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SEPTEMBER 13, 1307
The Commoner.
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future. In other words, Judge Landis Is report
ed as holding to grant Immunity at some future
time, no harm can he done by indicting the road
within the period when the statute of limitations
does not run, and then exercising deliberation Jn
dismissing or quashing the indictments."
O v
INFORMATION concerning the fleet of battle
ships to be sent to the Pacific printed in
the New York Times and credited to "a high
authority" follows: "The administration, it is
stated, does not mean to confine the fleet's move
ments to the Pacific coast. The president's plan
is to send the warships on to Hawaii and then
to the Philippines after their visit to California
ports. When orders are issued for their return
the route designated will be via the Suez canal.
Thus the fleet will circumnavigate the globe. It
is further learned that in the meantime the At
lantic coast will not be left unprotected, but
that at the instance of President Roosevelt the
navy department has already begun to plan the
mobilization of another fleet to replace that
Under Admiral Evans. The flagship of the new
fleet will be the New Hampshire, a 16,000 ton
battleship, which is to be ready for commission
early in January. As soon as possible he is to
bo joined by the Mississippi and the Idaho, two
first class battleships now under construction
by the Cramps and nearing completion These
three powerful vessels will have as consorts
three veterans of the Spanish war, the battleships
Iowa, Indiana and Massachusetts which are now
being modernized. This fleet of six battleships
will have as its auxiliaries the three-new scout
cruisers, which are almost ready for service, the
Chester, Birmingham and Salem. Subsequently
the new Atlantic fleet will be reinforced by the
two 16,000 ton battleships, Michigan and South
Carolina, and the two fast armored cruisers of
14,500 tons each, the North Carolina and the
Montana. The New Hampshire is similar to the
Connecticut, Admiral Evans' flagship, in type,
but the Idaho and Mississippi, which are 13,000
tons each, are of a type peculiar to themselves.
They are noted for the power of their armament,
notwithstanding their relatively small tonnage.
The Chester, Birmingham and Salem are 3,750
tons each and they are to be capable of twenty
five knots an hour speed."
A WASHINGTON dispatch relating to the sub
ject above referred to says: "It is au
thoritatively stated at the navy department that
President Roosevelt does not contemplate the
creation of two battleship fleets. Nor does Sec
retary Metcalf or even the general board, which
is supposed to represent the extreme view in
naval development, favor either the division of
the present magnificent fleet under Admiral
Evans' command or the creating of another .fleet
in order that there may be a formidable Ameri
can navy in both oceans the Atlantic and the
Pacific. On the contrary, it is regarded at the
navy department as better policy to maintain
one perfectly equipped and well drilled fleet,
free to move speedily to any part of the globe
at short notice, and the present;-, plans contem
plate the Increase of the strength of the exist
ing Atlantic fleet from eighteen to twenty-eight
battleships. This will afford a command as
large as can be properly directed by any one
officer, and it will, moreover, about mark the
capacity of the ports and dry docks in any par
ticular section of the world. Sp it is asserted
positively at the department that there is npt
the' least intention , of keeping the battleships
which will go to the Pacific permanently in those
waters. That fleet, it is added, will surely re
turn to the Atlantic seaboard after it has fulfilled
its mission and 'demonstrated the feasibility of
safely transferring such a vast naval force be
tween oceans."
IN- THEIR answers to the suit of the govern
ment the three coal railroads, of which -George
F. Baer is president, go into the great
strike in the hard, coal fields and its relation to
the presidential campaign of 1900. It is de
clared that the agreements to advance the price
of coal were brought about in 1900 by the vio
lence and intimidation of the striking mine
workers, by the failure of the United States
government and state of Pennsylvania to en
force the law and protect the coal companies,
and by the importunities of the late" Marclis" A.
