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JANUARY 3, 1908
The Commoner.
3
national paper does not have to devote any spaco
to local questions,- but each Issue of the country
weekly ought to contain a discussion, however
brief, of the more important questions before
the country.
The country weekly ought also to havo a
Washington letter not a letter sent out by
some unknown correspondent, who, being paid
to advance some secret interest, furnishes his
stuff for nothing, but a letter by someone who
is known as a democrat and who sends out re
liable news.
The weekly newspaper ought to discuss
candidates and -platforms so that tho voters can
act intelligently when the time comes for se
lection. The Commoner will be glad to exchange
with any and every democratic weekly in tho
country, for it is interested in keeping in touch
with the papers that mold public opinion. If
your county has no democratic weekly, organize
one and get it to work; if your county has a
democratic weekly, support it and strengthen it
and increase its usefulness.
oooo-
' THE WISE AoiE
A reader of The Commoner scuds in the
following:
"At ten years of ago a boy thinks his father
knows a great deal,
"At fifteen he knows as much as his father;
"At twenty he knows twice as much;
"At thirty he is willing to take his advice;
"At forty he begins to think his father knew
, something after all;
"At fifty he begins to seek his. advice; '
"And at sixty, after his father is dead, he
thinks he was the smartest man that ever lived."
The above correctly states the stages
through which one passes. At about eighteen
or twenty the boy feels stronger than he over
does afterwards and thinks he knows more than
he ever does know, but ho learns after awhile
to respect the wisdom of his father, especially
when he becomes a father. There is an educa
tion in all of the experiences of life. The parent
educates the child and the child in turn enlarges
the vision of the parent. Brothers and sisters
exert an influence upon each other, and another
part of our knowledge is gathered from rubbing
up against the world.
If the child could only learn in youth that
years have given valuable experience to the par
ent, the child might be saved much costly folly,
but some children insist upon learning by ex
perience, and they generally get the experience.
There is a common saying that the young
man has to sow his wild oats. This is a com
placent excuse given for youthful indiscretions,
but it doesjnot state the truth. It is not neces
sary that a,j boy should be bad in order to be
good afterwards. It is from every standpoint
.better that his life shall be so regulated from
the beginning that the memory is not stained
by scars and blots. If the confidence which the
boy has in his father at ten continued until he
was twenty-five, he would not only escape tho
habits that carry so many to ruin but would
be the stronger for life's work.
. , oooo
PARTIALITY to wall street
Ask your national banker what he think
of the partiality which the treasury department
has shown to Wall Street. The government has
loaned the national banks more than two hun
dred and thirty millions of dollars without in
terest, and nearly all of this sum has been
loaned to the national banks of New York City.
Why this discrimination against the rest of the
country? Why is it that money collected from
the whole country should' thus-be turned over
to one section of the country? And why is it
that preference should be given to that section
which by its gambling and stock-jobbing shows
itself indifferent to the welfare of the rest of.
the country? Can your country banker explain
why the treasury department is thus adminis
tered in the interest of high finance? Why does
not the country banker register a protest? Why
does he not write to his congressman and call
attention to It?
And then, too, why are a few of the na
tional banks picked out for depositories and the
others ignored? Where the security is fixed,
why is the money not loaned to all who can
furnish the proper security? Why this favorit
ism not only in regard to sections but in regard
to the banks of each section? The banks are
willing to pay, two, three or four per cent on
certificates of deposit. If government money Is
THE "DUMPING" ARGUMENT
Wo are continually told that but for tho
tariff our country would be made a dumping
ground for tho surplus products of tho old world.
It is argued that manufacturers in all countries
sell abroad cheaper than at homo, using the
foreign market as a means of disposing of their
surplus. This argumont can only apply to cases
where there is no permanent foreign trade. If
n, manufacturer in this country is selling in
Europe -regularly, he is just as much opposed to
dumping his surplus there at a lower price as
ho Is to selling his surplus in this country bo
low tho market prico, for such a dumping would
interforo with his regular trado there as much
as hero, but it would not take anything like tho
tariff we now h.ive to prevent this country from
any possible dumping. Secretary Shaw, who is
one of the moat rabid of the standpatters, osti-
Uinta xt from five to twenty-fire per cent tho
dlecount which tho forolgn manufacturers giro
on export to this country. This discount of
course is only given in extraordinary cast and
therefore can not bo lakon as n rule but vn
if it were given In all eases. twenty-fire jwr
com I duly would overcome tho effect of It, Td
our tariff is twice that on an average.
Senator llerorldge In a recent article In the
Reader Magazine gives tho list printed blov
The Commoner does not attempt to you h
for the correctness of thin list, not knowing ftrem
what statistics It was compiled, but taking thta
list It will bo fion that we do not need anything
like the tariff which wo now hare to prereat
dumping. Tho advocates of a high tariff will
havo to Oud some more substantial arguments
IP thoy expect to withstand the tide that Is r!
lng In favor of tariff reform.
Country
Grcnt Britain
Cnnnda
Germany s.
