Newspaper Page Text
10
THE SUN,' WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1912."
V
if
WKDNKHim , DKC'K.Ml i '
Entered at the l'ot Offlre nt New York m Second
t h,H M ill M.iltiT.
-.7"..
Noii.cripiinn. by Mti Postpaid.
DAILY, Per Month fo so
DAILY, I'cr Ycir on ,
dumdaVi i'cr vear a
riAHA AVtiMt vnV iip Vni, ii ftit .
daily AMisi'Nuw, prt i..nih ?R i
Postage lo foreign countries added.
All checks, money orders. Ac, to be made pay
able to Tut: Srx.
PubHshed dally. Including Sunday, by the Sun
Printing and Publishing Asorailonat l"0 Nassau
treet, In the Horoutth of Manhattan, New York.
President nnd Treasurer. William P. Heitk. iro ,
rvassaustrrrtiVlre-l'rrMilent.lldnardP.ltllchell, ;
170 Nas.au street. See retary, Chester H. Lord. 170
Nassau street.
London office, Kfllngham House, I Arundel
llreet, .Strand.
rarls offlre. fi rtur de la Ulrhodlere, off Rue du
Quatrr Scplemhre
Washington offlre. tllhbs hulldlni,
Brooklyn ofllre, tov Livingston street.
our fiends icho tori" us idlit manuierleii owl
BuXra'lon or putillealton trua to hare rejected
articles returned inu must in alt coin stnd tlampi
for that rurrvn.
The Constitutional Right of News
papers to Carriage In the .Mails.
The newspapers of tho United States
'should awaken, if they are not already
awake, to tho Mirpassing importance
of the question just now before the
Supreme Court of the United States for
a decision. .
It is not from some burlesque opera or
from the mouth of some absurd juris
consult in that Wonderland of topsy
turvy thought which Alice visited that
there comes the amazing assertion of
autocratic power to limit the freedom of
tho press, or to coerce its utterances,
which is contained in the following
sentences:
"We ulmit thnt Congre ha the unre
liraintd poxcrr tn av ichat in it opinion it no
hvrtul tn the public wltarr that it fhovld not
patt through th' mail' nnd thnt it mnv en
tortf thnt opinion trifAoit I'M forrrtne
bring nultjret tn judicial rriietf. it
urely may prescribe anv conditions con
oernlne tho mull matter itself, whether as
to sire, wplidit, rharnrtrr n content, pur
poses for which sent. Ac . nnd It may llko
wtKe prescribe conditions concerning the
rersoti ileroitlnr It In the mnll. especially
it the rendition attached to tho sender bear , phatic by a little sabre rattling been
ome relation to tho thlnir sent If more characteristically or unfortu
uch views Ithoso of a newspaper's on nersl , nately exemplified than in tho latest
are ny,rc,rd in the paper, tlorernmrnt can speech of the Imperial Chancellor.
ioubtle exclude thrm. wet a Cnnore could I UayinK onW reassuring news to an
notf exclude all paper advocating Inttcne. nounco ,) actual! V reporting ail Anglo-
pronioiiion aiwrr or prohriirr tariff it a German cooperation which might have
major, o ' 'onaree thought uch ricV A m0R, nnxl ,
aea,n" ""''" ro"r" Itions, Von Hcthman-n-Hoixwho suc-
This was tho 1ingtinge of n high law ; reeded in disseminating not confidence
officer of the Federal Government, the but npprehension merely by the arro-Rolicitor-Gcneral,
arguing to the court Kanc0 arul truculenco of his words,
in behalf o. the unlimited power of Con-' J1"' onr between the German
, ... , ,. , . . Chancellor p words and those of As-
gress to rect ate the postal wrvico of, .,.. v- i .
y. ... , , QfiTH at .Nottingham or PoincarC at
the t nitcd .Stan: to the extent even , Nantl8( on oach of which occasions the
of deciding what political opinions, Balkan situation supplied a text, is im
expresvd in nowspacr t-pe, shall bo ' measurably to the disadvantage of tho
admissible to moils and what political j German statesman and serves to explain
opinion in liewsnanors shall be denied ' w,1 ,l'08" who nro ,,in bft friends of
tho privilege of transmission from post
office to poM office.
The J-'irt Amendment of the Consti
tution declares that "Congress shall
make no law abridging the
freedom of t-perch, or of the press."
If the Solicitor-General of tho United
States is right in the propositions printed
above, this precious guarantee is worth
ies,; for it can be rFillified effectually
by the mere exercise of legislative
power whereof Iho admitted provmco
is the arrangement of administrative
details of the rervice and tho police ,
regulation liecoshary r the protection
of the morals in the community. The
police power is extended to tho censor
ship of political opinion. According to
this outrageous doctrine a majority vote
In Congress, immune from judicial re
riew or rebuke, may closo the mails to
nowsparfrs advocating the prohibition
of the sale of liquor, just as it may close
the mails to papers containing obscene
literature. A majority vote in Con
gress may bar out newspapers contain
ing articles in favor of a tariff for pro
tection, just as it may exclude those
which lend their advertising columns to
the traps of notorious swindlers.
The Solicitor-General's doctrine is
BUflceptiblo of oven more ridiculous
application without straining it in the
least. If a majority in Congress should
conclude that the dissemination of
Democratic campaign arguments or
documents, either in the nowspapors
or In pamphlet form, was against "pub
lic policy" it could prevent their circula
tion through the mails. Equally aa
to Republican literaturo, or Socialist
literature, or Progressive literature.
Tho ultimate censorship and the unre
strained power of exclusion from tho
mails he holds to be in Congress, and
no judicial tribunal exists which is
competent to enforce the constitutional
rights of a freo press.
