liberty whilo they rest upon their arms in idle ness. The battle against civic ovils will continue as long as men love their family, their homo and their country. This is what civic revival means love of country. Graft cannot bo exterminated fully until special privileges are done away with and tho doctrino of equal rights 1b recognized. It matters not whether this special privilege be in the form of a tariff so arranged as to foster monopoly or a combination to control the prices of necessities, or rebates to favored shippers. Whenever a class. Is given a Bpocial privilege in any form whereby they can prey upon the rest of the peoplo, this is. graft and should bo stopped. Some" special Interest is at the bottom of every graft." ONE OF THE MOST annoying of ailments is whooping cough, while small progress has so far been made In the treatment of this disease. It Is believed by some that a practical although very simple remedy has been discovered. The Fremont (Nebr.) Daily Herald tells the story in this way: "William Lawlor, of this city, has a cure for whooping cough which has not been dis played in medical books to any great extent, or been taken into consideration .by physicians in treating that troublesome malady. But he says it is a reliable cure just the same and will bank on it. It is nothing more than inhaling the fumes around a gas generating machine not the gas fumes exactly but the atmosphere around a gas factory. The remedy has been tried effectually at Lincoln, where there is a room provided for that purpose and children go there by the score and are treated. One particular child in tho capital city was given up by the doctors. As a last re sort her parents who had no faith in tho gas cure, took the little girl at last to try its efficiency. She was cured and is as well today as ever. . At the gas factory In Lincoln there are two days in the week called 'Whooping Cough Days,' on which the special room prepared have all the children that can be accommodated who come to be cured. ,Ono Fremont family who have recently found whooping cough a sore trial in the home circle are going to have Mr. LawJor fix up a, room at his gas plant and are going to try the peculiar remedy and learn what there is in it. If their little children are healed there will be many others who will apply for Mr. Lawlor's free treat ment. Now, this is no gas but genuine facts and if you don't believe it ask Mr. Lawlor. He'll tell you just what you liaye heard here." MOST PEOPLE ARE familiar with the late John J.. Ingalls' classic on "Opportunity." Mr. Ingalls wrote: , .' - -' Master of human destines am I! Fame, love and 'fortune on my footsteps wait. Cities and fields I walk: I penetrate Deserts and seas remote, and passing by Hovel and mart and palace, soon or late I knock unbidden once at every gate! If sleeping, wake; if feasting, rise before ' I turn away. It is the hour of fate, And they who follow mo reach every stale Mortals desire, and conquer every foe Save death: but those who doubt or hesitate Condemned to failure, penury and woe Seek me in vain and uselessly Implore I answer not, and I return no morel Mr. Dooley, knjown in polite society as P. F. Dunne, has written a companion-piece for the Ingalls' classic. Tho companion-piece follows: Opporchunity knocks at ivery man's dure wanst. On some men's dures it hammers till it breaks down th' dure an' thin it goes In an' aftherward it wurrkte f'r him as a night watchman. On other men's dures it knocks an' runs away, an' on th' dures iv some men it knocks an' whin they come out it hits thim over th' head with an ax. But ivlry wan has an opporchunity. British, voters have just emerged from a bal lot on. the question of free trade and protection. The British voter has the advantage of the Amer ican voter, the latter being refused an opportunity to vote by the eminent gentlemen who are wax ing enormously rich by reason of their protective tariff -graft. N 4 ,i-ii VirtSi " "