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The Commoner.
JUNE 24, 1910
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railroads within its borders. The rate regula
tion bill being considered at Washington is the
step hich presages this final result.' The atti
tude, taken by President Ripley and other west
ern railroad men is that the railroads can no
longer endure the radical legislation, which,
they claim, takes the management of their
property out of their hands and it is stated to be
the concensus of opinion of western railroad
men that the inevitable consequence of recently
enacted legislation, or that now pending, will
be the retirement of private owners from .the
control of railroad lines. "With the powers given
by the new legislation, railroad officials assert
the government officials may compel railroads
to operate at a loss. The western railroad. own
ers regard these laws as confiscatory and in
violation of their property rights. They can
only -fdrsee long and expensive litigation to
project their property rights and, rather than
incur waste in time and money and risk the
destruction of rights in the storm of demands .
for radical action against -public carreers, they
are Willing to sell to the' government'
DANIEL WILLARD, president of the Balti
more and Ohio railroad, is another rail
road chief who believes government ownership
of railroads will soon be at hand. A Deer Park,
Md., dispatch carried by the Associated Press
says: "Mr, Willard said that he did not be
lieve such a result would be to tho best inter
ests of tho country for, on the basis of rates
and service, governmental ownership or even ex
acting regulation, had not been proven to bo
such abroad. Freight rates, he declared, were
far lower here than in any other country, and
had been going downward in face of the reverse
as to operating expenses. Mr. WillaTd an
nounced that the policy of his administration
was to be a recognition of the changed condi
tions regarding supervision of railroads, and a
strict adherence to tho statutes so long as their
validity was .undisturbed by judicial declara
tion of unconstitutionality. In urging upon
the officials the necessity for complete unity in
working for the company's interest, Mr. Willard
pointed out that Increased .wages on the Baltl
moreand Ohio had added upwards of $2,000000
to expense of1 operations, and Increased cost of
JalfcmatfcrlalS entering into the extensive equip
ment.'purchasesaritl betterment in progress had
added ' as' many millions Jnlore.'' s
AS THEODORE Roosevelt was nearlng the
American shore he gave out the following
public statement: "I have been' away a' year
and a quarter. While I enjoyed Africa most,
I enjoyed Europe a very great deal. In fact,
I fail to see how anyone could have had a more
interesting or pleasatiter trip than I have had.
I wish to express my very deep appreciation of
the more than generous courtesy and hospitality
with which I was treated by the people and the
rulers of the countries through which I passed.
But of course, I am very glad to get home. I
appreciate deeply the kindliness of a multitude
of friends who have asked me to speak in differ
ent places, and hope they will understand that
it is simply a physical impossibility for me even
to consider accepting more than one in a hun
dred of these invitations. I shall not speak for
more than two months, and then will speak first
at the John Brown celebration in Kansas City, at
the Cheyenne frontier gathering, at the conserva
tion congress in St. Paul and possibly at one or
two other places. I shall have nothing whatever
to say in the immediate future about politics,
and will hold no Interview whatever on the
subject with any one, and anything purporting
to be an interview with me that may appear can
be safely set down at once as an Invention." Mr.
Roosevelt landed in Now York Saturday, June
18. "He was given a monster reception, after
which he retired to his home in Oyster Bay.
THE RAILROAD bill, somewhat amended, and
the Arizona and New Mexico statehood bill
passed congress and were signed by the presi
dent. An Associated Press dispatch says; "It
can not be stated definitely when Arizona and
New Mexico will come into the union under this
legislation. It requires that the constitutions
adopted by the proposed states must be ratified
by congress and approved by the president. Con
ceding that the statehood bill will be in force
within a lew' days, it will be necessaTy for the
territories to hold constitutional conventions,
which will require many weeks, submit the con
futations to the people of the territories for
adoption and then return them to Washington,
Provision Is made against join elections 'for the
adoption of tho contitutlon, and for tho nomina
tion and election of state officers. It is impos
sible, therefore to specify when tho people .of
the two territories will enjoy tho benefits of
statehood and many believe that it will not bo
before tho presidential election of 1912. The
railroad bill, which will bo ready for the presi
dent's signature on his return to Washington,
is substantially in accordance with tho presi
dent's message demanding amendments to the
Interstate commerce lays. About tho only ex
ceptions are that it does not legalize holding
agreements made by railroads, permit mergers
or regulate the issuance of stocks and bonds.
It creates a commerce court and broadens tho
scope of the jurisdiction by the Interstate com
merce commission as regards regulations and
practices by railroads. It also broadens tele
graph, telephone and cable companies within that
jurisdiction. Supervision is given to the com
mission oer increases of rates, and this section,
as well as one making provision for the Investi
gation of the stock and bond question, 'will go
into effect immediately upon the bill being
signed. Other provisions, and they are exten
sive, will take effect within sixty days from tho
day of approval."
WT. STEAD had some caustic criticisms
to offer on Mr. Roosevelt's Guild hall
speech. Mr. Stead says: "I am profoundly
grateful to Mr. Roosevelt for his speech, My
only regret is that it is impossible for us to
offer him the post of British resident in Egypt.
It is awfully good pf him to take so much
trouble to tell us what we ought to do. In
fact, since I tried to teach my grandmother to
suck eggs I haven't seen anything quite like it.
From the point of view of a circus, the perform
ance is absolutely beyond all praise, but as
politics well, "that is another matter. Suppos
ing Mr.- Roosevelt is right and that Sir Eldon
Gorst is criminally slack in enforcing order in
Egypt, upon which I express no opinion, Mr.
