The Commoner.
VOLUME 7, NUMBER 4(
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THE WASHINGTON correspondent for the St.
Louis Globe-Democrat (rop.) makes this
forecast of the president's message: "Specific
recommendation in favor of the lakes-to-the-gulf
doop waterway and conservation of the national
resources. Legislation providing that all corpor
ations doing an interstate business must secure
a federal license, with certain restrictions. Ex
tension of the powers of the interstate com
merce commission to include supervision of rail
way stocks and bond issues. That the Sherman
anti-trust law bo so amended as to prohibit only
such combinations as aro pronounced by the
courts to bo unreasonable. Plan for emergency
currency based on assets, so taxed as to insure
'its retirement as soon as the exigency is past.
Oth or recommendations: Graduated inheritance
tax; federal income tax; Philippine tariff bill;
modified shipping bill; postal savings bank; es
tablishment of more perfect public health ser
vice, and extension of the parcels post. State
hood for New Mexico will not be mentioned."
MR. BRYAN'S statement relative to the presi
dential nomination seems not to have
pleased Henry Wattorson. In an interview given
to 'the Associated Press Mr. Watterson makes a
bitter attack upon Mr. Bryan. An Associated
Press dispatch from Chicago Bays: "William
J. Bryan's pronunciamento to the effect that
'Barkis is willin' " so far as the democratic
presidential nomination is concerned, was ac
cepted yesterday by Chicago democrats as the
signal flag for the most bitter 'fight for control
Of the party Illinois democrats have experienced.
The immediate effect was a wholesale rush
among the lieutenants of Carter H. Harrison to
declare openly for Bryan. Former Mayor Dunne
was, unequivocal in his pro-Bryan declaration.
TVjUllam L. O'Connell, Secretary John P. Tansey
of the democratic organization, and Alderman
Thomas F. Scully, who is one of the chiefs of
staff of William Loefller, also declared for
Bryan. The attitude of Mr. Sullivan and his
confidants on the national committee will be
disclosed at a conference of national leaders
oallpd by Chairman Thomas Taggart, which will
be held at the French Lick Springs hotel No
vember 22."
AN ASSOCIATED Press dispatch from Cleve
land. Ohio, follows:- "In. an onen letter
wto William J. Bryan, expressing satisfaction with
i&tMr! 'Bryan's announcement of yesterday, Mayor
Tom L. Jonnson says he will endeavor to se
cure an Ohio delegation to the national demp
qratic convention that will call upon Mr. Bryan
again to be democratic candidate for the presi
dency. The mayor declares he iB not an aspir
ant for the nomination. The letter says: 'The
Commoner's editorial announcement of your de
cision regarding the presidential situation gives
me the greatest satisfaction. Both in spirit
And form it is worthy of you and of our demo
cratic cause. This declaration is the one thing
needed to secure the democratic party the bene
fit of its best leadership in the coming cam
paign.' "
EUGENE PRUSSING, a Chicago lawyer, re
cently called on President Roosevelt and "
submitted this plan: "The Association of At
torneys General recommends that the right to
hold Btock in any other corporation shoitfd be
denied to all interstate corporations. It seems
to me that the purpose of this, namely, to com
pel the real owners of a corporation to do busi
ness in their own name, can be achieved by re
quiring the corporation so owning stock in an
other and the corporation in which it owns stock.
to list such owners and stockholders respectively
in every case in the department of commerce.
Thus honest holding companies will be per
mitted and yet protected against possible assault
of local taxation or other unjustly discriminating
laws, just as national banks now are, while the
public in turn will have knowledge of whom it
is dealing with and can prdteqt Itself. The
change of all state banks and trust companies
to national banks, which can be ' accomplished
by a single amendment of the national banking
act, will also be popular, and can be along
states'" rights lines. The proposed change is
this: Give national banks two additional pow
ors to accept and execute trusts; to accept
trust, savings and time deposits. Thus every
national bank becomes the full competitor of
state banks and trust companies, and soon the
latter will be forced to become national banks.
Go at the general corporation problem in a sim
ilar manner. Enlist the states' rights men on
your side. Make the local laws harmonious, if
possible, by appointing a commission to inves
tigate the entire subject. Get the best talent
Root, Choate, Dillon, Morawetz, Grosscup and
others of that type -will be glad to serve for
patriotic reasons." Referring to Mr. Prussing's
visit a Washington dispatch says: "At the end
of the Interview the president said: 'And now,
my dear sir, I want to pay you a compliment. I
did not expect you to give me a single thing.
