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The Coiftmoner.
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AUGUST 24, 190t
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resenting an organized band of land speculators.
The statement makes the claim that Secretary
Hitchcock learned early In March that an amend
ment had been slipped into the statehood bill in
the senate known as the Warrent amendment,
and the 'secretary, on looking into the matter,
reached the conclusion that the claims benefited
by the amendment were entirely without merit,
and that the whole scheme bore some resemblance
to a raid upon the treasury.' A detailed recital Is
given in the Hitchcock statement of the secre
tary's persistent effort to defeat the Warren
amendment. He submitted a confidential brief
to the conference committee bill, stating 'that
the alleged mineral claims of the partlos were
void; that the parties knew that they were void;
that their invalidity was not duo to any mere
technical defect, but to the fact that the claims
vere set up in violation of express enactments
of congress; and that the only reason for making
the claims was that the parties had laid plans
for slipping into the statehood bill a measure
like the "Warren amendment.' Concluding, the
official statement says: 'When the people of
Oklahoma were celebrating the 'passage of the
Statehood bill, it is probable that they did not
know how near the new commonwealth came to
losing some of its most valuable possessions, be
sides having a blot on its escutcheon from having
been made the victim of unscrupulous specula
tors upon its first entrance into the union of
states,' The appearance of the statement at this
time reviewing the controversy which closed when
the. conference committee on the statehood bill
eliminated the Warren amendment has created
a mild sensation here."
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was playing ball in the street with Jits listers,
Elizabeth, Mary and Josophine. He ran in front
of . the trolley- car. Ho was picked up by tho
fender and the motorman reached over to grab
him. Ho failed and the lad fell off the fender
under tho wheels. A crowd of five hundred col
lected and overturned the carsmaBhed tho win
dows and wquld have harmed the motorman but
for the father. A number of women fainted at the
sight. Some time ago the father ran over and
killed little Benjamin Galloway of No. 928 Pa
cific street Ho was attacked by the crowd and
rescued by the police."
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TOM L. JOHNSON writes to the Johnstown
(Pa.) Democrat to express his appreciation
of the compliment paid him by that paper in sug
gesting him as the logical man to head the dem
ocratic national committee and to say that the
place is one he does not want and that he would
not like to -accept, Commenting upon Mr. John
son's letter the Democrat says: "It was not sup
posed that the big- single taxer is seeking the
nationaL chairmanship nor was it imagined that
the duties of that position would particularly al
lure a man of Mr. Johnson's aggressive tempera
ment But it 'is nevertheless true that there is
not another figure in the party today so admirably
fitted in every way to meet the requirements, of
the great office now held by. Thomas T. Taggart
of French Lick Springs. Mr. JoJinson is richly
endowed with all the natural gifts of successful
leadership; he is an organizer of immeasurable
resources; he has the faculty of inspiring others
to work while himself possessing a genius for do
ing things; he knows the game of politics from
alpha to omega; he is not afraid of his horses;
his fidelity to principle is absolutely unshakable;
and no one in the "country holds the confidence of
the'democratic democrats more unreservedly than
this man who has never wavered in his faith nor
lost hope of the triumph of his cause. Mr. John
son may not want the chairmanship and he might
feel reluctance in accepting it were it offered,
but he is not the man to flinch from his duty and
if he is called upon to lead the fight in 1908 we
have no doubt that he will buckle on his armor
and accept the responsibilities of the charge with
tho same courage and the same good humor that
he has always shdwn in his political as in his
enormously successful business undertakings."
