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FEBRUARY 3, 19li
The Commoner.
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dinner fjs' fo. :e fixed by Chief Justice White;
and its purposes are said to-be, two-fold: 'First,
it is. propose ?to honor tho w first graduate of a
Jesuit .college -who has reached the higbr office
of justice of; tHe. supreme-court of the United
States. Secj&ndi.it is Intended to 'form, a: soft
of national organization of the alumni "societies
of the Jesuit universities with headquarters in
this city .(Washington), with a New Yorker as
president.. A committee has been named to
wait upon Justice White and inform- him of the
plans of the alumni societies and have him 'fix
tne date of tho banquet and reception at the
Metropolitan club.' "
FORMER GOVERNOR Prank S. Black' of
New York delivered a sneech at n- hantror's
banquet in. New York Citv. A United' Prft
report says; ,(The Black speech included en
thusiastic praise of Speaker Cannon and bitter
criticism of 'muck rakers and demagogues and
Ithe ensuing aDDlause was led hv J. p Mnrtmn
JThe fact that Black, after assailing the Initiative
uu reierenuum, tne recall, popular election of
lunited States senators, and nf tho nth or inr
trlnes advocated by progressives in the two old
parties, was applauded at length and the speaker
eafterward warmly congratulated by Morgan and
iue otner Dig nnanciers .is thought to indicate
that the moneyed' interests of tho mnntrv win
oppose any extension of these policies wherever
MjussiDie, most especially in the east. 'It is up
iu tue Dusiness men or sense,' said Black, 'to
fault WhisneHnr? ln nrlvnto -nrlion An. ,,
pnd disturbers are busy and to come out and
treason witu tne people. Demagogues always
i"iail W1-u "" uuvuuiage no iair disputant ever
Inas. Men like von hoHovo hut von nn rtf
speak and conseduentlv demapnmr And wimir.
raking go on unrebuked. I believe that gen-
jrauoiiB irom now, wnen tne names of sporadic
nd voluable reformers aro nronorvod nniv ho
pause they fought him, the name of Speaker
lyauuuu win De rememnered wltn increasing
respect. The nluckrakor and tho doTnarmoMio
wave done harm enough and ought to be sent
lu mu rear.; ineir -message of 'distrust and
fciirhiilonno iWi'noftha'p DinnnKn '-.; j-... mi.'
tVast"niajorit"6f !Amterica1fi:tbnjSnofin 'iri' howi
I'done and the vast majority of American for-
ii,uuea uouesuy acquired. " ..
BVTQ ONE CAN TELL just now the scope of
RL.1 the Progressive Republican Loamio rortont-
ily organized. A special writer in the Phila
delphia North American savs: "Tt mpnim tho
banding together of the progressive forces with
Jjn the republican party to fight for control of
pat party, and it suggests with unmistakable
clearness the possible formation of a third party
In case that effort fails. Tho denlaraHnn nut
Korth today, signed by nine progressive repub
lican senators, a score of republican memhora nf
Kthe house and a long list of public-spirited men
mot neretorore mentmecl with political move
tments.. Is a summons to tho nonnlo nf tho rnn
gtry to assume control of their own affairs, and
esneciallv a summons tn tho ronnhHnn'na n,
wrest control of the party from the gang polltl-
Lcians and tne special privilege combinations.
KWhile no announcement is made of the imme-
jdiate political purposes of those in the move.
(ment, no one can doubt that it will develop into
fa fight against the renominatjon of President
j.Taft, and no one can doubt that it will provide
m rallying point not only for the opponents of
JTaft's renomination, but the opponents as well
jpf the special privilege legislation which Preslr
ident Taft has favored. This hofnp- trim th
Iguestion naturally arises as to whether the
movement, if it succeeds at all, will not suc-
ftceeu. ueyona tne nower or its promoters to con
trol Its action, and develop into a third party."
EEFERRING TO the punishment visited upon
its editor, Fred WaTren, the Appeal to
Reason, socialist paper, says; "Warren's
'crime' apparently consisted in this, that he
tried to do, or to, cause ethers to do, that which
the supremo court of the United States pro
nounced to be .perfectly legal when it was done.
