davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
SAYS ABOLITION OF POVERTY
WILL ELIMINATE MUCH CRIME

SAN BERNARDINO, May 2S.--[Ed-
itor Herald: have been reading
with great interest the letters of Val
Stone and others In regard to unjust
sentences and the inequality of the
law In general, and 1 think with Val
Stone that most sentences are too Sc
we're, especially in the cases of alleged
petty offenses. l dare say that not one
man in ten that faces trial in a police
court could be convicted before judge
and jury in the superior court. Our
police courts (the way they are con-
ducted) are a burlesque upon justice.
Honest men are made criminals by
the courts every day, and It, Is little
wonder that we have so many anar-
chists among us railing against the
tyranny of government and authority
Justice and equity are terms that exist
In the abstract only as far as our
courts are concerned There Is no
equality before the law. If a poor,
half-starved wretch out of work steals
a loaf of bread to keep from starving
he gets six months on the chain gang
or, perhaps, two years in the peniten-
tiary; while If one of our millionaires
steals a railway he is sent to congress.
I do not believe any man is a criminal
at heart; poverty and want are re-
sponsible for nearly all crime. Why
ing work and being out of money?
This is what the police of Los Angeles
are arresting men for every day. They
are charged with vagrancy, and after
being thrown in filthy cell for sew
eral days they are made to look like
criminals by being deprived of the use
of soap and towel or even a comb, and
then they are brought into the police
court with hair disheveled and a
weeks growth of beard ON their faces,
and in this unkempt condition are re-
quired to appear before a judge and
take their medicine. 1t makes no diff
ference whether they plead guilty
or mot guilty." the judge simply "sizes
them up" and gives them ten days or
six months for being out Of a job. This
is what happens every day in "our
courts of justice" Do away with power
ty and you will abolish large per
cent of crime. r. d. NELSON.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
HETTY IN SOCIETY

nY strange mental transformation
X Hetty Green has been converted
~ from finance to high society. AL
though she is rather old, she is a bud.
Although she has long been a conspic-
uous figure on the business stage she is
now making her first bow on the social
stage. No longer will she flock with
bulls and bears. Winsome society maids
and gay society matrons will hence
forth be her associates. She will lead
in the cotillon, trip the light fantastic
in the may quadrille. dominate the
german, arrange menus which will at
tract the ghost of Lucullus, and, in
short, by what is known as a grand
splurge," will make up for time lost
over quotations, calculations and sordid
disputations. All hail to Hetty, the belle
of the ball and the beautiful BOSSES of
the banquet. She has given up her
SIS fiat in humble Hoboken and en-
gagged a $4,000 suite at the plutocratic
Plaza hotel. She will now sit with
Dives, clothed in purple and fine linen
and tell young American citizens to
emulate her example and to be parsi-
monious in their youth If they would
be happy in their old age. But don't
you believe It!
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
PROHIBITION

n ESOLUTIONS condemning the pol
ministration in regard to the
liquor traffic were adopted by the Cali
fornia state Prohibition convention
Nay, more; the Prohibitionists accuse
the pious Republicans of violations of
state laws by issuing tax receipts in
Prohibition districts and allowing the
importation of liquor into such districts
At last it is plain why prohibition does
not prohibit" The Republican govern
ment won't let 1t, and when prohib-
one door against the liquor traffic the
Republican national government opens
another. The Prohibition party put on
record its opposition to the attitude of
President Roosevelt on the liquor ques-
ton and adopted a platform which
favors government ownership OF rail-
roads and public utilities; establish
ment of postal savings banks; the
initiative and referendum and recall.
If the Democrats include a prohibi-
ton plank in the platform adopted by
the national convention there will be no
good reason why the Prohibition party
should not be united with 1t. If an
anti-liquor resolution is carried the
Prohibitionist candidates should and
probably will withdraw in favor of the
Democratic candidates In order that
the REFORM VOTE of the United
States may not be divided.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
1.-THE MENACE OF SOCIALISM"
AND A FEW MISCONCEPTIONS

