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MARCH 23, 190
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o this fair propoBition? It should be an opportu
nity dear to tho president's heart, considering how
emphatically during the campaign he ropelled tho
charge that campaign money had been given to
his party by corporations in need of legislative or
executive favors. All except hardened spoilsmen
concede the pressing demand" for reform in cam
paign financing.' The beginning of reform is
publicity."
CALLING ATTENTION to the fact that Mr.
.Roosevelt "is entrenched behind the demo
cratic :platform" and his fortunes are in ihe keep
ing of a radical democrat, a senator from the
state -of South Carolina, the Washington Post
.says: "In the debate last Wednesday, it looked
as though Mr. Clapp was ready to surrender every
thing the president holds dear to 'the inherent
equity jurisdiction' of federal courts of inferior
jurisdiction, which, without any sort of doubt,
would throw the whole mess into chancery and
give us more 'government by injunction' than we
ever had before. Mr. Bailey contends, however,
that Federal courts of inferior jurisdiction have
no more jurisdiction, equitable or legal, than con
gress chooses to confer on them, and if his view
is cprrect the whole thing is as plain, as noonday.
It was all in a muddle before the clear statement
of Mr. Bailey all chaotic. This is an effort to
fix railroad rate3 "by order of a commission creat
ed by congress. If the railroads may enjoin the
1 ate imposed by the commission, it is mere child's
play. It the action of the commission shall stand
until the final order of the court, then it is a very
serious matter. If the Bailey idea prevail, it is
a victory for the president. If the Clapp idea be
the correct one, it is a defeat for the president.
Strange bedfellows this politics makes."
CA. RENNACK is an Iowa republican who
. . aspires to be sheriff of his county. Through
the Shenandoah (Iowa) World Mr. Rennack an
nounces his ambition in the following peculiar
way: "I wish to state here the reason for sign
ing my name the way I do in my announcements
for sheriff. In the fall of 1903, on December 8,
I made a world's record as a corn husker by
husking 201 bushels and 16 pounds of corn and
putting it into the wagon in ten consecutive hours.
Ai;d to. my Jmowledge this record has never been
beaten The Hopkins scare they had a year ago
last fall was all a fake, for I offered to husk Mr.
Hopkins a race the same fall. And I say this
right here and now, that Mr. Hopkins or any other
man that thinks he can beat me is hereby chal
lenged to meet me this fall, providing they can
make it interesting. I am a man about six feet
in height and weigh about 185 pounds. I will now
say that I hope the republican voters will support
me at the primaryi and that if I receive the nomi
nation I will try and work for the good of the
people and to their interest."
GEORGE C. WATTS, a Chicago contractor who
died recently, bequeathed $20,000 for the
suppprt of his pet dog. The will recently probated
at Chicago showed Watts' estate to be valued at
$100,000. Watts was a bachelor and his dog was
his constant companion. Aside from the $20,000
provided for the support of the dog Watts set
aside $300 a year for the care of his horse. It
was further provided that upon the death of tho
dog and the horse, the money shall be divided
into four equal parts, and distributed among the
Home for Incurables, the Old People's Home, Chi
cago Orphans' Asylum, and tho Salvation Army.
HENRY B. BROWN, associate justice of tho
United States supreme court, will soon re
tire from the bench. Justice Brown was appointed
by President Harrison in 1890. He has thereforo
served sixteen years. Newspaper correspondents
agree that Justice Brown's place has not only
been offered to Secretary of War Taft, but that
he has' been urged to accept the place. Some
correspondents say that Mr. Taft has aspirations
to the presidency, but that it will bo difficult to
secure Ohio with Senators Foraker and Dick both
against him, and that without Ohio, his home state,
Taft could not bo nominated. According to these
correspondents Mr. RooBevelt is anxious to name
the candidate.
SINCE totjtttt ROOT entered the cabinet as
secretary of state, it has been generally be
lieved that he was Mr. Roosevelt's choice for the
republican nomination in 1908, but the Washing
ton correspondent for tho New York World says
that until ho made Root secretary of state Mr.
Roosevelt "did not notice the domineering meth
ods of Root." This correspondent says that Mr.
