ijf
The Commoner,
JANUARY 25, 1907
3
arc the greater criminals, and their wrongdoing
is more harmful to society. Their punishment,
too, is more difficult, for they not only stand high
themselves but have influential friends. So great
has been the injustice done to the public by the
granting of perpetual or long time franchises that
the more recent constitutions and statutes forbid
tho granting of a franchise except by a referendum
vote. A moral uplift is even now manifesting
itself in the effort both to punish the offenders
and to protect society more effectively from tho
conspiracy against its welfare.
The trust question can not bo settled until
the moral issues involved are recognized and
passed upon. The principle underlying a private
monopoly isso easily understood that it is strango
that any one should mistake it, and yet men do
mistake it, and men who would not think of play
ing the highwayman behind a mask at night will
associate themselves together and, in broad day
light, apply the highwayman methods to industry.
What difference is there in morals between one
who, putting a revolver to your head, demands
your money or your life, and the trust magnate
who, cornering a necessity of life, demands an
exorbitant price for that which you must have
and which he controls? Until recently a trust
magnate's money was accepted without question
by churches, colleges and charities; but men at
the head of religions and benevolent institutions
are beginning to inquire about the methods em
ployed by those who have money to give away.
It does not require a prophetic eye to foresee the
time1' when this scrutiny will be so close that the
exploiters 'Of the nation will find it impossible to
take worthy institutions in partnership with them
in the distribution of their ill-gotten gains. It
will be some punishment to such wrongdoers to
be left to enjoy in solitude that which they have
gathered together by trampling upon every senti
ment of brotherhood.
TRYING TO IMPROVE THE DIVINE PLAN
The broadest indictment that can be brought
against present economic conditions in the United
States is that the rewards offered by society are
not only not in accordance with, but are directly
subversive of, the law of rewards given us by
the Creator. The most imperative duty resting
upon the citizen is to bring the government as
nearly as possible into harmony with the Divine
law. '
When God gave us the earth with its fertile
soil, the sunshine with its warmth and the show
ers with their mofsture, He proclaimed, as clearly
as if His voice had thundered from the ciouds:
Go, work, and your reward shall be proportionate
to your diligence, intelligence and perseverence.
The law has been reversed, and each decade
shows a smaller and smaller percentage of the
wealth remaining in the hands of the wealth
producers, and a larger and larger proportion in
the hands of the non-producers. This condition
is not only unnatural, it is dangerous. It is due
to man-made privileges and immunities to law
made inequalities in distribution. So great have
these inequalities become that the president has
sounded a note of warning. Protesting that these
"swollen fortunes" should not be transmitted to
posterity, he has suggested an inheritance tax
to compel the prpdatory classes to disgorge at
the grave. I refer to this not for the purpose
of discussing remedies, but to emphasize the ne
cessity for a remedy. The hope of the future
lies in the belief that a remedy will be applied,
and the very fact that a remedy is being consid
ered shows how far reaching is the ethical move-,
ment. ' , ,
To recapitulate; .here is a moral awakening
that is world-wide In, its extent; its effects are
especially noticeable this country, in the growth
of altruism, in the Increase in church activity, in
the larger consideration given to sociological sub
jects and in the demand for a nearer approach
to justice in government. The basis of this
movement is the idea of brotherhood, and its
purpose is not merely to stay each hand uplifted
for another's injury, but to substitute in each the
desire to benefit others in the place of the desire
to overreach. The means by which the movement
is to be advanced is the cultivation of an ideal
which will measure life, not by what one gets
out of the world, but by what one contributes to
the sum of human happiness. Written by W. J.
Bryan for, and copyrighted by, the Saturday Even
ing Post.
JJJ
ONE MORE "DEFENDER"
John R. Walsh, proprietor of the Chicago
Chronicle and former president of a Chicago
national bank, which closed its doo.rs December
16, 1905, was, on January 18, indicted by the
federal grand jury for misconduct in the man
agement of the finances of the bank. An Asso
ciated Press dispatch from Chicago says:
"The indictment is based upon ninety-two
separate transactions in each of which it is
claimed the bank's funds were unlawfully used,
and contains 182 counts, based upon tho ninety
two financial operations conducted by Mr. Walsh.
It is claimed that Mr. Walsh placed in tho bank
twenty-two 'memorandum notes' aggregating in
face value $2,090,000 and placed the proceeds to
the credit of his personal account. Thirteen un
lawful transactions in the bonds of the Southern
Indiana and Illinois Southern railways, owned by
Mr. Walsh, are also charged, it being alleged that
Mr. Walsh sold these bonds to the bank and
placed the proceeds amounting to $822,200 to his
personal credit. It is charged in the indictment
that the money secured by these transactions was
paid by Mr. Walsh to the Southern Indiana and
Illinois Southern railways and other enterprises
of his own. Mr. Walsh was arrested March 2,
1906, charged with violation of the federal bank
ing laws, and on May 3 ho was held to await the
action of a federal grand jury. Since then ho
has been under a bond of $50,000."
It will be remembered that Mr. Walsh and
his newspaper wore so devoted to national honor
in 1896, that, although pretending to be democrats,
they could not give their support to the democratic
ticket. . Yet a federal grand jury alleges that
this purist has been guilty of ninety-two finan
cial transactions that will not bear the light of
day.
Verily some of these 1896 defenders were so
busy looking after the "national honor" that they
had no time to take care of their own.
JJJ
WHERE ARE THE CAPTAINS?
