Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1907)
wmwuvmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmimimmmmmmmMiGm I'MViLtStmt m... ...'.. .,.9. w . n. AmHrtws.j,rrQ-'n:.t i .-. .... i,T.i ,Ttf, wtt.v .- -.-Muam """r - f- , s The Commoner. 'fj.'fc W '. a i t" fo K? HW. -, w ont strained condition of the money market and the nervousness of bank ' depositors is evident by his reference to the money hoarders. Ac cording to the forecast, ho calls attention to the great natural resources of the country and pro vides statistics to show how prosperous the na tion is. Ho urges that peoplo have confidence in the banks and that thoy not hoard their money. The president again urges further in telligent development of the supervision over in terstate commerce and asks for legislation per mitting 'pooling' under interstate commerce su pervision. In the message the president takes up the question of irrigation, drainage and ca nals in the localities where they are most needed. He again discusses the good corporations, and reiterates that they need not fear legislation. He refers to his previous speeches wherein he has promised that the wrong-doors shall bo punished." THE CLEVELAND Electric Railway company, the five-cent street railway fare corpora tion, has surrendered to the holding plan pro posal of Mayor Tom L. Johnson, after seven -years of warfare. The story is told by the Cleve land correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald in this way: "The surrender was made in a public meeting of councilmen, councilmen elect, mayor, city officers, officers of the traction company and Fred H. Goff, an outsider named yesterday by the Cleveland Electric to conduct negotiations. Mr. Goff is empowered to accept terms from Mayor Johnson, with no report to the Cleveland Electric, and in his address to the meeting today agreed to the merger of three cent and five-cent roads under a holding com pany, and declared all that remained was the fixing of the figure at which the Cleveland. Elec tric stock shall be taken over. Appraisers, Pres ident Andrews of the corporation and President Dupont of the three-cent line, were named, with lawyers and real estate experts to assist, to fix a valuation on . the old company's property. These appraisers are to report to a meeting Tuesday. Mayor Johnson and Mr. Goff asserted peace, was in sight. On the stock exchange to day Cleveland Electric, which had dropped to 32, picked up five points on bid, and offers reached fifty before the closing hour. The stock exchange action was a reflection of the wide spread belief that the long warfare wa's about to cease. The appointment of Mr. Goff, a lawyer without interest in the traction controversy ex cept as a citizen, with full powers from the directors of the Cleveland Electric Railway com pany to sign terms of settlement for the five cent corporation with. Mayor Johnson, champion of the three-cent fare, and his council came yes terday at the first break in the old company's attitude of determined opposition to Mayor Johnson's proposals." kHIS SAME dispatch 'further snvR? "-rovon after the deffin.fi rf flrvnfrroaarYinn rvhnnA ;KTT T-, i. , .. . - O'vuuuiuu lUWUUlO xj. xiurton, wno advocated the traction settle ment proposal of the Cleveland Electric, as a , mayoralty candidate against Tom L. Johnson, President Andrews of the company continued the policy of adhering to the corporation's seveh-yoar-old position that a three-cent fare was 1m- , B!bie ?n ,hls system with its long hauls, and what he insists is the best service in any Amer ican city. But the city council, led by Mayor Johnson refused to arbitrate as to the lowest possible fare to be incorporated in extended franchises of the company or as to the value of the Cleveland Electric, in consideration of its being turned over to a holding company, as urged by the mayor. The traction corporation was face to face with a war of extermination. Bictrminati11 would have been slow, as several of the Cleveland Electrlc's franchises have eight years of life, but others expire next February and still others two and five years hence The system would have been cut to pieces, with prac tically nothing of value left, in six or seven years had Mayor Johnson clung to his announced program of giving the three-cent fare companies franchises as rapidly as the old companies ex pired, with franchises to joint use of the old company's tracks,- where possible, at once. Mr Golf, though conceding today that the mayor's holding plan of merging the five and three-cent fare companies will be agreed to by the com pany he represents, still has the option of re fusing to sign the treaty if the valuation of the Cleveland Electric is lower than ho thinks equit able or if the rate of fare should bo lower than he thinks will pay a profit to the companies, although, under the holding plan, the holding AfiSL company must give a security bond to the lessors, assuring stockholders of a profit. It is certain that Mayor Johnson will insist on a three-cent fare within the present city limits. This matter is not determined, but it is expected the fare to points outside the limits will be five cents, with transfers at no extra charge. Mayor John son has incorporated in his traction proposals and franchises granted to his self-inspired com panies a clause providing that if a three-cent fare does not pay six per cent profit a higher rate may be charged up to the point at which six per cent can be earned on real valuation. Settlement of the real valuation of the Cleveland Electric, with the rate of fare equation involved, is the point at issue now that the corporation has surrendered to Mayor Johnson." CONGRESSMAN Ollie James of Kentucky has introduced a bill providing for the restor ation to coins of the motto, "In God We Trust." Speaking to the Washington correspondent for the New York World Mr. James said: "After six years of flourishing the big stick, President Roosevelt has at last removed one trust, that's 'In God We Trust.' In removing the motto he struck one of the greatest blows to religion and morality that has ever been given in this coun try. He says that some' one may laugh at the motto. Such an argument, if followed to its logical conclusion, would tear down every church steeple in the land. Mr. Roosevelt will soon find that his countrymen do not sympathize with him in his willingness to abolish the motto which expressed the national gratitude to the Creator." DESCRIBING THE opening of congress the Washington correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald says: "Crowds of men and women who Jn their way represent the citizen ship, the chivalry and the fashion of the. country at the national capital thronged the senate and house