Roosevelt notices these methods now, and, is not
TKe Commoner,
at all pleased with them; that Root calmly goes
ahead and does as ho likes. He is the only man
in tho cabinet who is not over-awed by tho vig
orous personality of the president. It has 'been
explained by this same authority that tho presi
dent is just now more in favor of Speaker Cannon
than anybody clso, and that Cannon is a can
didate REFERRING TO JUSTICE BROWN'S retire
ment, the New York World says that since
the establishment of tho supreme court in 1789
it has had but seven chief justices, not counting
Rutledge "whose mental incapacity made his
tenure nominal." The World adds: "Chief Jus
tico Fuller, with eighteen years of service, has
exceeded the average by two years. Marshall,
who was to this court what Hamilton was to the
treasury, and whose name remains Its great mon
ument, served for thirty-four years. To recall
that Marshall and Taney, together occupied the
chief justiceship for sixty-threo years convoys
a vivid impression of its permanency. That Jay
chose the chief justiceship in preference to all
other politcal rewards in tho gift or Washington
serves as a commentary on the estimation in which
this exalted post has ever been held. Of Its fifty
three associate justices, Story, to whom partisan
feeling denied the chief justiceship, but whose
fame as a jurist extended to England, served
thirty-three years. Justice Harlan has a record
of twenty-nine years. His long term in a time of
change is emphasized by the fact that ho has
greeted fifteen newcomers on the bench, nearly
one-third of all that Iiave occupied it since its
establishment."
FOR YEARS Abraham Lincoln was credited
with the epigram "You can fool some of
the people all the time and all the people some
of the time, but you can't fool all the peoplo all
the time." Not long ago some one demanded
authority for the claim that Mr. Lincoln used
these words, and investigation disclosed that the
authority was not readily found. It was then
claimed by those denying that Mr. Lincoln uttered
this epigram that it really came from P. T. Bar
nam, the famous showman. But now rfomes Wil
liam E. Curtis of the Chicago Kecord-Herald and
says that William Pitt Kellogg, now a resident
of Washington, rememhers distinctly hearing Mr.
Lincolii deliver this epigram at a meeting held
at Bloomington, 111., in May, 1856. Mr. Kellogg
says that Mr. Lincoln used this phraso frequently
in his speeches, but he remembers particularly tho
Bloomington occasion.
Ma. KELLOGG says that jn this Bloomington
speech Mr. Lincoln referred to' th position
taken by Mr. Douglas that slavery in the terri
tories could be controlled by what Mr. Douglas
called "unfriendly legislation." According to Mr,
Kellogg, Mr. Lincoln said: "No one can long be
deceived by such sophistries. You can fool some
of the people all the. time, and all of the people
some of the time, but you can't fool all the peo
plo all the time."
THE SERIOUSNESS of New York's traction
trust's scheme is not generally realized, even
in the metropolis. A statement recently made
by a New York nowspapor for the purpose of
informing New Yorkers of this point will be like
wise instructive to men generally. This New
York newspaper makes somo interesting com
parisons with other cities, saying: "No street
railway system in the country is capitalized for
as much as the water that is to be -poured into
the Interborough-Metropolitan merger in this city.
All the street railways of tho entire state of
Connecticut put together have not one-third as
much outstanding stock as the $108,000,000 of
fictitious value that it added on to the combina
tion of lines in this city. Only a few of the larg
est states, like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and
Massachusetts, can scrape together enough street
railway stook to equal this enormous inflation of
securities. One of tho largest systems is that
of the public service corporation, of New Jersey,
that owns not only the railways, but tho lighting
and water companies of dozens of towns. Its
outstanding stock, stock certificates and notes
amount to $38,000,000. Yet it operates sixty-six
different companies throughout tho state."
