The National tribune., 1906-06-21


net as Secretary of Peace, and that the
Cardinal be given fun and direct power
to settle serious controversies between
this country and Catholic countries OF
the world. Also that whenever war
threatens between two Catholic coun-
tries he shall exercise his ecclesiastic
influence backed by the civic and milf
tary powers of the United States to
bring about peaceful relations.
At last the "Big Trees" of California
are to be protected. The Senate has
passed the House resolution including
the Yosemite National Park, the Mari
posa Big Tree Grove and the Yosemite
Valley, over which the Government Will
now exercise control.
Senator Perkins explained that for
the past 40 years the valley and the
trees had been under the control of the
State of California, which has expended
almost 100000 on them. A conflict
had recently arisen. he said, between
the State and National authorities
which had already resulted in the de-
struction of many trees, and the STATE
had decided through the Legislature 10
recede the ground to the National Gov
ernment. He urged the Importance OIL
immediate action. so that the Californla
Legislature may ldht StepS " PaOb~S'
the territory if its tender is not accept
ed.
Mr. Upton Sinclair. author of THE
Jungle" wants the earth, and evidently
wants 1t fenced in. He wrote book
on a loathsome subject. packing house
abattoirs. and he wrote 1t in most
loathsome style. 1t gives one uualms
to read it, like unto those experienced
by the seasick. The President of the
United States has been advertising that
book gratuitously for about two months
now; every day and every hour OF the
day he has been saying things about
nat book and its sales are said to have
been enormous. but the people who got
it also got fooled, like the young lady
who had heard so much about Young $
Night Thoughts" and bought it for
light Summer reading. THE Jungle
is not an immoral story at all. though
it treats of immortality in a general way.
Ii simply tells the revolving story OF
revolving conditions in revolving in
dustry-the slaughter of hogs. sheep
and cattle. Well, he isn't satisfied with
the advertising given him by the Presi-
dent. He wanted to appear before the
Committee on Agriculture, so he did.
lie wrote, he wired and then he wrote
again to Chairman Wadsworth, asking
to appear before the Committee, but
they 'axed him no."
And now Mr.. Upton Sinclair comes
back at Chairman Wadsworth and the
Committee with letter in which he
declares: 1T was because of my charges
that the investigation was begun into
conditions in the Chicago packing
houses" OF course, nobody had ever
heard of a packing-house until Sinclair
got busy. And then he dips his pen of
cut steel in aqua fortis. blue vitriol and
some more biting things, and proceeds
to do up" the Committee and the
Chairman, especially, because he isn't
permitted to come before the Commit
tee and advertise his jungle" some
more. He reiterates his nasty stories,
and declares that he ought to be per-
mitted to prove them. Then Mr.. Upton
Sinclair says:
"I consider that these things should
be of concern to your Committee. You
wire me that Conditions in the packing
houses have been fully reviewed.
Possibly you think so. but can assure
you that the public does not think so.
AS a matter of simple fact, not one
shred of evidence unfavorable TO the
packers has been allowed to get before
your Committee, excepting only that of
Mcssrs. Neill and Reynolds, which you
could not get away from. Tbht your
hearings were held. not to elicit any
facts. but solely in order to whitewash
the packers, was proved by the treat
ment which you accorded to those gen
tlemen.
"a paid agent of the beef trust was
received by you with open arms: you
heard his tricky and dishonest state
ments with cordial approval, and the
Commissioners and personal friends of
the President you treated as criminals
before the bar of justice, browbeating
and insulting them outrageously.
You will doubtless continue in your
present course to the end, but l predict,
sir, that you will live to regret the in
suit which you have offered to the in
telligence of the American people. They
are thoroughly aroused upon this ques-
ton, and bent upon justice. They real
ize that your Committee has been large
ly to blame for the continuance of the
condemned meat industry. since it has
been your task. year after year. to
smother the request of the Secretary of
Agriculture for funds to maintain an
efficient inspection. and now that you
have been forced Into the open as the
servant and champion OF the criminals
involved, I shall be surprised If the peo-
pie do not find way to make you feel
the weight of their dispieasure."
John Philip Sousa, the great march
king and famous band leader. Is pes
simistic about the future of singing. and
maybe he Is right. He says that the
music of the present day is the phono-
graph: that hideOus metallic, ear-split-
ting piece of mechanism which Is sup
posed to reproduce the sweet tones Jf
famous singers and bands. SouSa de-
tests the thing-and so do all real music
lovers, for that matter. The thing does
not reproduce music; It simply registers
sounds with "squeegie" in them. Well,
the thing that brought about Sousa's
protest was his objection before the
Committee of Congress on Patents. He
appeared before that Committee to OBJ
ject to men who handle monographs
being permitted to register all his fin
est music on the tin-panny thing and
not pay him a cent for the privilege
He wants law passed making 1t nee
essary to pay royalty on all such
music taken by phonograph makers.
Then SOusa says:
II tell you that the human voice Is
not heard as 1t used to be, and | pro-
pheSy that the vocal chords may by
this disuse become useless for singing"
When l was boy said Mr.. Sousa
"and I was born right here in Wash
ington, II was the custom of the young
people to sit on the porches and steps
in the evening and sing the old songs
and the popular songs of the day But
you don't hear those songs any more
What do you hear? Nothing but the
phonograph.
Another evidence that these ma
chines are taking the musical initia five