FEBRUARY 24, 1911
The Commoner.
expression of doubt as to your own capacity for
self-government? It is the part of patriotism
to trust your people and enter the sisterhood
of states with a firm confidence in the ability
of your people to protect their own rights, take
care of their own interests and advance their
own welfare through a government which puts
the people themselves in absolute control of
their own affairs.
Democrats Pass Canadian Reciprocity Bill
TUB RUSSELL SAGE FOUNDATION
The Dallas (Texas) News thus commends the
plan inaugurated by the Sage Foundation to re
lieve the victims of loan sharks:
"The Russell Sage Foundation estimates that
the loan shark business of New York amounts
to $30,000,000 a year, and that the average
rato of interest charged is 120 per cent per
annum. It has set about tho task of putting
these loan sharks out of business. It is engaged
in a good work. These loan sharks are social
vampires who ought to be destroyed if there
is any possible way to do it. They aro occa
sionally a convenience to some, but for the good
they may do, they do a thousand times more
harm. They first pander to profligacy, and then
visit a terrible retribution on those whom they
seduce. Furthermore, they operate in self-confessed
defiance, of law, and for that reason the
state ought to proceed against them with as lit
tle mercy as they show for those who get within
their clutches. It is to be hoped that this sub
ject will get some consideration from our own
legislature during its current session. The loan
.shark business thrives in Texas, too. Its spoils
are not so great as in New York, of course, but
it is not inferior in capacity nor in the boldness
with which it mocks the law."
Well said! The money left by Sage, and so
wisely employed by his widow, could not be put
to better use. "The destruction of the poor is
their poverty," said the wise man, and it is still
true. In all the states and in the cities more
attention ought to be given to the prevention
of the injustice done to the poqr by the chattel
loan agents. '
SCHEDULE BY SCHEDULE
Of course the protectionist democrats oppose
the schedule by schedule plan of tariff revision.
They do not want tariff reduction and they
know that they can" prevent it at the next ses
sion if they can only commit the party to a
general bill. They know that no bill satisfac
tory to the democrats can pass the senate and
that the adoption of a general bill plan would
continue the high tariff foi at least two years
more. It would also give the voters an excuse
for turning the party down in 1912, because
of its insincerity. Then, too, a general bill gives
protection democrats a chance to join the re
publicans in taking care of the protected in
dustries on individual items while calling loudly
for a general reduction.
' Champ Clark understands all this and, there
fore, he is insisting on revising the tariff, one
schedule at a time, as tho party did in 1892.
That means a possible reduction soon, and it
also means that the protection democrats will
have to do their fighting in the open. More
strength to your arm, Champ.
DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY-
The democrats would win a nation's grati
tude if they would take advantage of their con
gressional victory to submit an amendment to
the constitution postponing inauguration day
for a month and providing that congress shall
convene immediately after inauguration and that
the second session shall adjourn before the elec
tion. Such a change would have two advan
tages: First, it would convene congress more
quickly after the election and thus secure-a
more immediate compliance with the popular
will; Second, it would give the people a chance
to review the entire record of congress and pass
judgment upon it, "whereas at present they have
no chance to sit in judgment upon the action of
congress during the closing session. Several
attempts have been made to delay inauguration
day but there is still more reason why the first
session of congress should be held earlier than
it is and the last session before the following
election.
The American Homestead, a monthly farm
journal of national scope, will be sent to nil
Commoner subscribers, without additional cost,
who renew their subscriptions during tho montli
of March when this notice is mentioned.
Tho house , of representatives passed tho
Canadian reciprocity agreomont February 14, by
a vote of 291 to 92. Tho voto was divided in
this way:
Republicans for reciprocity 78
Republicans against 89
Democrats for 143
Democrats against 5 .
Tho debate was long and bitter, Dalzpll, of
Pennsylvania, leading tho antl's, and Clark, of
Missouri, leading the supporters.
