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The Commoner.
VOIkUMB 11, '-NUMBER
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A WASHINGTON dispatch to tho New York
World Bays: "Representative A. P. Gard
ner, of Massachusetts, made an epigram that con
vulsed tho house committee on rules. Ho was
arguing for a rulo to bring his Immigrant illite
racy bill up for a vote in tho house when some
pnd asked him If tho members wouldn't vote such
a rulo down and satisfy their consciences by
maintaining that the session was too short for Its
.consideration. 'Spmo of ifs unfortunate persons
find that our consciences aren't half as hard to
satisfy -as our constituencies,' returned Mr.
Gardnor. ' 'Let mo congratulate you upon tho
best epigram of tho session,' said Champ Clark,
who Is a membor of tho committee"
JQIItf AUBREY JONES of Oakland, Calif.,
, writes to tho Philadelphia North American
to say: "It Is gratifying and encouraging to mo
to know that tho North American is In sympathy
with tho movement within tho republican party
to bring tho party back to republican principles
and to conform governmental policies thereto,
such movement being represented by thd Pro
gressive Reform League. Out here in California'
thosq of us who aro not in league with tho
'interests' which have, for these many years,
hold this state In political thralldom, rejoico that
wo have a governor Hiram W. Johnson who
is ono of the leading spirits in this reform
league In fact, wo aro proud of our governor,
because ho evidences tho possession of LaFollette
lighting qualities in tho interest and behalf of
making government responsive to the will of the
peoplo rather than obedient to 'the behest of
prlviloge-seoklng interests. I havq been an
ardont adherent and supporter of William J.
Bryan in his crusade for political and govern
mental reform. And now am I ready to enlist
under tho banner of LaFollette in 1912; for
it is my belief that if the democratic party, by
its organization of politicians, suffers itself to
be dominated by 'big business,' and its plat
form and candidates in 1912 shall have been
dictated by the influences which controlled at
tho time of Judge Parker's nomination in 1904,
Mr. Bryan's support would be given to LaFol
lette, should ho be nominated for president, and
especially would this be so, in my opinion, were
Hon. Joseph W. Folk, say, nominated as La
Folletto's running mate. And why should not
this bo? Aro not both of these statesmen demo
crats, or, rather, democratic, in the same sense
that Abraham Lincoln was a democrat or demo
cratic? Party names or political designations
should count for nothing, but principles only
should count at all, in a crusade for political,
economic and governmental reform having tor
its end and object tho restoration of popular
rights as against special privileges. Here's to tho
winning people's ticket in 1912. LaFollette and
Folk, with Bryan its leading supporter 'on the
stump,' and tho North American its foremost
journalistic supporter. Pardon, please, if too
great liberty has been taken by this correspon
dent in assuming or presuming too much."
A WASHINGTON dispatch. caTried by tho
United Press, February 6, says: "Senator
Lodge stirred tho senato today by the declara
tion that in the proposition to give the states
full control of tho election of senators lies a
danger that strikes at tho foundation of govern
ment. While opposed to the election of sena
tors by popular vote, ho said he had never
exaggerated the Importance of altering the con
stitution tomake such elections possible 'To
take tho election of senators from the legisla
tures of tho states and give it to the direct
popular voto is simply a change in the mechan
ism of tho government. It does not touch tho
principles upon which tho government rests
ho -said. 'Reduced to its simplest form the
amendment 1b merely a proposition to convert
the senate into a second house of representatives
with two congressmen-at-large from each state'
who aTe to bo called senators and to hold office
S? ff? Xt !s now PPoaed to put tho
United States government at the mercy of tho
states. It is proposed to take from the United
States any power to protect its own citizens in
tho exercise of their rights, no matter how great
the need might be for such protection. If this
amendment should become a law, twenty-three
states, Including perhaps only a minority of the
population, could at any moment arrest tho
movement of tho government and stop all its
operations. This new proposition strikes at.tlje
very root of the national government. I can
not believe that the country would tolerate it if
it were onco understdod. Too much has been
sacrificed to preserve tho union of the states, to
maintain the national government, to permit
any tampering with those clauses which guard
its very life.' " '
IN AN EDITORIAL entitled, "No Religious
Lines in Politics," tho Richmond (Va.)
Times-Dispatch says: "Archbishop 'Ireland made
an address to the students of tho Jesuit club at
Detroit, Michigan, according to the reports print
ed in some of the newspapers, in which he urged
them to be ambitious and. to be possessed of
laudable ambition, for the reason, among others,
that there are too few Catholics in legislative
bodies. Ho did not think that there were many
Catholics in the legislature of Michigan, and
there are only two or three Catholic senators at
Washington. The archbishop said that he had
'no patience with the Catholic, who as an ex-,
cuse for his slothfulness said that he could not
rise above his circumstances because there is a
prejudice against Catholics.' Then the arch
bishop said, what is true, that there is no preju
dice against the Catholics today; that 'merit is
the only thing that wins and demands attention
in this republic' If that be true, why should
any suggestion be made that more Catholics,
more Presbyterians, more Methodists, more
Episcopalians should be elected to office? We
do not care two cents whether a man is a Catho
lic or a Presbyterian or an Episcopalian so long
as he is fit for the service to which the people
of his state and community call him. Merit
should be tho test, not church connection, and
wo always regret to see any representative of
this, that or the other religious body urge that
men should be selected to public station because
they are of this, that or the other religious
school. Why not let the thing work itself out
on healthy lines instead pf making it possible
for tho narrow-minded to inject the religious
element into political discussions?"