The actual. kidnapping, In the dead of night,
of Moyer, Haywood and PettJbone from the state
of Colorado to the state of Idaho was declared
tiy the Unitqd States.supreme ceurt to have been
te;nipt, or the. offer of a rewardfor the attempt,
to1 kidnap ex-Gpyern'or, piylpYot Kentucky ;a;rid
tof deliver himuto the udieial iuthWltfes in' hla
own state, hag been adjudged a crime punish
able by heavy fine and imprisonment. Whence
"' this difference? Why i.a.mero attempt crimo,
and tho .. accomplished act no -crimo whatever?
Can it bo that. tho accomplished act was right
and proper for the reason. that tho sufferors and
victims were labor leaders, while tho unsuccess-.
- "ful; attempt was a crime for tho reason that the.,
person against whom the attempt was aimed waB,
a prominent capitalist politician? Perish the
thought! Tho equality of all citizens before
the law is a sacred principle of American juris
prudence, which it were almost blasphemy to
doubt. Particularly when wo consider that the
offer of a reward for tho arjrest of fugitives from
justice' is quite an ordinary practice resorted
to' by constituted authorities everywhere War
ren's 'crime' must be deeper and blacker than
any overt act or attempt for which ho was com
pelled to appear in court. And if this 'crime'
does not consist in being a socialist, wo do not
know what it does consist in. In Warren's case,
moreover this crimo assumed a particularly
offensive and flagrant aspect, for Warren is tho
editor of a socialist paper with a large circula
tion. A crimo so unusual certainly merits ex
emplary punishment. And yet this revolting
crime was not mentioned in course of either
trial of tho case."
THE NEW SENATOR 'from Tennessee is de
scribed in a Nashville dispatch to tho
Chicago Record Herald as follows: "Luke Lea,
independent democrat, practical owner of tho
Nashville Tennesseean-American, and youngest
politician in Tennesseo with any degree of sue-
cess, was named by the general assembly today
to succeed to tho seat in the United States
senate held by James B. Frazier. His nomina
tion is the last echo of the tragedy in which
ex-United States Senator Carmack was killed.
At the time Carmack was shot he was editor
in chief of tho Tennessean. Loa is generally
spoken of as 'the man who made Governor Pat
terson' In the first place, and the one who con
tributed more subsequently than any other in
defeating him, after he pardoned Colonel Coop
err Imprisoned for the Carmack killing. 'Lea
is thirty-two years of age, a, graduate of. tho
University of the South at Sewanoe, and is tho
second Luke Lea to attain prominence in the
politics of Tennessee. He is the son of Overton
Lea, a descendant of Andrew Jackson, and tho
son-in-law of Percy Warner, president of the
Nashvillo Railway and Light company. Ho
came into prominence locally in 1906 when ho
took chargo of the Home Telephone company's
fight against the Cumberland Telephone com
pany for a franchise in Nashville. In 1907,
when the county unit primary plan was adopt
ed, Lea supported Senator Carmack."
REFERRING TO THE Lorimer case the In
dianapolis News prints this editorial: . "It
is clear that Senator Bailey of Texas is going
to be a rather puzzling problem to tho demo-
cratlc party. At the present time ho is or
seems to be very greatly Interested in tho
Lorimer case, and on the' Lorimer side thereof.
It is known that he favors the majority report
of the committee, which favored Lorimer. Only
the other day Bailey made a' technical point
against tho reception of Senator Beveridge's
minority report, holding that it really was not
a minority report at all. Ho did not press the
point, as, so he said, his only purpose was to
make a 'precedent.' And now Bailey Is greatly
concerned over the 'attack' of the president on
the independence of the senate. As all that
Mr. Taft did was to ask that senators make a
careful study of the evidence in the case, there
is no reason to think that the senate will 're
sent' an insult that was never given, The ques
tion, of course, is whether the democratic party
will allow itself to be put in a raise position
by Bailey. The case is simple. It is charged
that Lorimer's election is so tainted with cor
ruption that he ought not to be allowed to
retain his seat. The president evidently holds
that opinion, as he has a right to do. Ho is
a distinguished lawyer, and accustomed to.
