Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 12, 1899 Page: 7 of 16
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January 12, 1899.
SOUTHERN MERCURY.
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The Czar of Russia asked the other
nations to disarm. The other nations
say they won't do it; and the Czar pro-
ceeds to borrow $150,000 to make them
do it and to show his great contempt
for them. Mr. Romanoff is all right.
ft ft
The Atlanta Constitution makes the
mistake of saying that Pennsylvania
is the only state where political cor-
ruption Ifl rewarded with renewed hon-
ors. The Constitution seems to be
unaware that there is such a state as
Texas on the map of the United
States.
ft *
The San Antonio Express says: "In
the not very remote future some sea-
coast city on the Texas coast is going
-to be to the United States what Liv-
erpool is to England and the location
of that seaport may be about midway
between Galveston and Brownsville."
Is this an invitation extended by the
Express to the Bayou City Post to call
it "another."
ft ft
Bryan has pronounced against ex-
pansion. Carlisle has pronounced a-
gainst expansion. Ex-Attorney Gener-
al Harmon has pronounced against ex-
pansion, and many other lesser lights
in the democratic national household,
including the Hon. Joseph W. Bailey.
In view of this fact, Col. Hogg and the
party in Texas, which he caries around
in his vest pocket must feel exceeding-
ly lonesome indeed.
ft ft
The man was in trouble indeed who
said:
r "I've licked a dozen stamps to-day
for telegrams I sent. I licked and
stuck one on a bill which I paid for
my rent. I licked a stamp to paste
on a note which I had renewed, and
then I licked another to make a mort-
gage good. I've licked these stamps
to show that I respect my country's
will, and now 1 would like to lick tne
man that introduced that bill."
But if the truth were told, it is ten
to one that he voted to be "licked that
way.
ft *
Says the Valley Democrat: "Con-
gressman Lewis of Washington thinks
the proper thing to do with the $20,-
000,000 indemnity that our complais-
ant peace commission agreed to pay to
Spain, is to garnishee it ayd apply it
on a claim for the destruction of the
Maine. Mr. Lewis has unharnessed a
brilliant idea, and we hope it will find
its way into the thinking apparatus of
our Senator^ when the treaty comes
up for ratification. Something ought
to be done to relieve future historians
cf the distressing perplexity as to
whether we whipped Spain or Spain
licked us.
ft ft
Just how much the prospective
piece of silver and the boom that It Is
believed that expansion would give the
whitr metal, hap to to with Sen tot-
Teller's advocacy of territory inflation,
will never be known until the gentle-
man. as a sliver mine operator, vouch-
safes the Information. If Senator Tel-
ler, through the means of expansion,
nan make the gold bugs servo silver,
it Is all right with us. But if the dem-
ocratic party, under th^ leadership of
wants to further depress the
of silver by opposing expansion
or tie hudred mil-
lion Asiatics from using our silver on
our own terms, it is still all right with
us.
Even coined as subsidiary money at
the present ratio and fineness for use
among these 400,000,000 or 500,000,000
people would give silver an impetus
that would soon send its price upward
to where it could very safely be coin-
ed at 16 to 1 with gold—or even at a
less ratio. This is merely sent out as
a pointer to the siver bugs, and not be-
cause, as the San Antonio Express
seems to think, the Mercury favors
expansion.
ft *
The cry that a man to be successful
in public affairs must be successful in
his own affairs would be true were the
facts not against the assumption. His-
tory records but few instances where
the real patriot and statesman retired
from public office wealthy; while the
instances can be multiplied ten thous-
and fold where they have .retired from
public service broken in health and
beggared financially. "But," you say,
"there was Grover Cleveland. He ac-
cumulated millions while in office."
Oh yes! But who would ever think of
accusing Grover Cleveland of being a
statesman and a patriot?
« ft
And now comes the news that a
muchly honored and "leading member
of the democratic party,V in answer to
the plaint of the people of Texas for
a lower freight rate, wants the state to
buy the Houston .& Texas Central and
the Texas and Pacific railroads and to
force the other lines of railway into
bankruptcy. It will cost about $100,-
hOO to do this, and since the Houston
Post has knocked the bottom out of
the school fund and spilled its contents
into thin air, the people would like to
know where the said muchly honored
and leading member of the democratic
party is going to get "the mon" with
which to buy these roads and engage
in the bankruptcy business. As ans-
wer to the query is very much In order.
The bigger the coon the more fur.
• *
Speaking of constitutional conven-
tions there is plenty of room for im-
provement of the laws governing loans.
As the laws now stand, that great
hardships are worked on the borrower
may be seen by the following Illus-
tration:
A borrows from B $1000 on a piece
of property that is worth $2500, at 10
per cent interest for five years. He
fails to pay the interest and the inter-
est accumulates thereon until there is
50 per cent of the interest due, or $500
more. Then there will be an accumu-
lated indebtedness against the prop-
erty of $1500. The loan company then
forecloses the mortgage and sells the
property under an execution, and, as
is frequently the case, perhaps the
whole piece of property will sell und-
er the hammer for $500 The result is
that the owner of the property has lost
his property, and the lender of the
money still holds a judgment over him
equal to the original amount of money
borrowed. The lender of the money
has gotten the property and also a
Judgment against the borrower for the
original amount; and the transfer of
the title of the property has not oper-
ated towards the liquidation of the ln-
debtednee at all.
