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The Commoner.
.VOLUME 8, NUMBER 22
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CURR8NT GOPICS
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ALTHOUGH OREGON, in tlio olcction hold
Juno 2, chose a republican legislature, peo
plo of that Htato by n majority of one thousand
registered their decree that the legislature should
olect a democrat, Governor George ID. Chamber
lain, to tho United States senato to succeed tho
present senator, Charles W. Fulton, republican.
Although Governor Chamberlain's victory was
pronounced, an Associated Press dispatch from
Portland says: "Already thoro is talk of de
fections and it is not impossible that in tho
seven months intervening between now and the
dato of tho next session of tho legislature some
plan may bo (fovisod to defeat Chamberiain and
send a republican to tho United States senate."
O
REPUBLICAN primaries were held in Iowa
June 2. A bitter contest was had betweon
tho supporters of Senator Allison and tho sup
porters of Governor Cummins. Doth of these
leadors being candidates for tho senatorial nom-"
ination, Senator Allison was successful, receiv
ing about 12,000 majority. B. F. Carroll was
nominated for governor, and Georgo Clark for
lieutonant governor. Notable victories through
out tho state for congressional honors are re
ported as follows: J. P. Connor over Frank P.
Woods in the Tenth; E. H. Hubbard over W.
D. Boies in tho Eleventh; Ellsworth Reminger
ovor Speaker Nato Kendall in tho Sixth; Charles
E. Pickott over B. E. Sweet in tho Third, and
reports from the Fifth indicate that James Good
has a majority over Senator Trowin, although
both claim to have a majority in the district. I.
Smith was not in the running against W. P.
Hepburn in the Eighth district. '
3
A " .4
QjECRETARY TAFT delivered a speech on
O Memorial day at tho tomb of the 'late
Gonoral Ulysses S. Grant. On that occasion
Secretary Taft said: "It is true that Grant re
ceived an education at West Point, but certainly
nothing was developed, there In him to indicate
his fitness or ability to meet great responsibili
ties. He did Well in the Mexican war, as did
other lieutenants. He manifested as regimental
quartermaster energy and familiarity with his
duties. But in 1854 he resigned from tho army
because ho had to. Ho had yielded to tho weak
ness of a taste for strong drink, and rather than
bo court-martialed ho loft the army. Ho re
turned from Vancouver, on the Pacific coast, to
his family in St. Louis without money, without
.property a disheartened man. He accepted
from his father-in-law a loan of seventy-five
JrQ?,cf Jan upon which he constructed a house
for his family to live in, and there he carried
on farming operations. His chief business
seemed to be that of selling wood, of cutting it
and piling it in the back yards oMhe we 11-to-do
people of St. Louis. After bix years of this life
ho gave up farming because of ill-health and
went nto the real estate ousiness for a year
He failed in this. His associate dissolved the
P?1,1"01' Then at laBt hIs father offered
him $600 as a dork in his leather store at Ga
lena, 111. and then ho moved from St. Louis.
During these seven years, though everything
looked dark, ho overcame in a great measure
his weakness for strong drink. But ho was so
constituted that it seemed impossible for him
to earn a livelihood when he had given hostages
childTenT Ul SlmPe f a Wife and
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qEORETAJlY TAFT'S speech at the Grant
O 'tomb brought down a storm of criticism
and Mr. Taft's political enemies in the ronub
Mean party have had much to say of hta 2d
mittedly unfortunate blunder ThevLtn ? I
that Mr. Taft read his b from hte maSS
script and that, therefore, they have th hSK
to say that the insult was deliberate and the v
point out also that tho speech was delfverod !n
the presence of General Frederick Sent Grant
a son. and mnmhava f i.t -..,.. ?5 .uxan
Mr. Tatt Is groatly grlovoa T ".faus , o ", X
I uureui" am very much dis
tressed that anything I have said should bo
construed to be an attack upon General Grant's
memory. I yield to no man in my admiration
for General Grant, in my high estimate of his
remarkable qualities and character and of the
great debt that tho nation owes him. In my
memorial address I attributed his resignation
from tho army in 1854 to his weakness for
strong drink, because from Mr. Garland's life
of General Grant and tho evidence he cites and
from other histories I supposed it was undoubt
edly true. I referred to the matter only be
cause it seemed to me that it was one of the
great victories of his life that he subsequently
overcame the weakness. Tho wonder of his
life was that, with all the discouragements that
ho encountered before the civil war, including
this, he became tlio nation's chief instrument
in suppressing the rebellion. I venture to say
that no impartial man can read my Memorial
day address and say I do not give to General
Grant a placo in history as high as that given
him by any of his historians or his admirers.
The lives of our great men belong to the coun
try. If facts are told showing that they had
weaknesses which they overcame, the force of
their successful example is greater to lift the
youth of the country up to emulate them than
if they were painted as perfect without tempta
tion and without weaknesses."
SENATOR FORAKER was among the first to
register his criticism and in reply to an
inquiry from a New York paper ho said: "For
obvious reasons I do not car to criticise what
Secretary Taft thought it appropriate to say at
General Grant's tomb beyond the single remark
that while General Grant may have had some
weaknesses it is evident that Secretary Taft has
his weakness also."