Roosevelt's invective will render it practically
impossible for Sir Edward Grey to remove Sir
Eldon Gorst. We went to .Egypt, twenty-eight
years ago under solemn pledgesto establish rep
resentative institutions in that country. We
have certainly not shown ourselves in any hurry
to clear out, nor have we been very precipitate
in establishing representative, institutions. We
havo moved slowly, many of us think too slowly.
And an unfortunate incident happened in tho
assassination of Boutros Pasha. We have caught
the assassin, tried him, and sentenced him to
death. What more did Mr. Roosevelt do when
an assassin made him president of the United
States? What amuses me is to see how Mr.
Roosevelt will get on when John Dillon and the
Irish nationalists Invite him to dinner this week,
for on the principles laid down at the Guild hall
any movement in the direction of home rule
would be barred by such an episode as tho
Phoenix Park murders 'to mention no later
outrage. Mr. Dillon might have something to
say to Mr. Roosevelt by which he might profit."
THE RAILROAD trust Is, in the opinion of
many people, playing a trick on the coun
try. The Denver Times says that tho railroads
proposed to show the president a thing or two
and adds: "Principally, what they will show
is that if they can not have everything their
own way they will smash a few things for
spite. This is the same trick that Big Business
played upon President Roosevelt in 1907. It
was measurably, although perilously, successful
at that time. Appalled by the danger of a panic,
which he feared might injure the masses more
than it Tvould cost tho conspirators, Mr. Roose
velt deferred some of his contemplated reform
attacks and recognized the 'patriotic public
spirit' of the money masters at New York, in
pouring their reserve millions into the street
to avert disaster. Later it became a fair sus
picion that the threat and the rescue had both
been parts of a plot to stay progressive legisla
tion and resolute administration. This present
announcementof the railroads seems to havo
a similar purpose. By withholding the increase
of transportation facilities demanded by. the
growing business, of tho country, and by attribut
ing this delay or abandonment of extensions to
their Inability to raise money in this time of
legislative and administrative activity on rail
road matters; they expect to enlist all the other
commercial interests of the country on their
Bide. Finance and trade both desire activity;
and if the railroads pause in the work of im
provement, both are threatened with grievous
loss. But the trick Is too badly battered to
sorvo another such turn. If tho railroad com
bino has lost so much pf conscionco and gained
so much of dominion in this country, that it
will and can permit general prosperity only upon,
its own tyrannous torms; tho president and the
congress might as well bring the contest to a
decisive Issuo at onco."
THE McLEAN EDITORIAL
William J. Bryan is very nctlvo thlB year In
tho work of destroying the chances of tho dem
ocratic party.
Matters were looking very well in" Ohio a
few weeks' ago, Then Mr. Bryan got busy and'
started a division that threatens to nullify tho
efforts of all broad-minded democrats to hold
tho party together nnd carry the state.
Factional strife among the republicans In
some congrcsloiml districts afTorded an oppor
tunity for democratic success until Mr. Bryan
Interfered. He Is trying to prevent tho return
to congress of democrats who are -not subser
vient to his ambitions. No doubt he will scatter
enough discord In some districts to accomplish
his purpose. He is a past master in the art
of stirring up strife in his own party.
What does Mr. Bryan want? What Is his
purpose? Is It to rule or ruin the democratic
party?
Time and bitter defeat three times adminis
tered ought to havo taught Mr. Bryan that ho
can not be elected president. There is no credit "
for him in ruling tho democratic party In his
own bohalf, Ho can not win. Other men, truo
democrats, would have stood aside after such
great disasters and sacrificed their personal am
bitions for the sake of their party. Mr. Bryan'a
plan Is to ruin the party If it will not servo hi
interests. If any democrat appears to bo gaining:
national popularity he finds Mr. Bryan on his
back, knifing him. Governor Johrison felt tho
effect of Bryan's jealousy, and now Governor
Harmon feels It. There must be no democratic
god but Bryan. Rather let the party be de
stroyed, ,$nd republicans, placed In- power for
evorsth"an permit deinocrats to rally around j
hiany who could win. , f
. The democratic party suffers untold injury
from the assaults of Mr. Bryan upon good men
within the' party. Tho pary can not be expected
to unite and do strong battle if It Is continually
distracted by this fire In tho rear. Not only is
tho party divided in presidential contests, but
its usefulness in the house and senate is im
paired by Mr. Bryan's attacks upon democrats
who are doing their best to build up a strong
and united party. Thus the political ammuni
tion that might be prepared during sessions of
congress for use in presidential campaigns is
lost. Democrats can not afford to devote all
their time to their party when compelled to
light off Mr. Bryan's attacks. Some of the most
brilliant men In the party the more brilliant
the better targe.ts they ihake for Bryan are
facing defeat, not because they can not stand
up against republican competitors, but because
these competitors are in effect reinforced by
Mr. Bryan.
When is Mr. Bryan to quit his work of de
stroying the democratic party? Washington
(D. C.) Post, Tuesday-, June 14.
TWO GOOD STORIES
- "Jiramie," said the teacher, "your face Is
dirty again today. What would you say should
I como to school with my face dirty?" "I'd be
too polite," explained Jimmie, "to say anything
about it."
The man had been summoned to serve as a
juryman before Judge Reilly and asked to bo
excused because he owed the Democrat four
years' subscription and he wanted to go and
hunt up the publisher and pay It before he for
got It again. "Do you mean to tell this court,"
demanded the judge, "that you would deliber
ately go out and hunt up a man to pay a bill
instead of waiting for him to sue you?" "I do,
your honor." "Then you are excused. I don't
want any man on a jury in my court that will
lie like that," Kearney (Neb.) Democrat.
Tho American Homestead, m monthly farm
journal of national scope, will bo sent to all
Commoner subscribers, without additional cost,
who renew their subscriptions daring the months
of Jane. Take advantage of this offer at once,
and send in your renewal.
. aur-W. ,