The Commoner!
APKIL.S, 1SW
necessary Is to. have the laws judiciously and
simply administered." Ilarriman.
"Severe business depression wll result unless
legislation against the roads ceases." Gcorgo
Gould.
'"Railroad men are talking too much; we hope
that the operation of the interstate law will help
the roads."J. J. Hill.
"I believe in ownership of the railroads by the
people, coupled with a- strict federal supervision
of rates." Benjamin Yoakum, chairman of the
board of the 'Frisco and Rock Island system.
"I believe federal control of railroads is all
right in principle, but do not believe in the way
it has been put into practice." rresident Mellen,
N. Y., N. n. & Hartford.
"I favor federal control of roads, but will not
discuss ownership Benjamin Winchell, president
Rock Island railroad.
oooo
NONSENSE
Some people will be discouraged when they
read in the Wall Street Journal unquestionably
the fairest and frankest of financial publications
this jumble of tommyrot:
"The mistake that Mr. Rockefeller, Mr.
Ilarriman and Mr. Ryan have made Is that
they have delayed altogether too long in mak
ing friends with public opinion. Their delay
has subjected them to suspicion, to a lack of
confidence, so that now when they speak the
country listens but not with that respect which
would have been theirs if they had spoken
freely years ago. Nevertheless it is better late
than never. They are undoubtedly stronger for
giving their views publicity. The public is dis
covering that after all the difference between
their opinions and those of its own is not so
wide as was supposed. A better mutual under
standing exists and the points of agreement
are discovered to be many. It is in the high
est degree noteworthy that the note which is
Struck by most of the financiers and corpora
tion managers who have recently spoken either
through interview or article or address has
been of a high ethical character. Enforce
ment of the law, publicity, reasonable govern
ment regulation and fair competition have in
general been commanded. Truly much has
been gained during the past few years."
The mistake that Messrs. Rockefeller, Harrl
mnii and Ryan made was in seeking to fasten
upon the people monopolies in the conveniences
the people must have. If the people have learned
anything lately concerning the methods of these
men it is not because they have suddenly taken
to frankness in their public statements. It is be
cause these men have been unable to longer con
ceal all of the truth; and it is absurd for the
Wall Street Journal to say that these men arc
stronger witli the people by reason of the revela
tions. Many who did not know the truth before
know now that these "captains of industry" are
distinctly opposed to genuine enforcement of law,
to real publicity, to regulation that regulates and
to any sort of serious competition. Whatever has
been gained during the past few years is in the
revelations which show the commercial pirate in
some men "who posed as "captains of industry"
and the embezzler of trust funds in some men who
were pointed to as "champions of the national
honor."
who are afraid of banks and who cannot Icrid'rt1
on such security as would suit them? It has bcefi'''
said that if the extra session of congress culled ljy '
Grover Cleveland to repeal the Sherman bill, hud
enacted a law establishing a system of postal sav
ings banks, It would have put twice as many dol
lars Itf circulation, as did the sale of the two hun
dred and sixty million dollars worth of bonds then
issued. Our government, nor the national banks
do not provide any security for the money placed
in our banks as has been demonstrated by the mil
lions of dollars lost in bank failures every year
when thousands of our honest toilers, both men
and women, see the slow accumulations of the!
hard earned dollers swept away through the ras
cality of one or two men.
For this reason people are afraid of bunks,
and the distrust is rapidly growing, and today
while bankers are trying to solve the problem of
an "emergency currency," more money than we
actually need is lying idle hidden by its owners
who know of no sure way of using without the
great risk of losing it.
Then again consider what an inspiration such
postal savings banks would be to millions among
the laboring classes to save what they could of
their earnings against a rainy day if It should
come, or if not to build a modest home or secure
them against want when disease or old age should
come Instead of becoming burdens to their chil
dren or the state. While it seems to me that those
who, are financially interested in national banks
would see the necessity of providing some such
security as would have been furnished by the bill
offered by Mr. Bryan while a member of congress,
and showing Unit they would bo more than ree-
ompensed by the vastly increased deposits that
would flow Into their vaults if people who have
money to deposit knew there was no danger in
losing It through a bank failure. However, it ap
pears as if tiiis side of the question had never en
tered their minds. Even now, t believe this se
curity alone, If they would furnish it to the people
would solve their question with no other provision
for an elastic currency. However the people need
not hope for relief from that source. Then why
should not The Commoner take up the fight and
see that the next national democratic platform
contains a demand for the establishment by the
government of a system of postal savings banks,
similar to and which have proved of such Infinite
benefit to the nations of Europe and New Zealand,
etc.? No one other Issue would bring us more votes
from the great independent class at: least.
Letters From the People
J. W. Goodwin, Amy, N. D. I saw in your
issue January 11 the question propounded by
Theodore Harris, "What article is that In com-
mon dally use by all men and women, which if all
the other conveniences we have to account among
the necessities of life had to be given up, we
would by common consent retain?" Seeing Henry
B. .King's suggestion in regard to answer in your
issue of February 1, impressed the subject upon
my mind. If I understand Mr. Harris' explana
tions In regard to the question, my answer would
be a "button-hole."
B: P. Wilson, Reddlck, Fla. It seems to me
that both the democrat and republican parties are
evading one of the most important questions of
the needs of the people of our country. Why the
republicans ignore it wo can understand, domi
nated as the party is, by the national banks, but
why the democratic party has had so little to say
In regard to It and has never referred to it m
its platform has long been a puzzle to me, un
less as a greenbaeker said to me once in speaking
of another question, Yes, of course, what you say
is true and all that but it would not bo good policy
to spring it now.' I refer to postal savings banks.
Did you ever stop to consider. Mr. Editor, the
vast sums of money that are kept out of circula
tion and hidden away In dark corners bj people
.7. W. Morgan, Starke, Fla. May I make a sug
gestion regarding one of the policies of the G. O.
