St. Paul daily globe., 1891-09-07
VIEWS OF THE REVIEWS.

the religious or the social, the prejudice
against the children of Israel, always
more racial than individual, is to day
utterly without justification. However,
it may have rooted in the exclusiveness
OF the ancient race; what base it may
have had among the earlier Christians
remembering the cruel crucifXiOn of
the Savior; how far caused by envy of
Jewish wealth accumulated by thrift,
sagacity and, no doubt. by dealings not
marked with scrupulosity, it has no
ground in reason to stand on
to-day. and yet no man, Jew or
Gentle. but knows it does exist
everywhere, and takes on occasionally
organized national efforts of expulsion.
Goodwin Smith, in recent issue of
this review, gave recognition to this
bigotry, and partly excused, partly de-
tended it. In the current issue Isaac
Besht Bendavid replies to Mr.. Smith in
cleverly written article, calm and dig
nlfied in tone, disputing his facts, deny
ing his differences and leaving Mr..
Smith in an uncomfortably indefensible
position. The expulsion of the Jews from
Russia. and the efforts of Baron HlrSch
to provide refuge for the unfortunateS,
together with their movement TO this
country, and the recent discussion of
the whole question of restricting im-
migration, rendered Mr.. Bendavid'S ar
tlcle a timely one as it is most able and
readable one.
Another article, notable not so much
as contribution of anything new as
in being indicative of the strong move
ment of economic forces on the Bellamy
lines of concentration of productive en-
ergies, is that of G. p. Huntington,
"A Plea for Railway Consolidation"
He repeats the usual arguments, the
past consultations of short into trunk
lines; the economies effected, the re-
duction in rates and the consequent
benefit of roads and public. He regards
the movement as constantly progress
Sive. and thinks the highest mutual
good will result from the consolidation
of all roads under one management.
He suggests one benefit which has the
merit of novelty; the stocks and bonds
of such a combination would be so solv-
ent and steady in value that they might
be made, in place of national bonds,
the basis of banking system,
and would soon become the fay Orite in
vestment of all accumulatorS of money.
He is optimistic enough to believe that
the old fear OF corporations is dying
out and that public opinion is ripe for
such a condition. He would have no
state interference with rates and regards
present laws as injurious because they
are inflexlbie and prevent the roads
from transporting the lower grades OF
products because they must pay the
same rate as the higher and more profit
able grades. The enormous powers
lodged in the managers of this aggrega-
ton would be wisely used to aid the
public and produce small profit to the
company, he thinks, because ''any cOrpo
ration or combination of such would
be weak-yes, worse that weak-to make
the effort to stand between the people
and their rights"
President Huntington's vision is clear
enough to see tendencies, If not to see
conditions. The only logical end of
consolidation is government ownership,
and the tendency is that way. 1t will
not stop when it has reached the point
of a single corporate control which Mr..
Huntington desires. The principle of
governmental control or regulation is
established. With government regulat-
ing and individuals managing there can
be nothing but rigidity of regulation;
tieXibiiity can only come with the sim
gle control of the government or the
company. He mistakes conditions If
he thinks that the people have ceased
to fear the misuse of power by
railroad managers. There is Scant
evidence either that they have or
that the managers have stopped Civ
ing them cause to. For whatever OF dis
trust or hostility there may be in the
public minds the managers OF the roads
have only themselves to blame. 1t was
not primarily so. From the first, rail-
road projects have been met by the pub
10 Ia h
has shown itself in grants of land and
bonds and mortgages. The reyulslon OF
feeling is solely due to the shameless
rapacity and greed of the men who have
abused the power given them to enrich
themselves. MIR. Huntington ana his
California partners are shining eX-
amples of this class. Now, sated with
enormous wealth thus obtained, he
meIlows into the philanthropist who
would serve the people equally with
his properties. The grip of the public
on the control of the roads will never be
loosened.
Politicians have pricked up their ears
at ex-l.inister Fred Douglas article in
which ne Intimates that he has some
damaging disclosures to make in the
future. The only significance of the
article is that the administration did not
have confidence in MIR. Douglas ability
to conduct the negotiations with Hayti
for a coaliRg station at Mole st. Nicholas,
and sent Admiral Gherardi down TO
conduct them, and that the admiral
made the attitude OF the state depart
ment towards the colored minister too
plain by his arrogant manners to let Mr.
Douglas mistake it. The article is
spicily written, and if Mr.. Douglas full
fills his promise to disclose the facts
he intimates, his future article will be
mighty interesting reading.
Passing events impress the general
observer much as does the procession of
field and forest, farm and village, hill
and dale, as he speeds on the limited
through the country. They are too
numerous and his transit too rapid for
him to take more than the slightest
note of them. When some special OBJ
server groups particular events or move
ments and presents them, they have
TO the casual observer the seeming of
novelty. Something Of this feeling
runs along with the reading of
Mrs. Livermore'S article on "Co-opera-
tive Womanhood in the State" Every
one has noted conventions of women
held for this, that or the other purpose,
and has seen or read OF the efforts of
womer IN various public movements,
and we have witnessed the invasion and
capture by women of many of
the yocations once monOpoIiZed by
men, but it is safe to say that few out
side of those enlisted or interested had
any conception how far the women of
the last half of the century had de-
veloped talent for administration of
the business of the enterprises into
which they rave gone. Mrs. Diyermore
finds the initial OF the dividing line be-
tween the confinement of woman's tai
ents to the home, the nursery, the
school room, the millinery and dress
making vocations and her entrance into
the larger affairs of life. in the civil
war and the part she took in the man.
agement of the sanitary commission.
Fromsthis initial she sketches rapidly
the various work in which women have
engaged since then; work requiring CO.
operation and business ability, and
which is either part of or closely re-
1..kA - -. q