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The Commoner.
VOLUME 6, NUMBER W
The "ner WASHINGTON CITY NE
ISSUED WEEKLY
WHJJAM J .UltYAH OllAllua W. BltYAN
Editor and Proprietor. Publisher.
Richard L. Mktcalfb Editorial Rooms and Business
Associate Editor. Offlce 324-530 So. 12th Street
ws
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nb
The president's annual message contained
,18,000 words.
Tho short session is generally used to hurry
through legislation that burdens the public and
profits the special interests.
Of course you know that you. should do your
Christmas shopping early, and of course you will
put it off until the last minute.
" Word comes from Hawaii that the "Heathen
Chinee" is not the only one of his color who has
"ways peculiar and tricks vain."
The country will greatly regret the retire
ment of Mr. Hitchcock just as the developments
in the land fraud cases begin to be really interesting.
By throwing his influence on the side of
wholesome tariff reduction Mr. Carnegie could
aid in preventing other men from worrying about
dying poor.
That "key to the Orient" argument used by
the imperialists calls renewed attention to the
fact that we must keep right on buying expensive
locks for it to fit.
The nomination of Mr. Bonaparte, now sec
retary of the navy, for attorney general, was at
tacked in the senate in executive session by ,
Senator Culberson of Texas. Senator Culberson
called attention to some utterances made by Mr.
Bonaparte during a speech delivered at Chicago
in September, 1899. This speech was delivered
before a conference which had the trust problem
under consideration. Mr. Culberson read this ex
tract from Mr. Bonaparte's speech:
" Emphatically, no legislative action in regu
lation or restraint of combinations, whether by
congress or state legislatures, is desirable. Our
public men (with, I need not say, some honorable
exceptions) are wholly unfit to deal with any such
matters. The attempt will be highly demoralizing
to all concerned; the practical results (except in
the levy of blackmail) altogether nugatory-"
Mr.' Culberson then commented on the un
fitness of any man who would make such a speech
to be charged with the responsibility of 'enforcing
anti-trust legislation enacted by the public men
whom the speaker had criticised. Mr. Culberson
also read an additional paragraph from Mr. Bona
parte's speech at Chicago, as follows:
"I regard the tendency of combination as an
inevitable feature of modern civiliation, from
which no free and enlightened country can escape,
and which has force in proportion to each coun
try's freedom.' and enlightenment. I think the
consolidation or combination of railway companies
into large systems has been shown by experience
to be desirable. If concentration is carried so far
as to create a practical monopoly of the product,
the cost of production may be further decreased
from 'the fact that the combination will become
the only purchaser of the raw material and the
only employer of the specially skilled labor need
ed fo produce this, and can therefore bring down
the price of the former and the wages of the
latter, provided it stopped short of the point
where the production of the raw material ceases
to be profitable and where the labor is driven into
other forms of employment. If a combination of
producing agencies means, or includes a combina
tion of laborers, as in a trade union or a federa
tion of such unions, the result of such combina
tion, in so far as it affects the cost of production,
must be to increase this, since its purpose and
tendency is to raise the wages of the labor em
ployed." Senator Knox said that he had talked fre
quently to Mr. Bonaparte and could assure the
.senate that Mr. Bonaparte had undergone a com
plete change of heart and that he is now heartily'
in accord with Mr. Roosevelt's policy on the trust
question. Later Mr. Bonaparte's nomination was
confirmed as was also that of Mr. Moody to be
justice of the supreme court.
The Sioux City Journal notes that "from now
on Senator LaFollette will have opportunity to say
it to their faces." Correct; and he is just the
man for the job, too.
This little flurry with Japan calls .renewed'
attention to the gold brick we bought when provi
dence "threw the Philippines into our laps" 'on
payment of $20,000,000. -
J St admitted that' those who favor
asset currency have every reason to adocate a
ship subsidy One is founded on wind and the
other is founded on water. ,
Governor-elect Hughes of. New York was in
vited to Washington to dine -with the president.
Speaking on the resolution to declare vacant
the seat-of Senator Smoot of.. Utah, -Senator Bur
rows of Michigan scored the Mormon church.
Jn the course of his speech Senator Burrows said:
"The purposes and aims of the great republican
pary have been entirely misrepresented by its
leaders in their political dealings- with the Mor
mon church." It -is believed" that Mr.-Burrows
meant this 'as a criticism of Mr. -Roosevelt for
sending Secretary Taft to. Idaho during the. last
.campaign to help out., the .republican .ticket, in
that. state when it had- the support of tho Mormon
church. r ...
