NEWS WORTH REMEMBERING
News Worth Remembering LAST WEEK was a period of world wide unrest. Revolution in Spain, discontent in Washington over tariff trading and compromising, war on grafters in Chicago, and labor...
...Opposition to the corporation tax continues...
...The strike at present seems as far from termination as ever...
...In this article, which is a notable presentation of the need for conservation of our vast natural resources in the interests not only of the public of today but also of posterity, Dr...
...President W. G. Weeks, whose address was read by the secretary, said, "We should be prepared to contest any legislative power that tends to reduce the earning power of our associations...
...John Hicks, ex-minister to Chili and proprietor of the Oshkosh Northwestern, reviews the political situation in Wisconsin and gives his reason for taking up the standard of the progressive cause...
...It is reported that the earthquake was followed by fire in at least one city—that of Hidalgotitian—which rendered scores of families homeless...
...In case it is ordered, ten thousand motormen and conductors will step out...
...The country is anxiously awaiting an analysis of the bill before determining whether the President has secured any material revision downward in accordance with his campaign promises...
...An optimistic note was struck, however, in the week's reports of crop conditions in the United States...
...Despatches contain the information that the bill will be vigorously opposed by the Insurgents, who have been studying the conference report and have found many objectionable jokers concealed within it...
...It has been suggested that the revival of trade and industry—and especially the upward trend of the stock market—began before Congress had disposed of the tariff bill on the assurance that Aldrich would be successful in keeping the protective duties at a high level...
...It is also reported that a number of witnesses whom the state's attorney was counting on to furnish valuable evidence have disappeared...
...Evidence i accumulating that efforts are being made in the districts of those congressmen who took an adverse position to the income tax to unseat them when they come up for reelection...
...One of the developments of the week was the indictment of John B. Frohn, a deputy in the criminal court, accused of retaining fees in the cases of two women accused of keeping disorderly resorts...
...Even Mother Earth, who permits scarcely a week to pass without some sign of internal unquiet, inflicted a severe shaking on Mexico on the 30th and followed this with another series of jars on the 31st...
...On the 28th a series of speeches denouncing the proposed amendment to the constitution providing for a federal income tax was made by officers of the United States League of Building and Loan Associations, at its seventeenth annual convention in Philadelphia...
...But when Spain began to send troops in large numbers to the Moorish coast, the people protested, claiming that the army was exposed to the Moors and the treasure of the nation wasted to protect a few corporations engaged in mining and other enterprises...
...Last week Judge Baker of the United States Circuit Court in Goshen, Ind., refused to grant the restraining order asked by the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company against the union...
...If the reports thus far received are true, Spain is confronted by a crisis beside which the Spanish-American war would appear insignificant...
...At present a strike of the city railway employees in Chicago is threatened...
...Tawney did not do, but asked permission (which was readily granted) to print in the Congressional Record the article which he could not get into the magazine...
...Tariff Bill Passes the House That this assurance is not ill-founded is indicated by the course of the tariff bill...
...A despatch dated August 1 announced that peace seemed near at hand when a delegation of the strikers conferred with officers of the company, but these bright hopes were dispelled and gave place to furious resentment, when one of the officers of the company gave out the statement that the company would not budge an inch from its stand...
...Under the system in vogue in Congress, by which it is difficult to fix responsibility, with the exception of one man, we can not certainly designate the individuals who are most guilty of halting the conservation movement...
...The men are given seniority in promotion, a choice of runs, a substantial advance in wages, and a partial recognition of their orders...
...It is now in the Senate...
...The firm of New York accountants with whom Attorney General Wickersham has been in correspondence concerning the tax wrote to the effect that "no system of accounting can give even approximately the ordinary and necessary expenses actually paid within the year out of income in the maintenance and operation of its business and properties...
...In the face of this serious situation, came a report from Winnipeg, Canada, on the 26th, which stated that the conciliation board appointed under the Lemieux act had reached an unanimous decision in settling the dispute between the Grand Trunk Pacific railway and its engineers, firemen, conductors and trainmen...
...Free hides were demanded, and secured...
...This organization has a membership of about 2,000,000 in twenty-five states...
...This Mr...
...Tawney, of Minnesota...
...These perils to the existing government are the outgrowth of the war upon the Moors...
