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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 1908)
vmt?mw . . The Commoner VOLUME S NUMBER if f R ; i i: r tompt of tho legislatures to rogulato the rail roads. Tho railroad managers aro studiously circulating tho Idea that business has been im paired and Industry generally paralyzed by criticism of railroad management and by pro posed romodlcs. . It is impossible to exaggerate tho extent to which tho railroads will ontor politics if the president's plan Is carried out and Washington is made tho arena In which tho pooplo must fight all their battles for railroad regulation. At present tho pooplo of a largo number of tho states aro enjoying a two cent passenger rate; this reform did not como from Washington. It came from tho state legislatures and Secretary Taft has gone to tho trouble of tolling an eastern audionco that tho president Is not responsible for tho rate reductions. It was stato legislation that led tho railroads to demand national In corporation and tho removal of legislation from Htato canitals to Washington. Can this be In tho Interest of the people? It is a serious issue t that tho president presents and one that tho people must bo proparod to meet, for while he has fought for reforms on some other subjects, ho is, on this subject fighting hand In hand with tho vory men who attompted to prevent tho passage of the president's rate bill. The con spiracy formed among tho leading republicans of tho senate had for Its object the prevention of any rato legislation, and only by focusing public attention upon the subject could tho president defeat tho conspiracy. Tho fight for tho preservation of the rights of tho states is wot a revival of tho doctrine of secession. Tho railroad magnates attempt to make It appear such becauso they are not pre pared to meet tho real issue. Tho question, is not whether a stato has a right to withdraw from tho union, but whether It shall have tho right to protect its citizens while it remains a part of the union. Tho state legislatures aro ndaror to tho pooplo than congress is. A con gressman represents some two hundred thou aand people and is personally known to but a few of them. A member of tho state leglsla7 hire represents a smaller constituency and is nearer to the voters. Tho influence which tho railroads can bring to bear upon a congress man, or senator is much greater than the in nuonco which thoy can bring to bear upon mem bora of the legislature, while the Influence of U16 people over tholr representative decreases In proportion to tho population of his district. Railroad development is not complete, It Is but in Its infancy, and the surrender by the 3tato of all power to regulate means an enor mous extension of tho powers of tho federal ?ovefnmont, and a paralysis of the power pf ho state. Jefferson presented an unanswor iblo argument in favor of the dual form of jovornment and tho argument is even strongor low than it was in his time for tho dangers of entralization aro oven greater than thoy wore then. Instead of saying that efforts at stato con trpV aro "Buro to be nullified In one way or an other sooner or later," the president should join with the democrats in demanding the enact ment of legislation which will protect the states from the gradual extension of the power of tho federal courts. He refers to the Minnesota and South Carolina decisions as illustrating "how Impossible is a dual control of national com merce." The democrats propose a remedy. Thoy say that tho district and oircuit courts of the federal government should not have jurisdiction to suspend state laws. Lot tho railroads deal with tho state courts first. If the stato courts dony justice thoy can have their appeal from the highest court In tho state to tho federal rourt. It is not tho attempt to separate the control that results "iu grotesque absurdity." The absurdity Is in permitting a federal judge to suspend a stato law while ho looks up the luestion of its constitutionality. It is absurd chat tho railroads should be given tho presump tion as against tho people of a state. Tho jurisdiction of the federal court has oen extended on tho theory that It was neces mry to protect vested interests, but that is a false issue. The property rights of the citizen are protected by tho stato courts, and no On can complain that the protection is not com