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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1910)
TP- ' V'A- VOLUME 10, NUMBER,! 2 Zf "V K Administration In Amorican history; no matter that thoHo insurgents could point In justification of tholr courtto, If Indood tuich justification bo lioconHary, to tho explicit or Implied pledges of tholr party platform and to tho roltorated prom Iboh of party candidates. Those aro not mattors worth considering. Tho all Important point Is . that tho republican party sold itself to tho rep resentatives of special Interests and now tho re publican administration must becomo tho obe dlont instrument through which Uiobo Interests rlvot chains upon tho people. According to tho president's spokesman tho prosidont Is withholding patronago from theso republican Insurgents moroly to "impross them of their obligation." Tholr obligation to whom? To tho peoplo of tholr districts and to tho people of tholr states to whom they gavo tho promise that they would voto In accordanco with tho public wolfaro, or to tho cotorlo of mon who providod tho republican party with campaign funds? Party prcssuro Is strong and bocauso of tho ropubllcan party's thorough discipline It has been dllllcult for mombors of that party to rebel. But tho difforoncos botweon theso insurgents and tho ropubllcan leadership is fundamental to tho porpotuity of popular government. It may bo, ab Mr. ItoBOwater says, that many of them havo already surrendered In tho faco of tho threat to withdraw patronago from them. It may bo that others will surronder. It can not bo that among all that numbor thero will not bo mon who aro bravo onough to carry on their flght against tho poworful systom that has already captured tho ropubllcan party and seeks to uso it in tho offort to capture tho American govornmont. TIiobo who will romain faithful will havo no ofilcos to bestow but they will havo tho ap proval of tholr own conscience. They will find also that whon tho oyos of tho Amorican peoplo shall havo opened to tho gigantic schemo of plundor that Is boing concoctod under tho au thority of tho republican party, tho pooplo will soo to it that tho men who now withhold and distrlbuto public ofilces as a' roturn for private favor will havo no patronage to givo and no fa vors to deny. ffHR PKRSIUENT'S MESSAGE A foW wooks ago tho press dispatches In formed tho Amorican peoplo that' six of tho prosidonts of tho leading railroad companies had called at tho Whito Houso and had discussed with tho prosidont tho special message then in tho courso of preparation, rolating to railways and trusts. Tho pooplo were told that when theso railway presidents loft tho Whito Houso thoy woro dojectod, tho inference boing that they had encountered a man who had a well devised plan of giving to tho Amorican peoplo relief from long continued Imposition and that they had beon unable to swerve him from his high purpose. Who was it that said "oternal vigllanco is tho price of liborty?" And who, of a later period, quoting that warning, doclared that it ought to bo posted in ovory counting room and in every school houso and workshop of tho land? It is safe to say tho average newspaper reader really bollovod that those railway presidents wore de jected aftor thoy had learnod tho purport of the president's special message. Had they but learnod tho importance of "eternal vigilance" on tho frooman's part, they would havo accepted that nowspapor story with several grains of al lowance, particularly in view of tho record this administration has made and the views its lead ors havo oxpressed upon matters affecting tho control Of groat corporato interests Tho special message has been delivered and it may now bo seen that instead of giving theso railway presidents cause for dejection the presi dent gavo them practically everything they could wish for in tho way of presidential recommenda tion. Ho recommends tho creation of a court of commerce to bo composed of five judges designated for such purpose from among tho circuit judges of tho United States. This court In t0Q ln oxclusivo original jurisdiction of all cases that have to deal with any order made by tho interstate commerco commission: all cases that como up under tho Elklns act and all man damus proceedings rolating to railroads Tho ?tr0wm0,hnPnintS 0Ut th,ttt if th,B plnn bG adopted It will bo necessary for congress to authorize him to appoint flvo additional circuit Judgw So anxious is tho president to centralize ali power with respect to railroad companies that while advising that all judicial power bo vested In his proposed court of commerce, ho recom mends that all litigation should bo under the direct control of tho department of justice, thus The Commonerr depriving tho Interstate commerco commission of tho right of initiative. Then ho recommends that railroads bo given tho privilege of "pooling arrangements." Ho thinks that tho railroads ought to havo tho privilege of making agree ments subject to tho provisions of tho inter state commerco act and providing that copies of such agreomonts bo filed with tho interstate commerco commission and providing also that any railroad party to tho agreement may cancel tho agreement by giving, thirty days notice in writing to the other parties to the agreement and to tho commission. Tho president makes several suggestions tend ing to the protection of tho public, such as em powering the commission to pass upon freight classifications and to hold up new rates until an inquiry as. to their reasonableness can be made. But the important point iB that the president would place all litigation respecting the enforcement of federal law concerning tho railroads under tho direct control of the depart ment of justice, such litigation to be passed upon by a court designated for that purpose by tho president. The suggestion is in perfect harmony with tho policy of centralization to which tho republican party so strongly leans. It is in perfect harmony with the policy of this administration whoso particular business seems to bo tho placing of all control over corporations in some central power that shall be either too busy or too indifferent to give to the subject the attontion demanded for it by the public welfare. AND NOW HE WANTS THE CENTRAL BANK Tho acquirement by J. Plerpont Morgan of Levi P. Morton's trust company has directed public attention to Morgan's power in the finan cial world. This company has a total capitali zation of $5,000,000 with resources of $170, 000,000. -Tho United