Hanna, who, it is alleged, was anxious to.end
the strike of the 'miners on aricount of the im
pending presidential election. - The answer says
that "shortly afterwards it was represented in
substance, to the officials of this defendant and
the representatives of other mining companies
by one Marcus A. Hanna, acting as chairman of
the republican national committee, in the then
pending political campaign, for the election of
candidates for president and vice president of
the United States, that if the said strike should
not be speedily settled by an advance in -the
wages of the workmen in and about the mines in
the entire anthracite region, the strike would ex
tend to the states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,
and that the election of Mr. McKinley and Mr.
Roosevelt would bo thereby endangered." The
answer declares that Mr. Hanna represented to
the officials of the company that he was author
ized to settle the strike through President
Mitchell of the miners' union if the operators
would agree to give their workmen a ten per
cent increase in wages. It Js set forth that ho
company did agree to advance the wages of its
mine and colliery workmen ten per cent, and
that the othor principal mine owners who had
been in conference with Mr. Hanin. had agreed
to the same concession. It Is slated that "there
after conferences were held between the officials
or representatives of the principal mine opera
tors who had theretofore offered the said ad
vance in wages and the representatives of the
principal mine operators who had to do so; that,
as the result of the agreement of the operators,
this defendant was obliged to and did agree with
certain of1 the operators severally, with whom
it had pre-existing contracts for the purchase of
the coal to be produced by them respectively,
and who were severally the tenants or lessees
of this defendant, to enter into new contracts
with such as should desire to do so, increasing
the prices to be paid for the coal to be produced
by them, respectively, and to be sold and de
livered to this defendant." Continuing the an
swer avers that all the conferences between the
operators and the contractors which resulted
therefrom "were wholly brought about, com
pelled ,and forced upon this defendant by the
turbulence, silence and intimidation aforesaid,
by the failure of the government of the United
States, and that of the commonwealth of Penn
sylvania, to enforce the laws to protect this de
fendant and its workmen in the peaceful and
lawful prosecution of their work, and by the
importunities of the said Hanna In the. supposed
exigencies of the pending political campaign
whereby this defendant was obliged, most un
willingly, to buy its peace and the peace and
protection of its workmen, by the said advance
in wages; and that the said conferences were in
no way whatsoever, In the least degree, induced
by the motives, nor the alleged unlawful result,
so indefinitely alleged and .set forth in the plain
tiff's petition." It will be remembered that dur
ing the campaign of 1900 the democrats charged
that the settlement of the coal strike was made
for the .purpose of saving the republican na
tional ticket.
JAMES M. BARKER, a civil engineer who has
spent some time in Panama, has written
an interesting letter to the Evening Wisconsin
published at Milwaukee. Mr. Barker says that,
as Is well known, the great trans-continental
..railways are opposed to an Isthmian canal. He
charges that Theodore P. Shonts, former head
of the canal commission was favorable to the
railroad interests and he says that a lock canal
was recommended because it was impracticable.
Mr. Barker says that Mr. Shonts persuaded Ttfr.
Roosevelt that the lock canal was the better
plan. He adds: "Chairman Shonts, now having
accomplished the object which was intrusted to
him by his associates in railroad affairs, asked
to be relieved from his official position under
Uncle Sam. It was granted. Soon after Shonts'
departure, Secretary Taft was informed of what
Shonts had been doing, and placing the authori
ties of Washington in an embarrassing canal
dilemma. Whereupon the prominent railroad
engineer in charge of the canal work, John F.
Stevens, was relieved, and Colonel Gaethals of
the United States army was put In full charge.
