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The Commoner.
VOLUME 7, NUMBERS
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nol only not Interfere with llio local weeklies bill It
might to work in harmony with thorn. News
paper literature i.s flic cheapest tliuL there Is, and
iih Hourly every voler IiiUch several papers Micro is
no reason why lie (should nol dike a weekly giving
the news of (he eommiiiiKy and disensfd'ng loc-il
Issues, and in addition subscribe for a stale weekly
which will defend his lnlcreslH in all mailers of
Htate importance. The Commoner cannot, cover the
ground of Ihe'Hlnte weekly because It is a national
rather than a stale paper and its columns are le
veled to the discussion of questions of national
Importance. It will co-operate with the slate
weeklies and the local weeklies, for each lias a
upbore of Its own and all can work together for
Ihe promulgation of democratic principles, for the
advancement of democratic policies and for the
preservation of a government "of the people, by
the people and tor Ihe people."
The democrats of each slate are urged to eon
nlder the (pieslion of establishing a weekly demo
, era lie paper, and the sooner the work'is com
menced Ihe belter. We ought to have these papers
now to lay the groundwork for the coming cam
paign. ,' oooo
MUZZLED
Not long ugo Second Assistant Postmaster
General Shellanbarger notified the United Stales
postal clerks that they were not to be given the
r glit to petition for relief from their grievances.
I hoy were told that they must not apply to con
gress for reform. And now we read in 'the Kan
Has City Journal of February J7 this special dis
patch from Washington: "Hallway postal clerks
now know why they are 'muzJed.' Second As
Bistant Postmaster CJeneral Shellanbarger, in u
communication to congress, tells all about it. He
Rays that the department has to 'muzzle' its postal
clerks in the Interests of the service. If there
Is a wreck anywhere and a postal clerk gels hini
Hell interviewed ho will bo suspended, If the de
partment sees the interview, and It no doubt will.
it i!,0?'i!. Vh'rk l,"n '"M'liHs everybody in the
United .Stales, trom the president down,' said Mr.
fcielnnbargcr 'or anything from the Philippines
i, but he must not talk about any wreolUvuwniclf
his train Ih Involved; thai lK,-Utk rorr publication,
lie can tell his irouWea to ttio department. In Ibat
wiy we witf be able to adjust our troubles w h
Uio railroadH without much friction.'"
It Is easy to understand why railroad employes
lire iiHWjItH when It comes lo railroad wrecks 'but
JLS H1' l i0 ll,"k,, why, or by what mi.
tho ily the second assistant postmaster general
Keeks to plil a muzzle on ttio postal clerks.
OOOO
YET IT CLAIMS LINCOLN
The Washington correspondent for the New
ork l veiling Post quotes Secretary of War Tuft
iw having described the opponents'of our Phi ,,.
Pine policy as "Those who asserting that the T ac
quisition of tho Philippines Is a depa rture fr in
he triidltlonal policy if the govenin e in nss
Ing sovereignty over an alien people a pS
eerta nly ill adapted to exorcising' st atohoocl, arc
terly opposed to continuing any connection w h
the government of the Philippine Islands at i
and are strongly favor of 'an linmod ite aba
don.uent o them whatever the result to the peon 0
ol hose islands. They contend that the prlne e
that n just norii.nent must dope. 1 u in o
consent of the governed, is a moral one J alas
our occupation of the islands Immoral."
tarvnTaV1nddlo?r.t nI0l"lent says that Secro
im. i alt added: "I have groat respect for ner
fions who sincerely entertain that view The -o
pub lean party, however, differs wholly from them
pendence"'" ,Ut'ti0n f th Doc, of lilde-
rn??T0,n,yoilt w,t,i t!, consont of tl.e gov
erned" is not necessarily a discreditable view but
according to tl.e lopubllcan secretary f war' "the
i SL i , n l0 D?oli!!',uion of Independence." And
KK t,,ut t,,UIms Abni,mm L""
OOOO
RAILROAD MANAGEMENT
The argument against the government owner
ship of railroads 1ms been that tho II 1101"
Uio public Has be fovort'lo ho w ! ,?,'""""!
is Macaws SSS
people who need coal' Tim iVol i l0 t,le
portatlon and mercmdlsc taf weo
upon the sidetracks, and tho people ask, Wliy is
it that the managers do not provide transportation
facilities? Is it a shortage of cars or a shortage
of motive power, or both, and If a fJigrlagc, why?
