The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, April 28, 1911, Page 2, Image 2

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for fencing and othor kinds of wire suitablo for
fonclng -3-10 to G-10 of a cent per pound.
"Fresh beef, veal, mutton, lamb, pork and
meats of all klndB 1 cents per pound.
"Salted, pickled, dried, dressed and preserved
meats 25 per cent ad valorem.
"Bacon, hams and shoulders 4 cents a
ppund. ,
"Lard cents a pound.
"Sausago and sausage meats 25 per cent ad
valorom.
"Buckwheat flour, wheat flour and semonllna
25 per cent.
"Cornmeal 40 cents per 100 pounds.
"Ityo flour of a cent a pound.
"Oatmeal and rolled oats 1 cent a pound.
, "Biscuits, bread, wafers and similar articles,
hot Bwcotonod 20 per cent.
Sowing machines 45 per cent.
"Salt (in bulk) 7 cents per 100 pounds.
"Salt (in bags, sacks or barrels) 11 cents
A pound.
"Shingles 50 cents per 1,000.
"Laths 20 cents per 1,000.
"Timbor (hewn, sided or squared, and round
timber used for spars or in building wharves)
of a cent per cubic foot.
"Sawod boards, planks, deals and other lum
ber (rough) 50 cents to $1.25 per 1,000 feet
board measure.
"Sawed boards, planks, deals and other lum
ber (dressed) 50 cents to $1.50 per 1,000
foot board measure."
Tho abovo list shows the additions to bo made
to tho free list with the tariff now collected.
Moat alono will bo a groat boon. The fangs of
tho beef trust will be drawn when the consumer
can buy his meat in the open market. The beef
trust has taxed tho farmer both ways, in buying
and in selling. Tho meat buyers of the city as
well as tho farmers will be benefitted by free
meat. Lot the good work go on; the democrats
aro making an excellent beginning.
AFRAID OF "TALKING CLUBS"
Tho Post Dispatch (St. Louis) is afraid that,
with tho initiative and referendum, assemblies
will bo converted into talking clubs. It can
save its worry. There is a good deal of talking
in assemblies now there can hardly be more
under tho initiative and referendum, but it will
bo a differont kind of talk. Now predatory cor
porations force through measures that tho people
do not want and prevent the passage of measures
that the peoplo do want, and much of tho talk
is intended to deceive tho public. Under the
initiative and referendum there is likely to be
less talk for it will do no good to oppose a
measure that the peoplo desire, because the
peoplo can secure it any way through the initia
tive, and it will do no good to pass a measure
that tho people do not want because under the
referendum tho peoplo can veto it. But whether
the talking will bo increased or decreased it will
be more apt to bo on the people's sido of public
questions. Is that objectionable?
A DIFFERENT QUESTION
Tho opponents of tho initiative and referen
dum are quoting Premier Asqulth as against
tho referendum. If they will examine the
proposition submitted in Great Britain they will
find that it is not at all similar to tho initative
and referendum in uso in tho United States. In
Great Britain there is a constant fight between
tho popular body, tho house of commons, and
tho hereditary body, tho house of lords, and the
proposition to submit all differences between
them to a referendum was merely a plan for
preserving the dignity of the hereditary body.
The members of tho house of commons are de
termined to overthrow the claim of the house
of lords to equal authority with tho house of
commons.
The Commoner.
TIIE PEOPLE ARE NOT BLIND
"After tho election of Senator Martin of
Virginia as floor leader of the senate by the
democratic caucus, some of those who have
been notoriously in sympathy with the republi
can "old guard" in the senate were incline in
their ignorance or indifference to tho real senti
ment of tho country at this time, to manifest
a spirit of vindictivoness.
"Senator Rayner of Maryland, and also Sena
tor Martin himself, were quick to realize the
danger in such a manifestation, and urged har
mony so earnestly that their counsels finally
prevailed.
"Mr. Rayner pointed out to his colleagues
who had elected Martin that they could not
afford to undertake to read Mr. Bryan out of
the party, and he urged a conciliatory policy.
"It is possible that the Maryland senator sug
gested it would bo well for Manuel to step out
into the streets of Lisbon and hear the mutter
ings of the populace before doing anything
foolish.
"Tho changed attitude of the bourbons is per
haps for the best. It may bo wondered at, now
over, that they do not appreciate the fact that
the great majority of democrats still adhere to
the policies advocated by Mr. Bryan and still
maintain the highest esteem for Mr. Bryan.
Tho latter has always opposed' special privilege,
and it is nonsensical to suppose that, although
Mr. Bryan may not ever again become a candi
date for office, that the army he trained for
warfare against special privilege is prepared
to inarch under the flag of special privilege.
"It is well for the people that one like Mr.
Bryaircan be on the ground and prevent any
treacherous overtures; to prevent a deliberate
wreck of the party by some of those who are
wearing the colors of democracy and yet are
not democrats in the true sense of the word.
"It will have been noticed that no Bryan
democrat stepped forward to defend Lorimer of
Illinois, whose seat in the United States senate
was unquestionably purchased because Mr.
Aldrich had indicated that he desired Lorimer's
election.
"The people are not blind to what is going
on at Washington, and the time has come when
they are prepared to separate the sheep from
tho goats among the representatives of both
groat parties at the national capital." Okla
homa Dally Oklahoman.
NOT FOR TIIE PEOPLE
The Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch, a
newspaper that takes its democracy from Wall
Street, says: "Jt looks as if Governor Woodrow
Wilson is exceeding the speed limit just a bit
in some of the suggestions he has made touch
ing such doubtful experiments as the initiative,
referendum and recall in things political. The
old democratic religion ought to be good enough
for Governor Wilson, There is such a thing
as going too fast in making radical changes."