Press is authority for this statement: Morgan has time and again been referred to as the money king of America, but he never de served the title more than he does now. Here aro the banks, and trust companies and insur ance concerns that he either owns or controls:' ' 'Equitable Life, NfSoYtfOS. " ' ' "' '- ' Equitable Trust company, $63,821,500. ' Mercantile Trust company'," $68,474,700. Guaranty Trust company, $170,000,000; National Bank of Commerco, $226,549,095. First National Bank, $139,621,689. Chaso National Bank, $107,285,710. Mechanics' National Bank, $51,346,368; "' National Copper Bank, $40,307;764. ;- Liberty National Bank, $24,705,014. ''' ' Bankers' Trust, $53,926, 900. "ir ' Astor Trust company, $15,205, 90Q. New York Life, $494,408,807.' ' - National City Bank (Standard Oil control) $280,447,971. ' New York Trust, $66,145,300 Standard Trust, $18,450,100. The railroad and industrial corporations, of which Morgan either Owns the giant share of the securities or dictates the policies are: Southern Railway, $466,609,877. Pero Marquette, $96,348,000. Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton, $82,369,000. Chicago Great Western, $104,766,015. International Harvester Co., $120,000,000. International Merchant Marine, $180,265. 361. United States Steel corporation, $1,497,001 500. Erie Railway, $414,256,417. Pullman company, $100,000,000. General Electric Co., $80,101,600. American Telephone and Western $515,073,200. United Dry Goods Co., $20,000,000. Public Service corporation, New Jersey, $66 -500,000. ' Interborough Rapid Transit, $169,192,000 Hudson-Manhattan Co., $57,374000. Brooklyn Rapid Transit, $125,000,000. A group of railroads in which Morgan control is nominal, but which are manipulated through his banking house, is capitalized at S3 559 104,646. ' ' With a total of more than ten billion dollars in resources in the ahove companies, Morgan it. is claimed in financial circles, can do about as he pleases with the finances of the country no matter what monetary legislation is enacted ujr liuiigicsa jtuu mere is a general ing of wonderment in Wrall Sfrot Union, feel- today as to where the aged financier is going to cet off. It is known that his ,Wf h"T , sll Burning control of the big banks, trust and it surance companies is all part of one general plan that. was decided on by Morgan and his ad visors following the panic of 1907. - Closer control of banks and stricter restric tions for their management were the sugges tions Morgan made when he was asked at that time what remedy there was for the panic and, judging from recent developments, he has set out to secure the closer control at any rate. And now ho wants the American people to givo him tho central bank. . . . Will they do it? . . : : MR. BRYAN IN CUBA From Havana News report: At a breakfast given by Minister Morgan at the "Miramar" (Havana) today, at which about eighty guests participated, including Americans, Cubans and Spaniards, among whom were Vice President Zayas, Speaker Ferrera, Genera! Mario Menocal, Mayor Cardenas, Governor Asbert, and several members of the Cuban congress, Mr. Bryan made a brief speech. After expressing his regrets that he would be unable to address the Y. M. C. A., and pay ing a high tribute to that association and the, work that it was doing, he referred to the former visit he made to Cuba when' President Palma was inaugurated, and added, in sub stance: "I am glad to see the young republic, which, our own government helped to put on its feet, meeting successfully the problems, which come before it. Do not be discouraged, because things do not go as well as you would desire; you must expect to make mistakes; we make mis takes in the United States. Those who take a superficial view of public affairs sometimes cite civil war as an evidence of incapacity for self-government. No American should take, this view, for we had in the United States tho great est civil war in the history of the world and! no one uses that argument against our capacity: to govern ourselves. ' '' "Resort to violence is always deplorable "anct will, I think, become less frequent, as civiliza tion advances. As man rises in intelligence and inorals,' reason will more and more be substi tuted for force and violen'ce In the settlement p'f difficulties. The day1 will dome when tfi world will see the folly of the doctrine thatyopi can justly settle a, difference of opinion by shoot ing the man who may differ from you. Thero is a growing acceptance of representative gov ernment and the fundamental doctrine of rep resentative government is acquiescence in the will of the majority. That was the doc trine taught by Jefferson, the greatest expo nent of representative government who ever lived; and it is necessary, to the existence of aft republics. You will recognize my right to em phasize this doctrine for I have three times met defeat, ..when supported by more than six mil lion voters, but I congratulated my successful Opponent on each occasion, and had any at tempt been made to deprive him of his victory, no one would haye supported him more loyally than I. " "The doctrine that the people have a Tight to govern themselves does not imply that they will not make mistakes; it means that the many have tho right to- make their own mistakes and also the right to correct them. A few can not claim a God-given right to make 'the mistakes for the many. If we find ourselves in the mi nority, our remedy is not to question the right of a' majority to rule, but to make an effort to convince the majority that we are right and to await with patience the triumph of our ideas co25nt that they wil1 triumph if we are right' uJ1 Inthe people Is accompanied by faith in the triumph of the right, we endure such SvJ!s.f?e.cax? not Prevent- sustained by the pelJeLthat in tIme every evil will be corrected and that every righteous principle will be vin-mcatou. MR. SHAW KNEW Leslie M. Shaw, former secretary of the treas lSf'loV snaGidfPaPer interview Printe August "It is all nonsense to talk about a revision nf the tariff. It can not be done. You mav it well understand that at the outset. Republicans hn1posrsTible.andinS reVl8i0n are dlng?! Mr. Shaw knew. How did it happen that tha rank and file of the republicans did not know? Will they never learn that republicans demand the impossible when they call for legislation hi tho public welfare at the bands of a party that teTes'tsV CamPaign UndS from - ' . r." $:' -3 : ..i$V - ;, . K ' ' i -7m& . tM -V- mtr- " -'as M"i ijgjaBfrfctoaita tt.