MARCH 10, 1911
Thef Commoner.
7
PRESIDENT TAFT ivas, by inference at least
bitterly assailed in a speech delivered in
the senate by Senator Bourne of Washington,
who is a progressive. The Associated Press
report says: "The surprising thing was that
although all of the senator's audience construed
his remarks as an attack on the president, not
a word was uttered in reply. The Beverly letter,
in which Secretary Norton said the president had "
withheld federal patronage from certain con
gressmen and senators, but would discontinue
that practice, was brought into the limelight.
On previous occasions insurgent senators threat
ened to read this letter in the senate, but until
tonight no public reference had been made to
it. Mr. Bourne opened his speech by a discus
sion of the Oregon law. He said when this law
is enlisted by all the states it will destroy the '
power of the federal machine to renominate
a president or determine his successor. The
'steam roller,' he says, will be relegated to the
political scrap heap and its operators to the
shadow of things forgotten, while fourth-class
postmasters will cease to be a political asset
for anybody or any party. Senator Bourne said
the use of presidential appointing power to
coerce members of congress would be either
bribery or intimidation bribery patronage if
used as a reward and intimidation if withheld
as a punishment. In this connection he- read
section 5450 of the revised statutes, making
it a crime for any person to offer or receive
anything of value to any member of either house
of congress with intent to influence his vote or
decision upon any matter pending in either
house. Continuing, he said: 'The natural in
ference from the Norton letter is that the presi
dent of the United States used federal patron
ag to Influence the action of members of con
gresp. This is a charge which no citizen can
', discuss without-. negret, yet the-whole subject ia
of such vital importance in the preservation
of representative government that I would feel
remiss in my duty if I failed to call it to the
attention of the country and place in a valuable
form such information relating thereto as may
cometo my attention. The undented statement
indicates a deplorable and deprecable subser
vience on a1 dangerous and demoralizing usurpa
tion on the part of the executive. I would have
as much respect for a common ward heeler who
buys votes at the polls, as for a president of
the United States who uses his appointing power
as a means of persuading members of congress
to determine their course of action.' "
NOT CONTENT with its unhappy experience in
the proceeding against the editor of the
Appeal to Reason, the Taft administration has
gone after another editor. The Denver News
says: "Urban Waiter, editor of a Denver publi
cation, the Harpoon, was arrested yesterday by
a United States deputy marshal on complaint of
Postoffice Inspector Waters. He is charged with
violating the postal laws in sending 'scurrilous
matter through the mails. Postoffice Inspector-in-Charge
Cochran ordered the arrest on advices
from Washington. Walter 1b a former mail
clerk. He is charged with having mailed 5,500
envelopes, on the outside of which was printed
an attack, on Postmaster General Hitchcock and
a criticism of President Taft. In red letters
appeared the following: 'Join the Harpoons
anti-gag crusade.' 'Do you know there are
14,000 dissatisfied men in the railway mail
service?' President; of the clerks' organization
to Washington officials. 'Very well, we can get
14,000 men' the reply, Then there were state
ments affecting Hitchcock and the administra
tion. Conviction on the charge against Walter
provides a maximum fine of $5,000 or imprison
ment for five years, or both. Walter gave bond
before the United States commissioner to appear
March 7 for a hearing."
CLIFFORD SIFTON, former minister of the
interior of Canada, does not take kindly to
Canadian reciprocity. Speaking to the Asso
ciated Press, Mr. Sifton said: "The best years
of my life were given to the work of settling
the Canadian northwest, and I cannot express
my feelings at the prospect of seeing that coun
try made the back yard of Chicago. What is
the reason being given by the representatives
of the United States for proffering us the terms
they do? I decline to entertain the suggestion
that Champ Clark, leader of the democratic
party was not speaking Seriously of annexation.
If it had not been for Mr. Clark and the demo
cratic party this reciprocity agreement never
would have passed the house of representatives.
It was he who put it through. He says he and
his party are in favor of this proposal because
it leads to annexation. What did Mr. Taft,
leader of the republican party, say? Canada ia
a strong country, it has a great storehouse of
natural resources. He says that it has been
pursuing a strong and successful policy of de
velopment, but is now at the parting of the
ways. Therefore, he says, before Canada is
Irrevocably fixed in the policy leading to the
consolidation and strengthening of the British
empire, we must turn her from her course."
THE BRISTOL, TENNESSEE correspondent
for the Nashville Tennessean wires his
paper the following: "That William Jennings
Bryan, who visited Bristol, enjoys more popu
larity in Virginia than in any other southern
state, was the opinion of several prominent Vir
ginians who came here and joined tho Tennes
seans In welcoming Mr. Bryan. Ex-Governor J.
Hoge Tylor of Virginia; came to hear Mr. Bryan,
and in an Interview stated that he believed him
to be not only the greatest living American,
but the greatest man in the world. At the ban
quet given Mr. Bryan, Judge John W. Price,
a prominent Virginian, told of an incident that
demonstrated the strong attachment of the
people of Virginia for Bryan, whose father, the
late Silas Bryan, was born Jn Culpepper county,
Va. In the history of Virginia there was prob
ably never a more popular or powerful demo
cratic leader than the late Senator John W.