In advocating initiative, referendum and re
call, Governor Wilson may be going a bit too
"fast" for Wall Street, but the gait is very
gratifying to the real democrats of the country.
STILL OBJECTING
The Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser is
still objecting to Mr. Bryan's going to Wash
ington. When he was a candidate it objected
to his going as an official and now it objects
to his visiting Washington as a private citizen.
Finding it quite impossible to please tho Adver
tiser he will not waste time trying. But is it
not just a little mean in the Advertiser to be
grudge Mr. Bryan the pleasure he receives from
witnessing tho triumph of tho policies he has
been fighting for.
INCOME TAX
The income tax has been ratified by the
following named states: Missouri, Indiana
Maryland, Georgia', Mississippi, North Dakota'
Kansas, Colorado Nevada, Washington, Ohio'
Illinois, North Carolina, Alabama, Iowa, Soutli
Dakota', Oklahoma, Montana, California, Ten
nessee, Michigan, Kentucky, South Carolina
Wisconsin, Nebraska, Texas, Maine, Idaho Ar
kansas and Oregon. '
Ratification by five more states will bring
about the adoption of the amendment.
KERN MAKES GOOD START
Senator Kern of Indiana, introduced a cam
paign contributions bill similar to the one which
passed the house and it is right that he should
It would be appropriate to have his name at
tached to it since he ran for vice president on
that platform and joined. Mr. Bryan in request
ing that tho Denver platform plank on this sub
ject be put into operation during the camnaien
Kern is starting out well. i"fcn.
VOLUME llNUMBER 1
"" GOVERNOR DIX ON THE INCOME TAX
"In a recent letter to Governor Dix, Mayor
Gaynor expressed an apprehension that the
'from whatever source derived' clause in the in
come tax amendment might injuriously affect
the market for state and municipal bonds.
Governor Dix replies to the mayor in a carefully
reasoned argument, which covers the income
tax issue, both in regard to legal interpretation
and to the obligation of the democratic party
to ratify the amendment. We have no hesi
tation in saying that in our opinion the gover
nor's argument is conclusive.
"The point revived -by Mayor Gaynor is the
same which was- advanced by Governor Hughes,
in his message on the incomo tax amendment.
In the meaning which they read into the pro
vision prescribing the sources of income which
may be taxed, we are convinced that both the
mayor and the former governor were led to take
the ground they have by the habit of' minute
study of verbal expressions, which they acquired,
the one as a practicing lawyer and the other
,as a judge on the bench. It is easy for such a
discipline to lead one away from the broad
style of interpretation which is characteristic of
rulings on constitutional law, and the defect
in the governor's and the mayor's criticism on
tlie language of the statute is that they have
applied to a constitutional matter the technical
exactitude which enters so largely into general
branches of the law, but has no proper place
in construing the fundam6atal law, embodied
in the constitution. The assumption that the
income tax amendment implies taxation of state
and municipal bonds was disposed of by Senator
Root in one of the most powerful arguments he
ever delivered, and anyway, it is not the main
branch of tho subject.
"The central point around which Governor
Dix groups the other phases of the topic is
that democracy pledged itself to the income tax
amendment, and should keep that pledge. That
is incontrovertible. There is a straight path of
duty before the party in this matter, and it
should follow undevlatingly the lino marked
out in the Rochester platform." Buffalo (New
York) Times.
ARKANSAS IN LINE
Arkansas has wheeled into line and ratified
the income tax amendment. Good for Arkansas
Tho state senate had rejected the amendment'
but, largely through the influence of Senator
Clark tho voto was reconsidered and the amend
ment was ratified by a large majority. The
cause of just taxation sweeps on. Next!
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
Wonder of wonders! The bill providing for
publicity BEFORE the election of; all cam
paign contributions above $10 passed 'the house
without a single vote against it. Isn't that re
markable? It is less than three years since Presi
dent Taft, then a candidate for the presidency,
gavo reasons why publication sUould bo deferred
until after the election, and ex-President Roose
velt, then president, endorsed Mr. Taft's position.
, Behold tho change! The world is certainly
moving. The democrats are responsible for this
reform it was in their platform, but the re
publicans, under the leadership of the progres
sives tried to make it more radical still and
came near succeeding. The democrats who
opposed the republican amendment probably did
so out of fear that the amendment might pre
vent the passage of the measure by the senate.
If the senate adopts the amendment there is no
doubt that it will go through the house with
out opposition as it should.
SMITING THE RAFFLES
A member of the New York legislature has
introduced a bill to prohibit raffles, punch
boards and all other games in which chance is
employed in disposing of merchandise. It is
suggested that this is retaliation for anti-race
track laws. But whatever the motive the pro
posed law is a good one. The law is intended
to exclude church raffles, and why not? Why
should a church throw its influence on the side
of gambling? Chance is just as vicious in a
church raffle as in a wheel of fortune there
Is no difference in principle. Why bar the
Louisiana lottery if wo are to encourage the
church lottery? The gambling vice should be
attacked wherever it appears.
ALSO
r n
"Lest you forget, remember the democratic
party when you say your prayers. Pray that it
may not be led into populistic temptation; but
.vrered from socialistic evil and saved from
downright idiocy." Houston (Texas) Post,
l ray, also, that it may be protected from those
who In the guise of "conservatives" would make
L,, Instment of the special interests and
lyJvreck Just as the republican party
has been wrecked. . ' -, . .
"
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