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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1913)
-miwwmi f'F5V JANUARY 24, 1913' The Commoner. 7 fvvy wi We.' tf. fe"S counting. Corporations are creatures of the, state. They have no authority to issue stocks and bonds or securities in any form except as the state vests them with power to issuo the same. There should be a law against the issuance and sale of watered securities, unless on the face thereof the amount or percent of water therein is accurately stated." 5 v A GOOD JOKE on a clergyman, Rev. Elmer T. Clark, a University City, Mo., pastor, was toid by his ministerial brethren and reported by the St. Louis Republic. The report relates to an address Dr. Clark made before a ministers' conference and the Republic says: Dr. Clark, in his address, which was very scholarly, quoted Sir William Ramsay, one of the greatest living authorities on Asia Minor, to the effect that profanity is a mark of development and a sign of civilization. "Whenever Sir William found a community," he said, "during his travels in Asia, where the people used profanity, ho con sidered that it was a mark of development, be cause usually the uncivilized natives in express ing their anger used language that was unspeak ably vulgar. And as theBe people became more civilized they dropped their vulgarity and be came profane." Just previous to making this address, Dr. Clark went into a barber shop to get a shave. In the course of it he was con siderably annoyed by a group of men using pro fanity. When the shave was over, the clergy man rose very angry. "I hope you will come in again, Doctor," the barber Invited. "No, I don't think I shall be likely to come in again," said Dr, Clark, "I don't care to listen to such pro fanity as I have heaTd here." After the address of Dr. Clark before the conference had been published in the Republic, the barber cut out the article, underscored it, according to his in terpretation of it, and mailed it to Dr. Clark, with the observation, "I think you can come in now, Doctor." & CHARLES A. KEENE of New York, an inde pendent watch dealer, appeared before the house committee on ways and means and urged a flat rate of twenty per cent duty on all watch, cases and the unassembled parts pf watches. Mr Keene declared that he had, been driven, out .of business by the watch rust because he bought American watches abroad and sold them in this country at. a lower iprice than they were sold here by the trust. The Washington correspondent for the New York fJournal tells the story of Mr. Keene's testimony rm tuis way; xvir. xieeue was examined Dy .ttepre- jentatlve Rainey, of the committee, who has insisted there exists a watch trust in this coun try which has taken advantage of the tariff duties to sell in the domestic trade watches at exorbitant prices, while it has exported similar watches and sold them for less than half their cost in. this country. Mr. Keene proved a valu able witness. He testified that a year ago he bought American watches in European markets for $17 which sold in this country for $2 .50. The- price to the foreign purchaser is unknown, as they get a published discount of from 3 to 32 per cent, with the addition of an unknown discount. When the American, manufacturers learned what he was doing, said Mr. Keene, they made it impossible for him to buy watches abroad, and also refused to sell him in this country. i? v tffi JOHN J. ETTOR, a labor leader, declares that he was misunderstood when he was charged with saying:: "If you are compelled to go back under unsatisfactory conditions go laack with your minds made up that It is tho unsafest thing la the world for the capitalist to eat food prepared by members of your union." "ITfftnr anva in hffl Ififtor: "T iHrt nnfr mnlfo tbA it, r.",::'.,,".; ": T t.. rr ritTrr L1 remarKs aiiegea nor ao i ueiieve me suggestion they (newspapers) claim can be taken out of my talk, as a policy that I advise you to follow, for I am satisfied that the course they insinuate and attribute to me would not bring success but the opposite. Your cause is not to be won by any policy that endangers human life." 4V t2nf ? PRESIDENT-ELECT WILSON is In favor of doing away with the inaugural ball, if such a thing is possible. In a letter addressed to I Mr. Eustis, chairman, of the inauguration com- mittee, Mr. Wilson sald "After taking counsel with a great many persona and learning sb well as I can general opinion in the matter, I have come to the conclusion, ttiat it is my duty to ask you to consider the, feasibility of omitting th8, inaugural ball altogether. I do this with & great deal of hesitation, because I do not wish K, I y to interfere with settled practices or with reason able expectations of those who usually go to enjoy the Inauguration ball, but it has come to wear the aspect of a sort of public duty, be cause of tho largo indiroct expense upon the government incidental to it and because those balls havo ceased to be necessary to the enjoy ment of tho visitors. I hope most sincerely that this request will in no way embarrass you, and that I have not too long delayed in making the suggestion." Tho ball has been abandoned. v . 5 MR. MUNSEY'S political holding company is referred to by a writer in the New York World in this way: Who but Frank A. Munsey or maybe George W. Perkins could havo conceived the eminently Armageddonish scheme of reuniting tho republican and pro gressive parties by a "holding party" to take tho two organizations over, "as a holding company In tho business world takes over and amalga mates competing concerns?" Tho republican party used to be In the hands of a holding company with Theodore Roosevolt as a voting trust. In those days battling for the Lord was "a perfectly corking tlmo," aud tho enemy at Armageddon was "slugged over the ropes" and "beaten to a frazzle." Then came a day when the Taft administration, following the rule of reason laid down by the supromo court in tho Standard Oil case, undertook to abolish the voting trust and dissolve tho holding company. The colonel promptly grabbed all tho assets that he could lay his hands on and organized a com peting party which manufactured and sold tho same old stand-pat goods under a now name. Both concerns are now In a bad way, and It is not surprising that Brother Munsey looks back regretfully to the days of the old political trust. But we fear he is too late, As Mr. Morgan once felicitously remarked, with the consent and ap proval, of the colonel himself, "You, can't un scramble eggs." WHAT