CLARENCE W. WATSON, one of the new
United States senators from West Virginia
attracted widespread public attention by absent
ing himself from the senate at the time the 'vote
upon ship subsidy was taken. The Monroe
Watchman, published at Union (W. VaJ gives
this description of the new senator: ' "Mr Wat
son is a cold and taciturn man of business who
has devoted himself to the amassing of millions
and has not hesitated, according to tho best
evidence obtainable, to knife the democratic
party whenever he fancied it stood in the way
of his interests and those of his financial allies
There is excellent testimony from various sources
that he aided in the election of McKinley and
well known democrats from his own section
have denounced him in the public prints as dis
oyal a helper of the republican ticket whenever
it suited him and unworthy of the confidence
of the democratic party. To this arraignment
Mr. Walson has attempted no word of defSise
Mr Watson is the president of the Consolidation
Coal company, one of the greatest coal corSorS
tions in the world, tho consummation of Sears
of financial intrigue. He has amassed a fortune
?Lm?Lmii?l0,nB' has Pticipated in the squeez
ing of his business competitors by the most tl
proved Standard Oil methods, has fomed an
alliance with tho Baltimore and Ohio. Rail wrv
company tho immediate effect of which ww to
place other coal companies at his mercv mS ll
stop the building of 'a competing ?ail?oad anS
has contracted with the Baltimore and Ohio
Railway to ship all tho output from all the coal
whic'h hth61116 BiBmtic orpoVaon
,he lB th head over that road. These are
not the charges of some irresponsible partisan
but are set out in a report in 1907 of the iS
state commerce commission, published by the
United States government and entitled 'Report
on Discriminations and Monopolies in Coal and
Oil.' The members of the legislature were
familiar with these facte, Tor copies of this re
port were scattered, all over the state and placed
in their hands. Mr.- Watson is a brother-in-law
of ex-Governor A. B. Fleming, the chief attorney
in West Virginia of the Standard Oil company.
His associates and allies in New, York and else
where are. men identified with some.of the great
est trusts in the world, hoary in the arts of
monopoly building. Mr. Watson has had no
experience or training whatever for service in a
public capacity. He has lived in princely style
In Baltimore. He has taken an interest in
horses, having carried off numerous honors in
the New York- horse shows but It Will hardly
be contended that these successes qualify him
for service in the United States senate. He has
mixed little in the social life of West Virginia
and is a stranger to the most of the people of
his own county of Marion. What earthly reason
could there be for the selection of such, a man
to represent the democratic party, in the United
States senate?"
CrpHE STORY OF THE first redbird" is told
X by a Kansas City (Mo.) Post reporter in
a way that entitles it to rank as a classic. Hero
it is: "First of the year, a redbird sang in
Kansas City yesterday. It had been raw and
rdiny and chill. A gray drizzle had been dis
pelled by the sun breaking through a great rift
in the clouds, when the redbird hopped upon a
spray of bare hazel in a ravine. He seemed to
catch the heat of the sunshine in his heart, for
he lifted his head blithely. 'Wheatee; Wheatee!
Wheatee;' he sang. Not a trace of February
dampness or hoarseness in the tone. It was as
clear and flute-like as if he were carolling to his
mate in the sunshine of June. 'Wheatee!
Wheatee! Wheatee!' If you had one guess,
where would you say the first redbird of the
year made his debut? Out in the fashionable
residence district? In the hedge or preserves of
some millionaire? At one of the parks, where
lawns even now are smooth and sightly Wronc
every guess of them! A negro cabin in a hollow
was the only human abiding -place neaT the hazel
twig where the first redbird perched. and sang
his first song of spring. Just off of Gillham
road, and near the old rock quarry, where the
? n r? CUrT?? ai;ound tne edSe of the cliffs
At thw; ? fimoSt a hole in the ground.
At the bottom of it, completely hidden by the
wtil .f ?e ihIcket In 8ummer tIm and only
bare y visible through the leafless twigs in win
ter is the cabin. There is not a quieter or more
secluded place in all Kansas City And it wal
Z7 zlZnJVhiTTlne at a Pce the sun's
redbird n ..struggled Jo reach, that the first
first- 'WhpJiGt S5P J91,1 yesterday sang his
nrst. wheatee! Wheatee! Wheatee!'"
DliyAL 4STREET control the magazine
SSbllSw wSfSK?1?!. HamPton a. magazine
puDiisner, says that there are onlv threa rrm-
SSfhtenMIoSf Cf trlled by WallXet He
Sect LIS? 0ne of them ad aas been
euDject to constant pressure to force him to
tttetookVf07- P' Hampton S3?: "First
J?i m? tbG form of a withdrawal of advertis
ing. Then we were notified that if e . Stated
So SdSt1 0?? Crtain ereat oradon
tponwJ ?i?w that corporation would make
varbus marnnSflt0Ck50lders- Wlthi a month
CeB'SJ tnn,ffd,,leWBDIlPePB aild 'neWS
uureans uegan to attack our storv w wpva
advlBed that 'no bank with w,i S'
tiona' wmiirt oJ w, tn Wal1 Street connec
PoratioT i w an?:tlllne to do with this cor
poration, so long as it remained under its nrea-
they TaTleeTrL AI8S holdedvised us
of WaU street KaChed' aWaTontly by agents
ored to BeCu? tkeragi houses' who ondeav
iS ThTrnrrln?1 ? Droxies to- voto at the meet
ta boln? h2Si S1!?88116 of HamPtori's Magazine
that offend ? beCaa.U80, il stains an article
News (MmSSv6 Sta?darA Oil. The Union
seTit andnvf rdered ita aeets not to