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The Commoner.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER
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VopicsH
Mr CURB
VSj' ? ??5afcyrilv' ''',r:m5i!jnv'"
AN ORGANIZED movement for a safo and
sane Fourth of July is now on. A Wnsh
iiifaion, D. 0., dispatch carried by tho Associated
Press says: "Co-operation of governors of all
Btates and territories in a nation-wide campaign
for oafo and sano celebration of independence
-day in overy hamlet, town and city throughout
the country is tho object of a movement now in
augurated. Tho plan contemplates the forma
tion of a national committee on the promotion
of tlio safe and sane celebration of the Fourth,
tho appointment as honorary chairman of Presi-,
dont Taft in viow of his endorsement of Wash
ington's 'accidontlcss Fourtn,' the appointment
of tho governors of all states and territories in
the Union as members and an active campaign m
by that committee all over tho nation for divert
ing independence day from its annual toll of
accidents. The endorsement by President Taft
of tho safe and sane plan for tho celebrating
of tho country's birthday anniversary has led
those back of the movement to believe that ho
will accept the honorary chairmanship of the
convention. His position is expected to have a
big infludnco in bringing success to tho movement."
THE PORTLAND Oregonlan prints the fol
lowing interview with Mr. Bryan: "I have
said and repeat that while I will not promise any
one that T never, under any circumstances, will
bo a candidate for office again," said William
Jennings Bryan last night, "I do not desiro to
be a candidate for office again and do not expect
to be a candidate for any office and hope that
no conditions will arise which will make it neces
sary for mo to consider, the question again. T -was
not correctly quoted In the dispatch sent
out Irom Spokane," continued Mr. Bryan in an-
eworto a question if It was true that he might
bo a candidate for president again in 1912.
"The press dispatch from Spokane illustrrtos the .
unreliability of some of the f.hings that pass for -news.
I gave out no suqh intorview and the
sending out of that dispatch is the less excusa
ble because the afternoon papers at Spokane
had published a very different interview which
I did give out. I do not understand why I
should bo annoyed every time I go into a town
by tho same question I have answered so often
that I lm.ve tho right to assume every person
knows my position on the subject. But, that
your paper may have no excuse for printing such
a dispatch as was printed In other Portland
papers from Spokane, I have again given my
position for tho benefit of the Oregonlan aud
when It receives a press dispatch in the futuro
that Is contrary to this statement, it may know
that tho dispatch is unauthorized and unworthy
of publication." . .
PATRICK H. McCARREN, tho democratic
leader of Brooklyn, died as a result of an
operation. Senator McCarren anticipated death
and to tho physicians in consultation over him
Monday he said: "Gentlemen, I know what you
have come for; there is no need 'for a consulta- '
tion. "I knew T was dying tho day T walked
into this hospital. I have made a study of my
,own case, and T find that my trouble is an old '
heart and an old stomach. If you could re
place them with new ones there might )o a
chance of my .getting better."
AN ASSOCIATED Press dispatch, referring to
tho well known politician, says: "Patrick
Henry McCarren, by trade n cooper, by profes
sion a lawyer and y vocation a politician, was
one of the most picturesque figures in the politi
cal history of New York. No leader was more
roundly condemned, yet at tho close of sixty
one years of his life he was probably the most
strongly entrenched leader in New York stato
andbad even wielded some influence in national
politics. Born in East Cambridge, Mass., he
settled in Brooklyn when he was eight years
old, and was graduated from the public schools.
Ho was apprenticed to a cooper when sixteen'
but having mastered his trade he answered tho
call to something more Intellectual. He took
to tho law, and from iho law went into politics.
In 1882 he was sent to the. assembly, and iiaa
since served almost continuously in the legisla
ture. Ho. was. elected to the senate in 1891,
but two years later was defeated. Elected, again
in 1896, it was to stay there regularly until
his death. Senator McCarren first became rec
ognized as a coming leader in the days when
David B. Hill was at the height of his power.
By 1898 he had become so well recognized that
tho democratic state committee made him head
of the executive committee. Five years later 'ho
wrested tho leadership of Brooklyn from. Hugh1
McLaughlin, who had had it for forty years. .
Since that time the senator has won at all pri
maries, though his political death was predicted -each
year. "At the democratic. national conven-
tion which nominated Alton B. Parker, tho task
of inducing southern leaders to remain in line,
following tho arrival of the famous 'gold tele-
gram,' fell on McCarren's shoulders. McCar-
ren's opposition to the candidacy of Mr. Hearst
for governor led to charges of treason against
him, and his delegates were excluded from the
party convention in April of last year to name '
delegates to the Denver national convention.
Nevertheless ho appeared there with delegates
who were again ejected. His downfall was
then confidently predicted, but only last month
ho received what ho considered as final vindica
tion when ho won nineteen of the twenty-three '
districts of his borough. Physically, Senator
McCarren was very tall and lank. In manner
he was courteous and generous of attention, but
niggardly of speech. The qualities which in
the opinion of hi3 friends contributed most of
his success in politics were keenness, tenacity" .
of purpose, personal fidelity, perfect self-control
and patience. He was sometimes called a hard
man, devoid of sentiment. 'I had a romance
.once,' ho said to a close friends 'When I was
a young man i fell In love with -a girl, and we
were married. " We lived very happily. ' We had
fivo children. When I was. thirty-one I had
buried my wife and five children.' " . .
