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FEBRTJAKT IB; 1007
The Commoner.
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Thomas F. Ryan, will look after the transporta
tion end of the various operations. Ex-Supreme
. Court Justice Morgan J. O'Brien, who was made
a trustee of the Equitable Life after Ryan reor
ganized it, is to he the counsel of the Panama con
struction concerns. The canal is to be built in ten
to fifteen years, at a cost of over $100,000,000, and
. Stevens, Oliver and his associates are to do the
work on a commission .of 0 3-4 per cent of the 'cost
of construction. The United States government
is to furnish free 1 ho plant (steam shovels, railway,
boats, etc.), medical service, hospitals, police and
all but the smaller tools. The contracting com
pany is to engage the labor and operate the work.
The contracting company will pay the bills with
its own cash as the work goes on, and the govern
ment will settle with the contracting company
monthly, paying back to it all the money it has
' advanced. Once a year the government will pay
the contracting company two-thirds of its coin
mission, holding back the other third till the whole
work is done. The government will have
its own bookkeepers to tab off the contractor's
expenditures, and will also hsrve its own inspect
ors. If the canal costs $100,000,000 the contract
or's profits or commission, will be $0,750,000."
O
THE ST. LOUIS Globe-Democrat, a republican
paper, has small respect for the men who
arranged the rivers and harbors appropriations.
. The Globe-Democrat calls it a job and adds: "ln
stead of the average of the past, which is $10,
' 000,000, the rivers and harbors committee hns
. brought in a bill appropriating over $83,000,000.
When the light is turned upon the bill it is founYl
to be essentially, as far as the interior of the
country is concerned, a plan to improve the route
eastward from the lakes by way of New York, and
to turn down the lakes-to-gulf channel, one large
section of which, that from St. Louis to the Chi
cago drainage canal, has been favorably reported
on, after an exhaustive survey, by sonic of the
most experienced engineers in the government
service. Such a conspiracy as the ponding rivers
and harbors bill at a time when the people are
suffering from freight congestion is a grave of
fense, and those who are engaged in it, or silently
acquiescent, will hear from the issue when they
present themselves for re-election."
MANY OF THE ITEMS included in the bill
are, according to the Globe-Democrat, for
' insignificant streams and inlets. That paper says:
"They are put in to catch congressional votes oil
v the pork-barrel basis, and also for the reason that
the lakes-to-New York route will be additionally
helped by wasting the money provided for any
other inland section. The bill as reported is a
program of favoritism that scarcely takes the
trouble to disguise itself, feeling sure that its sys
tem of getting votes enough in congress to serve
its purpose will render helpless any righteous ob
jections that may be raised. If the internal im
provements of this great country are ever to be
conducted on a fair, intelligent scale, and by
straightforward, honorable legislative methods,
now is the time to make a fight for a square deal.
An appropriation increased to $83,000,000 is a Dig
proposition, and when it is observed that the
lakes-to-gulf channel is shoved out of it entirely
it is time for the people of the Mississippi valley,
and for othersfshnilarly slighted, to wake up."
o
WASHINGTON dispatches say that one of Mr.
Roosevelt's plans for pacifying Japan was
by recognizing the principle that Japan is an equal
in all respects with the United States and all con
cessions should, therefore, be made reciprocal. It
is said Mr. Roosevelt told several members of the
senate that he would offer the exclusion of Amer
ican laborers from Japan in return for the exclu
sion of the coolies from the United States. He
would propose the inability of the federal govern
ment to control the action of "a state" in educa
tional affairs shall be offset by conceding the right
of any Japanese province to prevent the attend
' ance of American children as its schools.
O
ON THIS POINT the Washington correspondent
for the New York World says: "The presi
dent is anxious to avoid any direct reference to
the school question In a treaty and will avoid it
if possible. He hopes to reach an agreement in
General terms for each country to deal with aliens
and their families according to its own policy.
