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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 9, 1913)
vG8BPftlW'lfVy i-yjjR'-' - -hj fjr -H"?w9vyrai The Commoner. MAY 9, 1913 Its threat, and it is now trying to work th3 undoing of the democratic party. "No one, of course, desires the Injury of any legitimate industry, and no one Is planning for the destruction of any honest business, but all men who have a trub regard for the welfare of the country, in which the welfare of 'big business' is involved with the rest, insist that there shall be a more equal distribution of op portunity." In Mr. Bryan's opinion, there will be many questions for the settlement of congress. Ho makes no recommendations, because recom mendations to congress are no part of his offi cial duties, but as a worker in the ranks ho thinks that there will be and ought to be fur ther legislation against the trusts. In his opin ion, the Sherman ani-trust law does not meet the necessities of the case, and ho has no doubt that It will be strengthened as the platform de mands, so that It will provide an easier and more effective way of reaching the great combinations that have dominated the industries of the coun try. Mr. Bryan Is in perfect health, is working harder than he has worked for years, has estab lished very pleasant relations with all the diplo matic representatives at Washington, Is keep ing his temper in Bpite of many provocations to wrath, and wherever he goes is greeted by both those who have idolized him and by those who have been opposed to him in his political under takings with genuine enthusiasm. Ho has not quite committed himself to the definition of democracy made by an eminent Virginian, who declared in a notable speech at the University of Virginia that "democracy is the inherent right of every man to vote as he pleases," but, as was said of Castro when he was trying to establish a tempbrary place of residence, "he -is on his way." The party seems to have got ten together. It is not Wilson, or Bryan, or Clark, or Underwood, or Harmon, but the democratic party. When the vote was taken in the demo cratic caucuB yesterday on the question of free wool the vote stood 190 for to 42 against. The Chinese Republic Recognized MR. BRYAN'S INTERVIEW The Philadelphia Public Ledger prints the following editorial: It is not usual for a sec retary of state to outline his policies to the pub lic or to take notice of insensate rumors rela tive to the cordiality, or want of it, existing be tween him and his chief; but Mr. Bryan has been the subject of so many ridiculous stories to the effect that the president was ignoring him and his office and intimating that the foreign policy of the nation was to be one of niggardly hesl tance in protecting American interests abroad, that it was altogether proper for him to take the Washington correspondent of the Public Ledger into his confidence and, through him, to reassure the country in regard both to the sympathetic unity of the president and his cabi net on all matters of importance and the sobriety o the foreign policy which will be pursued. Mr. Bryan was not ignored in the matter of the Chinese loan. He has found the president "altogether fair," and he has never known a man with "a more open mind nor one who tried more sincerely to get at 'the meat of any ques tion." Mr. Bryan never attempted to dictate the composition of the cabinet. Instead of be ing opposed to Mr. McAdoo, he regards the sec retary of the treasury "as one of the most com petent and trustworthy men in the cabinet, a man of conspicuous ability, of high integrity, a progressive of progressives." Mr. Bryan has not assumed the premiership with the idea of a short 'tenure of his office. On the contrary, he has taken a house in Washing ton and will stay there, performing the duties of his office "until the end of my present com mission." He likes the work to which he has been assigned, which exposes the hollowness of the tale that he wished to be secretary of the treasury, aud he has "no other wish or pur pose than to be of the largest possible service to the president in working out the difficult problems of his administration." The foreign policy of the nation will be an application of the Golden Rule, granting to all other nations their just dues and demanding of them what in justice they should give. It is not a mollycoddle programme that is proposed, but a programme which has inherent virility because of its Openness and honesty. It is unfortunate that at this early date rumors of disaffection and disloyalty in the cabinet should have been circulated, but the dis creet, yet frank, utterance of the secretary of state should definitely put an end to them and be effective in strengthening the confidence of the country in the moral integrity and discipline of the administration. The Chinese republic has been formally recognized by the United States. Following Is a United Press dispatch: Chargo Williams at Pekin cabled that ho had delivered the formal recognition, as ho was authorized to do upon complete organization of tho now government. This government's action has created a most interesting situation and brings to a point the intentions of tho five other powers, parties to tho six power loan nogotiationsr from which the United States recently withdrew, announcing its purpose to recognize China and urging the others to do tho same. It is known that some of them, at least, required more than a mere organization of a national