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MARCH 15, 1907
the Commoner
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IpCould have run hiin in. I didn't care to do that.
He Jias got to earn a living." That -slapping will '
tl?S nt. r,8 my ImnU' by D"'t you dO
St. 5 ?i-4 . U H, momGnt o teamsters changed
m ? !ilnde- . tay' pard' 'V0U'L,C a" riS"V said
one of them. We don't want your number.
Bingham needn't know this. . Bully for vou.' The
crowd cheered and the bells in the tall steeples
clanged their part. Everybody moved on chat
ting and laughing. Some patted tho'policeman on
His back, and the teamsters from their perches
- .waved a hand as they, moved on." -
rpHK PPTILIPPINE agricultural bank bill is
thi aS n l7 H1,0 !ew York Evening Post in
this way: ."Under the terms of the act. the Phil
ippine commission is authorized to guarantee 4
for TZJ$nTi n ? cai,tal stock 0L' S?" bSiik
ston'J UnifiL0 tweny ars, t"o commls
fmnir fflLr y llever,t0 exceed ?500,000. The
bank tself can make loans only for the purpose of
cefnnT111 None oC ita loan? mP,yeex.
ceed .$5,000, and interest may not be chareed
above 10 per cent That it will do much i to im-
5J?e thV?rlc,,lt,lro of tbe PhiPPines, is the pre
diction of those closest to the situation. Since
we are not willing to give the Filipino farmer ac
thfnktolSSS018' tUiS iS at leaAt SOmemae t0
"R E Wnif7?, thl retirnt of Senator
-A,or?PnT Cirth0 New,York Evening Post says:
mere are, of course, dozens of republicans and
Wn-? Wh, lmvG never nPProached Senator
Spooner in vigor and independence. But thev
have been of smaller, calibre; from them we have
expected nothing, and we have not been disap
pointed. Senator Spooner's commanding abilities
make it impossible to judge him by the standards
which we apply to the average man. He was ,
capable of the highest, but through some subtle
haw In will power, some unhappy hesitancy at a
moment when Inflexible resolution was demanded
he more than once fell short of the mark set by
, the hopes of his friends and admirers."
EH. HARRIMAN,. increased the capitalization
. Of tllG (Jhlnnrrn nnrl A Ha . c-uw.,
000 to approximately $122,000,000. Out of this in
.creaseyof $83,000,000 only $22,000,000 has been
S G?ri SnrfJfml'171?, the nPei,to having a balance
of $01,000,000 to the credit of frenzied finance.
The New York World says: "The constitution of
Illinois provides that 'no railroad corporation shall
issue any stock or bonds except for money, labof
or property actually received and applied to the
purposes for which such' corporation was organ
ized. All stock dividends and other fictitious in
creases of the capital stock or indebtedness of anv
such corporation shall be void.' There is hardly
a phrase in this article of the Illinois constitution
which Mr. Harriman and his associates have not
violated in their juggling of the Alton, yet the
governor and the attorney general of Illinois never
seem to have troubled their heads about it. They
iwere as little concerned about Mr. Harrimau's
coiistitution-dpfying financial operations as was
the government of New York about the systema
tized criminality of its life insurance companies,
Is it not a logical conclusion that this $01,000,000
out of $122,000,000 in the Alton case represents
roughly the amount for which Mr. Harriman was
able to capitalize oilicial neglect of duty in
Illinois?"
WILLIAM YOURS STRONG, a farmer living
near Caldwell, New Jersey, owns a goose
which he swears is seventy-two years old- The
New York World says: " 'William Yours, the man
1 was named after," gave me this goose in 1871,'
said Strong yesterday. 'Yours- was going back
to the old country, and he said: 'Bill, I've owned
this goose for thirty-six 'years. I would take her
With me, but I fear she cannot stand the voyage.
So I give her to you. Cherish her, Bill; be kind
to her in her old age, for- she is almost like a sister
to me Yours kissed the goose good-by," Mr.
Strong added. "Look at her; she is as active aa a
gosling." This was affectionate exaggeration. It
Is true that the goose was waddling around Mr.
Strong's farmyard: but her carriage better com
ported an aged and dignified bird than a giddy
fledgling."
