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MAY 21, 1905
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foundations. appeared to be unshakable, scatter
ing the members of such to all four points- of
the compass, some carrying mental wounds that
will ndt heal short of several years of steady em
ployment under most favorable conditions. I
would be guilty of reckless assertion and unfaith
ful to my trust were I to hold out to you surcease
from these troubles In the vory near future. The
opposition to licensed cafes and saloons, which
affects every man and woman in this interna
tional union has, according to the best authori
ties, but started seriously to Impose restrictive
legislation; they have just begun, and if what
has been accomplished is any criterion to go by,
when they get started there is no telling where
they will finally stop. Originally the prohibition
agitators were regarded with little or no con
cern. That has changed within the last six
years to such an extent that their campaign for
'dry legislation' has actually become the great
est movement this country has ever witnessed,
compelling attention but very little positive, tan
gible, aggressiveness on the part of those whose
interests were at stake. In fact we make bold
to assert that our international union has done
more campaigning in opposition to the anti
saloon agitators than all of the other allied or
ganizations directly and indirectly connected
with the traffic. It seems but a few short years
since the opposition could only boast of two
'dry' states, Maine and Kansas, aggregating a
total of something like 115,120 square miles of
territory; today they can boast of 407,fi02
square miles under state prohibition, and 1,
830,895 square miles under local option laws,
while there remains to us and those like us,
that depend on the traffic for a' livelihood, ex
actly 1,303,249 square miles undisturbed by re
strictive legislation. That means more than two
thirds of the United States where the saloons
and cafes where intoxicating beverages were
formerly sold have gone out of business and
those who were employed swallowed up in that
fearfully and ever increasing national problem,
the army of the unemployed."
IN THE SENATE Mr. Burrows of Michigan-,
spoke in favor of the duty on iron ore. Mr.
Rayner ot Maryland discussed the iron ore In
dustry, saying -that if the senate should reject
the amendment placing a duty of 25 cents a
ton on iron ore he would later move to put the
article on the free list. The Associated Press
says: "Mr. Rayner read extracts from news
papers to the effect that if the duty on iron ore
should be retained the act would redound to
the benefit of the United States Steel corporation
as the owner of the ore lands and would injure
the Independent steel . companies, as those com
panies must buy their iron ore from the steel
companies if they could not import it free o
duty. Mr. Rayner read from a statement of
Representative Payne in the house in defense
of the action of the ways and means committee
In placing iron ore on the free list, and re
marked to the republican side of the chamber:
I am here protecting Mr. Payne from the re
publicans of the senate.' Mr. Smith of Michigan
quoted Charles Schwab as stating that to put
Iron ore on the free list would not reduce the
price of the manufactured product. 'I don't be
lieve a word he says,' retorted Mr. Rayner with
energy. 'I don't believe some things either,'
replied Mr,. Smith. "There seems to be some
thing about the tariff,' said Mr. Rayner, 'that
perverts the human mind and aspirations and
longing of the soul for truth.' 'Is that true of
importers as well as of manufacturers?' in
quired Mr. Dick. 'The situation in Washington
Here today,' replied Mr. Rayner, 'is such that
tyou can not get the truth out of anybody. I
m very fond of HaTs, I have studied them by
jjjlay and by night, but I never in my life saw
such an aggregation of them as are assembled
In the capitol, and they can lie with equal fa
cility upon one side or the other of the same
question.' "
T RACTICAL suggestions for Mothers' Day ser
JL mons were made to the clergy in an open
letter by -Nathan Straus, the New York philan
thropist, whose demonstrations on two conti
nents of how the lives of babies may be saved
Jiave resulted in the United States public health
service indorsing his method, and in Chicago
putting it into practical operation by requiring
the pasteurization of all milk that does not come
from cows that have been tested for tuberculosis.
