Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-03-31

is not gold that glistens." At
arst it was hailed az thing Of beauty
and Joy forever. At least one enthu-
siast nominated him for president on
the strength Of 1t, but II anybody ID
really happy over It now It is the bsef
trust-poor thing!-which. according to
Hr. Garfield, makes only % cents per
head on cattle slaughtered Soon lynx
eyed folks began to pick that report to
pieces. The Kansas legislature, which
appears to be an unusually candid
body Of men, with the courage Of their
convictions, passed resolutions de-
nouncing the report and advising Colo
mel Roosevelt to ding it into the IRE.
Representative Martin Of Dakota, who
fathered the resolution Of inquiry and
who hoped to lift himself Into the SEN
ate thereby, has dissected the report in
a most merciless and irreverent man
ner. And there are others. Among
them Is ]. 3. Minor Of Nebraska. who
during recent visit to Washington un-
bosomed himself to reporter in this
vigorous and breezy manner:
am engaged in the killing OF beef oat-
tie myself in a small way. and 10 when I
read the recent government report on the
beef trust didn't know whether to laugh
or cuss.
This report speaks Of average profit Per
head Of cattle handled by the combine ~
being 90 cents. Here's richness for ycu.
But why not have added the extra cent
Il would not have sounded quito 10 much
isn't small local dealer In the land who
buys steers for dressing and selling TO re-
tailers that will not admit. II he 10 honest.
that his profits In each carcass will
amount to from Is to % and pttentimes
more. It will do this even In my section
OF the country. whore we make nothing
out of the hair, horns. hoofs and other
byproducts that the big Chicago fellow
make balance the expense of handling the
cattle.
The idea Of % cents per head ~ a.
average profit to tho combine 10 no ~,
premely preposterous that 1t seems strange
It could be seriously promulgated a. q
document fathered by any department Of
this government. Among western pro-
dignatiop. II Washington can't give VI
more reliable statistics than this. II would
be better not to furnish any.
Evidently there IL screw loose
somewhere, something rotten la the
state Of Denmark or gross ignorance IN
superabundancs. Mr.. Minor discourses
a. man possessed Of facts and tem-
per Of his own. He blurts ont trade
secrets. II ''the small local dealer
makes from S. to Sc to the CARCASS 1t
must be plain to even the most stupid
that the trust makes much more and
that Brother GArnsld's report 10 in
need Of revision.
Reform,
Galilei had a great head. The work.
moves. Even stafd old Massachusetts,
is showing signs OF catching up witt
the procession. She Is agitating the
proposition to nominate her United
States senator's By popular vote at pri
mary elections, and the choice thus
expressed shall be ratified by the leg
islature as matter Of course. which
is the next best thing to electdns then
by the people. a plan which cannot b.
adopted without an amendment to th,
constitution Of the United States. o.
course there will be opposition to tn,
proposition, just as there has been, Il
and ever will be to every reform sug
gested in this world. Nothing 70 clear
" illustrates the Wis inertiae OF human
nature as the utter hopelessness o
amending the constitution even In case
where nine-tenths Of the people woult
like to see it amended. Here at leas
Senator Marcus A. Hanna's famous slo
gan. Let well enough alone" appear,
to apply. There is no question that o.
per cent of the people would prefer Il
elect senators Of the United States b.
popular vote, but it would requir,
from ten to fifteen years Of diligen
and systematic work to force the sen
ate to submit an amendment authoriz
ing such action for ratification. It 4
80 much easier to appeal to handful
Of legislators than to hoi polloi for re
election, don't you know. There neve,
was, there IL not now, there never car
be, q valid argument used against the
election Of United States senators by
the people. The plain truth Is that the
fathers who framed and adopted ths
constitution distrustsd the capacity Of
the great body Of the people for self
government; hence the clumsy arrange.
ment for electiug 4 president by the
electoral college. Which has proved an
utter failure; hence also the plan ia
have legislatures elect senators OF the
United States. Both plans ought To
b. abolished for the all sufficient rsa-
sons that the people can be trusted to
attend to their own affairs and that the
closer all elections are brought to the
people the better for all concerned
Reform ia slow, but the particular re-
form OF which mention is here made
will come OF course there will be
much pious quoting Of Senator George
Frisbie Hoar, who was bitterly OPP
posed to this innovation, but then II
must be remembered In that connection
that the good old senator had been Ave
times elected by the legislature. and
he was naturally partial to that meth
Cd Of procedure. 1.-THE earth belongs
in usufruct to the living" says Thomas
Jefferson, who had no misgivings a. to
the peoples capacity to govern them
selves. He was the greatest leveler
who has appeared on earth since the
Saviour was cruciAed. He will do to
follow. Let the people elect their sen
ators, and we will have no disgraceful
deadlocks and senatorial scandals,
Mr.. Anderson.
1t is sad to hear that Republican
politicians in New York were sur
prised and indignant when they learn
Cd that Charles w. Anderson, a col