...On the 27th it was reported that officials of life insurance companies, especially those operating on the mutual plan, were laboring to secure exemption for their companies from the conference committee, on the ground that they were already heavily taxed in the various states, and that they are in a class with building and loan associations and fraternal organizations which were exempted from the tax...
...All good citizens who know the facts should spread the truth abroad as widely as possible in order that he may receive the profound public condemnation which is his just due...
...This exception is Mr...
...He scores Governor Davidson, Senator Stephenson, and others for being prompted by purely selfish motives in their present fight on Senator La Follette...
...It has been pointed out, however, that on only a few of the many schedules of the tariff bill was executive pressure brought to bear for downward revision...
...In this country it has even rivaled the tariff in popular interest...
...Tawney's Attack on Van Hise In line with the attempts to discredit such men as Heney and Pinchot, who are bending all their energies to work for the public good, Congressman James A. Tawney of Minnesota on the 27th made a speech in the House in which he took exception to an article written by President Charles R. Van Hise of the University of Wisconsin for the June number of World's Work, under the title "The Future of Man in America...
...Two weeks ago a New Jersey court ordered the striking members of the Hatters union to refrain from picketing...
...On the 1st a special cable to the Chicago Record-Herald stated that the insurrection in Barcelona had become so serious and the success of the insurrectionists so pronounced that the rebels had taken the first steps to overthrow the monarchy and to establish a republic...
...Whether President Taft will sign the bill in its present form, in case it is demonstrated to him that the bad features of it greatly outweigh the concessions made to him by Aldrich and Cannon while the bill was in conference, remains to be seen...
...Tawney has not been taken seriously in his endeavor to publish "the truth concerning the attitude of Congress toward conservation...
...Van Hise says, in speaking of President Roosevelt's work to bring about such wise conservation, "In amazing contrast with these great, statesmanlike acts of the President is the position of Congress...
...Aldrich's willingness to let Mr...
...He says he is "quite unable to assent" to the proposition of the accountants...
...which, however, offered to give him space for a brief statement of why public condemnation should not be visited upon him...
...The picketing of the strikers against strike breakers was effective...
...the same with oil...
...Crisis in Spain The crisis in Spain has overshadowed all other news reports of the week...
...His article is a defense of the stand taken consistently by Speaker Cannon and his friends against the action of President Roosevelt in bringing about wise and wholesome conservation and in preventing the exploitation of the country's resources by predatory corporations...
...Clapp's amendment go through in the Senate...
...Tariff Commission Killed in Conference One of the features of the tariff bill, as reported by the conference, that will probably be opposed by the Insurgent senators is the clause relating to the tariff commission...
...We should hold him responsible to the people for doing all possible to render ineffective the conservation movement...
...He did not mention, however, that this would amount to less than $2,000 a year—a small sum indeed with which to carry on the important work done by Dr...
...As stated by the Kansas City Star Times, "In accordance with the peace conference held at Al-geciras, Spain and France are entrusted with the policing of their neighbor, Morocco, their territory being divided...
...The first quake caused great damage in the cities of Mexico, Acapulco, Chilpancingo...
...The original tax of 2 per cent., however, was reduced to one per cent, op "entire net income over and above $5,000...
...The authorities are minimizing the seriousness of the outbreak, but at the same time they are making comprehensive preparations to subdue it...
...The judge in this case held that strikers may use fair persuasion to induce workmen to join the ranks of either party on strike or lockout...
...Inspector McCann, who was indicted last week, appeared in court for trial, and his hearing is set for September 7. According to the Record-Herald, the activity of two of Mayor Busse's appointees to the school board and of various city hall politicians in McCann's favor is cited in support of a report that the mayor will aid in the inspector's defense...
...Certain acts of violence in connection with Spanish mining interests in the Spanish division were made a reason for military interference, with the result that in the desultory skirmishes a number of Moors were killed and several Spaniards...
...Coercion or intimidation may not be used...
...Labor Conditions Disturbed The strike of the employees of the Pressed Steel Car company at McKees Rocks, Pa., is still unsettled...
...This would result in almost complete demoralization of the transportation service within the city...
...Tawney said he wrote an article in answer to this, but it was declined by the World's Work...