CONSTITUTES A HOME? Think of home, and the mind Instinctively wanders back to the old town, the quiet street, the spacious grounds, the cottage hidden among the trees, the gravel walk, the old well, the flowers in bloom, and tho air laden with the fragrance of spring. As the closing day casts its shadows over tho world, fading rays of tho declining sun pierce through the latticed windows, and over cradled innocence a mother croons her lullaby. As the breaking dawn calls to activity tho waking world, we see him on whom, for her, age never descends we see them as, locked in each other's embrace, they stroll down the gar den walk. Leaning over the gate, he Implants upon her brow a parting kiss. As he passes from view, we see her wave aloft her embracing arm, and from the distance comes his response. We say: There is a home. And so it is. It is not necessary that It be sumptuous to be a home. It is only necessary that Love reign therein. It is not necessary that it be poor to be a home. It is only important that Kindness shall be the ruling spirit. A nation that ignores the welfare and the hap piness of the home is a nation doomed. Men do not defend tenements. The only excuse for government and law Is to maintain the possibility of the home. We need not machine-made homes nor machine-made men. For the home we need only Justice to make it possible, Peace to make It whole, Kindness to make it inviting, Companionship to make it blest, Love to make it holy, and the laughter of a little child to make it divine. Omaha Chancellor. BUTCHERING THE LANGUAGE Are either and neither pronounced "eether" and "neether" or "eyether" and "neyther?" This question, much disputed, is answered in favor of "eether" and "neether" by Julian W. Abernathy in a useful little book entitled "Cor rect Pronunciation," and published by Charles E. Merrill of New York. Not a single modern dictionary gives "eyether" the preference, says the little book and goes on to quote Richard Grant White, who says "eyether" is an affecta tion and a second rate British affectation at that. Which should hold the "eyether" advocates a while. And now about the word vase. It's pro nounced "vace," whether it come from the 10 cent store or Tiffany's. "Vaze" Is wrong, gays the book, and "vawz" is vulgar. Another tally for us old fashlosed folks. Perhaps you've 'been confused by- hearing people talk about "rico" and finding out after ward that thoy meant tho noun "rise." Well, thoy wcro wrong, too. A straw vote of tho beBt modern dictionaries hands tho preference to "rizo" as tho propor pronunciation. Another word that Is frequently mispro nounced is depot. It should bo "deopo," not "deppo" or "daypo." Our old friend, Jean Valjcan, of course, la properly "Zahn Vnlzhan," and the great state of Kansas is pronounced as though the first h wcro a z. Tho folks who insist on making It soft aro all to tho bad. J. Plerpont Morgan Is a "flnnanseor," not a "fynanscer." Tho Renaissance Is pronounced "rencsans," accent on tho last syllable, not Renaysans, and Salome gots her last syllable pronounced. Poets aro filled with the divine "afflytus," not tho divine "afflaatus." The ruler of Japan is the mikado, with tho ac cent on the second syllable, as all serious minded students of Gilbert and Sullivan know, and novor tho mickadoo. Gibberish is pronouncod with a hard g, and not "jlbberioh," and the word flaccid Is "flaksld," not "flasld." Amateur Is "amaturr," not "amatoor" or "amachoor." The Antipodes Australia, you know aro pronounced "antlpodooz." When tho wind soughs through tho branches it "sows;" novor "suffs." A faucet Is a "fawsot," not a "fassot." Those aro only a few examples. The book contains 2,000 words, which aro commonly mis pronounced, and 800 propor names, which aro frequently Improperly spoken. A little study of It will enable you to bawl out almost any of your friends frequently, besides tending to 1m provo your own vocabulry. "Careless and slipshod enunciation among pre sumably cultured people," the author says, "is probably moro common in tho United States than in any other country in the world. A French man is proud of his speech and treats it as a fino art, while an American regards his speech with Indifference or contempt." Probably he Is right, as he Is a Ph. D. and the author of a book on American literature. At any rate, a study of his little book Is likely to prove beneficial to any of us.- Kansas City Star. KEEP UP THE PROTEST "Hooper, Neb., Jan. 13. Editor Commoner: In a late Issue of your paper I see you fear the Aldrlch currency plan will be passed before March 4. Nebraska fanners are organizing local unions In several parts of the state and if you will send mo a copy of resolutions you think we should adopt concerning this proposed currency plan, I will have as many locals as possible adopt them and send some to our law makor3 from Ne braska. Yours truly, F. E. LISTON." Make the resolutions simple and to the point and mail or wire them to your senator and con gressman: The following form may servo as a suggestion: Resolved that wo condemn the proposed cur rency legislation known ao the "Aldrlch plan" and call upon our senators and representatives in congress to aid in the defeat of that measure and of anything similar to it involving particu larly tho central bank feature or any other method of centralizing control over tho money and credit of the country. A CHALLENGE TO DECENCY The attempt of the corporation democrats In the Illinois legislature to confer leadership upon a supporter of Lorimer is not only an insult to the democracy of the nation it is a challenge to decency. Mr. Lorimer'g status has been fixed, and in fixing it judgment was passed upon thoso democrats who voted for him. Our party has important work to do it can not turn aside to whitewash the democrats who went down with him, whether they were morally guilty or merely misled. The Illinois democrats who aro pushing these soiled ex-patriots to the front have a very poor idea of the party's mlssioa and duty. Mr. Bryan's Selected Speeches. Revised and arranged in a convenient two-volume edition. These books present Mr. Bryan's most notable addresses and orations, and cover the chief important phases and features of his career as an orator and advocate. A familiarly intimate and interesting biographical introduction by Mary Baird Bryan, his wife, opens Volume I. The two volumes, bound in cloth, sent to any address prepaid on receipt of price, $2.00. The half leather edition, 2 vols., sent for $3.00, prepaid. Address The Commoner, Lincoln, Neb,