The president is said to have been given some en
couragement that a treaty along the lines indicated
might be approved By the senate, but there are
many senators who unhesitatingly declare that
. this is absolutely impossible. The same degree of
impossibility applies to the exclusion of Aroer -can
workingmen by an imperial edict, if the meth
od is chosen to prevent the coming of coolies o
this country. The one plan would be as distaste
ful as the other. The impracticability of this plan
is thus outlined by a member of the foreign rela
tions committee: 'It does not matter whether
American laborers wish to go to Japan or not.
Perhaps there is not one who cares to go. But
all American citizens have equal rights which can
not be infringed. I hardly think the president anil
Secretary Root can seriously contemplate any sum
hrovision in a treaty with Japan. If they wane
the laboring people of the United -States to rise
and sweep the republican party from power, let
them go ahead with the attempt. Of course, they
see this point as clearly as anybody else. There
fore, I think it is. safe to say that whether Japan
is willing to agree to the exclusion of her labor
ers or not, the United States will never agree that
American laborers shall be excluded from Japan.
It makes' no difference whether the attempt is
made to exclude American laborers from Japan
by treaty, or by recognizing the right of Japan to
enact laws excluding certain Americans. We can
not make any agreement with anybody to deprive
any American pf any right which is to be enjoyed
by any other American that is so obvious that :io
indirection or subterfuge can obscure it.' "
buy American goods In such largo quantities that
they could compete with American merchants. It
appeared comical to me during the boycott to see
American goods stamped with the Japanese trade
mark. All that was necessary wan to turn the
package around, and there, In cold black type was
the name of the American manufacturers. Then
goods wore sold to the Chinese as Japanese prod
ucts, and were accepted as such." The recent
troubles in San Francisco over the Japanese
school question, On. Bragg said, should be settled
by the state of California. "I have always been
opposed to any exclusion laws," said he, "hut in
an event like this I am of the opinion that an or
fort on the part of the United States as a nation
to Interfere would be violating the constitution.
One Chinaman Is worth two Japanese so far as
character and manhood arc concerned."
QUITE A STIR has been made in republican
circles by he report that Mr. Roosevelt
would appoint Ralph Tyler, a negro, surveyor of
customs at Cincinnati. Some claim that the ap?
poiutment of Tyler would be by way of sop to
the negroes who had taken offense because of the
Brownsville incident. Others say the apolnt
ment is to be made as an object lesson to Senator
Foraker whose home is in Cincinnati. A Wash
ington correspondent to The New York World
says: "Letters of protest against the proposed
nomination are pairing in from the Buckeye state
'on its senators and representatives. Harry M.
Dougherty, of Colifmbus, is here conferring with
Representative Burton, as to the advisability of
making a fight against a Foraker delegation to
the national convention of 1008. Messrs. Dough
erty and Burton hope to dissuade the president
from carrying out his plan. Ralph Tyler, a negro,
is supposed to be slated for the Cincinnati survey
orship. Nevertheless, William Haley, a negro
barber of Portsmouth, O., has mrtde application
for the position. Another colored man, well known
in southern Ohio, who has begun a canvass tor
the surveyorshlo is Robert J. Harlan, once em
ployed in the office of the city treasurer at Cin
cinnati, and now a clerk in the oflice of the auditor
for the war department Applications continue
to come in from negroes in Cincinnati and else
where in that customs district."
THE HOUSE has passed the senate service pen
sion bill. Referring to this measure the New
York World says: "Mr. Roosevelt will of course
sign tlic-measure, which is little more than sin ex
tension of his famous executive order of 1004. it
pays to every veteran of sixty-two years $12 a
month, $15 a month to every veteran of seventy
and $0 a month at seventy-live. The now law
will hardly bring the annual cost of pensions up
to more than $155,000,000. Even this would not
be a record total. Pension expenditures reached
$158,000,000 in 1893. After every great extension
of the nation's bounty the total payment shoots
u pward a once. It did this in 1892-3, in 1807 and
again in. 1004-5. But always the annual cost
drops away again rapidly as the death list swells
with constantly accelerating pace. A million
mimes may be reached for the first time under
the new law but they will not long remain a mil
ium .Scattered- survivors of the civil war may
cjtill be living In 1950 and widows of civil win
veterans in the year 2000,, but the bulk of the
great army of the union is steadily marching .over
the divide."
