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Commoner
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glon of important questions to a popular vote.
For instance, a constitution Is considered a much
more important matter than a single statute. The
statuto is adopted by a legislative body; the con
stitution is usually adopted by the people them
selves. City charters usually provide that tho
council can decide minor matters, but that it must
submit important propositions, like the voting of
bGnds, to the people at a general or cpecial election.
Some advocates of the initiative and referen
dum go to the extreme of declaring representative
government a failure. This is an unfair statement
of the proposition. Representative government is
not a failure, but it has not given Us a perfection.
Improvement is always possible, and we should be
willing to accept any amendment that will better
our government. It was the opinion of the demo
cratic national convention that the application
of the referendum principle, as far as it was prac
ticable, would improve the government, and the
editor of The Commoner fully shares this opinion.
If the people could compel tho enactment of any
law that they desired and reject any law that was
obnoxious to them, legislatures .would not be so
easily corrupted nor would they be so perpetually
annoyed' by the influences which now surround
state and national capitals.
, ' . JJJ
Is It Settled?
Henry Clews, the. New York banker, , in. his
weekly 'letter under date of January 11, 1902,-said;
The country is still in need of a scientific and :
elastic currency system; the absence of which.,
vastly increases the danger of panic in times of .
retrenchment and disaster. But congress'
sleeps; forgetful that the promises of two na
tional elections to provide a sound currency
system are still unfulfilled. What if the coun
try should fail to give the party in power a
third" chance to redeem ante-election pledges?
What right has Mr. Clews to agitate a dead
issue? With what reason does he seek to disturb
the., prosperity; -and diappiness of the .business, world
by a discussion of the money question? Is it not
an approach to treasdn for any one to say that the
republican party has failed to fulfill its ante-election
pledges?
But seriously, if it be true that there must be
a change in our currency system, if we must have
legislation on the money question in order to
avoid the danger of panic in times of retrench
ment and disaster, if we must provide a sound
currency system, are the men who think as Mr.
Clews thinks, to have a monopoly on the discus
sion of the, money question? Are those who have
opinions of their own on this great question to be
hushed to silence on the plea that the money
question has been settled, while Mr. Clews and his
associates are bombarding congress with a de
mand that the money question be disposed of, and
that a new currency system be devised?
The man who, while insisting that the money
question is dead, persists in agitating for a new
currency system, either arrogates to himself the
exclusive right to think and speak upon this sub
ject or he must concede it to be the privilege of the
humblest citizen in the land to express his opinion
upon a question so important to the welfare of the
people.
JJJ'
Dewey and Miles Rebuked.
Walter Wellman, the Washington correspon-.
'dent of the Chicago Record-Herald, appears to be
in the confidence of te administration and fre
quently seeks to set tm public right concerning
administration conduct.
When Mr. Roosevelt selected Captain Clark
to represent tho navy and Ceneral Wilson to rep
resent the army at the coronation of the king of
England, it was generally understood that the
president's action was in the form of a rebuke
to Admiral Dewey arid General Miles.
' ' In discussing these' appointments in the Rec
ord-Herald, Mr. Wellman explains why General
Miles was not appointed. Ho says:
General Miles camo naturally to his mind
as the head of the army, and the presidont was
reluctant to miss tho chance to exhibit this
handsome and gallant officer and his magni
ficent and specially designed uniform to tho
crowned heads of Europe. If it had been pos
sible to send General Miles it is agreed by
everyone that his fine bearing and his finer
uniform would have won universal applause
even among the bejeweled princes and poten
tates of the old world.
Unfortunately, there were reasons why Gen
eral Miles could not be selected, willing as ho
was to undertake tho mission. Tho president
and ho recently had an interview which
neither of them cares to have a repetition of.
But for that interview, and tho causes that led
to it, the president's choice would naturally
have fallen upon General Miles.
In tho same report, Mr. Wellman explains why
Admiral Dewey was not appointed:
When he came to the naval end of tho cor
onation problem the president was even more
embarrassed. His first thought naturally was
of Admiral Dewey, the best-known Amorlcan
naval officer, both a't home and abroad. But
hero again recent events were still casting their
shadows. The president was not pleased with
' a part of Admiral Dewey's performance as
' president o.f the Schley court of inquiry, and
Mr. Roosevelt has made no secret of his dis
pleasure. If tho admiral had found in favor of
Sjchley on all- the'eounts of the precept .no one
, would have criticised him. Ho would have
been wholly within his rights. But instead of
: doing this he voted wlththe other two inem-
hers of the court against Schley on all counts, ,
joined In the censure and stood as much re
sponsible as any of them for the adverse ver
' diet, save in tho few minor particulars in
' which he expressed an individual opinibn 'in '
qualified contradiction of the main body of tho
report.
