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The Commoner.
NOVEMBER 11, 1910
tion, more victims fall to It yearly In tho United
States than to tho dreaded cobra in India. Some
twelve thousand Americans are killed every year
by Its bite. Threo hundred thousand moro aro
mado seriously ill from tho after effects. Un
fortunately, tho virus works so slowly that alarm
Is stilled. Tho victims do not sicken at once.
The bito is forgotten; but ten days or two weeks
after tho subject falls Into a fever. Yet, be
cause there 13 nothing horrific to tho sensatlon
lovkig imagination in the malaria-bearing mos
quito, public inertia or Ignorance tolerates it
with a grin and permits It to breed In city and
country alike throughout tho length and breadth
of tho nation. Compared with it, as a real men
ace, all the combined brood of snakes, scorpions,
centipedes, tarantulas and other pet bugaboos
of our childish romanticism aro utterly negli
gible; aro as figment to reality, as shadow to
substance. It Is perhaps characteristic of our
wryly humorous American temperament that wo
should have invested tho unimportant danger
with all tho shuddering attributes of horror', and
have mado of tho real peril a joke to bo peren
nially hailed with laughter in a thousand
thoughtless prints."
AN INTERESTING story relating to Lincoln
Is printed in the Kansas City Star and is
vouched for by Mr. A. H. McCormick. It will
probably cause considerable discussion among
tho students of Lincoln literature. The Star's
story follows: 'There are not many people who
know that President Abraham Lincoln looked
into the future during tho civil war and
prophesied that tho next generation following
him would see tho initiative and referendum
adopted by every state In the union. This is
tho statement of A. H. McCormick, a member
of tho last legislature from Crawford county,
Kansas, and republican nominee for re-election.
'I heard President Lincoln tell General Grant
and General Meade that the initiative and refer
endum was bound to become universal In tho
United States,' said McCormick. 'I was a
union soldier. Just a short time before the
breaking of tho confederate lines in front of
Petersburg President Abraham Lincoln visited
General Grant at City Point on the James river.
'At thatr time I was crippled in the left arm by a
musket shot and wis detailed as mail agent for.
tho Second corpse I frequently made trips from
tho front to City Point. One day General De
Fobriann gave me a letter and ordered mo to
deliver it to General Meade. He asked for a
reply. "When I entered General Meade's tent
I found with him General Grant and President
Lincoln and two other officers. They had evi
dently been talking earnestly about Switzerland.
They stopped when I entered tho tent. I pre
sented my letter to General Meade. He read it
and said: Tell the general 'Yes.' I was about
to withdraw when a sudden thunder shower
burst. General Meade turned to me and said:
'Soldier, Bit down and wait for the rain to
quit.' I sat on a camp' stool in rather a dark'
corner of the tent. Apparently not noticing my
presence President Lincoln continued tho con
versation evidently where he had left off when
I came in. Turning to General Grant,, he said:
General, tho day will come, but it will not bo
In your day or mine, when every state in this
union will have the initiative and referendum.
"When that day comes the people will rule, the
people will rule.' As ho said this he brought
his fist down on the table with such vehemenco
that he overturned the ink bottle. I knew short
hand. I sat there and took the conversation 'as
it was given. When I returned to my camp I
iaade two copies of President Lincoln's remarks.
I sent one copy homo and kept the other. I
Carried it in my family Bible. I still have it.
