The Commoner
VOL. 14, NO. 8
lft& ?
The New Haven Case
Printed elsewhere In this Issue will bo found
tho correspondence which passed between the
president and attorney general before the bring
ing of tho New Haven suit. Tho country will
endorso tho position taken by the executive and
tho department of justice. Tho New Haven had
an opportunity to comply with tho law, but it
refused. It is difficult to believe that the rea
son given was tho real reason, because the loss
to the Now Haven stock, occasioned by tho re
fusal of tho road to settle, was much greater
than tho threatened loss to a part of tho stock,
given as an excuse for tho refusal.
Tho public has had an opportunity to learn
of tho mismanagement of the Now Haven road
a mismanagement so inexcusable that condemna
tion has already been pronounced by the public
against tho directors. Tho manner in which the
.manors allowe'd the road to bo plundored by
ilnirrrl-VH on the inside is now a matter of com
mon knowledge, and a lesson has been learned
from tho rovolations that show how the road
systematically corrupted public opinion. A
university professor was subsidized to write in
defense of the road's methods; newspaper re
porters wore employed with a view to silencing
criticism or securing favorable notices. Every
moanB known to the predatory portion of tho
businoss world had been employed, with the
natural result. "The wages of sin Is death";
this decreo applies to business as well as to the
individual. While the prosecution of the New
Haven and its directors may temporarily dis
turb business in that section, business there and
everywhere will bo better for tho purging that
Is going on. If the president and attorney gen
eral had needed an object lesson through which
to convinco the public of their vigilance, this
case would furnish it.
W. J. BRYAN.
THE SOURCE OF WAR
"Behold, how great a matter a little fire
thirtieth."
j How well this truth is illustrated in the war
which is now waging over Europe. A student
In Servia killed one of the royal family 'of
. Austria; it was the mad impulse of a reckless
youth, and yet it was the spark that set a con
tinent aflame. As tho result of the killing,
Austria made certain demands upon Servia and,
not being satisfied with Sorvia's reply, Imme
diately attacked the little Slavonic state. This
aroused Russia, and when she began to mobilize
her forces, Germany, Austria's ally, declared
war on Russia. This alarmed France, and when
Bhe began to mobilize, Germany's legions
marched toward Luxemburg. On her route to
France, Germany invaded the territory of Bel
gium, and Great Britain, Belgium's ally, de
clared war on Germany. Thus all the great
powers of Europe are involved in the most
gigantic war of history, all because a boy assas
sinated an arch-duke.
PorhapB there is another lesson to be drawn
from it. A match is most dangerous when it
ignites in a' powder house; and Europe Is a
powder house. In spite of the peace propo
ganda, there is still enough war spirit to make
some of tho nations turn to the battlefield in
stead of to the court of arbitration for the
settlement of their differences. War is a state
of mind, and the European state of mind is
till so much permeated by the IdeaB and ideals
of war that it is as yet difficult to substitute
reason for violence. But the day will come, as
promised in Holy Writ, when the sword shall
-oe beaten into plowshares, and the United States
!i doing her part in bringing this day by throw
ing the weight of her great influence in favor
ef every proposition that looks toward the pro
motion of peace among the nations.
AFFAIRS IN MEXICO
Senator Martine of New Jersey, addressed the
senato, July 22, as follows:
Mr. President, I desire to give expression to
fc.lew thoughts. The events of the past few days
as occurring in Mexico are of momentous con
sequence not only to Mexico, but to the people
of America and the civilized world.
On tho 27th of August last the president
while addressing tho congress on the Mexican
situation, said:
"The steady pressure of a moral force will
before many days break the barriers of pride
. and prejudice down, and we shall triumph as
Mexico s friends sooner than we could triumph
as lr enemies and how much .more hand
somely and with how much higher and finer
satisfaction of conscience and honor.'