plete. The corporations havo gone into the fed eral courts in order to secure an advantage over the Individual, and the real question is whether the man-made giant, called a corpora tion, shall exercise rights denied to tho God made man. It is not hostility to corporations that leads tho democratic party to oppose tho demands now made by railroad corporations The democratic party believes in the corpora tion as a legitimate organization. Tho great Mittjutw 01 uie corporations are advancing tho public Interest and contributing to the public welfaro, but a few of these corporations havo assorted rights that aro Inimical to tho public and these corporations must bo restricted, re strained and controlled. It Is enough that tho corporation a creature of law should be equal to tho Individual who makes tho law; It should not claim superior rights. Tho president's posi tion Is not only an untenable ono, but it is one that menaces tho welfare of tho nation. In submitting this criticism Tho Commoner does not reflect upon tho good intention of tho president, but attributes the president's error to his leaning towards the Ham iltonian idea of government. Hamilton distrusted the masses and favored a cen tralized government. Tho president is Hamil tonlan rather than Jeffersonlan in his ideas. He has never advocated the election of senators by tho people although even the republican party in congress has declared for it three times. Ho must know to what extent predatory wealth controls tho United States senate through tho present method of election, and yet he has never raised his voice in favor of the popular election of senators. Unless the rank and file of tho republican party is strangely blind to tho influences which aro at work, there will be an overwhelming protest against tho president's plan for tho absorption of power by tho federal government. ' TOM JOHNSON'S VICTORY Ono day recently the. people of Cleveland, Ohio, were permitted to ride oh the. .street cars without payment of fare, On., the, same, date every year, according to announcements, "street car day" will bo observed and free rides will be given to the citizens of Cleveland. This is;in celebration of the victory that has finally, bejen won over tho street railway monopoly of that city. And Tom L. Johnson, Mayor of Cleve land, Is responsible for the victory. $n spite of "ripper" bills, injunctions. from courts of all de grees, writs of mandamus and every imaginable legal obstacle, Mayor Johnson has persisted in his fight for lower fares, and today the people of Cleveland are enjoying the fruits of his per sistent efforts. A holding company now con trols tho street railway business of Cleveland, tho people get lower fares, and the city gets a benefit, in the way of increased revenues. Tom L. Johnson, "the best maybr' of, the best, gov erned city in America," is entitled to, all-the con gratulations that are being showered upon him. && yV THE HEBREW POET ., Mr. Ezekiel Leavitt, of St. Louishas pub lish e'd" thrpugli the Modern View' Press, of St. Louis, a little book entitled "Songs of Grief and Gladness." Mr. Leavitt is a Russian Jew and writes in both Hebrew and Yiddish, and nis lines show that ho has in him the poetic lire. Ho embalms in verse heroic sentiment and tells the story of his race in words that are both pathetic and inspiring. In tils address to the public he says: "My house is heaven, the angels are my friends; "My comrades flowers, and birds that sweetly call; "Loud-sounding praises do' not make me glad, "The critic's censure grieves me not at all." This indifference to flattery and abuse, this absorption in his purpose and his plan marks all his poems. In his ode entitled "To My Na tion," his love of his people breathes forth in stately measures "Where is thy strength, thy understanding now, "Where is thy name, where thy old time worth', "Where are thy treasure and thy temple found! "Where is thy dwelling, where thy native earth?" "Deborah," an epic of great merit concludes the volume. Mr. Leavttt's poems will interest both Jew and Gentile, and the Commoner is glad to com mend the volume to its readers. FAIRBANKS AND ROOSEVELT " .tu ... .w- ww wmBU reuunuy vice President Fairbanks took occasion to antagonize President Roosevelt's plea for a largo navy saying: ' "Wo hear much of the need for a large navy and a large army. We all agree that we should provide adequately