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The Commoner.
VOLUME , NUMBER 41
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A BOSTON physician has created something
of a stir among his professional brethren
by the following statement: "An operation for
appendicitis should bo called a criminal opera
tion and as such should bo prohibited by law.
I havo been following the records of appendicitis
operations ever since the crazo for thl3 form of
surgery started, and I confidently believe that
the day Is coming when the people will realize
that the cutting of the appendix is a criminal
operation. After the widely proclaimed benefits
and saving of life by operations to cut the ap
pondix, it seems hardly necessary to cite the long
list of deaths following the operation."
ON JUNE 17 last Charles W. Morse, one time
known as the "Ice King," was released from
the New York prison under $125,000 bail.
His release was pending an appeal of his case
to the United States court of appeals. Mors
had been convicted of violating the national
banking law, in misapplying funds of the -National
Bank of North America of which he was
president. He was sentenced to fifteen years
of hard labor in the federal prison at Atlanta,
Ga. After his release on bail he took up his
business and it is claimed that during the four
following months he paid off five million dollars
of his seven million dollars Indebtedness and
regained control of a large part of his exten
sive steamship interests. Cn October 11 the
United States court of appeals affirmed Morse's
sentence and he was returned to prison. His
attorneys have applied to the United States
supreme court in hopo of relief.
SPAIN HAS JUST made a mistake common
to monarchies. It has caused to be put to
death the leader of a revolution under the im
pression that the leader's blood would satisfy
the political demands of his faithful followers:
The victim was Professor Francisco Ferrer, the
Spanish educator, who was convicted of being
a revolutionist. An Associated Press dispatch
from Barcelona says: "Ferrer, except for a mo
mentary expression of emotion immediately pre
ceding his death, retained his composure to the
laBt. His attorney, M. Galceran, who had defend
ed the prisoner so loyally as to bring about his
own arrest for improperly addressing the court,
had obtained permission for a brief talk with,
the revolutionist before the latter was led to the
ditch where he was to die. To his attorney
Ferrer spoke feelingly of the work for which
he had sacrificed, his life, and of the future of
his daughter, whose brave attempt to save his
life touched the father more deeply, apparently,
than any other incident of his trial and convic
tion. On Ferrer's arrest his family was left
dependent upon this daughter, who at once
found employment in a biscuit factory. When
it was known that her father had been sentenced
to death the daughter made a personal appeal
to King Alfonso, calling upon him in the name
of his known generosity and chivalry to spare
her father's life. "When these facts were related
by Galceran, Ferrer broke down. It was but
a passing emotion and presently the undaunted
revolutionist was again himself. Ferrer de
clined to receive the last sacraments and turned
away from the two priests of the Order of Peace
and Charity who had been sent by the prison
authorities to offer him the final consolation
of the church."
O-
D ESCRIBING THE execution this dispatch
adds: "When the hour of his execution
arrived Professor Ferrer walked bravely through
the prison yard to the ditch in the shadow of
the encircling wall. Without a' quiver he faced
the twelve infantrymen who, at the word of
command, fired simultaneously When the re
port of the volley had died away Ferrer lay dead
upon the ground. Previous to the execution
precautions had been taken to forestall a pos
sible attempt at rescue by doubling the sentinels
upon the walls of the fortress. With the execu
tion of Francisco Ferrer, the authorities have
removed from the affairs of Spain one long sus
pected of revolutionary activities and who be
cause of his education and influence, was deemed
of peculiar danger to the state. The decree .of
the court martial was carried out in the face
of protests from sympathizers, not only in Spain
but in parts of France, and in Paris and Rome
these protests were voiced in mass meetings by
workmen of socialist tendencies. In these cap
itals attacks were attempted upon the Spanish
embassy which, however, were protected by po
lice and, soldiery. Many petitions for clemency
were addressed to King Alfonso, wno aHso was
threatened with death should he not spare Fer
rer's life. Ferrer was formerly a director of the
Modern School of Barcelona and was repeatedly
accused of teaching revolutionary doctrines. In
1906 he was arrested, charged with complicity
in the attempt upon the life of King Alfonso
on the day of the royal marriage. On trial
he was acquitted. On September 1 last, he was
arrested, charged with having incited the riot
ing in Barcelona last summer. This outbreak
was in the nature of a protest against the
sending of Spanish troops against the Moors on
the Riff coast. At this trial documents were
submitted alleged to have related to the. procla
mation of a Spanish republic"
GENERAL CRITICISM throughout the world
Of was marked as the result of the Ferrer
execution. In Paris 10,000 men headed by M.