FORMER SENATOR Chandler had this to say:
"I was not aware of the facts stated by
Secretary Taft and am anxious to disbelieve
them. If they are true, I regret that the Sec
retary rejoiced to revive them and give them
world-wide publicity at the tomb of the match
less general whose victories in arms saved the
American union from dismemberment and gave
freedom and the ballot to four million (now ten
million) of colored citizens of the United
States," ,
PRESIDENT. ROOSEVELT had a narrow es
cape from a serious accident June 3 while
horseback riding in Rock Creek Park, near
Washington City. An Associated Press dis
patch tells tho story in this way: "Mrs. Roose
velt was with tho president. Rumors of the
affair which gained currency last night were de
nied at the White House at the time, as neither
tho president nor Mrs. Roosevelt spoke of tho
affair upon their return. The rumors came
from tho occupantB of several carriages who
saw the accident. The president was riding a
now horse, a young animal. The party rode
down through a cut in a bank, forded a creek
and woro ascending the bank on the other side
The president's horse reared. The president
leaned forward in the saddle and throw the reins
down in loops so as to avoid pulling the horso
backward. On reaching the top of the bank tho
horso reared a second time and the president
leaned forward again, but the animal stood
straight on its hind legs and went over back
ward into tho creek with the president. Feel
lng that ho was going backward, the nreqlw
slipped from the saddle and as luck would have
it, fell into tho creek close besYde the hoVse
which landed on its back. The horse fell on
the downstream sido of tho president who ml.
izing that ho would be in danger from th
mal's feet should the horse S Cards him
got out of the way as rapidly as poslible Th
horso. however, turned over f rSm the president
and got up. Ho was captured ut once, the presi
dent remounted and rodo for an hour and a
half before returning to tho Whlto House The
fall from the horse's back to the stream bed
was a distance of more than ten feet. The
stream was about two feet deep with an ex
ceedingly rocky bed. Neither the president nor
horso received the slightest injury. President
Roosevelt's two regular riding horses were out
of commission yesterday, both being indisposed.
The president's orderly wished to try out the
new horse, but the president took it upon him
self to do this. The president was dressed in
khaki and the fact that ho got thoroughly wet
did not become apparent to those who saw him
after the accident. Several carriages which had
crossed the ford just ahead of the president
stopped and the occupants were alarmed at what
was happening. The experience with its many
serious possibilities has not dulled the presi
dent's pleasure in riding, and he takes consid
erable gratification in the test of horsemanship
as both times the animal reared he instinctively
threw himself forward so that his head was di
rectly beside that of the rearing animal and
the reins being thrown loose had no tension
whatever to pull the horse backward."
EEFERRING TO the late General. Stephen
D. Lee the St. Louis Republic says: "A
cloud is cast upon Memorial day and upon' the
coming reunion of confederate veterans to be
S?' Vn 5ranSham, Ala., by the death of
Stephen Dill Lee, formerly a lieutenant general
?T ., derate army, and commander of the
United Confederate Veterans. General Lee, dis-
y- at a11' related to the Virginia' soldiers
of that name, was a gallant fighter in the con
federate service, and was much beloved by his
surviving comrades as well as by tho people of
Mississippi, his adopted state. By leading in a
different causet that of national reconciliation
and the obliteration of civil war sectionalism,
btephen Lee won the esteem of the entire coun
try and the warm personal friendship of many
2 ?? e, gainst whom hd fought. The service
he did In this latter cause is consecrated by
h s death, following a stroke which overtook
him while affiliating with a body of Iowa and
Wisconsin veterans of the union army who were
visiting in Vicksburg. Thus, in his death, as
in his life, he does memorable service to his
country. As the veterans of both armies pass
irom the scene the memory of none will be mdre
revered than that of Stephen D. Lee."
THE MANNER In which Senator Gore was
tricked in the filibuster on the currency
bill Is told by the Washington correspondent for
the Birmingham (Ala.) Age-Herald in this way:
After a record-breaking one-man filibuster the
senate this afternoon by a vote of 43 to 22
adopted the conference report on the Aldrich
Vreeland political emergency currency bill,
which, with the president's approval, makes the
measure law. Right to its culmination a species
of legislative trickery marked the consideration
of .the measure after an unparalleled long
speech record. Senator LaFollette at 7:30 this
morning yielded the floor to Senator Stone, who
becoming exhausted after seven hours of con
stant speaking yielded in turn to Senator Gore,
the blind Oklahoman. About 4:30 Senator
Gore resumed his seat. The same instant ho
did so Senator Aldrich interjected: 'I call for
a vote on the adoption of the conference re
port. Immediately the vice president arose and
simultaneously with that the well-posted clerk
began the roll call. 'Mr. Aldrich,' he read. Sen
ator Heyburn and several senators were already
on their feet, but they were too late. Aldrich
had triumphed. Tho senate rules permit of no
,fr1rVptlon af ter a ro11 cal1 has begun. Senator
Aldrich with his motion, the putting of the
motion by the presiding officer and tho com
mencing of the reading by tho clerk came within
less time than it takes to tell it. In tho mean
lime LaFollette and Stone, wearied by their long
speeches, were out of the senato chamber. Both
arrived while the roll call was to progress and
were surprised and grievously disappointed over
the turn of, affairs. Heyburn, a republican, pro
tested bitterly to tho presiding officer that he
was on his feet to ask recognition. The chair
ruled that roll call had commenced and could not
be Interrupted. In a final effort to delay the
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