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The Commoner,
.VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2
CURRGNT
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A WASHINGTON dispatch to tho Kansas City
Star says: If roductions in wages of work
ingmon follow tho enactment of tho democratic
tariff bill, .tho investigating powers of tho depart
ment of commorco will bo called in to establish
whothor tho reductions aro of a bona fido nature
Socrotary Rod field declared that was his purposo.
Prosldont Wilson has said ho would mako an
effort to learn tho causo of any reductions of
pay after passage of tho bill, and to callers in
dicated a general approval of Mr. Rodfiold's
ideas. Tho socrotary of commorco and tho presi
dent had a conferenco at which Mr. Redflcld
' talked ovor tho powers of tho department. , Mr.
Redfleld declared at tho White House that prob-
' ably the first inquiry would bo into tho pottery
industry for which, ho said, representations had
boon made that a roductidn in wages would
follbw changes in duties. "Wo want to see," said
Socrotary Redfleld, "whether any changes in
business, particularly those that affect wages
aro directly necessary in tho industries affected
oi-. whether some business men aro Just bluffing.
In other words we don't feel disposed to accept
at par statements of tho interests themselves as
to tho effects of the tariff bill, but will mako a
thorough investigation through tho bureau of
domostic and foreign commerce. This function
has not been used before, but I see no reason
why such information should not bo gathered
for tho benefit of congress and the government."
The socrotary indicated that his department
would observe business in general after tho
tariff bill had gone into effect and if changes in
tho tariff appeared necessary, tho data collected
would be a basis for discussion in congress at
later sessions.
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THE doorkeeper of the house of representa
tives suddenly became famous in connec
tion with a now and peculiar euro for dyspepsia.
Tho Washington correspondent for tho Dubuque
(la.) Tolograph-Horald tells tho story in this
way: Tho national capital boasts at least ono
sand eating man. His namo is Julian Emmons
and ho is a doorkeeper at the house of repre
sentatives. Emmons hails from Noblesvillo, Ind.,
and came to Washington with tho democratic
regime in the house more than two years dgo.
Ho is sixty-five years of ago, hale and hearty.
Emmons swallows a teaspoonful of sand after
each meal. Ho never leaves home In the morn
ing without a phial of coarse sand. He says he
was troubled constantly with sour stomach,
heartburn, indigestion and kindred Ills until ho
started the "sand euro." Now ho asserts that
ho is never troublod at all, relishes his food,
sleeps like a baby and enjoys life to the full.
Ho has one remedy for all ills. It is sand. If
a dark brown taste is present in the morning,
do not fail to reach for tho sand bottle. Ho
urges coarse sand, not too Bharp, and forswears
tho flno white variety because, ho says, it dis
solves in the intestinal processes and is of no
value as an aid to tho functions of digestion.
& & J
JULIAN HAWTHORNE, who is in the federal
prison at Atlanta under a fraud charge, is
editor of the prison publication, issued monthly
and called "Good Words." Following is an in
teresting editorial written by Mr. Hawthorno
and printed in this publication: Though
prisons remain, an alteration has como to pass
in prisoners. It is obvious that modern indus
trial development has generated many new
laws and has brought under the scrutiny of tho
law wholo classes of people who had been
hitherto fearless of it. These men includo
many persons of good education, gentlo breed
ing and high intelligence, and hundreds of this
type are now going to jail for offenses which
havo been in a manner created by tho now-born
Bcruples of lawmakers and tho Bubtle discrimi
nations of public prosecutors. A now order of
prisoners has consequently come into existence.
Thoy are criminals not by innate tendency, but
by accident and stress of circumstances; by
novel conditions, not as yet fully digested into
tho moral sense, and such an irruption to our
jails of an unprecedented element could not
fail about modifications in the handling of
prisoners o all kinds. An ignorant and brutal
thug, or a depraved and hopeless degenerate,
neods ono sort of handling, and men of brains
and refinement another. For though men of
education who commit crimes merit more severe
punishment than do mon who never had a
chanco to know bettor, yet their skin is far
moro sensitive and a tap of the finger hurts
them more than a blow of tho paddle does the
hardened malefactor. But tho tendency seems
to bo to lean to the former principle' in tho
treatment of all. It is judged' moro expedient
for tho common good to bo lenient to a savago
than savage to a man who responds to leniency.
Meanwhile our jails aro becoming more instead
of less populous; tho notable increase of federal
courts and tho tendency to concentration of
power in tho national government over tho
states, enables convictions to bo more easily
obtained. Whether or npt this increased fa
cility keeps even pace With impartial justice is
a question to be solved by experience. A great
body of Inspectors and other officials of courts
has been created, and they aro naturally eager
to justify their salaries. A system of espion
age has been established so widespread as to
breed uneasiness in all walks of civic life. But
all evils are accompanied by compensations; and
if the processes used to obtain convictions oc
casionally remind us of Russia, yet if they un
expectedly provo the means of admitting the
angel of reform into prisons they may be worth
tho price.
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REFERRING to an "unaffected president," a
writer in tho Boston Globe says: Thomas
Jefferson is being hard pushed by Woodrow
Wilson as an exemplar of simplicity. For a
contury the former has been held up as a model
of unaffected manners, and no president has
wrested first honors from him, but just now he
has a rival in the person of our chief execu
tive. Mr. Wilson, to bo sure, rides in an auto
mobile instead of on horseback, but he goes
about his business in such a quiet, matter-of-fact
way that Washington passes from one sur
prise to another. The latest incident to illus
trate his simplicity happened in a restaurant.