The complaint which the president makes
of the admiral is that he went into a matter
which the court had decided not to consider
at all, and on which it refused to hear evidence,
and decided the question of command at tho
battle of Santiago. It was this obiter dictum
of Dewey's , that kept the controversy alive,
greatly to the .president's-regret and em-'
barrassment, and in his opinion Admiral
Dewey erred in delivering any such opinion,
both as to fact and as to form. Hence Dewey
could not be selected to go to London,
Admiral Schley was tho next to be consid
ered, but, of course, that did not take much
thought. Had the verdict of the court of in
quiry been different he would have been a
promising candidate.
According to this eminent authority, then, tho
public is justified in construing the president's
action as a rebuke to Dewey and Miles. It will
be observed that Mr. Wellman says Admiral
Schley's name was also on tho list, but the verdict
of the court removed the hero of Santiago bay from
consideration.
The fame of Dewey, Miles and Schley will not
be affected because they were deprived of tho
privilege of attending the coronation ceremonies of
a king. The American people will be interested In
knowing, however, how far the administration pur
poses going in its efforts to rebuke men whom tho
American people have learned to regard as heroes.
What have these men done to deserve a re
buke at the president's hands? Why have they
been relentlessly pursued by administration agents
and administration organs, while at the same time
they occupy a very high place in the affections of
the people generally?
JJJ
Tammany's New Leader.
Mr. Croker showed good sen3e as well as devo
tion to the party's interests when he threw his in
fluence to so excellent a man as Mr. Nixon and
caused him to be selected as the leader of Tam
many. Mr. Nixon represents that element of tho
organization which has stood for clean government
and has opposed the use of official position for
private gain. He is a man of honesty, character
and ability, and his leadership will silence much
of the criticism which has been aimed at the or
ganization in recent years.
Mr. Nixon can mako Tammany a poworful in
fluence in democratic politics if ho' follows out tlio
theory which ho has announced, namely, that tho
only way to ensuro democratic victory Is to mako
the organization deserve public confidence. Tam
many's new leader was not a candidate and knew
nothing of the proposed honor until" ho was se
lected. Ho announces that ho enters upon his du
ties without pledges to anyone, and ho Is thus
ablo to act with an oyo singlo to tho party's wel
fare. Tho democrats of tho country at large will
applaud tho selection of Mr. Nixon and will wish
him success.
JJJ
The Bacon Resolution.
A reader of Tho Commoner asks for tho pub
lication of tho Bacon resolution, together with tho
vote thereon. Senator Bacon of Georgia offered
this resolution as an amendment to tho McEnory
resolution:
Resolved, further, That tho United States
hereby disclaim any disposition or intention to
exercise permanent sovereignty, jurisdiction,
or control over said islands, and assert their
determination, when a stable and independent
government shall have been erected therein,
entitled in tho judgment of .the; government of
tho United States to recognition as such, to
, transfer to said government, upon terms which
shall bo 'reasonable and just, all rights secured
under the cession by Spain, and to thereupon
, leave tho. government and control of. tho isl
i ands to their people.
The vote on tho resolution stood twenty-nlno'
to twenty-nine, and tho vice president, casting his
vote in the negative, declarod it lost. Tho follow
ing persons were recorded as voting in the af
firmative: Bacon, Bate, Berry, Chilton, Clay, Cockrell,
Faulkner, Gorman, Jones (Ark.), Martin, Money,
Murphy, Pettus, Rawlins, Smith, and Tillman,
(democrats), sixteen.
" Caffery, Gray, and Lindsay, (gold democrats),
three.
' Harris, Heitfeld:' Pettigrew, and Turner; (fu
sipn), four. v . .: .
Hale, Hoar, Terkins, and Quay, (republicans),
four.
McLauren, democrat at that time, but since
then acting with the republicans.
Jones of Nevada, silver republican then, since
then acting with tho republican party.
Total, twenty-nine.
The following were recorded as voting in the
negative: .
Allison, Burrows, Carter, Chandler, Deboe,
Fairbanks, Frye, Gear, Hanna, Hawley, Lodge, Mc
Eride, McMillan, Mantle, Nelson, Penrose, Piatt
(Conn.), Piatt (N. Y.), Pritchard, Ross, Shoup,
Simon, Warren, Wolcott.
Morgan and McEnery, (democrats), two.
Teller, silver republican.
Kyle and Stewart, then fusion, since acting
with the republicans, two.
The following were paired in favor of tho reso
lution: Daniel, Mallery, Kenney, Roach, Mills, Turley,
Vest, White, (democrats).
Allen and Butler, (populists).
Cannon, (silver republican).
The following were paired against the resolu
tion: Davis, Elklns, Callinger, Hansbrough, Clark,
Proctor, Wilson, Baker, Cullom, Spooner, Aldridgo,
and Wetmore.
If this resolution had been adopted by the
r,enate and carried out by the administration there
would have been no bloodshed in the Philippines
and the inhabitants would now be our friends in
stead of our enemies.
A movement Is on foot in some of the states to
prevent tho carrying of concealed weapons. It is
a much needed reform. If a man is always careful
to. tell the truth tho danger of his beingf called a
liar, is so remote that he need not go around in
anticipation of It.