JANUARY 8, 1900
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translate the madness of his speech into action.
This is a lucky nation, a very lucky nation.
When Napoleon was crowned emperor of
France, with pomp and circumstance and parade
of soldiers and ilumraery of purple robes,
Augereau looked on and shook his head. "The'
ceremony," he said, "needs nothing to make it
complete save the ghosts of the 500,000
Frenchmen who died to put an end to such cere
monies." It is fortune, quite as much as merit,
that has kept some American from making a
similar comment on a similar occasion.
The News' rejoices at the courage and tem
per of the American daily press. We rejoice
likewise that there is some prospect that con-'
gross will make a full and complete investiga
tion of the Panama matter. Denver News.
& tf &
ARM THE REPUBLICANS PROUD OF THEIR
VICTORY?
The national committees have reported the
contributions, to the campaign funds. The dem
ocratic national committee received and expend
ed $020,000; the republican national committee
received and expended $1,000,000. The demo
cratic congressional committee, as published
during the campaign, received and expended
less than $20,000; what -did the republican con
gressional committee collect and distribute? It
has not reported.
The democratic leaders received intimations -long
before the election that the republican con
gressional committee was receiving the con
tributions which were too tainted to be .pub
lished even after the election, and the refusal
of the committee to make known the amount
and fcource of its contributions lends color to
the charge.
" But take the figures as published. It is
o&ident that tho republican committee had a
groat pecuniary advantage over the democratic
committee.-' Jt is also well known that the re
publicans, holding most of the state and county
"offices in the contested states, had an army of
..paid workers, nt to speak, of the contributions
made to local committees. That what is still
more important, in the contested states the re
publicaris had probably four times as many
newspapers as tho democrats in the cities es
pecially the republicans had an overwhelming
advantage, in the matter of newspapers. They
were able to misrepresent the democratic posi
tion and tQ conceal the,, weaknesses of the re
publican position, while the democrats did not
have the means of presenting their policies to
the voters orof counteracting the misrepre
. sentation. Still another factor is to be consid
, er4ed the republicans had the great corpora
tions on their. side. We have one instance In
which an official of the New York Central Rail
road boasted that he had made purchases
amounting to thirty-one million dollars, con
' tingent upon Mr. Taft's election. Every influ
ence that wealth, favoritism and privilege could
bring to bear were employed. It can not bj
doubted that the. coercion alone was sufficient
to change the result. Had each voter been per
mitted to vote as he pleased without the threat
of panic and of discharge being employed against
hiin, the democrats would have had a majority
of votes in the nation and a majority
in the electoral college. As it was, the demo
crats increased their total vote one million three
hundred thousand over four years ago, while
the republicans increased their total ypte only
about fifteen thousand.
When honest and patriotic republicans look
back at the campaign and examine the influences
which were at work, will they boast of their
'victory? When honest and patriotic democrats
survey the contest and examine into the forces
which were arrayed against our party, will they
-be ashamed of the fight that was made?
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CORRUPTION IN PITTSBURG
Pittsburg, Pa., furnishes the latest exposure
of official corruption. Almost the entire city
council is involved and the investigations show
that some of the 'councilmen were hardened
crminals, if anything can be judged from their
action of their language; but the most surpris
ing element in the scandal is the fact that the
sum of $176,000 was collected from certain
banks which, with this sum, bought the privi
lege of acting as depositories for the city funds.
One bank is charged with contributing $17,5 OfJ
and one of the officials has been arrested. What
must be the business conscience when men" en
gaged in the banking business will deliberately
The Commoner.
enter into a plan to corrupt tho city council in
order to secure tho profits on doposits?
