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The Commoner.
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,Oct. 10, ip
Speaker Henderson's Confession.
- In the light of Speaker Henderson's withdrawal
from the congressional race a report of the plain
talk indulged In by Iowa republican leaders at the
coaierence held at Dee Moines, September 4, will
be Interesting.
Perhaps the most interesting report of this
conference was made by Walter Wellman, corre
spondent for the Chicago Record-Herald.
Mr. Wellman says that Governor Cummins
"faced the seven or eight congressmen and threw
his remarks straight at them." The governor said:
. . "It is time for plain speaking, and I glvo
.notice here and now that I am going to take
an active part in this campaign and that I
' am going to give great prominenco to this is
sue. We republicans of Iowa are all protec
tionists, we are radical protectionists, but we
insist that the tariff must be removed on ar
ticles in which monopoly has been established.
We call upon congress to place legislative ob
stacles in the way of the tendency of modorn
' combinations to destroy competition. Compe- -tition
is the fundamental law .of industrial
ism, and we are not willing to have the tariff
used in throttling or perpetuating it That
is what our platform means when it says no
sheltering of monopoly, and that platform is
not to be repudiated. It stands, and we stand
upon it We are In earnest and we want the
peeple to know it"
Mr. Wellman admits that most of the Iowa re
publican members of congress have no sympathy
with the Iowa tariff plank. In the light of this
statement it is difficult to understand what im
portance is to be attached to Governor Cummins
statement that the no shelter for monopoly plank
"stands and we stand upon it We are in earnest
and we want the people to know it" If Governor
Cummins and his associates are in earnest, the
way to show their earnestness is to defeat the re
publican candidates who declare that the Iowa
tariff plank is "a dirty lie."
; Replying to the governor, Speaker Henderson
said:
"If I had had my way about it I would
not have adopted this clause about shelter-
" ing monopoly, simply because I do not want a
whisper of suspicion of the purity of the
- mother of prosperity. .But we can all stand on
this platform. If there are monopolies under
''"llHjr tariff no man can object to th'is plank.
-But it'is all in the subjunctive, you see. If we
- find upon investigation the tariff is "being
wrongly used we will correct it"
And then Mr. Wellman reports as follows:
"Speaker Henderson then declared that it
would be impossible to pass any tariff legis
lation next winter. He. added that in the long
session of the new congress, which meets in
1903, he favored a revision of some of the
schedules by the ways and means committee
of the house and the finance committee of the
senate. He caused some surprise by saying
that last winter ho had proposed to President
Roosevelt and leading republican senators that
'- they reduce the 'tariff on a few articles, 'IN OR-
DBR TO GIVE THj2 PEOPLE SOME RELIEF,'
but that the senators had declared it would be
impossible to get any such bill through their
branch of the national legislature."
It is interesting to learn that the republican
speaker suggested to the republican president and
other leading senators that they reduce the tariff
on -a few articles "in order to give the people some
relief;" and it is equally interesting to learn that
these republican senators had declared that it
would be impossible to get any such bill through
their branch of the national legislature.
Speaker Henderson's statement that the reduc
tion of the tariff on a few articles would give the
people some relief would naturally Imply that the
reduction of the tariff on a number of articles
would give the people considerable relief. Why not
give the people a little more than "some relief?"
Why not give them relief all along the line? The
answer Is found in the confession that it was im
possible to persuade the republican senate to even
give the people "some relief."
Senator Dolliver, according to Mr. Wellman,
took an interesting part in this discussion. The
senator indorsed Governor Cummins' position. He
declared that Mr. McKinley had, commended the
Iowa tariff plank adopted August 14, 1901, which
was identical with the Iowa tariff plank of 1902.
