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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1910)
4t?MteA. jaja 3fMtLJ. r -, H,. The Commoner. VOLUME 10, NUMBER If fe 6 imh' mtmrmmwm awn tfM 1 i J,tn.ii-latJ'"'' miMm ' ' "Ji l-.LCir i ii ' IIMPWI " i' yNK "JPTZ jTjma. HCCUER6NT t i t hi i. REFERRING TO Mr. Taft's railroad bill, tho Dob Moines (Iowa) Register and Leader, republican, says: "No Intelligent person can road tho bill and not know It was drawn for tho purposo of deceiving somebody. There is scarce ly a frank or straightforward provision in it. The president's Indorsement of tho bill has given color to the suspicion that ho turned tho whole matter over to others. It is wholly in consistent with his reputation as a lawyer that ho should have known what tho bill contained. Nover was a bill so completely riddled as Senator Cummins riddled this one. Never wore such patent attempts to decoivo exposed in a measure having high indorsement. Senator LaFollotto simply tolls tho truth about it. No man can confess to having had anything to do with tho drafting of this bill, who is not willing to accopt tho responsibility of having attempted to deceive congress and tho people." AT THE SPECIAL olectlon in tho Thlrty socond (Rochestor) congressional district of Now York, hold on April 19, J. S. Havens, demo crat, was elected over George W. Aldridge, re publican, by a plurality of 5,831. At tho regular olectlon in 1908 James B. Perkins, republican, was olectod by a plurality of 10,1G7. Not only did Havons carry tho city of Rochester, but ho carried every one of tho country towns save one. Tho Issuo in tho country towns was tho "high cost of living," and tho farmers evidently accoptod it as tho vital issuo and voted accord ingly. Rochester, a city noted for its manufac turing Industries, especially clothing, seemingly took tho now tariff, and especially tho wool schedule, as tho paramount issue. There aro moro clothing factories in Tlochester than in any other city in tho United States, and the result of tho election clearly shows that the clothing industry looks upon tho wool schedule as unfair. Tho ropubllcan managers flooded tho district with copies of President Taft's dofenso and en dorsement of tho law, especially the wool sched ule, as wholly mooting tho republican pledge, and owners of business establishments were warned that the election of Aldridge would mean that tho countrywide demand for re-opening tho tariff question would bo omphasizod instead of checkod. Despite all these efforts a republican plurality of 10,000 in 1908 was changed to a democratic plurality of 5,000 in 1910. IN THE RECENT insurance graft investiga tions in Now York it was shown that Ald ridge had accepted a check for $1,000 for using his influence in securing the passage of a cer tain insurance bill. Democratic leaders insist that tliis had no particular influence on the result, tho fight being waged solely on tho tariff issue. The executive council of the American Federation of Labor endorsed Havens, and the ropubllcan leaders admit that thiB had an ap preciable effect. THE SPECIAL election in tho Thirty-second New York district is tho third special con gressional election since tho enactment of tho Payne-Aldrich-Cannon tariff law. The death of Congressman DoArmond, democrat, necessitated & special election in tho Sixth Missouri district Tho election was held on February 1, 1910, and O. O. Dickinson, democrat, was elected by a plurality of 3,788. DeArmond's plurality at tho 1908 election was 1,199. On March 22 a special election was held In the Fourteenth Mas sachusetts district, which elected a' republican in 1908 by a plurality of 14,250. At tho special election Fobs, democrat, was elected by a plur ality of 6,650. HAVENS' VICTORY was made tho subject of editorial comment in tho leading New York papers tho following day. Tho Times says the democratic victory is moro than a revolt against Impure state politics, adding: "The people do not at all agree with the president when he says the Payne-Aldrich tariff is a 'good tariff.' Thov have been unable to agrqo with his complacent ylew of tho works of tho old leaders at Wash ington, of that stalwart republican organization just now falling to pieces through the overthrow of Cannon and tho announced retirement of Aldrich and Hale." Tho Morning World says: "Tho tariff issue, used with such telling effect by Mr. Foss in Massachusetts, undoubtedly con tributed to tho result. Rochester does not differ from Boston or Kansas City in resenting broken pledges of tho republican party in Washington." Tho Press declares Havens' election was a "splendid democratic victory," duo to unclean state and national politics, and not to the tariff. Hearst's American says: "Tho ultimate portent of tho event at Rochester is that tho spirit of political independence is abroad in tho land, sweeping away tho debris of old political ma chines, cancelling the nominations of disgrace ful candidates and preparing the way for a new politics of honesty, openness and efficiency." The Tribune says tho result rested entirely upon the moral issues at stake and that public sentiment forced tho defeat of Aldridge. A SAN J JAN, Porto Rico dispatch to the Philadelphia Ledger says: "William J. Bryan has returned hero after a tour of the principal towns. Ho expressed much surprise over the resources and the progress of the island and the scenery. At Hatillo yesterday Mr. Bryan laid tho corner stone of the Boys' Industrial Institute building, which is to be erected by tho Methodist Mission. The institute will include a Bryan school of citizenship. The municipality of Hatillo has named a street after the disting uished Nebraskan. Mr. Bryan made a stirring address at Ponco Thursday night, in which he warmly approved the course of the United States toward the island 'of Porto Rico. Upon his arrival Mr. Bryan announced to the political leaders who called upon him to solicit his as sistance in ojpposlng the Olmsted Porto Rican