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About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1903)
APRIL 16, 1903. THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT. 9 THS MERGES CASE -y Without doubt the Occurrence of greatest interest to the people whhh happened during the week was th3 decision in the case of the Northern Securities company, or the Merger Case, as it is most commonly called. It is the most sweeping anti-trust de cision ever made in this country. The United States court of appeals, sitting in St Paul, has given Jim Hill and h'i3 partners the most stinging rebuke ever administered by a court In this de cision all four judges Caldwell, San born, Thayer and Vandeventer con curred. Every contention of the de fendants is swept aside and a perma nent injunction entered against them. The opinion, written by Judge Thayer, contends that th3 attempt of the Northern Securities company to hoid and vote the stock o the Great North ern and Northern Pacific railroads is in dirsct opposition to the provisions of the Sherman anti-trust law; that these are competing lines of road and the merger destroys competition; that any restraint of interstate commerce is illegal; that the mere power to fix common rates for competing lines, whether the rates actually so fixed are reasonable or unreasonable, is in con travention of the law, and that a char ter from New Jersey does not carry with it the right to override a federal statute. , The dailies are making great ado about the decision, but The Indepen dent doe3 not see that it will have any practical effect, even if sustained by the supreme court It will not es tablish competitipn between thess roads. It seems to this writer that Dan Lamont, Grover Cleveland's old chum, stated the facts when asked to give his opinion on the decision of the court Lamont is a director in the securities company. He said: "The same men who own and - control Northern Securities own and control ihe Northern Pacific. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Great . Northern. What's the dif ' ierence? The Northern Securities company simply made it , easier for these men to run the roads." The truth is that railroads are mo nopolies, and supreme courts nor congresses can make anything else out of them. There can be no com petition with a railroad and it is fu tile to try. There is but one solution to th3 question. The government must own the railroads. If, as La mont says, one set of men own all these roads, a "security holding com pany," while a convenience, is not a necessity in destroying competition. Perhaps in the seet bye and bye, the people of the United States will find all these things out and then they will go to woik and apply -the proper remedy. These three great lines of railroads are all owned by the same men. They will never establish competition be tween them, whether, there is a se curities company or not As far as competition is concerned, this deci sion will not affect it in any way Whatever. RECENT ELECTIONS The recent elections in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis go far toward clearing up matters in re gard to the chaos that has reigned in the democratic parly. The democrats carried three of these large cities and lost one. Tom Johnson made a clean sweep in Cleveland and so overwhelm ing was his victory notwithstanding that the corporations used every means in their power to defeat him, that it is generally conceded that Mark Hanna, who was on the ground and gave his full attention to the campaign, has received the greatest blow that has been dealt him since he entered politics. What makes Har na's defeat most stinging is the fact that the senator tad the legislature pass the now celebrated "ripper bill" concerning cities with the firm con viction that Tom Johnson would bo (defeated and the power of the city of Cleveland and all other cities in the state would be In absolute control of one man. Hanna calculated that with a mayor of Cleveland elected in his interests, he would not only have Tom Johnson disposed of, but things fixed to suit him for all time to come. Now Tom Johnson holds that power and not Hanna. This being the case, it is freely predicted that Hanna may be defeated for re-election. In Chicago, Mayor Harrison was elected for a fourth term on a dis tinctively public ownership platform. In St Louis the republicans were defeated on account of the notorious corruption of . their city officials, sev eral of whom are serving in the city council who have been sentenced to the penitentiary and are out on bail pending appeals in their cases. In Cleveland, Chicago and St Louis, the democratic platforms were all right and men of the right stamp were nom inated on them. In Cincinnati the thing was the other way. A gold democrat, M. E. Ingalls, president of the Big Four railroad, was the candi date, and the republicans carried the city with a whoop and a hurrah that left the "reorganizes" In a most hope less condition. Ingalls was one of the kind of demo crats that all the republican dailies have been lauding to the skies. They have held him up as they have Judge Parker and Dave Hill as a model for all democrats. They found it easy to do up Ingalls, just as they expect to do up any reorganizer candidate that they may induce, the democrats to nominate. ASSOCIATED PRESS MONOPOLY All that nine-tenths of the people know of the world and of politics they get from the Associated press. The character of the men who for a great part make that news has often been pointed out by The Independent No great daily has seen fit to place a correspondent in the Philippines and all the news that the people get from there comes through the Associated press. It now turns out that the As sociated press agent there was an ex convict, who shortly .after the expira tion of his sentence of seven years for forgery was employed by it to furnish the news that the people of the United States were to base their political ac tion upon. Previous to his sentence for forgery he had been a confidence man and a genteel swindler in Eu rope, Australia, India and Egypt. In the Philippines he went by the name of Edgar G. Bellairs, but he has had many aliases, among them Cheriton, Elaine and Cameron. He served the Associated press also in Cuba and China. This is the man who made r a medical lieutenant a brigadier general, and another, an ad venturer from Kansas, the commander of a department of the United States army, for upon his dispatches the fame of Wood, Funston and Chaffee rests. When he left Manila he was given a farewell dinner by the army and among