-"""" ...-- -matn as tanked for Its Influence toward
dom of tho press before the Supremo tin- restoration of amicable, relations in
Court at Washington yesterday Mr. tw,..;i, the. Argentine Iiermblie and llollvla."
James M. Beck pointed to Daniel Tho United States can claim credit for
Webster's reply to a similar proposi- iwrsuuding Peru and Chile to heal tho
tlon years ago, when It was urged that ' notorious Tacnu-Arlca quarrel which
Congress should purge tho mails of,""1 l"'0" a chronlo cohiih belli
anti-elavery jouma.s "Any law." said
Websteb, distinguishing what shall ministration, although honest inquiry
or what shall not go into tho mails would ImvedoveloiuHl the fact that if the
founded on the sentiments of the paper Chinese peoplo regard any nation West
ad making a deputy postmaster a ' or ,-3a8t fts t,ielr steadfast friend it is the
Jodie I should say is expressly unconstl-1 Uniu'd KUitefl' Mr- Ta"' Ba'B that "
tutional." consistent purpose of tho present Ad-
. ' , . , ministration has been to encourage tho
If eome of our contemporaries do Xiso o American capital in tho dovelop
pct yet apprehend the full significance jment of China by the promotion of those
' rcrcnt legislation nhcrtltiR tin
of IVdpral con' I over tin; news-
throiili tin' nu'ti'ly wlminis
i.. ' power id rei'iilati' the nmils
.' iilvixc iIiciii to study Mr. Hiick's
liuisterly piOM'iitjitioii of tlic ruse In
their brhnlf and for their cniiKtittitiotml
' right to be free from urbitrnry cen-
jpotnhlp iituJ tlifrrimlnntinu; treatment.
; And it Is proiicr tlmt they fchoiild know
thnt thin service of championship is
re(1(
ed voluntarily by Mr. Ukck In n
"Plrit "f Pllc duty unci not (ih an ordl
nnry professional enKnucinent.
Where it this doctrine of absolute
legislative power to end, If sustained as
to the newspapers and the malls? If
Congress can constitutionally exercise
the power claimed for Federahuithority
... ,
ly tho Solicitor-Oeneral IIS an incident
of the ordinary regulation of the postal
service, has it not tho same power ovor
individual opinion as an Incident of tho
regulation of foreign und interstate
commerce? Does not the Solicitor
General believe that Congress by statu
tory enactment, under Section 8 of the
First Article, might proscribe, that no
person advocating prohibition, let us
say, or favoring a protective tariff,
shall enjoy the privilege of transporta
tion on the trains of interstate railways
or on ocean steamships; no person,
indeed, whose political opinions are
deemed by the existing majority in
Congress to be opposed to good public
policy? And this without recourse to
the cotirta, no matter what the constitu
tional guarantee may bo!
When has there been so sweeping, so
preposterous an assertion of undele
gated Federal power since a former
Solicitor-Oeneral ofthe United States
instructed the Supremo Court, in the
case of Kansas vs. Colorado, that "all
powers which are national in their
scope must be found vested in tho Con
gress of the United States"; a doctrine
so revolutionary that the Supreme Court,
in the memorable decision rendered by
Mr. Justice Breweii, promptly pro
ceeded to put it under the heel of the
highest judicial authority?
On fiermnn Way.
Rarely has the German habit of mak-
! ing even pacilie official utterances em
Germany abroad find the official utter
unces of her statesmen frequently irri
tating and as in this instance actually
indefensible. German statesmen can
well afford to let the memories of Agadir
grow a little fainter boforo attempting
to imperil I tie pence of the world again
by methods which in recent years have
increased German unpopularity rather
than her prestige abroad.
The Truth About Dollar Dlplnmncj.
The annual messages of the Presidents
before Mr. Taft's accession were usu
ally hard reading, because thev dealt
at nppalling length with a multiplicity
of subjects. 1'residont Tapt s method
of giving Congress information on one
important topic nt a time concentrates
attention upon it, and as his messages
are not overloaded with detail the
method is much more effective. Yes
terday ho dealt with "Our Foreign Rela
tions" in a stylo of masterly simplicity.
Congress needed tho enlightenment, for
it displays at times a woful ignoranco
of contemporary diplomacy.
In large part Mr. Taft's message to
Congress is a demonstration of tho
necessity and beneficence of what has
been derisively termed "Dollar Di
plomacy." The aptness of tho expres
sion the President admits. "The di
plomacy of tho present Administration,"
he says, "has sought to respond to
modern Ideas of commercial inter
course.' But while it has swelled the
exports of tho United States and con
tributed to material progress in Central
America and Santo Domingo it has
also settled international disputes and
promoted peace. Tho proof President
Taft submits:
"Tbrounh th efforts of American di
plomacy several wars have been prevented
or ended. I refer to the succcsful tri
partite mediation of the Argentine Jte
public, Brazil and the United States be
tween I'eru and KciiMlor; the brinitlnK
of the boundary dispute between Panama
and Costa Hica to pn.iceful arbitration, the
staying of the warlike preparations when
Haytiand tho Dominicans w ore on the verce
of host lilt les. thcHtoppliiKOf a wnr in Nicar
agua, the hnltlim' of Internecine strife in
Honduras. 'Iho flovernment of the United
'essential reforms to which China is'
pledged by trrnt'i with the Un'led
States nnd other Powers " I
i Helping the countries of Central
I America to help themselves Is not pure
altruism, of course. Mr. Takt has never
' pretended that It was. With prosperity
and (rood nnlnr nrnvnllitiir In those
nnttnfrfi.u II... t..tA.I C..,,a tcmill rn. I
, celvo trade benefits nnd malntenunre I
!of the Monroe Doctrine would becomo ,
less of a problem. No one ran dispute (
I the fnet. tlmt "nntlmit non-intervention
and steadfast recognition of consti-'
tuted authority hits been n felicitous
Mexican policy, and tho dollar has
loomed large in it too.