Mr. Straus writes: " To the Reverend Clergy:
On Mothers Day, May 9, I understand that many
The Commoner.
of the clergy will preach on filial duty, whilo
hundreds of thousands will wear the whlto
flower in token of their rovorent honor of thoir
mothers. This beautiful observance, suggested
by Miss Anna Jarvls, of Philadelphia, ought to
havo an uplifting effect upon humanity, for it
must bo apparent to all thoughtful observers of
modern conditions that many of tho things that
are amiss In our twentloth century lifo spring
from tho unhappy failure to adequately esti
mate and appropriately honor motherhood. It
seems to me, too, that tho occasion should sug
gest to tho clergy tho opportunity to exert their
powerful influenco toward the lifting of tho bur
dens that too often bruise and crush tho hearts
of mothers tho burdens of unnecessary sick
ness and preventable deaths. My eighteen years'
experience In fighting the inllk-borno sicknesses
havo proved that tuberculosis, typhoid and scar
let fevers, diphtheria and summer complaint
frequently havo their origin in milk that con
tains the germs vof these diseases; that these in
fections from, raw milk can bo prevented by
pasteurizing the milk, namely, by heating" It for
at least twenty minutes to at least 150 degrees;
that such pasteurization invariably reduces tho
death rate among children at least one-half
where tho mortality has been excessive.. It is
particularly tho mother who is weighed down
with care and torn by grief when these prevent
able sicknesses strike her little ones, and a most
fitting practical good would result to tho moth
ers of the land if the day set apart In their
honor should bo used to spread abroad tho
knowledge that they can deliver their children
from these maladies and to stir up the health au
thorities to follow the examples of Chicago in
adopting the life-saving methods of pasteuriza
tion. The function of the pulpit Is to attack
evil, and there is no greater crime perpetrated
in civilized lands than tho slaying of dofonse
less children. But few people realize that this
atrocity Is being committed on a wholesale scale
that is appalling. In 1895 I called It criminal
carelessness to glvo a child raw milk. In the
light of the disclosures of science, verifying my
teachings of those days, in the light of tho urgent
advice of the United States public health ser
vice to pastuerize milk, it can be described only
aB a monstrous crime to permit thousands of
children to bo slain annually by infected milk.
Surely this is something for tho pulpit to denounce."
IN A LETTER written to the Kansas City
Journal, Former Governor John P. St. John
says: "In tho speech delivered to tho Men's
club of St. Paul's Episcopal church by Walter
C. Root, which appeared in this morning's Jour
nal,, he Is reported as saying: 'We have not a
place which can take the place of the saloon
for tho working man. The secret of life is
brotherhood, and no place, other than in the
saloons, is companionship, human society and
cheer, offered to the working man.' It seems
to me that if Mr. Root is reported correctly his
statement is equivalent to saying that tho labor
ing man's home Is not, from tho standpoint of
companionship, sociability and cheer, equal to
the saloon. Every laboring man, and every la
boring man's family, ought to resent Mr. Root's
statement as an inexcusable insult. To put a
stop to this, we must either blot out the family
or blot out tho saloon. The two can not per
manently endure. Which shall it he? In speak
ing of the deplorable condition of the tenement
districts in London, Mr. Root said: 'And we
have 10,000 families in Kansas City who are
living in just the same conditions as those in
London. Families living in one room and do
ing all of tha housework there. - A great many
whole families are living on from $7 to $10 a
week.' The saloon is the hotbed in which the
seed is sown which eventually ripens into a har
vest of this awful degradation, poverty and .star
vation. If these are the conditions, under the
administration of a statesman like President
Taft, backed up by a high protective tariff made
expressly to protect the laboring man, with tho
saloon to give him comfort and cheer, what an
awful calamity It would havo been had Bryan
won! It makes me shudder to think of it."
IN AN EDITORIAL entitled "Injustice to Mr.