A very strong sentiment in this body and in
tho country endeavored to hold up to ridicule
this policy of tho president. Had the policy of
tho president's critics prevailed, bloody battles
would have been fought; an army of 260,000
or 300,000 would this day be camping on Mexi
can soil; thousands of America's brave sons
would this moment be sleeping in Mexican
graves; thousands of widows and thousands of
heartbroken mothers and fathers would be
mourning their depleted hearthstones through
the death of their loved ones; millions of debt
would have been added to our already heavy
burdeu. Surely, Mr. President, this much-ridiculed
policy of "watchful waiting" has brought
to Mexico and to America manifold and untold
blessings. The words "watchful waiting" have
passed into a proverb. In after years, when
hate and prejudice shall have been allayed and
the green sward shall have covered the graves
of both brave American and Mexican men, then
will the names of Wilson and Bryan be acclaim
ed, as will be the policy of "watchful waiting,"
as marking a glorious epoch in the history of
this great nation.
BUSINESS AND THE ADMINISTRATION
Following is a reply to a circular letter sent
out to business men throughout the country.
The writer shows up the efforts being made to
curb the administration's anti-monopoly pro
gram. The letter follows:
National Association of Manufacturers, New
York, N. Y. Gentlemen: Your circular letter,
with assorted lot of stickers, received. These,
in connection with certain impressions I gained
while attending the United States chamber of
commerce meeting at Washington in February
of this ye'ar, suggest to me that the line between
"monopoly" business and "competitive" busi
ness is as marked as the line between the cor
rupt machine politician and the sincere, honest
citizen politician. Competitive business suffers
from the misdeeds of monopoly business, the
same as the honest politician suffers from the
misdeeds of the corrupt machine politician.
The government is not after such business as
I am engaged in, nor the 95 per cent of retail
and wholesale merchants who are in competitive
business, but it is after "big business," which
is moriopoly business, i. e., public utilities, rail
roads, trusts etc., and it is these perverters of
the word business who are asking honest, com
petitive business to protect them in their ex
ploitation of the public. I am commencing to
realize that it is not a matter of too much in
terference, but not enough, and of the right
kind. Any thinking man must realize by this
time that we must curb monopoly business,
which is today operating its gigantic financial
deals at the expense of the manufacturer and
the "competitive" business man.
Unless I can be shown differently, J am op
posed to all this agitation for inveigling com
petitive business Into a scrap to protect monop
oly business. I appreciate also that, as a result
of monopoly business owning the government
wo have corrupt politicians, and are strangled
yith all kinds of d f legislation against
business of all kinds, small and large. But,
after all, the Teal issue is the curbing of "big
business," something entirely independent of
and separate from business which is competitive
business. Theo. F. Thieme, Fort Wayne Ind
President Fort Wayne Knitting Mills.
Farmers whoso prejudices are being appealed
to in the effort to discredit democratic admin
istration of affairs should recall that it was
Secretary McAdoo of President Wilson's cabinet
who inaugurated the practice of giving govern
ment aid to crop moving in the summer and
fall. Last year fifty millions of tho money of
the government wero set aside for the purpose
?LHnn2Qln5 tlle crop movement, and this yea?
thirty-five millions -will be ,sed. This use of thl
government money makes it possiblo for craln
growers to cash in on their crops as soon 15
harvested if desired, and insures beUer returns
byQgiving a money supply equal to the demanSs
One sort of diplomacy has reached its end ro
far as this country is concerned, and that is th
diplomacy which is bound up in securing aVov.
