rynr".f
The Commoner,
Forum of the Weekly Press.
Rathdrum (Id.) Silver Blade: Confidence has
been restored all right enough, but we notice that
every time Secretary Gage gets a surplus dollar in
the treasury he has to turn it over to the bankers
to keep it restored.
Greenup (Ky.) Democrat: Freedom o speech
Is too dear a possession to be given up. It is the
bulwark of our liberties, the safeguard of our in
stitutions. Anarchy must and will be suppressed,
but it will not be done by destroying one jot or one
tittle of our liberties as fearless American citizens.
Rochester (Ind.) Herald: During the cam
paign last year the republicans attributed every
Filipino uprising to Bryan speeches. One of tho
very worst slaughters of tho war has just oc
curred and. will the republicans now lay the blame
to Roosevelt who has just become president?
Elma (la.) Democrat: Grover Cleveland has
written a book on "The Plight of the Democracy."
The worst plight of the democracy is that such
men as Grover Cleveland persist in calling them
selves democrats. Some one should write a book
on The Plight of Grover Cleveland the man with
out a party.
Mexico (Mo.) Ledger: Democrats, who stand
on the Kansas City platform, the last utterance of
the democratic party, are necessarily for the free
and unlimited coinage of silver at a ration of 16
to L No man can repudiate the last national
platform. Every loyal democrat will abide by
that platform until a new one is made.
Ramsey (111.) News-Journal: Anarchism is
the illegitimate offspring of Europe, and in Europe
there is less freedom of press and speech than in
any other country on the face of the globe. Abridg
ing American liberties can only proye fatal to
American institutions and will in no degree, abate
the red hand of anarchy.
Jackson (Mo.) Cash Book: The republican
leaders and their allies, the bolting goldbug demo
crats, by trying to force the tariff to the front
again, are endeavoring to divert the minds of the
people from the questions in politics that are really
the issues before the country now, namely, im
perialism and the domination df the government by
the national banks and money kings generally.
St. Marys (W. Va.) Oracle: Governor Stone of
Pennsylvania has made the declaration that "there
ia no difference between the teachings of Emma
Goldman and the democratic platform." This is an
important discovery, but coming from such a
source has the old familiar ring of "stop thief" to
cover up the disgraceful and unlawful proceedings
of the legislature of the past year in that respect
able commonwealth.
Beardstown (111.) Enterprise: It is fortunate
for the .republicans that they can raise the mad
dog cry against socialists. They need to divert
public attention from the rapacities of the trusts
and from the grabs of greedy syndicates. They
need to distract notice from legislative debauchery
and judicial usurpation. They need to draw tho
minds of the people away from the anarchy of
lawless monopoly and grasping privilege.
New Lexington (0.) Herald: In 1894, a re
publican farmer of Perry, county brought his wool
into New LexiMJpS and as he passed through the
street he yelleT"Here is your 22-cent democrat
wool." A few weeks ago the same farmer brought
his wool into town and sold it for 20 cents. But
not a sound emanated from the wagon. It was too
much like a funeral procession. Take your medi
. cine!
Norton (Kas.) Liberator: Just now every
body, trusts and all, want to get rid of the anarch
ist. How will it be about the time tho labor-organizations
begin to demand recognition in such
force that thero are chances for their success? Wo
make a guess that those syndicate-trust stock own
ers who are now making the air blue will dispose
of American labor to make room for cheap labor
from abroad. Then tho anarchists will gain a new
foothold.
Boston (Mass.) Republic: The democratic
party has ever been the party of the wholo people.
It has been, and is now the foo of class privilego
and class legislation. It has vigorously opposed
every scheme designed to curtail the liberty and tho
rights of the citizen, to exclude from citizenship
by sumptuary legislation the deserving immi
grants who flee from oppression abroad and who
seek a home and fresh opportunities in this freo
land. It is only when the democracy is strong and
resolute and united that such assaults upon our
scheme of government are prevented.
Millheim (Pa.) Journal: The democratic party
is the progressive party, which voices the people's
needs as soon as they are expressed. It is tho
party of the plain people. Even in defeat it is
their buckler and shield. Standing as a conserva
tive delineator of popular rights and common lib
erty, pointing unto the declaration of independence
not as a fresh declaration of independence from
Great Britain, but an ever living declaration of in
dependence from all forms of tyranny and oppres
sion. Denver Democratr The so-called rcorganizers
of the national democracy are in deep water. Tho
waves of enthusiasm they expected to sweep over
tho country have turned out to be mere drops, not
enough to make a ripple in tho sea of honest dem
ocracy. These "rcorganizers" are peculiar folic.
Wholly peculiar are they in that they did not sup
port the national democratic ticket in 1896, nor
again in 1900. What claim they have to the title
of democrat is known mainly to themselves. As
for tlie democratic masses they distrust them to
the last notch.
Tampa (Fla.) Herald: It has been two or
three weeks since the plutocratic papers havo re
buried Mr. Bryan. This is a flagrant neglect of
duty which ought to be explained. Mr. Bryan is
still having a very lively being, and he should bo
sepulchered with more regularity and efficiency.
