Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-01-30
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] Gil A NJ ? !
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U& HE desire to create trusts has
become a disease more conta.
gious than the smallpox, the
measles or the bubonic plague.
Unless the courts squelch the
Great Northern Securities company.
which constitutes a vast monopoly OF
transportation facilities in the great
northwest, it will not be long until one
trust will control all the transportation
facilities of the country, including
steam and electric railroads and steam
ship lines and possibly including M.
Santos-Dumont and his flying ma
chimes. Already Southern Securities
company and Southwestern Securi-
ties company are bruited and are only
awaiting the decision Of the courts in
the fight which Governor Van SAINT of
Minnesota and other northwestern gov
ernors are waging against the Northern
Securities company. 1t will be inevita-
BILE if the courts favor that company
that an Eastern Securities company
will also be formed, and from these
four will grow one universal monopoly
or trust.
The Inevitable Is Happening.
In the debate on the pension appro-
priation bill the fact was developed
that the sum to be appropriated for
pensions for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1908, is only little over $139, ,000,-
600. or about $5,500,000 less than for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1902,
and Mr.. Barney of Wisconsin, who had
the bill in charge, declared triumphant
ly that ''the high tide in pension appro-
priations has been reached" in which
statement Mr.. Barney, while undoubt-
edly perfectly honest, was most GER
tainly incorrect. Perhaps "the high tide
of appropriations for pensions" for vet
ed, for the process of dying from old
age has long been at work among the
soldiers who fought for the Union from
1861 to 1866. Their ranks are thinning
rapidly, but that by no means proves
that ''the high tide of pension appro-
priations has been reached" for in that
same debate the startling fact was de-
veloped by Judge Bell of Colorado, one
of the ablest men in the house, that al
ready over $4,000 soldiers of the Span
ish and Philippine wars have applied
for pensions, and the cry is still 'They
come!" And they will continue to come
until nine-tenths of all who have serv-
ed, are serving or shall serve in the
Philippines are on the pension rolls.
Sydney Smith once said, "Doubtless
God could have made better berry
than the strawberry, but doubtless he
never did" So say that 'undoubted-
ly some nation could perform more
idiotic caper than our attempt to con-
quer the Philippines, but undoubtedly
no nation ever did" 1t is an endless
job, and the pension roll will grow for
ever and forever-that is, the Philip
pine pension roll. The only way to stop
its growth is to stop the idiotic war.
jenkins.
A great many people have made
spectacular asses of themselves con-
cerning Governor Leslie NJ. Shaw of
Iowa, the new secretary of the treas
ury. He is not "a small man." as some
Wall street financiers seemed to fear
he was. If he has six toes on each foot.
after the fashion of one of the buck
Indians in a famous painting in the
rotunda of the capitol, as certain MEM
bers of the tribe of Jenkins allege he
has, he is not to blame for that, and
those extra toes in no way initiate
against the theory that he is mentally
fit to hold his present high position, for
it will be found that, whatever the
state of his pedal extremities, the
Hawkeye statesman carries around a
pretty good headpiece. What if he does
wear boots? He can perhaps think as
well with boots on as if he was wear
ing spats, white, black, yellow or any
other color. What if he covers his
caput with a slouch hat? The value of
a noggin depends much more on what's
inside of it than upon what's on the
outside. Nobody appointed or employ
ed me to defend Governor Shaw. His
politics is execrable, no worse than
the creed Of other Republicans and no
better, but / like fair play, and | con-
as idiotic. Any man who within six
years of the time that he was an OBJ
scure country lawyer and banker in a
small town, unknown outside his own
county, can be twice elected governor
Of a great state, establish a national
reputation as public speaker and
break into the cabinet is not to be
sneezed at, and these things are pre-
cisely what Leslie NJ. Shaw has done.
Luck, Pluck and Hard Work.
His career is another illustration OF
2he readiness with which the average
uelf imposed or otherwise. II in the
spring Of 1896 any one had cast Shaw's
horoscope and predicted his subsequent
career, he would have been incredulous
himself, doubling Thomas. Luck !!
Well, yes, partly, and partly the result
of brains, pluck and hard work.
Another thing about Mr.. Secretary
Shaw which is greatly to his credit and
which will increase rather than dimin-
ish his value as public functionary-
he is not dry as dust. He possesses
| a rich vein of humor which he is not
afraid to work He is delightful ra-
| contour and tells this story of person
al experience while trying case in an
Iowa court. A boy about fourteen years
old had been put on the stand, and the
| opposing counsel was examining him
| After the usual preliminary questions
as to the witness age, residence and
| the like he then proceeded:
"Have you any occupationT
"No."
"Don't you do any work of any
kindy'
'sNo."
"Just loaf around homer
"That's about all"
"What does your father dow
sNothin' much.'
Doesn't he do anything to support
the family?
"He does odd jobs once in while
| when he can get them.'
"As matter of fact, isn't your father
pretty worthless fellow, dead beat
and loafer?"
II don't know, sir; you'd better ash
him. He's sittin' over there on tht
jury"
| Two Modern Instances.
It is curious and interesting fac