opv
The Commoner.
7
MARCH 16, "190C
called . possessors of privileges.' I .tlilnk that,
three sources of privilege will account for this:
First, franchise privilege granted by representa
tives of the people; second, taxation of the many
for the benefit of the few, the so-called protec
tive tariff; and third, increasingly concentrated
control of land, the foundation source of all
wealth. The special fact under the third clauso
is the almost invariable valuation of land for tax
ation on a basis of favoritism for the holders of
unimproved land, and also to the great advantage
of those holding largo tracts of land."
REFERRING TO THE platform to be adopted,
Mr. Peabody says: "I would assert in
such, a platform government ownership as tho
future policy for all 'business based on rights to
use of streets or roads, or the exercise of emi
nent domain, as tho only equitable solution of thia
greatest modern problem. I would assert tho
necessity of municipal operation of street rail
roads and lighting facilities as of water distribu
tion as the only sure reliance for pure politics
in our vast centers of population and to offset
the serious hindrances caused by street mains
and railroad construction and operation, and to
avoid unnecessary duplicate and competitive con
struction, always in the end paid for by tho
people."
MR. PEABODY DECLARES that the platform -he
would write would oppose President
Roosevelt's plan of railway control -because he
can see in such control only a crop of scandals
and the development of the most powerful ma
chine for political influence ever lmown. Accord
ing to Mr. Peabody, government ownership of the .
roads is the only solution, and he adds: "I have
for ten years or more held the confident opinion
that government ownership of all railroads was
the one final solution; but the details must be
worked out patiently and the steps taken con
servatively." He- further suggests that tho demo
cratic party follow the lines indicated by the
liberal party of England in its advocacy of tho
principle, of ground-rent taxation.
COMMENTING UPON Mr. Peabody's" letter, tho
Springfield Republican, gays: "Thus, brief
ly stated', ,the.,Peapody platform for the democracy
is: ' Public ownership pf. railrpads and street rail
ways and other public-service businesses based
upon the use of. streets or right of eminent, do
main; reform of the tariff as a protector of
trusts; and ground rent taxation as a remedy
against monopoly in general having its basis
in private ownership of the stores and wealth
of Nature. It may well be doubted if these views
of what ia safe and sane will find acceptance
among those democrats who invented and make
an authoritative use of the phrase. Nevertheless,
having regard to the great problem of monopoly,
Which is almost universally recognized aa upon
the country in Serious and aggravated form, it
is quite possible that more safety and sanity
may be found in such a program than in any
one so far presented 'under the .title of fsafe and
sane.' Anyhow, it is of no alight significance that
a man of Mr. Peabody"s surroundings should .ad
vance so "radical a. program as this."
PRESENTING TO THE house the pension ap
propriation bill, Representative Gardner, re
publican, of Michigan, gave some interesting infor
mation concerning pensions. According to Mr.
Gardner, although forty years nave intervened
since the Civil war, the pension appropriation is
at its maximum. There are one million pen
sioners, all but 53,424 Of them from that war with
annual roll of $139,000 000. In the 63,424 aro
represented surviving veterans of all the other
wars of this country. The Civil war cost $6
000,000,000. Up to the present, half as much
again has been paid out for pensions, and Mr.
Gardner predicts that before the end of its pen
sion rolls comes ,the first cost or the war will
have been equalled. In twenty years from now
he nredicts the pension rolls will contain half
I mnnon 'names, of which 132,414 will be charge,
able to the Spanish-American war. At present,
he says, the pension roll costs e government
iust one-fourth of all other expenses. In 18b7,
one year after the Civil war, the interest on the
puolic LSt was $143,781,591 and the pension
roll $20,933,551. Now these two items are prac
tically reversed as to amount.
I
N HIS STATEMENT to tho house, Representa
.. Aj " i vnn the American pension
ii -nf ti?S onS 000 to that of France which has
rolls of $139,000,000 to mat . nft00ft. flermanv
an annual- expenditure m ""'7'nwftflA0.. Austria
has-an annual expenditure of J21,000,oo. ; Austria
Hungary $10,000,000 and Great Britain $9,000,000.
