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The Commoner
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VOLUME 7, NUMBER!
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OBSERVATIONS
Tho' IntioiiHlBlonolcH or llfo, In the living of
It, nro wlial. coiiHllliilo tho.so fcaluroH of human
iHMociatlon that, once society 1h ready for organi
zation, demands tho Institutions of government.
If wo were consistent to given principle! of life,
tho slightest restraint of government upon human
inclination would, imilcad of guiding man accord
lug to hid huHt Judgment, become tho Hource and
caiiHo of all hlH IIIh. That inHtitutlon, oven gov
ernment, that contravenes what man host under
Htamhi and complloH with, without abuse or In
Jury to hlniHclf, It wore the grossest folly to do
fond as a heueflclent contribution to his welfare;
for only when man becomes a menace and danger
to high doos ho need interfering restraints. Tho
method of applying such restraints wo call gov
ernment and I he working out of such method wo
call tho machinery of government, (lie which,
from time to tlmo, needs renewing, amendment
or disuse, as tho circumstances surrounding man
change.
Tn our ilmo tho whirligig has pointed towards
a corrupting commercialism that has put asido
the law of God, and paid tributo to that species
of genius that may best servo tho purpose of
ovadlng tho restraints of man's govornmont upon
those whom governments aro necessary to re
strain from encroaching upon tho rights of their
follow men whom governments aro necessary"
to protect. To such an extent has this grown
that our bra.onness of conduct has carried tho
roputo of our methods beyond seas and tho echo
comos back that wo stand discredited; that wo
aro untruthful, dishonest, corrupt. Apparently ln
difforont as to our reputation as a people, wo
laughod at our foreign brethren and clinked our
gold pieces in dorlslon of thoso who appeared
scandalized. Our social fabric became a bed
raggled network, that slimily dragged from dis
honor to divorco and back again, until the glory
of our purest boast, tho "homo," was threatened
and again wo laughed and cllnkod tho gold of
our prosperity. Our courts, to which our peoplo
havo looked up with an almost sacred respect, as
against tho intrusion of a thought that would
threaten thorn with insult, and whoso hands wo
havo upheld in earnest of our determined deslro
to contlnuo that confidence, havo como to a share
in that laugh of Indifference, with no faint suspi
cion of too great a sympathy for tho sacredness
of tho cliuking of our gold.
Our executive Is tho anchor of hopo to those
not wholly onvolopcd in tho corruption of our
commercialism; and to that department of our
govornmont tho peoplo havo transferred so great
a proportion of their confidence for protection
against wrong that tho other two co-ordinato
branches of our government aro considered only
as attendant means to resort to in particular in
stances of extraordinary moment. Indeed, so
much do tho people rely upon tho executive, that
!Lln be(in, "pessary for that department to go
outside or its province to insist upon means
whereby it might tho bettor conserve the welfare
Smv In ,n St Alt!lUfih P0UtlCul manipulation
may, in tho future, impose upon tho people such
a choice for chief executive as that it may bo
but as a question of tho less of evils, they havo
been most fortunate in that no such alterna vo
wt Lt0 th0i proBont' b0Gn Presented to theim
What the people would do in such an emergency
wTnW l lmtWl U 8'UGSS: but it may be
averte, ,MVn SOm Tfty' ?uch a situatlon W bo
a cited. It were wiso, howover, to apprehend
from our present environment, that bo no St
will be made by those against whose methods the
eople need protection, to elect one who win not
bo oftonsivoly inimical to such methods a- tho
people themselves may sily eff such at
as win protect them against a nnn
irnCe,f mothoda that havetrought upon Ts"
the suspicion of other peoples, and discredU it
n our own eyes, and to our own consdonces t
s not to bo apprehended that they will sacriflco
the opportunity at a further jingling c f boM no?
will they permit either a laugh of contentment
with wealth or indifference to miseen eZe
nuences to deprive them of their be te, junent
"Iff vo a greater confidence in tho
executive than in either of the other two aLnv?
ments of the government, it Is because tLvnvn
reason for the one or agains t th other If the
leVSurSn01100 iU their in thX?
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M """ w lunuiuire oy tlio congress
ir.oro than to tho disposition of the peoplo to
Huspcct them of intentional misrepresentation.
Of a certainty tho laugh of the people is also
directed towards and upon many legislative acts
that aro proclaimed of groat popular virtue.
What tho outcome of this resting of popular
confidence in but one of tho three co-ordinato
departments of tho government be, none can
foresee; but it certainly is the part of wisdom to
mako great effort towards securing at least one
of such departments of government against the
possibility of being dominated by those whoso
methods havo cost the other two departments of
govornmont that confidence that constitutes tho
only honor their occupants may hope for, and
bereft of which, no matter how highly placed,
thoy are poor indeed.
When Pompey, Crossus and Caesar had com
bined to subvert the Roman commonwealth, and
had bribed tho peoplo to overcome Cato, and yet
wanted the necessary authority to enable them to
accomplish their purpose, they did not hesitate
an instant to openly use force. In what way
force could bo used, by those whose purpose it
seems to control our governmental affairs, it is
not easy to discover; but as they have corrupted"
those in high place to do their bidding, it may
bo presumed that they would not be lacking in
moans or method to acquire any other power that
might bo necessary to their purposo. This may
seem extravagant, but so it was in Rome.