IN PHILADELPHIA, as pointed out by this
New York newspaper, there is a combination
of surface lines like the Metropolitan in New
York, operating 514 miles of road, three times as
much as . tho Interborough-Metropolitan. This
New York newspaper explains: "The capital
stock of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit company,
the holding company like Metropolitan Securities,
7
is $30,000,000, and tho outstanding stock of tho
Union Traction company, which oporatos tho
system like tho Now York CJty Railway com
pany is $41,000,000. This makes a total of $71,
X)00,000 for tho entire system of Philadelphia, or
$37,000,000 loss than tho water m the New York
merger. Tho various surface ana elevated lines
of Chicago, which come nearest in magnitude of
operations to tho Now York merger, have a
combined capital stock of $100,000,000, or $8,
000,000 less than tho water in this now amalgama
tion. All the railways in St. Louis, which are
combined in ono corporation, have a capital of
$45,000,000; thoso of Clovclnud, $23,000,000; thoso
of Baltimore, $15,000,000; thoso of Pittsburg, $3G,
000,000; of Detroit, $12,500,000 and of San Fran
cisco, $25,000,000. Tho twenty-two companies
operating all tho systems of Connecticut have a
total capital stock of $31,000,000. Thus it Is ap
parent that no city In tho UnJted States has
its street frnnchisoH capitalized at a sum equal
ling the watered stock of tho Now York merger.
Chicago and Philadelphia combined have not cap
italized for as much as has tho now stock issue
of tho merger, which amounts to $225,000,000.
Aside from those two leading cities, it would
take a combination'of the companies of ten first
class cities to equal the stock of the merger."
T T IS FURTHER explained by trie same author
ity that in none of tho cities named do horse-car
lines exist. It is added: "In'Ncw York one-third
of the mileage of tho surface lines is still operated
by horses. A number of the cities havo more
miles of lines than the 179 comprised in tho
merger. Nowhere in the United States is so large
a proportion of the passengers compelled to be
come strap hangers as in New York. The ac
commodations afforded in cities like Cleveland,
Indianapolis and Buffalo are much better than
can be found in New York. Small communities
. in Ohio and Indiana havo luxurious vestibuled
cars that put the Metropolitan system to shame.
The Western Reserve farmer rides Into Cleveland
In bettor stylo and wjth more comfort than the
millionaire of New. York goes to his office in
Wall street. The "speed of tho electric limited
between Indianapolis and Munico would leave
tho Subway expresses behind. The filthy condi
tions of tho Manhattan Elevated would not be
tolerated by the board of health of Detroit for
a single day. It is only the comparatively few
New Yorkers who havo travelloa upon tlio elec
tric lines of tho Middlewest who realize what
miserable conditions are tolerated in this city.
The merger being a purely financial scheme for
the purpose of making money, of crowding
more passengers Into the already crowded cars,
of doing away with competition, and of reducing
the amount of money to be spent on new lines
and improvements, it is apparent that conditions
in New York must grow worse and worse."
GOVERNOR FOLK, of Missouri, has appointed
a commission to investigate the revenue
laws in Missouri, and report on the same to the
next legislature. He has also suggested that this
commission study the question whether It is ad
visable to repeal the personal tax law. In a news
paper interview Governor Folk declared that he
favors tho abolishment of the personal tax as
the only way to stop the wholesale perjury now
prevalent. Tho governor said: "Under existing
conditions we find that the personal tax law Is
greatly .abused, and there is no remedy for the
abuses. Only recently we have begun
tho grand jury investigation of tho charge that
citizens ignore with impunity tho law which re
quires them to make a full return on their per
sonal property. It appears impossible to prosecute
tho offenders -for perjury thus committed. At the
same time, violations are extremely general. How
many persons certify to the assessor the com
plete extent of their personal belongings? If
this were done, the state would havo unlimited
wealth in a few yeara. However this may be,
I favor the repeal of the law. The taxes from
real estate, from the public service corporations
and other property are sufficient to meet all the
needs of the stato and at tho same time provide
a handsome surplus for emergencies. St. Louis
pays about $1,500,000 annually In taxes, on one
fifth of the entire taxable revenue of the state.
Its pro-rata of personal taxes Is equally as
great."
From purely philanthropic motives we keep
a big standing array In the Philippines, because
we want to confer the blessings of civilization
upon the Filipinos. And we are talking of send
ing another army to China in order to prove fo
the Chinese that they really ought to have sense
enough to buy our manufactured goods.
H,
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