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Ioguo.is not completo b.utitiEi good as far as it'
goes and worthy of consideration. He says: : ,
"To understand and appreciate the-nature
of those services, it is only necessary to bear
In mind what the care and promotion of tho
;, special Interests of labor will imperatively
call for. It will require labor to stand for
equality of opportunity for all men and
against, privilege in any form, for taxation
measured by tho protection given and tho
ability to bear its burdens and against taxa
tion insidiously devised for the enrichment
of particular classes; for economy and thrift
in public expenditures and against graft
"and extravagance, however disguised; for the
largest measure of personal liberty consist
ent with public order, and against all forms
of patornalism; for international trade rela
tions conceived In a spirit of equity and fair
ness, and against the continuance of rela- .
tions so aggressive in their selfishness and
greed as to inevitably arouse national anger
and hostility; for peace and pacific methods
of settling international ' controversies, and
against war and the huge armaments which
find in actual war their sol excuse and justi
fication and inevitably operate as a tempta
tion to war."
Not only the laboring man but the farmer
and the business man may well examine this
list, for they are all interested in the reforms
.which the late secretary of state points out. He
closes with a paragraph that contains both a
tribute, to the laboring men and an appeal, and
.The Commoner is pleased to bring this paragraph
before its readers:
"In these circumstances, however indifferent
others may be to the fate of our political insti
tutions, the loyalty to, them of American working
men is something that ought not to be susceptible
of a doubt. In the ballot they have the precise
- weapon by which to make that loyalty effective
by 'which to counteract prevalent reactionary
, tendencies and. to make it plain that whoever
will rule In America must be a true American
both in sympathy and convictions. That they
-will use the weapon thus fitted to their hands,
will use it unitedly and therefore efficiently, self
interest as well as patriotism make reasonably
certain. Not until It is demonstrated that their
..use of it will be unwise and injurious both as re
gards themselves and the public at largo will it
be time to despair of the republic."
The ballot is the effective weapon for the
redress of every grievance, and the laboring man
-ought to be quick to avail himself of it. The
laboring man ought to be more of a factor in
politics than he is, and it is to the credit of Mr
piney that he so- clearly recognizes and so for
' cibly states this fact.
JJJ
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
' A dispatch from Galveston, Texas, announces"
that an organization with three thousand mem
bers has been formed among the "better class of
negroes of the state for the suppression of crime."
The existence of the "organization was brought to
lightly the surrender of a negro who was wanted
for a crime.
This is a step in the right direction. The
good negroes have suffered a great deal because
or the action of brutal and lawless negroes. The
whole race has suffered because so many negroes
have spent their time denouncing mobs and vio-'
lence without denouncing the crimes that called
lorth mobs and violence. As soon as it becomes
5l? thu thf better element of the colored
race is willing to help suppress crimes committed
JiffJ6 of he race' there wI" be a different
feeling among the whites. President Roosevelt's
action in suspending the negro troops was duo
to the fact that the innocent ones refused to give
testimony against the guilty ones. The Com
SHEiJ?118 a rey eferred to an organization
in Alabama similar to the one in Texas. It will
be a promising sign for the future relation of the
' two races when there Is such an organization in
; every community having a considerable colored
population.
JJJ
ENGLAND'S PARLIAMENTARY CRISIS
The aitftemPt of tne house of lords to nullifv
?UHat ?.na bIH by dment has been re
sented by the houso of commons. The ministry
5. lUly considerIne the matter, decided to
withdraw the bill as a protest against the action
of .the house of ldrds. The premier, Sir Henry
Campbell-Bannerman, announced the withdrawal
in these -words: "It may bo necessary to submit
but, neither the resources of the British const!
The Commoner,
' .
tution nor of the house of commons are yet -wholly
,, exhausted and a. way must and will be found
, whereby the will of the people, expressed through
their elected representatives in the house of
commons, will be made to prevail." This chal.
lenge to the house of lords raises . an important
question. The liberals have two hundred ma
jarity in the house- of commons while the. conservative-strength
In the house of lords is over
whelming, the conservatives having about ten
times as, many members as, the liberals, Ordi
narily tho house of lords pays very little atten
tion to what is going on in. the. commons. Three
constitute, a quorum and business is transacted
by routine, but the liberal victory meant a num
ber of important reforms, and the house of lords,
assuming itself a co-ordinate branch of the legis
lature, has undertaken to enforce, its ideas. The
result is that the house of commons will appeal
to the country sooner or later and in tho end
the will of the people will prevail. "Whom the
gods would destroyrthey first make mad," and
"it is evident that the conservatives are mad.
That their madness will lead to their undoing
is not at all improbable. N
'?'. -'' JJJ .."
A NEW IDEA ' ' ' .
"' A dispatch from- New Haven announces that
a Yale college has been organized In China. A
number of Yale men have been endeavoring for
some years to establish an American university
in the heart of China, and they have now suc
ceeded in securing the site for their, institution.
It is a splendid move. China is awakening. A
large number of Chinese students are leaving
home every year to study abroad, but naturally
but a few are financially able to go abroad. The
establishment of American colleges in China .will
vastly increase the opportunities, and thesecol
leges will make friends among the Chinese. Every
American college established in China is a ' new
center of western civilization, and every boy
brought under the influenqe of such a college he
comes an apostfe of western civilization. ' No
one living outside of China can do for the pepple
what the Chinese themselves can do. America
can furnish teachers and ideals but the real work
must be dpne by the Chinese themselves who,
receiving an education and embodying ideals, go
to work among their fellow citizens. The Yale
graduates are to be commended for this very
worthy undertaking, and the graduates of other
institutions may well follow the example set.
