--rn-
The Commoner,
FEBRUARY 1G, 190G
i .
Mail Steamship company lias a paid up capital
of eleven million dollars, runs steamers between
Japan, America, Europe and Asia and pay3 a
ten per cent dividend on its capital. The Osaka
Mercantile Steamship company (Osaka Shosen
Kaisha) has a paid up capital of nearly three and
a half million dollars, owns about one hundred
vessels and pays a dividend of ten per cent.
These are the largest Companies but there arc
many smaller ones; some paying dividends of
sixteen and twenty per cent.
I will close this article with the suggestion
that the mercantile marine seems likely to show
large growth in the future, offering, as it does, a
legitimate field for national expansion.
Japan's fishing industries furnish a training
for seamen and her people seem at home upon
the water. She needs more territory for her
expanding population and has about reached the
limit in the cultivation of her tillable land. Every
additional ship manned by her citizens is like
a new island, rising from the waves, upon which
her increasing population can be supported. If
she seeks to acquire land in any direction, she
finds her efforts contested by the inhabitants al
ready there; no wonder she hails with delight
these floating farms constructed by the genius
of her own people new land as it were, won and
held without the sacrifice of war.
Copyright
JJJ
HEAVY FREIGHT BY MAlL
Testifying before the house committees on
postofflces and post roads, Edwin C. Mudden, third
assistant postmaster general, said that indiscrini-
'inate use of the government free mail envelope
by various executive departments of the govern
ment was one of the chief causes of the postal
deficit. He said that typewriters, billiard tables,
desks, chairs, lounges, carpets, book-cases, and
heavy steel safes were sent on mail cars free
at all times of the year, and that it happened that
much of these heavy shipments were made dur
ing the period when the mails are weighed for
ninety days in order to determine the basis of
compensation to railroads. Mr. Madden said
that in 1899 this government free matter, exclu
sive of bags and wrappings, constituted 12.58 per
cent of the entire weight carried. Postmaster
General Cortelyou, he said, had estimated that
in 1904 the government lost in round numbers
$20,000,000 by this free matter.
Postmaster General Cortelyou suggests as a
remedy that each department of the government
shall pay postage upon its mail matter according
to its class. Representative uverstreet favors
a law requiring each executive department to
keep account of its mall shipments both as to
weight and character, and he thinks that this
plan would provide the necessary remedy. It will
occur to a great many people that this is a very
important problem and that congress should
be able to apply an effective remedy.
Mr. Cortelyou's recommendation seems to be
practical and it should, we think, be adopted.
The government franking privilege has been
grossly abused. Senators and representatives
have participated in this abuse, ana there is arf
impression at 'Washington that congress will not
provide an effective remedy. There is no reason
why there should be a postal deficit. It has long
'been a mystery why the government has so long
submitted 4o extortion in this matter of payment
to railroads for mail transportation. For carry-
. ing the mails railroads charge the government
about 800 per cent more than they charge the
express companies for similar service. The
franking privilege should be readjusted and, wher
ever practical, actually abolished, while the rail
roads should be required to carry the mails on
reasonable terms.
JJJ
THE SAME OLD STORY
The marital difficulties of Count and Countess
Boni de Castellaue are just now being discussed
in the public prints. Countess de Castellane was
Miss Anna Gould, daughter of the late Jay. Gould.
She conferred her hand and her millions upon
Count Boni de Castellane of France, a fortune
hunter of odorous reputation. The result is just
'what thousands predicted; basing their predic-
tions on precedent. Some of these so-called in
ternational marriages have been happy, but the
vast majority of them have ended in ruined
hopes and broken hearts. American girls of
fortune, blinded by the pomp and glitter of courts
of royalty, have purchased titled husbands just
f n... fotiiopo nnvp.hn.sGd railroads and mamifno-
.turmg plants. The only difference is that their
fathers were successful, as a rule, In their ven
tures while the daughters have been unsuccessful.