Tho place was crowded, the waiter was busy,
and, as the identity of the party was not dis
closed, scant attention was paid to an Inquiry
for seats. The presidential party wasted no
time, but promptly went to a hotel where ac
commodations were certain. Most people would
havo gone away in a huff. Tho Wilsons very
quietly retired to better quarters, without com
ment. Unobtrusiveness is the Wilson rule.
Neither the president nor any of his family havo
put on any frills since they occupied the White
House. They are setting the nation a good ex
ample by doing their daily work without osten
tation, and in their dealings with other people
act quite the same as would the ordinary indi
vidual. Jefferson couldn't improve on the Wil
son plan unless it bo urged that the sage of
Monticello, if now living, would insist on run
ning his own car, while Mr. Wilson is content
to be piloted by a chauffeur.
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PUBLIC attention was recently attracted to
the fact that the bishop of the Philippine
Islands made tho journey to America in tho
Bteerago. Tho New York Herald printed from
the pen of a Washington correspondent the
following interesting story: Simplicity is the
motto of tho Right Rev. Charles Henry Brent
5?sh?&M0,f 910 Protestant Episcopal diocese of
the Philippine Islands. That's the reason he
cml t0 America from Liverpool in the steerage
of the Caronia, instead of the first cabin, as
churchmen havo done since time out of mind
..Sw58 ml duty t0 cmo that way," he declared!
Thats where a churchman belongswith tho
poorer classes who need his encouragement
That's why I came in tho steerage of the C.
3T1 Vmd Vm glad l dId'" BishP Brent left
the Philippines more than two months ago
coming east over the trans-Siberian railroad!
He did not stay long on the continent, but hur
wlnrnt Liverpool, nero h0 dld not mako his
identity known. Thero he bought a steerago
he had tho same fato as the immigrants,' of
whom there were 1,442 on board. Tho onl
difference in his accommodations was that u
occupied one of tho double staterooms alone
Once or twice on the trip across he ate his meals
in tho room, but at other times he sat at th
long tables and broke bread with tho immi
grants. When the steamship passed Daunt'a
Rock, off tho Irish coast, tho immigrants began
to whisper around that tho head of the Episco
pal church in tho Philippines was on board with
them in the steerage. They crowded around to
meet him and ho shook hands with several hun
dred. Then his presence became known in tho
first cabin, and it was suggested that he go to a
stateroom there for the remainder of tho voy
age. But tho bishop, determined to stay with
tho people who could not afford the luxuries ot
higher priced passage, refused with thanks.
Those in the salon compartment who wanted
to meet the bishop had to go to tho "steerage,"
which was filled with people of many nations,
some ignorant and dirty, others educated and
ambitious, all intent upon the fortunes of a new
world. With these people in tho steerage
Bishop, Brent sat and talked for hours. They
told him of tho homes that they were leaving
and of what they expected to see and gain in
America. They found tho high churchman
sympathetic, tender and lovable. They opened
their hearts to him willingly and sought his
advice as to what they should do in the new
country.
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A CEREMONY of unprecedented character was
held recently at Indianapolis. A special
dispatch to the New York World says: While
tho stars and bars of the confederacy were
afloat over the state capitol and the band alter
nately played "Dixie" and the "Star-Spangled
Banner," there was unveiled the bronze bust
of Col. Richard Dale' Owen of the union army
the gift to the state of Indiana of the United
Confederate veterans. Colonel Owen was in
command of the federal prison at Camp Morton,
near Indianapolis, in '18 62, which under his con
trol was in contrast to the horrors of other war
prisons. Owen became widely known to the
confederates as a man of unfailing kindness and
courtesy to his prisoners. Being himself cap
tured a year after he was sent to the front from
Camp Morton, the confederate commander re
fused to detain him, saying: "Colonel Owen,
your kindness to our men at Camp Morton is
well known to us all; you are free to go at
will." S. A. Cunningham of Nashville, Tcnn.,
publisher of the Confederate Veteran, started
tho Owen memorial fund in his part of the
country. He having been a prisoner at Camp
Morton had reason to remember Colonel Owen
gratefully. The presentation of the bust was
made by Gen. Bennett H. Young of KentucKy,
commander-in-chief of the confederate veterans.
and the speech of acceptance on behalf of tne
state was made by Vice President Marshall.
The cord releasing the draperies covering tne
bust was dravm by Mrs. Nora Owen Armstrong,
a granddaughter of Colonel Owen andwieo
a southerner. Vice President Marshall in n
speech of acceptance dwelt upon the fact wu
it was the first time in history that a union
soldier had been so honored by confedera
veterans. Several members of the Owen lamw
were present, including Horace P. Owen, v
only living son of tho union soldier.
QV iv tV
MAKING electricity from exhaust steam to an
accomplishment of the people o : w
Hartlepool of England. An American cons'"
report says: West Hartlepool, which can u
to bo the first municipal authority to prou
electricity by means of waste heat, wlir opeu
new generating station in. the course oi .
three weeks. Tho two turbo-generators, t
or i,duu kilowatts, win do uhv - 0f tho
steam from the furnace-blowing engines 0fl
Seaton CaTew Iron company, adjacent to lr
works the station is built. In lul"
exhaust steam, which has hitherto been
lng to waste in the air, the Seaton Cal7ration
company will receive free from tho corp
tho supply of electric current thoy na J
works. Expenditure on coal will pracu
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