Mr. Gardner said that there aro now more Span
ish war veterans on tho American pension rolls
than were in Shaftor's entire army in Cuba. De
fending the incorporation in this appropriation
bill of Mr. Roosevelt's order No. 78, Represen
tative Gardner said that this order was In
tended to work automatically and to make ago
tho only proof of disability. Ho declared that Com
missioner Warner had found tho order in con
flict with statute provision, ana it was thereby
robbed of its operation. By eliminating surgeons'
fees, Mr. Gardner estimated that Dy enacting the
ordor into law, money would bo savetf tho gov
ernment, and benefit extended to the veteran.
Tho amendment he regarded as a virtual service
pension law, saying in time it would place every
soldier of the Civil war on the pension roll at
a maximum pension of $12 a month.
IN 1904 THE United States exports to Germany
amounted to $215,000,000. Referring to this
fact the Louisville (Ky.) Times says: "Tho fol
lowing table shows the principle articles ex
ported, the present duty and the increase which
will be enforced as a result of the refusal on the
part of the United States to make some con
cessions from the Dlngloy rates, which would en
able Germany to deal with thrs country under
the most favored nation clauso:
PER 100 KILOGRAMS, EQUAL TO 220.4 POUNDS.
Present. New.
Articles . Value. Duty. Duty.
Wheat'. "..$6,000,000 .83 $1.88
Lard .' 15,600,000 $2.38 2.97
Leather and mfg. 1,200,000
Shoes 11.90-15.47 20.23-42.84
Corn 7j200,0Q0 .38 1.19
Fruits .. , , 3,600,000. , . . .
Dried ......,,, ,.,.,.. . 95 2.38
Fresh Apples,.. .......' Free- - 2.38
Flour ." '-2,200,000. . . 4.74 - 4.36
REFERRING TO THE offer of the New York
jeweller to sell wa'tckes purchased in Eng
luud and returned to the United States at a lower
price than the same" could be purchased in the
home market with the duty of 40 por cent added,
L. A. Jennings of Silver Creek, New York, sayst
"It is the invariable contention of protective tariff
a'dvocates, that the fundamental object of the
protective system, is the protection of American
labor; to make business for that class, as re
munerative wages, and to this end, prevent the
competition of the-pauper labor of the old world,
and not for the purpose of extending an undue
advantage to manufacturers in this country. It
seems to me, that my plan would relieve our
tariff laws of the feature that is most criticised,
without diminishing, in the least, the demand for
labor. My measure would provide, that all manu
factured goods, which are shipped to a foreign
market may, be imported back to this country,
free of duty, other than a nominal one, Sufficient
to remunerate Custom house officials for trans
acting the business. This would enable the
merchants at home to sell American made pro
ducts as cheaply as the foreigner could, at the
same time that the .regular duty, will shut out
foreign made products, from waging .a ruinous
competion. Now if our protective tariff friends
are sincere in their professions, that the prime
object of their system Is to protect American labor,
I cannot see what grounds they can have for
objecting to tho passage of my amendment Tho
McKinley tariff bill did, and, presumably, the
Dingley law does, allow a rebate of 99 per cent
of the duties charged on imports, to exporters
who ship the same goods abroad again. That
law took all but one per cent of the duty, out of
the treasury; my amendment avoids the trouble
of putting it In, while the result is the same.
It Is unnecessary to elaborate my measure, until
I- find out if it is likely to avoid one of those com
mittee pigeonholes, which ought to be, if it is not,
labeled 'oblivion.'"
REPRESENTATIVE SULZER of New York"
made no end of trouble for republican
leaders when he Introduced his resolution pro
viding for an inquiry into the details of the sale
bv the government of the ofd customs house
nronerty in New York. Several more or less
interesting efforts have been made by govern
ment officials and bankers to explain this sale,
but none of them appears to bo entirely satis
factory. Referring to this peculiar deal, the
Washington correspondent for the New York
World says: "Lyman J. Gage, who was secre
tary of the treasury when the New York custom
house was sold to the National City bank, told
James ISlrnan, president of the In-Won, hr
much to bid for 'the. property. Secretary Gage
also was responsible for tho contract which en
abled tho bank to get control of tho property
without paying taxes to tho city of Now' York.
