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FEBETJARY 24, 1911
The Commoner.
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ANEW YORK DISPATCH carried by the
United Press says: "One hundred thous
and dollars has been raised to fight the proposed
increase in the magazine postal rates. One
hundred publishers have agreed to contribute
$1,000 to a fund to be used in newspaper
advertisements, giving the reasons for opposing
the pending measure. S. S. McClure today flatly
denied Postmaster General Hitchcock's state
ment that the magazines are making hugo
profits. 'No magazine of our type,' said McClure,
'earns an adequate return on tho investment,
because of the high cost of editorial matter used.
Some of the special articles represent an outlay
of $30,000 to $50,000. The result of the pro
posed iniquitious increase would be nothing less
than forcing us to spend more money than our
magazines earn.' "
MEMBERS OP CONGRESS are receiving many
telegrams and letters protesting against
the increase in postal rates. Senator Clapp, of
Minnesota, is quoted, by the United Press, as
saying: "In ten years' experience, I have never
encountered a measure that seemed to me so
unjust and so fraught with the prospects of
destruction as this." Frank Morrison, secretary
of the American Federation of Labor, said: "We
want no penalty to be placed on reading matter
which has such a far-reaching, educational
value." M. M. Madden, representing Typo
graphical Union, No. 16, of Chicago: "The
increase in rates would affect 50,000 printers,
25,000 pressmen, 10,000 feeders, 22,000 binders,
25,000 mailers and many others in affiliated
trades." J. H. Scribner, of Philadelphia, repre
senting the associated religious publications:
"The 15,000,000 people who read religious pub
lications are a unit in opposing this" outrageous
tax on their reading matter."
S.A'MUEL Gv.BLYTHE, ..the. famous, political ?
writer, has written for the United Press,
this statement: "Politics, not a postal deficit,
is the underlying motive of the administration's
attack on the magazine and periodical press of
this country, through the medium of an increase
in second-class postage. Postmaster General
Hitchcock has his excuse in his alleged deficit.
President Taft has his excuse in his support
of a cabinet member, who is trying to put his
department on a self-sustaining basis. The
administration senator, who tacked the amend
ment on the postoflice bill, have their excuse
in the demand of the president that the increase
shall be made. They are making these excuses,
too, now that they are discovering how thor
oughly the people are aroused on the matter
of using the taxing power of the government
to confiscate for that is what it amounts to
a free press that has dared to criticise and con
demn certain acts of both the administration
and the supporters of the administration in
congress. Laying aside the tremendous econo
mic fact that the imposition of this tax by the
government means the ruin of the magazine and
periodical business in this country, the absolute
extinction of the popular magazines, look at
the politics of it. Three facts are certain: First
This tax is a part of a' carefully matured plan
by the administration, in conjunction with the
interests the republican majority in congress
have served sixteen years, to stamp out the
progress of the republican movement in this
country by depriving that movement of its means
of .publicity and its pay mediums for the spread
of' its propaganda? Second It is especially
directed at the newly formed progressives in
congress who have been supported by the maga
zine and periodical press in their attempt to
rid the country of Aldrichism and Cannonism.
Third It is an act of direct reprisal on the part
of the president, Hitchcock, Cannon, Aldrich and
all the Cannon and Aldrich crowd in congress,
of whom there are seven on the committee that
put the' amendment in the senate bill, intended
to punish those magazines and periodicals that
have spoken feaTlessly about governmental and
political abuseg. Of course, the publishers can
make the case and are making it vigorously
and effectively, that this discriminatory reprisal
tax will bankrupt them, or if any of them can
continue, will inevitably increase the price of
tho popular magazines to the reading public, but
that isn't the main point. The vital thing that
concerns the people of this country is that this
administration, by exorcising its taxing power,
is endeavoring to abolish a free press, not only
in the interests of its own political ambitions
and those of the men who servo it, but also in
the interests and for tho protection of the finan
cial powers it seeks to serve. Tho question is
bigger than one of money, either in tho govern
ment's purse or out of the purses of the pub
lishers and the thousands of men who will bo
thrown out of employment if the publishing
business is curtailed, as it will bo if this in
crease In second-class postage becomes a law.
It is a blow at tho liberty guaranteed under tho
constitution, and is subversive to every Ameri
can idea of justice, fair play and decent politics."
FIVE HUNDRED and seventy-eight public
offices, with salaries, amounting to nearly
one million dollars a year, will go to democrats,
as a result of capturing the house of represen
tatives. The Washington correspondent to tho
Louisville, (Kentucky) Times, says: When the
next congress convenes whether in March or
next December the republicans will turn over
to the democrats more than $1,000,000 a year
.in patronage. Employes of the house, to tho
number of 678, now republicans, will bo suc
ceeded by democrats. The total annual salary
of these 578 is $744,333. Add to this sum tho
salaries of eighty-four secretaries of eighty-four
new democratic members, at $1,500 each, and
the million is accounted for. South Trimble, of
Kentucky, who will probably be the next house
clerk, has seventy-five offices at his disposal, an
annual salary list of $132,990. Among these
are a chief clerk, at $4,500; a journal clerk, at
$4,000; two reading clerks, at $4,000; and
seventy other employes. Speaker Champ Clark
'has eighteen appointees, among them a secre
tary, a $4,000; a parliamentarian, at $3,G00;
' a .messenger, at $1,400; six reporters of debate,
at $5,000 each; and one assistant reporter, at
$2,500; four committee stenographers, at $5,000
each; and an assistant committee stenographer,
at $2,000. The next sergeant-at-arms, to be
either Stokes Jackson, of Indiana, or W. H.