It was many years after before I realized what
President Lincoln had meant by the initiative
and referendum. I became an advocate of tho
principle. It was I who introduced in the last
house 'house concurrent resolution No. 2 This
called for the initiative and referendum. It was
lost. I Intend to try again this winter if I am
aent back to the house.' "
JUDGE PETER S. Grosscup, of the United
States circuit court, Chicago, delivered an
address on democracy before the Knights of
Columbus at Chicago. Judge Grosscup said:
"To establish an enlarged democracy for the
future a democracy that will harmonize in
freedom in production with a just distribution
of the fruits of production something more
than mere criminal prosecution, something
shore than stirring the depths of unrest wo
need nothing less, indeed, than a president and
congress who havo courage enough to rccognlzo
that monopoly Is hero to stay and thnt tho way
to deal with it is to make it deal fairly with
tho peoplo by putting a limit on its profits;
nothing loss than a president and congress who
will take up the tariff, in judicial tribunals, take
up cases that demand a careful and disinterest
ed injuiry into the facts; nothing less than a
president and congress whoso purposo will bo
to so reconstruct tho corporation (thoso that
aro monopolies as well as thoso that aro not)
that tho corporate medium of holding property
will become as representative of tho peoplo as
the land laws havo become. And to accom
plish this wo must tako bur leaders, not from
those who, in tho language of a friond of mine,
sit on the tall board of tho wagon and do noth
ing but cry 'whoa' nor from among thoso who
Bit with tho driver urging him to whip tho horses
into a runaway. Tho American people, I be
lieve, are in no mood to come to a standstill;
nor do they wish a smashup. Thero need bo
neither. There needs to bo a leadership, how
ever, Into which is put the superb faith of Co
lumbus that ahead is tho shore sought, and
tho superb faith of Lincoln that, with tho sav
ing common" senso of the American people be
hind it, no just causo needs bo loBt."
THE NEW YORK Christian Advocate, a Meth
odist publication, contributes a final noto
to tho music of tho world when it pays tho fol
lowing tribute to a famous Catholic priest:
" 'Father' Lambert, otherwise tho Rev. Louis
Albert Lambert, editor-in-chief of tho Freeman's
Journal of this city, and author of Notes on
Ingersoll, Tactics of Infidels, Thesaurus Bibllcus
and Christian Science Before tho Bar of Reason,
died lost month at Newfoundland, N. J., a place
whoso healthfulness is widely known. Ho would
havo been seventy-Blx years old had ho lived till
February 11. His mother was a Quakeress who,
after her marriage, became a Roman Catholic.
When the civil war broke out, Father Lambert
was appointed chaplain in tho army, and after
that he was pastor in Cairo, 111., for two years,
when he was mado professor of moral philosophy
at tho Paulist Institute In this city. In 1877
he founded the Catholic Times, at Waterloo,
N. Y.; later tho paper was removed to Roches
ter. Father Lambert did a great work in ox
posing tho fallacies of Colonel Ingersoll in tho
North American Rdvlew. Tho eloquent orator
attacked tho Christian religion vigorously.
Father Lambert replied to him In a series of
newspaper articles, which were published in
bgok form, under the titlo Notes on Ingersoll.
This book ran through ten editions in about as
many months. Two years afterward a Reply to
tho Rev. L. A. Lambert's Notes on Ingersoll was
produced by another writer. Immediately Father
Lambert answered that in a book entitled Tactics
of Infidels. These volumes havo been approved
in both Protestant and Catholic circles. Tho
Young Men's Christian Association circulated
them by the thousand. A short timo after that
a dispute occurred between Father Lambert
and his bishop, tho militant Dr. McQuaid. Tho
bishop took Father Lambert's parish from him.
The latter -appealed to Rome, which decided
against tho bishop, who was forced to give
Father Lambert a pastorate, and ho sent him to
Scottsville, N. Y. Tho parish work there was
light enough to afford him abundant opportu
nity to write, and for some some timo he edited
tho Catholic Standard of Philadelphia. Sinco
1894 he had been the chief editor of tho Free
man's Journal in this city. Ho had a 'strong,
keen, witty, logical, hearty style of controversy
Wo had much pleasure in his acquaintance and
had a compact with him that if wo erred in any
statements concerning Catholicism ho would
notify us privately before attacking us publicly,
and we were to treat him In tho samo manner.
But ho did not have occasion to notify us fre
quently, as we do not hastily represent the views
either of our own or other religious bodies. His
dissection of Ingersoll's tirades against Chris
tianity was a needful work well done."
