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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1909)
J Krfr IWfVy r-"V' ' The Commoner. VOLUME 9, NUMBER 25 "" . ri-'T2 U I' I 1 eldo whether ho will make, his light as a re publican or as a democrat. The Commoner commends this subject to the oarncHt consideration of tho young men who, Inspired by high Ideals, aro about to take their place In the forefront of that army which must win tho civil victories of our nation. Let them romomber, first, that the doctrine that tho stato had a right to secedo was a doc trine that had supporters In all parts of tho United States supportors who conscientiously believed that tho constitution meant that and lot theso young mon not forgot that that ques tion has boon settled and can never arise again. Lot them romomber also that the sin of slavory was a national sin, not a sectional one, and that it was not only rocognizod in tho con 8lltution,"but that it was supported by many conscientious people north and south. But slavory has boon abolished and abolished for ovor. Noithor tho question of national unity nor the question of slavery can again disturb tho nation. Third, Lot thorn romomber that upon the issues which aro now before tho country, the democratic party is on tho people's sidd; it Is easior to make tho democratic party an effective Instrument for tho protection of the public weal and tho advancement of public good than it is to reform the republican paTty or to create a now party strong enough to be effective. STILL AT; SEA. Tho sonato voted down Senator Stone's reso lution, promising Philippine independence at the ond of ilfteon years. Tho resolution was de feated by practically a party vote, showing that tho ropublicans aro still at sea as to their policy in" tho Philippines. No republican senator would dare to propose a resolution announcing a definite policy the republican party has rio policy. Tho country is left to rest under the charge 6f having abandoned tho principles of self government and yet no prominent republi can would risk a voto on a platform declaring for a permanent colonial policy. Tho democratic party has a -plan .and. it has consistently u,rged that plan from 'the begin ning, namely, that wq make an immediate promise of ultimate independence. There may bo room for discussion as to whether, .the promlsd should fix a doflnito time, as the Stone -resolution did. or loavo the1 timd indefinite, but the tline is ndt'so important as tho declaration of a policy. Senator Stone Is to be commended for presenting tho issue and the party is to be congratulated upon the unanimity shown in the support-of the resolution. i , Drop a line to the democratic senators and members who voted to tax lumber and iron oro and tell them what you think of their votes. A few thousand letters or postals may give them some idea of tho injury they have done the party. TO SHUNT OFF INCOME TAX The wookly financial letter sent out by the Wall Street broker is, as a rule, brutally frank In the letter iBsuod by Bache & Co., under date of Juno 19, this interesting statement is made "It is useless to discuss the practicability of this measure of taxing net earnings, as the question of what aro real net earnings is one that it would be practically impossible to estab lish in a manufacturing business. It must be rogarded as a political move to shunt off the Income tax advocates for the time being " Bache & Co. have probably described the sit uation. The plan proposed by Messrs. Aldrich and Taft Is intended to shunt off the income tax. Even though it is successful at this time it will only be "for tho time being." wealth may bear its proportionate share of the burdens of tho federal government." It is a question whether any income tax law can be so drawn as to meet the approval of tho suprome court if tho court Is disposed to follow the last decision on the subject, but whatever tho chances may be wo ought to have a con stitutional amendment specifically authorizing congress to collect such a tax. Now is the time to secure it. With a republican administration back of it and the democratic party for it there ought to be no doubt of the submission and the ratification of the amendment. The Submission of the amendment need not prevent the passage ,of. an income tax law; in fact it would be well to follow up tho submission of the amendment with an income tax law, but the advocates of the income tax law ought not to allow their advocacy of that to prevent their giving hearty support to tho amendment. President Taft's plan of taxing the .net incomes of cor porations can bo added to the Bailey-Cummins measure. Tho democrats can well afford to favor all these plans. It is not necessary to choose between- them. ALDRICH! Henry Watterson in the Louisville Courier Journal: The one thing in the senate which has filled us with admiration is Aldrich. "Och!". says Bridget Ann O'Reilly in the Irish comedy, ' re ferring to Sir Patrick- O'Plenipo "the cheek of him!" Yea, verily, both the hide and cheek and the gall of Aldrich, and clad in iron, steel and brass; carrying a forked hook and a shining spear; why, Senator Dill worthy, his motto, ''the old flag and an appropriation," was nothing to Aldrich; old sugar-in-the-gourd but fl, boy in corduroys 'compared with Aldrich; JJ3phrahim Smooth, himself the merest tyro at the game, of now-you-see-it and now-you-don't; and fitly the poet says: "High oh a throne .of Ipot and graft .which' Idr Outshines the wdalth of Oririus and of Inde", " ' Of Carnegie and Rockefeller; E'en Standard Oil and'Federal Steel, ' ' '" Aldrich exalted sits by1 merit raised ' ' ' To that proud eminence'1' -Whilst the imps' of the" Astern' hang 'round th'e 'doors' la'rid1 cry,' "''Ma tlie tfe'vll'.admir'e'liim'!" Subsidy 'herself kow-tos to Aldrich. Goetz of the1 Iron Hand never hooked and hauTed 'hr the rafters on the'' Rhine 'with -more co'Olness and dexterity than the senator from Rhode Island has "ransacked and rifled the cargoes of honest, merchandise seeking to navigate protectionist waters, to avoid the shoals of classification and round the headlands of the' schedules. ' & wvmu