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Law of Lawlessness Which?
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Editorial in the Springfield (Mass.) Re
publican: Mr. Bryan's Commoner this -week contains an
editorial from the editor's pen that may com
pel the serious attention of the president and
congress of the. United States. About half of
this country now lives under local prohibition
of the liquor traffic. One can travel from Cape
Hatteras almost to the Rocky mountains, and
not touch the soil of a state that allows liquor
to be manufactured or sold. Many other states
are half "wet" and half "dry," under local
option. To that vast number of people who
support Btate or local prohibition, Mr. Bryan's
present attack upon the federal government for
Issuing federal licenses for the sale of liquor
in places where state or local law prohibits it
will strongly appeal as sound and just. Mr.
Bryan thus states the case:
"In spite of the attempt of local authorities
in these districts to prohibit the sale of liquor
as a beverage, the federal government continues
to issue licenses in contemptuous disregard of
local sentiment and local law. The government
receives 25 for each license, and in receiving
the money it must either intend to collect that
Bum without giving anything valuable in re
turn (in case the one receiving the license does
not sell liquor), or to encourage the one receiv
ing the license to violate the local law, for he
can not use his license without violating the
law. Can the federal government afford to con
tinue a partner with the lawbreakers? Can any
party afford longer to legalize this partnership?"
The issue is put squarely up to congress and
to the patty controling congress, now that Mr.
Bryan proposes "an amendment to the Internal
revenue part of the Payne bill prohibiting the
issuing of federal licenses for the sale of liquor
in states, counties or communities whore the
sale Is locally prohibited." Why shouldn't his
view bo accepted-as souhd? ' r
MR. DE ARMOND'S BILL
On March 24 Representative Do Armond of
Missouri introduced house roll 4321. Tho bill
was referred to the committee on ways and
means and ordered printed. The bill is entitled'
"A bill concerning permits to sell intoxicating
liquors." The bill follows:.
Bo it enacted by tho Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America
in Congress assembled, That no federal au
thorization or permit to sell any intoxicating
liquor in a state shall bo given until it shall
bo satisfactorily shown that the applicant there
for may sell such liquor at the place designated
for the sale thereof without violating any law
of such state applicable to such place and sale,
and no such authorization or permit shall ox
tend to any sale not made openly, at the desig
nated place of business of tho applicant, and
every such authorization or permit hereafter
given shall contain suitable recitals showing
compliance with the requirements of this act,
and shall at all times be subject to tho inspection
of any federal, state, county, or municipal offi
cer; and every person guilty of a violation of
this act shall be fined not less than one hundred
dollars, or be imprisoned not more than one
year, or both.
THE SILVER CRAZE
Jetmore, Kan., April 29, 1909. Now, will
some one "kindly tell me what that means and
what has been done to the silver dollaT that
men should be calling it "silver craze." If there
has been .anything done can some one tell me.
I could buy 40 per cent more lumber with a
silver dollar before the republican party fooled
with it than I can with a gold dollar now. If
they did anything with it why 'are they talk
ing of having an International congress to fix it?
Why did they not make it a forty cent dollar
as they did the greenback and the United States
senate and other corporations take it in as they
did the greenback? . They only raised the nar
tional debt in tho greenback deal 60 per cent
and nobody kicked. Now they could have done
the same with silver. I don't think any one
would kick. E. H. WARDEN.
know of no bettor way than to got subscriptions
for The Commoner, as it would help to educate
the people better than any paper I know of.
-W. S.
' HE LOST PORK BY IT
CARNEGIE CANONIZES ROOT
The following curious dispatch was carried by
the Associated Press:
"Utica, N. Y., April 9. President M. W.
Stryker of Hamilton college announced today
that Andrew Carnegie had given $200,000 to
the college, the fund to be known as the Elihu.
Root peace fund, in recognition of the. services
of Senator Root for international peace. Sen
ator Root is a graduate of Hamilton, a member
of the board of trustees and his permanent home
Is within the shadow of the college buildings."
Is this the foundation for Mr. Root's presiden
tialiboom? It will be remembered that a former
business partner of Mr. Carnegie recently gave
out a statement in which he quoted Mr. Car
negie as saying: "If I "were to name the. next
president of the United States it would be Elihu
Root. He is the ablest and most successful ad
juster of difficulties that I have ever . met ' in
council.'.'
THE COMMONER'S HIGH OFFICE
Sycamore, Wyo.,. April 16. Editor Com
moner: Like many others, I was badly disap
pointed in the election. May these four years
of over prosperity be an eye opener to those
who voted for it. The people need to be edu
cated, but how this is to be accomplished is
puzzling to me. The majority of the republican
voters, who can read, refuse to read politics and ,
the name old story they all tell is, "O, well, I
never read politics and J know how I want to
vote. I was raided a republicans but sincetsfudy-....
Ing the question I could rio$ conscientiously sup-r( ,
port that tickjet' It seems to' me that every,
democratic voter' dught to" feel' It their duty to
do all in their power for democracy. And I
to tho tariff. I am hot ropublican boy, and
am not trying for tho prizo or reward, for I am
already taking Tho Commonor and have boon
evor since tho first Jbbuo. If tho present rato
is 45.72 per cont and Is raised 1.56 per cont
every session of congress, if tho sessions aro
two yoars apart, it will take thlrty-flvo sessions
or seventy years to raise it to 100:32 per cent;
or tho exact time it will take to roach, 100 per
cent will bo 69 years, 7 months, 2 days, 7 hours,
23 minutes and 4 8-13 seconds. I send this
solution merely as a matter of curiosity.