While tho bankers are boiug consurod for
lack of a business conscience, it might, however,
bo worth while to remember that corruption is
likely to take place as long as tho temptation
remains. As long as deposits aro given out to
favorites, bankers desiring these doposits will
bo tempted to negotiate with thoso who have
the selection 'of tho depositories. Competition
ought to bo resorted to in the selection of de
positories. The security ought to bo fixed and
then among the banks furnishing tho necessary
security, preference should bo given to thono
who will pay the most. Thus the taxpayers
will secure tho largest return on tho depositi,
and tho temptation to purchase favoritism will
bo removed.
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RIG FIGURES FOR LITTLE MEN'
A Philadelphia newspaper, commenting
upon tho testimony of Andrew Carnegie before
the house committee upon ways and means, has
this to say:
"But what about the figures, asks Chair
.man Payne. You have been out of steel for
somo time. Tell us where we can get the
figures on the present cost of making steel.
What do you want to tire and befog your Intel
lects with figures for, retorts Carnegie, remem
bering well the days of Judge William D. Kelloy
Pig Iron Kelley who overwhelmed and pre
vented all tariff arguments by hurling masses of
Indigestible and undigested statistics at the
llOUSe, Which nobody, hot ctch Oiranlc or JCcIlcy
himself, understood. Well, if you must have a
few figures, here's at you. And so Mr. Carnegie
in deadly fashion says that the steel trust
cleared $158,000,000 last year, which Is a profit
of $15.50 a ton 'on all steel products.' "
The contention of Mr. Carnegie that his
friend, John Dalzell, Is too much Inclined to
enter into complicated calculations that merely
befog tbe mind is worthy of attention. Mr.
Dalzell has no more faith, or interest, in his
calculations than has Mr. Carnegie. He Is not,
however, befogging his mind. He Is figuring tQ
befog the issue in the public mind. There is
an epigram, tho- terms of which aro too unpar
liamentary to bo used by anyone save perhaps
President Roosevelt in one of his warmest
moods, which draws a nice distinction between
the veracity of figures and capacity of the fig
urer to use them to misrepresent facts. Tho
"big figures" of steel, flashed at Mr. Dalzell
by Mr. Carnegie, are the figures that tell. So
long as the ways and means committee gravely
listen to beneficiaries as to what amount of
graft they consider a living" subsidy we shall
have nothing but figures as unreliable as they
are Indigestible.
The plain tale of closed markets, extortion
ate prices and immense profits for subsidizing
industries at once puts down tho little men who
aro juggling little figures in the Interest of tho
continuance of the existing graft. In a long
report of the testimony of Mr. Carnegie it ap
pears that while he and other men of experience
differ as to the cost of producing steel rails, and
while the other steel men disagree with one an
other in the figures they have submitted, all
parties to the discussion agree that the existing
duty closes the market against foreign compe
tition. It is not necessary to puzzle over tho
calculations of interested parties in order to ar
rive at the conclusion that the "infant" steel
Industry is getting an Illegitimate profit out of
its power arbitrarily to fix prices. But Mr.
Payne and Mr. Dalzell are not seeking facts.
They are seeking to hide them. Henry Watter
son in Louisville Courier-Journal.
W i& Vs W
BUILDING UP THE SOUTH
A press dispatch from Washington says:
"Washington, December 10. That it is his
desire to see the south continue its rapid prog
gress and the building up of its splendid nat
ural resources was the sentiment expressed to
day by President-elect Taft to a delegation from
the board of trade of Jacksonville, Florida, who
called to back up their telegraphic invitation to
have Mr. Taft visit Jacksonville."