Juares, the leader of the socialists in the cham
ber of deputies, marched to the Spanish em
bassy where it was the intention to hold a
meeting of protest. The police surrounded the
building and drove the crowd away. Later great
damage was dorie to trees, lamp posts and other
material. Two policemen were shot, one dying
at the hospital. A Paris cablegram carried by
the Associated Press says: "Interviews printed
show that many persons prominent in the scien
tific and political world are both indignant and
pained at the day's events in Spain. A member
of the institute said he was stupefied at the
action, which he characterized as political can
nibalism. M. Reinach said he had thought it
incredible that the king would decline to inter
vene. He added: 'Ferrer was the victim of the
monks, who are all powerful in Spain, now that
they have been reinforced by their colleagues
who were expelled from France. It was impos
sible to believe that Spain would dare to thus
defy the universal conscience.' M. Picavet, sec
retary of the College of France, who said he
had read all of Ferrer's books, declares the
'Modern School,' which the author advocated
simply favored a neutral instruction as the terms
was understood in France. The Paris papers
today devote pages to the case. Even those
sheets which are most moderate in tone, ex
pressed the hopo that King Alfonso would in
tervene to prevent the consummation of 'the
political assassination,' of 'a revolutionary
idealist.' M. Juares, the deputy who yesterday
addressed a mass meeting of protest, had an
interview in a morning paper in which he pre
dicted that if Ferrer was shot a conflagration
would be started which would not be extin
guished until 'Spanish political life had been
purged of the clerical influences which are par
alyzing the progress of the nation and shocking
the conscience of Europe.' Ferrer's daughter
is today prostrated by the news of his death.
M. Jaures, the leader of the socialists in the
chamber of deputies, has Issued a call for a'
meeting of protest against the execution of Fer
rer, the meeting to be herd in front of the Span
ish embassy here tonight. In a letter written
to the Siecle by Ferrer .October 7, the Spanish
revolutionists say that the evidence against him
at the courtmartial consisted of depositions
made by 3,000 persons confined in the prisons
in Catalonia and the hearsay testimony of others.
There was not a witness who gave a scintilla of
direct evidence against him, in connection with
the insurrection."
IN ROME THE execution of Ferrer created
a profound impression. An Associated Press
cablegram from Rome says: "There was a sec-
onddom,onstration of Protests against the action
of the Spanish government. There were cries
of Long live Ferrer,' 'Down with reactionism.'
Down with the Jesuits. 'Down with Merry
Del Val.' The police and troops succeeded in
maintaining comparative order and prevented
the march of the demonstrators to the square
where the Spanish embassy stands. It is re
ported that a few days ago Ferrer's daughter
telegraphed to the pope from Paris asking his
intervention to save her father's life. The pon
tiff was deeply moved and exclaimed: 'Poor
child, if I could succeed in softening the grief
of her afflicted soul, it would be a great con
solation for me.' The Spanish ambassador to
the Holy See, in an interview tonight, said that
neither he nor his colleague accredited to the
quirinal had ever been informed of any request
for a pardon for Ferrer. He added that the
pope may have asked for a pardon independent
ly of him. It is believed here that the execution
of Ferrer was hastened by the fear that the
pope would intervene. According to those who
support this theory, the Spanish authorities
wished to prevent their sovereign being placed
in a position where he might have to grant or
refuse a special request for pardon. What atti
tude the Vatican assumed toward the Ferrer
case can not be learned. The officials will
neither deny nor confirm that any step looking
to a pardon for the revolutionist was taken, but
it is understood that if any thing was done
the negotiations were carried on directly be
tween the pope and King Alfonso. The one
phase of the affair that the Vatican emphatically
denies is the assertion that the Spanish ambassa
dor here took any action to prevent the inter
vention of the pope to procure a pardon." In
London the press generally condemns the execu
tion, fears being expressed that the affair will
lead to grave internal troubles lor Spain.
THE NEW YORK municipal campaign is get
ting hotter as the days go by. Judge Gay
nor, the democratic nominee, has resigned from
the bench. Mr. Hearst, who is an Independent
candidate, has taken the stump and has made
a bitter attack upon Judge Gaynor. William
M. Ivans, who four years ago was the republi
can nominee for mayor against Hearst, is also
making speeches in favor of Hearst and against
Gaynor. Replying to Hearst's bitter attack,
Judge Gaynor charges that Hearst promised to
support him for mayor, saying: "I don't care
what ticket you run on I'll support you."
Hearst denies this. There is a bitter fight on
against Tammany and while some believe that
Hearst will only aid the republican candidate
there are others who think Le may bj elected.
STATE SENATOR Patrick H. McCarren, the
democratic leader of Brooklyn, was strick
en with appendicitis and required to undergo
an operation, thus removing him from the con
test. Some idea of the fight that is going on is
conveyed in an Associated Press dispatch of
October 14 as follows: "Two unusual incidents
disturbed both the Hearst and the Gaynor meet
ings. At the former Deford began a denuncia
tion of State Senator Patrick H. McCarren, who
is critically ill, when a voice from the audience
interrupted dramatically with the exclamation:
'McCarren is dead.' An immediate hush fell
over the assemblage, and Deford apologized to
his hearers, with the explanation that he was
attacking McCarren 's principles and not McCar
ren the man. The audience, although hostile to
the Brooklyn leader, cheered these sentiments
wildly. Charles S. Whitman, the republican
nominee for district attorney, who also spoke
at the Hearst rally, paid an eloquent tribute to
McCarren when he said that McCarren was as
gallant fighter, who scorns underhand methods,
but who unfortunately was on the wrong side.
It was a militant suffragette who -disturbed the
Gaynor gathering. Gaynor had barely got under
way with his address when a women rose in the
audience and called, 'How about woman suf
frage?' She was Miss Maude Malone, a familiar
figure at political gatherings. 'The question
which you ask me is not pertinent to this meet
ing,' said Gaynor, after some embarrassment,
'and I shall ask you in order to prevent any
further interruption to go first and consult my,
wife.' Still Miss Malone refused to be seated,
and after a consultation with Herman Ridder,
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