Christmas lllarkinnll.
In another place on this pnp;o we print
a letter headed "Christmas Blackmail,"
in which the author describes n system
of petty extortion as indecent a It is;
, notorious. Wo do not think ho Is over-
emphatlo when ho describes what
amounts to blackmail as "rotten" and
"beastly." The fact that In some
Instances a particularly intelligent em
ployer of labor has won tho affection
of his working people nnd that they
actually do want to give him some
trinket in testimony of their sentiment I
i .. . . i . i , . - t . i .!
rui only iu uiron into iiigu renei uie
sordid nature of the greater number of
these familiar "subscriptions."
Such impositions as theso aro re
sponsible for the feeling of contempt
which so many intelligent persons have
for the exchange of Christmas gifts,
a custom that becomes annually moro
I of n burden and less an expression of
! I Ml
cumi win. in cennin common cases
It degenerntes into meaningless com
petition; in others it sinks to tho level
of petty larceny. In nono of these
extravagances is present tho spirit of
Christmas, and, uninspired by this, the
bearing of gifts, great or small, is a
senseless and demoralizing practice.
Our Letter Writers.
Praiso to tho face is often disgrace,
and it has never been tho habit of The
StTf to expose itself to that misfortune.
Whereas people "amuse us when they
abuse us," as some lost poet sings. But
wo do feel a pride and pleasure in these
Just remarks about our daily parliament
and federation of men, women and
sociologists, philosophers, philologians,
publicists, cynics and sentimentalists,
reformers and reactionaries, vision
aries and "kickers," ascetics nnd epi
cureans, amateurs of old customs, in
ventors and destroyers of religions, eth
nologists, baseball cranks but what's
the use of pretending to catalogue tho
mighty, tho charming, tho curiotm,
the learned,' the perhaps occasionally
wrongliended tribes to which nothing
human is alien? Listen to ono of many
friendly voices:
"Totiik F.titTORorTitKRrv Sir: InTitr.
Si's of November :s Is an editorial entitled
"Our Letter Writers " To Its truth and
sentiment I beg to offer a fervent Amen'
For several years and many a time I have
been on tho point of Intlirtlng upon you a
vote of thanks for the pnce and freedom
accorded to your letter writers
There is alnays something entertaining
or instructive or whimsical or original In
the space spared lo your le and other
wise letter writers You Rlve us all a chance:
to expose our foolishness. If we please; to
write ourselves down' an ass. to share
with others a good thought or humorous
story, to crack a Joke; to praise our public
servants for ihelr welldoing, tn call atten
tion to nuisances that should be abated;
to uuote a line from the poets or an ad rem
passage from the classics. In a word, true
to your motto, conspicuously In your letter
writers' columns, The Siw shines for all.
"N. B. Hemic
"Pixe Hill, December : "
We beg to salute nnd thank once more
this chorus of old and newer friends,
among whose opinions not. the least
welcome are those of occasional indigna
tion or vehement girding at the opinions
of The Sun
RnhlnoTltrh.
If tho bank wTeckerRontMovrTcn.who
calls himself Rohin, escapes punish
ment, the prosecuting officer of New
York county will havo added to his
establishment a bureau for tho salo of
indulgences sinister in its menaco to tho
community beyond exaggeration.
Should this betrayer of fiduciary
institutions go free with tho connivance
of the authorities, notice will be served
that the danger now associated with
tho less brutal forms of robbery is in
Inverse ratio to tho disclosures that the
suspect chooses to make. I?t it be
borne constantly in mind that crimes
of tho kind committed by Robinovitch
aro never tho work of ono man. They
enlist tho active cooperation of many
dishonest agents. Shall it become a
fixed principle of criminal procedure
In this important jurisdiction that a
convenient confession will buy inv
munlty?
Xo servico to tho State, whether
rendered in malice, dread, or true con
trition, can meet tho demands of justico
in such cases as Rohinovitch's if it is
tho price of freedom from prosecution
for accomplished crimes.
In a letter printed on this pago this
morning tho Ilov. Dr. Minot Judhon
Havaoe givi a memory or two of ItonEBT
Coli.yf.ii, that lino old "athlete of don,"
us tho iniHlia'V.'iliHts might havo called
him Mr. t'oi.i.YKii lived so long as to
siirvlvH tho gonor.itions that know hlra;
und dying ho is hut a name to a time busy
with so nuiny nolslor names.
It con do no harm or good, perhaps, f
Hotnii of tho aged unioiig us dwell for a
moment on that stately presence, that
kindled and kindling eye, Unit face of
power and benignity, Uioho locks that
tlmo had to silver turned when present
pntrlarchs were In kuickorlKickers, Uiat
clear voice of Iho horn orator but with
out any affectations of tho elocutionist;
who Uiat ever saw and hoard Houkht
CoLLYKit, wo won't say ih tho pulpit hut
"on Uio platform," In tho days of the
"lyceum," when men like Kmkkbon and
Holmes were content with a hard earned
$60 a night, and an occasional night at
that to bo passed in Uie spare lied whoso
arctic sheets hod been submitted to the
warming pan who can forgot Uiat front
of dignity and Unit oye of tiro?