bill that he was ready to listen, but would not talk politics in Porto Rico. Thursday night ho was dined in Ponce by the political element. In speeches that followed the ultra-radicals vio lently attacked tho United States and the local government on the theory that Porto Rico was being tyrannized. Mr. Bryan listened to such speeches and interrupted the third, replying with a patriotic and spirited address in which he indorsed the attitude of the United States toward tho island and tho American adminis tration therein. Later he addressed another largo audience in the Ponce theatre in which ho gave forceful expression to tho same senti ments, after which he was congratulated by some of the radical leaders." AS FREELY predicted, a newspaper corre spondent says the United States supremo court will, on account of Justice Brewer's death hear re-argument in the Standard Oil and to bacco trust cases. President Taft will appoint Justice Brewer's successor who will sit in these cases when they are re-argued. A Washington dispatch to the Chicago Record-Herald says No decision in either of these cases, upon which so much has depended industrially, politicals and with respect to administration activities in other anti-trust proceedings, now can be had until early next winter. Tho fall elections will have passed before the highest tribunal renders an opinion, for tho existing conditions preclude tho second argument ordered until the court meets for the final term next October. A ver table sensation was sprung by tho court when immediately after convening today, the chief justice, in the most matter-of-fact way reas signed the cases for argument. The news flashed to New York, began to affect the stock market almost before the assembled lawyers had time to analyze the meaning of the order. In ' Washington tho acute interest speedily centered on the effect the new situation would have In determining the personality of the late Justice Brewer's successor and upon tho influence which delay in deciding the 'trust-busting' suits in augurated by the administration might have ,5" on tho political campaign soon to open The?: are two views regarding the influence of the postponement of the decisions upon the country Ultra conservatives, notably some of tho eastern senators think tho delay will be a goSd thing inasmuch as it may give reviving Industry chance to establish itself permanently without further immediate worry as to how corporation affairs are to be disturbed. A more widely held view, however the one that finds lodgment with many government officials and with the majority of practical politicians is that fate has added to the complications confronting the re publican party in the contest now before it." POLITICS IN Tennessee is somewhat mixed. An Associated Press dispatch from Nash ville says: "Whatever will be the results po litically in Tennessee in the supreme court de cisions in the Cooper case and the pardon of Colonel Cooper by Governor Patterson, opinion seems general that the old factional lines, Pat terson and anti-Patterson, the latter represent ing the prohibition or statewide element of the state democracy are unchanged. In fact they are more taut if that be possible. The governor's friends claim that his action has served to ce ment more closely than ever his following, that it has given them a rallying cry to battle. On the other hand it has embittered to an even more intense degree the hostility to him on the part of his political enemies. Carmack was tho leader and idol of the statewider. His friends, charging that his killing was the outcome of a political scheme, made it the chief issue in a bitter war that has since been relentlessly waged against Patterson, and the Cooper case has col ored the entire political atmosphere of Tennes see. A governor and state judiciary are soon to be elected. The state democratic committee dominated by Patterson men recently called a blanket primary for June 4 to make nominations. Enemies of Patterson freely charged the inclu sion of the judiciary as an attempt to wield a club over the supreme court which had the Cooper case under advisement and every mem ber of which was an aspirant for re-election. Matters were complicated by the refusal of Chief Justice Beard and Justices Shields and Neill to enter tho primary. They will run independently, and now that their attitude on the celebrated case is known, the question is, what will the alignment be? It is most complex if the atti tude of individual members of the court are to be taken into the analysis. Meanwhile Patter son, serving his second term as governor, has not said if he will be an aspirant for a third term. Many of his friends are consistently urg ing him to be, while equally strong pressure is being used to induce him to run for United btates senator to succeed James B. Frazier In cidentally, Mr. Frazier, a candidate to succeed himself, has refused to enter the June primary. The statewide faction is well organized and prepared to fight Patterson wherever he lands, but they have not put forward a name to be used in connection with the gubernatorial 'race. furlou gn' n U PenS' is expected to b rpHE INCOME TAX law of South. Carolina X has been held to be constitutional by the supreme court o that state. The Columbia (i C. State says: "The opinion holSsThat the th te rtSe'S ??!? ?1UT the tituUono? mis state or the fourteenth amendment of tim constitution of the United States ThrProvision of the fourteenth amendment, which it T oflo'w "atoe SaT ! v7olated frS as lawwhichNsha Tabr Use SfSrSSi " rC6 T munities of the 5thS? of iffi gSS ?psssB income tax law there is n letfllr?Vlsions of tho without due process of lnwnklns,of verty equal protecttoS o -the hTw n denlf l ot tho Mr. Alderman ?ha th! Sme tw leged by constitutional in that it denied tohimWWaB Un7 protection of tho laws an? a1 m the equal in that: 1. inconTes under sfoT8 f laT taxed and incomes over said n'? are not this being an Z & .s wwnrafes,l sJtf --' 4. J.'-. Jt