The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, August 16, 1901, Page 2, Image 2

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express his sympathy with the Republic's
President on the ground that it might bo con
strued as an. expression, of preferene be
tween two friendly" powers tftafc ar now at
war. It happened that the Quecni of England
died while this war was- in 'prtigress and ho
words of eulogy were too strong for our Presi-
dent to convoy across the water by way of
assuring the English people that wo sym
pathized with them in their great loss.
How then does it happen that although the
President of a small republic is staggering un
der the greatest load that can fall upon a man
no word of sympathy has reached him from
the President, of the greatest republic, on earth.
How does it happen that although the Pres
ident of this great republican government loses
no timevm expressing sympathy with tings and
emperors, that he utterly ignores the opportun
ity to express sympathy with the president of
a republic?
It iff true that the mother of the German
Emperor possessed "noble qualities." These
did "endear her memory to the American peo
ple exactly as the memory of any good woman
is endeared to any good people. .But the wife
of Paul. Kruger possessed "noble qualities."
She made sacrifices which 'the good mother of
the German Emperor was never called upon to
make. She showed heroic devotion to her. hus.
band and to her country which the good -mother:
of the German Emperor never had an oppor-i
tunity to display. She died a prisoner of War;
tfcl6? prisoner of wai'liy the representatives of
an empire and her life was sacrificed because
of her devotion .to the principles which in the
past we have been fond. ,of- calling "American
principles."
And yet the President of this republic has
no v7ord of comfort to give to the Presi
dent of the South. African republic; he has no
word of consolation to offer to. the stricken
people of rthe South African republic; he has
no tribute to pay to the "noble qualities" of one
of .the jriosfe heroic figures in the history of the
world f or the wife of Paul Kruger was an
heroic figure.
But it cannot be doubted that the American
people, regardless of political prejudice, do en
tertain for President Kruger the most sincere
sympathy in the hour of his bcreavementj and
hey do entertain fdr the memory of his beloved
wife that high and endearing respect which is
due from a people who have lived and profited'
by a great principle to any man or woman who
has suffered and died because of devotion to
that same principle.
My. McKJnley missed an opportunity when
lie permitted the time to pass away withSut
. giving expression to American sympathy for
the bereaved President of the -South African
Republic.
It is entirely proper that we should have
tears: and love for the stricken people of a
monarchy; but should we not also naye love
and tears for the stricken people of a repub
lic? Why Ostracise the Best?
The loyal democrats who have borne the
burden of recent campaigns and who have
lade pecuniary sacrifice to support demo
cratic principles ought to learn something of
the meaning of reorganization by running over
the list of, suggested presidential candidates;
Among the men who supported the democratic
ticket im 1806 and in 19O0'(not because of party
regularity but because of conviction) were
some of the best,, bravest and truest democrats
ever known and yet none of them are men
tioned in connection with the presidency. The
reorganizes want "harmony" and their method
of securing it is to place under the ban all who
believe in the creed of the party as promul
gated by recent national Conventions. The. re
organizers consider three things essential to
"success," viz., first, the aband'onment of the
Kansas City platform;" second, the nomination
of candidates who do not believe in that plat
form and, third, the selection of a national
committee composed of men Who either op
posed the ticket in 1896 or gave it passive sup
port. Why ostracise the best men in the party?
Why place a-premium on disloyalty?
W
Hearing from the Voters.
At the Democratic- convention recently
hel&in the '83d Ohio Senatorial 'District the
following resolutions were adopted:
' &esatvcuV That the democracy off 'the Thlrty
thjrd Ohio, senatorial district Jin convention as-,
scmbl'edlo most jemphatfcafljr indorse, the, national'
platform adopted' at Kansas. .Gttyfii 19.0.0. and the
state plai'form adopted 'at 'Columbus in'i.iwi; and
be it further :
Resolved, That the nominee of this cOnven--tion
he. and he is hereby instructed Jand; pledged-to-support
no man for United States senator w,ho is
not and who has not been a faithful and consis
tent exponent of each and every declaration of
democratic faith enunciated, by said platforms and'
who will not pledge- himself unequivocally to use
every honorable means to secure the enactment
of said declarations into law.