lias money been spent In dividends Uiat ought co
have been spent in equipment? Will tlie railroads
seriously alllrm that they are under no obligation
lo move merchandise when the holders of the mer
chandise want it moved? Will the railroads ac
commodate the people or must the people accom
modate themselves to Ihe railroads? Are llio rail
roads bulll for the people or do people live for
the purpose of earning dividends for the rail
roads? And what about watered stock? Arc the people
nol to be considered in the capitalization of the
railroads? Whenever the dividends of a railroad
get high enough to attract attention, the stock a
watered so that the earnings can be spread over
a larger capitalization, and then tho managers get
to work lo raise the dividends again. This is an
endless chain, and it continues to draw money
out of the pockets of the people and carry it to
Hie pockets of the railroad managers. Is there no
limit to (lie amount of extortion that can be prac
ticed? Every time tho authorities attempt to
reduce railroad rales, whether passenger or freight,
a cry goes up from the 'railroad managers but
every protest that Is made against reasonable re
ductions helps to open the eyes of the public to
tho sellishness thar characterizes railroad manage
ment. Competition is being throttled, small roads
are being forced into great combinations, and the
manipulators of the railroads are piling up their
fortunes by juggling with railroad securities.
An Important question arises, namely: Can
railroad management be made honest while it re
mains in private hands? The railroad managers
are doing their best lo force the people to answer,
No. Will tho railroads regard themselves as com
mon carriers and undertake to perform their duty
in a reasonable way and for a reasonable compen
sation? The railroad managers are not yet pre
pared to answer, Yes.
If Uio people ifre driven reluctantly to seek in
public ownership a remedy for the evils of private
management, the blame will not be upon the re
former but upon the railroad manager. While the
reformer is trying to make private ownership tol
erable by reasonable regulation, the railroad mag
nate is defying public sentiment, disregarding
public Interests and continuing the exploitation of
those who are forced to use the roads.
OOOO
THAT OLD SLOGAN
"Let well enough alone" has been the favorite
slogan of republican leaders. Those who yielded
lo this cry during political campaigns now have
the opportunity of learning what it means. Those
who have heretofore failed to recognize the truth
must now understand that while tho republican
leaders are shouting "lot well enough alone" and
Insisting that nothing bo done to change the tariff
laws or the trust laws, they are proceeding upon
such a change in the statutes as will give greater
privileges to special interests.
Republican leaders are not willing to bo bound
by their own logic. They are not willing to "let
well enough alone" in the matter of ship subsidy
they want to take from the taxpayers enormous
subsidies to lill the purses of a few big steam boat
owners. They are not willing to "let well enough
alone" in our financial laws; they want to give
larger privileges to -the bankers and greater favors
to tho gold brokers of Wall street.
When the republican leader cries "let well
enough alone" ho means to make a protest against
any effort to disturb the special interests in the
advantages ihcy already enjoy.
"Lot well enough alone" "is to be used as an
answer to the people's cry for relief when it is
not employed as a snare to lure the though less
voter to the support of a party which, deriving .
campaign funds fiom the special in teresls holds
zirtsz tuo i,oopio's
OOOO
UPTO THE ARMY
At last it lias been decided to give the wol
o constructing tho Pniinnm canal bito t 0 iiuuls
o t lie United States army. Having decided In
tho lirst place to construct a canni 1
admittedly inferior to the N S ." Tvo nte" ?
seems rather strange ihrft tho wo -V w, I ' !fc
llinrllnlnli. .rU. .,?- ,7. 1 .. - IC. A 0l !lS UOt illl-
.-..., v... uiuoiui; iMi'&suru or lnterosftj 'vun ...
can army contains some of the mest LlS1''
ji the world, civil and construct! AnfwwK
the American army may bo sublet tn-Jr110
along certain lines: it will ha VeJ?o be SSftSS
bat up to date it has not failed to i erfi i I T
sfaetorily every task given I t ( 1' at'
hat Uncle Sam's uniformed e ngi neors 1. rn u??Z
bold of the canal work there comes I ?U V, earn
of hope that the canal will bo completed in time
for our children's children to visit tho isthmus
and sec the ships go through. .
OOOO
WHY NOT ORDERS ?
