the war department cost an average of $84,000,000 a year and the under private auspices it -is subject to too many injustices to the
navy department $105,000,000 a year. workers of today.
During the seven years of the Roosevelt administration we spent
as much for wars past and wars we are preparing for as we spent
during the almost five years of the greatest civil war in history.
No one begrudges the money spent for wars past, for that is in the
shape of pensions, but what are we getting for the millions upon
millions we are spending on wars we are looking forward to? Four
millions for a battleship that may be of obsolete type tomorrow, and
which another nation will outbuild as soon as possible after we float
ours. We have a slightly larger army than when Roosevelt took the
presidential chair, but has its size and efficiency kept pace with the
increased cost? Are we in any better shape for war today than we
were before we spent the last billion on the army and the navy?
Roosevelt was an expensive luxury for this country. He cost it
billions; he aroused more animosities, engendered more hates and
prejudices than any other president and where did he get us to?
How many trusts did he bust? How many malefactors of great
wealth did he jail ? Ask the Tennessee Coal and Iron Co., or "My
Dear Harriman."
We still hold that the only way to prevent wars is to compel the
men who bring them on to do all the fighting, the suffering and the
sacrificing.
Tn his inaupriiral address Governor O'Neill declares that Ala
bama's prohibition law is a failure. Of course a lot of people who
never lived in Alabama know better than that, being in a much bet
ter position to judge than any mere Alabaman. Governor O'Neill
recommends that the liquor business and politics be divorced, which
is, of course, a joke. As long as alcohol is made the liquor question
will be in politics. Of course the prohibitionist has the only remedy
for the evil prohibition. The trouble is that the patient will not take
the remedy. It can be minimized by regulation the trouble is that
regulation of the liquor traffic fails to regulate it. If prohibition would
prohibit, or regulation regulate we might arrive at a satisfactory solu
tion of the problem. As it is it seems that education is about the
only relief in sight.
The democratic "jollification" meeting at Baltimore last Tues
day night was significant of but one thing that after a victory demo
crats jollify and then begin immediately to pursue a policy that
knocks the party galley west from Sunday. The Baltimore banquet
: had its inception in the desire of a few would-be democratic leaders
to get together, elmininate progressiveness and give the party over
to the "business interests" in the hope of securing a purchased vic
tory. The would-be leaders were going to map out a policy and a
plan of campaign for 1912. Only men of magnified egotism would
conceive of a thing like that in this enlightened day and age. That
might have worked twenty years ago but not now- Democracy
may be successful in 1912 but not because would-be leaders map
out the plan of campaign. It all depends upon how democracy con-,
ducts itself during the next twenty-two months. There are more
LaFollette democrats in the country today than there are "Big In
terest" democrats.
Of course a few unpledged republican legislators, who think they
know more than anybody else, would not vote for Hitchcock after the
people by 20,000 majority had expressed their preference for him. In
refusing to vote for Hitchcock under the circumstances the aforesaid
republican legislators merely wrote themselves down for partisan,
egotistical asses. Their names should be preserved for no other pur
pose than to recall them as such.
Armour & Co. announce that they are about to introduce a pen
sion plan among their employes. That's all right, of course, but
wouldn't it help a lot more to pay decent wages while the employes
were able to -work? We rather think we know something about this
industrial problem mighty little, to be sure, for it is a tremendously
big problem, but still more than the average man knows and we
have never yet warmed up to the "pension plan" under, private
auspices. We heartily favor federal or state old age pensions, but
Nor have we ever warmed up to all this fol-de-rol about "rest
rooms" and "reading rooms" and "bath rooms" and "gymnasiums" in
factories. What we favor is a wage scale high enough to permit the
workers to have those things in their own homes.
Mayor Speer of Denver announces his candidacy for the senator
ial seat made vacant by the death of Senator Hughes. Speer says in
his announcement that he is "not the candidate of any corporation or
interest," and that "I would not go to Washington unless I could go
as a free man to work for what I believe to be the best interests of
the people." And that reminds us of the conundrum propounded by
the little boy. "That man is my father and also the father of that
girl, yet the girl and I are not related. What's the answer?" The
only answer is that the little boy lied.
Former Governor Thomas also announces his candidacy for the
Hughes succession. We venture the prediction that as between
Speer and Thomas the Colorado legislature will choose Speer, basing
cur prediction upon the admitted fact that Thomas is a thousand
times the better man.
All this row about where to hold the Panama canal exposition
may be obviated so far as Nebraska is concerned by the simple ex
pedient of letting either Speaker Kuhl or Lieutenant Governor Hope
well toss a penny, "heads New Orleans, tails San Francisco." Then
refuse to appropriate a dollar. This course will satisfy 99 out of
every 100 Nebraskans. The exposition stunt has been sadly over
worked. What the Office Boy Says
If my press gits broke de boss fixes it. When I git sick I has t'
fix meself on me own time.
If my woik f'r de boss wus like de woik o some fellers f r de city,
I'd git me walkin' poipers 'fore night.
If we could pipe some o' de guys alius gassin' about how t'ings
should be run, we'd put de gas company out o' business quick.
Dad says I ain't old enuff t' know nothin' about politics, but I've
notused dat de soshulists are doin' t'ings while other fellers is merely
talkin' about it.
A hoss woiks better Fr occashunal lovin' pats. Dere ain't much
diffrunce atween de average man an' a hoss. Wish more bosses would
t'ink it over..
As I afore remoiked I ain't no soshiologist, but it strikes me dat
spendin' so much money on improvin' hogs an' so little on improvin'
de kids is a mighty poor business.
To a lot uv us de music o' de 6 o'clock whistul is de sweetest ever.
I've notused, too, dat none o' dem don't refuse t' accept a woikin'
man's money becaws his hands is durty.
Since I bin goin' t' Sunday school I've loined dat Jesus generally
tended t' de eats afore He begun talkin' religion. Ain't dat a good
thought Fr some o' de guys dat is takin' so much intrust in de welfare
o' de woikin' classes ?
Senator Jansen's Little Joke
Senator Pete Jansen of Jefferson is a great joker, albeit his sense
ef humor is somewhat vague and indefinite. When called upon to
cast his vote for United States senator last Tuesday he arose and
annouced himself for "that stalwart republican, Daniel Wolfert Cook
of Beatrice." Of course everybody laughed. Cook's stalwart repub
icanism is to laugh. He was born a democrat, raised a democrat, and
is a democrat, but of late years he has voted an occasional republican
ticket because he and Brayn are not one on some questions. Cook a
"stalwart republican !" Of course Peter Jansen meant it as a joke If
he didn't some one ought to lead him out behind the barn and squirt
a little political acument into his head with a horse syringe.