Farmington (Mo.) Times: At their state con
vention the democrats of Nebraska in a strong
platform indorsed the principles of tho Kansas
City platform. All good and true de'mocrats stand
on that platform. There Is nothing in' it that a
democrat can reject with good reason.
Rawlins (Wyo.) Journal: It begins to look
very much as if the republican party intends to
flop clear over on tho tariff question before' the
nex: campaign, just as we predicted some weeks
ago. Taking President McKinley's last speech for
a keynote republican papers and speakers all over
the land are beginning to argue in favor of tariff
revision and the placing of various articles on
the free list Are our republican friends prepared
ic ,admit that they have all along been on tho
wrong side of the tariff question, while the demo
crats have been right, or will they just flop with
out trying to explain.
. Price (Utah) Advocate: Free coinage is a liv
ing principle... It has been pushed somewhat from
tho front by the discovery of new gold fields, but
the gold supply large as it has been in the past
several years is not sufficient to enable this coun
try to do away with silver "as money. Western
democrats can gain nothing by courting the sup
port of the east. To get the support of that coun
try we must abandon sound principle, and adopt
practically the republican platform. Western
democrats are not ready for this and they will
never adopt such a course. In fact, they are firmly
convinced today of the righteousness of free coin
ago as they were in 1896.'
San Francisco Equity': The events, of the past
month have so shocked the world that discussiop
of them has takon precedence of aught else. In
this discussion a vital error has taken possession
of tho minds qf many; tho error that In repression
alone, Is tho remedy for anarchy. Wo give pre
cedence to none In our respect for law and ordor,
and our abhorenco of violence, but he who takes
up tho dagger and pistol cannot be repressed by
tho sword and rifle. Emerson said, "tho older,
raoro cautious among ourselves are learning from
Europeans to look with somo terror at our turbu
lent freedom. . . . Our property is timid, our.
laws are timid, our cultivated classes, are timid."
In this lies a great danger. Tho danger that wo
will allow our fears to lead us into the paths which
aro followed over tho ocean. We shall not gain
security for our officials by it; czar, king and cm
poror do not. Wo shall sacriflco much that is es
sential to our democracy. Real security lies Jin
making the laws moro nearly tho wish of tho
people; in enforcing the Idea that the executives
we elect are not rulers, but public servants; in se
curing absolute justice to all oven tho weakest
and most despised.
Lowiston (111.) News: If our government falls
it will bo because tho people themselves decay and
rot. So long as that virtue which was in our
fathers tho founders of tho republic remains la
their descendants we have nothing to fear. So long
. as wo faithfully guard our free institutions and
keep bright tho altar flres of li
not fail and this nation will not perish from tho
earth. Very foolishly, it appears, do tho press
and orator's magnify tho dangers of anarchy. In
so doing wo are apt to lose, sight of. the truth that
tho real danger to our. cherished republic is that
wc ourselves become tainted with the lust of avar
ice and conquest and fall into the ways of na
tions that have gone Into destruction. Let us be
ware of colonialism and militarism whose- certain,
fruit is despotism. Let us renew our faith in tho
doctrines of our fathers. '
. Athens. (0.) JBannor: United States' Senator
Bacon 1n un address delivered in Manila a few
d:;ys sli'cc told the Filipinos that when the war id
over tho United States would grant them fre2io.11
as is enjoyed in this country.' Senator B'acoo may
bo a good prophet, but there will have to be con
siderable change In tins country before his words
will be fulfilled. The republican party never in
tends to grant the Filipinos independence and
never to accord to them tho full rights ol citizen
ship as erjoyed In this country. The democratic
party is the only party that adherer to tto dte
trine tLal "all governments derive their ju.t pow
ers from the consent of the governed," and even
in the democratic party are many who proclaim
themselves as commercial democrats, ready to dis
regard the constitution and the rights of the Fili
pinos In order to reap the benefits of trade. Sena
tor Bacon's words were nice words for the occa
sion, but they will hardly prove prophetic at
least in the near future.
Hot Springs (S. D.) Times-Herald: We favor
an income tax that the rich may bear their share
of the expense of government. We aro opposed to
trusts to the end that' all men may stand upon an
equal footing and the dealer or manufacturer with
limited capital may carry on his business" with no
fear of being crushed by unlawful competition.
We favor the government or municipal ownership
of all natural monopolies to tho end that consum
ers and patrons may be enabled to enjoy the ben
efits purchased by price far removed from extor
tion. Wo are opposed to government by injunc
tion, that the rights of all men may be recog
nized in courts of justice, not injustice. Wo ar
opposed to any form of imperialism or cxpanslqn
except that of acquiring In a peaceable manner by
colonization or purchase of contiguous territory.
We favor the strict adherence to the Monroe Doc
trine which should mean that as we do not intend
that foreign powers shall acquire territory on this
side of the ocean, neither should we "grab" terri
tory .on the other side of the water. We are un
compromisingly in favor of the restoration of sil
ver to Its constitutional place in our monetary sys
- tem.