Whut did ho Bay? It was enough Uiat,
professing for yearn unpopular opinions,
ho looked llko softie croat saint and doctor
of a church not his. Hemembering him,
we think for no reason of nnotlier "lycoum
lecturer," Wkndki.L I'lllLLirfl, tho most
suasivo and polished of Ionian orators, a
brow of honey nnd a heart of bitterness
Inextinguishable, bland, Quakerish, gentle,
terrible without, noise.
There was a giant or two in the. prlmo
of ltOilKHT COLLTKII.
The Greeks on their sldo seem to fear
tho Htilgars bearing! gifts, particularly
pence offerings.
The news that Switzerland Is rollectlng
wur supplies doubtlrss forecasts a de
termination nt Homo to demand a Swiss
"window on tho sea" n compensation for
non-liiterfeninco in tho lialkuns.
The angleworm Is a thinker. S'cwepaper
Headline.
And, compared with some humans, a
splendid thinker, tho angleworm.
"Half the world to go Insane." Dr.
llTsLor.
Doesn't the good Doctor mean tho
other half?
It begins to look as if the Hon. Woon
now Wilson would carry Bermuda too,
In nnotlier column a clover Albany cor
respondent who seems to have a knowl
edgo of and sympathy with the country
minister, imagines, a little Irreverently,
perhaps, the unhappinros of thnt much
enduring man nt the loss of the doctrine
of eternal damnation. Well, it is a loss
which would hove broken hearts of tho
old race of Protestant divines, but nobody,
secular or ecclesiastical, has any right to
complain that there is not "hell" enough
vlsihlo in this world. Fighting it to the
end of his dayB and strength, bringing up
a large family on a meagre Income, tho
country parson has moro than enough to
do without worrying about doctrinal
changes; and he finds tho Devil doing
perhaps even more than the usual full
amount of business nt the old stand.
THE CABISET.
Nobody IU "Claim" to a Meat In It; the
President Is .Solely Ilesponslble.
To hie Kpitor or Tiif. Si'.v Mr.- Much
Is being said In the papers nowadays about
the "claims" of different people to bo ap
pointed Cabinet officers.
It is a misconception that should be cor
rected No ono has a "claim" to ! ap
pointed a member of tho Cabinet The
President, and the President alone, selects
tho memlicrs of the official family forming
bis Cabinet nnd. subject to confirmation
by tho Senate, Is reponsible to no one.
Political lenders have no "claim " The
memlers of the Cabinet are representatives
of the President In the departments over
which they preside.
President-elect Wilson Is not called upon
to consult any one as to whom he shall
select for members of his official famlly
lle will lie and should be held entirely and
absolutely responsible for tho selections
he shall make. He Is entirely free and un
trammelled and the selections he makes
should be his own
Hut he should retnemter thnt the country
will bold him responsible for proper and
suitable appointments, and in a way it is
his duty to make selections which will glso
strength and confidence to his adminis
tration Just nt this tlmo it is a subject
of grave Importance, and President-elect
Wilson should strive earnestly and wisely
to meet the expectations of those whom ho
expects to strengthen him when In office
Saw York, Dcremlier .1 K. T. W.
ttVILD flOir.V, XOT VP.
A Mighty Cavern, Park Roofed, for the
Kqultalile Site.
To THK KniTon of The Si's Sir: The
great value of the Kqultabln property makes
a park there seem an extravagance, even
for New York As a matter of fact If tho
cost were assessed on neighboring tene(lted
properties the assessmenf would be a low
percentage of their value. Hut It Is not
uecesary that the entiro value of the site
b taken
A subterranean safety deposit building
should lw built that would leave tho site,
except for a one btory entrance building,
entirely clear at the street level, to be marie
Into a park There Is no building in the city
that Is built for this single purpose of safe
storage Vaults devoted to that purpose
are adjuncts of some other construction,
and while affording great security do not
afford so much as a structure devoted en
tirely to the one object would Such a
structure could be made Impregnable to all
assaults, whether of nature or of man
It would be a very simple matter to lay
out a building of this kind, to calculate its
cost and its rental valua and to compare
these with the cost and rental value of the
proposed thirty story structure The dif
ference would lie the sum that the cits
should bear for the use of the surface as a
park. It would bo less by far than if the
site were appropriated outright.
Arthur Dillon.
New Youk. December 3.
A Weary Titan.
To thk Editor or Tub svusmt: I also am of
slryscraplng tyle of architecture, being several
Incuts more than two yards In altitude, ijy
tally habit with my gray soft hat Is to gather
Hie lunricant from tho overhead lever mechanism
that controls the operation of the subway car
doors.
1 have also a very close acquaintance with
doorframes, headpieces, electroliers, chandeliers
signs. Ac, but count myself as fortunate that the
ImpresMons are not monotonouly transmitted
to the same spot, Submission of my cranium
to u phrenologist would reveal to him a collection
of contradictory bumps that would put his science
to a severe test.
Now my principal cause for worrlment Is that
my friends may form a conspiracy to choree
me with a mallruance, secure my arrest. Indict
ment, trial, conviction and Imprisonment, If not
on evidence then on grounds of my personal
appearance. The present time seems unfavorable
for the righteous. 1 have within two days dis
covered with horror that the cells and cots In
the Tombs are not constructed large enough
for prominent people. Vain have been my at
tempts for halt a dozen decades to lie abed on
the bias, nit gore or diagonal.
In evrntualliles 1 shall demand an adjustable
or extenMon bed, with a corresponding elastic
mattress, and blankets of a length so aa my feel
shall have no cause to look me reproachfully In
tne race. Tita-n,
Nkw Yong. Decembtr 1.