Ryan, of Buffalo, has 100 offices to fill, thirty
eight of which are capitol policemen, with an
annual pay roll of $84,665. To the doorkeeper,
who will probably be Joe Sinnott, of Virginia,
211 offices, with an annual salary of $203,905,
fall as plunder. This does not include special
messengers. It is likely that the present blind
chaplain, the Rev. H. C. Couden, will be re
tained. In addition to these officers, the house
must select thirty-nine committee clerks, 233
assistant committee clerks; twenty-two session
clerks;1 three stenographers and forty-seven
janitors and messengers, all at good salaries.
To the committee chairman will fall many of
these plums.
STATE SENATOR B. E. Sundberg, of Minne
sota, a year a-go, brought action against the
express companies. That action is still pending.
Sundberg crossed the ocean forty years ago in
the steerage of an Immigrant ship. He now
owns many farms in Minnesota. A few years
ago he had a breakdown of one of his thrashing
machines. He was compelled to lay off twenty
men until the broken machinery could bo re
placed. He wired to Minneapolis for the cast
ing, which cost something over two dollars.
It came by express, and the express charges
were $36. Years rolled by as the story-tellers
say. Sundberg was elected to the legislature.
He was appointed on a committee which had
to do with railroad and express charges. He
found that the Adams Express company had ac
cumulated over forty-five millions, besides pay
ing enormous dividends annually; that the
American had accumulated a like surplus; that
the United States Express company had accumu
lated over fifteen millions; that the Wells
Fargo company had assets amounting to $34,
000,000, a large part of which had accumulated
in very recent years; and that the assets of
these four companies In ,the. year 1907 amount
ed to over $144,000,000. Then Sundberg be
gan to wonder what was tho legitimate field for
express companies anyway. Tho railroads could
as readily havo fast freight transportation for
tho public as for tho express companies why
should tho burden of business bo IncroaBod by
duplicating the machinery of operation? Why
should a transportation tax bo levied, collected,
and diverted from tho public treasury for pri
vate profit by railroads who were supposed to
bo doing a semi-public work? Sundberg did
not apply to the government for rolief some
observation had taught him the futility of that.
Ho hired Manahau. They obtained access to
tho offices of tho companies and served tho sub
poenas themselves on tho presidents of each of
tho companies. The next morning Manahan
stood in court against a brilliant array of law
yers. When theso lawyers offered trained wit
nesses, experts In tho juggling of figures, as
substitutes for tho chief officials of tho com
panies, Manahan stubbornly insisted that only
the officials themselves would do and tho hear
ing had to bo adjourned to allow tho officials
to appear. They came, and the sturdy Nor
wegian farmer who had como over in tho steer
age succeeded where tho government had often
failed. Wo are led to hark back to that sceno
In the Seattle court room almost a year ago,
when Sheridan, fresh from the law school, sing
ly representing this great republic, was pitted
against private attorneys of reputation and ex
perience, in a suit which involved tho vast coal
deposits of Alaska, and ultimately tho commer
cial control of that great territory.
ANEW YORK DISPATCH to tho Oklahoma
City Oklahoman, says: Senator Owen, of
Oklahoma, who introduced a bill In the United
' States senate, to grant the right of suffrage to
women, strongly defended that measure, in an
Interview in Now York, Monday. Owen came
to New' York to deliver an address Saturday
evening and stayed over Sunday. "Women
should not only vote," he said, "but should bo
made to vote. No nation ever rises higher than
the' women of that nation. Just In tho degree
of honor and respect they are treated does it
rise. As women began to fill the cares and press
of business that respect has been modified. Six
million women outside of domestic service are
independent of any man, What reason Is there
that they should be denied equal wages, equal
liberties, and equal say In government with
men. An overwhelming reason for the cause of
suffrage lies In the fact that throughout the
country, if they don't own half the land, women
at least, do half tho work, and produce all the
children. This alone ought to give them the
right of equal voice in tho matters of govern
ment."
BLUNDERS
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Perhaps the worst blunder tho democrats
could make would be tho election of a half
dozen interests serving: senators.
It would bo another blunder to try to
exclude Mr. Bryan from the counsels of tho
party. As a candidate he is, of course, out
of the question, and no one knows It better
than himself. But he has a larger follow
ing: than any other democrat, and It Is
doubtful whether anybody will havo as de
cisive a voice in the next national conven
tion as he. The attempt to ignore him is
Ill-advised to the last degree. It can only
divide tho party and blight all hope of
futuro advantages. Tho war upon Bryan
Is Interpreted by the people as an effort of
"big business' to get hold of tho party ma
chinery and use it for sinister purposes.
If ho is Anally ostracised it Is pretty cer
tain that tho next president will not be a
democrat. Portland Oregonlan.
The American Homestead, a monthly farm
journal of mational scope, will be seat to all
Commoner subscribers, without additional cost,
who renew their subscriptions daring tho montfc
of March when this uotico is mentioned.
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