Jt ,. !0o,lrlGat7 of 1005' lt wns sot forth: 'The
united States government agrees to attempt the
adjustment of all the obligations of the Domini
can government, foreign as well as domestic
J he treaty of today starts out by reciting that
the Dominican government has now effected a.
conditional adjustment and settlement of said'
debts and claims.' The ambitious plan of Mr.
Roosevelt two jenrs ago was to 'grant' to the
Dominican government 'such other assistance as
the former (1. e., the government of (he United
btates) may deem jiroper to restore the credit,
preserve the order, increase the efficiency of the
civil administration, and advance the miiterlal
PStgss and welfare of the Dominican republic.'
All that perilous stuff has now been stricken out.
So much for intelligent discussion. Two years
ago it was regarded as little short of treason to
oppose the immediate adoption of the president'
plans. He himself predicted the direst things, in
cluding the strong probability of a war with some
(unnamed) European country, if his Impetuous de
mands were not at once complied with. But time
and argument and we must supposeRoot have
taught him better things."
IN HIS TESTIMONY before the Interstate com
merce commission, E. n. Harriman said: "A
little matter of $2,000,000 doesn't amount to mtfch
one way or the other." Which caused W. J.
Lamptou, of the Now York World, to burst into
rhyme? in this fashion:
"Only $2,000,000!
Merely a wisp of hay
To stop up the crack in a window,
To keep the wind away.
Certainly not worth counting,
A paltry little sum
That isn't enough to distinguish ,
.' , A well-to-do from a bum.
COMPARISON of the Dominican treaty re
cently ratified by the senate, with the cor
responding treaty upon which President Roosevelt
told, the senate on February 15, 1905, that there
was "urgent need of prompt action" shows, ac
cording to the New York Evening Post, that the
two documents are radically different. The Post
says: "What Mr.Mtbosevelt proposed two years
ago was, practically, iv- protectorate over Santo
Domingo; now the United States is simply to
name a 'general receiver of Dominican customs
Only $2,000,000!
A measly, miserable wad
That wouldn't pay for tlie water
In a good Kentucky tod;
Simply a sign of the spirit
, To moisten the thirsty tongue;
Merely a fleeting nothing
More than a smell at the bung.
Only $2,000,000!
Homes for a thousand or more, '
Or clothes fpr two hundred thousand
Or food for a million poor.
Only $2,000,000!
Gee! what a little stack,
When you come to learn
Of the limitless yearn
Of a Harrimaniac!"
THE USE of the legend "In God We Trust" on
some of the coins of the United States grew
out of according to a writer in tlie Chicago News
a letter written by a Maryland farmer to Salmon
P. Chase when he was secretary of tlie treasury.
The News writer says: "The letter was written
in November, 1SG1, the writer urging that we
should, as a Christian people, make some recogni
tion of the Deity on our coins. Mr. Chase refer
red the letter to Director Pollock of the mint, who
approved the suggestion and proposed one of the
legends, 'Our Country, Our, God,' or 'God Our
Trust' Mr. Chase then referred tlie matter to con
gress, and again in 1802 and in 18G3 he urged that
the matter be acted on. Finally, on April 22, 1804,
congress authorized tlie coinage of a two-cent
bronze piece, and oh it was stamped the legend
'In God Wo Trust,' instead of E Plurlbus Unuin.'
Subsequently, on March 3, 1805, the director of the
mint, with tlie approval of the secretary of the
treasury, was authorized to place the legend Dn
all gold and silver coins susceptible of that addi
tion thereafter to be issued. The legend is taken
from the following line in 'The Star Spangled
Banner;' 'And tills be our motto: In God is our
trust.' "
TWO INCIDENTS promised a sensation, of an
unpleasant and perhaps serious sort in con
nection with Mr. Roosevelt's recent visit to Bos
ton. The Boston Herald says: "These incidents
occured at the North station as tlie president was
leaving. for Groton on his special train to visit his
son, Kermit. Through a double line of policemen,
escorted by his special bodyguard of secret ser
vice men, the president was advancing across tbe
platform toward his train. Suddenly one of the
men turned, and grasping one of the cheering
spectators by the shoulder sharply demanded.
'What is that in your hand?' Only those who
'stood near the man could see that his hand was
held in a sling over his left breast and that it was
done up in a bandage. Thoughts of the assassin
of President MeKiniey rose in their mindsand -they
saw the reason: for the stern question of the
.'officer. But their suspicious were groundless, for
tlie supposed anarchist showed his bandaged hand
to the policeman, and the incident was closed.