Love' can not be measured by dollars and cents,
and place and position bought with love as tho
sacrifice, must sooner or later become like tho
Dead Sea fruit that is so beautiful to tho eye
but turns to ashes on the lips. Count de Castcl
lane's reputation was well known before his title
was purchased with American dollars. But that
.title was coveted, and its glitter temporarily hid
from tho enchanted eyes of tho American heiress
tho dishonorable stains upon it. Now tho glitter
is gone, tho horrible stains stand out prominent
ly, and one moro American girl, disillusioned
and disenchanted, is asking for relief from marital
vows that were only a hollow mockery when 'first
..taken. It Is the same old story, ,told in' tho samo
old way.
JJJ
"SEE AMERICA FIRST"
There was held in Salt Lako City recently
a convention that had for Its object tho work of
Impressing upon Americans that before touring
in foreign lands they should "See America First."
It would bo well to consider tho fact that the
habit of neglecting one's own country to trayol
abroad breeds provincialism, puts a premium on
ignorance of the country's conditions and weakens
patriotism. Peope who ha,ye raved over tho
glories of tho Alps never saw in Switzerland
greater scenic beauty than is spread Out before
the . traveler in the Rockies. -People who have
floated down the storied Rhino and sung praises
of Its beauties beheld scenes there far Inferior
to the scenes placed before those who have
traversed the course of the Hudson and the Co
lumbia. The eastern world contains nothing that
is worthy of being mentioned in the same day
with the Grand Canon and the Yoseraite Valley.
There is nothing in all Europe worthy of being
mentioned in the same day with the Yellowstone
Park. The petrified forests of Arizona, the Garden
of the Gods, Cheyenne Canon, Nigara Falls, the
great gorge of the Niagara river below the falls.
Mammoth cave all these and a thousand more
American sights excel anything that Europe has
to offer save the pomp and glory and circumstance
. of having made a "foreign tour." That there is
glory in having made a foreign tour before "see
ing America first" is not a credit to our patriotism
or our common sense.
If the Salt Lake City convention's plans re
suit, jn turning the. tide of travel westward into
"the marvelous scenic wonders,. Qf ,the great west,
if will -have accomplished a great work' in na
tional education.
JJJ
SNOBOCRACY
A dispatch to the Chicago Record-Herald, un
der date of Pittsburg, January 14, follows: "Wil
liam N. Frew Jr., son of the millionaire attorney
of this city and protege of Andrew Carnegie, spent
today in a stuffy room on the top floor of the
courthouse. Young Frew was called for jury duty
last Monday and was placed on the Geyser mur
der case. All week long he has occupied the
same sleeping quarters with eleven' other men, and
marched out with them three times a day to a
cheap restaurant, where he has had his meals.
It was thought that the case would be finished
yesterday, but it is still on and the jury was kept
locked up all day today, greatly to the disgust
and annoyance of young Frew and his parents.
They sent him some home-cooked meals, flowers
and reading matter."
Now that was too bad. Think of "the son
of a millionaire attorney" being required to sub
. mlt, while on jury duty, to tho same inconven
iences to which plain, everyday citizens, serving
as jurors, are put! Think of "the son of a mil
lionaire attorney" occupying the same sleeping
quarters with "eleven other men" and "marched
out with them three times a day to a cheap
restaurant!"
No doubt young Frew was "greatly disgusted
and annoyed." No doubt, also, young Frew's par
ents were "greatly disgusted and annoyed." But
what about the "eleven other men?"
Can it be possible that even the "Fourth Es
tate" has fallen under the blandfshments of
snobocracy?
JJJ
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
The question of the popular election of United
States senators is before the Iowa legislature.