A DRAMATIC INCIDENT took place recently
on the streets of New York and the story
is told by the New York World this way: "Stand
ing beside the mangled body of his five-year-old
boy, who had been crushed to death by a Brook
lyn trolley car, which the mob had overturned in
its frantic attempts at rescue, Thomas McCor
mick last night controlled his grief while he
bagged the furious crowd not to harm the tremb
ling motorman. Dramatically, the father told the
crowd that he, too, had been through the same
tragic experience only a little time before; that
he, while driving an ice-wagon, had run over
and killed, without any fault of his, a little boy,
and had been beset, as was the motorman now,
by a mob crying for vengeance. 'I was not to
blame,' cried the distracted father, 'and it may
be this poor fellow is equally blameless.' Stilled
by the' father's words, the crowd desisted from
further attempt at vengeance. The motorman,
Reuben M. Rowley, of Canarsle, was then arrest
ed and locked up. The accident occurred nearly
in front of the McCormick home, in Bergen Btreet
near Underbill avenue. Little John McCormick
WHAT AN INTELLIGENT mayor can do with
an arrogant monopoly is shown by the
results at Cleveland, Ohio. The New York
World, a paper which is not given to saying good
things of real democrats, says: "Cleveland had
a merger of a number of street car companies
with a watered capitafTzalion like that of tho In-terborough-Metropolitan.
But Cleveland also had a
mayor, Tom Johnson, who had been in the stroet
railroad business and knew all about its costs,
possibilities and profits. Instead of doing business
with himself in his dual capacity of mayor and
railroad man, Tom Johnson acted only for tho
people of Cleveland. He threatened that if tho
traction monopoly did not make better terms with
the people he would have their routes paralleled
with three-cent fare lines. Rather than fight the
municipality the traction monopoly noy offers to
sell seven tickets for a quarter, to give univer
sal transfers and to build what extensions Mayor
Johnson may direct. Tho way to simmer down
a monopoly is to threaten it with competition at
a reasonable price and to bring it thus to terms.
That is tho opportunity New York has with its
new subways. One subway with a three-cent
fare would force the traction monopoly to re
duce its fares or to lose all competitive business.
If this new subway had branches to Queens county
and Brooklyn it would compel the Brooklyn Rapid
Tranit and the Interborough merger to exchange
free transfers or they would lose the Jnterborough
business. It would not be necessary for the city
to operate the subway any more than it was
necessary to construct and operate a municipal
light system. No sooner had Mayor McClellan
and his administration definitely decided thab the
city should "light itself unless the electric mon
oply ceased to charge exorbitant prices than tho
monopoly volontarily reduced its rates."
("GEORGIA HAS AT last removed one stigma
jr that has rested upon her ever since" the
re-awakening of the south and the establishment
of Industries long thought sacred to New Eng
land. Child labor has been the curse of the
south ever since the establishment of the cot
ton mills in that section of the country, and
Georgia has been, perhaps, the worst offender
of the lot. Year after year efforts have been made
to secure laws regulating child labor in the sev
eral southern states, and year after year the ef
forts have been In vain. But little by little the
advocates of such legislation have made gains,
and at last Georgia has. adopted a child labor
law that will, if enforced, go a great ways toward
eradicating the evil in that state. Under this
law no child under twelve can be employed in
any gainful occupation, and none that can not
read and write and is under fourteen years of
age can be employed at night. Georgia has done
herself credit by the adoption of this law. It re
mains for her to do herself still greater credit
by enforcing it. Those who have for years
fought the industrial battles of the children of
the south have reason to rejoice at the dawning
of success. The national child labor committee
and the trades organizations of the country have
been engaged in the crusade, and they will ac
cept this first triumph as but an indication of
what they will gain by continued effort.
A SPECIAL WRITER for the London Express
introduced his interview with Mr. Bryan
in London as follows: "The advent of Mr.
Bryan created quite a thrilL of excitement in
many quarters. The American embassy was on
the qui vive; the representatives of the Ameri
can press in London formed a miniature iriass
meeting in the vestibule of the Hotel Cecil, W.
