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The Commoner.
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JULY;.G,ril9()S
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"OTHER THINGS OF THAT SORT"
Rev,1 Dr. Robert Bagnell, past'qr'of ;a .$&?'
.$ork church, recently visited Sioux City, la,, to
SJcliver a commencement address. While In Sioux
City the reverend gentleman, submitted to an In
terview concerning the political situation in the
IHinplre state, and after some rather severe stric
tures on what he calls Mr. HearBt's "socialistic
record," said: "Hearst is playing to the galler
ies among the laboring classes, distributing coal
land ice to the working people and doing otlier
things of that sort. He does not find favor ambhg
conservative people."
Mr. Hearst should really stop doing that and
"other things of that sort" if he wants to appeal
to conservative people. Ho might, for instance,
organize a big life insurance company and use
the premiums to advance his own private for
tunes. Or ho might steal a few municipal fran
chises. Or lie might gamble in the food products
of the nation. Or he might organize a syndicate ,
or two to hold for gambling purposes the stock
In a lot of subsidiary corporations. But the idea
of a man taking an interest in the laboring
classes, and actually giving away coal and lco
to those unable to buy such luxuriesthat sort
-of thing is unbecoming to a man who wants to
appeal to "conservative people." The. working'
people Bliould learn to get along without coal ,
and ice and "other things of that sort," for tho
more of them they have the more discontented
they are likely to become. We trust that. Mr.
Hearst will see the error of his way and refrain
.from lifting these working people out of the
sphere which God intended they should occupy.
Rev. Dr. Bagnell has performed a distinct .ser
vice to the "conservative people" by showing.
Mr. Hearst wherein he errs. . . ,
JJJ'
HERE TOO!
Something more tban a year ago, Andrew D.
White, former American ambassador to Germany,
iwrote for the Century Magazine, an article de
scribing the German emperor. Mr. White said it
,was a mistake to think of tho German emperor
as merely a military man. He said: "As a simple
matter of fact, lie recognizes the triumphs of
German commercial enterprise, arid seos n them
a guarantee, for the extension of German power
and for a glory more permanent than any likely
to be obtained by military operations in these
lines."
Referring to the emperor's attitude toward
capital and , labor, Mr. White said:
"As an example of an utterance of his
which to many might seem the: result of a';'
momentary impulse, but which reveals' sober '
contemplation of problems looming large be
i fore the United States as well as" Germany,
. I cite a remark made in 1903 to an American
v eminent t In public affairs. The kaiser said:
t 'You in America may do what you please,
but I 'will not suffer capitalist's in Germany
t to suck' the life out of the workirigmen and
fling' them away like squeezed lemon skins
into the gutter.' "
The sovereign people of America, are dis
playing spine of, the same spirit these days.
JJJ
A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER
Mrs. John Burns, wife ofi the famous labor
leader who is now a member of the British cab
inet, seems to be a woman of wit as well as a'
woman of common sense. The political eleva
tion of her husband has not spoiled her and,
we are told, she is the same modest, economical,,
thrifty housewife she was when sue main
tained her little home on the meagre wages her
husband drew as a dock laborer. Mr. and Mrs.
Burns continue to live in the little house- in
Battersea, .where they lived wliile the husband
was a dock laborer. Since Mr. Burns -became a
member of -the cabinet the "lion hunters" have
been busy, ajid as a result the hitherto unknown
and unappreciated Mrs. Burns is being courted
by the .society women of London, That she sees
through their thin veneer of politeness is evi-.
denced by a bit pf correspondence between her
self and iLady Haverskam. Lady. Haveraharii
wanted tq exhibit Mrs. Burns-at one of her crowd
ed "at homes," and extended, an Invitation in;
these words;. . . '
"Dear, Mrs. Burn3: I should- be glad if ypu;
could comp to. my 'at home.' You.. will excuse
my not calling on you, but I find Battersea i
Buch a Jong way from Grosvenor Square."
Instead of, being dazed by this sudden recog
nition fromroyalty, Mrs. Burns preserved her us
ual mental balance. She replied to Lady Haver
sham's invitation in these words:
"Dear Lady Havorsham: I havo been study- '
ing the map and find that Grosvenor Square la
exactly tho samo dlstanco from Battorsoa that
Battersea Is from Grosvenor Square."
Mrs. Bum's reply may not bo quito up to
the standard of politeness supposed to bo in "vogue
among tho nobility, but it is quite up to tho
standard of English independence.
jjj
PROTECTING THE BIRDS
New York has a law prohibiting the use' of
the plumage of birds for hat decoration. The
state commissioner of fish and game recently
raided several stores In a New York town, and
seized some of the contraband feathered goods. .
One Now York newspaper Tho Rochester Post
Express expresses doubtB as to tho right of tho
stato to confiscate property and says; "Roches
ter merchants will not willlugly lose their prop
erty in this matter, or become tho victims of
persecution."
But the state will not willingly lose its right
to protect the birds. These little creatures not
only delight the eye and ear, but they are valuablo
to the business Interests of tho country, because
they kill the insects which would destroy tho.
growing grain.
Merchants who deal in the plumage of birds
are not made the victims of persecution when
they are required to obey the law. In recent
years it has become quite common that efforts
to enforce the law and protect the public inter
ests, are met with the plea that "business inter
ests" are attacked. Newspapers should not give
encouragement to this plea. They should demand
that men comply with the law, rather than tho
authorities permit it to be violated.
JJJ
MR. ARMOUR'S COMPLAINT
J. Ogden Armour, the recognized spokesman
of the packers, is just now engaged in making a
plaintive appeal for a "square deal" for the
packers. "Where Is tho American love of fair
play?" he asks -
Mr. Armour's sudden Interest In the "square
deal" and "fair play" would be commendable
wore It not rendered so ridiculous by the facts
surrounding the case at Issue. The old saw to
the effect that it "makes a difference whose ox
is gored" has a peculiar application to the beef
trust exposures.
Mr. Armour and his associates never paused
to consider the matter of a "square deal" and
"fair play" when they met every morning to
decide how much they would pay for beef on tho
hoof. They never thought of those things when
they, were exacting rebates from complaisant rail
road managers in order that they might crush
out competition. They never gavo; those things
a thought when they put in syndicate meat mar
kets by the side of Independent "markets and
sold beef below cost until the small competitors
were bankrupt. When they were "doping" their'
products and endangering the health of the
public in order to increase profits . they did not
care a rap about a "square deal" dr. "fair play."
That was when they thought they had everything
their own way. frow, when theyaro paying the
penalty, their interest in a "square deal" and
vfatr play" suddenly becomes acute.
JJJ
ANARCHY!
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat In its issue
of Thursday, June 28, says: "Government owner
ship of the coal fields would soon settle the fuel
problem. It would also take one of the tangles
out of the transportation problem."
If this GlobeJDemocrat editorial ever gets
to the attention of the shades of "Billy" McKee
and "Joe" McCullough, there will be "something
doing" in the Globe-Democrat's sanctum sanc
torum. ' Government ownership of the coal fields
would, soon settle the fuel problem and the trans
portation problem! And this from the St. Louis
Globe-Democrat 1 Anarchy! Treason! . ,
JJJ
PROTECTION AND PROTECTION
, During the discussion on the sundry civil
service bill the republican majority in congress
calmly gave official sanction to the practice of tho
protected manufacturers who sell goods abroad
cheaper than they do at home. Mr. Sullivan
moved to recommit the bill with instructions to
the committee to Insert a provision that none
of the money appropriated for the Panama canal
should be expended in purchasing materials manu
factured In tho United States unless thoso m&
torials woro sold to tho govornmont at th$
oxport prices when tho export prices woro lowei
than tho domostlc pricos. Mr. Tawnoy raised a
point of order and tho majority sustained him. Thn
houso then adopted tho senate resolution that "all
supplies for the Panama canal shall bo of Amer
ican manufacture and sale unless the president
dooms tho bids extortionate or unreasonable?
Tho action of tho republican majority Is not at
all surprising. A congressional campaign is just
oponing nnd tho republican campaign treasury
is onco raoro In need of funds. Henco tho manu
facturers who benefit by protection must again bo
"fried out" by a majority whoso future exlstonco
depends in largo measure upon the generosity of
tho contributions.
JJJ -. .j
WHAT 13 THE AN8WER7
An English publication, referring to., tho In
dustrial activity in America utters a warning
concerning the extension of this country's foreign
trade and the probable effect of American com
petition when our increasing manufacturing fa
cilities shall produco a large surplus abovo tho
domahdB of our own people.
Referring to this warning, tho Stockton (Cal.)'
Mall says: "Of course, we are not worrying over
that phase of tho subject, but such articles should
cause us to inquire why It is that an industrial
system that makes the world tromble should still
require tho aid of an Immensely high tariff to
Insuro Its maintenance. If our manufacturers
can compoto successfully In the markets of tho
world," why should they bo afraid that If they
were not enabled by the tariff to overcharge their
fellow citizens the manufacturers of other coun
tries would put thorn out of business?"
The Mail has submitted a very pertinent
question. Certainly tho "standpattora" will havo
an answer ready.
SJJ 'fi"iki
ONE AT LEAST ' '"
In his eloquent and touching "home coming"
address at Louisville a few wricks ago, Henry
Watterson asked: "What wanderer was ever
louth to come home?"
The . ,11st. is quite a long one, Mr. Watterson
quite ' too long to be given in a single issue.
But If you want to know of ono wanderer from
the soil of "01' Kalntuck" just turn your eyes
towards tho north; just gaze across the turbulent
and agitated waters of the Ohio river Into tho
land of your Hoosler neighbors, and somewhere
in the region round about Indianapolis you will
see a man looking longingly towards Kentuckjr
but extremely loath to return to the "dark and
bloody ground."
The man In question Is Mr. Taylor, who
once occupied tho governor's chair.
-, ' ' JJJ H
EASY!
The. St. Louis Globe-Democrat (republican)
says: "Mr. Bryan-says the democratic party i
against the trusts. He says this off In Norway,
however, where Belmont, McCarren, Shoohan
and the other trust magnates-who are booming
him will not hear it. Mr. Bryan ought to be asked
to explain why it Is that the democratic party,
when in power under Cleveland, refused to do
anything to curb the trusts."
That's easy! In fact it requires no explana
tion. Tho Cleveland administration was under
obligations to the same influences to which tho
republican party sold Its soul in 1896, and. for
which It has been the faithful slave ever since.
JJJ
LET HIM ACT NOW
Some one has proposed that democrats in tho
state of New York nominate for governor Wil
liam Travers Jerome, now district attorney for
New York. Mr. Jerome's friends would better
advise him to make a serious effort to enforce
law in the office he now holds before he asplre
to a more conspicuous, if not more Important,
"place. Mr. Jeromo has been a great disappoint
ment to thousands of men in all sections of tho
country who, relying upon his promises, believed
that as district attorney he could be depended
upon to enforce the law against all evil doers.
JJJ
USELESS ADVICE
Representative J. Adam Bede of Minnesota
has lately been giving some advice to the pub
lic, the value of which Is disoernable at a glance.
He advises the public "not to ask too much. o
congress." That sort of advice is worth nothing
at all. Now, if Mr. Bede had advised the public
not to expect much ofcongress he would hav
been doing them a servico. -
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