WUItTH KJMMJSMBERING "Better no revision at all, better that the new bill should fail, unless we have an honest and thorpugh revision on the basis laid down and the principles out lined In the party's platform." Presi dent Taft to the Ohio Society last De cember. "The Dingley tariff has served the country well, but its rates have become generally excessive. They have become excessive because conditions have changed since its passage in 1896. Some of the rates are probably too low, due also -to the change of conditions. But, on the whole, the tariff ought to be lowerod;"--Mr. Ta'ft at Cincinnati on September 22 last, ' ; INCOME TAX AMENDMENT President-Taft has recommended the submis sion pf a constitutional amendment authorizing tho collection of an income tax and every dem ocratic senator and member ought to vote for. "' .. ,?Th0-lnBt (leniocratio national platform says . s Wq favor an income 'tax as part .of our revl enuo fiystom, and we urge the submission of a constitutional amendment specifically authoriz ing -congress to levy and collect tax upon in dividual and corporate incomes, to the ond-that . , - J . ' ' ' WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Tho New Y0rk'.Tin)pl is authority, for 'th'e statement that thq surety banks have .Increased their sates frctm $2,50. .a thousand to $5.,C0 a thousand, for insuring the deposit of state funds Does this moan that. the banks aro Jiot as secure as they were,, or arethe surety banks attempt ing to double their profits.. As a result, of. the increase the, banking department .and the state bankers' associations qf New Yor.k approved a .bill to permit savings bank bonds, to be used in lieu of surety bank bonds. . lU KEEPING BONDS.AT, HOME " ' Mayor .Carlesonf Jamestown, N.'.Y.,is urg ing, upon his citizens the policy- of issuing bonds in small -denominations, when bonds have to .be. issued, .with the , idea1 .of, encouraging.. the purchase of bonds by the people in the city This plan is certainly a wise one, and the only objection to it is that it does not please tho high financiers. The Wall Street magnates en deavor to create the impression that no bonds can be sold, until they are underwritten at a nice profit by some prominent New York firm. There is no reason, however, why the people of a city should not buy and hold the bonds which are issued for improvements. The city bond is a most excellent form of investment, and there is no reason why the denomination of tho bonds should not be small enough to permit the holding of them by the industrial masses. The only difference between a bond and a sav ings . bank account is that the money in tho savings bank can be withdrawn upon giving tho required notice, while bonds run for several years. This, however, can be, to a certain ex tent, remedied if the city will authorize the treasurer to keep a record of persons desiring to sell bonds and. of persons desiring to buy so that the parties can be brought' together, and it is probable that a person desiring to sell could, within a short time; .find' 'a purchaser; at least it is worth while 'for'' a city to make the experiment. TAX ON TE4? NO ,. The State- (Columbia, S. C.) is not caught by the proposition tcput a 'Sixty pet" cent duty on tea. It points out that"' the argument base"d upon the revenue to-be produced would di minish as the protective- argument increased. We might start out by collecting a" revenue oh tea, but if it resulted in a growth 'of tea plant ations, -we would find -tha,t tea' planter's would be" like other protected' industries and dghiaiid increasing protection. If,' in the 'end, we' raised all the tea we needed' an'd imported none, we would gef norevenue, , and yet we would be asked t to continue the' duty for" the benefit 'of the home industry, just' a 'we are asked to continue indefinitely' the" 'duties thht 'we're 'first defended as revenue duttesj-undthen s1 teni' porary 'protective duties. ' ' ": PROFESSOR; S. S..HAMJL , ' Mr.-' Bryan, has learhdd with sWrow1 ofM'tbd dfcath .of"PtfofesSor;'S'...S, Hatiiji 'uhdefwlibm"h6 studied elocution when aJ student 4fe"cbJlWge; andvtfrom whoni..he deceived" substantially 'a'll of the-instruction he over, received in that -study. Professor Hamil was born in 1833 and when at the University of Miami was a college mate of President Har.rison , and President McKinley, Professor Swing, Whitela'w Reld, and a number of other men of prominence. Dr. E. Benjamin Andrews, late chancellor of 'the University' of Nebraska, Ex-Governor Yates of Illinois and Ex-Governor Fifer of Illinois were pupils of his. - ' RETAIL .PRICES Senator Gore bias 'made himself the champion of the retailers in resenting the charge made by the advocates of a high tariff to the effect that the retailers, and "not the manufacturers, are to blame for higher prices. Mr. Gore demands an investigation, and the investigation ought to' be had. In expressing his own opinion upon the subject the Oklahoma senator points out that the' trusts -are' in many' cases fixing the price at which the retailer sells, and are so fixing that price .that the retailers' profit is reduced' to a minimum while' the trusts' -profit' is "enlarged.' TOO BAD, OF COURSE ' ' Yesitis too bad to have the democrats di vided over the tariff rate , on , lumber ' and the rates on iron ore, but, the republican newspapers must not become so, absorbed in the discussion of this .division as to forget the division between republicans over the same,' schedules. The .re. pupycaji papers can not consistently criticise a1 f ew, .democrats for voting, ;against free lumber and t free jron pro without, criticising' tlie repub licans who did the same" thing, but they, may npt worry about inconsistency,- " ' ", , n't THE PEARL OF TSALMS Rev.. E. Arnold Wright, of .Birmington, Ala., has issued a little booklet entitled "The Pearl pf Psalms" the twenty-third Ifsalm. He ihas .caught, the spirit-of .thei Psalmist and given poetic jelabpration to the thoughts ; Hls . little book deserves a . large' circulation. The .pamph let tsells .for, 12 cents, postage prepaid, er (85 iwfj.if)Mwrjiun:ea.l. .,.; ... r ,,., .... . m' ;l , ju.te. ... .. i it