Wo aro now being regaled by a few gentle
men who control most of our railroad mileage,
and, in a sense, much of the business dependent
upon railroad service, that they are being har
rassed by tho interstate commerce commission and
the now railway rate law. If the railways are
doing right and obeying the law, how may they
bo wronged? Thoy complain of the law and the
stern intent of tho people for more law and
until such law is sufficient to protect them from
railroad wrongs, whereas if thoy had obeyed the
law and been either honest or fair no new laws
would have been necessary to protect the people
and their interests as against the railroad. Mr.
Hill sees ruin ahead, but only great and constant
ly growing success for the railroads. He is not
disposing of one penny of his railway holdings
because of his fear that danger threatens the
railroad business. Mr. Harriman denies that he
controls a great railroad mileage, and declares
that boards of directors really direct; but almost
the fools know that ho dictates the directors.
Why? To have them.' do other than his bidding?
Both Mr. Hill and Mr. Harriman seem strangely
alarmed about the future of railroads in this
country and yet they keep adding to their rail
way holdings as fast and as largely as they pos
sibly can. If ruin threatens the future of rail
roads, tho judgment and opinions and advice of
Messrs. Hill and Harriman are neither sound
nor worth attention. If the future contains no
such dangers for railroads, Messrs. Hill and Har
riman are trying to deceive the people. And if
they are trying to deceive the people, how should
their efforts be characterized? Meanwhile, with
all the great and many dangers ahead that Messrs.
Hill and Harriman warn us against, each goes
his way gathering up every share of railway stock
ho possibly can. As neither of them are dis
posing of their railway holdings, the duty of the
people is to protect themselves against men like
Messrs. Hill and Harriman.
W. S. RYAN.
Indianapolis, Ind.
A PRAYER IN PAIN
Lord, I beseech Thee, not so sharp again;
I can not suffer so and be Thy child;
I am some brute thing, tortured, trapped and
wild
Fighting the hands that would relieve its pain.
I havo known sorrow, Lord, and blessed Thy
name.
Standing upright, although I could not see
Because of tearsbut still my soul was free
No coward then, I merited no blame.
But now, dear Lord, my weak flesh shames me so -I
pray Thee, ere from torture I grow dumb'
Let Thy bright angel with the sharp sworcT
come,
To slay me and Pain's demons at one .blow.
This ask I in His name who once did shrink
From that too bitter cup they made Him drink.
Emily Lewis in Lippincott's.
FOR THE SCRAP-BOOK
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Little Folks
Oh, the little toys and little joys,
And little boys I know,
And the little lips and little quips
And little slips, heigh-ho!
It's a wonderland is the babyland
Where wee ones laugh and play,
Where the wee ones creep away to sleep
When the wee ones feel that way.
Oh, the rows of pearls and tossing curls ,c
And little girls I know, si.
And the hands that cling and feet that swing
And lips that sing, "Bye-o"
To the little dolls they hold so tight,
And lullaby to rest
With a mother-croon and mother-tune .
In an arm-encircled nest.
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Oh, the happy days and sunlit ways ,
And wonder-gaze of joy
Of the little girls with rows of pearls,
And tossing curls, and coy;
And the looks they give to the little lad,
And the looks he gives back, too;
Where the babies be is the place for me
For I love them all, I do.
J. M. Lewis, in Houston Postv
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Sunshine of You ;;
I have plodded the ways of this grimy old world
Mid the hives and the marts of the millions
hurled,
I have tasted its sweets, I have supped of its gall,
And I've lingered and dreamed where the rose
petals fall;
I have bent to its hopes and many have failedr
At the fates that befell me I've angered and
railed; . ' .
But what do they matter, lost hopes and the rue,
So long as the heart knows the sunshine of you?
It matters but little what skies may look do,wn,
Or whether the hopes, long cherished, have flown;
No matter how gloomy the mantle today,
There will come, sure as Fate, a rift in the way
Where the sunbeams will filter and splash on the
road,
And a song will come lilting to lighten the load.
On the long rugged steeps, whate'er I go thro' ,
I go with the dream of the sunshine of you.
Lsh el thro' the years tiu the sun sinks to f est
Neath the gold-burnished skies in the desolate
West, Where the flood gates ope wide to the River of
Sleep,
Where there never is wailing and eyes never'
weep;
I shall go with a song ever rife in my heart
That .flow's with the freedom of waters that start
From earth's purest spring. Like a mariner's star
You shall guide me forever wherever you are!
Will F. Griffin in Milwaukee Sentinel '
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Song of the Pear!
I was made for the smallest hands to press
For the softest kiss and the still caress, '
For the whispered peace of a night in June,
For tired eyes that watch the moon
L-?7 Jrief and for hearts that break
x imooiuuttw team ior mo loved one;s sake
My soul is a mist, my heart a sea,
n-uu x iJttve tne noors or eternity '?
Archie Sullivan in Appleton's Magazine.;
Regret
In a little rose garden of long ago
The ghosts of my dead loves walk
And with whispers low and footsteps slow '
I listen as they talk. '
Ah, dear, sweet dreams of tho vn,. .,.
WI, oT,l " . -ww JW1B.V -
" "j ouuuiu yuu uaunt me SO, ' ti
With mocking fears and idle tears ,-&$
Why should I sorrow knnw? ' ' ':&&
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I would drift in my boat on the sea of dreams-.
Far ut fr?m ttis garden so fair, ' ; i
Where the sun's warm beams on the ocean seeing
To brighten my dull despair. '"
A. Maria Crawford, Bob Taylor's Magazine. .
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