The Preference of One Header.
To the Kpitor or The Sun Sir: An old
woman, an omnivorous reader, a one time news
paper woman, I feel that 1 am entitled to an
opinion, and I want to say that In The Su.v o'f
to-uay i have read the best, most Interesting,
most Individual, most progressive and signifi
cantly suggestive and sentient newspaper 1 havo
ever In my life read.
Irom tlrst to last the paper to-day was a de
light, and I for one do heartily thank you editors
and workers for It. (Mrs.) J. N. Finch.
Nkw Yobe, December I.
An Autograph With a .Sentiment.
From the Initptnient.
(The following lli.es. so ant in.ilHv. ,m
served In one of the ulass rases In the (Irani! Army
of the Itepubllc Hall, Public Library building
Chicago, and as far as known have never been
printed. rTdltor.l
Though woman never ran be man.
by chan re of sex, and a' that.
To social rights, 'gainst cIimi and clan.
Her claim la Just, for a' that.
Kor a' that, and a' thai.
. Her Kden slip, and a' that,
In all thai makes a llvtnr soul
She matches man, for a' that.
W1U4AM LLOTD a,
swanui, waauary 9, 14(0.
I THE COVXTItY MlXlSTElt,
Are the Foundations of Ills I'nlth Shift Iiir
Ueneitli Ills I'rrt?
To tiir Kditor or Tiik St'N -Sir- In view
of the changes In scrlptur.il itilerpn;tntlon
that are being suggested nulte frequently
in these days by conferences and societies of
learned men who are presumed lo know what
tboyareliilklnKnboiit.lt occursto me that tho
time is ripe fora countryinlulstcrs'forwnrd
movement
We hiv been so htisllv engaged In
financing propagandas In behalf of men
nnd religion tlmt vvi Inve iiulln overlooked
the country minister who Is railed to preach
the gospel iiloni: the rural free delivery
route cm a salary of fi.Ml a vear.
In Ihesi' days the minister of a small
country parish never knows, even ap
proximately, what to expect. Ill path
I full of pitfall. Ills life I one of perils
and rude surprise. While stretching out
hi hands for the ancient donation his
foothold I threatened by the shifting
foundations of hi faith. He goes to bod
when the day's hard work I done strength
ened In spirit by the comforting thought
of rverlatlm flames for the wicked; he
arises In the morning to discover that thero
Is no hell, that It hn been nbollshcd over
night by a learned conference that has no
need for It
The country minister Is a martyr. As n
sectarian he asks for bread nnd Is given
a stone: as an old fashioned Christian be
asks for a tangible hell of fire and brim
stone and Is given a state of mind; a a
human being he nsks for a payment on his
back salary nnd Is given a second hand
overcoat and a pair of fur mittens. Truly
his life Is not a bed of roses. Hut It Is not
the lack of worldly prowrlty that turns
his hair prematurely gray. It Is the haunt
ing fear that without a moment's warning
the foundations of hi faith may be kicked
from beneath his feet.
Consider his plight. In the morning wo
see him weeding his little potato patch,
in the kitchen his wlfo Is busy over the
wnshtub: on the table are the remnants
of the Inst donation, three youngsters are
digging in the sand behind the woodshed,
while another, the oldest, is trudging along
on his way to tho llttlo schoolhouso down
by the cheese factory
Wo seo him again at night. The day's
work Is done nnd wife and children have
gone to bed Ho la alone In the sitting
room reading the (iood Hook Iteverently
he turns Its pages; he reaches tho sixteenth
chapter of Luke and his face reflects the
spiritual ecstasy tbat thrills him.
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man!
Here Is Justice, stern and terrible Justice
for the man who on earth was alw ays clothed
In purple nnd fine llnun and fared sump
tuousty every day, and Justice for the poor
lieggnr who was laid at his gate. Yes,
thero Is solace In the thought of the rich
man In tonnenta, lifting up his eyes In hell
and seeing the poor man In glory. He
rends the wonderful parable again and
again with Infinite satisfaction.
We see him once more on the following
day as the family gathers about the dinner
table. Ills oldest son Is reading tho weekly
paper that has Just been delivered by the
rural mnll carrier Suddenly the boy utters
a peculiar cry. "What's the matter.
Calvin?" Inquires his father anxiously.
"Oh. pa," replies Calvin, gulping audibly,
"there ain't no hell, they've cut It out!"
The blow falls like n thunderbolt from a
clear sky No hell' Ho cannot graBp the
hideous Import of the words. No hell!
And he has preached It for twenty years,
found In It a solace for thevvorld'slnlnstlce.
"sensed" It a thousand times In his bitter
experleniTs
It is ton much for him to bear. He gropes
his way Into the sitting room, where he can
be alone with hi j-rief
1'rotn that time on be Is a changed man.
Life has lost its rest His spirit Is broken,
and soon It i whispered that his salary Is
to be reduced because lie no longer preaches
with his old time fire and vigor.
You mav comtiel a country minister to
mortgage his household goods to buy the
necessities of life, you may put him out In
the road, bag and baggage, for nonpay
ment of rent, yon may refuse to help htm
glvedeeentburialtohls youngest child when
diphtheria lay hold upon his faiill)--and
all these things ho will endure with Christian
fortitude Hut when you rob blm of bis
hell you break his spirit, you kjll the hope
that make his life bearable, vou strike a
fatal blow nt hi sense of Justice beyond
tho grave Kor the country minister Is n.
rugged character, his life Is full of hardships
and stern privations, and he demands an
orthodoxy that Is somewhat In accord with
his environment Tho pink tea variety
may do for the smug soothsayers who with
half closed eye that turn neither to the
right nor to the left ride to their pulpits in
limousines, but It will never satisfy the
lowly apostle of the wrath to come who
tackles the Devil wherever and whenever
he meets him without regard to conse
quences. Simon Creel
ALIUNT, December .1
SOME RltaOKI.VX LOAFERS.