Finuco
Aufit rinJIi' ntfnry
liclifhun
United SlatcH
Kails
Ifnina
Prico
?3t.r0
8.'i.00
30.01
rti.oo
31.00
XO 00
28.00
Kijmrt
Prico
.'fl.CO
24.00
2fi.fi0
ZJi.fiO
21.09
25.00 to K.OO
llfll&Ui
JIonio
Prico
tei.oj
21 CO
27.00
17 CO
27 -0
V7 00
to 27.00
III sort
Prlio
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10.
t 60
Itrttotiirsl. luclndlr
Shunt, Pis tar. Bum, ton
ft Ml TMM
)
Jintno
PrIo
$ .
i m
t
1.C0 to 1.10
Ilxnort
Prico
l
1 2J
1.5
i4n
I.JSi to 1.40
no to i.so
given them for nothing, why is it given to some
and denied to others?
And why is tho enforcement of tho law
strict in regard to country banks and lax in
regard to some of the big city banks? Tho evi
dence shows that the Walsh bank in Chicago
was in a bad condition for a long while, and yet,
it was allowed to run along and Walsh continued
to make a personal use of the money entrusted
to his care. Why not have laws made which
will make banking safe and then enforce tho
laws with equal strictness against all? Let
the readers of The Commoner bring the matter
to the attention of their bankers and seo what
explanation the bankers can glvo of tho favorit
ism that has been shown.
OOOO
MR SHAW SEES TROURLE AHEAD
Former Secretary of the Treasury Shaw docs
not take a roseate view of the situation ho far as
concerns republican prospects. In a Des Moines,
la., dispatch to the Omaha World-Herald Mr.
Shaw, referring to the campaign of 1908, says:
"There will bo twelve most eventful and historic
years of republican administration to be defend
ed against every conceivablo attack and misrep
resentation. Wo are not likely to have a
walkover in 1908, and location will have slight
influence on the ultimate result. The victory
will be a party victory, or It will not be worth
winning, though the personality of the standard
bearer may mako success possible and it may
make success impossible. Location will cut no
figure whatsoever, unless home opposition and
factionalism shall render unavailable some man
otherwise unobjectionable."
OOOO
NOT ORIGINAL
It is significant that Judge Gould In render
ing his decision against' the American Federa
tion of Labor, cited the restraining orders issued
by Judge Taft some years ago. This is not
calculated to enhance tho Taft presidential
boom.
OOOO
POPULAR GOVERNMENT
It is a mistake to confuse "states rights"
with the doctrine of secession. Tho right of a
state to control and regulate corporations doing
business within the state has no connection
whatever with the doctrine that a state has a
right to secede.
OOOO
WILLIAMSBURG
Dr. Lyon G. Tyler, president of the College
of William and Mary, of Williamsburg, Va., has
published through Whlttit & Shepardson, Rich
mond, Va., a very complete history of Williams
burg, the old colonial capital of Virginia. (The
book can be secured from Mr. Tyler.) Mr.
Tyler is a descendant of President Tyler, who
was at one time president of William and Mary
College, and being himself at the head of the
institution now, he is in position to do justice
to tho subject which he has taken in hand. Wil
liamsburg Js one of the most Interesting of tho
early settlements, Tho college founded thqr.0
was the first educational institution of the kind
in tho United States, and IJrutou church, which
was the religious homo of a number of presi
dents, is one of the oldo ,of American churches.
Dr. Tyler's book contains plcturos of tho
early statesmen who were connected with tho
city and tho college and gives an interesting nar
rative of the principal historical events connect
ed with the place. The hook will prove a val
uable addition to the nation's historical lit?
erature.
OOOO
EDUCATORS
Roadors of The Commoner, do you believe
that this paper is useful as an educator? If so,
bring It to the attention of your neighbors. If
your pastor doos not take The Commoner, sub
scribe for it for him. It endeavors to present
the moral issue in politics, and the ministers
are beginning to understand that political ques
tions arc really ethical ones and that there is a
quostion of Justice or injustice involved in every
great issue.
The newspaper Is tho cheapest literature
that there Is, and an argument presented in a
newspaper Is much more effective than the argu
ment presented in a pamphlet because the' peo
ple read the newspapers while pamphlets aro
often thrown away. The weekly newspaper,
reaching those who have time to read It-deliberately,
furnishes not only the cheapest but tho
best literature circulated. There ought to be a
democratic weekly in every county. 4
OOOO
DUIJOIS AT THE HELM
The Scimitar, published at Boise, Idaho, is
a woekly paper of the democratic faith that
promises to become a strong fac In the poli
tics of the great northwest. Ex .iator Fred
T. DuBoIs Is tho editor, a fact which guarantees
its strength as a defender of the people's in
terests, and ita ability to adequately set foith
to the world tho resources of Idaho and sur
rounding territory. The typographical excel
lence of the Scimitar is equal to its editorial
excellence, and therefore the Scimitar Is as pleas
ing to the eye as It is interesting to the seeker
after knowledge. The Scimitar deserves and
doubtless will secure a large circulation, and
will wield a great influence for good in the
Northwest Country.
OOOO
NO STRADDLER
Yes, Senator Foraker is in the race and
although he is "a standpatter from away back,"
he has at least one merit he lets the jpeople
know where he stands. He does not Straddle
questions, or postpone, after the Taft position.
Foraker is a fighter who fights.
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