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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1908)
mmmmmmwmf I VOLUME 8, NUMBER X 6 If It Br it The Commoner. ISSUED WEEKLY. tz WIM.TAM J. IlnVAM Kdltornnd Proprietor. HiciiAJti) I Mkicat.pk Amoctntv Killtor. ClIAllMuW. MllYAN Publisher. Ktlltorlnl Hoomn nnd HiwJnwi Onico 324-330 Boulli 12th Strcot. Entered nt Uio roBlofllco t Lincoln, Neb., n nccond-dwa matter The Commoner That Now York to Paris auto race seems to bo awfully hard on the horses. Tariff reform by commission is futile. The tariff game has already been guilty of too many sins of commission. The submarine boat investigating commit tee seems to think that Representative Lilley, the prosecuting witness, is on trial. "No sensible man will defend rebates," says Paul Morton. But isn't it awfully convenient to have some one high in authority to defend the rebater? The Pennsylvania capitol grafters were de clared guilty on Friday the 13th. It would be irTJilVS'r'VrSmco of hoodoos is not effective. monoy order, oxpross order, or by uanlSJ,vifni. " , , , i Now York or Chicago. Do not send Individual -- Denver mining man was seriously in jured byTallingJrom his berth in a sleeping car. We have always maintained that berths in the sleeping cars were too high. An anarchist paper in Paterson, N. J., lias been suppressed by presidential mandate. This is a clear case of infringing upon the peroga tives of the third assistant postmaster general. rrtcVcnr - UI.OO liaMoiitlin - - 50 li CIuIjf ol Five or more, PerYrnr .75 25c Go Tlirco Month" Single Copy Ennijilo Coplcfl Free Foreign J'oMnpe 62 CentfKxtrn. .,,......,. u f ,iiront to Tho Com- monor. Thoy can also bo sent through nowspapois which havo advortlsed a clubbing rate, 01 " !" uiiuukm, muni '" ui iiivnvj. i,. - inrirn DISCONTINUANCES It is found that a largo majority of our subscribers profor not to novo thoir subscriptions interrupted and a their ihob broken in caso thoy fail to romit before oxplratlon. It is therefore assumed that continuance is dcsirca unless subBcribora order discontinuance, oitnor wlion subscribing or at any tlmo during tho year. Presentation Copies: Many persons Bubscrlbo ror friends, intending that tho paper shall stop at tno end of tho year. If instructions aro given to that effoct thoy will receive attention at tho proper IlBNBWAIiS The date on your wrapper shows tho tlmo to which your subscription Is paid. J-Iiub January 31, 08. means that payment has been re ooivod to and including tho last Ibbuo of January, 1008. Two wcolcs aro required after monoy nas boon received boforo tho dato on wrappor can do changed. , CHANGE OP ADDRESS Subscribers requesting a chango of address must givo OLD as well as NEW address. ADVERTISING Itatos furnished upon appllca tion. Address all communications to .. THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. The startling discovery has been made that Sing Sing prison has been stealing water. A lot of the inmates will petition for release on the ground that their environment is corrupting. The eminent government statisticians who earn their salaries by producing figures to show that the cost of living has not outpaced the increase in wages will certainly not overlook the decrease in the price of diamonds. mand some explanation of this singular lethargy. There is trouble between the superintend dent of the census and Mr. Herman Bidder, president of the American Newspaper Publish ers Association. Mr. Kidder asked the census bureau for some figures on the cost of print paper. When they came he discovered to hl3 amazement that he really was not paying much more for print paper today than he was eight years ago. When he looked at his books, par ticularly his check book and his bank book, he was quite convinced that his impression that the paper trust had him by the throat was well founded. The superintendent of the census stands by his figures, Ridder stands by the facts that have impressed themselves upon his pocket. Probably most 'newspaper publishers .will stand by Ridder. The incident is only typical. The statistician who edits Bradstreet's was out last week with statistics which showed, of course, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the cost of living today is cheaper than it has been for almost three years. Everything essential to life, according to Bradstreet's has dropped from twelve to twenty per cent. It is with regret that we note that two of the products that have increased in price are soft coal and petroleum. It would appear that the Standard Oil company is getting ready to meet that ?29,000,000 fine. But just exactly as Mr. Ridder, the success ful publisher, knows that the cost of his print paper has enormously increased, so every house keeper and every man supporting a home knows that the cost of living has advanced. Not all the statistics that can be filed can make the worker see that famous dinner pail as full as it was before the republican party had done its last four years work. WILLIS J. ABBOT. Bowaro tho not of tho Fowler. ' Tho first step toward victory is to deserve it. For speed tho executive mandate has the Injunction beat to a standstill. Organizod labor has enjoined any further growth of Mr. Taft's love for organized labor. Revision of the tariff by its friends will Afford very little relief to tho tariff's victims. Organize democratic clubs in every com munity. Tho way to win is to organize before tho battle begins. "What does 1908 hold in store for the gov ernment clerk?" queries the Washington Post. Well, certainty of employment, good wages, thir ty days' vacation on pay and reasonable sick leave. That would look mighty good to a lot of clerks who are not in the government's employ. A little more protection from the courts and a little leBS from the tariff would be gladly wolcomed by American workingmen. "Taft will follow in Roosevelt's steps" says tho Philadelphia Public Ledger. It will be a opectaclo worth going many miles to see. Tho most remarkable feature of the su preme court's decision