The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-10-22


in London after years of waiting and
hundreds of thousands Of dollars Of
expense. Some years ago the editor
OF The Independent made some inves-
LEGATIONS while in Washington con-
corning this dispute. The conclusion
that forced itself upon him after ex-
aiming the treaties. the maps and
looAing into the transfer of this por-
ton of the continent to the American
government by Russia, was that Can
ada did not have and could not make
out even a shadow of just claim to
any portion of the disputed territory.
There could be no question at all
about it. But the British government
and an outlet to the sea. The line de-
scribed in that treaty was so clearly
defined that any dispute over it was
simply ridiculous. In other cases af-
fecting it, even some OF the British
arbitrators had long ago taken exact
ly the same position that our govern
ment has all the time held The ar
guments of these British arbitrator
were presented at the trial and there
was no denying them. The result is
that the British have been given the
head of what is called the Portland
canal and a magnificent harbor to
which they were not entitled and to
which they had rot a shadow of right
full claim. That outlet to the sea is
what the British government started
out to get and it has been turned over
to them. Nevertheless the plutOcratic
papers will continue to shout: Great
Is John Hay!"
Miss Anna E. Davidson, who has
spent much time in Porto Rico, de-
clares that 80 per cent of the inhabit-
ants are illiterate and 70 per cent are
of illegitimate birth. If the American
laws of inheritance are enforced down
there, there will be a condition that
will delight the hearts of socialists.
There they will find properties"
class sure enough and 'proletariat'
will be ready at hand.
All over the interior of Kansas and
Nebraska coal is selling now, before
the cold weather has begun. at $11
a ton, which used to sell at So, with
an almost sure prospect that it will
go up to SIS before the first of jan
uary. Still the coal trust is unmo-
Tested and the antitrust act with its
provisions for the criminal prosecu-
ton of the trusts remains on the stat
ute books.
The report of the international COM
mission to Europe, which was COM
posed of Fl, H. Hanna, Charles A. CO.
nant and the traitor economist, Jere-
miah jerks, has not yet been made
public, but it seems a favored few
have been given inside information.
That is proved by the course that the
price of silver has taken. They went
over there, so they said, to Elk the
price of silver" ito fix par of ex-
change" and that sort of thing, all Of
which, to put in good, plain English,
simply means to establish bimetallism
at the ratio of 80 to /, instead of 16
to 1. The price Of silver has ranged
above so cents an ounce for several
days. These same chaps were the
ones who in 1896 and 1900 were among
the most vociferous in declaring you
can't, establish bimetallism, you can't
fit the price of silver"
The Independent warned its readers
some time ago that they had better
wait for while before they formed
their judgment about determination of
the government to punish the post
Office thieves as not one of them had
yet been convicted. Last week the
first of these trials came off and the
jury disagreed. The statement still
stands. Not one of them has yet been
punished.
The Wall street gang are keeping
Grover Cleveland before the people
He is evidently their ''favorite son."
During good many years Cleveland
remained at home or went fishing.
Last week his corpulency was brought
to Chicago, where he uttered few
ponderous sentences which the dailies
have ever since been trying to make
the people believe contained stores of
craftsmanship, but which the editors
have hard time in trying to make
them mean anything.
The net earnings of the Pullman