How They Voted
The final vote by which tho bill was passed,
was:
For the bill Republicans: Alexander, of
Now York, Anthony, Austin, Barchfeld, Barn
ard, Bartholdt, Bingham, Boutell, Burke, of
Pennsylvania, Butler, Calder, Cary, Cassidy,
Cocks, Cooper, of Pennsylvania; Cooper, of Wis
consin, Crumpacker, Denby, Douglas, Draper, '
Durey, Fish, Foss, Garner of Pennsylvania,
Gillette, Graff, Greene, Griest, Heald, Henry,. of
Connecticut, Higgins, Hill, Hinshaw, Hollings
worth, Howland, Hubbard of Iowa, Kinkaid of
Nebraska, Knowland, Kronmiller, Kustorman,
Lafean, Law, Lawrence, Longworth, McCall, Mc
Crearyr McCredie, McKinlay of California', Mc
Kinley of Illinois, McKInney, Madden, Madison,
Mann, Massey, Miller of Kansas, Miller of Min
nesota, Moon of Pensylvania, Morehead, Need
ham, Nye, Olrastead, Parker, Parsons, Poin
dexter, Roberts, Rodenberg, Stafford, Stemp,
Stevens, Sulloway, Taylor of Ohio, Tilson, Vree
land, Weeks, Wiley, Wilson of Illinois, Young
of Michigan and Young of New York. Total, 78.
Democrats Adair, Adamson, Aiken, Alexan
der of Missouri, Anderson, Ansberry, Ashbrook,
Barnhart, BaTtlett of Georgia, Bartlett of Ne
vada, Bealll of Texas, Bell of Georgia, Boehme,
Booher, Borland, Bowers, Brantley, Burgess,
Barnett, Byrd, Byrns, Candler, Cantrill, Carlln,
Carter, Clark of Florida, Clark of Missouri,
Clayton, Gline, Collier, Conry, Covington, Cox
of Indiana, Cox of Ohio, Craig, Cravens, Cullop,
Dent, Denver, Dickinson, Dickson, Dies, Dixon
of Indiana, Daniel, Driscoll, Dupree, Edwards
of Georgia, Ellerbe, Ferris, Finley, Fitzgerald,
Flood, Floyd, Foster of Illinois, Gallagher, Gar
ner of Texas, Garrett, Gillespie, Glass, Goodwin,
Goldfogle, Gordon, Graham of Illinois, Gregg,
Hammill, Hamlin, Hardwick, Hardy, Harrison,
Havens, Hay, Helflin, Helm, Henry of Texas,
Hitchcock, Hobson, Houston, Hughes of Georgia,
. Hughes of New Jersey, Hull of Tennessee,
Humphreys of Mississippi, James, Jamison,
Johnson of Kentucky, Johnson of South Caro
lina, Jones, Kelliher, Kinkead of New Jersey,
Kitchin, Korbly, Lamb, Latta, Lee, Legare
Lever, Lively, Lloyd, McDermott, McHenry,
Macon, Maguire, Martin of Colorado, Mays,
Mitchell, Moon of Tennessee, Morrison, Moss,
NIcholls, O'Connell, Oldfield, Padgett, Page,
Peters, Pou, Rainey, Rauch, Reid, Robinson,
Roddenberry, Rucker of Missouri, Saunders,
Shackleford, Sharp, Sheppard, Sherley, Sher
wood, Sims, Sisson, Stayden, Small, Smith of.
Texas, Sparkman, Stanley, Stevens, Taylor of
Alabama, Taylor of Colorado, Thomas of Ken
tucky, Thomas of North Carolina, Touvelle,
Turnbull, Underwood, Watkins, Weisse and
Wickliffe. Total, 43. In a" 221.
Against the bill Republicans: Bennett of
Now York, Bradley, Burke of South Dakota,
Burley, Campbell, Chapman, Cole, Cowles,
Creager, Currier; Dalzeir) Davidson, Davis, Daw
son, Dodds, Dwight, Ellis, Elvins, Englebrlght,
Esch, Fairchild, Fassett, Focht, Fordney, Foster
of Vermont, Fuller, Gaines, Gardner of Massa
chusetts, Gardner of New Jersey, Goebel, Good,
Graham of Pennsylvania, Grant, Guernsey,
Hamer, Hanna, Haughen, Hawley, Hayes, Hull
of Iowa, Humphrey of Washington, Keifer,
Kendall, Kennedy of Iowa, Kennedy of Ohio,
Knapp, Kopp, Langham, Lenroot, Linberg,
Loudenslager, Lowden, Lundln, McLachlin, Mc
Laughlin, Maltby, Martin of South Dakota,
Mondell, Moore of Pennsylvania, Morgan of
Missouri, Morgan of Oklahoma, Morse, Moxley,
Nelson, Morris, Olcott, Rickert, Plumley,
Pratt, Pray, Prince, Rceder, Scott, Simmons,
Smith of Iowa, Snapp, Soutlrwick, Steenerson,
Sterling, Swasey, Thistlewood, Thomas of .Ohio,
Vblsted, Wanger, Washburn, Wheeler, Woods
of Iowa. Total, 87.