LOS ANGELES, May 2s.-[Editor
Herald: A word with F. H. Thomas
son, whose not uninteresting letter ap-
peared in this mornings Herald:
Seeing that the whole course of So
cial development and progress in this
world is history of the growth of CO.
operation, right away from the lower
animals up, your correspondent pays
the nation a poor compliment when he
calls 1t "pronouncedly individualistic."
He might as well have called us "back-
ward" or "unprogressive." Let us
pass. however. to another point: What
does he mean when he speaks of 1.-The
not at all political socialism of Lon
DOM" If he means the government Of
London-the London county council
then he is falling into the trap that has
been so industriously set by a section
of the press bent on misleading the
public. The L. C. c. Is not Socialist;
was not so even under the progressive
regime; and If Mr.. T. means England"
when he says London there is no such
thing in England-any more than here
as non-political Socialism. OF the
| fifty-two or fifty-three labor members
of parliament about thirty-two are OUT
and-out Socialists, and the Socialist
movement in England is pre-eminently
political movement.
Now, as to Debs being the "only
man. the American Socialists could
find to noplinate for president; and the
lack of talents in the party, that is
ridiculously wide of the facts. But let
me just family indicate the Socialist
party spirit as 1t was waited to me out
of a Socialists mouth: "Well, 1 may
have my personal opinions as to
whether Debs or Haywood or some
other should be our nominee; but
whichever the convention accepts will
satisfy me as being the right man."
If 1.-The government is best which
governs least. the Socialists profess
to go one better still. as understand;
they will not be hampered by govern
ment at all; only by an organization.
To misrepresent Socialism will not
serve us, whether for" or against"
7 w McKTNNON
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
YELLOW PERIL

TN reviewing the events of this age
the historian will find the express
4 sion. 1.-The yellow peril" He will
write something like this:
"About this time Americans became
unduly agitated over a fanciful pros
pect that the Chinese empire would
become so strong that 1t would DOM
mate the Pacific, invade the American
coast and eject the white man. The
success of Japan in warfare gave
some point to the fear which obsessed
many citizens. But all of a sudden
attention was diverted to a new cause
of danger to public interests. This,
too. was called a yellow peril and was
truly much yellower and more 'perilous
than the other. 1t was a chain or
syndicate of publications devoted to
printing exaggerated accounts of COM
monplace events and to booming for
the presidential nomination one Will
liam Randolph Hearst, who had in
herited a fortune which he devoted to
advertising himself. When he found
he was not acceptable to the Demo-
cratic party he financed and founded
an anomalous new party, which he
called the Independence league. He
used the yellow journals to advertise
the league.
1.-THE political and social activity of
this mans newspapers constituted a
real yellow peril. much more to be
dreaded than the Asiatic bugaboo.
But the people of the United States,
with their usual common sense, re-
fused either to be fiattered or fooled
into accepting the yellow journals as
the champions of their cause or yellow
Journalism as an exponent OF Ameri-
canism. After having gobbled up
great many Hearst dollars the yellow
peril settled down into innocuous pla-
cidity and devoted most of its space to
gingerbread teas, pink lemonades and
lingerie"
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
CLEAR, CRISP AND CLEAN
THE HASKIN LETTERS

TIT It'll a keen consciousness that we are
wv making an announcement of a good
w thing" we call the attention of our
readers and the public to the fact
that tomorrow tho great correspondent,
faithful observer and accurate recorder
Frederic j, Haskin will publish the first Of
. series of articles on Los Angeles and
neighborhood. His description of "The City
of the Angels" Is easily the best that has
ever been written even on this inspiring
theme by any Outsider" for that matter
by any native or settler. Mr.. Haskin has
handled his subject in a mastery manner,
with q grasp of essential facts and an appre-
citation Of their meaning, and with such per-
spicuity and discernment that even old tim
ers who think they know the city and that
no one can say a new word concerning IL,
will find inspiration and fresh stimulus to
local patriotism and civic pride. The Her
aid was fortunate in securing the Haskin
letters. BY the great merit of that i'm which
he describes and discusses glorious city
Mr.. Haskin demonstrates beyond doubt or
disputation that every line he has published
in The Herald concerning his travels and
observations may not only be depended upon
for accuracy of observation and description,
but for s0undness OF judgment. We believe
Mr.. Haskin IS the most reliable travellers
people cannot travel the next best thing
they can do is to read his brilliant letters
in The Herald.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
FIRE ALARM