eminent guarantee that if any of our bankers
kan money to foreign countries it will bo ronnM
Tho ordiuary citizen fails to undersUnS
the advisability or desirablllj? oTSSk Sg'a tol
olgn loan should rest on any othnr Wi-
KoWl,,C" d0t0rn,lneS "e ottTt
CONSUMERS GET BENEFIT OF SUGAn tm
DUCTION KI
Three months operation under the new tariff
show that the consumer is receiving all th
benefit of the 25 per cent reduction in the dutv
on sugar, according to F. C. Lowry of the Fed
era! Sugar Refining company, of New York H
says: "Since the new. rates went into effect re
finers' selling price has averaged 3.819c 'per
pound as compared with an average price for tho
last ten years of 4.85c per pound. The averace
duty paid price of 96 degree test raw sugars
for the same period has been 4c per pound
The reduction in the duty combined with the
fact that the worlds' production this year is the
largest on record, is responsible for the prevail
ing low prices, but that the reduced tariff i8
directly responsible for a large part of the de
cline, is shown by the following comparison of
prices between March 1st and June 1st, 1914
with prices for other years when the duty paid
price of raw sugars on the same basis:
Av. In-
Yr.
1904
1905
1906
1907
1911
1913
1914
Prd.of
wks.
5
2
14
3
16
Bd.Pr.
96 raws
2.091c
2.092c
2.072c
2.085c
2.102c
2.089c
2.04c
Duty Pd.
pr.raws
3.439c
3.44c
3.42c
3.433c
3.45c
3.437c
3.05c
Av.
Nt.Pr.
refi'd
4.36c
4.35c
4.375c
4.566c
4.566c
4.229c
3.189c
Cuban
96
1.348c
1.3d8c
1.348c
1.348c'
1.348c.
1.348c
1.01c
March 1st to Juno 1st
"The average price of refined suger in other
years when raw sugars were selling in bond at
2.09c per pound as compared with 2.04c now,
was 4.40c per pound in contrast with 3.819c
per pound during the past three months. It is
therefore clear that a saving of .581c per pound
Is being effected by the reduced duty which,
figured on the amount of sugar consumed in
the United States last year, namely 3,743,139
long tons or 8,384,631,360 pounds, would be
equal to $48,714,708. While the 25 per cent
reduction in the tariff affords some relief from
the exceptionally high rate that we have been
laboring under, the real benefit to the consumer
will come in 1916, after which a further saving
of some $100,000,000 per year will be effected."
It is a distinct challenge to the courage and
intelligence of the people of the United States
that the republicans make, when they contend
that the administration ought to be rebuked at
the polls in November. But a year and five
months have elapsed since President Wilson
took office, along with a democratic- senate and
house. The constructive program which was
announced at the beginning in redemption of
the platform pledges made, has been adopted,
one item after another. At each step the pres
ident has taken the voters into his confidence
and told them just what it was proposed to do,
how it would be done and what the effect would
be. Step by step he has accomplished his pur
pose. It has all be done out in the open, where
everybody could see and understand. To say
that after having kept his solemn pledges to the
people in enacting this legislation and before it
has had time to have Its real value proved, the
voters will turn back to the republicans with the
old remedies pushed aside by the voters in 1912
is to say they do not want pledges kept and
reforms enacted. And this is preposterous.
A notable order was that issued the last week
2L1 y, by Secretary Daniels abolishing the tra
ditional practice of imprisoning- enlisted men for
violations of orders respecting.. certain phases
or conduct. Under the new order, such breaches
or. disciplino will bo taken as a desire to leave
the service, and a dismissal -will follow. Where
men desire to leave the navy they will be given
an honorable discharge. This is not only a
great step forward in humane treatment of the
men, but it is following out the teachings of
common sense. A dissatisfied or disobedient
seaman or marine is of little use to the navy,
? m- forclble detention merely adds to his
memclency. The navy offers enough inducements
to insure a full quota of competent and earnest
young men. It is no longer the refuge of incor-rlgiblea.
Under the republican tariffs of years past tho
price of wheat in the markets went up or down
according as the yield was small or large, and
evoryhody agreed that price was a matter of tho
supply Under the democratic tariff now in
iorco, if we are to believe the republican cam
paigners, the tariff is the sole determining factor,
now many persons do you' suppose will be fooled
uy this transparent deception?