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The Commoner.
VOLUME 11; NUMBER
KECIPROCITY WITH Canada as provided for
In tho agrcemout with tlio Canadian gov
ornmont was laid bofpre congross In a special
mosBago from tho president. This agreement
Is tho result of tho negotiations that have been
in progress for tho past ten months. By its pro
visions tho United States removes duties amount
ing .to , 850, 000, whllo Canada remits duties
amounting to $2,500,000. Concerning tho agree
ment tho Associated Press says: "It provides
a notablo abatoment of duties on a number of
American products consumed in Canada. Prom
inent among theso is bituminous coal, which is
now exported to Canada to tho value of several
million dollars annually. Thore is also a much
bettor opening for American farm machinery
and implements. No less than ninety-one per
cent of tho Canadian goods imported into tho
United States will benefit by considerable reduc
tions of duties. Tho intention of tho commis
sioners to remove duties on printing paper and
wood pulp was effected so far as tho Dominion
government could do it outside limitations ex
isting in tho laws of the Canadian provincial
governments imposing export duty on wood cut
on crown lands in Canada, but tho American
duty will' Ho only on tho comparatively small
proportion of Canadian pulp or wood cut on such
crown lands. Tho agreement, to become effec
tive, must bo shaped as a law amendatory of
tho existing tariff acts in tho United States and
in Canada and it will require sharp work to ac
complish this, so far as congress Is concerned,
in tho brief poriod of time remaining of tho
present session."
CONCERNING THE New York senatorial
fight tho Albany correspondent for the
Now York World said: "One report current is
that tho origin of several postal cards and cir
culars attacking Mr. Sheehan on religious
grounds had been traced to some of his indis
croot friends who had attempted to take advan
tage of the alleged opposition to him because
of his religious views. Both insurgents and
friends of Mr. Sheehan were vehement in their
protestations of lack of knowledge concerning
tho origin of theso circulars."
RIGHT REV. P. A. LUDDEN, bishop of the
Catholic dioceso of Syracuse, gave out tho
following signed statement of his views on tho
deadlock at Albany over tho election of a
United States senator: "According to our theory
and system of government tho majority rules,
or is supposed to rule. That's our boasted sys
tem, and American patriots ought to stand by
that systom or expatiate themselves as do tho
Astors and other apostate patriots. Why is tho
business of our legislature obstructed by the un
seemly and unreasoning quarrels now going on
about the oloction of tho United States senator?
Put down the answer and explanation. Bigotry
and tho old spirit of knownothingism. Neither
Ib yet dead and both are very much alive, al
though poorly and only transparently disguised
Daniel Dougherty, the famous author and lec
turer, used to relate that when once on a time
ho wan a candidate for some political office an
Irishman mot him and said: 'Mr. Dougherty
you havo no show for election. Because you
are an Irishman and that's agin you; and you
aro a Catholic, and that's agin' you; and your
nam is Dougherty.' Now, this is an Illustration
or our state democratic quarrels over tho elec
tion of a senator of tho United States. 'Why''
askod Mr. Dougherty. 'I don't know exactly
what the Tammany democracy means in con
tradistinct on to others of tho state democracy
but I do know that without tho democrats of
tho groat city of Now York tho other democrats
2L?f mMCOuyn,t olect a sinelo ate official,
great or little. The real meaning of the opnos '
Won led by the Osbornes and others against New
York democrats led by Murphy, is that "of tZ
Irishman above stated. 'You are an Irishman
and that's agin' you; you are Cattolte SS
that's agin' you, and your name is Murphy
S JS" vn0Sg? t0 haV0 Murphy and Tammany
and New York democrats elect our governor, and
in driving out the republicans, place In office
democratic state officials, draw tho chestnut
out of tho fire and shako the plum tree; but for
reward they must bo content with severe slander
and abuse. Poor, ill-fated democracy! Nation
ally and locally it is unfortunate; it is composed
of strife, discord and contention. In my travels
through Ireland some years ago I passed by a
pound, a well known cattle prison, in which the
landlords used to imprison the cattle of tenants
who were unable or not prompt in paying the
rent. At this time the only occupants were two
donkeys. The creatures were in a condition of
starvation and yet they wore pawing and fighting
each other to death. Our democrats aro em
blematically long-eared, and while they are
starving politically they are at each other's ears
and fighting for spoils never within their reach."
AFTER THE election of Mr. Martin of New
Jersey Governor Wilson said: "I think
that tho gratification of the state in the result
will be chiefly based upon the knowledge that
henceforth the selection of United States sena
tors will be upon an entirely different basis. The
people will know that henceforth they are to
make free choice of their United States senators
on their own responsibility. This situation is in
the line of the manifest movement of public
opinion all over the country." Being informed
of his election to the senate Mr. Martine said:
"This contest has been for a principle one
vital to our country and to the future of self
government. The victory- is not that of an in
dividual, but of the people. The significance
of the result obtained in the legislature today,
under the impulse of an honest application of a
system of direct primary voting, is that the peo
ple welcome in fact, demand the privilege,
the right, of. choosing members of the United
States senate by popular vote."