weighing evidence. Further than that, he Is
the loader of his party, and as such has a per
fect right to counsel with other republicans,
even though they happen to bo members of tho
senate, on matters affecting the welfare of the
party. This is all he has done. Are the demo
cratic senators, under tho leadership of Bailey,
going to raise this false issue, and co-operate
with certain of the republicans to support Lori
mer as .against other republicans? It is to be
noted 'that the great effort haa been to prevent
any real consideration of the case. This was
made clear in a dispatch to the New York Times,
quoted In. tho Nows of yesterday, containing
i this: "In the discussion of tho caso hero tho
vpolht already' has beon reached whore evory
man who declares himself in favor of a full
and exhaustive examination of tho matter boforo
a vote is taken is at once sot down by Lorimer's
.frlonds as against Lorimer. Tho lino upon
which tho friends of Lorimer aro proceeding
just now ignores entirely tho question of wheth
er tho election which gavo hlra his seat was
honest or corrupt.' This is tho nature of tho
campaign which is now on. It Is a campaign of
suppression and secrecy. And Bailey, is ono
of its leaders. Another interesting phase of
the question is suggested by tho statement of
tho Times that, representatives' of the lumbec
tniBts aTo active in Lorimer's behalf. Tho most
vigoroxis Lorimer lobbyist is, according to tho
Times, the man 'who mado himself conspicuous
about tho capitol during the tariff fight, especial-?
ly when tho president was endoavoring to havo
lumber put on tho free list.' Bailey, it will bo ro-r
called, voted against freo lumber. If the presi
dent and tho republican senators make up their
minds that Lorimer ought not to have his seat,
and if ho Js saved by a combination of Burrows
republicans and Bailey democrats, tho demo
cratic party will suffer a severe blow. This
question is ono that concerns tho whole country,
and it also touches the honor of tho senate. As
for tho Influence of the president, it is notking
compared with that which tho lobbyists attempt
to wield when they impudently threaten sen
ators who declare that they aro going to vot
againsj; Lorimer."
TIP VOTE BUYING, scandal in Uncle' Joo
Cannon's homo county continues to grow.
An Associated Press dispatch from Danville,
Illinois, says: "Tho Vermilion county grand
jury today heard Danville's city attorney ac
cused of having admitted buying votes and was
given a list of fifty possible witnesses by tho
accusers. Tho city attorney's alleged trafficking,
it was testified, was in tho interest of the present
sheriff at tho last general election. Tho jury
heard eleven witnesses, and twelve, including
Speaker Cannon's son-in-law, aro subpoenaed
for tomorrow. Tho fact that an investigation
may disclose irregularities in tho elections of
the state's attorney and even the court Itself
has not stood in the way of their orders to
have tho 3earch complete, and all tho officials
concerned have openly announced they want
tho inquiry to go to the bottom of affairs, re
gardless of the result. One of the newspaper
men who was a witness today told tho inquisi
tors he had beon approached by persons offering
him a vacation and several 'good things' if ha
would not go b'eforo tho grand jury with his
story. It had not beon expected the alleged
vote traffic would be Investigated so soon, as
there were many routine matters to bo looked
into by the grand jury, but tho climax of tho
situation was precipitated when tho two news
paper reporters who last week sent broadcast
a story purporting to contain a 'confession' from
City Attorney Frank W. Jones that ho had pur
chased votes, which story was denied by Jones,
demanded to be allowed to go before tho grand
jury, and tell their story. When it became
known they would Insist on being heard, several
forthwith subpoenas wore issued and nine other
persons appeared later and were heard."
AN INTERESTING story comes from Nash
ville, Tennessee, in the following United
Press dispatch: "That 'heavenly securities'
constitute the major part of the estate of tho
Rev. Lundy H. Harris, is tho substance of an
inventory of his wife, Mrs. Cora Harris, author
of 'A Circuit Rider's Wife.' Harris, who re
cently committed suicide, is said to navo been
the.real 'Circuit Rider' of the story. Mrs. Har
ris' inventory declares Harris' temporal posses
sions were '$2.35 In his purse, $116 in tho
Union Trust company of Nashville, about 400
books and coffin In which he was buried.' 'But'
she continues, 'the major part of his estate was
invested in heavenly securities, the values of
which have beon variously declared in this world
and highly taxed by the various churches, but
never realized. He Invested every year not
less usually more than $1,200 in charity so
secretly, so inoffensively and so honestly that
he was never suspected of being a philanthro
pist and never praised for his generosity. Ho
contributed anonymously to every charity in
Nashville; every old maid interested in a 'ben
evblent object' received bis aid; every child ho
knew exacted and received penny tolls from hid
tenderness. Ho was ever recognized as ono of
the largest bondholders in heaven.' "
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