GENERAL EDWARD S. BRAGG, former
United States consul general at Hong Kong,
recently in an interview with a St. Louis Globe
Democrat representative said that there was no
danger of war between the United States and
Japan. General Bragg added: "A more Insinuat
ing, swell-headed class of people than the Japan
ese are at present would be hard to find. This
is due largely to their recent victory over the
Russians." While a 'break between Japan
and the United States may come in time,
the danger is not imminent. The Japanese have
a heavy war debt to pay, and, although itis prob
able that they could put a large army In the Held,
they have no visible resources to draw from.
The recent boycott of American goods in China
was caused largely by the Japanese. The Japan
ese merchants suddenly discovered that they could
TN THE OPINION of the Omaha World-IIerald
A the railway kings Of the United States cer
tainly know how to run the "king business." The
World-IIerald says: "It may fairly be said that
their kingdoms are vulgarly new and raw, and
themselves unbroken to the politer, gentler little
social ways of royalty; but when It comes to the
point of making their kingdoms yield real power
and pay real dividends, they have the old-line
mpnarchs the real blue-bloods looking like a
bunch of the veriest amateurs. .lust take a look,
if you please, at these figures, which show the rail
way mileage controlled by the American roval
houses, and their respective holdings of stocks and
bonds:
Stocks,
Capitalists Mileage. Bonds.
Vanderbllts ' 21,:i20 $l,:i29,28:M00
Pennsylvania 17,(M 1,205,425,500
Harrlman 25,215 J,987,:U2,400
Morgan, Hill-Morgan 2.,544 1,790,002,500
Gould T... 38, KM l,:J00,42:j,000
Moores 20,000 804,241,200
Rockefeller 13,.'i90 5:j 1,595,7 13
"These seven' 'interests,' then, control a total of
lo9 thousand miles of railway, or (M per cent of
the total mileage of all American railways, as re
ported in 1905. Their aggregate holdings or con
trol, of securities reach the enormous total of
9,040 millions of dollars. And they have other re
sources besides, please to remember. What other
nation of the earth can show a royal family whose
combined wealth ,'s anything like, this? Were this
vast wealth held In the form of inonoy, Its power
would be great enough, in all conscience. It Is
greater as It stands, for these holding. represent
practically full control of American commercial
life. As matters stand, commercial traffic Is held
hard and fast hi the-'o kings' grip. What will hap
pen when they quit all fussing with one another,
and agree upon a full 'community of interest?' "
o
rp.HE REPORT of Major General Ainswbrth,
X military secretary of the United States army,
provides some interesting information. The Now
York World says: "This report shows that there
are more than 13,000,000 men in the United States
available for military service. About 312,400 are
organized In State milltia.t The regular arniv. as
organized under the act of 1901, consists of GU,3S5
officers and men, exclusive of the hospital corns
and a provisional corps of some 5.000 Philippine
scouts. After the Revolution Congress reduced
the Continental army to eighty men, 'with no of
ficer above the rank of captain.' By 1788 it had
been increased to 595 men commanded by Lieut
Col, and Brevet Brig.-Gen. Harmon. Around flfat
nucleus the regular army has grown. Nine years
ago, at the outbreak of the war with Spain, the
United States army consisted of about 25,000 men
and officers. In February, 1901, congress author
ized a permanent increase of the army to 100,000
men, Including J2,000 native troops for service in
Porto Rico and the Philippines. In June of that
year all the Spanish war volunteers were mustered
out. The house this session has provided for an
increase of 5,000 in the coast artillery. The 112,
000 odd militia can not be called Into service out
side of the state to which they belong except to
resist invasion or to put down rebellion. It has
always been the policy of the government to use
volunteers rather than to increase the regular army
strength. The advantage of this policy is tmt
volunteers can be returned more easily to the pur
suits of peace when the need for their services is
ended. The result is that, as Gen. AIns worth's
report shows, there are millions of men available
for defense, but only a limited number who are
either fit or who could be used for foreign service.
But the testimony of foreign military authorities
is that in adaptability, resourcefulness, military
intelligence and individual initiative the United
States soldier Is unequalled."
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