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The Commoner.
VOLUME 7, 'NUMBER 36
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CURR6NT GOPICS
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HERE IS AN interesting dispatch from Wash
ington: "Two hundred and fifty-three
thousand tons of coal, exclusive of that to be
shipped in government colliers, will be required
to gottho Atlantic battleship ileet to the Pacific
coast and properly coal it at Mare Island, ac
cording to th'e estimates made by the equipment
bureau of the navy-department, which has called
for proposals for supplying the necessary fuel.
Of the aggregate 133,000 tons are semi-bituminous
and the remainder Welsh coal. The
former is to be shipped from Atlantic ports in
vessols either in American or foreign register
according to the terms."
o
JUSTICE BREWER of tho United States' su
preme court, to whom application was made
for a writ of supersedeas restraining the redis
ricting of certain counties in Oklahoma, re
served consideration of the application until
the matter can bo brought before the supreme
court when it meets next month. Speaking to
a representative of the Associated Press, Justice
Brewer said: "My action in deferring consider
ation of tho application is due to two questions
-which have arisen in my mind. One question
'is whether Mr. M. A. Noah of Woods county,
Okla., who submitted tho petition to me, has
tho right simply as a taxpayer and citizen to
bring this suit. The other is whether this is
not a political move and one Yhicll the court
should -dedline to consider at all. My action
will not affect the election, which will go on as
the constitutional convontion provided, and the
question of tho right of the convention to divide
the counties will come before the supreme
court." , -
O
THE CHICAGO American, says that President
Roosevelt favored seating United States
Senator Smoot, whose right to represent Utah
in congress was contested on the ground that
he really represented polygamy, 'in proof of
Mr. Roosevelt's attitude the American repro
duces from the Hamiltonian, the official organ
of Chicago's Hamilton club, the following letter
addressed to Senator Hopkins: "The White
House, Washington, February 18, 1907. My
Dear Senator Hopkins; Just a line to congratu
late you upon your excellent speech upon the
Smoot case. It is not my business, but it" is a
pleasure to see a public servant show, under try
ing circumstances, the courage, ability and sense
of right that you have shown. "Sincerely yours,
v Theodore Roosevelt." "The letter has never
before been published," said Senator Hopkins,
"but I received President Roosevelt's permission
to give it out for use in the Hamiltonian's biog
raphical sketch of myself by E. M. Burst." The
American says: "Publication of the letter at
this time is intended to halt the damage to the
senator's renominatlon prospects by the cam
paign 'of former United States Senator William
E. Mason, who is touring the state, speaking
nightly and making his strongest point on Hop
kins' advocacy of 'Smoot and polygamy.' Re
ports from downstate indicate that Mason is stir
ring much feeling against Hopkins, especially in
.the southern part of tho state."
O -
FORMER United. States Senator William V
Allen, the man who, on a memorable occa-
death to prevent the passage of bad republican
measures; the big framed and big brained states
man Of Madison,, is now the recognized and able
champion of that unfortunate branch of the
genus canlnus, known as "the tramp dog" a
writer In the Omaha World-Herald says: "Sen
ator Allen can not endure the sight of man or
beast jumping onto the poor bedraggled half
starved dog, and to lead the animal to slaughter
is, in the eyes of the former senator and judce
a heartless crime. So when it c,omos to a case
of pinching necessity on the part of the home
less and friendless dog, the animal knows whera
to go. If there is nobody else to do it, Senator
Allen pays tho tax. It is said he pays annual
taxes on a score or more dogs in the course of
ayear. and all tho rtnrQ OOQ Z .,. , l
- . -- r--- w0u Bum ftWiUC Ul It, lor
they flock to Allen for a little recognition when
ever ho appears on the street. 'Senator Allen
is tho humane society of Madison,' remarked
John B. Donovan, editor of the Star-Mail, in
Omaha a few days ago'. 'His love for the dumb
beast equals that of Geprge T. Angell, president
of the American Humane Educational society or
Dr. George L. Miller, Every 'spring he pays
tho dog tax on every ownerless cur in Madison
and on any others that stray in during the year.
City Marshal Kennedy tells as a joke that when
ever he wants a piece of spending money he
hunts around and finds an untagged dog, ties
a rope around its neck and leads it down to Sen
ator Allen's office. He then informs the senator
that the only thing that will save the dog from
execution will b6 the payment of the $1 tax
prescribed by ordinance. This appeal always
has the desired effect, for the senator will in
variably go down into his pocket with one hand
for the silver, while he pats the dog on the
head with the other. Senator Allen's constant
companion is 'Togo,' the most miserable looking
mangy cur in town. Togo came to town two
or three years ago and the senator saved . him
from tho executioner by paying the tax. Some
thing about the appearance of Togo probably
because he was the ugliest dog that had ever
appeared in Madison appealed to the senator
and he concluded to give the dog a home. Since
that timo the senator is never seen on the streets
without Togo at his heels. And the senator not
only has a warm spot in his heart for dogs, but
for everything in the brute creation. A few
days ago a Dago with a bear made his appear
ance in our town. Bruin did something to dis
please his master, whereupon he dealt the brute
a vicious blow on the snout with a big club he
carried. He was just in the act of striking the
bear again when Senator Allen jumped in and
caught the fellow by the throat. The senator
told the Italian if he abused bruin any more he
would have him put in jail. The fellow
grumbled a little, but it was noticed that he did
not abuse the bear any more while he remained
in Madison.' "
O
PROFESSOR Charles Zueblin, sociologist of
the University of Chicago, declares that
the industries built by Rockefeller, Morgan and
Harriman will result in the reign of socialism.
