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DECEMBER 13, 1907
The Commoner.
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FOLLOWING CLOSE upon the announcement
that Rudyard Kipling has' been awarded a
Noebel prize for "idealism" comes the announce
ment that Professor A. A. Michelson of Chicago
f.s been awarded the prize for physicists. Pro-
ssor Mieii tiisuiAaMie discoverer of a now meth-
d for measuring the velocity of light. Profes
sor Michelson was born in Germany, but came
to this country at an early ago and was appointed
a midshipman at the naval academy. He grad
uated in 1873 but resigned in 1881. He is now
professor of physics at Chicago University.
THE' ALB ANY (N. Y.) Herald indulges in some
reminiscences concerning panics and calls
attention to the fact that Ulysses S. Grant had
been president four years and a half when the
panic of 1873 came. Grover Cleveland had been
president but two or three months when tho
panic of 1893-94 came, after being carefully pro
vided for by republican legislation. Theodore
Roosevelt had been president six years when the
panic of 1907 struck the country, in addition to
which the republican party has been in absolute
ascendency for upwards of ten years. As the
Herald remarks: "It takes some nerve for a
republican to talk about the connection between
democracy and hard times, but he has plenty
of it."
THE. "WASHINGTON correspondent for the
Ohio Press-Post relates an interesting story
describing an interview between Mr. Roosevelt
and Senator Scott of West Virginia. The inter
view'follows: "When Senator Scott called at the
White House the president called him into the
executive office, threw his arms around his neck
and saidt 'Senator, you are in touch with tho
business of the country. I want you to tell me
what they are saying about this panic and de
pression in financial affairs.' 'Do you want me
to tell the truth?' said the senator. 'Yes,' said
the president, baring his teeth, I want tho
truth.' 'Well, then, Mr. President,' said Sen
ator Scott, 'they say that your fulminations
against capital, your campaign of corporation
persecution and your erratic diatribes against
the business interests of tho country have caused
the trouble.' The arm slipped from around Sen
ator Scott's shoulders, the teeth were bared still
further -and the president said: 'I do not agree
with you, senator; I do not care to discuss the
matter further.' When Senator Scott recovered
his equilibrium he was located on the asphalt
walk in front of the White House."
IN A RECENTLY delivered speech Senator
Dolliver of Iowa declared that Governor
Cummins wrote a letter last year declaring that
he would not be a candidate against Senator
Allison, thus securing support in his candidacy
for governor which. he could not have otherwise
obtained. In a newspaper interview Governor
Cummins said: "I will give $1,000 to charity
if anybody will produce a letter in which I ever
promised not to be a candidate against Senator
Allison. The story is untrue. I might say more,
. but I am a Christian.".
rrHB RE-ELECTION of Speaker Cannon at
X the opening of the Sixtieth congress made
him the ninth member to be honored by three
elections to that office. Henry Clay was six
tfmes elected speaker. Others serving three
terms or more were Andrew Stevenson of Vir
ginia, Schuyler Colfax of Indiana, James G.
Blaine of Maine, Samuel J. Randall of Pennsyl
vania, John G. Carlisle of Kentucky, and Thomas
B. Reed of Maine. The Buffalo Courier gives
the following interesting and concise history of
the men who have occupied the speaker's chair
three or more terms: "Henry Clay had the
unparalleled distinction of being six times elect
ed speaker. His first election occurred on No
vember 4, 1811, and his last on December 1,
1823. During that period he twice resigned
from the speakership 'to accept other public ser
vice. His career in the chair of the house be
gan with the Twelfth congress and ended with
the Eighteenth. Andrew Stevenson was speaker
from December 3, 1827, to Juno $, 1834. Schuy
ler Colfax was speaker during the Thirty-eighth,
Thirty-ninth and Fortieth congresses, 18G3
1869. James G. Blaine was speaker during tho
Forty-first, Forty-second and Forty-third con
gresses, 18G9-1875. Samuel J. Randall was
elected speaker at tho beginning of the second
Bession of the Forty-fourth congress, December
4, 1876, to succeed Michael C. Kerr of lndianu,
who died during the first session. Mr. Randall
was re-elected at the beginning of tho first ses
sions of tho Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth con
gresses, apd his last term expired MaFeh 3, 1881.
John G. Carlisle was speaker of tho house during
tho Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth and Fiftieth con
gresses, 1883-1889. Thomas B. Rood was
speaker of tho Fifty-first, Fifty-fourth and Fifty
fifth congresses, his last term ending March 3,
1899."
O
CONTINUING ITS Interesting comments upon
the occupants of the speaker's chair tho
Courier says: "Except in the case of an extra
session preceding the first regular session of a
congress a speaker serves only about one year
and throe montbs. For instance, Mr. Cannon
was first elected speaker at the beginning of an
extra session of the Fifty-eighth congress, No
vember 9, 1903. That congress ended on March
3, 1905. He was not re-elected till December
4, 1905, and his second term, expired March 3,
1907. He again became speaker December 2,
1907, and his third term will expire March 3,
1909. It Is thus seen that although the Fifty
eighth, Fifty-ninth and Sixtieth congresses will
officially cover a period of six years, Mr. Cannon
at tho end of his current term will havo been
speakor only three years and about ten months,
as compared to Henry Clay's speakership career
of seven years and five months. There is no prob
ability that in length of service as speakor Mr.
Cannon will break the record. Mr. Cannon Is
now in his sixteenth term Us a member of tho
house. He appeared first in that body in 1873
and has served there continuously except for
two years covering tho Fifty-second congress,
1891-1893."
