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VOT 2OLy. 
No. 10 
March 10, 1916. 
A Practice WuHicn Mapge New York State politics 
infamous and has now and then crept into the politics of 
the Bay State is that of making charges of “graft” against 
brother legislators. It is easy to blacken the’ reputation 
of a public man by unfounded charges, for even if the 
victim is cleared there always remains that Scotch verdict, 
“not proven.” Massachusetts witnessed the spectacle last 
week of brother legislators. from Gloucester in the posi- 
tons of accuser and defendant of “graft” charges. ~A 
legislator who honestly believes that the:acts of his fellow 
lawmaker are illegal should carefully investigate before 
making a public accusation. Once he has done so, how- 
ever, he should, in the interests ‘of. justice, go through 
with the matter to the finish and lay every bit of informa- 
tion in his possession before the proper tribunal. Failure 
to do this leads to the belief that he himself is guilty, wil- 
fully blackening the reputation of his opponent for politi- 
cal ends. Less of this irresponsible personal warfare and 
more attention to the interests of the public are demanded 
of state officials by an awakening public. 
OnE oF Two Conciustons can be drawn from the 
statement of the police investigators of the “mysterious” 
fire and explosion in the office of the Providence Journal 
last Thursday night. Either, the truth of the repeated 
charges of that newspaper against the alleged German 
propagandists is established if the explosion was the act 
of a German; or, a poorly executed “fake” has been per- 
petrated by the newspaper in justification of: its state- 
ments. he police say the fire was not an.accident. Then 
certainly it was set, and the question is as to the incen- 
diary. Would a German spy, knowing the building was 
unoccupied, blow it up when it is so easy to renew the 
equipment in a few hours? Would the newspaper take a 
chance of destroying its prestige established by its alleged 
exposés of the work of the propagandists, merely to weak- 
ly substantiate its charges? Either question is difficult to 
answer in the affirmative, yet a positive answer would 
solve the alleged “mystery,” counting out the ever-present 
possibility of a crank being responsible. 
It-1s Sari Tuar Prrces in England and the other 
countries at wat have increased to such an extent that 
they rank above our prices. As these prices will not drop 
immediately after the war is there not a little of the 
“bugaboo” in this talk of: the “dumping” of European 
goods upon our markets at the close of: the war. Unless 
their prices are under ours there is little to fear from the 
dumping process. . This may in a meastire afford us pro- 
tection until more suitable measures are passed by Con- 
gress in defense of American industries and labor. 
JENKINS Lioyp Jongs says that the Ford trip was a 
success and that the newspaper men spoiled it all.. What 
does he mean? 
_ worthy being asked him bluntly what it meant. 
March 10, 1916. ; 
HeNRy JAMES, a great master of literature, has pass-_ 
ed on. Born an American, he died an Englishman, hav- 
ing but recently renounced his American citizenship as a 
protest to America’s moral culpability in not making a 
protest when Germany made her plunge into Belgium, 
violating international law and the fundamental principles: 
of humanity. Henry, James has never been popular ; 
that 1s a testimony to his greatness. His style was never 
flippant, always exact, but sometimes unclear. Barrett 
Wendell, in an appreciation of him, writes, “There is a 
story of him years ago which goes to the core. He had 
begun already to stray from the comparative simplicity of 
his early style, and had produced something which per- 
plexed a man who read it. Happening to meet James this 
With 
taat fluttering hesitancy of utterance which all who knew 
him remember, he is said to have replied: ‘Why, it means, 
ii I may express myself so brutally—it means in short as 
nearly as I can tell you at this moment—it means—itself.’ 
Accurate or not this anecdote, somewhat resentfully re- 
e1bered by the precise reader in question, implies the 
whole story of his life. It happened that the matters in 
which, as a writer, he was mostly concerned, were, really 
or in imagination, things of this material world.. He 
wrote novels, and memoirs, and books of travel and of 
criticism. At the bottom of all was something tangible, 
certain. His problem was to see this fact, whatever its 
complexity, in the full radiance of truth, to 
Write his vision deep, 
In those infinities of quivering light 
That swim before the purposes of God. 
What he told us was what he thus perceived. ~ Having 
to'd, he was humbly content.” His life work is finished. 
He lived long enough to realize that his -work was ap- 
preciated by a constantly increasing company of careful 
and critical readers. They may lay his frame in West- 
inster Abbey, but his spirit will live in the work of his 
pen. 
Ir 1s FREQUENTLY Sarp that America forgets its 
debts to its heroes of the past. While in many historic 
instances this is correct. A striking instance of the op- 
posite case care up this week. - More than a half century 
ago the historic battle between the Monitor and the Mer- 
rimac was waged during the Civil war. After the engage- 
ent President Lincoln personally promised the survivors 
that if ever any of them wanted a favor it need only be 
asked to be granted. John Driscoll of Hampton, Va., 
the oldest living survivor of the engagement never had 
occasion until recently to ask the fulfillment of the prom- 
ise. The boon he asked was that he be allowed to sail _ 
through the Panama canal on a battleship before he died. © 
I! was a slight request, but it required a lot of red tape to 
have it granted. Official machinery was set in operation 
and just now arrangements are completed for the aged 
veteran to go aboard the next battleship which goes through 
the canal. Thus the promise of Lincoln made over a half 
century ago is made good by a grateful nation. 
Turis Has Been Basy Weex and newspapers, de- 
partyent stores, church federations, children societies and 
hospitals have vied with one another in the good work of 
spreading the gospel of care for young children. The 
organized efforts have been successful and while the re- 
sults cannot be apparent at once the good work will show 
in the lives of the little ones whose parents have been 
taught the lessons of baby hygiene. 
An Errort 1s Now Brinc Maps to standardize the 
automobile laws of the States. 