Professor .Zueblin made this statement in a lec
ture delivered at the university. He said: "Tho
real' friends of socialism today are Rockefeller,
Morgan and Harriman, men who are organizing
great international industries. Eventually it
will be a comparatively easy matter for the gov
ernment to take these industries over. The so
cialistic zealots are enemies to their creed, as
compared with these men. The man who con
ceives his mission to be to get up whenever op
portunity offers and say that socialism is the
only thing that will save society is retarding
evolutionary socialism. The people who are
trying to be altruistic, trying to accept a modi
fied new society, are the ones who are. forcing
us into new lines of thought, and- not the people
who get up with their shibboleth and hope by
saying a few mystic words to steer the masses
who have not thought the thing out. When the
Standard Oil company had imposed on it a great
fine the other day it was following popular drift
when its defense was that 'everybody does it '
This is the defense for all kinds of business chic
anery. Many business men have made the same
defense for Banker Walsh, who happened to bo
caught, although it was maintained that 'all the
other bankers were doing the same thing.' This
defense is one of the results of economic orthodoxy."
THE FIGHT in Cleveland will, It Is said, be
of more than ordinary interest. A Cleve
land, Ohio, dispatch to the Chicago Record
Herald says: "The contest between Mayor Tom
L. Johnson and Congressman Theodore E. Bur
ton as the democrat and republican nominees re
spectively, for mayor of Cleveland, promises to
be the most exciting political event in the his
tory of this city, not excepting campaigns some
years ago, in which the late Senator Hanna was
the central figure. Tho indorsement of Mr
Burton's candidacy by Theodore Roosevelt and
Secretary of War Taft, it is said, may be fol
lowed by speeches here by both later on in the
campaign. The president is td start from Cleve
land with the inland water ways commission
on its tour of inspection and investigation of the
great lakes and .the Mississippi river, and repub
lican leaders believe that while here he may
be induced to make a speech urging Burton's
election. Cleveland is regarded as a normally
republican city by from 7,000 to 10,000 ma
jority in national elections, and up to the ad
vent of Mayor Johnson six years ago the repub
licans had ruled the city and county for years
with the exception of isolated cases, such as the
election of Mayor Farley, following the defeat
of the McKisson administration and the rehab
ilitation of the faction led by Senator Hanna.
In the last two campaigns made by Johnson ho
succeeded in increasing the plurality which he
gained fn, his first ejection six years-ago, and in
his last race, which was two years ago, he piled
up a plurality of nearly 12,000. The county as
well as the city administration has, as a result
of the Johnson leadership, become pearly solidly
democratic. , In selecting Mr. Burton to oppose
Mayor Johnson the democratic leaders admit
that the republicans have put forward their
strongest man and, while they claim Johnson
will win, they concede that the' race will be
close. It was Burton who defeated Johnson
after the latter had served two terms in con
gress, having been previously elected as a demo
crat in a district which was largely republican.
Since that campaign 'Mr. Burton has continued
to represent the district in congress, and has
been returned biennially without opposition in
his own party and either unopposed by the demo
crats or with only perfunctory opposition. Mr.
Burton's political managers assert that his prob
able candidacy for the seat of Senator Foraker
is no way affected by his race for mayor, what
ever the result of the election in November may
be, and that he will retain his seat in congress
and the chairmanship of the .rivers. fan& harbors
committee at least until after the' mayoralty
elections."
THE NEW YORK Press (republican) is not
greatly elated over the Taft Ohio victory.
The Press says that the state committee which
endorsed Mr. Taft is manned by those who either
are federal officeholders themselves or fill the
federal offices with their henchmen and rela
tives. The Press says: '"Just as surely as there
are practical questions in the selection of can
didates for the presidency, the result of this
Ohio fight, though Mr. Taft should take tho
majority of the Ohio delegation, as we anticipate,
will show him in the convention not strong, but
weak the representation from his own state
divided for and against him, the protectionists
in Ohio angry with his tariff views, the Foraker
followers in Ohio determined secretly perhaps,
but persistently, upon satisfaction at the polls,
and the colored voters of Ohio openly slaught
ering the republican ticket. Thinner and thin
ner appears the presidential shadow of Taft, with
every indication that, for practical reasons which
can not be ignored, it will fade away entirely
before the delegates to the national convention
take their final vote on the republican party's
candidate for president."
aEORGE O. MILLT3R, one, of. the old time de
tectives on the local police force at the
national "capita"!, died recently at his home in
Washington City. Mr. Miller was a great friend
of the late Robert G. Ingersoll, and it was
at the grave of Mr. Miller's boy that Colonel
Ingersoll delivered, in 1882, the funeral ora
tion which attracted world-wide attention.
Colonel Ingersoll's address follows: "I know
how vain It is to gild a grief with words, and
yet I wish to take from every grave its fear.
Here in this world, where life and death are
equal kings, all should be brave enough to meet
what all have met. The future has been filled
with fear, stained and polluted by the heartless
past. From the wondrous tree of life the buds
and blossoms fall with ripened fruit, and In the
pommon bed of earth patriarchs and babes sleep
side by side. Why should we fear that which
will come to-all that is? We can not tell. We
do not know which is the greatest blessing, life
or death. We can not e&y that death is not
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