In a letter addressed to Governor Johnson of
Minnesota, James J. Hill, president of tho Great
Northern Railroad company, declares that it
would require a permanent investment of $1,100,
000,000 a year for five years to provide the rail
roads of the country with means to handle prop
erly the business already in sight, and not allow
ing for future growth.
Is the situation, then, so bad as that? If
President Hill's statement is to bq relied upon,
the "captains of industry" have not commanded
the forces under them to advantage; on the con
trary the railroad magnates of today have shown
themselves utterly incapable of rising to the im
portance of the great task confided to them.
According to Mr. Hill, on present business
alone, the railroads are five years in time find
$5,000,000,000 in facilities behind the times, not
taking into consideration the country's future
growth! Yet these railroad magnates seem to
have had plenty of time to devote to speech
making at board of trade banquets, and to givo
in the capacity of counsellor to public officials.
Mr. Hill has, doubtless unwittingly, given
public ownership advocates a strong argument.
JJJ
THE STARCH TRUST
The National Starch company and tho Corn
Products Refining company, which together form
the starch trust, in an advertisement in the New
York newspapers announcing an issue of bonds
to retire other bonds, say: "Of the many active
and well-maintained starch plants throughout the
United States which constituted the original se
curity for the payment of your bonds, only two
are now in operation. The remainder, having
been idle for several years, are dismantled, un
insured and rapidly deteriorating, so that without
attention they will soon become valueless forfac
tory purposes."
It was Secretary Shaw who said "a protec
tive tariff is not the mother of trusts, though it
is the parent of a condition that makes it profit
able for capital to combine."
JJJ
WOMEN WAGE EARNERS
The census bureau reports show that women
wage earners are increasing in numbers. The
greatest increase is in New York, and is dis
tributed mostly in the manufacture of tobacco,
cigars and cigarettes and in garment making.' Ac
cording to the report women are engaged in 316
of 339 occupations, and their number, including
girls over 16, is upwards of 1,647,000, and their
average yearly earnings $298 per capita, as against
$534 per capita for men. However the report
confesses that "limitations of the census prevent
fixing these wage means as accurate." The con
fession is a very timely one, for no one who is
at all familiar with work in the sweat shops and
tenement factories of New York believes for a
moment that the annual per capita wago of those
women is anywhere near the figure quoted In tho
report. If the average annual wage of these work
ers is one-half that given In tho report many care
ful investigators have been sadly deceived.
JJJ
CONVERSION
Washington dispatches say that Speaker Can
non has been converted from an opponent to an
advocate of tho ship subsidy bill, and considerable
surprise is expressed at tho national capital as
to just when or how the conversion took place.
No one need be seriously disturbed. "Uncle Joe"
takes to subsidy just as a duck takes to water,
and the surprise is that ho over persuaded him
self to oppose tho ship subsidy.
JJJ
CENTRAL BANK
In its issue of November 22, the Wall Street
Journal said: "Without a great central bank
of issue, an asset currency upon any extended
scale, is impossible in this country." The smaller
bankers over tho country ought to ponder on
this statement. A central bank moans that one
great money concern will do the business for tho
whole country, and that the bankers in various
towns and cities will bo only 'the agents for tho
trust.
JJJ
HE KEPT THE FAITH
In the death of David Overmoyer, Kansas
loses a useful citizen, and tho democracy of tho
state and nation lose a faithful champion. Mr.
Overmeyor was a man of high ideals and stood
by democratic principles when many others de
serted them. With him democracy was not mere
ly a party to belong to and a ticket to be voted
for, but it was a living faith. In Kansas, and In
all other states where tho name of David Over
moyer is honored and loved, men will be told
that David Overmeyer kept tho faith.
JJJ
"THROW OFF THE YOKE"
An Associated Press dispatch under date of
Birmingham, Alabama, follows: " 'Throw off the
Wall Street yoke,' was the predominant senti
ment among the speakers at the third annual
convention of the Southern Cotton Growers' asso
ciation here today."
"Throw off the Wall Street yoke" Is a pretty
good campaign slogan. It describes what is and
will be the purpose of he democratic party if
that party is to be of practical service to tho
people.
JJJ
THINK OF THIS
Speaking bofore a class at Columbia Univer
sity, Henry L. Call of Washington presented sta
tistics showing:
One per cent of our population owns practi
cally 99 per cent of the entire wealth of the na
tion. Our 18,000,000 wage earners receive an aver
age of but $400 per year. Nine-tenths of our busi
ness men are notoriously failures. Our clergy re
ceive an average annual salary of about $500;
the average for educators is even lower. Of our
6,000,000 farmers, one-third are tenants and the
homes of one-third of the remaining two-thirds
are mortgaged.
Mr. Call makes a very gloomy showing and
even though one believe he has painted the pic
ture too darkly, observing men know in the ab
sence of statistics that the situation is serious
enough to demand the thoughtful consideration
of patriotic men.
JJJ
MOTIVES
The grand jury which returned indictments
against Mr. Perkins and his associates in the
insurance business, expressed the opinion that
the motives of the transaction were good, because
the law was violated for the benefit of the policy
holders. Well, it is good to see the insurance
officials even pretending to do something for the
policyholders, but after all the policyholders are
not the only ones to be considered. There is a
general public for whose protection law is en
acted. A similar plea might be advanced in de
fense of every violation of law by corporations.
In truth, we have often been told that when the
great railroads violate law and oppress the pub
lic, and when corporations dealing in the neces
saries of life conspire in restraint of trade, they
do it for the benefit of the "widows and orphans"
who hold the stock, and holding the stock are
entitled to have the law violated with Impunity in
their name.
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