Roosevelt," the Chicago Inter Ocean, a re
publican paper, prints the following: "Senator
Tillman introduced a resolution on Friday in
structing the postofflce committee to inquire
whether the president's recent message and re
port on the 'homes commission' should not be
oxcludod from tho malls as matter Improper for
tranBrnissIon. Wo presumo that what Senator
Tillman objects to is that section of tho presi
dents raessago and appondix which runs from
page 157 to pago 284. This section follows
what may bo regarded as 'Tho Fodoral Cook
Book, and may itsolf bo described as 'Tho Fed
eral Family Doctor Book.' Tho first chaptor
of this comprehensive monograph treats of 'The
Causation and Prevention of Disease' In general,
with special consideration of tuberculosis, pneu
monia, typhoid fovor, dysentery and remarks
on sickroom care. Tho next chaptor takes up
tho subject of 'Infantllo Mortality,' with special
roferonco to nursing, weaning and milk. Then
comes a brief chaptor on 'Tho Prevention of
Permanent Disabilities in Childhood,' and then
a long one on 'Tho Health of Wa'hlngton,' and
why it is not better. The next emptor la head
ed Social and Moral Prophylaxis,' and treats
of what are called 'vice diseases,' with olaborato
tables of statistics. Of tho further contents of
this chaptor, in which Dr. Roosovolt, by deputy,
has spoken with plainness, it Is not possible
for a family newspaper to say more than that -in
tho averago woll-conductod family only tho
adult members would bo permitted to read them.
Thoro follow chapters on 'The Tobacco Habit "
The Alcohol Question,' with much Interesting In
formation on tho manufacture of various bever
ages, and on 'The Drug Habit,' with extensive
lists of nostrums which may bo welcomed by
different people from good or bad motivos.
Probably tho chapter on 'vice diseases' Is what
has especially attracted the senatorial attention,
since it bears a close resemblance to certain
publications usually sent through tho malls at
first-class rates by 'specialists,' or, for greater
safety, circulated only by express. However, -and
In justice to tho president, it must bo sug
gested -that ho Is less blamablo for having
Jimmy' Reynolds and his associate 'soclollgista'
writo 'Tho Federal Family Doctor Book' than is
tho senate for Its complacent inattention until
after tho mischief was started, In having tho
treatise printed as public document No. G44. It
tho president's message and report on tho homes
commission had been permitted to slumber
peacefully In the files of congress tho $10,000
cost of printing would havo been saved to tho
treasury and it would not havo been possiblo '
for Senator Tillman to raise such iudelicato
questions."
CAPTAIN JAMES MURRAY, a Nebraska
pioneer, died recently at his homo in Fre
mont. Ho was a member of the Twenty-eighth
Wisconsin Infantry during tho civil war. Cap
tain Murray was a staunch democrat and his
energies were over devoted for tho uplifting of
mankind through tho purest of democratic prin
ciples. Captain Murray was tho father of Mark
W. Murray, editor of the Ponder (Neb.) Times.
Editor Murray pays to his fine old father this
beautiful and deserved tribute: "It Is with
sorrowing heart tho Times editor announces the
death of his father, Captain James Murray at
tho family home in Fremont, on Sunday last,
when the immortal soul of a loving and beloved
father passed to his Maker. His age was 75
years every one of them honorable years
and we believe no man ever left this world to
meet his God with a clearer conscience or more
deserving of heavenly reward than James Mur
ray. There aro and have been men just as
good, but I have never met a more scrupulously
conscientious, honest and upright man than
he whom we had the proud destinction to call
father. In all the years of association with him
in boyhood or manhood I never heard him
suggest, or advise one act that savored of trick
ery, dishonesty or unfairness no matter wheth
er the transaction was great or small. I firmly
believe that ho left this world without having
knowingly wronged a fellow-being. He had a
bright mind, ho was a clear thinker, he was a
stranger to deceit and his ideals were the high
est. He was a man who faithfully met every
requirement of life, whether it was In defense
of his country when she called her sons to arms,
or as a Christian citizen, or as a husband or
father. He considered the gathering of dollars
as the least of the purposes for which God ere- '
ated man. I have always been proud of him, and
his memory and example will be a guiding star
in the pathway of every member of the family
he has left behind. We know the world is bet
ter for his having lived in it. During the last
hours of his life, he was Eurrounded as he had
wished to be by every member of his family,
and thus he passed quietly and peacefully from
our midst."
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