P., recently agitated in the congress? I refer
to the asset currency steal. Would n, be possible
for The Commoner, as fast as it'ean obtain the
names of those senators and representatives who
favor the scheme, to publish a list of such, so that
the people may know them? At the same time,
give space to a form of lettqr to be copied by Com
moner subscribers and sent to such men (senators
and representatives) condemning the measure, and
asking that their support be withdrawn. Urge
subscribers In every issue of The Commoner to
not only send In their own protest, but to get their
friends and neighbors to do the same. 1 would
like to see some such universal protest made in
regard to the other Infamous proposition of a
shipping subsidy. With best wishes for The Com
moner and sincerest regards.
William Maxwell, Conway, N. D., writes us
follows concerning the railroad question:
"Railroads being public utilities, and commer
cial necessities, it seems to me that if the public
had running rights over the railroads it would
settle the many vexed questions of the times, a
few of which I will enumerate. It would squeeze
all the water out of railroad stocks. It would
eliminate the possibility of multi-millionaire rail
way presidents. It would prevent the congestion
of freight traffic. It would bring freight and pas
senger rates to where they belong. It would give
others than railway corporations a chance to bid
for the carrying of the malls. It would also pro
vent the tying up of railroads by strikes. it
would prevent rebating by railways, it would
give us an express service a hundred times better
than we have. It would 'hurt' the lumber and
many other trusts, grain trusts for instance. It
would stimulate Interstate commerce as It would
enable the cattleman to ship his own stock direct
to the purchaser. It would enable the farmers of
Michigan to ship many thousands of barrels of
apples to the northwest .states that now have to
go to waste for want of a buyer because of the
excessive freight rates; also farmers of the Da
4cotas could go down to Minnesota and buy lumber
for about onb-half what they have to pay the lum
ber retailor now. There would bo no fuel famine
in the future. It would put the government
ownership bogy to sleep indefinitely and elimi
nate the necessity of the government shouldering'
the ImmenRe railway debt of the United States.
If congress can pass a law compelling the rail
roads to give everyone who has his own cars uwlj
engines the right to run over their lines of railway
on the payment of a charge determined by the
Interstate commerce commission, or the state rail
road commission, as would pay a 0 per cent div
idend per annum on the actual value of roadbed,
water supply and depot facilities, and other
minor expenses, there would be plenty of capital
forthcoming to furnish the rolling stock and mo
tive power to do the work." , '
Mrs. H. M. Prince, Pattison, Miss. Now Unit
there Is so much being said about child labor, It
Is strange to me that there Is nothing said about
the necessity for children laboring. Wo must
manage to get the country In a shape that
a man can make a living for his family, of
families will cease to be. No one has more sym
pathv for the children than I, mid I want some
thing done for their betterment; everything that
we can do is none too much. But let's not muko
thieves find pickpockets out of them by not giving
them honest work. Let them work; but see that
they nre puid all their work Is worth. See that
they arc humanely treated. Don't let them be
overworked and underpaid. If one does the work .
of a man, see that it gets a man's pay. Let's do
some legislation along lines that will force
capitalists to do the right thing by them and their
parents; then there will be no necessity for thorn
to work unhcalthfully hard. I have so much faith
in human nature I can't believe many, if any,
will work their own children so. close and hard,
just for greed's sake; but they tnlnk the children
had better work than starve. Things are all
wrong in a country where a man can't make a
living for a family. Let's have some tariff legisla
tion and some emigration restriction.
Our "public servants" at Washington, instead
of trying to make laws that will lower the price
of living so that the laboring man can live on his
wages, have just voted to Increase their own pay
fifty per cent, so they may be able to moot ex
penses; but what about the man who can't raise
ids wages at will? And further, they are trying
to put more expense on the taxpayers by subsidiz
ing ship dines belonging to trusts. O, It took our
own Splght of Mississippi to tell what that means
to Ilarriman & Co.
No. Nobody in talking about child labor has
ever said anything, so far as I know, about how
the children are to lie fed and clothed. The Bev
erldge bill does not say anything on that part of
the subject, although that is the best thing I have
seen on the subject.
No; we must change their surroundings by
proper legislation. Then the foreigner can bring
his goods here and exchange them for our corn,
meat, hides, steel and iron, wool and cotton goods,
anything we have, and he, -.ivlng a load both ways
won't need to be subsidized by any government,
either his own or ours.
No, wo must stop so, many emigrants coming
here and crowding our own men out in the wage
market.
Best wishes to The Commoner, and i sincere
desire for the welfare of our country, and also an
earnest hope that good may come out of the dis
cussion of this subject.
1 V
MY GENTLEMAN
I own a dog who is a gentleman. r
By birth most surely, since the creature can ,
Boast of a pedigree the like of which
Holds not a Howard or a Metternieh.
Bv breedlnc. Since the walks of life he trod.,
He never wagged an unkind tail abroad, .,
He never snubbed a nameless cur because -Without
a friend pr credit card he was.
By pride. He looks you squarely in the face ,;
Unshrinking and without a single trace ,
Of either diffidence or arrogant
Assertion such as upstarts often flaunt.
By tenderness. The littlest girl may tear
With absolute impunity his hair,
And pinch his s'.lken, flowing ears the while
He smiles upon her yes, I've seen him smile.
By loyalty. No truer friend than he
Has come to prove his friendship's worth to me ,
He does not fear, the master knows no fear
But loves the man who is his master here.
7
By countenance. If there be nobler eyes,
More full of honor and of honesties,
In finer head, on broader shoulders found
Then have I never met the man or hound.
Here is the motto on my lifeboat's log:
"God grant I may be worthy of my dog!"t
New Orleans Times-Democrat.
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