EIRE ALARM FORAKER has a
n reputation for laying plans to
= stampede conventions, and his
plans have reputation for never
amounting to much but hullabaloo. To
persons familiar with the circum-
stances attending the first Mckinley
nomination it is like history repeating
itself to find a quarrelsome and Jealous
Ohioan proposing to play on his neigh
Dor Ohioan Taft the same trick which
he planned to play on Mckinley. For
aker proposes; Providence disposes.
Ohio Republicans for years were like
nest of hornets-every hornet for
himself and the king of the hornets
take the hindmost. The overwhelming
popularity of Mckinley and his NOM
nation on the first ballot, which was
accomplished owing to what his enc
mics in Ohio no doubt believed to be
the faithless treachery of the Blaine
old guard, produced a remarkable still
ness among the rival Ohioans;
silence which has lasted even unto
this day, but will be broken as the
inevitable consequence of the proposal
to nominate another Ohio man. II
Taft had hailed from California or
New York Foraker would never have
dreamed of stampeding the convention
for Roosevelt or of suggesting it should
be stampeded. A few months before
the 1896 convention Foraker was going
to stampede the convention for some
body else, but he thought better of 1t
and the stampede was not attempted.
Taft's prospects are in about the same
condition as McKinley's were at about
the same interval of time before the
first Mckinley convention. During all
the time the Blaine guard and the
Reed crowd were talking stampede in
the year Of the first Mckinley NOM
ination Major Mckinley had in his
inside pocket a letter from Joe Man
ley of Maine, in which his nomination
on the first ballot was guaranteed.
This information Is now published for
the first time.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
ASSOCIATED CHARITIES

ME ask our readers to realize and
w to act on the realization that a
" great and useful benevolent in
stitution, the Associated Charities, Is
in peril. It's funds are low, and unless
citizens come to the rescue promptly
the society will find itself in the plight
of many OF the deserving people 1t has
helped, for it will be dead broke" and
as it is absolutely impossible for 1t to
continue its work without money that
work may have to be suspended or
abandoned.
This would be serious misfortune
to Los AnCeles. The financial furry is
responsible for the depletion of the re-
sources OF the Associated Charities,
and on account of the panic and the
hard times which followed 1t. which
cur Republican friends are already en-
gagged IN explaining away" this
great charitable organization suffered
severely. In an appeal for help. which
we know viii meet with a prompt.
practical response, the officers Of the
Associated Charities say: 1--WE all know
of the financial depression Los Angeles
in common with the rest of the coun-
try has passed through. but as the
policy Of the Associated Charities has
not been to add fuel to the flame by
crying hard times, II is more than
probable that few OF our members ex-
cept our immediate officers know what
work has been done and in what pre-
carious condition we are by reason of
these hard times" We hope this USE
full society will speedily be extricated
from its precarious condition and
placed on a firm foundation of per-
manent prosperity.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE

nYa few votes the Presbyterian gen.
X eral assembly refused to indorse
~ the standard American revised
edition of the Bible. In the face of the
fact that this version is more nearly
accurate than any other it must be
apparent that the Presbyterian major
ity-a meager majority at that's
clings to the traditions of the elders
and regards truth as menace. There
are many students and scholars in the
Presbyterian church-indeed, 1t is ia
nous for scholarship--and it is not re-
markable that from time to time one
of them announces his preference for
the conclusions of the higher criticism.
Prof. Robertson Smith, the greatest
Arabic and Oriental scholar of the
nineteenth century, was elected ruth
lessly from the Scottish branch of the
church because he disputed the state
ment that Moses was the author of the
Pentateuch, the first five books of the
Old Testament. In the United States
Prof. David Swing was branded here
tic, and Prof. Briggs of the Union The
illogical seminary in New York was dis
missed from his chair. The public is
interested in Biblical revision because
the public is entitled to know the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth concerning Christianity and
the churches. The truth does not need
to be afraid of anything. Least of all
should ii fear revised versions of the
Scriptures, especially when they are
more accurate than former versions. 1t
is this which makes the conduct Of the
small majority at the assembly puzzling
to fair-minded people. what is
TRUTH" asked PLATE. Today some of
the followers of the Christ by their
actions are, giving the extraordinary
answer: Something that must be sup
pressed. IT'S caviare to the general"
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29