galleries to witness the inauguration of a new congress. Hundreds who came late packed the gallery corridors and waited with varying degrees of patience for the ticket-holders and early birds to become bored and depart so as to give them a chance near the finish to say that they had seen and heard something of the curtain-raiser to the winter's session. The star figure in the stage setting was a rank outsider, insofar as the personnel of- congress is concerned, but one who is far from being a non-combatant in the politics that underlie the present situa tion. W. J. Bryan of Nebraska it was. An actor without a set part, he walked upon the floor of the house fifteen minutes before the gavel fell, evoking full five minutes of cheers, handclapping and yells from his party col leagues there gathered, and equally tumultuous enthusiasm among his admirers in the galleries. Bryan, the foreordained candidate for the presi dency on the democratic ticket, was not there "merely for show. For three hours he was the busiest personage in sight." A NUMBER of the daily newspapers, carried - , recently a flaming advertisement of a cer tain magazine. This advertisement contained the picture of Mr. Roosevelt and was printed under big black headlines, as follows: "Theo dore Roosevelt Destroyer." Following is an extract from the advertisement: "Theodore Roosevelt can never patch up the harm he has done. It will take years of patient toil to build up what he has already torn down. It wilL take millions of idle machines and miles of hungry bread lines to pay the price of atonement if his destructive policies are permitted to continue. Under the guise of punishing wrong-doers, his policies threaten to paralyze practically every line of legitimate business. They threaten every man who works for his living. They threaten your salary, your savings, your job. It is no argument to say that there are evils to be cor rected. There are. But the big stick seeks not to correct. It seeks to destroy. The life the history, the writings and the utterances of Theodore Roosevelt proclaim him to be, by na ture, a destroyer, and not a tolling builder They breathe only the thought of destruction! destruction of animal life, of human life, and of the liberty, the property and the reputations of men. And the dominant thought of his present publicly expressed policies is not upbuilding the nation and the industries of the nation, but de struction to those very enterprises which have made the nation .great. And destruction, ven geance and punishment for the men who have builded the industries that have made us the VOLUME 7, NUMBER masters of the whole world of business- ntu than any attempt to correct abundant evil? Should the innocent be made, wantonly to R r fer with the guilty? Should the whole fabric 5 public confidence be utterly destroyed? Should your savings be imperiled because of another' wrong-doing? Should your child be robbed n? its bread because of the misdeed of a trust or a railroad? Every man in business, largo 0r small, employer or employe, should read 'Tho Square Deal, and Do We Get It?' 'Theodora Roosevelt's Private Press Bureau,' 'How Roose velt Exploits the Newspapers' and other fearless instructive articles in the December number of the Magazine." TT IS BELIEVED by many 'people that the X above advertisement is not entirely a bit of magazine enterprise, but is as well part and parcel of a plan to discredit the president's re form policies and to discourage future presidents from daring to call to account powerful men. While Mr. Cleveland was subjected to some crit icism by men of his own party it seems that never since the days of Andrew Johnson have men dared to say, or newspapers dared to print such bitter attacks upon the chief executive as the things that are now being said and printed by men who are hostile to Mr. Roosevelt. But it must be remembered that it is not all hos tility toward Mr. Roosevelt; part of it is due to the deep concern which certain wealthy man ipulators have in that system of lawlessness which has been built up under the protection of the very authority it defies and the perpetua tion of this system depends upon a president who will .either deliberately close his eyes to tlie public- interest or become palsied with fear in the presence of unscrupulous men. THE WASHINGTON (D. C.) Star in its issue of December 2, printed this editorial: "Mr. Bryan's presence in town at the opening of con gress, is entirely appropriate, and should be a source of inspiration to every member of his party. As the leader of his party, with another nomination to the presidency most strongly fore shadowed, his place is where the first guns of the great battle are to be fired. Shells are to be loaded here, and other material prepared for the general engagement. Congress will be a busy body, and it will be strange if the democ racy, although in such a small minority in both houses, does not manage to derive advantage from some of the numerous discussions and di visions. The opportunities will be well worth the most careful watching, and when improvable the- most complete improvement. Here, then, for a few days at least, is the post of Importance, and that post by every right is Mr. Bryan's. Mr. Williams can not in reason object, because ho is a Bryan man, and should welcome the sug gestions of his leader about the larger ques tions to come before the session. Nor, while Mr. Bryan is less popular in democratic sena torial circles than in house circles, is there any good reason why any democratic senator should hesitate to receive and profoundly consider any points raised by the man who is, as the party's leader, vitally interested in all matters of na tional legislative moment. At the one end as at the other of the capitol Mr. Bryan's party welcome should be of the warmest. As an ad viser Mr. Bryan is one of the frankest. Men may differ about his wisdom, but no question as, to his directness Is open. Ho means what he says, and those who confer with him and follow him are never in doubt about where ho stands. This quality makes for confidence, and Is the key to much of the influence he exerts. THE HOLIDAY SEASON Ho! the holiday season comes, Piping cf bugles and roll of drums, Eyes of morning and lips that shine April back to these lips of mine! Ho! the holiday season's here, Flags and trumpet and songs of cheer; Holly wreathed with the mistletoe, Love'ri soft cheeks with the rose's glow; Boyhood, girlhood, babehood sweet, Ripple of laughter and ring of feot Dancing down through the days of life With love thrown over the wounds of strife' And eyes so happy, and ltps all song, 'And grief forgotten where home-hearts throng. Baltimore Sun. tttJWflfilto flflMlBBlMBth'j . .i r- -no"