...He takes Senator Stephenson to task for his lavish use of money in the last campaign, and'asks if the voters of Wisconsin are men and will not "wipe the stain away...
...From comments of the press it seems that Mr...
...This caused a Moorish uprising...
...The Chicago Daily Socialist, whose sensational expose of corrupt conditions in Chicago, is said to have led to the recent activity of the states attorney's office, sees in this temporary cessation of the investigation an abandonment on the part of the officials of a clean-up of the city government that would be thorough and effective even at the expense of involving some of the highest officers...
...Tawney plainly tried to discredit Dr...
...Beginning with a controversy over free hides, which seemed at times likely to block the conference report, the committee yielded gradually to pressure brought upon it by the President and an agreement was reached which embodied most of the demands that came from the White House...
...Hints that the investigation would strike at men higher up, including politicians and aldermen, emanated from the local press...
...Terror prevails among the more ignorant and superstitious classes...
...New Support for Progressives In a notable interview, given to the Wisconsin press, Col...
...Chicago Graft Probe In Chicago the central topic is the investigation of the grand jury into "protection" money alleged to have been received by members of the police department from denizens of the underworld...
...The activity of the committee has apparently not been lessened in the least by the proposal to amend the constitution to permit the levy of a federal tax of the same nature...
...Van Hise by stating that for twenty-six years he had worked for the Geological Survey, for which he had received in the aggregate about $50,000...
...Wickersham replied that it was "too late to attempt to recast the corporation tax amendment bill" on the basis of a proposition which "would be received with very great incredulity by most minds...
...Corporation Tax in Bill As agreed upon in conference and adopted by the House, the tariff bill contains the corporation tax on net incomes recommended by President Taft and used by Aldrich to defeat the income-tax amendment...
...The President secured a reduction in leather goods, accepted a compromise on lumber, iron ore, and coal, and received the Dingley rates on women's and children's gloves...
...In Wisconsin a special committee of the legislature is engaged in working out a state income tax bill to be submitted to the legislature for ratification in the winter...
...Not until the end of the week did the conference committee complete its labors...
...On the 26th a clash between the strikers and the state constabulary was reported which resulted in the serious injury of three men...
...He refers to the fact that the Stalwart, or standpat organization, without apparent regard to any principle involved, centered around men who were formerly identified with the Half Breed, or progressive, faction in the sole desire to bring about the defeat of Senator La Follette...
...The employees are asking for an increase of wages...
...Fight on Income Tax Continues Opponents to the income tax are losing no time in their efforts to insure its defeat in the legislatures of the various states...
...President Van Hise's only public comment on the controversy was that his article states the truth and that he would not revise or modify a single statement...
...The provision which Senator Clapp of Minnesota forced Aldrich to insert in the Senate, including holding companies within the operation of the tax, was dropped by the conference...
...This action may explain Mr...
...Van Hise for the government in securing information about its great mineral and other resources...
...Revolution in Spain, discontent in Washington over tariff trading and compromising, war on grafters in Chicago, and labor disturbances generally, combined to give the news despatches for the week a tone of trouble...
...Following is what the conference handed out in lieu of a tariff commission: "The President is empowered to employ such persons as may be required to secure information to assist the President in the discharge of the duties imposed upon him and information which will be useful to the officers of the government in the administration of the customs laws...
...Indications are that the farmers will reap a golden harvest of grain in the West, and reports of industrial conditions point to increasing activity in all lines of manufacturing and transportation...
...The conference completely emasculated this provision so that there is left not even the smallest basis for the kind of commission work demanded by those who believe in putting the tariff on a scientific basis, so that rates may be fixed accurately on the difference in the cost of production here and abroad...
...Reports from the seat of government at Madrid that the insurrection was caused by Socialists and Anarchists has been denied by prominent leaders among the Socialists, and the fact that a report from Barcelona tells of 9,000 revolutionists engaged in the uprising, and forming into a committee of public safety, of itself indicates that the report may be unfounded and that discontented people of all classes had joined together in the resistance to the government...
...When the bill came up in the House on the 31st it was adopted by a vote of 195 to 183, many Republicans voting against it...
...The grand jury adjourned without completing the probe and it is possible that the September grand jury will take it up...
Vol. 1 • August 1909 • No. 31
