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PAGE FOUR
Summary of 'Ebents as They Happen
Senator Morgan Dead.
Senator John Tyler Morgan, of
Alabama, one of the South's greatest
statesmen, died at Washington, D. C.
last Tuesday night. The body was
removed to the senator’s late home
in Selma, Ala., and was buried from
there last Saturday. Attending the
funeral were many prominent men
of the nation, including A ice-presi
dent Fairbanks, Governor Comer, of
Alabama, Senator Pettus, Senator
Overman, of North Carolina, Repre
sentatives Gillespie, of Texas, Moon,
of Tennessee, and Bartlett, of Geor
gia, the justices of the state supreme
courts, the members of the federal
courts and scores of mourning offi
cials and citizens. In the death of
Senator Morgan the nation has lost
no ordinary man. Year after year,
since his entrance into the senate
three decades ago, he set an example
of high statesmanship, of loyalty and
patriotism, of abs »lute fidelity to
right and justice, of pure and blame
less private life. When he died it
was one of the Old Guard who left
us. Year after year he pushed on
ward toward the goal, with no
thought of pecuniary recompense,
but with the sole purpose of serving
his country and his people faithfully
and well. Ever ready to advance the
best interests of the people, indepen
dent, of incorruptible honesty, Sena
tor Morgan’s life was not lived in
vain, and his record will go far to
ward offsetting the baser manifes
tations of our national existence.
To Black List Texas.
At a meeting of the Ass ciation of
Life Insurance Presidents, it was de
cided that every life insurance Com
pany will close up all of their branch
offices in Texas and cease doing busi
ness in that state after July 1. Twen
ty-eight companies are represented in
the Association, including the Equita
ble, Mutual and New York Life.
As Hill Sees It.
James J. Hill came back to New
York City after a trip through the
Northwest. Mr. Hill was asked to
express his views on the railioad
situation. He said:
“I believe that the government will
eventually be forced to lend its cred
it to the railroads in order to finance
their necessities. The demands of
the public are becoming more in<i -
tent all the time. It will insist that
the railroads shall lay certain rai’s
and add more cars. The railroads
will add that they cannot, that their
credit is exhausted; then the govern
ment will have to step in and supply
this deficiency. The situation might
even ually lead to government owner*
ship of railroads. If such a thing
comes to pass it will mean the end
of republican government.”
“This is no mere theory,” he add
ed, “but an actual condition. The
country is growing very rapidly. The
railroads have fallen behind this tre
mendous impulse of deveh prn'mt.
Their credit has been greatly injured*
They cannot finance a recovery.
What will be the result? Who
knows?
“In a letter to Gov. Johnson last
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN
January I estimated that $1,100,000,-
000 a year for five years would be
necessary to-put the railroads in
shape to move the traffic of the coun
try. The railroads have raised some
thing like $800,000,000 •during the
last seven or eight months, but most
of this has not gone to increase fa
cilities. It has been used to pay off
old bills. It is no easier now for i ail
roads to get money than a few months
ago. In the western cities, to my
knowledge, $5,000 lots of short term
notes of the Eastern roads have been
peddled around on a G 1-2 to 7 1-2
per cent basis. The railroads cannot
increase their facilities under these
c mditions.
“During the last spring and win
ter there have been more breakages of
steel rails than ever before. The
fact is that there has been too much
prosperity. People are trying to
make too much money. Steel plants
are working too hard and trying to
do too much.
“It is a fact that the old rails
made when times were s'ower hold
out the best. I do not believe this
theory that the evil could be remedied
by the exclusive use of the open
hearth rail. It is our experience that
the open-hearth rails are more fran
gible than the Bessemer rails.
“I believe a little slowing down
will do good all around. The pace has
been too rapid. Caution and care
have been cut out of the modern dic
tionary. Everything has been going
at breakneck speed. It is time to put
on the brakes.”
Schmitz Guilty.
Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz, of San
Francisco, was found guilty of ex
tortion. When the jury reported
their verdict, Schmitz sat unmoved.
Schmitz is the first to be convicted in
the anti-graft campaign inaugurated
several months ago. It was on the
testimony of his former “boss” and
confidential adviser, “Abe Reuf,”
that the jury decided that the mayor
shared in the blackmail collected
from the French restaurant keepers.
Orchard Corroborated.
In the Haywood trial at Boise,
Idaho, the court admitted as a de
claration from Steve Adams a tel
egram sent to Haywood, thus link
ing Steve Ada ms as a conspirator
with Haywood. The telegram read:
“W. D. Haywood, Denver, Col.:
“I am in tionble. Send me $75
at once. STEVE ADAMS.”
Former Governor Peabody testi
fied that he siw Orchard in Canon
City at the time Orchard said that
he went there for the purpose of
killing the Governor.
For Better Steel Rails.
The United States Steel Corpor
ation has accepted the suggestion
that a meeting b ; held between the
makers of steel rails and the rep
resentatives of the big railroads who
buy them, to arrive a' some under
standing regarding the turning out
of better steel rai’s. At the meet
ing the railmakers will insist that the
railroads agree to accept a more
costly rail. E. 11. Harriman, it is
reported, will be asked to attend.