Again, after the president had entered the car and
the train was Just about to pull out of tlie station,
with tlie president waving and bowing farewell
upon the back plntform of the 'Signet,' a middle
aged man ran quickly down the station plntform
toward the car, and when he had come within a
row feet of it deliberately threw what appoared o
bo a paper parcel directly at the president's root.
. Instantly, one of the detectives Jumped to the
front and tried o ward the missile oIT before It
struck the car. Rut It landed safely. The dreaded
detonation failed to follow. Upon examination
the parcel wjm found to contain a small silk flag.
The president did -not appear to notice either in
cident, but the ever watcbrul secret service ni'Mi
were plainly alarmed by the flag throwing and
they were very much relieved when Uie missile
proved to he harmless."
rpllE NEW YORK PRESS, a republican paper,
,i ,nii,,t8,,8,8ll0.o,f. Mardl a' P,,l,tert l,ll remark,
able editorial: "There has never been a more
shame ess exhibition in American government
than the manner of passing the ship subsidy loot
bill in the house of representatives. After tho
measure had been beaten by the members who
wore ashamed to perpetrate such an infamy, the
legislative proceedings were dolaved while the
subsidy crew forced a reconsideration of the vote
and compelled enough representatives to change
to get the measure through by the skin of the teeth.
The shrieking scandal of the performance was
that Uiis was accomplished through the open lob
bying on the very floor of members who have
been kicked out of congress by their constituents.
In the last few hours of their official service they
thus made good to the subsidy grafters, to the
everlasting disgrace of a republican congress and
to the torrliic Injury of the republican party. It
was Just such skulduggery as this in Albany that
excited the yoters of New Yorkto expel tlie re
publican parly from every stale department hint
fall, Governor Hughes alone being elected. If the
national legislature has entered upon such a
course as all but exterminated republican admin
istration In New York, the national party will b
as surely driven from the control of the govern
ment of tlie United States."
A SHD by a reader "who would be our strong
XX. est candidate for president next year," the
Boston Herald says: "We don't mind saying that
a promising candidate might bo found anion"
democrats of these types: Judge George Grav
of Delaware, a statesman and jurist of hiirii
character and proved ability; Woodrow Wilson,
president of Princeton University, born in Vir
ginia too late (.18515) to have participated In the
civil war, a Jelfersonian democrat, a scholar, a
wise man and a capable administrator; Governor
Folk of Missouri, a reformer who has reformed
tilings and sent grafters and bribers to prison;
Governor Johnson of Minnesota, born in a cabin,
like Lincoln, knowing the 'plain people' as one of
them, a progressive and yet level-headed democrat,
who has been twice elected governor- the last
time by a plurality of 70,000 in a slate that gave
Roosevelt above 300,000 and has 'made good' In
office."
THE UNITED STATES supreme court has sus
tained tlie Nebraska state law prohibiting
the use of the United States flag for advertising
purposes. In the case under discussion the flag
had been used as an advertisement on beer bot
tles. Justice Harlan, who delivered the opinion,
said that such use of the flag cheapens and de
grades it. "No one," said Justice Harlan In con
clusion, "can be said to have the right secured by
the constitution to use the country's flag merely
for purposes of merchandise. If every one was
entitled to use it for such purposes then perhaps
the state could not discriminate among those who
so used it. It wa& for the state of Nebraska to
say how far It would go by way of legislation for
the protection of the flag against improper use,
taking care in such legislation not to make undue
discrimination against a part of Its people, lt
chose not to forbid the use of the flag for tlie ex
ceptional purposes above specified In the statute
prescribing tlie fundamental condition that its use
for any of those purposes should be disconnected
from any advertisement. All are alike forbidden
to use the flag as an advertisement. It is easy
to be seen how a representation of the flag may
be wholly 'disconnected from any advertisement'
and tlie use upon a newspaper, periodical,. book,
etc., in such way as not to arouse a feeling of in
dignation nor offend tlie sentiment and feeling of
those who love It. In any, event tlie sentiment
classification, made by the state cannot be regarded
as unreasonable or, arbitrary or as bringing, tho
statute under condemnation as denying the" equal
protection of the laws'
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