legislature, between which and the provisional executive serious fric tion has developed. On the other hand, the recent action of Yuan Shi Kai, concluding a loan for $125,000,000 with the five power group, is expected to provo a powerful influence to the governments to support Yuan Shi Kai, joining in tho recognition of China by the United States. Tho formal recognition by the United States was extended when Charge Williams delivered to President Yuan Shi Kai the following message from President Wilson: "The government and people of tho Unltod States, having recently testified their sympathy with the people of China upon their assump tion of the attributes and powers of self-government, deem it opportune at this time, when the representative national assembly has met to discharge the high duty of setting the seal -of full accomplishment upon the aspirations of tho Chinese people, that I extend In the name of my government and my countrymen, a greet ing of welcome to the new China thus entering into tho family of nations. "In taking this stop I entertain tho confident hopo and expectation that tho Chinese nation will attain tho highest degree of development and well being nnd that under tho now rule all estab lished obligations of China which pass to tho provisional governor will in turn, pass to and bo served by tho government established by tho assembly." President Yuan Shi Kal's response was as follows: "In the name of tho republic pf China, I thank you most heartily for tho message of recogni tion you have sent mo through tho honorod representative In this nation. "The expression of greeting and wolcorno which It convoys at once testifies to tho Ameri can spirit of mutual helpfulness and addB a brilliant page to tho history of seventy years of uninterrupted friendly intercourse between China and tho United States. "Though unfamiliar with the republican form of government, tho Chinese people aro yet fully convinced of tho soundness of tho prin ciples which underlie it and which aro so lu minously represented by your great common wealth. "The solo aim of tho government which they have established, theroforo is, and will bo, to preservo this form of government and to per fect its workings, to tho end that they may en joy its unalloyed blessings, prosperity a"M lfttT plness within, through union of law and liberty and peace and friendship without, through tho faithful execution of all established obligations." Mr., Bryan's Selected Speeches. Revised 'and arranged in a convenient two-volumo edition. These books present Mr. Bryan's most notable addresses and orations, and cover tho 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. Tho two volumes, bound in cloth, sent to any address prepaid on receipt of price, $2.00. Tho half leather edition, 2 vols., sent for $3.00, prepaid. Address Tho Commoner, Lincoln, Nob. What Big Millionaires Will Pay in Income Tax on Four per cent Basis From the New York World: The big millionaires of tho country woul'd be hit by tho income tax, on a 4 per cent basis, about as follows, tho incomes themselves being estimated at 5 per cent of tho owner's capital, with the exception of J. D. Rockefeller and William Rockefeller, each 10 per cent, and the J. P. Morgan estate, 10 per cent: Capital Income Tax John D. Rockefeller $500,000,000 $50,000,000 $2,000,000 Andrew Carnegie 300,000,000 15,000,000-' 600,000 William Rockefeller 200,000,000 20,000,000 800,000 Estate of Marshall Field 120,000,000 6,000,000 240,000 George F. Baker 100,000,000 5,000,000 200,000 . Henry Phipps 100,000,000 5,000,000 200,000 . Henry C. Frick 100,000,000 5,000,000 200,000 William A. Clark 80,000,000 4,000,000 160,000 Estate of J. P. Morgan 75,000,000 7,500,000 300,000 Estate of E. H. Harriman 68,000,000 3,400,000 146,000 Estate of Russell Sage .. . . . 64,000,000 3,200,000 128,000 W. K. Vanderbilt . . 50,000,000 2,500,000 100,000 Estate of John S. Kennedy . . . 65,000,000 3,250,000 130,000 Estate of John J. Astor 70,000,000 3,500,000 140,000 W. W. Astor 70,000,000 3,600,000' 140,000 J. J. Hill 70,000,000 3,500,000 140,000 Isaac Stephenson 74,000,000 3,700,000 148,000 Jay Gould estate . . 70,000,000 3,500,000 140,000 Mrs. Hetty Green 60,000,000 3,000,000 ' 120,000 Estate of Cornelius Vanderbilt. --. 50,000,000 2,500,000 100,000 Estate of William Weightman 50,000,000 2,500,000 100;000 Estate of Ogden Goelet 60,000,000 3,000,000 120,000 W. H. Moore 50,000,000 2,500,000 100,000 Arthur C. James 50,000,000 2,500,000 100,000 Estate of Robert Goelet 60,000,000 3,000,000 120,000 Guggenheim estate 50,000,000 2,500,000 100,000 Thomas F. Ryan 50,000,000 2,500,000 . 100,000 Edward Morris ; 45,000,000 2,500,000 90,000 J. O. Armour 45,000,000 2,500,000 90,000 The name of Frederick Weyerhauser, of St. Paul, tho "lumber king," does not appear In tho above list. He is regarded as one of tho wealthiest men in the country. He owns, It is said, 60,000 square miles of standing trees, and it has often been stated In print that he is "richer than Rockefeller." In the $25,000,000 to $35,000,000 class, yielding incomes of $1,250,000 to $1,750,000 and taxes of $50,000 to $70,000, are James Stillman, J. H. Schiff, Charles M. Pratt, J. H, Flagler, Quincy A. Shaw, E. T. Bedford, E. T. Stotesbury, John Claflin, Henry Walters, E. C. Converse, Clarence H. Mackay, Nathaniel Thayer, W. H. Moore, and the estates of H. H. Rogers, Robert WInsor, George Smith, W. B. Leeds, W. Scully, John Arbuckle, J. Crosby Brown, John F. Dryden. W. L. Elkins, and O. H. Payne.