Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1908-06-06

| A4CA ~ Lie JUL 1AClOSOlS dG Z 0sSS AAAS
last week to witness the legal hanging
Of Felix Radius. nineteen years old,
for the murder Of his aunt and her
fOur-year-old son last December. AT
the same time photographers were al
lowed to picture the scene Of the
tragedy, so that 1t might be disseminat-
ed broadcast as warning. The sher-
lf has the idea that this will make a
deeper impress on the foreign popula-
| ton than could be attained In any
| other way. 1t was the first time in
| the state that hanging had been pho.
tographed. The condemned man, a
| fine specimen Of bodily health and
strength, went to the scaffold without
| finching. He had shown no regret for
| his crime and had urged an early day
for the execution, forbidding his law,
yers to appeal the case.
Indictment of the Fourth.
Mrs. Isaac L. Rice, head of the New
York Anti-noise society, writes in the
June Century of sour Barbarous
Fourth" and makes her chief attack
| On the ground Of humanity to the sick
She tries to show from the testimony
Of leading foreigners that the national
holidays of Germany. France and Swit.
zerland, with their more rational cere
monies, are more impressive and eff.
fective than our own She quotes ex.
tensively from the American press
opinions in total disapproval Of the
powder and crackers habit and refers
to the long list of fires, deaths and in
jurfes resulting from our celebration
of Independence day. Accounts taken
from papers century ago show that
in those times the day was one Of re-
ligfous and devout ceremonies, with
only a salute Of thirteen guns at sun
rise. Mrs. Rice suggests flag display,
music and fireworks as appropriate.
Roosevelt Quoted a Muck Raker.
When the June number of Every
body's Magazine came out it was evil
dent that Lincoln Steffens was the
person whom President Roosevelt had
quoted in recent message to congress
as having spoken of the type of mil
. lionaire whose face has grown hard
and cruel while his body has grown
soft, whose son is a fool and his
daughter a foreign princess" This pre-
else language is contained in an article
giving interviews with Roosevelt, Taft
and La Toilette on What the Matter Is
In America and What to Do About 1t"
The editors admit that the president
had examined advance proofs Of this
remarkable paper from the pen Of one
Of the guild he had once characterized
as muck rakers.
Steffens goes back over the career Of
the president to show how he had al
ways been striking at this and that
thing which seemed to him an evil
but how he had been ever blind to the
root Of all these evils-namely, the
business system under which we live
and which has taken the place Of rep
resentative government. He gives
Roosevelt credit with having located
the enemy and with having reused the
conscience and the hopes and fears Of
the nation. Steffens speaks in the
highest praise Of Taft personally and
says he will try to carry out the
Roosevelt policies. but that he will try
to do it quietly" which is quite diff
ferent. Taft believes in the law and
public opinion as capable Of regulating
the most powerful business. Taft be-
lieves in the courts and their ability to
adjust the coming clash of capital and
labor, but Steffens says that the secre-
tary does not see how the various evils
are correlated by the power of wealth.
La Toilette Steffens puts down as
leader who tries to represent all the
people. He summed up the trouble Of
our country in one phrase-"misrepre-
sentative government" Back Of that
he sees that government represents spe-
cial interests and privileges. He pro-
poses to restore representative govern
ment. When it comes to choice Of
government ownership by the trusts or
Of the trusts he Ola Follette) would be
for the latter.