WHAT THE TARIFF HAS DONE FOR ME
(The Commoner will print letters describing
personal experiences with tho republican high
tariff. Letters must necessarily be brief and
to tho point.)
Tho cry hno boon through many campaigns,
and it has served to catch tho oyo of tho eager
voter. "Protect American labor from tho pnupor
labor of Europe" It looks fino and If put In
practlco It would -bo, but how docs thq repub
lican tariff protect tho American labor from
tho Europonn labor when no thought Is glvon
to tho immigration laws and instead of having
to compcto with this pauper labor In Ktiropo
wo havo to compoto with them at our very doom,
and what American lnboror can compoto suc
cessfully with this class of labor, which works
shoulder to shoulder with them In our mills
unless tho Amorican laborer lowers himself In
tho modo of living, so as to bo oxactly on tho
levol with tho low class laborer of Russia and
Italy?
I will quoto an instanco: Thoro Is a largo
cotton mill in this city owned by a man that is
an ardent protectionist and member of tho re
publican stato committee This man employs
a largo number of help and conducts part of his
factory all night, making a twolvo hour shift.
Ho omploys ontlrely for this work Poles and
Lithunians, and pays thorn at tho rato of eighty
five and ninety cents per night, and this samo
omployor Is ono of tho first to como forth with
that clarion cry, "Protect Amorican labor from
tho pauper labor of Europe'
This man, of course, is no.t alono in this, for it
is genoral among corporations but it is an ox
ample of how theso "patriots" pull tho wool
ovor tho eyes of tho Amorican peoplo. Thinking
this might bo of somo Interest to you, I am
Your ardent admirer,
A. D. ANDERSON.
A ROOK WORTH READING
Anthony Van Wagonon of Sioux City, la., has
Just Issued, through Putnam's Sons a book on
tho Government Ownership of Railroads, which
ought to bo In tho hands of all who aro studying
tho transportation question. Ho discusses tho
principles Involved, compares prlvato and publlo
control and reviews tho experience of other
countries. His statistics aro valuablo and his
conclusions Instructive.
"ELECTION NIGHT"
-Several years ago on election day tho Omaha
World-Herald printed a poem entitled "Election
Night." This poem was from tho pen of Will
M. Maupln, well known to Commoner readers.
It is printed now by request:
ELECTION NIGHT
I am going home this evening when tho voting
has been done,
And I have it fixed so Golden Locks and I
Will forget about elections, or that counting
has begun,
As wo journey to tho land of By-lo-By.
We will board our good ship Slumbers-she tho
captain, I tho crow
And wo'll sail away without a caro or sigh
On' a Journey old as ages, though a Journey
over new,
To tho flower land of pleasure, By-lo-By.
While tho politicians argue and the ofllce
seekers fret,
And tho gamblers and tho brokers shako
with dread,
Wo will set our sails and Journey, all our cares
and trials forget.
Past the flowered, drowsy isles of Nod-a-Head.
What caro Wo for politicians with their tales
of grief and woo?
Or what all tho oily orators have said?
We have raised our good ship's anchor and be
fore tho wind wo go
Past the flower-covered isles of Nod-a-Head.
And wo set our sails and tiller, catching ev'n
ing's balmy wind
Far away from grief and trouble we will fly;
And wo'll hasto to cross tho water, leaving
politics behind,
And cast anchor on the shores of By-lo-By.
Yes, I'm going homo this evening, greet my
babo with eyes of blue,
Then together wo will Journey, she and I,
On our tried and true ship Slumber to the land
whero dreams come true
Jo the flower-laden land of By-lo-By.
Amsterdam, N. Y., September 12, 1910. '
"Looking backward" again at tho farce which
was given at Washington, D. C, under the namo
of "Tariff Revision Downward," the subject
again arises, viz: How many votes did the cor
porate Interests gain by tho protective tariff?
Tho American Homestead, a monthly farm
Journal of national scope, Mill bo sent to all
Commoner subscribers, without additional cost,
who renew their subscriptions during tho mouth
of November '.Then this notice is mentioned.
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