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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1906)
w. r ," . w v "V' The Commoner. FEBRUARY 9, 1901 '-P".'" Zl'-.J" SfCURReNT opicsIII IN THE TRIAL of the beef trust case before Federal Judge Humphrey at Chicago, the at torneys for the packers sprung a sensation when they introduced many witnesses to show that when Commissioner Garfield made his investiga tion of the beef trust he promised the packers that the information he obtained would not be used to their detriment. Edward Morris, a mem ber of the firm of Nelson Morris & Co., and other representatives of the packers testified that after Mr. Garfield had prepared his report he returned to Chicago with the greater part of that report in proofs and submitted the same to the packers for approval. Lewis C. Krauthouff, one of the at torneys for the packers, Charles G. Dawes,' former comptroller of the currency, and other Witnesses testified that Mr. Garfield had given the packers assurance that the information obtained by him would not be open to the department of justice and that they had nothing to fear; in disclosing the secrets of their operations to the commis sioner of corporations. , EDWARD V. SWIFT, vice president of Swift & Co., testified that Mr. Garfield had as sured him that the information given by the packers would not be used outside of the office of the commissioner of corporations. Mr. Swift said that Commissioner Garfield had declared that he spoke forPresident Roosevelt, and that it was the policy of, the administration to protect the packers. AN ASSOCIATED PRESS dispatch from Bar telsville, I. T., follows: "Notice has been received from the Standard Oil company that hereafter only a third of the mid-continent field's output would be bought owing to the fact that the Standard Oil company will be prevented from continuing as a buyer and transporter of petro leum: through the proceedings instituted by Attor ' ney General Hadley of Missouri. There is a pro duction of fifty thousand barrels daily The oper ators are organizing to send a delegation to see the Standard company's agents in Kansas. City, since the enforcement of such an order for long would mean the suspension of all activity here soon. Failing they will go to Mr. Hadley to see if he intends to prevent the Standard from trans porting oil across Missouri.- The committee will tell him that if the Standard is ousted from Mis souri it will shut off the market for petroleum pro ducts in this field because. the pipe line from the mid-continent runs through a portion of Missouri; also that the reduction by two-thirds of the nmount formerly taken by the Standard company has demoralized business and tliey fear the Stand ard will cease entirely to take oil during the agitation:" '' A HINT' OF THE pQW,ef of the Standard Oil Trust is given Jin, a newspaper dispatch from Kansas City as follows: "Oil producers of Kansas and the territories who met here today to consider the recent decision of the Standard Oil company to purchase only half the usual quantity of oil in this field, recognized in this a club which was being held over their heads to induce them to oppose the agitation in Missouri against the trust. They are,ats the mercy of the corporation, however, and all they could do was to vote to curtail their production, as there is no other buyer and all the storage tanks in .the district are filled. " J. E. O'Neill, manager for the Standard in the Kansas field, told the produc ers that in view of the hostility of Attorney Gen eral Hadley the company had decided to abandon construction, of its second pipe line to Whiting, Indiana." EDWARD ROSEWATER, editor of the Omaha , Bee and one of the leading republicans of the west, recently addressed the Philosophical society -in Omaha, saying: "The expenses of our national government including the army, navy, etc., are now $750,000,000 annually, and constant ly crowing. We must have the revenues, and the' inevitable result will be the income tax. The -supreme court has ruled against its con atltutionality but a new decision in the future may b Otherwise. If necessary the constitution will have to be amended in this Particular also. This method seems to me the most equitable way. of makfng the wealthy contribute their just share towards the support of the government. When the time comes for the imposition of the tax much wealth that now escapes through tiubterfitge will be forced to bear its burden. We do not need to look abroad for instances. Front our own city several citizens of the world have graduated, who reside elsewhere and pay us a Visit once n year or so to clip the coupons from their mortgages. They are not taxed here or any place else1 for the bulk of what they possess." CHRISTIAN IX., KING of onmark, Ulcd'SUd denly January 29. His death is attributed .to heart -failure. He is succeeded by his" son Frederick. A Copenhagen dispatch to the New York World says:. "In spite of the fact that) for twenty years King Christian . opposed his -people, and opposed them successfully, Jn their demands for constitutional government, he was always able to count on their love and fealty and took as his motto: 'In the affection of the people is my strength.' He was a man of great intellect, but it would be difficult to name a European sovereign more charitable and upright, or a more perfect gentleman in manners and education. Born April 8, 1818, the fourth son of Duke William of Schles-wig-HolstelnSondonburg-Glucksburg, he ascended the throne as- Christian IX., November 15, 1863. His queen was Princess Louise Of Hesse-Cassel, who in her way was fully as remarkable a char acter as the- king himself. Bismarck used to call Queen Louise 'the brightest diplomat in Europe,' partly because it was she who engineered the matches for her children, and partly because her son-in-law, Czar Alexander of Russia, used to find her his greatest source of comfort and assistance when perplexed by questions of state., The queen made up in wit and brilliancy what the "king lacked. The royal couple celebrated their golden wedding on May 26, 1892. The queen died Sep tember 29, 1898, at the xige of 81; and King Chris tian, continuing , his reign alone; "celebrated his forty-second anniversary, as' king scarcely two months ago." " Y ' A- NEW YORK DISPATCH to the- Chicago Record-Herald follows: "Steel is prince, even as corn is