This It not in answer to Ctor. Hogg's
SBBB
charge that the laws of Texas are per-
fect The Mercury can afford to treat
that charge with the contempt that it
deserves, for the facts are all against
Col. Hogg.
If the borrower is forced to lose his
property he certainly should be pro-
tected to the extent of being discharg-
ed from obligation to the lender by tne
loss of his property. In addition to
this, a redemption law should be pas-
sed enabling the owner of the proper-
ty to redeem the same within a given
length of time, say twelve months or
two years. £s the law now exists, it
is all in favor of the man who loans
the money as against the man who,
at the particular moment that his pa-
per becomes due, is unable to procuve
the necesary funds to pay his obli-
gations. The question has come up
periodically every two years for the
past ten years for adjustment, but It
i& still here with us for adjustment."
ft ft
Bishop Thomas Nulty of Meatli, Ire-
land died on the 24th at the age of 82.
He was widely known as a personal
frined of Henry George and an earnest
supporter of George's doctrine of'"the
land for the people." Like Dr. Mc
Glynn, Dr. Nulty was also called to
Rome at the instigation of rich English
Catholics, to answer for his radical
reform views; and, like Dr. McGlynn,
he triumphed over his enemies, who
sought the suspension of the doctor
from his priestly functions and tne
suppression of his views.
The report of the railroad commis-
sion of North Carolina for the year,
gives the following:
The commission has increased the
tax value of telegraph and telephone
property $4,462,768.95. Free passes have
been discontinued.Railroads have been
required to refund overcharges within
thirty days notice. Freight rates on
fertilizer have been reduced 20 per
cent, and on corn 10 per cent. Mileage
books have been made good for pur-
chaser's family. Passenger rates were
reduced on the Atlantic Coast line
from 3% cents to 2,/£ cents a mfle.
This matter is now pending in the Fed-
eral courts. There are 477,99 miles of
railways, valued at $32,099,931.90. The
railroads employ 9,166 men In the
state. During the past year there were
780 persons injured on the railroads in
the state and 90 killed; only 2 were
passengers. What has the Texas rail-
road commission to report? General
failure airalong the line of its labors.
ft ft
The sudden Illness and death of Col.
W. H. Mabry, of the First Texas regi-
ment, in Havana, will carry keen re-
gret all over Texas. Col. Mabry was a
genial, whole-souled, curtly gentleman.
He was of a bright, sunny disposition
and made friends everywhere. Ho
served his state excellently at* adju-
tant general,and that he has served his
nation admirably as colonel in the vol-
unteer army is attested by the fact that
General Led had recommended him for
transfer to the regular army. He was
stricken a day before he was to have
marched through Havana at the head
of his regiment on the occasion of
Spain's relinquishing control of the
City and all the rest of Cuba. His un-
timely demise was a great loss to the
gallant First Texas and will
carry sorrow and r$pet to every home
in Texas, where h ewas known sntt ad-
mired. To his stricken wife, the sym-
pathy of a great people goes forth in
tenderest commiseration.
ft ft
A daughter of Gen. Garcia, the dead
Cuban patriot, died last week. She
was never told of her father's death,
ft ft
Lorenzo Snow .president of the Mor-
mon church, in Utah, declares most
solemnly that there have been no
plural marriages since 1890.
ft ft ■
The House has passed the Philadel-
phia exposition bill. It provides for an
exhibition of American products and
manufactures in Philadelphia in 1899,
and carries an appropriation of $350,-
000.
The conference based upon the dis-
armament proposals of Emperor Ni-
cholas, has been fixed for St. Peters-
burg about the beginnning of May
next, prior to which the Russian Gov-
ernment will submit officially to the
powers a definite plan of disarmament
in order to enable them to formulate
modifications or counter suggestions,
ft ft
Both houses of the Alabama Legis-
lature have passed a bill providing for
an election in July to select delegates
to a state constitutional convention to
be held next August, and the bill now
awaits the signature of Governor
Johnston. It is known that he will
sign it. The convention is to deal with
the question of suffrage.
ft ft
Quite a howl was raised by the "half
baked" populists and "free silver dem-
ocrats," throughout the country, be-
cause the straight populists dared meet
in National Convention at Cincinnati,
last September, and express their
views on the political situation and
suggest a plan of action for the future.
The opposition press maliciously cir-
culated the report that the meeting had
been countermanded—hoping thereby
to throttle in its inciplenny any fur-
ther effort of the people to free them-
selves from the rule of the bosses in
both of the old parties, as well as the
traitors in the Populist party. The
plan did not work. The convention
was held and steps taken which, if car-
ried out, will place the populists
throughout the nation in a stronger
position than ever before.. The con-
fusion and distraction resulting from
the late war .together with the State
elections last fall, had much influence
in diverting the people from the worn:
mapped out by the straight populists
at Cincinnati. Now, that these are all
in the past, with the opening of the
new year, every populist in the nation,
who knows what the fight is about,
should bestir himself at once and get
to work organizing, educating and
pushing forward the work of reform.
The plan of organization suggested by
the Cincinnati Convention, which we
published in the Mercury last month,
will do the work If the "boys in the
trenches will only put it into opera-
tion.
At an early day the Chairman of tne
National Organization committee will
issue a call to action to the populist '
forces everywhere, and then the worn
should begin.
•m
Or. Bull's Cough Syrup oannpt
ezQodod la eqflaf odd sad eongh. Sola.
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Park, Milton. Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 12, 1899, newspaper, January 12, 1899; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth185785/m1/7/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .