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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1906)
J7rfTT rT- iitf!SfffTrrwpimiyf,wrT'-r JULY 13, MM' The Commoner. 5 Republican Administration Gomes Exceedingly High Concerning appropriations mad at tho recent session of congress, Chairman Tawney of the house appropriation committee said: "The total appropriations mado at this ses sion of congress aggregate $880,183,301, an ap parent increase of $60,000,000 over last session. This apparent excess is more than accounted for in the three following items: For the isthmian canal, $42,447,000; under the statehood bill, $10, 250,000; toward the construction of new build ings, authorized at this session, $10,321,000, mak ing a total of $63,018,000, to which might properly be added $5,000,000 for San Francisco. Other notable increases are three million dollars in the agricultural bill for Inspection of meat products and $10,600,000 on account of the postal service." Mr. Tawney enumerated "several items that do not constitute a charge against the revenues for the next fiscal year, and added: "The sums mentioned amount to more than $139,000,000 and when deducted leave apparent appropriations of only $741,000,000 to be met out of the revenues of the next fiscal year. In my judgment the ordi nary revenues of the government next fiscal year will amount to at least $600,000,000. The postal revenues are estimated at $181,573,000 for 1907, making the total apparent resources of the gov ernment next year not less than $781,573,000, or at least $40,000,000 in excess of appropriations that may be charged against them." Senator Culberson of Texas presents' an as tonishing showing. He declares that exclusive of the Panama appropriation, expenditures in 1904 increased over 1903 by $35,496,995; In 1905 over 1904, $34,336,233; in 1906 over 1905, $17, 908,836. He adds: "This shows an aggregate increase of expenditures, excluding all expenses in Panama, of $93,767,064 in three years. As usual with this administration expenditures for the military and naval establishments increased for this period and of the preceding amount the increase for the naval establishment exceeded $34,000,000 for three years. The total expendi tures for 1903, 1904, 1905 and 1906 were $2,933, 004,409, and deducting Panama expenditures they were $2,866,421,890. The expenditures for the years 1898, 1899, 1900 and 1901, the four full years of the McKinley administration, were $2, 430,316,399. It thus appears that, exclusive of all expenses In Panama the expenditures for the four years of Roosevelt exceeded those of the four years of McKinley, although he conducted the Spanish war, by the extraordinary sum of $434,104,699." Under date of June 30 the Washington cor respondent! for the Brooklyn Eagle sends to his newspaper tho following dispatch: "Two of tho big trusts that have beon subjected to a flerco mauling and-pounding all tho session havo won important victories during tho closing hours of congress. They are tho Standard Oil trust and the beef trust, the. opponents of which weakened today and yielded the points of controversy which have stood in the way of agreement on the rate bill and tho meat inspection bill. Chairman Wadsworth has succeeded In Imposing on tho government tho cost of tho Inspection law, and he also won out in tho fight to keep tho date of inspection off canned meat products. The senate receded on both of these issues, aftor having made a brave show for several days o- holding out against Wadsworth. Tho house unexpected ly came to tho support of Chairman Wadsworth late yesterday afternoon by voting to Insist on tho acceptance of its amendments by tho senate. When this news was conveyed to Senator Beve ridge and others who had been making the fight for tho original provisions on cost and dato labels, ' they threw up thdlr hands and quit. As tho bill will become a law, the cost of Inspection will bo defrayed by the government, and there will be nothing on the inspection label to Indicate wheth er the contents of the can are one or ten years old. The packers, therefore, have won complete victory on the only objections which they raised against the Beverldge bill. The long and bitter rate bill fight was ended when the senate decided to exempt the pipe lines from the stringent pro visions that apply to railroads. The victory of the oil trust was even more sweeping and Im pressive than that gained by the beef barons. Under the bill as agreed to pipe lines are de clared to be common carriers. But, the prohibi tion agalnBt common carriers transporting their own products is made to apply only to railroads, thereby permitting the pipe lines to escape. Con sequently the Standard Oil can operate them in the future jsut as in the past save for the few restrictions that will be imposed as a result of being described as common carriers. The whole effort of the Standard Oil company has been to save its pipe lines, and in this It has succeeded." Representative Williams of Mississippi, the democratic floor leader, issued the following statement: "The only notable .things congress did was to adopt the democratic policy of rail road rate regulation and the democratic policy of admitting Oklahoma into the union and to refuse to tie in indissoluble wedlock Arizona and New Mexico. The democrats regret that congress did not do some measure of justice to the Fili pinos by passing the Philippine tariff. This con gress will bo almost as much celebrated for what it failed to do As what it did. Whatxit did was distinctly democratic in Initiative, origin and character. One of tho things congress failed to enact which will need much explanation was some moaauro to chock tho collection of vast and corrupting campaign funds. Nothing radical or oxtremo was domandod, yet congress rofusod to keep national banks from contributing to campaign funds; it rofused to prohibit corporations en gaged in interstate commorco from contributing tho money of stockholders to campaigns; it re fused to provide for publicity of contributions. Even that could not got through a congress the republican members of which fool that without a fund they could not go through a campaign and realize that tho sources of contributions muBt bo kept secret. Aftor tho president thundered In the index about insurance frauds and wanted con gress to do extreme and unconstitutional things this failuro to do a very reasonable and constitu tional thing will bo hard to explain. Congress failed to lop off a single abuso or excrescence of tho tariff system. It would not agree that a slnglo duty should not be over 100 per cent of the cntiro value of the thing taxed. They would not oven untax diphtheria serum nor heed the cry con cerning it of tho little children all over the land. They refused to reduce the duty on Iron and steel, although proof was mado and finally ad mission was had that our steel manufacturers aro habitually selling their products cheaper abroad than at homo, oven stool for building ships, there by building up a foreign merchant marine at tho expense of an American merchant marine. With a plg-headedness that is remarkable Oklahoma was uselessly kept out of the union for nearly six months, while the children of tho Indian Ter ritory wore growing up In Ignorance without schools. The congress Is to be congratulated upon tho fact that it did riot follow the lead of the president In tho now Roosevelt doctrine that he seems bent upon substituting for the Monroe doctrine. This was shown in tho refusal of tho senate to ratify the Dominican treaty. This re fusal threw cold water upon most of the presi dent's big stick policies, and tho senate was able to make this refusal offectlve by democratic votes. Congress passed a very good naturalization bill aftor several good amendments offered by tho democrats had boon adopted. It refused to pass any immigration biir, and it is rumored that tho refusal was due to the petulancy of Senator Lodge, who found the times out of joint because tho house had amended the bill offered by his son-in-law. The bill as amended contained many excellent features, and' ought to have passed." WHAT "INFLUENCE" DID IN THE REPUB LICAN CONGRESS (Continued From Page Four) is, indeed, making progress; yet hardly enough to warrant a sweeping indors3mrt of congress and silence As to Its crimes of omissi-jn. "There is more difference between what congress has done and what the people wanted it to do than there is between what congress has done aud what it had hitherto not done. And i o cause Is served, save vthe unworthy cause of political expediency, by emphasizing the things congress has done and remaining silent about the larger things congress has failed to do. Glowing words of praise for house and senate may help in the approaching campaign, and are of course calculated for their effect on the elec tion. They will not help to bring about the right settlement of the questions which a corrupt house and senate have refused to settle right, and which they have -not most certainly have not, if Mr. Roosevelt will pardon us considered with 'dis interested high-mindedness.' i "Nor will these questions be settled right until the men who have had the largest share In postponing their adjustment are driven from public life." THE PRIMARY PLEDGE As this copy of The Commoner may be read by some one not familiar with the details of the primary pledge plan, it is necessary to say that according to the terms of this plan every demo crat is asked to pledge himself to attend all of the primaries of his party to be held between now and the next democratic national convention, unless unavoidably prevented, and to secure a clear, honest and straight-forward declaration- of the. party's position on every question upon which the voters of the party desire to speak. Those desiring to be enrolled can either write to The Commoner approving the object of the organiza tion and asking to 'have their names entered on the roll, or they can fill out and mall the blank pledge, which is printed on page 14. Extracts from letters to1 The Commoner fol low: C. H. Davis, LeSueur, Minn. I can get many democrats here to sign the pledge if I had the blanks. This state is strongly repub lican, but strange things have happened, you know. We can work at any rate. George S. Steele, Spraguevllle, N. Y. En closed you will find my 'pledge. Whatever. I can do to help the cause you have been fighting for and are still fighting for will be given. As I am heart and soul for democratic principles, I believe we will win out in the end. Otto Welch, Omaha, Nebr. I send you three signatures to the primary pledge. Charles Richard, Nye, Mont. You will Jlnd enclosed primary pledge. I shall do all I can to help the democratic party. If I can help any way let me know. P. H. Conklin, Cedar Run, N. J. Find en closed primary pledge sheet with twelve signa tures. Send me another blank. Success to The Commoner. tho lines of the special subscription offer. Ac cording to the terms of this offer cards each good for one year's subscription to Tho Commoner will be furnished In lots of five, at the rate of $3 per lot. This places tho yearly subscription rato at 60 cents. Any one ordering these cards may sell them for $1 each, thus earning a commission of $2 on each lot sold, or he may sell them at the cost price and find compensation in the fact that ho has contributed to tho educational campaign. These cards may be paid for. when ordered, or they may be ordered and remittance made after they have been sold. A coupon is printed below for the convenience of those who desire to par ticipate In this effort to increase The Commoner's circulation: SPECIAL OFFER E. J. Hall, Marion, Ind. My occupation is police officer, with a very small salary. I am trying to do my share In the cause of democracy and I don't know rfny better way than doing what I can in this way. I have been anxious to get at least fifty. This makes forty-three and I trust that I can get more. Everyone who approves the work The Com moner is doing Is invited to co-operate" along THE COMMONER'S SPECIAL OFFER Application (or Subscription Cards g Publisher Commoner: I am Interested In in- 1 r creasing The Commoner's circulation, andde- J-V sire you to send nic a supply of subscription -rr cards. I apree to use my utmost endeavor to ll) sell the cards, and will remit for them ot the , rate of CO cents each, when sola 20 ' n- Nakb .... "gn Box. ou StAbet-No .'..... 75 P. O........ Statb - nrv Indicate the number of cards wanted by 1UU marldnK X opposite one of the numbers print- ed on end of this blank. If you believe the paper 1s doing a work that mer its encouragement, flll.out the above coupon and mall It to THE COMMONER. Lincoln. Neb. . J . UM- W-.- J . 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