It is probable that Colonel Gaethals knows noth
ing about the dilemma in which the government
finds itself,, nor about the secret influences of
railroad interests operating on the work of the
canal to put it beyond remedy before the next
congress; therefore the 'request' for the $8,000,
000 to be expended for work during the present
fiscal year in excess of the amount appropriated
therefor. It was a bold and brazen scheme on
the part of the railroad men to defeat the build
ing of a practicable, or sea level canal, and goes
to show the priceless value such a canal would
be to the United States, It was boldness aqd
. skillful brain's that blinded government authori
ties in this cannl coup d'etat. There Jano pri
vacy about what I have written on my part,
because I know what I have boon saying, but
perhaps it would bo well for you to uga dlHcre
tloh in a news way until you have time, to dfgemt
and assimilate it. Beiildes, whd cat! tell what
kind of factor thin unfortunate thlng will cut
In .polttlcs? It can be kept covered up -for a
brief season at the best, but that will only 'make
It more hideous before the people. My view of
it Is, that when the administration found out
the crafty and conscienceless trick that had boon
played on it, It would have boon better to hrfvo
exposed it at once, and have met the results;
but here comes In the dilemma, and Shontn
know very well the effect It would have, If ho
won found out, and the Impulso would be to
keep the matter covered from the public, and
have It appear the lock canal was wholly the
plan of the government but this won't work
now, because it is privately known In too many
places how It is. I hnve been In Panama."
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O
WILLIAM R. HEARST delivered the. Labor
Dny address at Jamestown, nnd news
paper dispatches say that he was given an ova
tion by a crowd that numbered more than
50,000. In the courso of his address ho spoke
of labor conditions in Colorado and said tho feel
ing of class hatred which has developed In that
fctato Is a curse to the nation. He said In part:
"Labor Day should rank with the Fourth of
July as a characteristic American holiday. Tho
Fourth of July commemorates the meaim by
which we gained our' independence as a nation,
and Labor Day commemorates the means by
which we have made our nation the most power
ful, the most progressive, the most prosperous
of any In the world. In this country labor is
universal, and Is universally honored and appre
ciated. In this country there is no working
class, but every man worthy of the name is a
working man. In this country tho mechanics
work, the farmers work, the clerks work, and
even the millionaires. We have no aristocracy
save that 'of Intelligence and industry, and tho
proudest title of our successful millionaire Is
'Captain of Industry.' I have no patience with
the prejudices which exist between alleged
classes when the classes themselves do not really
exist. There is no reason for hostility between
employer and employe, between capitalist and
wage earner. Capital Is but the accumulation
of wealth. Wages are but the division of
profits. Both employer and employe are entitled
to their share of the profits, and as long as the
division is just and equitable there is no occa'
sion for conflicts. If the division is not just
it can always be made so by arbitration, and
there is still no occasion for conflict. A con
dition of class hatred such as has delevoped in
"Colorado is a curse to this country. There
should be no prejudice entertained by the cap
italist toward the laborer and there should bo
no prejudice by the laborer toward the cap
itallst."
THE PLAN OF baggage inspection of return
ing tourists has recently been changed.
The Omaha World-Herald says: "Under - the
old way the tourist was first fairly forced to
commit perjury and then have his trunks ran
sacked to the very bottom. A revenue officer
boarded the ship and the passenger was required
to make an affidavit that he had no goods sub
ject to revenue. Many passengers objected, say
ing they had never evert read the tariff laws of
the United States and did not know what art
icles were dutiable. But the oath was required,
and this notwithstanding that the swearing did
no good, since the search was made anyhow.
Under the new system the passengers are given
blanks soon after the voyage begins and they
are requested to fill them out, giving a list of
the goods they have with them. The Inspector
decides what are dutiable under the law. The
inspection of baggage is hastily done and without
annoyance. The first application of the new
rules was made last Saturday, and the passen
gers were delighted with the change. There
are rumors, however, that the tariff beneficiaries
are going to make a protest. They fear that
something dutiable might slip in under such lax
inspection. A mechanic is allowed to bring the
tools of his trade free. Recently a carpenter
who came to Omaha had a chest of tools, in
which were found two sets of saws. The tariff
on the extra Bet was much more than he paid for
the saws In. England-and he told the inspector
'to5 confiscatetbera;V, x$n u4' i
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