Senator Dolliver said:
"The tariff of 1897 is in many particulars
unsuitable to the conditions of 1902. For
years we Have been telling the people that we
' would do something toward broadening trade
"4 by means "of reciprocity treaties. We have
' had power in all branches of the government
' but we have done nothing. One or two men In
. thesn&te have def eatad. every treaty,. and-say y
- they will kill everything. ofcthe. sort ..There-
publican party has got to stop a lot of Its
conversation or take up these treaties and
some of the tarift schedules and do something
toward satisfying public expectations, it is
not surprising that the people aro a littlo
weary of promisee. The republican party on
this question is like a ship with all sail sot
and anchored fast It is Ume to take In the
sail or pull in the anchor."
. Keferring' to Speaker Henderson's suggestion
that the tariff plank was all in the subjunctive, Mr.
wellman says that Senator Dolliver knocked out
the subjunctive by declaring that ho know some
men who woro trying to build a railroad in Iowa
and who had wanted to buy some rails of the steel
trust The trust had catechised them as to what
they were going to do with tholr railroad when
built, about rates and so forth, and had refusod to
sell them rails, the result being that the men had
been compelled to Import rails at much higher
cost than rails can be sold for in this country.
Mr. Dolliver also said leading hardware men of
this state had told him thoy had been summoned
to the headquarters of the steel trust and asked
to agree to buy -their supply in a certain placo, the
penalty for refusal being that their supply of
barbed wire would bo cut off ontlroly.
Mr. Wellman assures us that Senator Dolli
ver's speech created "a marked sensation."
JJJ
.' Self-Government Preferable.
The attontion of the editor of The Commoner
has been called to an epigram coined by a min
ister in the course of a sermon, namely: "Self
government is preferrablo to good government"
The phrase was used in defending the wisdom of
the plan whereby man was made a free moral
agent and left to choose between good and evil,
rather than created as a perfect being or placed in
an environment which made sin impossible. Thore
is no doubt that a Creator capable of making a
world could have made man perfect and could
have relieved him of all temptation, but instead
of that He placed man In a world full of tempta
tion and made im responsible for his conduct
Instead of being placed under the arbitrary power
of some one who would care for and protect him,
ho was left to govern himself and made to suffer
if ho failed to govern himself well. Wo do not find
fault with this arrangement of Providence nor do
we question the wisdom of the plan.
There is a very, evident analogy between the
self-government of the individual and, the doc
trine of self-government In nations. As the indi
vidual has a right to make mistakes, the penalty
being suffering, so people who govern themselves
have a right to make mistakes, paying tho penalty
for lack of wisdom. In no other way can people
be taught to take an activo and intelligent interest
In public affairs, and only by taking an Interest
In public affairs can they perfect themselves in tho
art of self-government
The people of the United States govern them
selves, and yet it is evident that they make fre
quent mistakes. The republicans asserted in 1896
that the people would' make a mistake if they
elected the ticket nominated by the Chicago con
vention, and they further insisted that a terrible
punishment would follow the mistake. The demo
crats, on the other hand, asserted that tho people
would make a mistake if they elected tho repub
lican ticket They assert now that the people are
suffering from tho mistake. The reign of trusts Is
a direct consequenco of the republican victory of
189 G, and so is the imperialistic policy which has
plunged this nation into enormous expenditure and
led it to appropriate nearly forty times as much
for the army and the navy as it expends on tho
department of agriculture. The republicans are
constantly asserting that the election of a demo
cratic president in 1892 brought hard times and
filled the country with soup houses. A majority
of the democrats are willing to admit that the
election resulted in mistakes, but they insist that '
the mistakes of the democrats were made in tho
.adoption oi republican policies rather than in tho
carrying out of democratic theories of government
But these instances are cited only to show that
wo recognize the liability of people to make mis
takes, even when so far advanced in civilization
as tho American people aro. Who would bo will
ing to accept foreign domination oven if assured
that imch alien government would be absolutely
free from error?