Democrats Broussard, Estopinal, Hammond,
Pujo, Webb. Total, 5. In all, 92.
During tho dobato Champ "Clark said ho
believed tho American flag would ono day float
over tho entire western hemisphere. This re
mark stirred up considerable criticism in Eng
land. Tho Associated Press says: "President
Taft took occasion to write to Representative
McCall, introducer of tho reciprocity bill, dis
claiming and deprecating the anoxation talk, and
to follow it up with personal remarks oven moro
emphatic to his visitors. Tho news that Mr.
Clark's allusions had created excitement in
Canada' and In England occasioned great sur
prise and considerable amusement at tho capitol.
Tho man most surprised of all waB Mr. Claris
himself.
"Mr. Clark's entire speech on reciprocity yes
torday, was delivered in a half humorous, half
taunting voin. Tho house was in a gale of
laughter most of tho time. In return for tho
laughs ho was creating, at their expense, somo
of the republicans tried to turn tables on Mr.
Clark by chiding him with tho 'fact that ho
might have President Taft as an opponent for
the democratic nomination.
"This humorous exchange reflected tho spirit
of tho dobato during tho time Mr. Clark was
on his feet, and no ono gave serious considera
tion to his remarks regarding tho possible an
nexation of Canada. They regarded his state
ments in the nature of a compliment to tho
Canadian people, in that ho would bo glad to
see the frfendshlp that exists at presont, between
the Canadians and the United States ripen in
tho future so that all somo day, may bo under
ono flag. There was a further touch of faco
tiousness to the debate when one of tho repub
licans asked Mr. Clark if he would like to bo
tho first president of the magniflcant union ho
was creating, and he replied, amid a burst Of
laughter, that he certainly would.
"The excitement abroad was attributed at the
capital today in part to the fact that several
English and Canadian newspaper correspondents
were in tho press gallery following tho debate,
when Mr. Clark spoke. His remarks may have
appealed to them as the .most important feature
of tho story and may have been cabled accord
ingly. In 'skeletonizing' his remarks for cablo
purposes the semi-humorous character of tho
debate was entirely lost sight of."
An Associated Press dispatch, under date of
February 16, says: "Democratic leaders, par
ticularly, wore pleased today over tho passage
of the McCall bill. Representative Underwood,
of Alabama, Minority Leader Clark's chief lieu
tenant, and tho chairman of the ways and means
committee of the next congress, said that ho
' regarded tho action of the house as In every
way helpful to the democrats; that it marked
tho beginning of the end of high protection, and
foreshadowed a democratic victory in the na
tional elections in 1912. Their voto showed
that the republicans were as badly split up aa
the democrats were in tho last session of con
gress, during the Cleveland administration.
"Speaker Cannon, Republican Whip Dwight,
Chairman Dalzell, of the rules committee, and
other leaders of the republican party in tho
house, were among those who stood out against
the administration program and the democratic
leaders figured that this split in the rank
augured well for democratic success."
PANAMA -CANAL EXPOSITION
A few weeks ago Tho Commoner published
tho following editorial on the Panama canal
exposition:
"The approaching completion of the Panama
canal, like other coming events, casts fts shadow
before it. New Orleans and San Francisco aro
contesting for the honor of holding an exposition-
commemorating the great event, and both
Louisiana and California have put their credit
back of the respective cities. By why this
rivalry? Why not have two expositions? This
is a notable wedding this union of the oceans.
Lot the marriage take place at Panama with
appropriate ceremonies; then let there be a re
ception at the home of the bride's parents and
another at the home of the parents of the groom.
It is not necessary to decide which is man and
which is wife the Pacific may be regarded as
the husband because larger or as wife because
of its better disposition. New Orleans can very
properly represent the next of kin of one and
San Francisco the near relatives of the other.
New Orleans is nearer to Panama and also much
nearer to the center of population. Probably
three times as many people would attend an
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