Secretary Root says the trade of South' Amer
ica will be profitable. Then he asks the people
to pay a lot of men a handsome subsidy for en
gaging in a business that he says would be
profitable. That sort of gold brick formerly found
SW& S gat" th6 I'e0P,e "aTO bee"
v When tho neonlfi. n.Rlr nnnm-fleo fnw ,m.
I; during tho "short session they are. told that tho
v.u i& Wlt augi-.. xnen.. uuring the short session
congress, proceeds to do. many things that the
people oppose, but it ,1s .such .a long" time until
the next election that the pooplo forget- all about
wu iusB uuucieu upon tnem.
' Representative Murdock, republican of Kan
sas, made .a speech . in ,the House urging that
.the system of paying railroads for carrying the
mails be changed. He declared that false
.weight . authorized by worn-.out laws enrich the
railroads and has become -a great burden to the
government.
The New York American made the charge that
Leopold, king of Belgium, maintains a lobby in
Washington for the. purpose of influencing Ameri
can acttonwith respect to the Congo" Freo State.
It was charged that Senator Morgan's private sec
retary was connected with this lobby. As a result
.wio secretary lias .lost his position. .
Francisco school resolution. He said he would
take his stand on these two propositions. Firi
that there is no -provision whatever in the treaty
with Japan that confers the right that the presi
dent speaks of or gives to the government of jaDln"
the privileges that it claims in connection with
the public school system of California or of any
other state. Second, if there was such a pro,
sion in this treaty, or any other treaty conferring
this right, the treaty would be void and without
any authority upon the part of the United States
to make it and in violation of the constitution
and the treaty-making power of the government.
Senator Rayner criticized President Roose
velt's position on the Japanese question. If the
military and civil forces of the federal govern
ment were to be used by the president, Mr. Ray
ner said, it became very important to know tho
exact power of the president in the matter. "Be
cause," he added, "it is quite a serious matter in
view of the great calamity that has lately befallen
the city of San Francisco for the president to
contemplate ,the bombardment of the city at this
time und declare -war against the boards of county
school trustees of California if there is no justifi
cation or pretext upon which such proceedings
can be undertaken. If he can take possession of
the Japanese students contrary to the laws of
California, he could with equal propriety send us
an amendment to the Santo Domingo treaty and
demand the admission of the negro children of
Santo Domingo into the white schools of South
Carolina or of any other state of the union. Of
course, if the people have come to the conclusion
that everything is right, then there is hardly any
use in contesting any of his propositions and in
stead of conferring upon him the power to give
congress information of the state of the union, we
might confer upon him the function of furnishing
his own peculiar views upon the entire state of
the universe and recommending any improve
ments or changes in the general plan of creation
that he may deem expedient from the cradle to
the grave."
The hbuse has adopted a resolution offered
by Miller of Kansas calling upon the secretary of
commerce and labor to investigate the lumber
trust.
William B. Ridgley has been re-appointed
comptroller of the currency.
Senator Dubois delivered a speech in the
senate in which he charged that Mr. Roosevelt
is in league with the Mormon hierarchy. He
charged that the president is influenced on the
Mormon side in Utah and in Idaho.
The president's simplified spelling reform
came to a sudden termination. He has withdrawn
his simplified spelling order to the public printer
and hereafter all documents will be printed in
the old way. The house of representatives passed
this resolution: "Resqlvcd, That it is the sense
of the' house of representatives that hereafter in
presenting reports, documents or other publica
tions authorized by law, ordered by congress of
either branch, thereof or emanating from the exec
utive department's, their bureaus or branches and
independent offices of the government, the govern
ment printing office should observe and adhere
to.,ihe. standard of orthography prescribed in gen
erally accepted dictionaries of the English language."
:1-
; i
In the .senate Mr. Rayner spoke' on the San
By a vote of 10G to 188 the house of repre
sentatives refused to increase from $5,000 to
$7,Q00 the salaries of senators, members and dele
gates. By a large majority, however, the house
increased the salaries of the vice president, the
speaker of the houso and members of the presi
dent's cabinet to $12,000 each.
It is reported that the president will send to
congress a speqial message advocating the passage
of a ship subsidy measure. '
.. George .'Kindle ,of Denver,1' will soon file
,with the, interstate commerce commission a petl
J.ion asking; fojKa readjustment.; o tho whole
scheme of railroad, rates-, west, .o'fUtho .Missouri
river. " n ,"" '
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