"The building up of the south" is an eupho
nious phrase. It has been used, however, in
other sections. Whenever a group of men want
special privileges they always claim that they
are "building up" the country. All the land
grants have been secured through this argu-
ment. The LruaU aro defended with this argu
ment, and it win utiod in ttupport of tho pro
tective tariff until tho protected Industries be
camo larger than tho numo. Somo of tho man
ufacturers who aro entnbllihlng plants In tho
south are endeavoring to cultivnto a protectlvo
tariff sentiment by tho lino of thin argument. A
million dollars Invostcd in a factory, though
owned by half a dozen men, has mora influonco
in politics than ten million dollars Invostod In
agriculture, with tho farms owned by sevoral
thousand votors. Tho ordinary man who helps
his country by tho production of wealth or by
ordinary merchandizing lg overlooked; hfn In
terests are disregarded and his rights aro often
violated, but tho man who can get a few finan
ciers interested In a big l)UinetK enterprise at
one bccoiims an ImprcHsIvo figure Ho Is
"public Epirited," "ontorprlslng," "nrogrosHlvo"
and is "building up tho country." So long ns
capital is willing to develop now rosourcos and
tako Its ehancos with tho capital Invested In
resource! already developed, there can bo no
objection, but most of tho nbusos in govern
ment grow out of the tendency to magnify tho
work dono by the beneficiaries of law granted
privileges. Tho interests of tho manses aro over
looked. Every appeal that tho republican party
makes to the, south Ib mado upon tho theory
that tho public good can bo advanced by tho
taxation of the many for the bonefit of tho fow.
This delusion exists only because tho peoplo
see the benefits brought to tho fow while they
forget that the government must tako-from tho
many what it bestows upon its favorites. Tho
south does not differ inltn interests from others
parts of the country. Ita people, 7ro (no pooplo
elsewhere, will find their aacurlty not nil In
special legislation, but In lawu which arc just
and equitable to all.
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IJRADSTREET'S SEES TRADE CONTRACTION-,
Associated Press Dispatch.
Now York, December 31. BradBtrcot'u to
morrow will say: Holiday quiet has ruled trade
and Industry, with pre-inventory rates among
both buyers and clearanco offerings by tho
rotailers of loading features. Trado In regular
Hneg felt the influence of unseasonably mild
weather early in tho week, but toward tho close
a cold wave In tho west gave somo stimulus to
business In seasonable goods. Results of tho
year aro now being arrived at in many linos of
wholesale trado. While conditions iiro irregu
lar, preventing characterization as a wholo, tho
year was below 1907 and 1900 at many cities
and profits were certainly smallor all around.
It is to bo noted that reports from tho surplus
grain producing sections of the west ard rela
tively tho best. Collections aro Irregular. Holi
day shut downs and Inventories have made for
quiet in industry, but It is to be noted that while
there is yet much idle machinery, still tho feel
ing generally in all lines as compared with. a
year ago has very much Improved,
The Iron and steel markets were vory quiet
this week, year-end inventories and holiday ob-
enrvnnono lmlnr rnftnnnKlhlft for much of tha dull
ness. Prices, however, continue firm. Ncwo1rSty
ders for pig iron have been very moderate, but
cast iron pipe interests are inquiring for a com
paratively good tonnage and demand for basic
pig continues good in eastern Pennsylvania.
Tho outlook is clouded to somo extent by fear
of tariff remissions, but transactions will prob
ably Improve in condition with tho betterment
that Is expected to come in business. European
consumers have purchased more freely, and at
the same time American interests are said to
have" quite liberal quantities of goods. Business
failures In the United States for tho week end
ing December 30, number 299, against 222 IaBt
week, 345 in the week ending January 2, 1908,
185 in 1907, 220 In 190C and 278 in 1905.
Business failures in Canada for the week ending
December 30 number 28, which compares with
23 last week and 27 In the corresponding period
a year ago.
Wheat, including flour, exports from the
United States and Canada for the week ending
December 30 aggregate 3,116,601 bushels,
against 3,024,591 last week and 5,119,394 this
week last year. For the twenty-seven weeks
ending December 30, this year, the exports are
115,972,024 bushels, against 119,095,667 in the
corresponding period last year.
Corn exports for the week are 11,025,495
bushels, against 995,352 last week and ending
December 30 corn exports are 741,691 In 1907.
For the twenty-seven weeks 10,094,726 bushels,
'against 24,947;369 last year.
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