Instead of that you have given me several prac
tical suggestions in concrete form, some of which
are entirely new. I shall study them with
pleasure. I may say you will soon see them re
flected somewhere.' "
ONE OF THE highest officials of the United
States department of agriculture, speak
ing to the Washington correspondent for the
New York World said: "Last year the value
of our farm products exported to foreign coun
tries was in round numbers $1,158,000,000, or
a little less than $4,000,000-a day. Whereas
the gross amount of certain products for, the
present year may not be as great as last, their,
value is considerably more and our farmers have
been reaping the benefit of the increase. In fact,
we are now exporting nearly $.5,000,000, worth
a day, and this excellent business must continue
or the whole country will suffer. I don't wish
to be pessimistic, but it is just as well to look
conditions squarely in the face. The present
state of affairs in New York, of course, is due
in a large degree to the criminal recklessness
of a lot of gamblers and business wildcats in
Wall Street, but money is tight everywhere,
Europe being practically no better off in this
respect than America. The great newspapers of
the country print a lot about the better times
coming because of the large Importations 6t
gold bolng made almost daily. It seems strange
to me that a fearlessand. powerful journal, like
the World does not call attention to the fact
that if this sort of thing keeps up only a little
longer Europe will have no money with which
to pay-for our farm products 'and that a large
part of the $1,500,000,000 wpr.th of products we
have on, hand for foreign consumption must in
evitably glut the home market or remain un
sold. Tills would mean hard times the like of
which jthe present generation has never seen.
Matters appear all the more serious when it is
remembered that fifty-eight per cent of all of
our agricultural exports go to Great Britain and
her possessions. England is sending us a major
portion of the gold now being received and yet
it is no secret that things financial are almost as
serious there as they are here." J
AND NOW it seems that republican newspaper
publishers are doomed to disappointment.
Within a week after the announcement that
newspaper publishers would be Kglven tariff re
vision the St. Louis Globe-Democrat (rep.)
printed this dispatch from Washington: "Al
though President Roosevelt will include, in his
message to congress, a recommendation that
print paper add paper pulp be placed on the free
list, it can be put down as practically certain
that there will be no action by congress in line
with the. suggestion. Greatest of all consider
ations which have weight with congress is the
belief that no part of the tariff can' be touched
without Involving an entire revision of the ex
isting tariff schedules. It has been definitely
decided that there Is to be no tariff revision at
the coming session of congress, The president
is a party to that agreement. Leaders on both
sldea of .congress realise that it would be im
possible to revise the tariff at the session just
before the opening of the-national campaign
They also realize that the task is too great to
be attempted at a short session of congress it
is further appreciated that to open the tariff
question now would simply turn loose a flow of
demagogic discussion by the democrats, with
out thought of effective legislation. Under the
circumstances, nothing is to be attempted. Tho
republican leaders will accept full responsibility
for this attitude. Members of congress generally
do not believe the removal of duty on paper
and pulp will have the effect which those who
advocate it believe it will. Pulp is already on
the free list and when imported looks not un
like ordinary fire wood, such as is used in open
fireplaces or a kitchen range in the country.
They point to the fact that there has been a.
general advance in the cost of the manufacture
of paper, for which little or no allowance is
made. Census statistics show that, while tho
publishers of newspapers and magazines have
been making an average of twenty-seven per
cent on their capitalization, the manufacturers
of paper have been making but eight per cent.
The figures given are from the census for the
five years between 1900 and 1905. The same
authority is quoted to show that publishing
business has become one of the ten great lead
ing enterprises in the United States, ranking
with steel and flour and industries of that sort.
The same authority is quoted to show that the
growth in this business has been greater than
in any one of the other nine leading industries.
In spite of this increased demand for paper and
the Increase in the cost of labor and other ma
terials, publishers alone have been reducing the
cost of their output to consumers. It is "prob
able that Mr. Spearker Cannon will have to
bear the brunt of the criticism for the attitude
of congress in this phase of the tariff question,
yet he is no more responsible than others of
the leaders, some of whom will seek to hide be
hind him. On the simple proposition which has
been put forward by the publishers, Mr. Cannon
will say that if they can give him assurances
that there will be no other tariff changes he
will consent to this change. This means that
there would have to be ana"gre6ment on the
part of both democratic- and republican
senator."
THIS PRETTY story is told hy the Nebraska
City (Neb.) News: '"A young lady, in
hastily turning the corner of a street accidently
ran with great force against a ragged beggar
boy and nearly knocked him over. Stopping
as soon as she could and retracing her steps,
she said, very kindly: 'I beg your pardon, my
little fellow. I am very sorry that I ran against
you.' The boy was "wholly amazed; he looked
at the lady one moment and then, taking off
his tattered cap, made a graceful bow and said,
as his face lit up with a smile: 'You' have my
parding, miss, and ye're welcome to it. And
say, tho next time you run ag'in me, you kin
knock me clean down and I won't say a word.'
After the lady had passed oh, the boy said to
a companion: 'I say, Jim, it's fine to have some
body asking yer parding, ain't it?' "
FROM COLUMBIA, Mo., this interesting story
goes to the New York World: "Earl Van
Natta is a sophomore at the Missouri state uni
versity, his father, Ellsworth Van Natta, is a
freshman, and what this scion will do to him
with the remembrance of spankings in child
hood is Interesting the other students. Already
the younger Van Natta as sophomore has aided
In compelling his 'governor' to discard his hat
and don one of the dinky little freshman caps.
But thtf father got even with his young hopeful
In the class rush. Daddy Van Natta lined up
with the freshies and the son with the 'sophs,
and when the smoke cleared away there was
the older man waving three-fourths of his son s
shirt. The father is athletic. He goes in for
gymnasium wprk three times a week. He
Qfraid to tackle football, Tmt is a rooter of the
first water. The elder Van Natta is forty years
old and prematurely gray. His son will bj
twenty years old on November 22. The fath
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