Daniel. At the last democratic state convention,
held at Roanoke, Major Daniel went there to
stem the tide for Bryan, and prevent the con
vention from sending to the national convention
at Denver a' delegation instructed for the Ne
braskan for .the presidential nomination. Major
Daniel employed his great eloquence and power
of persuasion in an effort to induce the conven
tion to send an uninstructed delegation, but the
demand for Bryan was too strong. Daniel
wanted to go to the convention as a' delegate,
but the convention of 2,000 Virginians would
not permit him to go uninstructed. Though
they elected him to the senate for five consecutive-terms,
they would not trust his judgment
at the national convention, but adopted iron
clad instructions for the delegates to vote for
Bryan so long as his name was before the con
vention." AN EFFORT is being made to reorganize the
democratic, party in Pennsylvania. An As
sociated Press dispatch, under date of Harris
burg March 2d, says: "A complete reorganiza
tion of the democratic party in this state was
decided on by the committee hero tonight, when
the report of the committee of reform demo
crats was adopted by a vote of forty to thirty
nine Members of the democratic party organi
zation say the plan can not be carried out under
the present party rules. All except five mem
bers of the state committee were present In per
son or by proxy at the meeting, which had been
called by State Chairman Dewalt. National
Committeeman James M. Guffey did not attend
the meeting. He said his position could not bo
affected until the election of the delegation to
the national convention in 1912. The report,
adopted after efforts had been made to securo
the adoption of a substitute resolution naming
another committee declares that reorganization
can not be effected except by a 'complete change
in leadership, in methods and in policies whjch
Se election returns In November last demanded
End recommends that a committee of seven per
sons be selected with power to elect a new chair
man of the state committee and a new member
SttS national committee, thoreading
nf the report had been concluded, Walter E.
Retler of Looming county moved that the' rec-
ommondations bo stricken out and a substitute
providing for tho appointment of a now com
mittee. This was defeated thirty-nine to forty
two after a three-hour debate, in which Stato
Chairman Dewalt left tho chair and spoko in
his own defense and in favor of tho substltut
report. After the original roport, with Its recom
mendations, had been accepted, Chairman De
walt announced that ho would appoint throo
members of tho proposed committee within a
few days. The committee on reorganization said
they would mako their appointments shortly and
the congrossnonal delegation is expected to meet
tomorrow to select tho sovonth member."
SENATOR CUMMINS of Iowa, is doing some
strange things these days. Not long ago
ho shocked many who woro inclined to admlro
him by saying that so far as ho was concerned
any republican was better than tho best demo
crat. Now ho is fighting reciprocity. The Den
ver News says: "Senator Cummins of Iowa
will do himself, and the cause of insurgency no
good by helping kill tho reciprocity agreement
in the present congress. He will, likewise, do
reciprocity no harm. President Taft is sure to
call an extra session; and that extra session,
fresh as It is from tho people, is equally suro
to Indorse tho reciprocity agreement now pend
ing, and call for more of tho same kind. If
Senator Cummins is capablo of half the logio
we believed hini to possess, ho knows that his
alarm for tho future of the American farmer
under reciprocity with Canada is purest hum
bug. The American farmer has to sell his goods
in a free trade market, and buy his goods in
a tariff-walled market now; and such has been
his condition for forty years. You cannot knock
holes in the infamous tariff wall, and still keep
it intact. You cannot maintain your own pre
tenso of a graft, and got rid of tho other fellow's
very real graft. If Senator Cummins cannot
see that in the distribution of tariff poanuts,
the trusts have had the meat and the farmer
tho shells, we have much overrated his intel
ligence." SPEAKING TO A representative of the Omaha
(Neb.) News, Rudolph Spreckles, the multi
millionaire, who has dedicated his lifo to reform
work, said: "The commission form of govern
ment properly protected, is a step in the right
direction to solve problems of tho government
of a city. The initiative and referendum and
recall are absolutely necessary to successfully
govern by the commission plan. The ideal gov
ernment of cities is that by men qualified to
care for the property of the people, but then
tho people themselves hold a firm grip on the
control of these affairs. Make a few men re
sponsible for the government of your city and
give the people every power to enforce their de
mand for clean, able conduct of municipal affairs.
A low per cent for the recall is absolutely neces
sary. I favor, myself, an eight per cent for tho
initiat'ive and five per cent for the recall. Wo
tried a' high per cent for tho recall at San
Francisco and got nowhere with It. It Is neces
sary to glvo the people and all of tho people tho
greatest amount of power In Initiating legisla
tion, in checking vicious laws and In recalling
officials who do not do their duty if we are to
have real government by1' the people. We have
had the initiative and the recall in San Francisco
for years, but we could not use them because
the percentage had been placed too high. It
made It too costly for tho people to use."
COMMENTDNG ON THE result of tho Lorlmer
vote, Mr. Bryan gave th Associated Press
this statement: "The result has been fore
shadowed for several days, In fact the vote was
closer than I expected. It is very creditable to
the progressive republicans that so many voted
to unseat a man of their ow.n paTty on tho
charge of corruption. I am glad that so large
a majority of the democratic senators voted
to unseat Lorlmer and am sorry that our party
has to bear the odium of having any demo
cratic senator vote to seat him on the showing
that was made,"
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