Why not apply to the Filipinos the same logic
that we apply to ourselves? Why not recognize
that they Tave a right to self-government, even if
they are liable to make mistakes? Why not rec
ognize that the punishment which pomes from
those mistakes Is in itself an educating influence?
Why not recognize that self-government, with all
its imperfections, will be,better for the Filipinos
than any outside government which could be
forced 4ipon-them. against their will?
Not;.onlr,Is "self-government preferable to.
K?JB0TernTncnt" but mrng mortals with their
selfishness and short-slghtednese self-gorernmeat
is likely to be better than any irresponsible gov
ernment, for no nation can be selfish enough to
desire colonies and yet unselfish enough to gov
ern them wisely.
JJJ
What Place?
The reports all Indicate that Qon. J. g.
Clarkson took an activo part In organizing re
publican sentiment In Now York for Presi
dent Roosovolt In opposition to Senator Piatt's
plans. Iowans will not need to bo assured
that ho was exactly Uie man for the place.
As a worker and an organizer in a political
fight even Senator Piatt is not his equal. The
senator is said to havo asked when Genoral .
Clarkson was appointed survoyor of tho port
of Now York if ho had boon activo in politics.
Tho reply was that ho had not, but that ho
would bo "moro activo in tho future." Tho
senator understands it now. Des Moines Reg
ister and Leader (rep.).
"Iowans will not need to bo assured that ho
was exactly tho man for tho place."
But what placo? . o position of survoyor of
tho port of New York, to bo sure.
That was tho placo to which General Clarkson
was appointed by Mr. Roosovolt
This republican paper docs not point to any
Improvoment which Gonoral Clarkson may haye
mado in the operations of tho office committed to
his care. It does not say that it has developed
that ho was "exactly the man for tho place" be
cause of tho strict attontion ho has given to his
official duties and tho high character of service
ho has brought to his employor, tho government
But because Genoral Clarkson, as survoyor of
tho port of Now York, "took an activo part in or
ganizing republican sentiment in Now York for
President Roosevelt in opposition to Senator
Piatt's plan" that Is tho reason that General
Clarkson is "exactly tho man for tho placo!"
"As a worker and an organizer in a political
fight," says this republican paper, "oven Sonator
Piatt is not his equal." To bo sure, to bo sure!
Clarkson was "exactly' tho man for tho place"
tho placo being one of tho best offices In tho
gift of tho president, because "as a workor and an
organizer in a polu.cal fight oven Senator Piatt
is not his equal!"
And yet Theodore Roosevelt is tho gentleman
who made himself famous as a champion of
civil service reform.
JJJ
' Lots of Five."
The Commoner's "Lots of Five" plan of sub
scriptions commends itself to all who aro inter-,
ested in the preservation of democratic principles,
and who are determined that the democratic party
shall not bo given into tho hands of thoso who
would ropubllcanlze the party and make it so like
tho republican party that tho trusts and monopol
ies would bo wiL-ng to accept It Tho Commoner
discusses present day problems from tho demo
cratic standpoint and loses no opportunity to ex
pose tho plans of those who would use tho demo
cratic party for mercenary purposes. Its influence
is limited only ry its circulation, and in order to
extend its influence and circulation it has inaug
urated the "Lots of Five" subscription plan. Tho
plan is as follows:
Subscription cards in lots of five, each card
good for a year's subscription to Tho Commoner
when properly filled out and returned to this office;
are sold at the rate of ?3 per lot This is at the
rate of GO cents per year for each subscription. Tho
Commoner asks your assistance in extending its
circulation. If you will help, cut out tho coupon
printed below, fill it in as directed, and mall to
this office, a lot of five cards will bo sent you
and you may remit for them alter you havo dis
posed of them.
APPLICATION FOR
"Lots of Five Subscripts Cards."
Publishxr Commoner: Mease Bend me Are nubaertptton
cards. X promise to use my utmost eadcavor to sell tbeco cards,
and will remit for tkcin at the rate of GO cents each vikm sold.
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