An I'nvvelconie Ingredient of (he Home
llnroiish' Population.
To THK Kditor or The SrsSlr For the paat
few months gangs of thugs In the vicinity of
Adams street and Flushing avenue have been
making life miserable for the residents of this
section of nrookljn The police have had orders
to make more frequent raids on the loafers who
Insult women and hold up pedestrians In the
vicinity of Myrtle avenue after midnight
A number of suspect have been caught In the
police net and locked up. It Is said that some
of these toughs have been arrested before and
when released have resumed their old heblla.
The police have been gunning for these gangsters
for some months, but seem unable to catch the
guilty ones became the gangsters are wise enough
to lie low while a patrolman Is within hailing
distance.
Young men feigning Intoxication have picked
the pockets of many a would-be Samaritan.
They reel along the gutter's edge and the sym
pathetic passerby tries to lead them bark to
the sidewalk. The fakers then manage to get
their hands In the pockets of the helpers, and It
Is not until hours later, perhaps, that the loss of
money or Jewelry Is discovered.
Acts of violence have become so frequent In
the vicinity that the District Attorney has taken
a hand and he has detailed several of the detec
tives In his own offlce to Investigate certain
assaults and murder that have Just occurred.
IIiiookltx, Decrmber S. Cititen.
"In Defence of America."
To ttie Fditor or The SvKStri A book en
titled "In Defence of America" has recently been
written by a Herman, namely, llaron Von Taube,
and Is now on view at our circulating libraries. It Is
very well Intended, no doubt, but as the author Is
evidently an Intelligent man It's a wonder It did
not occur tn him to ask himself: Does America
need defence! Crisiin,
New York, December 3.
On Mlth the Dance.
Former Sneaker Cannon atj,ta ,t.B, a -
not Intend lo do much In Congress this winter,
but expects to do a great deal of dancing, having
a dfbutante granddaughter - Current item.
He's been a statesman forty years,
A cjar for half a score.
Hut he Is tired, It appears,
And nmlb the thing a bore,
And therefore has resolved to stop
And follow Mr. Turveydrop.
The floppy frock he casta asUe
With a disdainful shrug,
And eke the black felt, once his pride.
behold him In a "plug"
And togs whose cut awakes surprise
And daizles tho beholder's eyesl
And that projective black cigar
Krst clenched between his teeth
And fonJIy cherished near and far,
Lies listless In Its sheath,
Iteplaced, though this Is rumor yet,
Hy an Ugypllau cigarette!
Conceive him aa In patent pump
He trips the saraband;
Observe his not ungraceful hump,
Ills sway, his waving hand.
Lame duck, forsoothl Why, like aa not,
He'll till up next the turkey troll
MicaiCE Ilouta,
nOIIEItT COLLY Eli.
Nome Bemlnlscenees hy Mlnot J.fsavaRe
of a iirrat servant or Uoil.
To toe Editor of Tnn Spn Sir; A
grent, good man has fallen asleep. Hut he
lives and works still. .
From one who has known him most Inti
mately for many years you may like a
reminiscence or two of Hobert Collyer.
He came to this country from Yorkshire,
a blacksmith and a Methodist home preacher.
Ho wns working near Philadelphia. Ills
spiritual father and lifelong friend wns
Dr. Kuniess, minister of the unitarian
church In Philadelphia,
About that time tho late Moncure D.
Conway was the t'nltarlan minister In
Cincinnati. About to be married, he wished
Dr. Furness to go out and perform the
ceremony. It was not easy In those days for
him to get n "supply" for his pulpit. He
derided to give the young blacksmith a
chance to try his wings. Ho told his trus
tees that he would like to lie gone for two
Hundays, but that If they were dissatisfied
with the supply they could send him word
and ho would return after the first .Sunday.
Hut the word they did send him was that ho
could stay as long as he pleased.
Soon the young preacher went to Chicago
and took charge of a new bit of mission
work. It grow, an all the world knows,
till Dr. Collyer became a figure tall enough
to lie seen over two continents.
In is;:i Newman Hall, the famous preacher
of London, was In this country lecturing.
Ho was raising money to build a tower for
his church, which as an appeal to our
money gh ere ho called the Lincoln Tower.
He wns to lecture In Chicago, and I with
hundreds of others helped to crowd tho
hall. It was a wild and stormy day. After
we were gathered a telegram came saying
the speaker would be an hour late. The
manager was In despair. How could a
crowd like that alt still and wait In silence for
a solid hour? Then he spied Mr. Collyer
and came and asked him If he would not
help him out. Then I, for one, was amazed
at tho readiness and power of thia man.
He .climbed to the platform and spoke for
an hour till Dr. Hall sarrlvnl waaannounced.
And his address was so fine, no entertain
ing, so strong that the lecturer that came
after him was a complete antl-cllmax.
1 he audience would have had more than
its money's worth If Dr. Hall had been five
hours late Instead of one.
Such was he tn the old days! Who else
could have done It? M. J. SaVAOB.
Nkw York, December ft.
CHRISTMAS BLACKMAIL.
A Familiar Method of Extract Ins the
Jollity From the Festival.
To TTiB Editor or The Sun Sir: Some
time ago the writer was In conversation
with a friend about a custom which la gen
erally practised this time of year on those
employed In factories.