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, writing of hla
South African experiences, tells of meeting
and killing a lion. He says: "Now, an elderly
man with a varied past, which Included rheu-,
matlsm, docs not vault as lightly into his saddle
as his sons, for instance, can, and I had already
made up my mind that in the event of the lion's
charging it would be wise for me to trust to
straight powder rather than to try to scramble
into tho saddle and get under way in time. I
could still not see the lion when I knelt, but he
was now standing up, looking first at one group
of horses and then at the other, his tall lashing
to and fro, his head held low and his lips
dropped over his mouth .in a peculiar fashion,
while his harsh and savage growling rolled
thunderously over tho plain.., Seeing Slmba -and
me on foot he turned toward us, his tail lashing
quicker and quicker. Resting my elbow on
Simba's bent shoulder, I took steady aim and
pressed the trigger. The bullet went in between
the neck and shoulder and the lion fell over on
his side, -one foreleg In the air. . He. recovered
in a moment, and stood up evidently very sick
and once more faced me, growling hoarsely. I
think he was on the eve of charging. I fired
again at once, and this bullet broke his back
just behind the shoulders, and with the- next
I killed Jiim outright, :after w'.gathered .around
him."
the opposition finally uniting against the gov
ernment's conduct and -furtherance of the war
in , Morocco. The '.stern measures taken to put
.jclown . tho recent anti-war demonstrations in
Spain tended to inflame the opposition, and the
execution of Ferrer, followed by popular dem
onstrations ojf disapproval, brought matters to
a' crisis. When parliament-re-opened tho lib
erals,, republicans and socialists bitterly assailed
the government,' but. the cabinet showed a dis
position to fight for its ;life. There was a vio
lent .scene, in the chamber of deputies yesterday
when the opposition, -headed by -Senor Moretry
Prendergast, the former premier, renewed Its
attack upon-the government. Minister of the
.Interiors Lacierva, however, declared that tho
ministry would not resign nder threats. It
was then believed that while Senor Moretry was
determined to unhorse Premier Maura the lib
erals, as distinguished from the republicans and
socialists, did not desiro to .assume power, as
under the circumstances they would then be
come responsible for the expenditures involved
in the war in Morocco."
REFERRING TO the decision of the federal
court, destroying the Nebraska guaranteed
bank deposits law, Professor George E. Howard
of Nebraska University says: "It is a mistake
in a self-governing democracy to vest a court
with power to declare a law enacted by the legis
lature void. With respect to what constitutes
good law the legislature itself as representing
.the will of the people, should be supreme. The
law making body should not be subordinated
to a court. , No other, federal, government, Aus
tralia'albhe excepted, has given Jhe courts this
dangerous authority, Neither Canada, Switzer
land,, nor federal Germany bave.tfto.na so. For
more' than two hundred years jLhe English courts
have, been incompetent to declare a. parliamen
tary statute, void. The parliament is higher than
the court. 'Moreover, the tenure of the English
judges Is dependent on the win of the two
houses of parliament, which may remove a judge
on a joint address to the executive, that is In
reality, to the prime minister, wlio always rep
resents the will of the house of commons. It
was not positively known that our courts could
determine the validity of either a' state law or
of a federal law until the days of Chief Justice
Marshall. It may be that the makers of the
constitution intended the courts to exercise this
function; but it is easily conceivable that, with
a different chief justice, the court might never
have established it by precedent. The personal
equation has always counted much in our judi
cial history. Tt is almost certain that eventually
public sentiment will m demand an' amendment
to the constitution taking from our judges this
dangerous and anomolous power. If this de
cision -is-tgood' law, "it nevertheless discloses in
our jurisprudence a social menace. ' But is it
good law? To the lay student of our legal his
tory the arguments of the judges are far from
convincing. Frankly, with all due respect for
the judges, their decision seems to rest upon
reasoning which would render unconstitutional
a large part of our statute law, T can not but
regard the decision as unfortunate. If there
was any doubt, ought not the desires of the
people expressed through their law makers to
have had the benefit of it? The times arc calling
loudly for the socialization of our jurisprudence
and for the socialization of our judges."
SPAIN HAS A new cabinet. Premier Maura
and his cabinet associates resigned as the
result of the bitter attacks made against them "
by the former premier, Prendergast. After the
resignation Prendergast mdertook the formation
of a new ministry and he became the premier.
Referring to the change an Associated Press
dispatch from Madrid says: "Preceding the
formation of this cabinet there had been Ave
liberal ministries in eighteen months. The re
ligious issues had been the rock on which these
ministries were wrecked, and the accession to
power of Senor Maura, who had before held tho
premiership, was regarded as a sweeping victory
for the clericals and one likely to arouse a revo
lutionary spirit. This proved to bo the case,
DRAMATIC SCENES occurred. in the city of
Chicago on the 'night of October 18. An
Associated Press dispatch tells the story In this
way: "Fifteen thousand men and women, pray
ing for Chicago's deliverance from sin, Invaded
tho tenderloin district of tho city tonight, led
by Gypsy Smith, the Romany evangelist of Eng
land, who is conducting a revival here at tho
Seventh regiment armory. A monstrous chorus,
singing Bacred songs, drowned out the coarse
music of the cafes and saloons, and the lights
were dimmed by the glare of the brilliant Illu
mination which blazed the way of the Christian
army. For two miles the procession of evan
gelists into the district in the vicinity of Twenty
second and State streets extended on its march
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