T. Stead and John Burns, the latter an old friend
of Mr. Bryan, ran a neck-and-neck race in han
soms up the court of the Cecil for an audience
with the great American. Between the hours
of 7 and 11 last night upwards of &. hundred pedk
plo 'asked for ndmlsslon to Mr. Bryan's presence,"
,Aiid not ono of them was denied. Prompt and
businesslike, Mr Bryan mappod out his time, and
eaclr caller or collection of callers was grantod
" so many seconds' or minutes' as the case might
be. Two page boys wero especially allotted to
carry up arid down tho. cards of the visitors and
keep tho schedulo of Mr. Bryan's multitudinous
appointments. It was a late hour when between
engagements granted to an ox-cabinet minister
and a distinguished man of letters, the represent
ative of the Express was ushered into the pres
ence of the prospective prcsldont of tho United
States. To English eye Mr. Bryan is tho laut
man suggestive of a statesman. Ho Is of great
stature, thickly set, and extremely careless in
his attire. His cleanshaven face is suggestive of
Irish origin, and from the back of a somewhat
bald head a cascade of silvery curls flood his
coat collar. He looks half an actor and half tho
successful manager of a largo hotel. His blond
of personality suggests a typo that only tho
United States has produced 'the boss of tho
great show.' But tho moment that Mr. Bryan
opened his mouth it is another tale altogether.
On tho question of world-wide policy or the mix
ing of cocktails Mr. Bryan is a master speaker.
Ho has the diplomacy of a heavon-born minister,
the persuasiveness of a woman, and a verbosity
which could only have been equaled by Mr. Glad
stone. Five minutes' conversation - with Mr.
Bryan is sufficient to convlnqo one that ho has
justly earned tho title of the 'silver-tongued
orator.' "
EDGAR BROWN died August 7 at a hoalptal
at Sault &le. Mario, Mich. Newspaper dis
patches say that this mau died penniless and
was buried at tho expense of a few old friends.
This is a common occurrence, but widespread
' attention has been attracted to the death of Ed
gar Brown becauso, as one correspondent says:
"While Brown had no estate, ho left behind him
the memory of his kindness in the days of hl
prosperity and the story of how John D. Rocke
feller deprived him of the fortune he found, and
developed, and gained control of the property
which made the United States steel corporation
possible." a ' ' .
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BROWN'S LIFJ3 J3TORY Is vouctfed for 'by ."
John M. Goltra, who attended, him during his
last illness. According to Dr. Goltra's story, as
told by tho Chicago Record-Herald correspondent,
Edgar Brown was born in Warren, Pa., sixty
four years ago. Associating himself with C. C.
Merrltt, the two tramped tho great northern
barrons and located what afterwards proved, to
be the richest iron mine in the country. Brown
was discouraged by capitalists, but he persevered
until finally he interested John D. Rockefeller
and borrowed from him $1,500,000 giving his min
ing claims as security. The RecordtHerald cor
respondent says: "Then Brown set about bring
ing his mines out of the wilderness. He planned
tho Duluth and Iron Range railroad, now tho
greatest ore carrier In the world, to carry his
ore to a deep water harbor. Ralls were laid and
soon development had gone far enough to show
financiers what the property really was worth.
Negotiations were begun with James J. Hill and
several associates for the sale of the property,
and a deal practically was closed for its transfer
at a price which would have made Brown and
Merritt millionaires several times over. It was
here that Brown made his fatal mistake. He never
suspected treachery, and told of the deal to a man
who was closely associated with Rockefeller,
For what followed Brown always put the blame
directly on tho shoulders of the oil magnate. He
declared, over and over, that Rockefeller put the
screws on Hill and his associates so that they
could not get the ready money to complete their
bargain. At any rate the deal fell through,
Brown's notes to Rockefeller became due, the
mortgage was foreclosed and the Immensely val
uable ore property fell into the hands of the Stand
ard Oil chief for a mere fraction of .Its value.
Millions of dollars have been taken out of the
mines since that time, ore worth millions more
is in sight, and no one can compute the value
that full development will give the property
in the future. For years fleets of steamers car
rying thousands of tons at a load have been tak
ing the ore away, yet the surface is barely
scratched. The loss of the fortune almost within
his grasp proved too much for Merritt. He was
broken-hearted, and within five weeks was car
ried to his grave. Brown always maintained that
it was the oil king's trickery that killed him."