In the factory where my friend works
are a large number of little girls and boys
whose wages do not'exceed 13 or $4 a week.
Sub-foremen and women so employed, and
a type of person who Is commonly known
as "a sucker" because of subservient and
underhanded methods of gaining favor,
make it a practice to go among the poor
creatures of tho fat $.1 a week envelope
with a paper, asking for contributions to
buy the boss a present.
The victims are really threatened with
that paper, and have to put tip at least SO
cents for the boss. Then come the col
lectors, who arc generally favored persons.
Again the poor kids have to come across.
In this ractory are men with families making
as high as 13 or lin a week. They have to
ante up. Last year the wife of one boss went
to the factory and requested one of the
committee "to be sure not to buy any more
chairs for the boss, as they hud more than
they knew what to do with." I have for
gotten Just svhat was needed most nt that
time; probably a piano, When the poor
defenceless things, fearful of their Jobs, got
to their homes tho Saturday before Christ
mas Day they were broke and In tears.
How cruel this rotten system! How
beastly! An honest person could not ac
cept a present from such a source, and tho
owners, directors and officials of a concern
which permits such "Christmas gifts" can
not be decent.
The particular factory where all this hap
pened Is in New Haven, Conn., hut the cus
tom is rommon In many factories through
out the country.
Is this not a good time to get busy? It
seems to me that through the newsrjaners.
labor unions and clvlo societies this per
nicious custom could be stopped.
CHARLES P. DfNLaY.
New York, December 3
"The Sun" Medical Artlelei.
To the Editor or The Ron Sr: Per
mlt me to voice the sentlmenta of, I am
confident, many thousands of your readers
m complimenting your editorial writer on
medical and physiological subjects unon
the excellence of his articles In clarity of
diction and Instructlreness for both the
general and the professional reader. Heeer-
tainly possesses the rare gift of conveying
useful knowledge with the smallest possible
employment of technical terms, a gift many
professional writers would do well to try to
acnieve. Tj, 8.
New York. December J,
Jasttee Gaff's Nomination.
to the Editor or The sun str: Was Judge
uoa ever nommaiea oy Tammany nail for Jus
tice of the Supreme Court? Hexbt Nob.
New Yobe, December 8.
John W. Ooff, then Recorder, was nomi
nated by Tammany Hall for Justice nf th.
Supreme Court on October 10, 1908, and
ciei-iea in tne loiiowing November.
German Census.
A fiermjtn nnr li- Bn. ln,..,i. j ..... .
- - - . . -r - - ..,- I'.ii.iui.K ueuins
of the last census, taken on December l. 1910.
mere were oniy i. 39.873 foreigners In Germany
at this date and more lhan half of these were
ucrman speauing, ire census takes account
of religion, and In 1910 there were S9.99M2I Evan
gelicals, that Is to say Lutherans, and f3,Ml,433
Homan Catholics In Germany other Protestant
sects contributed about a quarter of a million
and tho Jews B15.CC1, while only J.m described
themselves as belonging to other non-Chrlstlan
sects. The number of married people shows an
Increase, and the number of bachelors and wld
owed persons a decrease. The percentage of
married persons In 1910 was M.M, as compared
with as.lA In 1901. The number of widows and
widowers declined from a.M to tot. since 1871
taking the whole population, the number of
marrlod persons bas Increased by 2 per cent.
Put the hlrth rste shnu a nmn..,!...,
The fact that people between 60 and 70 number
n.oo i.cr rem. oi me. population, while young
people under in number only n.is and those
between OT and SO 10.03, Is a clear evidence tbat
the birth rate shows the same tendency in tier
many as In France and Lngland.
Buckwheats and Salt Pork Stew.
To the Editor or Tnn srv vir. ,-
range county, where I hall from, there wam't
any brewer's yeast used In the buckwheats.
My maw Just started the thing off with turn
pike mule out of taters and unbolted corn
meal, and then after that the emptlns from one
day to another was enough for the rtstn.
While on the subject of "eats," did you ever
on a cold winter's civy taste salt pork stew with
plenty of passnlps In the same!
Mirani Ttjttle.
One Time of Johnsons, Orange county. N, y,
A Clothes Call.
I bought somo clothes, and truth to tell
It very soon occurred to mn
That suit was made, alas! to sell
ine test or gulllbllltyl
The trousers sadly want repairs,
They are not what they should havo been
My cry la now, "Tears, idle tears,
1 know exactly what thev meant"
Ho come, my spouse, with finger sheath,
Come, partner of my Joys and woes.
Come, armed like Curtiu to tho teeth,
Ana urn tne yuwnlns chasms close!
La Touciik Hancock.
FOR TARIFF REVISI
. ,
Assocfntion Hcprcscntinrj ijjq
lionrns of Trndc Sncesfs
Pcrninncnt Hody.
NECESSITY IMPERATIVE
Present System Fitted fn Tlirow I
jJiist in oters Eyes.
Says President.
fl.t Ant lfl nnn.nnrll,4M !n.lr -
...v.i ..w..-,.. ii hi revision
under the guidance of a permanent com
mission reaponsiblo both to Congens
and to tho President was demanded
yostorday hy the dlrcctoin of the v.. i
tlonalTnrirT Commission Association. Thsl
nssocintion roproaonta 180 boards nfl
imno in ion,y-iour oi.uoa. it was rorrned
throo years ngo and wns largely respon.