A citizen from San Francisco writing to tho
w -ork Evening Post says: "The California
legislature Is overwhelmingly republican. Whv
does not President Roosevelt request the California
-legislature to repeal the California school law?"
Mr. Roosevelt might order the legislature to le
peal tho objectionable school laws.
OOOO
ONLYTOOTRUE
President Truesdale of tho Lackawana railroad
?,? Uhtor?M a s'cnt trutl1' Uie ony tMe being
Tho S,i?J H10timofluJt eXactIy as ifc led.
J e daily attacks on the railroad -companies are
i..InSJ),!blic confluence," said President Trues
dale. Not confidence in the advisability of beincr
honest, Mr. Truesdale. Not confidence in ihe wis
dom of dealing justice with an even hand. It is,
however, killing confidence in tbe honesty of the
gentlemen who have the management of our huge
railway systems. As the attacks grow the revela
tions of graft and intrigue grow. And -these reve
lations are killing public confidence in the protes
tations of the eminent "captains of finance." But
Mr. Truesdale did not mean it just that way.
OOOO
FOR INSTANCE
government despotism in the United States I
Sip 'of AmerS nmown
eisuip of American railroads would make inevit
able. I can see nothing but folly in a nolinv
of dollUl? CaU f?p government loans of bStoS
of dollars to purchase the railroads and which
would entail the loss of billions of dollar Tin 7mlt
management and corruption under TepoiitTca
centre after the roads had been taken 5?er by
tho federal and slate governments -
Dr. Schurman would add to the general inter
est of his lecture if he would describe tl !e "bean
rocracy' established by tho postal department
Ho might also give an estimate of the amount of
money lost in the postal- department throi gh" mis
management and corruption." lulo"5u mis-
oooo
ENTERING WEDGES' ''
QnoH1CTlllf,it.0f th,? reP"bnam leaders with re
rencv nl0 ,'Sh!11 Sl!13si(ly biH ana 'the asset cur-"
"I1"11 iR In Isoeping with their conduct toward
all measures of that class.
nl, L",80(Ple V-'miblleun Naders declared in favor
ol interna .onal bimetallism and then after the v
bad won their victory, they interpreted the result
as an indorsement of the stogie gold sUuidard
Four years later they boldly declared for 1 e sin-le
gold standard. Nearly every republican orator
In the country has .assured us for a number of
years that there was no danger whale vcrtf the
passage of any measure like the sSet ! curreiw?
The republican habit is to keep these measures
f crn Pl" -(leuyl,1S responsibility fSr
them for a tune and finally, when thev think t
opportune, they boldly embrace the ntan seeHn
to justify their position on the g ound of "gre"!
national necessity." feiuiE
They have met this "great national necessity"
b attempting lo pass the Grosvonor ship sul dy
ill which would have been but the forerunner of
ho greater ship subsidy bill for which S,c special
ii terests have so long contended and the passage
,LhC 'ldl,cn (?ul'1'oncy bill which is the enloriuS
wedge for asset currency legislation. UU0llll
OOOO
SHIP SUBSIDY BILL BRIBERY
The constituents of ovorv pnnimiaam,,,, i
voted in favor of tho ship subsid? hiU , ? l
terestedin the serious vet XlonSii S beInV
upon the floor of the house S tthffl
Birdsall of Iowrt. Tho following rSfr i tVTO
from the Omaha World-IIerald- "'VhluJ? t1akou
in the interest of the shin qnhdiriv mii m0II.
on the floor of the house tr S i" cai"e,out
Congressnan Birfsal of Iowa ?n onJFf1 y
subsidy measure., Early iTthe S"?1 t0.ths
got circulated in Wash ngton ttat S L Q story
sional campaign last fall Ca hocate of Sidv
bad made themselves offensive to wSLrSSSS J
whoso support they were pinnninii,, smeu
enlist. Among these wis m lecif.1Iy, nnxous to
braa, to whLiwS sol U a'ciieck t rT w?S
tho suggestion that it mieht , 1! 00 with
tribution to the can pa gn rUnd S n.!J iCn"
sent it back. Report i tli Ln i Hinshaw
of the same sort Tore so to SRSn'i01100?8
didn't bother to loturn Zm ? G,L pcople' WUo
..us boon tUtoL'a'Sat.tfS
iWHLi!
Js,