The Commoner.
8
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 38
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6NT TOPICS Wf
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I EMINDER OF a one time interesting char
) actor in American history is given in a
Washington dispatch to the St. Louis Globe- r
Democrat as follows: "Lieutenant Colonel
Elijah W. Halford, pay department United
States army, was retired today, having reached
the statutory age of sixty-four years. Colonel
Hal ford -is at present attached to headquarters
of the department of California at San Francisco. ,
Colonel Halford is one of the most widely known
olllcors in the pay corps of the army, the natural
sequence of his service for four years in the city
of Washington as private secretary Jto the late
President Harrison, from 1889 to 1893. At an
early age Elijah Halford entered journalism,
which was the single pursuit of his life up to
the moment when President Harrison induced
him to relinquish an editorial desk to become
his private secretary (the ofllce of secretary to
tho president had not then been created). As
private secretary Mr. Halford was a tower of
strength to President Harrison in the stormy
days of his administration, and the president
evinced his appreciation and gratitude by ap
pointing Mr. Halford a major in tho pay corps
of the army January 10, 1893. His service
since that date has been worldwide."
O
S EORGE H. LOCEY, of Southern Pines, N.
VT C., writes to the New York World as fol
lows: "In your issue of June 28 you developed
a democratic platform which wad both compre
hensive and satisfactory to the party of the na
tion so far as the matter has yet been dis
cussed. The' democratic party, in its organiza
tion and temperament, desires to be just. In
the last presidential contest .Judge Parker open
ly and truthfully charged the republican party
with receiving and using many -millions of money
from the wealthy corporate- interests to promote
the election of the candidates of the republican
party. With great vituperation the charge was
denied and the denial reiterated. But subse
quent events have proved that the charge was
true so offensively true that feeble steps have
been taken to prevent a recurrence. It will, be
repeated, but more carefully concealed. Judge
Parker is an able man, an honest man and a
democrat whose character is unsullied by any
act of perfidy. His life is an open book. Simple
justice demands that the democratic national
convention of 1908 should renominate Judge
Parker by acclamation, and- with recent events'
fresh in the minds of the pebple 'his election is'
assured." ' -
THOSE WHO have frequently .met defeat in
politics will be interested in this good story
told by a writer in Young's Magazine: "Even
self-confidence will get bumped," reflected Adele
Ritohie, the bright particular star in 'Fascinating
Flora.' Whereby hangs a story. A man
came shooting from a brightly lighted window
one night, and landed with a fcrash on the side
walk. 'It's all right,' he said to the crowd that
had gathered, as he stiffly rose. 'That's my
club, the Eighth precinct. I'm, a Smith mani
and there's ten Jones men in there. I'm going
back to them. You stay here and count im
as they come out of that window.' He limned
ru "It" UiU UU1U- Aere was a great uproar.
Then a figure crashed through the window, and
struck the sidewalk with n ervmif- Ti,nfB
I. said the crowd. 'No,' said tho figure, rising
Don't start counting yet. It's me again.' "
SENATOR LAFOLLETTE, of Wisconsin, had
an interesting time recently at a teachers'
institute at Pittsburg. A Pittsburg newspaper
dispatch says: "Senator LaFollette was en
gaged to deliver an address to the teachers on
'Representative Government.' Before the speech
County Superintendent Samuel Hamilton told
the senator ho could not discuss partisan poli
tics. In opening his speech LaFollette said: 'I
have been warned not to be partisan in my
speech here this afternoon, but I want to say
to tho superintendent and the county officials
just what I think' Mr. Hamilton here arose
and told Senator LaFollette that' the institute
was no place for partisan politics, and 'that he
would have to confine himself to a general dH
course. For about an hour the senator talked,
and then he began to tell the teachers about how
the Pennsylvania senators had voted on his
amendments to the railroad rate bill. The
superintendent was on his feet in an instant, and
declared that the senator must cease. 'Go
ahead!' came cries from all over tho house.
After order had been restored, Senator LaFol
lette informed the audience that he would have
to comply with the wishes of the superintendent,
but if there was any persons present who wished
to hear what he had to say, he was willing to
talk. The audience of 1,500 persons left the
hall, followed by Mr. LaFollette, who took up
his position on the steps -of the Carnegie Music
hall, where the institute was being held. There
for two hours, until almost 7 o'clock, the sena
tor talked as he pleased, amid shouts of appro
val from the audience. The officials of the insti
tute are indignant."
REFERRING TO the effort to Suppress Sena
JAj tor LaFollette, the Pittsburg Leader says:
"Before he began his speech to the teachers La
Follette was warned by the county superin
tendent of schools that 'pprtisanship' must not
enter into his discussion of 'Representative Gov
ernment.' By that it was meant that LaFollette
should not attack the 'unrepresentative govern
ment' against which he is a living protest in
the United States senate. The senator, from
Wisconsin very properly made answer to this
that he intended to speak as he believed to be
right whether his remarks were called 'partisan'
or not; that he placed his country and its wel
fare above his party or any party. And he
spoke his mind freely until he was peremptorily
ordered to stop. The protests against this from
the teachers were much to the credit of them
selves. When the senator was finally forced to
leave the hall to finish his address in the open
air the teachers plainly showed where their
sympathies lay' and they administered a sting
ing rebuke to the man who would deny them
the opportunity of hearing the truth by follow
ing LaFollette in a body and remaining out
doors for the conclusion of his address. The
Secret of this attempt to choke off LaFollette
may be found in that part of his speech in which
lie told facts concerning Pennsylvania's mis
representation in the .United States senate and
in which he showed the teachers how that body
represents not the people nor their states, but
the trusts and other aggregations of wealth.