FOR THE THIRD time the Texas legislature
elected Charles A. Culberson to tho United
States senate. Senator Culberson acknowledged
the honor in a graceful and forceful speech. In
that speech the senator said: "In the recent
campaign the party, alter many defeats, won a
decisive and memorable victory because it stood
for its basic and structural philosophies of gov
ernment; because it represented progress in such
matters and insisted upon the people taking a
larger and more direct share in public affairs;
and because it demanded that trusts should
be destroyed, that corporations should be regu
lated and controlled and that selfish and special
interests should no longer dictate legislation to
burden and oppress the masses. In that con
test new nationalism was strangled. The propo
sition which this dogma involves, to merge the
executive, legislative and judicial functions, as
well as the whole reserved power of the people,
into a supreme executive who should be steward
of the general welfare unrestrained by positive
law, has been the aTgument and dream of every
tyrant since the world began. Against it, the
instinct, the intelligence and the patriotism of
the people rebelled, and they turned again with
enthusiasm to the ancient democratic faith which
fears and would restrain all power, which would
separate and make independent the three great
departments of government, which champions
SlSiJ?Hredi 'm8 .i the states and which would
limit federal authority to the enumerated grants'
of the constitution. Not for half a century have
these fundamental principles of democracy met
such emphatic and pronounced approval by the
suffrage of the American people."
TN THE SAME speech Senutor Culberson said
1 "I cannot resist the belief that another of
the controlling influences in the late election was
the position of the democratic party that the?o
should be a distinctly forward movement in So
interest of popular government, and its insistence
i? Part ?f th0 pePle ln Public affairs
should bo greater and more direct than hereto
fore. Not alone were our principles and polic es
approved and a signal victory achieved: The
S5T ? Party Is Piiant with high hopes
and just and reasonable expectations. The house
of representatives is ours, the presidency -is witS
in our grasp, and tho senate itself, 4ichfM
nearly half a' century has been the refuge and
fortress of the tariff barons and the money
changers, is trembling in the balance. Yet to
accomplish these things we must be faithful to
our promises to the people, we must be loyal
to our party principles, and we must turn our
faces resolutely to the future, putting no re
actionaries in front or in authority in)ur line
of battle. If we follow this course and press
courageously our undoubted advantages there is
every prospect that constitutional government
will be re-established and the people themselves
restored to their rightful place as arbiters of
the destiny of the republic."
THEY ARE USING the recall in several places
where that reform has been adopted. The
Denver News says: "The petition for the recall
of 'Alderman Cornelius C. Worrall, signed by
1909 registered voters of the Ninth ward was
filed with City Clerk Burt F. Davis yesterday
afternoon at 5 o'clock. By the provisions of
the initiative, referendum and recall amendment
to the city charter the clerk immediately must
transmit the petition to the election commission,
which then will proceed carefully to check the
signatures of the voters. Protests can be made
by any qualified elector within five days of the
date of filing. The protested signers then must
be notified within twenty-four hours by the elec
tion commission and must appear at a desig
nated place to combat the charges. All such
hearings must be concluded within fifteen days
of the date of filing the petition. The names
of 1,411 voters are required for the success of
the-present recall petition. If it appears to con
tain the requisite number of signatures it will
be returned to the city clerk and by him trans
mitted to the 'council, which , is bound by the
amendment then to call a special election to
determine the successor of Alderman Worrall.
'We have taken great care to secure only regis
tered voters as signers,' said Halsted L. Ritter,
chairman of the recall committee, last night.
'Each worker in charge of a petition was ac
companied by a notary public and every signa
ture was taken under oath that the signer was
a qualified elector.' "
THE ST. LOUIS Censor says: "Mr. Bryan
suggests that if the New Jersey senator
ship Is shaping itself to disposal in the usual
way, that a better way would be to put it up at
auction and sell it to the highest bidder. In
the circumstances such a method would cer
tainly be an improvement. If we are to con
tinue the old system, instead of being allowed
to elect our senators by a direct vote of the
people, the auction plan would be a decided ad
vantage to the people. Always heretofore, tho
method has been one of unlimited intrigue and
chicanery. Not all of our senators have bought
tneir seats, but enough have certainly done so
to make the senate a disgrace to the nation.
The auction system has much to recommend it,
not the least benefit being a species of honesty,
it would be a scheme of open and notorious
venality rather than a dark and evil burrowing
in corruption. By the auction system the mon
ey, which now goes to crooked legislatures,
would bo some small return at least for the
ssuance of letters of marque to some man act
ing as the agent of tho Interests which might
expect to prey on the people."
A RICHMOND, (Va.) Times dispatch says:
C?0rd!?B,to th0 Washington correspon
dent of the Baltimore American, 'an important
?nrtn!LenJ ?n f ot among the Jesuits of tho
various Jesuit colleges in the United States
Ift a compiimentary dinner , ai dty
(Washington) to Justice White of the United
7lB ffuP'omoowt. The dinner is to bo
given, if the plans of the .promoters of this
SuH mall B!lcceed' at th Metropolitan
t Hnni WiU bG the occasion of forming into
tafSE? organization the men of prominence
mw! SniLwere graduates of the Jesuit
ianaS?o iLa11 ne "outhorn states, from Louis
XSh ? Y,ork' deluding, of course, the
Jesuit colleges in Maryland. The date of the
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