Bible for President Taft's appointment
of tho tariff board, now defunct b.
causa tho Domocratio House cut off lu I
appropriation, i
The sort of a tariff commission whlek
tho association has in mind is indicated!
in a resolution passou oy tne directors I
who met In tho rooms of tho Merchant
Association. Tho commission's duties
would l)e "to gather, tabulate, digest
and report technfcal and stntlsticsil facta
pertinent to tho tariff schedules for tha
continuing use of Congress in the fram
ing of tariff laws, and for the guldanoj
of the President In passing upon tariff
Dins ana in negotiating commercial I
treaties with othor nations I
"We urge," nays the resolution, "that I
legislation to this end should be enacted I
by uongress. 1 be necessity for such
a commission is Imperative, whether
or not tho taritT Is to be immediately '
revised upon information procurablt
by existing methods.
The m'embere of the association feel that
President Taft's tariff board deaerrei
praise, but was doomed to failure from
the start. Raid John Candler Cobb of
Boston, president of the association:
"Congress is the tariff making bodr I
and no commission or board can fulfil
its destiny until it is squarely and fully
accepted by Congress as a part of ita tariff
making machinery. Notwithstanding iti
anomalous position, the board during
ita short life produced reports on cer
tain schedules which, however thoy mT
bo criticised, are admittedly tho most I
comprehensive reports that have evetl
been made, and it is safe to say that the; I
win be studied ana considered in an; I
future revision." I
Mr. Cobb said the present tariff makint I
system Is absurd he was sure of that!
after long study. It is eminently fitted
to throw dust in the eyes of the votenl
and give thorn what they did not vote for, I
he said. He thought .Democrats and I
Republicans equally guilty the Wilson!
bill was as Iwd as the Dingloy bill, "and I
the present Democratic House, while I
railing at its Republican predecessor for
the Payne-Aldrich trade, proceeded to I
trade its tariff bills through the Senate I
Ik . 1 ,.1.1 - II
in nit- rvimu uiii vtuy. i
"Congress," Mr. Cobb said, "Is not
likely to chango the system except
through tho force of a publio opinion
general and so unequivocal as to bo ir
resistible. -iiign protection" ne aaden, -is a
tremendous stimulus toindust rial develop
ment, and tho loworing of duties tends to
industrial contraction. That many reduo.
t ions can be made t o t he distinct advantage
of the country without serious injury tothe
business of tho country is tho very gen
eral lielief, in which I concur. But as in
war an orderly retreat is the most dif
ficult manoeuvre, so the Democratic!
party is faced with the most difficult and I
complex tariff problem that has been!
presented in our generation.
"We are faced with conditions which .
may well be viewed with alarm. The I
widespread reeling that our present
tariff has many features which are unjust
and burdensome naturally results In a
demand from the unthinking and emo
tional for a radical, drastic and even re
taliatory revision of the tariff, which
could only result in far reaching business
disorganiztjoti and calamity. But there
seems to be good basis for the belief tail
our newly elected President and the
strongest leaders of the Democratic part;
fully appreciate the conditions and stand
for an ordorly and careful revision,
"To hew to the line and give such proper
reductions as are demanded bv the coun
try without overstepping it and cau
ing Duemess unrest ana calamity ts a
difficult but not impossible task. To
bring this about is the desire of ever;
thinking man in the country. It can
never be brought about by personel
appeals for protection by interested
individuals to Congressmen, who properl;
distrust them, and can only be accera
plished by a general public discussion
and analysis of proposed legislation
and the methods of Congress, in wmcn I
our association is peculiarly poeitoned I
to ieau.
Mr. Cobb's views were formally in
dorsed by the other directors. In order I
to impress them upon the new Congren I
the national tariff commission will hoHl
us annual convention in Washing
ton soon after 'the oriental? of tho extra I
session, to be called by President Wilson. I
in naaitlon to air. Cobb the directors i
wno attended yesterday's meeting were:
i. o. uuioerson or lexae, unaries ji.
Jarvis, president of the Americun Hard
ware Corporation, New Britain, Conn,
Alba B. Johnson, president of the Bald
win Locomotive Works, Philadelphia;
John Kirby, Jr., president of the Na
tional Manufacturers AsAnrintlon. 11. V.
Miles of the Racine Sett ley Company,
Itacino, Wis.; D. M. Parry of the Parry ;
Automobilo Company, Indianapolis; ur. I
K. V. Robinson of the University of Min
nesota. Francis T. Simmons nf Francis I
T. Simmons A Co., Chicago, and Henry I
K. iowne, president or the aiercnanw
,.oDui,iaiiuii ui ,,uw sum.
SAY WYOMIXa tS ALL IIIOIIT.
Officer Deny lleport That Mk War
ahlp'a riatra Are Defective.
Reports that tho armor nlate-s of the
new superdrcadnoufirht Wyomin?, vvhicn
U In dry dock nt tho Brooklyn navy
yard, were of such poor quality as 1()
be called "rotten' were denied
day by officers of tho yard. It h:id been
said that many of tho larger psatM
must bo removed and thut it would ne
cessitate her remaining at the yard for
a month.
nuvni conmrucior in cnarst oi i," j
repairs said that ono plate In tl" '
barbette was found about a month agJ f
In hrt itnfrt.-tll'n nnrt iv.ia til none re- u
moved. Tho company which furnished
the armor wns notified and n new plate
was forwarded to tako Its place,
As to why tho Wyom nr Is still In dr;
dock, it wan said that when Mic I'f
the Cramp yards in Philadelphia, where
sho wns built, she was not nulte H.T
Ished, but the Navy Department wanted
her to take part In tho review here a"
it was agreed that she should have th I
reat of the work, done In the HrooK.)
nrd. It U expected that nhe will W
ready to go to sea In a few wcela.
v