Let the good work go on. The voters are
being heard from and their voice is for demo
cratic principles, pure and undefiled.
United States. senators ought to. be elected
by a direct vote of the people but until that re
form is accomplished members of the state leg
islature should be chosen with a view to their
vote in the senatorial contest, and instructions
are always proper. It is to be hoped that,
other districts will f oltow the example set by
the Democrats of tle 83d. . '.'...'
W
Inexcusable Misrepresentation."
. The New York World seems to love dark-,
ncss rather than light. The following para-,
graph states what the World has ample reason,
to know is a misrepresentation, It says:
"It is rather a, pity that Mr. Bryan has discour
aged the threatened bolt of the 16 to 1 lunatics in
Ohio. It would have been interesting, to see the
simon-pure Chicago and Kansas City platform
democrats of that state stand up to be counted
this year on a bolt, with the full approval of their
'matchless leader.' But Mr. Bryan is too shrewd
a politician to give the sanction of his name to
such a test. He is now a great stickler for reg
ularity, though he supported the Weaver electoral
ticket in 1892, and in the elections of the three
following years, including the important congres
sional election of 1894, he repudiated the sound
' money plank of the national democratic platform
of 1892."
It is a well known fact that the Democratic
National Committee, acting, in the .interests of
Mr. Cleveland, advised the Democrats of sev
eral western states to vote for the populist elec
tors in order to take the state out of the re
publican column, it being impossible to olect
the Democratic ticket. In this ' way Kansas,
Colorado, Nevada; and Idaho were taken from
the Republicans and the Republican majority
in Nebraska reduced to about four thousand
(it gave a republican majority of nearly thirty
thousand in- 1888.) A man ought not to be
called irregular when he follows the instruction
of the national committee. It might be added
that although Mr. Bryan tried to help Mr.
Cleveland in 1892r Mr. Cleveland helped the
Republican party in 18 96 while Mr. Weaver
supported Mr. Bryan.
The World is also in error as to the plat
form of 1892. It contained the following plank:
"We hold to the use of both gold and silver as
the standard money of the country and to the
coinage of both gold and silver without dis
crimination against either metal or charge for
mintage." Some qualifying words were added
for use in the eastern states but. the above dec
laration in favor of the double standard was
used to hold the democrats- of the South and
West- in . line. The principle of . bimetallism
was repudiated by Mr, Cleveland and his cabi
net waa made up of gold standard advocates.
When it . became evident that the party had
been betrayed by its leaders, an organization
was formed within, the party not .-to repudiate
the? platform? of 1-892, but to give to it an hoii
est-interpretation. The platform of 189& (tb
silver jjlank) was not different in principle
from the platform of 1892, but was free from
ambiguity. It was in harmony with the party's
record in congress: until Mr. Cleveland used
the patronage of his high office to force through
a Republican measure the unconditional' re
peal billr and even then he could not secure a
majority of his party to approve of hjs veto! of
the Seigniorage bill.
The financiers wrote the platform of 1892
to deceive the people and trusted Mr. Cleve
land to betray his constituents. In 1896 the
party clung to democratic principles and' re
pudiated the construction which Mr. Cleveland
had placed on the preceding platform. rihese
facts are known to the readers of the World
and ought to be to the editor.
Practical Respect For Ancestors.
On December 22, 1820, at Plymouth, Dan
iel Webster delivered an address.. One year
la$er John Adais, referring, to this address,
said: "This oration will be read 500 years hence,
withas much rapture as it was heard. It
oiigh't to be read at the end of every century,
ana indeed at the end of every year forever
and foreyer."
Five hundred years, have not yet rolled
away since Webster delivered this oration. In
deed not 100 years have passed by, and yet
even at this time it is doubtful if this address
would be listened to with "as much rapture as
it was heard."
John Adams spoke well when he said that
this address should bo read at the end of every