king. Happy is the land under the sway Of such bountiful potentates. Sometime prince and sometime pauper, according to the high authority of Andrew Carnegie, steel has come into its own and is wallowing In wealth. With a net income of nearly $120,000,000, as revealed in the report of the United States Steel Corpora tion today, Prince Steel may well smile at his days of beggary. These net earnings represent a total business of something like $500,000,000, and that is the product of an army of 165,000 of the best paid artisans of all the world. Moreover, the new year was started with orders on the books for more than 7,000,000 tons of finished goods, more by 2,000,000 tons than ever before reported. These figures are staggering in their magnitude. They are highly significant to the ordinary man because they reflect the amazing prosperity of the country. It Is true that,the net earnings of the steel trust were more than $133, 000,000 in 1902, but the indications are that 1906 will be the banner year, and will show the most marvelous development in the steel trade that the world has ever seen. The earnings of the trust for the last three months of 1905 make a new high record for the final quarter of any year, and every quarter of 19Q6 is likely to set a new high water mark." THE HOUSE of representatives has adopted a resolution asking the president to cause to be made a report concerning the alleged ex istence of a combination or arrangement between the Pennsylvania Railway company and Baltimore & Ohio, the Chesepeake & Ohio, and other rail roads. Mr. Roosevelt has called upon the' Inter state commerce commission for the information. Referring to this resolution a New York dispatch to thQ Denver News, says: "An abuse further reaching in its injury than the subtle rebate; more vicious than the private car system and a greater menace to the public than the community of interest agreements of the railroads, is at the foot of the movement to investigate the Pennsyl vania road by congress. The proposed investiga tion of the" relation between the Pennsylvania railroad company and, lines either actually con trolled by ownership of the majority of stock, or domlnatod by traffic alliances, lias been hailed with delight by many of the great shippers of the country, and more especially by the small shipper. Jt is hoped by these shippers that the investigation will bo of the most searching kind, and that the legislation enacted to correct evils will bo of the most drastic ch;.n ..-. It l a peculiar thing that while the shippers will speak f redly and latterly about the way they aro treated by the Pennsylvania and allied lines, they will not allow their names to be published, One of the big shippers who routes his shipments from the western part of Pennslvanla said today: 'You see it Is this way: I must ship by the Pennsyl vania. The only other lino I might tap is the Baltimore & Ohio. That is just as bad. The trafllc men on the Baltimore & Ohio don't turn a wheel Until they get their orders from the Penn sylvania. If I were to kick up a row I would be blacklisted. When you get on the Pennsylvania's blacklist ypn might as we.ll go out of business. Once in the bad books you can't get cars, your stuff gets stuck In a siding somehow or other, the goods get damaged in transit and the claim agents won't answer your letters, and lliero you are.' The shippers have a multitude of com plaints about overcharge, aggressions and other unjust exactions, but tho great complaint at. pres ent revolves around the despotic action of the Pennsylvania company and In this aggression the Pennsylvania stand's almost alone, as other trunk lines do not follow it ignoring the routes on. the bill of lading and diverting shipments' to whatever lines they desire." THE NEW YORK EVENING POST says: "The fall of tho English tpries, now complete, would not seem so shattering had --they not pre viously exalted themselves upon such a pinnacle. Their complacence, their vainglory, even, shows how a long lease of political power will surely derange tho judgment. No longer than a year ago, the tories thought of themselves, in the phrase of Messrs'. Hay and Root, as- alone 'fit to rule.' They did not,; assert an entire monopoly of patriotism, but they did feel sure that wisdom would die with them." 'v THE POST then proceeds to compare that party in England with the republican party in the United States, drawing a very close and interesting analogy, and concluding with this warning: "That such a fate overhangs the re publican party it would be absurd to predict. Political analogies are often most misleading when most fair-seeming, Yet It is hard to deny that tho republicans are accumulating, little by little, causes pf dissatisfaction and complaint of which It would be pasy to make a long catalogue, and which may, in the mass and in the end, bring disaster upon them. If the people do conclude that the time has come to teach them that there is a God in Israel, they may rest assured that they will not be spared for all their harping upon democratic divisions and incapacity." THAT "ALL .THE WORLD loves a lover" Is again demonstratetfin the popular attention accorded Congressman Nicholas Longworth and Miss Alice Roosevelt. A dinner was recently given to this couple at Philadelphia. The toast master introducing Mr. Longworth, said: "It is suspected that he is to be congratulated in more ways than one." The following Is an extract from the New York World's report: " 'As his ex cellency, the ambassador from Brazil, said began Congressman Longworth, 'I. am a lucky man, and I know it.' A general laugh and more applause greeted this remark, and Miss Roosevelt blushed. 'And, in fact, I realize,' continued the congress man, 'that this kind applause with which you have greeted me is not because I deserve it, but because I stand hero shining in reflected glory. I might not like it so much 1f the rays came from the Japanese lanterns or the electric lights which I see here, but when the rays come from the sun then I am indeed glad.' Another burst of ap plause and another blush from Miss Roosevelt. 'And though late,' went on Mr. Longworth, 'I think I see the sun shining beyond the palm trees in the other room.' Mild applause and many blushes. He then paused to speak on his bill to provide residences for American ministers abroad." 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