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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1907)
"""''"' dWifi v-t -1.1 ,, ldnton.M'w'Ki '-f - . - The CommoneC VOLUME 7, NtJMBER'';2i any Tmslnoss which Is unlawful, for a; domestic corporation. Foreign corporations arc not per mitted, without tho consent of tho other party, to removo a caoo to tho. federal court, and no corporation Is permitted to sell In one commu nity at a lower prlco than It sells in another community, duo allowance being made for trans portation, Tho loglslaturo is given full power in ro card to tho levyiiiK and collecting of taxes of 'all kinds Including graduated income taxes, in heritance taxes; succession taxes, otc. " Municipal franchises are llmltod to twonty flvo years, arid' no municipal franchise can bo grantod, oxtdhded or 'renewed without a majority voto of tho people. 1 No alien or person not a citizen of tho United States except bona fide residents of Okla homa shall acqulro title, to or own land In that state, and no corporation shall bo licensed for tho purpose of buying, acquiring or trading any Ifarm property. Children under fifteen shall not bo em ployed in any occupation injurious to health or ( morals or especially- hazardous. Boys under 'sixteen and women and girls shall not be em ployed underground in the operation of mines. Except in casos of emergoncy eight hours shall constitute a day's work underground in all of tho mines of tho stato. All limit as to amount v that s may be recovered in cases of personal injury Is removed. Contributory negligence is made a matter of fact for tho jury to decide, and no contract is valid which waives tho bon- nflfa rvf Mm rrnciHf lif Inn ! ' The constitution can bo amended by tho submission of an amendment to tho legislature or by the proposal of an amondment under tho initiative and referendum. Tho above are a few of tho provisions of the constitution. It is a very long document und contains much of "detail, but tho spirit of tho constitution is admirable, and unusual caro has been taken In tho framing of its provisions. There can bo little doubt of its adoption by tho people, and tho voters will be lacking in appreciation of the great service rendered them by the delegates to tho constitutional conven tion if they do not give, to the democratic party an, opportunity to put the constitution into operation untlor the most favorable circum stances. The democrats won a signal victory last fall 'in spito of tho unfair districting of the two territories, and they have rewarded tho con fidence of the people by preparing a constitu tion of unusual merit. Oklahoma enters state hood with bright prospects, and she is fortunate in having her organic law prepared and sub mitted by men who believe in popular govern ment and who are not afraid to trust the. people. .' . "- ' OCOO '.?- WHAT ?S IT? Tho Now York World has criticized those who favor government ownership of the rail roads. Whilo railway regulation legislation . was pending in tho senate tho World had no word of encouragement for tho efforts of thoso who were trying to obtain justice for the people through that plan. But the World commends Governor Hughes for tho veto of the two cent rate bill. ForM'ts standing question "what is a demo crat," Mr. Pulitzer's great newspaper might, fqr a time, substitute the question, "What is the New York World?" oooo "BEFORE RICHMOND" Tho recent confederate reunion held at Richmond finds its climax in the unveiling of a magnificent monument to Jefferson Davis, the first president of tho Confederacy. There was a large assembly of the veterans drawn to Rich mond in part by its intimate connection with the Civil war more than a-thoUsahd battles having been fought within tho limits vof Virginia and partly by the fact that statues1 were to bo un veiled to General Stewart and Mr. Davis. Tho unveiling of tho Davis monument was preceded by a parade in which the governor of the state, the prominent confederate officers and survivors of the war participated. Speeches were deliv ered by Governor Swanson of Virginia, Ex-Governor Evans of Georgia, Senator Carmack of Tennessee, and representatives of the Daughters of the Confederacy and representatives of other bodies which had participated in the building of the monument. The speeches breathed loy alty to fallen comrades, to the ideas for which they fought and to the union, of which all sec tions are now a part. ,'j? It is an interesting-, evidence of the passing of the prejudices of war thaty.here.is now recog- nltlon throughout tho union of the conscienti ousness, of fldolity to- conviction, that charge-, torlzed the soldiers that fought on both sides; During the war and just afterwards It. was" dim cult for eithor side to recognize the principles that actuated the other side. There was a lack of charity both north and south in dealing with tho subjects connected with the war. Now that they aro able to view tho subject from a dis tance, tho people recognize that the generation of forty years ago settled a question left as a legacy from earlier days and removed the one root'of bitterness which defied a peaceful settle ment. ' The union Is stronger, not weaker, for the passage at arms. The sacrifices. endured by men and women 6n both sides are a sad but sacred heritage and the devotion of the people of the south Is not to be questioned because they de fend the purity of their motives and quote au thority in support of the position which, they took on the subject of secession. The nation has no more loyal defenders than aro to be found in the south, as the Spanish war showed, ahd the monuments reared to the confederate dead, while proving the warmth of southern affection and tho lasting loyalty of southern love, are no menace to the nation's peace and prosperity. The greatest element in the victory of the north is that it has converted opponents into friends, and each side can find a pride in rejoicing in the worthiness of the foe which it met upon the bat tlefield. OOOO JOHN T. MORGAN The death of Senator John T. Morgan, of Alabama, removes from public life one of the most illustrious statesmen of our time. As a conscientious student of public affairs, as a faithful exponent of the interests of the people as he understood those interests, he had no su perior, and few compared with him in extent of information or in facility -of expression. He was an incorruptible man though he served with some -senators who were but the hired servants of predatory wealth. His standing was such thaTno one dared to approach him with a mer cenary argument. He has taken part in the dis cussion of every important question which 'has come before the senate since he entered public life, and his name is more closely connected with tho Nicaragua canal project than with anything else. For many years he