THE WASHINGTON Herald says: "It is not
improbable that tho minority membors of
the committee on banking and currency may in
clude Mr. Bryan's guaranteed deposit scheme In
the financial policy which they expect to adopt
at a meeting to be held this week. Two bills,
embodying the principles of his proposition, wore
introduced in the house today, one by Repre
sentative Candler, of Mississippi, a democrat,
and the other by Representative Norris, of Ne
braska, a republican. Mr. Candler's bill pro
vides for a tax of one-fourth of one per cent on
bank deposits to create a guarantee fund not
to exceed $10,000,000, and Mr. Norris' for a
tax of one-fifth of one per cent.".
THIS STORY is told by tho Washington coe
respondent for the Minneapolis Journal:
"Attorney General Young and his counsel, with
Mrs. Young, Mrs. T. D. d'Brlen and Miss Nellie
O'Brien, her daughter, were in the marble room
of the senate late yesterday when In walked W.
J. Bryan, with Senator Teller of Colorado, with
whom he spent a part of the day talking about
democratic presidential politics. Mr. Bryan had
met the men of the Minnesota party during one
of his visits to St. Paul, and, recognizing them,
ho went over to where they were standing, fol
lowing which he was introduced to the women
who were with them. Miss Nellie O'Brien Is
attending a well-known Catholic school for girls
in this city, and is visiting with her parents dur
ing their stay. After saying something about
the similarity of tho names 'Bryan' and 'O'Brien,'
the great democratic leader remarked that folks
spelling their names in those two ways had all
come from the same stock. 'You see,' he said
to Miss Nellie, 'in the old days they all spelled
the name as I now spell mine, but finally there
arose a great man among the Bryans, and he
was made king, whereupon, in order to distin
guish his descendants from the plebian members
of the clan, the letter 'O' was attached to tho
name by way of prefix. Thin prefix has boon
retained by all the descendant of that branch of
tho family to Dili .day to show tholr Illustrious
ancestry. The common people of tin clnn, how
over, havo continued to spoil the nnme In tho
good old way.' 'That Is a very Interesting story
quickly replied MIjm Nellie, 'and prompt mo to
say that the day will no doubt come when your
descendant nliio will bo calling thems!vo
O Brlen, whereupon tho commoner bowd his
bdst bow in recognition of the hfuirinoma com
pliment. Tho story. of thin conversation wa told
very generally In tho Minnesota colony 11 night
and this morning, and Mian NellhVs roply voted
one of the best that could possibly have boon
mado."
y N HIS SPEECH at tho opening of the house
X Speaker Cannon said: "Wo have boon ad
monished by event that. It Is not tho time for
extravagance or oxcuriloiiH Into tho realm of
experiment In legislation. Wo should louvo
to the poople of the states tho JurindlcMon not
granted to tho federal government, and also
leave upon thorn the responsibility and burden
or taxation for tho same." Referring to this
statement tho Washington correspondent for tho
Cincinnati Enqulror says: "There, In a nut
shell, Is tho exposition of the speaker's policy
during the session which opons tomorrow, and
it meets the views of tho men who havo a firm
hold on tho proceedings of the senalo. The sig
nificance of the speaker's language should not
bo overlooked, and by many of tho men who at
tended tho caucus was correctly interpreted.
Some detected in It the odor of tho smoke of
battle with tho administration, though their
olfactory sense may havo misled them. Tho
speaker is not spoiling for a contest with tho
president; noither are the leaders of tho sen
ate. Their desire is to maintain tho tnout cor
dial reJati&ns, for they realize the folly of agi
tating the country at a time when It is recover
ing from a financial panic. Still, they are pre
pared for almost any kind of a struggle with tho
White House, though they are hoping none will
be Instigated. The president has had pretty
much his own way with congress since his in
auguration. He initiated much important legis
lation in the interest of the general public, and
paeans have been sung In his honor the length
and breadth of tho land. No person versed In
public affairs need bo told that he was compelled
to overcome serious obstructions before some of
the laws he advocated were passed, and every
time he had a controversy with congress the en
tire country became aroused."
M
T nnnORVPTT nnnr.nr-a !. ni Alti
IV, 11UUUU J IJU1 JJJVWD lu uurv DUillU UliU'lII
ins auminisiraiion mat is in cioso toucn
with Wall Street. On the day prior to the do
livery' of the president's message the Chicago
Record-Herald printed this dispatch from its New
York correspondent: "Despite precautions which
have recently been adopted to prevent premature
publication of information concerning the public
utterances of the president, many banking and
brokerage houses In Wall Street had today what
was said to be an exact copy of the president's
message to congress to be read tomorrow. Mem
bers of these firms did not express any doubts
about the authenticity of tho copies. Advance
copies of the president's speeches and messages
hitherto received in Wall Street, It was pointed
out, have invariably proved to be correct. Va
rious deductions were drawn from tho contents
of the message as circulated in Wall Street. In
the main the document was said to contain little
that was novel; nor did it indicate that the presi
dent had changed his policies. Frequent refer
ences aro made to his speeches hitherto deliv
ered, outlining the president's wishes and de
sires in corporation regulation. According to
tho forecasts in Wall Street the message will
recommend currency legislation and reform, but
the president does not suggest any specific form
of legislation. He points out that he recom
mended currency relief in his last message to
congress, but, as on the former occasion, the.
president takes no stand on how to provide tho
necessary elasticity to the currency problem.
That the president takes cognizance of tho prcs
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