those present to do him honor were Major General A. R. Chaf fee, commanding the division of the Philippines; General Charles F. Hum phrey, chief quartermaster; Colonel Charles A. Woodruff, chief commis sary; Colonel William P. Hall, ad jutant general; Brigadier General T. J. Wint, Brigadier General J. M. Lee and the president of the American chamber of commerce. There were 43 other men, ail distinguished in army or in civil life, in attendance to attest their friendship for the depart ing journalist This Associated press monopoly is the most dangerous thing to good government that ever afflicted any na tion. It will continue as long as the telegraph is in the hands of private parties. In connection with the West ern Union Telegraph company it con trols a monopoly that threatens free government All that the people know about the "water cure" and other SPECIAL SALE - We make it a point to have thejbest clothing there is made. If you want the "right" clothes let us show them to you. The Hayden clothes are right in style and in the mak ing; they fit your body and your purpose and the prices fit your purse. We guarantee you absolute satisfaction. 1,200 men's very fine suits at a price that has never been ri valed in the history of clothing sales. These suits are made in all the newest fabrics, and the fit and finish are equal to the very best. They are worth up to $12.50; tUT P fl our special sale price, 6nlyi . . . . . .... . . . ... . 0 1 lull Men's suits in all wool black unfinished worsteds, fancy chev iots, blueserges and cassimeres, in fancy mixtures, plain colors and stripes, all lined with finest serge lining, best sleeve lining, and well tailored throughout; Q I fl fl f) worth $16.50; our extra special sale price. . . . UlUU Men't extra swell suits in fancy cheviots, cassimeres, worsteds, and fancy worstedsin Scotch plaids, plain colors, stripes and fancy mixtures; all made with hand padded shoulders; hair cloth frontsmaking them shape holding; hand-felled collars; lined with the very finest of serge linings. The fit and hang is perfect; none of these suits worth less than $18.00 to $22.50; our extra special sale price, j j JjJJ iVlajl Orders Promptly Filled Write for our new spring clothing price list and sample book. It's free. J WHOLESALE SUPPLY DOUSE, O M A H A . HAYDEN BPiO S mcde3 of campaigning in the Philip pines has come from the pen of this ex-convict THE "STEAL" COHFOKATION "Advertising is the material main stay, says W. J. Ghent, in "Our Ben evolent Feudalism," speaking of "our moulders of opinion," "and the mer chants and magnates who have lar gesse to distribute must be humored. 'Publishers,' says the interesting cen sus bulletin on 'Printing and Publish ing,' 'are depending more on adver tising and less on subscriptions and sales for financial return.' Whether it be the sensational 'yellows,' or the less sensational, but characterless 'pihks,' or the staid and ponderous 'grays' of the press, the same' rule holds." Which calls to mind that the Oma ha Bee's share of largesse from the United States Steel corporation has just come to hand in the form of a full page advertisement, giving the first annual report of that octopus. This statement shows that for the year ended December 31, 1902, the gross sales and earnings were $560, 510,479.39, and that after deducting for manufacturing and operating expenses, general expenses (including Schwab's salary and taxes), and other minor charges, the net earnings for the year were $133,308,703.72 or a trifle better than 10 per cent on the $1,325,267, 583.43 worth of property which the corporation claims to own. But The Independent did not set out to give an analysis of this report. It simply wants to call attention to the taxes paid by this corporation, re ported at $2,391,465.74. That of itself is an enormous sum sufficient to wipe out the floating debt of Nebraska and perhaps leave ' enough to build a temple for the university without any help from Rockefeller. Yet, enormous as the sum is, it amounts to les3 than two mills on every dollar of property, and less than 2 per cent of the net earnings. The United States Steel corporation paid a trifle over 18 cents in taxes on each $100 worth of property held by it and that includes every kind of taxes, state, county, and municipal. An $8,000 quarter section of Nebraska land (say in Lancaster county) pays about $35 a year in state, county and school district taxes; $8,000 of steel trust property paid but $14.40 in taxes last year. It ought not to be difficult for the small taxpayer to see where he comes In in a deal like this, or to see how the corporation can afford to pay en ormous prices for publishing full- page advertisements of Its report in the leading plutocrotic newspapers of the United States. The Nebraska supreme court . has made the startling discovery that in all Nebraska cannot be found a com petent young woman, of populist or democratic persuasion, capable of as sisting Deputy Clerk Paul Pizey - in preparing the "unreported" opinions, and because of this discovery the court has appointed Mss Howell of Omaha, a republican, to do the work. It may not be out of place to remark at this time that such tactics tend to strengthen the party organizations which placed Judges Sullivan and Holcomb where they are today! MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP Municipal ownership has, in Oma ha, at least, reached the same stage which direct legislation reached long ago. That is to say, no party dare oppose it, and, therefore, it ceases to become a political issue. There can be no war without resistance. At the coming city election four or five candidates for mayor will crave the suffrage of Omaha electors. The present mayor, Frank E. Moores, "ma chine," or Itosewater candidate; Erastus A. Benson, bolting republi can, or anti-Rosewater candidate; Ed ward E. Howell, democratic; and Judge Cunningham R. Scott threatens to break in as an independent candi date for mayor and will run by peti tion, lie says that he will be elected on a platform of municipal ownership of the waterworks, equal taxation and a city government by the people, in stead of by crooks and gamblers. As an act of simple justice to Gov-" ernor Mickey, The Independent de sires to say that it has been agreeably, disappointed by his action in signing the appropriation bills without cut ting out any state university items Iwt it can't help wondering if, when he signed the deficiency claims bill of something like $120,000, he recollected the statements he made last fall on the stump relative to ' "closing thd books without a deficiency."