A. M. Jones, Alton, 111. In answor to how
long will it take the. ropublican party to raise
tho tariff 100 per cont, if it raisos it 1.56 por
cont each rovision. In tho first placo the ropub
lican party haven't revised tho tariff either down
or up yet, and regardless of tho fact that in
their last platform thoy promisod unequivocally
to revise tho tariff immediately aftor election,
in tho light of thoir past record it" Js incompre
hensible how anyono can bo so credulous as to
believe tho republican party would revise the
tariff downward in two years or any other num- '
her of years I take no pleasure in figuring on
unyunng so uncertain as ropublican promises.
nut if any so uncertain should occur I think
Johnny Gnuso is not far out of tho way.
REPUBLICAN ADVICE
"i
Tho Kansas City Journal, tho most boldly t
plutocratic of all tho papers west of Chicago
if not west of New York devoted two editorials
to Mr. Bryan in ono issue recently. Tho
Journal is not content to put tho cor
poration on a level with officials not obligated to
tho corporation It puts them ABOVE all others.
Its reforonco to "tho unthinking masses" chows . ,
the standpoint from which It viowa public meas- ;"
ures and public men.
In the other editorial It commends tho bolt
ing democrats who followed tho lead of Speaker
Cannon. It exultingly predicts that "the old
fashioned but still vigorous conservative demo
crats" will break away from "Bryanlsra." It
describes Bryan democracy as "a ship without 'w
a rudder." From its pralso of conservative..-
democracy ono would suppose it a ship with a
republican rudder.
-v .
From speech of Representative Ollio M. James
of Kentucky, on the Payne tariff bill: I am by
this tariff bill, and tho position of tho republican
party declaring it to be a revision downward,
like a fellow down in Metcalfe county, Ky.,- of
whom I have often heard Mr. Eugene Newman,
better known as "Savoyard," the most learned
and gifted biographical and political sketch
writer in tho United States, speak.
He said down in Barren County, Ky., there
lived a man after the order of Black George in
Fielding's immortal novel. He was a squatter
sovereignty person and his domicile was on the
southwestern slope ot Pilot Knob, near the
Green county line. His name was Creedall
Bluford Creedall. He was a noted character
and, like Ancient Pistol, -he held to the creed
"Base is the slave that pays." A heavy forest
extended from his very door clear down into the
Devil's Half Acre and far into Lick Swamp.
There were the giant white oak, tho prolific
post oak, the fruitful beech, the productive
chestnut. The undergrowth was thick with
hazelnut. It was a hunter'n paradise and in au
tumn a fine "range for swine." The title to the
soil was in Waddy Thompson, a prosperous
farmer who dwelt some miles off. Every fall
Thompson drove some fifty score thrifty shoats,
to the forest, where they fed on tho mast, grew
and developed into fine porkers. Ono bright
October morn Thompson rode up to Mr. Cree
dall's cabin and a dialogue like this began:
"Good morning, Blufe."
"Good 'morning, Wad."
. "Blufe, I havo just brought over a bunch of
hogs to take the mast on tho range, and have
chosen you to look after them. You know there
Is a mighty shackling get around here, and some
of them don't mind stealing a hog when they
aro not watched. Now, , Blufe, if you will keep
an eye on my hogs and take care of them for me,
I'll make you a present of the pick of the lot
at killing time. You may have five of the very
best, your own pick." .
"Wad, that seems reasonable; we have al
ways been the best of friends in the world, .you
have done me a heap of favors, and I guess.I.'ll
"have to accommodate you; but I'll be d d if I
don't losorpork by it." ' --'
CLASS IN ARITHMETIC
T, M Hess, Marcella, ArlLI have tried to
solve the 'problem "for the class in arithmetic,"
contained in your lssuo of the 9 th Inst, relative
THE DELUSION OF MILITARISM
Under tho title, "Tho Delusion of Militarism,"
Charles Edward Jefferson writes for the March ;
number of the Atlantic Monthly a strong con
demnation cf tho military spirit which is hurry
ing our nation into ever increasing expenditures
in preparation for wars that ought never to
come. Every reader of Tho Commoner ought
to road Mr. Jefferson's article, and then show
it to his friends. It is tho most powerful pre
sentation of the folly of the big navy program '
that has yet appeared. It is needed just now to "
answer the un-American, un-Christian and In
human tendencies of imperialism. Read Mr.
Jefferson's article and give circulation to It.
GIFTS UNSULLIED
I would not like to know, my love, that the'.
jewel in your hair , ; -.
Was the Hfetide' taken from that broken woman &,
there. , -,-'-
I would not like to know, my love, that.' you", - .,
were rich and great " ',Z ,'"'
With the riches wrung from sorrow and cor--,,
ruptlon of the state. '
I would not like to know, my love, that I had
wronged you so,
That the rubles on your bosom from a baby's
heart did growf
That your lovely brow was blazing wfth. the' v
wealth that I had wrung
From the hunger-driven mothers and their
homeless, helpless- young.
I would not like to know, my love, that the
silken dress you wore .
Cost the bread that I had taken from -the tables
of the poor; , '
Th'at the soft and weblike laces on your white '
and stainless breast
Were the heart-strings of the mothers who had
died to save their nest. .-.. '
I woujd not like to know, my love, that any deed
of mine, - . ' ' -
Cast a shadow on the being that I hold to be - .
divine; . . t ' ' '
I would not like, to knovw, my love, that I, hadf,
dorieToe thing . . f4f Jf
Thai would blacfca single feather In your white
soul's stainless wing. ,,...,
'-, CqVirigtoh 'Hall in New Orleans Times-Demdcrat.
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