worked indefatigahly to secure a canal across the isthmus by the Nicaragua route, and while at the last moment the Panama route . was selected, it is safe to say that but for his indefatigable work, we would not have made the progress that we havo toward connecting the two oceans. His voice wili nd longer be heard in the counsels of the nation, but he has stamped his influence upon hi? generation, and the influences of his life havo been potent for good. Peace, to his ashes. oooo "TAFT QUITS RIGHTING FORAKER" The above is the headline from a dispatch which comes from Cincinnati, O., to the effect that the ultimatum of the Foraker-Dick sena torial combine has been accepted. The dispatch says that Secretary Malloy, of the republican state committee, visited the Taft mansion and -there had a consultation with Charles P. Taft, thefbrother of the secretary, Congressman Long worth, son-in-law of the president, and George Cox, the, republican boss of Cincinnati. Tho dispatch says that the consultation lasted until midnight and 'that "Charles P. Taft, as the rep resentative of his brother, signified his willing ness to 'let bygones be bygones' and to acquiesce in the indorsement of Senator Foraker for a third term. The futility of the war that has been waged was made'apparent by Malloy, and the desire of Secretary Taft expressed at Co lumbus was ratified by the practical concession that'Fofaker should be returned to the senate." Is this the end of Secretary Taft's fight against Senator Foraker and the corrupt poli- cies -for which he stands? If the secretary s willing to assist Mr. Foraker to return to the senate in return for Ohio's endorsement for the presidency, what concession will he not make to plutocracy to win .the -presidency? If his reforms "are so soon done" for, what w6rerthey begun tor?" Senator FoTaicer represents the ultra corporate Influence In the republican p&rty; He wasthe one republican' who' cfpposed the "rate bill" even after the president .-had made a humili ating concession to the Aldrich crowd. He ls the one senator who has conspicuously fought tho president and the president's reforms. He is regarded as the leader of the anti-administration forces, and yet, if the pross dispatches are to be believed, Secretary Taft is to concede his return to the senate in order jto have harmony. Is harmony within tho party -more important than reform? Does the president approve of such a concession? Those who were present at the Gridiron banquet" say that the passage at arms between the president and Senator Foraker developed Intense earnestness, not to say anger, on the part of both. Is it all a part of the play, and are we to see these differences smoothed over and the supposed antagonists helping each other to public position? This may be satisfactory, to the politicians, but it will not be satisfactory, to those in whom the president has developed a real reform-'spirit, or more accurately speaking, who; under . tho influence of the president's language, have re pealed the reform spirit within thenu The ' Taft-Foraker fight is descending to the plane of a comedy, but there are millions of republi cans who are looking at the matter more ser iously and who are not willing to abandon re forms in order to preserve party harmony.- Pre datory wealth never worries about party har mony. It leaves that worrying to" the timid reformer. Predatory wealth makes no conces sions or -compromises. Compromises and con cessions are left to such reformers as prefer k a barren political victory to a . real triumph of ideas. "Taft quits fighting Foraker" it is a short sentence but of tremendous Import. It measures -the difference between reform urged for the sake of reform and reform that is sec-, ondary to political expediency. ; w OOOO QUITE TRUE The- valued Commoner says the people are "tiring of the advice and counsel of corporation lawyers." Why not discriminate? The biggest legal fee ever earned by Abraham Lincoln was from a railway corporation; and there. are plenty of other worthy lawyers. who take corporation business. Milwaukee Sentinel. Quite true.. But there is as much, differ ence between the corporations of today and. .of Lincoln's time, as there is between some of tho corporation- lawyers of today and Abraham Lincoln. ',' And while "no one objects to a corporation lawyer serving his -clients -as a, lawyer; ttiereis . serious and well founded objections 'toytfafoBe same lawyers serving their ' clients" -while dis guised as representatives' of the people. Itls not recorded of Abraham Lincoln that he took fees from corporations while acting asi special counsel for the people. -- OOOO -.:. ,...: THAT TARIFF COMMISSION , Every once in a while we' hear that a tariff - commission ip going to be appointed. Let no one be deceived. A tariff cOmmisison is only a part of the effort to prevent a revision of the tariff. Whenever the people get ready to -act, they are sagely informed that the subject is so intricate that it must be submitted to a commis sion of experts. The first advantage of this policy is that it secures delay. Instead of hav ing tariff reform at once, we have the promise . that it may be reformed after awhile. The commission is usually made un of rfirf?nns wim are friends of the tariff and who object to re vision. They take evidence, and the takings of evidence occupies time. This enables the pro tected interest to continue the collection of taxes for an" indefinite period. Of course the commission must take time for deliberation after the evidence is all in, and then it must take more time for the preparation of its report, and if the report can be delayed until congress ad journs, further time must lapse before the matter can be taken up in congress. Then tha recommendation of the commission can be used as an argument against any further reduction than the commission recommends, and. the rep resentatives of protected industry can ignore- any recommendations made. It doeguiot help either to have the commission made up of both sides of the question, for the majority will be on th'o side Of the high tariff, and it is likely to pro long the investigation to have both sides' taking testimony. When the question finally uomes before congress, each representative ana4 sen ator 'will act upon his own judgment or by the mouthpiece of the manufacturers of his district without regard to the recommendations of the commission and a tariff commission nleans -a delay of from two to four years 'in the consideration of the question without any ad vantage whatever in the final settlement, and "all ths 'time the manufacturers have the benefit of the schedules against which the people coni m plain. No wonder the tariff commission idea is brought forward every time the people threat en an attack' on the tariff wall. , . ? Ml .?;l u m v. . .lhJ3g5t6''jj -1