Tolstoi Calls it Hypocrisy.
Count Tolstoi, in a message to the
New York World, sneers at the com
ing Hague Peace Conference. His
cable read:
“TULA, Province of Tula, Russia.
—The peace question was fully re
solved 1,900 yeais ago.
“Matthew 5: 43-44.
“The Hague Peace Conference is
only a disgusting manifestation of
Christian hypocrisy.—TOLSTOl. ’’
Count Tolstoi’s message to The
World was in reply to its cable:
“The New York World would be
greatly indebted for an expression
from you on the aims and outlook of
the coming Peace Conference at The
Hague.”
The, verses quoted in the reply
read:
“Ye have heard that it hath been
said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor,
and hate thine enemy.
“But I say unto you. Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you,
d > good to them that hate yon, and
pray for them which despitefully us?
you, and persecute you.’’
Harriman Ousted.
Moore Brothers, who dominate the
Rock Island, served notice on E. 11.
Harriman that they intended to can
cel the agreement by which the Un
ion Pacific and Rock Island alter
nately manage the Chicago & Alton.
They served notice on Harriman to
the effect that they would make a
determined fight to get sole posses
sion of that property at the next
meeting of the stockholders, on Fri
day. June 14, there was a semi-offi
cial announcement made by the Harri
man side that the Chicago & Alton
“agreement had been abrogated by
“•mutual consent.” That Harriman
should surrender so qt ickly came as
a surprise to the Moore party, and
they are not altogether satisfied that
there may not be some hitch or some
Harriman trickery behind the seem
ing surrender. It is well known
that Harriman never gives- up
anything in the shape of a railroad,
once he has got a grip on i', with
out the bitterest kind of a fight.
It was the Harriman financing of
the Chicago & Alton which brought
the little railroad into disrepute, fol
lowing the disclosures before the In
terstate Commerce Commiss on.
It was shown that Harriman had
increased the debts of the Chicago
& Alton by $80,640,218, and that
of this huge sum only $22,500,00)
had been spent for improvements,
betterments and extensions of the
road. The purposes for which the
remaining $37,000,000 were used
were clouded in impenetrable mys
t cry.
Duma Abolished.
Emperor Nicholas affixed his sig
nature last Sunday morning to an
imperial ukase abolishing the present
duma, and ordering that the election
of its successors he held under the new
(‘lection law, which provides against
the submergence of the educated
clashes by the uneducated masses.
This breach of the constitution is
justified by the great law of necessi
ty, the advisers of the emperor hold
ing it impossible under present con
ditions to secure a parliament capa
ble of co-operating harmoniously
with the crown to rescue Russia
from anarchy and revolution.
The dissolution of the duma aris
ing directly out of the refusal of
that body to consent to the demand
made upon it by Premier Stolypin
that it permit the arrest of a num
ber of its members on the charge of
conspiring against the throne of the
empire, does not come as a surpris?.
Irish Resolve to Fight Liberals.
The Irish Nationalist party has de
cided to fight the English govern
ment, both in the house and in the
contingencies and stern measures will
be used to punish the Liberals for
failing to give Ireland a broader
measure of Home Rule than was con
tained in the rejected Irish Council
Bill. Jno. E. Redmond, in behalf of
the Irish Party,* issued a statement
advising the Irish people how to best
obtain the goal. The statement con
cludes :
“Another proof has been afforded
that Home Rule cannot be won by a
policy of conciliation alone. It can
be won only by hard fighting, vigorous
agitation in Ireland, an active, pledg
bound, disciplined party in the House
of Commons, a thorough organization
of the Irish vote in Great Britain,
and its use, absolutely independent
of English party interests, to push
forward the cause of Home Rule by
taking every opportunity and every
means that offer in Ireland an*d in
Great Britain to force upon public
attention the grievances Ireland has
suffered and the ruinous effects of
British rule in that country. If the
Irish people show themselves earn
est on these lines, whatever govern
ment may be in power will find her
self at an early date coerced into
introducing a bill for the better gov
ernment of Ireland very different
from that recently rejected.”
Roosevelt to Attack Harriman.
Developments since the conference
at the White House last Friday night
which the president, Attorney-
General Bonaparte, Secretaries Root,
Taft, Cortelyou and Garfield, Inter
state Commerce Commissioners
Knapp and Lane, and United Slates
Attorney Kellogg, of Si. Paul, par
ticipated, make it probable that the
government will begin ptroceediing's
U’d >r the Sh-rman Anti-Trust Act
against E. 11. Harriman and his as
sociates for violations of the law in
connection with the Chicago & Alton
Railroad deal, the Union Pacific and
Southern Pacific transactions, and,
perhaps, in connection with the Sou
thern Pacific and San Pedro traffic
agreement.
Gov. Hughes Vetoes 2-Ccnt Rate Bill.
Gov. Hughes, of New York, vetoed
the Baldwin bill providing for a flat
rate of two cents a mile on all rail
roads in the state not, less than 150
miles in length. By so doing he won
the applause of the “conservatives.”
He declared that the railroad prob-