in the Minnesota case is that it was not a five to four decision. Tho reported strike of fishermen in Novia Scotia does not interest us. It is when tho fish "strike" that we sit up and take notice. Mr. I-Iarrlman has given $30,000 to San Francisco to bo used in tho war against the rat plague. Mr. Harriman is a "practical man." Mr. Littlefleld has decided not to bo a can didate for re-election to congress. The last time was evidently too trying and expensive. Republican songs of harmony in Ohio are now and then rudely interrupted by the sound of hobnailed shoos crushing into frontal bones. The first stop towards tariff reform is the election of a democratic congress and a demo cratic president, not the establishment of a tariff commission. Tho American made watch that Is sold to tho English retailer for $7.41 costs tho Amori- " tcan retailer $10.15. This may explain why tho ""friends of tho tariff" want the job of revising It. Tho sugar trust has just declared a seven per cont dividend after carrying several mil lions to tho surplus account. The sugar trust magnates aro anxious that It bo allowed to fur nish tho friendly hands that revise the tariff WASHINGTON LETTER (Continued from Page 5) state can say. But there should be no doubt of the return of Gore to the senate and the state of Oklahoma could never have two men more thoroughly respected and more greatly ad mired by public men of whatever party than Owen and Gore. The anti-Bryan newspapers and the anti Bryan agitators are making just one boast, just one prophecy of what they think they may be able to do. This is the boast and the prophecy: They Insist that they are going to be able to hold one-third of the delegates in the demo cratic national convention away from Mr. Bryan. They do not profess that they ever can have a majority. They do not even say whether the pitiful minority of one-third will be for Gov ernor Johnson, for Judge Gray or for any in dividual. What they do insist upon is that they will have one-third of the delegates for the one single purpose of defeating the nomination of Mr. Bryan. It Is not a very impressive position that these gentlemen occupy. Not daring to an nounce their own candidate, all they can de clare is that they may be able to defeat the candidate of the majority of the delegates. The first session of the Sixtieth congress is more than half finished, and today there has been no single measure of public interest passed by the two houses and sent to the president for his approval. There have been some private pension bills, some joint resolutions, some mat ters of Individual importance enacted into law, but absolutely not one singlo public measure has passed both houses. It might be said that this is not a matter to be charged against any political party. That, however, can only be said by people who do not understand present con gressional procedure. The house of representa tives Is absolutely dominated by Speaker Can non and Messrs. Dalzell, Payno and Hepburn Thoy can put legislation through in forty-eight hours or they can delay it indefinitely. What thoy are doing now is to fight for delay. In tho senate the republican majority is dominant and can do what it will. The rules there do provide for freedom of debate, but at the same time majority rule very properly is accepted. But neithor in house or senate has tho repub lican congress succeoded at tho present moment in enacting one public law. It might be worth while for the newspapers of the country to de- WHY NOT NOW? Even republican publishers, suffering un der the exactions of the paper trust can riot ob tain relief at the hands of a republican con gress. Mr. Ridder, president of the American Newspaper Publishers' association, has made public the following correspondence: "New York, March 19. Hon. Sereno E. Payne, Chairman Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. Dear Sir: On. behalf of the American Newspaper Publishers' as sociation, I respectfully ask that a hearing be granted to us upon the bills relating to free paper and pulp. Yours faithfully, "HERMAN RIDDER, . President American Newspaper Publishers' Association." "The Committee" on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C, March 21, 1908. Mr. Herman Ridder, New York Staats Zeitung, New York City. Dear Sir: Your letter of the 19th Inst, received. The majority of the committee determined early In the session that it would not be wise to enter upon a revision of the tariff during this year, thus adding to tho uncertainty and disquiet always caused by a presidential election. They also had in mind the disturbance caused by the recent panic. In order to avoid all agita tion, they decided that they would have no hearings upon any subject affecting the tariff rates. After receiving your letter I again met with a majority of the members of the committee and they adhered to their opinion. I therefore feel authorized to say to you there will be no hearing upon tariff rates until after the presidential elec tion. Yours very truly, "SERENO E. PAYNE." And the question is if tariff revision post ponement until after the presidential election ought to satisfy the general, consumers why should the consumers of white paper object to such postponement so far as it effects their material? But another question forces itself upon thinking men: If public interests require tariff revision and according to the testimony of re publican leaders revision is necessary why not have revision now? The republican party is in charge of all the departments of government, the congress is in session, tho people are complaining as never before of tariff exactions. Why put off revi sion? Why not proceed now? The simple explanation is that the Amer ican people can not expect, from a party which derives it campaign funds from tariff benefi ciaries, relief from tariff impositions either be fore or after the election. ' - jjjUt. j-m A. , ami ,-r -fa, 1 1 ti him rrV 'flTT nmir Tin'h' t i 1m Hffn-if Wf Sf tf i' r.tiaSBteJi&,',tfiH .T.fflHI tortt-a JCSkftT . .,. .iftMv.f