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The Commoner,
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VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2 J
GNT TOPICS
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OLONEL John F.-FIiior(y, editor of tho
rMiinmrn c.i.o.n. for munv yours prominent
no n iinwaiuinni' milll. lnfil.Iiror 1111(1 Il'lsll Tiatflot,
(Hod at his rosldonco in Chicago, June 10, aged
sixty-two years. Colonel Flncrty was taken ill
six- months ago with a serious ailment of tlio
livo'r and with tho exception of a few rallies,
nrrnw r1ouU1v worse. Mr. Finerty left a wi'low
and two adult children John F. Hinorty, jr.,
v...inint .lumimr Prx . dm NJnw Vrrlr Honfrnl
f-i,v .JJiigsjjufiSyMlHH Vera, a senior student in the
university 01 vjnicugo.
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REFERRING TO Colonel Flnorty, the Qhlcago
Record-Herald says: "An Irishman, by
birth, Colonel Finerty was an ardent American
In political and social relations. In his early
days ho sorved as a war correspondent. Since
1882 ho had been editor of tho Chicago Citizen
and as a lecturer ho had appeared in every largo
American city. From 1883 to 1885 ho was a
member of congress. His greatest interest was
in Irish-American affairs. Ho was an ardent
advocate of Irish independence and hold numer
ous positions in Irish-American organizations.
Colonel Finerty was born In Galway, Ireland,
in 184G. As a youth he espoused the cause
of Irish independence, and in 18 64 came to tho
United States. For a time he lived In Now York
and then joined a regiment and wont to tho
front to fight for the cause of the union. In
1868 Colonol Finerty entered upon a journalis
tic career in Chicago. He was on tho Republi
can, tho Evening Post, the Tribune and tho
Times. In the spring of 18 7 G he reported the
expedition of General Crook against tho Sioux
In Montana and Dakota, and was with Crook's
command until tho close of the campaign. Ho
was highly praised by tho general in ofilcial re
ports; Captain Charles King, tho romantic
writer arid historian of frontier life, has record
ed some of his experiences. On returning to
Chicago, Colonel Finerty went to Mexico and
then to New Moxico and Arizona to report cam
paigns, aftorward joining expeditions in Canada
and tho Rocky mountains. In 1882 he estab
lished tho Citizen. Under Mayor Dunne, Colonel
Finerty was a member of the board of local
improvements and rotainod that post when
Mayor Busse came into office. Ho served several
terms as president of the United Irish Land
League. In Irish matters ho was an extremist,
frequently declaring .that if Ireland was to be
free she must purchase her liberty by the sword."
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POLITICAL precedent Is pointed out
by tho Wall Street Journal in this wav:
'In-rogard. to tho -movement to renominate
Vico Presidont Fairbanks as a running mate for
Taft on the national ticket, the objection is
raised that to take the two candidates on the
same ticket from adjoining states would be a
roversal of political tradition. There is, how-
. , over, precedent for so doing, although the pre
vailing, rulchns been to take the candidates for
president and victTpresldont from different sec-
gtions of the country. The .one precedent was
SUj&eJnlSGfc, wilGn Grant was nominated
for president trotn tho stato of Illinois, and
Colfax .was nominated for, vice president from
tho state of Indiana onElio republican ticket."
DAVID B. HILL, fqrmer United States sen
ator from Now York, sailed Juno 11. for
a European trip, intending to bo gone all sum
mer. Before leaving Mr. Hill gave to- tho Asso
ciated Press thiB statement: "There is no demo
cratic party. When I met tho late Governor
Altgeld In a little i;oom up a back sta'irs in a
small Chicago hotel shortly before tljo first so
called Bryan convention, I told him that the
policies which he represented would drive the
democratic party to hell. Then ho begged for
another try. Four years later I said: 'You are
most there; stop before you have absolutely
ruined the party,' but Bryan was nominated, as
I saw the futility of a minority report with only
ten votes to back mo. I admit that the repub
lican party is badly disorganized at the present
time. Both parties are disorganized. There was
an opportunity but I fear that it has been over
looked. The keynote of this present campaign
should bo 'Taft, the candidate of political patron
age.' -What else is he? He is put before the
people as a candidate by the power of political
patronage. Nothing else. Now, both sides in
tho coming political struggle will have to go to
the masses for their votes. They must draw
from the masses and wfiat better man could
stand against tho candidate' representing the
power of patronage than John Johnson, who
spent his boyhood days in a county poorhouse?
Think of it, torchlight processions with banners
reading 'John Johnson, the poorhouse candidate.'
And from all I have been able to learn, Mr.
Johnson is more than a mere near-to-the-people
candidate. He is a well balanced man and an
able man. Every time Bryan says 'I have kept
the faith,' it makes me smile. He has kept
tho faith indeed. He kept it out in Nebraska,
his own state, which is now republican to its
political core. The democratic party never
wanted Mr. Bryan. Mr. Bryan wanted the dem
ocratic party. He forced himself on the party
in 1896 and agajn on what was left of the party
in 1900 and now in 1908 he calls himself the
democratic party and says: 'I have kept the
faith.' "
OLIVER H. P. BELMONT died at his home in
Hempstead, Long Island, June v10. Mr.