for the national de fense. The money necessary to this end should bo freely expended, but beyond our reasonable needs we should not go. Our national tran quilty is not menaced from without, nor is our domestic peaco threatened from 'within. Tho skies bend benignantly above us. Our people aro enamored of their institutions and are eager only to win the trophies that aro to be found in tho fruitful fields of peaceful industry." The language employed also opposed Sec retary Taft's argument in favor, of a larger army. Tho vico president says: "I would rather seo the people spend their money in building up great schools, colleges and universities, churches and cathedrals than see them spend unduly for expanding armies and navies. The armies of young men and young women who are trained in schools, col leges and universities are the armies which are destined to win the victories of the future which shall most dignify and glorify American achieve ment. They are the armies of peace, and, in the final analysis, the armies of our enduring national security. They aro the creators, and not tho consumers, of the nation's wealth and resources. "War appeals to the heroic. We havo looked upon its honorable scars "and. we know wlVafc.l is. The annual pension roll of $150,T 000,000 fells something of the Buffering , and havoc which war has caused. I have' faith to believe that Christian civilization is jayihg 'se curely the foundations of domestic an'cl interna tional tranquility, and that an appeal 'to tho reason among men will moro and niofe Vender lefes' 'necessary an appeal tb; th'e svo(V4,V.. We' must? hofr'ihtroduce into our American' civiliza tion the pomp and pageantry; of Ejdrfrge&n mill-' tary and naval establishments. We havP fre quently heard men undertake creasorOf the army on the grc! cs. we nave lre 3, to justify dnvm-!' iv w kj )j s w j uyviuwvutvu an sucli av 'slitrcestion. It Is niV Wx&iftVArifctiW- peachmerilS of the patribtismV',thdirg?ettVWdy of th'6 American pedpl'e Thtf'.wrfhrfsmettb'f;. America are friends, and ol enemies) b'f1 tiio1 government, and will resppnfl whn th'ere'Ys na tion als peril, as they have don1 in' everIem'eir-; gency 'which has confronted ufcTheaflStfle frJoTrla On1 Tinf fVio anomtntf rf trnnrl m2fl'2i&CfT, O J vv, U1.U Aiu il, ttUCUUCO, ui fovuu, un "I would rather see the people .gprftiMtheir , money in building up great schools, colleges atfd; 11 VitmY.ot 44riCf nTllltlAlinn r J in4-tij3MAlr YIia-m.. nAA.1 them 'spend unduly for expanding armies1 aw navieV' Good for Mr. Fairbanks'- Tt isaY sound idea Well expressed. ! ", . 0rt V f?l 1 i .v lino oo ftut Via hsaftOK DEMAGOGUE AND PLfUTAGOGUEJH Writing in The Public, Louis ...Ppfstsayjs;, "When. teyery man who raises' Ws voice .agains't., vested wrong is called a 'demagogue Mr.pryajC ', considers the epithet a compliment," He is, ..rfgljit This wpfd, thanks to Mr. Bryan,, moe, than to . anyone else, perhaps, is comin'gitpts.orbiir;) nal honorable meaning of a leader of thpeop'le As democracy moves on to battfe .wj p.luto&r. v racy, .pur 'demagogues' shall be -pund, deYp'ted'ly-, leading, & people, and' our 'plutagrigu'es' "gprr. didly bearing 'the banner of the' interests. "f ,l" tV CV Jpl tw PROSPERITY! . V1". t A, commercial travelers' Taft'Club.-hastbeen organized at Columbus, and its motto "is h" Taft,''"' peace: and prosperity," but as Mr. Taft stands ; for a big array and a big navy, he can hardly' pose as the friend of peace. The supporters of Mr. Taft oiight not to talk too loudly of ' prosA,v perlty just now when they are proving that a' panic can come under republican administra tion1 as well as in democratic times. '- ' .i ; n "! , :. ,(;) "'it ' ,..' ;i ;. "' - .' : GOOD WORK f nuul- r. 'Daily- : i ' Henry S. Richmond. Editor Herald, Fremont, Neb. Please find en closed ,?13.U0 for twenty-six subscrip tions. One or two subscriptions came in this morning and I .wish they could be induced to come in by the hundred every day. vl never saw a convention take so much interest in anything as ours did in a description of Mr. Bryan before that great gathering of New York millionaires when he did the unprecedented thing of telling those cold blooded financiers some plain truths right in their own bailiwick. I consider it the very best work a democrat can do now anywhere to get subscribers for The Commoner. 'in ' ii ' . . ' ,. '' i-rt mmw??m lililif liMm