JJJ
' FREE LUMBER
Senator Kittredge of South Dakota is deter-
mined-.that the lumber trust shall be investigated
and declares that if ever given the opportunity
he will vote to put lumber on the free list,and
adds that every settler in his state is forced to
pay tribute to the combine. The senator is quite ,
correct in declaring that there is a lumber trust,
and that it forces tribute. But what about the
wire trust? And the twine trust? And the har
vester trust? And the sugar trust? And the
beef trust? Is it not true that each of them ex
acts tribute, not only from settlers but from
all 4-he people, and that their ability to exact
this tribute is due in most Instances to the very
same tariff that permits the lumber trust to. do
the things so bitterly complained of by Senator
Kittredge?
JJJ
ATTORNEY GENERAL BONAPARTE
When the name of Secretary Bonaparte was
presented to the senate as the president's nomi
nee for attorney general, Senator Culberson, of
Texas, raised objection to his confirmation and '
based his objection upon a speech made by Mr.
Bonaparte at. the Chicago anti-trust conference
in 1899. In that speech he said, speaking of the
tendency jpf combination; "I am not, however
prepared to say that this tendency is harmful;'
it has atgood side and a bad side, and there is
the less reason to make up our minds as to its
merits, because, whatever wo may think, we can
not prevent it, except at the price of liberty and
civilization." He concluded his speech with this
language: "Emphatically no legislative aqtlon
in regulation or restraint of combinations, whether
by coiigress or state legislature, 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 de
moralizing to all concerned, the practical results
(except in the levy of blackmail) altogether
nugatory." He also expressed himself in favor
of the consolidation of the railroads. While there
are several sentences which indicate that he
was still studying the question, there is no doubt
-"&
st
:::- volume o, NiniBEU M
that at that .'time he looked if n,
ihe standpoint-of the trust i (1Uestln from
the trusts rather than Ti h Sg" Z
deavpring to exterminate them h Were en-
rec
rn
for it would : be fojy tS 'entrust ?,?f that hC
the law against trust magna t ?onXe?ut,on
,w c wuai magnates to be irront i,a T '
tors or who hoiiovna , !.. brPat "enefac.
n wir nnA . " xuey aro eneaepri
e speeches
'l,cent cam-
of due antknuit mZ' ""L"usulstIC PPort
has been annnfntnri 7i "n"1 "ow- l)Ut as ho
a work necessary to progress L in
St: u, bpUTnhorl;er
i""b" vt- iiui. iiunnnrn nntr j.i .. .. wm-
has been appointed and confirmed wo l"8 !
hope that he will be spurred on to active Z!!
work by a desire to overcome the S of S
former position. The roil nf fw , E his
is niwiwrn ;. i?! J11- ?f the upw convert
delighted Tf "ho showf C ?? I
but a zealous one in the prosecution of the tS
.. MMV"i
,:": JJJ
- jB. NOT, WHY NOT?
A redde'. the New York World writes to
that paDer in this wnv a " UT.10
injunction, is there any goo reason why an I
leged violator of an injunction in a strike can
can not be tried before a jury, where the 5
nesses can be crofirf-AYnmin n,i ,. V,
jury, instead of by a judge, upon affidavits pre
pared by the counsel of the complainant? Jury
trial is guaranteed in cases of felony, which id
graver than violating a court order. Why canl
not a jury as well pass on the question of an al-
isu viomuon.. or : such an.- order as on a question
involving the life of an, accused? If not, why'
Mr- Pulitzer should lose no time in answer-
iuis una question. If not, why not?
JJJ "'
SCHOOLMASTER EXPERIENCE
tV- fend &i TIle Commoner sends in this
.;ltem: The people of ..Goldfield, Nev. -recently
had a fuel famine. One of the public-spirited citi
zens went to San Francisco and secured four
hundred tons of coal at $14 per ton. He then
went to the Southern Pacific railroad and asked
fOr transportation. 'AVn1n1nfnr flio anrn nnnrln nt
the people. He Succeeded finnllv in mnlrfnry nr. 3
rangements by which the coal would be shipped
at $9.50 per ton, a 580 mile haul, which ought to
be fairly remunerative to the railroad, if the
railroads, however, insist upon charging such
rates, the people in distress need not be expected
to become hilarious in their advocacy of the pri
vate ownership of railroads. When government
ownership comes, it will not be due so much to
the speeches made as to the actual experience
which the. people have with the roads under in
dividual management.
. JJJ
BREAK THE BOND
Although in his message to congress the
president did not deign to notice the tariff ques
tion, indications that that question Is conspicuous
In the public mind multiply. In the language
of Senator Rayner of Maryland: "The bond be
tween the protected beneficiaries and the treas
ury of the United States, should be broken. The
contract between them should long since have
expired by limitation. This is a renewal in a new
form of this unholy combination. It announces the
doctrine that the government of tho United States
has the right to take the hard-earned savings of
the people collected by. taxation and still further
enrich its protected favorites: It is an attack upon
the rights pf the people for the benefit of their
financial oppressors. It is in the interest of the
American Protective Tariff league, which, not
withstanding tho respectable membership that
composes it, represents every monopoly on the
American continent that Is. plundering the homes
of the "American people.?'
JJJ
THE PHILIPPINE ASSEMBLY
A dispatch from Manila announces that an
election will soon be called for the selection of
members to -the first Philippine assembly. The
election will be held July 1, 1907, and the assem
bly will convene within ninety days. Each as
sembly district will contain about ninety thou
sand population.
This will be an important assembly, and it
is to be hoped thai the Filipinos will recognize
that the success of the 'assembly will go a long
I
31
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