Tho government Is not requlrod to pay taxes arid
tho retention of tho tltlo- by tho government put
thousands of dollars into tho coffers of the bank,
of which Frank A. Vanderllp, a protege df'Sec
rotary Gage's, was afterward mad3 vice presi
dent" IN THE PROCEEDINGS leading to tho sale of
this property, congress gave to the secretary
of tho treasury authority to sell the Now York
customs houso property, lodging in'Uie secretary
discretionary power so as not to force a salo at
a sacrifice. Members of congress had been as
sured that nothing less than a reasonable price
would be accepted. Referring to tho subsequent
proceedings tho World's correspondent says:
''Secretary Gago advertised and received two bids,
bu.t they had not been opened when Mr. Stlllman
cajled on him and told him that (he directors of
tho National City had instructed him to bid
$3,100,000 for the property. Mr. Gago said he was
glad, but he could not understand how a bank
could afford to put that amount into real estate.
Mr. Stlllman said the bank had decided to In
crease Its capital stock by $10,000,000 and so
could afford it. Mr. Gage thought so loo, and
he said: 'I would not accept less than $3,250,000
for the property, and I will not say positively
that I would sell for that.' After a hurried re
turn to Now York, Mr. Stlllman, acting on tho
tip from tho secretary, put in a bid for $3,265,000,
notwithstanding the directors had Instructed him
to bid only $3,100,000. Tho Up by Mr. Gago
gave him a great advantage over the other
bidders. Stillraan's bid was higher than the other
two, and the property was sold to tho bank. The
property was sold under a contract and the title
vas not transferred. Tho contract provided' that
tho entire purchase price must bo paid before
the bank should be given possession, also that
the bank should pay 4 per cent interest on tho
deferred payments. Shortly after tho bank paid
$3,215,000, leaving a balance due of $50,000. By
Secretary Gage permitting the bahit to make this
large payment, the government lost the 4 per
cent interest while It still held trio title. There
was a great demand for deposits .of government
funds, and; Mr. Stlllman proposed that to offset
tho payment of tho $3,215,000 Secretary Gage
deposit $3,000,000 of government funds in the
National City, the bank depositing United States
bonds .to secure the government. Thus tho-government
not only lost the. 4 per cent interest,
but also turned over to the bank $3,000,000 with
out interest."
A TOUCHING STORY concerning a mother's
love is told by the Now York World in this
way: "Mrs. Christina Barbara Hoch laid her
dearest son Carl, to rest a dozen years ago in
Woodland cemetery, Newark, N. J. She. was
already sixty-six years old, and hardly hoped for
an extended span of life. She gave herself to
no morbid grieving, but with her own hands
planted upon his grave a sturdy rose bush.
Though her home was moved to Brooklyn, and
the way was long, she returned again and again
to watch the plant with the fostering love she
had given to the dead son as child and man. The
seasons came and went, the roses budded and
bloomed and faded, only to renew themselves
again, and the mother-hunger was satisfied. Death
had lost Its sting. Mrs. Hoch died last Tuesday.
She had been visiting her married daughter in
Bloomfield, N. J., and on the cars, en route to
New York, she was stricken with paralysis. They"
took her unconscious to her home at No. 70
Schermerhorn street, Brooklyn, and ft was hours
before she roused to recognize her children about
her bed. Her dying thought was for the rose,
arid she bade her daughter, Emilia Hoch, with
whom she had lived for several years, to remem
ber her cherished wish that after death she be
cremated and the ashes of her body be used to
nurture the plant she had tended. The crema
tion took place yesterday at Fresh Pond, and
with the opening of spring the desire of this simple-hearted
old German woman will be fulfilled.
Born In Neifern, Germany, In 1828, she came to
this country with her children in the first dawn
of her widowhood. Her two sons, Otto, a justice
of the peace In Newark, and Emll, a vaudeville
actor, and two married daughters, Mrs. Edward
Batts and Mrs. Anton Brenk, have long been ab
sent from the maternal roof. Miss Emilia Hoch
was her mother's devoted companion, and both
were members of the German Evangelical church
in Schermerhorn street, whose pastor, the Rev.
Jacob W.Loch, conducted the funeral services on
Thursday' night." ' "
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