Politicians who serve these special interests
would keep the truth about this out of the
school rooms if they could. The country is
learning too well of the evil they have wrought
and they seek to distort, suppress and strangle
the truth whenever and wherever they can. The
school teachers of Allegheny county have proved
themselves to be'Wbrthy of the positions they
hold. They refused to submit to the . narrow
prejudice of party politics or to allow it'to stand
between them and the truth and they displayed
the true American spirit in standing up as thev
did 'for free speech." ine3.
O
rjEORGE B. CORTELYOU, secretary of the
VJT treasury, has been asked by the New' York
World to answer these questions: 1. As secre
tary to President McKinley did you have knowl
edge of the campaign fund collected by Senator
Hanna in 1900, the names of many heavy con
tributors, the promises made and the methods of
distribution? 2. What corporations were in
vestigated in whole or in part while you .were
secretary of commerce? 3. Did any of these
corporations contribute to the republican cam
paign fund in 1904? Did you or Mr. Bliss or
any authorized agent of the national committee
solicit contributions from them? 4. Did you
as postmaster general enter into mail contracts
with any railroad which contributed to the re
publican campaign of 1904? If so, what com
panies? 5. As secretary of the treasury have
you awarded government deposits of money or
granted any other official favors to any national
banks which contributed to the republican cam
paign fund of 1904? If so, what 'banks'? G
Have treasury favors been solicited by or grant
ed to any financial or 'commercial interests which
contributed to this fund? If so, what? 7. Did
Treasurer Bliss, of the republican national com
mittee, promise; ,either directly or indirecth
any favors in return for contributions? 8. Has
Mr. Bliss solicited any favors of the treasury
in behalf of banks or corporations? 9. What
answer have you, as postmaster general mid
secretary of the treasury, given to contributors
making demands for what they understood
would be their recompense? 10. Was return
made of contributions discovered afterward to
have been made in expectation of favors? n.
Why was the Standard Oil company's contribu
tion retained after President Roosevelt ordered
it returned? 12. Did you know the contributors
to the $260,000 Harriman fund and the practi
cal uses to which money was to be put to insure
New York going republican?"
A WORLD reporter called upon Mr. Cortelyou
and presented this list of questions. Mr.
Cortelyou read the questions and the following
dialogue took place between Mr. Cortelyou and
the. World correspondent: "I have nothing to
say." "Why?" "Because the time for me to
speak has not arrived." "When do you expect
to break your silence?" "It may not be long
before I shall have something to say. I could
answer every one of those questions now, com
pletely and convincingly, but I shall not do so."
"It has been said, Mr. Cortelyou, that by your
silence you are receiving the criticism which
should be levelled at others." "That may be,
but I can stand it for a while longer. I am con
scious of my own integrity in this matter. Let
me repeat what I said in the first place, that I
have absolutely nothing to say, no answer to
make to any questions concerning campaign con
tributions. If you desire to publish anything
from me, please say that and nothing more."
O -
AS THOUGH Mr. Cortelyom did not have
enough trouble on his hands Congressman
Hepburn (republican) of Iowa takes a poke at
him., Returning from Europe, Mr. Hepburn
speaking to a newspaper reporter condemned
the treasury practice of putting money into tho
banks to prevent alleged money stringencies.
He said this money went to aid New York spec
ulators, and it was nonsense to talk about the
west needing money to move crops. "There is
no longer a crop moving period in the west,"
said he. "There used to be before farmers wero
so prosperous. Now crops are moved all tho
year round." He declared Mr. Cortelyou ought
to know better than that the money he deposit
ed went' to move crops, and said New York al
ways owed big sums to the west. The New York
stock exchange could be. .wiped out with benefit
to the 'country.
THE1 FIRST thing Tom L. Johnson did after
being nominated for mayor waB to issue
a challenge to his opponent, Congressman Bur
ton'for a joint debate.' The Cincinnati Enquirer
says: "The republican' candidate formayor side
stepped the challenge, declaring that future
events might decide him to take up the dare,
but. that at present he had nothing to say.
Mayor Johnson, in accepting his nomination at
the convention, declared the issues between him
self and Congressman Burton to be as follows:
'I do not look upon your unanimous choice of
me for the ofllce of mayor of this city for the
fourth time as a personal tribute. It is rather
an expression of your belief and enthusiasm for
ideas which we hold in common. Our platform
is too broad for mere partisanship. For seven
years we have been carrying forward a move
ment that is bigger than any party, bigger than
any city. It is but part of a movement which
is nation-wide, and which is seeking to make
government serve the people rather than serve
privileged wealth. Cleveland has attracted tho
attention of other cities because it has gone
further and moved faster toward the solution
of its problems. In Cleveland the question is
this: 'Shall we have a monopoly-owned city, or
shall we have a city-owned monopoly?' for that
is the question which underlies all others. Cleve
land is not fighting for three-cent fare alone.
Cleveland is fighting to be freet Cleveland is
fighting for self-government. Whether lie sees
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