Organize the federation sentiment which
exists among long-headed people
throughout the English-speaking world.
When the churches are united, twelve
million organized federationists will be-
gin a movement for the elimination of
obstacles to the federation of the races
which use our language. These obsta-
cles exist chiefly in Great Britain, in
the form of a make-believe king and q
called peers. They have been elimin-
ated from the British colonies" as
several English-speaking countries are
still called-in defiance of the fact that
they are self-governing nations. 1t Is
folly to keep up the form of monarchy
when the substance has disappeared.
The only formidable barrier to the
federation of the peoples who pray,
swear and make laws in the same Ian
guage is Hindustan, which is regarded
by many Britons as white elephant"
without India the prosperity of the
United Kingdom and the colonies would
be increased greatly, and there would be
little need of a formidable army and a
gigantic navy. There is undoubtedly
food for thought In the suggestion that
the Socialists might use the federation
as working basis for carrying out
their plans, but this will not dampen
the enthusiasm of those who believe
that fears of a remote contingency
should not be allowed to interfere with
the extension of Americanism to all the
races who use the language Of Wash
ington and Bright, Lincoln and Will
berforce, Mckinley and Gladstone.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
SECOND TERRIERS

ROOSEVELT campaigners are in
X. the field. The Second Term
~ league is sending out literature
and asking Americans to talk of Pres
ident Roosevelt's present term as only
his first actual term. The position
taken by President Roosevelt's friends
Is that in the natural course of events
he would have been nominated to sue
coed Mckinley and would have sue
ceeded him; that his election as vice
president should not be considered an
election as president and that neither
he nor the Republican party will be
getting square deal if the deed of
Czolgosz is allowed to keep Roosevelt
from being a candidate for renomina-
ton and reelection. The pamphlets
of the Second Term league say:
Theodore Roosevelt has not been
consulted or advised with in this mat
ter and action is taken without his
knowledge and Independent of his
wishes or his declaration" The ar
gument presented is: "The people have
the inalienable right of exercising their
franchise a second time for Theodore
Roosevelt for president and none has
argued against 1t save those actuated
by selfish interests or from fear of
mourning just and fearless punishment
for their misdeeds, or who have been
punished through impartial enforce
ment of the statutes. We have abso-
lutte faith in Theodore Roosevelts
veracity, but his voluntary statement
not to accept another nomination,
made November 8, 1904, has no legal
attribute or quality and Is not binding
on his fellow citizens. His nom
acceptance or rejection would have no
legal effect on the result of his cleo
ton. Any decision of such a momen-
tous question rests with the people.
That means of course the people them
selves; not persons who write letters
to the newspapers, not the men who
ing of important boards of directors,
nor those who are often in the public
eve, but just the people" 1t sounds
as if Roosevelt Republicans were in
favor of direct nomination and pop
ular majority election of the president.
IT is remarkable that this change was
not made Immediately after the War
of the Rebellion. The present system
is a recognition of Estates rights"
rather than of the authority of the
majority of the voters in a united
country.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
FEDERATION