Belmont was an ardent democrat and gave en
thusiastic support to tho democratic national
ticket, particularly in 1896 and in 1900. A New
York dispatch carried by the Associated Press
says: "Mr. Belmont had been seriously ill less
than two weeks. He had not been in the best
of health for some time, but his condition was
not such as to cause any alarm until appendi
citis developed June 1. The previous Saturday,
although the day was rainy and the air raw,
ho went down to Belmont Park to witness the
running of tho Belmont stakes. He appeared
to have suffered no ill-effects from the exposure
and enjoyed the sport thoroughly. When tho
physicians were called on Monday, however, and
diagnosed his illness as appendicitis, they found
his heart in such a condition that there was
much hesitation before a decision to .perform an
operation was reached. On Thursday, however,
it became apparent that the only hope for his
recovery lay in an operation. He rallied nicely
after the operation and it was believed that he
would make a good recovery. Late that after
noon however, there was a severe sinking spell
followed by unconsciousness. That night peri
tonitis developed and from that time until his
death there was little hopo that he would sur
vive. k Oliver H. P. Belmont was the son of the
late August Belmont. The present August Bel
mont and Perry Belmont are his brothers "
GOVERNOR HUGHES of New York his
.affixed his signature to the two anti
gambling bills passed by the state senate June
11. An Associated Press dispatch tells an in
teresting story as follows: "A legislative battle
which for- intensity of feeling on both sides
rarely if ever, has been equalled in this state
came to an end today, when the heroism of
Senator Foelker of Brooklyn made It noSlble
to put upon the statute books two bi Is repeal
ing the legal discrimination which for 'tween
years has protected public gambling within race
track enclosures while it was a felony else whe?e
in this state The vote on each of the inis was
nf 155i T ie linG Vp waa in seneral the same
as that in the regular session when the bills
failed of passage by a tie vote 25 to 25 but
since Senator Wullace of Niagara Falls' has
been elected to the seat made vacant by reason
of the death of Senator FranchSt and his vote
made tho necessary twenty-sixth. Senlto?
Foelker, who underwent an operation May 10
for appendicitis and whose condition fo much
of the intervening time was critical, came up
Jh??5 S;ti8b?,,g laSt GVening' the urnoy of
fifty miles being a severe tax upon his strength.
He was somewhat stronger this morning and
was taken to the senate chamber just as the
roll call on a dilatory motion was being taken
He was plainly suffering from weakness, and
his response when his name was repeated was
scarcely audible. He was encouraged by his
fellow senators sympathetically and on both or
the roll'-calls on the final passage of the bills
.voted with the majority. Up .to the last moment
the opposition to the bills.entartained hope that
ahe measures would, fail. Rumors flew thick
and fast that Foelker had collapsed and that
some other senator who had formerly voted for
the bills had been induced to 'switch.' There
was even the report of an attempt in some
s desperate way to prevent Senator Foelker's
presence at the critical moment. Every step
of his progress from his house to his seat in the
senate chamber was guarded." This legislation
will, it is said, put an end to all race track
. gambling.
A RADICAL CUT was made in the prices of
steel at a conference held in New York
City between the steel manufacturers. Chair
man E. H. Gary of the steel trust, who acted as
chairman of the New York conference, an
nounced that the following price changes had
been decided upon: Steel billets reduced $3,
from $28 to $25 per ton, Pittsburg; structural
steel and plates reduced $2 per ton, from $1.70
to $1.60 per hundredweight, Pittsburg; wire
nails reduced $2 per ton, from $2.05 to $1.95
per Hundredweight, Pittsburg; merchant pipe
reduced $4 per ton, Pittsburg; Lake Superior
iron ore, reduced 50 cents per ton; sheet bars
reduced $2 per ton, .from $29 to $27, Pittsburg,
No change in the price of sheet steel or of tin
plate was made, as those products were cut
early in the year. The 'cut in steel bars from
$1.60 to $1.40, Pittsburg, or $4 per ton, which
was made. last week and was the forerunner of
today's action, is still fresh in the minds of the
public. No mention was made as to tho price of
steel rails. These were maintained at $28 dur
ing the depression of 1903-1904, and it is under
stood they will be held at that price now. It
was pointed out, however, that acceptance of
the new specifications as to quality 'and shape
at the $28 price will -virtually mean a reduction
of $1 to $4, as they provide for a higher cost
rail. While the meeting was harmonious in a
broad sense it is understood there was consid
erable difference of opinion as to the" extent of
reductions to be made. Not a few manufac
turers favored a cut of $4 per ton in' billets, to
$24, Pittsburg. The open market for billets
has been around $24 to $25 for some time, so
that today's concession by the big companies
is simply an acknowledgement on their part
that they are willing to meet the market. About
a month ago sales of billets as low as $25, de
livered, with a 60 per cent freight rate ($2-4.40,
Pittsburg) in lots as large as 2,000 tons were
reported, and today sales of steel bars as low as
$134 per hundredweight or $2 per ton under
the recently established official price level, were
made.
THE MONTHLY statement of the government
receipts and expenditures shows a deficit
for the month of May, 1908, of $11,958,991, as
against a surplus for May, 1907, of $8,575,212.
Tho receipts for May, 1908, show a decrease as
compared with May, 1907, of $14,789,960, and
tho disbursements an increase of $5,744,242,
making a difference of $20,534,202. For tho
eleven months of the current fiscal year the re
ceipts are shown to have aggregated $546,407,
150, and the disbursements $610,010,755, leav
ing a deficit for the eleven months of $63,603,
605. The statement shows also that the re
ceipts for the last eleven" months were $56,187,
522 less than for the corresponding period last
year and the expenditures $72,467,046 greater,
leaving a net difference in eleven- months of
$128,654,568. The civil and miscellaneous ex
penditures during the last month show an in
crease of $668,000; war shows an increase of
$2,300,000; navy an increase of $175,000; pen
sions an increase of $1,100,000, and public
works an increase of $714,000.
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