A resolution was introduced asking the governor
of Iowa to write the governors of other states
to name representatives to an interstate confer
ence looking to joint action on the part of the
Btates to secure the calling of a constitutional
convention which shall submit an amendment for
the direct election of senators. The two-thirds
vote in congress necessary for the submission of
such an amendment can not be obtained, but the
legislatures of two-thirds of the states may call
a convention for proposed amendments, and If
theso amendments arc ratified by three-fourths
of tho states thoy become a part of the con
stitution. Tho Chicago Tribune expresses doubts as
to tho advisability of a constitutional convention.
Tho Tribune thinks, that tho delegates to such a
convention will not bo inclined to confine them
solves to tho single subject of the method of
electing senators. Tho Tribune suggests a way
In which.it thinks a stato may have "moro of
a voice" In tho election of senators. Jt says:
"It is In tho power of tho Iowa legislature
to pass a law providing for the expression
of senatorial preferences at the primaries.
If any considerable number of voters attend
the primaries and express a prelerenco the
legislature will act In . accordance wUji it,
though not legally bound to do so. That will
be the nearest possible approach to a direct
election of senators. Such a law can be enact
ed this year, while it may require ninny years
to get a constitutional convention."
The Tribune's plan has been tried and has
not always worked successfully. There is on tho
Nebraska statute books a similar plan. The Ne
braska law provides that at the general election
votors may express their preference for United
States senator by writing tho name or their favor
ite on the ballot. The legislature is not bound
to follow theso preferences and, in truth, has
never heeded them even when a considerable
number of votes were cast for a particular can
didate. As a rule comparatively few of tho voters
take the trouble to express a preference.
It is difficult to understand why the Tribune
says that this plan "is tho nearest possible ap
proach to a direct election of senators." It is
plain that tho people favor this reform. True,
they can not secure the consent of congress, as
at present constituted, but sooner or later this
reform will bo accomplished. Tho constitutional
convention plan seems to be practical, although
there may be some difficulty just at this time to
persuade two-thirds of the states to call the pro
posed convention. It is to be hoped, however,
that tho Iowa legislature will adopt the resolu
tion and that tho proposed conference will ' be
held. That will provide a means for testing the
sentiment.
The present method of electing senators is
doomed. To bring about a reform win require
time, but the senate will yot bo made responsive
to tho public will, and the only way to bring
about that desirable result is to make tho sen
ators dependent for election upon the vote of
the people. ,
JJJ
. "KEEP IT DARK"
The New York World Is authority for the
statement that at a recent meeting of the mem
bers of the Equitable Life Assurance Society the
directors were required to sign written pledges
in which each one bound himself not to divulge
anything about the revelations made, by the so
ciety's accountants. The World says that there
was submitted at this directors' meeting a re
port containing evidence of a great man'y scandals
which have not heretofore been revealed.
Evidently it is beginning to dawn on some
of tho Equitable policyholders that Mr. Ryan's
investment in Equitable stock was not entirely
philanthropic.
JJJ
AN 1896 QUESTION
Discussing the Increase In the gold produc
tions the Sioux City Journal asks: "Will the pur
chasing power of gold decrease as its volume,
with accompanying credit, Increases thereby forc
ing a higher level of prices?"
If memory is not at fault the Sioux City Jour
nal and other republican papers disposed of such
questions as that in 1896. Then they bitterly
denied the quantitative theory which was in fact
the foundation for. ail arguments in behalf of
bimetallism. Can it bo possible that the Journal
has been converted to the theory against which
it contended in 1896?
JJJ
ONE OF THE MYSTERIES
.Inquiry has disclosed the fact that of govern
ment fundB distributed among the banks the City
National Bank of New York has on deposit some
thing more than $8,000,000. The Vigo County
National Bank at Terre Haute, Indiana, has on
deposit something more than ?1G,000,000. The
total deposits of government money amount in the
neighborhood of $65,000,000. Of that sum two
banks have $24,000,000, or more than one-third
of the. entire' deposits. This is only one of the
many mysteries at the national capital.
?
v
&mm
iJteU -jiiL-
- m &-&..
jjttaMtfr tef . .
fcy,h. ilil. -