A LII close students of international
II politics have been aware for some
"A years that the federation of the
peoples using the American language
was not a remote contingency, but an
imminent probability, and those who
were aware of the similarity and rela-
tionship of the American form of gov
eminent to the government of the Pres
byterian church have said unhesitat-
ingly that the church which provided
the model for the American Union
would also devise and in itself illustrate
the working, feasible plan by which all
the countries which have a community
of language, a community of laws Eek
cepting in their local application, and
up to a certain point a community of
interests, would become united. The
first task of the Presbyterian fedora
tionists has been to devise a method of
uniting the Protestant churches. If
Protestant federation is possible, politi-
cal federation is practicable. This may
be taken as automatic.
In a manner not at all surprising to
students of history and politics. who
say positively that within twenty
years there will be either an English
speaking federation or Socialist control
of all the English-speaking countries,
the Presbyterian church has taken the
first great step toward federation by
a union of all the Protestant
churches in North America, and an
its Willingness to cooperate
and unite with any Protestant church,
anywhere.
The result of this movement, which
will probably be successful. will be to
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29

establish colonies which will give the
community a bad name with white
people. This reduces the price of real
estate and the Japanese enter upon
possession of the land by leasehold or
purchase. Wherever the Japanese
farmer comes in force he drives out the
white man from the community. His
presence Is as surely depressing
upon real estate values as the
presence of a colony of negroes is in a
southern city. The Japanese farm
laborer in the small fruit sections OF
the state can find employment at wages
of slips to $1.75 a day. In the great
prune growing district of Santa Clara
valley they can make as much as So a
day during the picking season. They
live on next to nothing and save their
money. To their savings they add
money advanced from Japan, or they
did until the panic cut off the supply
from home, then go out to buy or lease
land.
thousand farms, an aggregate of more
than 100000 acres. There can be little
doubt that many of the farms were
acquired with money advanced from
Japan by the financial agents of the
allgrasping imperial household. A
Toxic banker Is responsible for the
statement that the imperial household
10 iutSIcStSu al ldiiu III Cdl1-
fornia. Texas, Louisiana and Colorado.
The agitation for a law to prevent
aliens holding land in California grows
out of the general dislike for the Jap
anese and the increasing fear of their
encroachment upon agricultural indus
tries.
A Japanese colony in the Sacramento
valley, where potatoes are largely
grown. succeeded in obtaining leases
on a largo part of the land. Two years
ago they attempted to corner the Cali
fornia potato market. They failed and
lost large sums of money. Last year
they renewed the attempt and were
successful. They controlled practically
the entire output of potatoes in the
state, doubled the price and made back
their losses of the previous year with
a handsome profit besides. This spring
the farmers in various sections OF the
state are protecting themselves from
the Japanese potato monopoly by plant
ing larger fields In more widely sep
arated sections. 'rhe berry crop of
Santa Clara is controlled In similar
fashion by the Japanese farmers.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29

Jail is deemed a fair quittance for a
theft of silverware. 1 fear your corre-
spondent did not select his example in
conformity with what the courts term
the law of "best evidence" He could
so easily have found any number of
cases of theft as trivial, or even more
petty, where the sentence was years
instead of days. These cases, as being
more representative and typical of the
mass, would have made truer as well
as a stronger illustration Of his point.
Now, honor where honor is due!
do not happen to know whether this
sentence of twenty days for common
theft is fair sample of Judge Austin's
methods, but IL so-and in the absence
of knowledge to the contrary 1 am
bound to assume It'll raise my hat to
him and tender him the assurance of
my profound respect for his kindly hui
manity and sense of proportion.
Alas, even as / write. in another
court, for similar offense, some poor
wretch is being sent up for term of
years! VAL STONE.
Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-29
PROHIBIT GAMBLING

n NE would think the McComas case
would arouse such horror against
~ gambling in all its forms that this
evil would be banished from society
forever. All kinds of depravity are
associated with gambling. The ex-
PLANTATION should not puzzle anyone who
thinks. Gambling causes contempt for
law. 1t saps the foundations of char
acter, and assails good citizenship. A
man who CANDLES cannot have equal
moral strength with the man who does
not gamble. The gambler places HIM
self at disadvantage in the battle of
life. He yields to temptation, and the
powers Of evil find in him an easy prey.
Gambling in every form should be pro-
hibited in every state in the Union for
the sake of the people of the United
States.