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The Commoner.
3
MARCH 6, 1903.
AN -HARMONIOUS" HINT.
According to the organs of the reorganizes, Kansas Oily platform
democrats arc to be read out of the party "with Oroverin the chair.1
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Kansas City platform democrats are under
obligation to the Brooklyn Eagle for a somewhat
frank statement of the purpose of the reorganizes.
The Eagle announces that "in 1904 there can he
no democratic reiteration of the Bryanism of
1896 and 1900 on any of the points against which
the country was then aroused." And referring to
the Kansas City platform democrats as the -"Bryan
remnant," the Eagle says that these demo
crats "will have to support the nominee whoever
he is and take their chances under him or they
will have to get out" Then in order to make its
desire for "harmony" well understood, the Eagle
says, "If they (the Kansas City platform demo
crats) get out, their loss will he more than made
good by better men whom they alone have alien
ated frc!m the democratic party."
In another editorial the Eagle intimates that
if Kansas City platform democrats are not very
careful, Grover Cleveland may be chosen to pre
side over the democratic convention of 1904.
The Eagle is considerably more frank than
other representatives of the reorganlzers;. and yet
the Eagle is not candid enough to say that the
recruits who are to "make good the loss" of the
Kansas City platform democrats are the repre
sentatives of the trust interests and men whose
sympathies are in line with the policies of -the
trust magnates.
These warnings should be sufficient to put
every real democrat upon his guard in order that
th,e effort to "republicanize" the democratic party
may be thwarted. Wherever the reorganlzers have
obtained control, they have tried to avoid a clear
statement of the party's position upon important
questions and have contented themselves with
generalization that could bo construed to mean
anything or toothing. It is evidently their plan to
secure uninstructcd and yet secretly pledged dole
gates to the next national convention, and then
at tho convention to prepare an ambiguous plat
form and nominate a ticket selected by the great
corporate interests to carry on a campaign with
money collected from tho trusts. If defeated, as
they doubtless would bo, tho party would have
to bear tho disgrace as well as the defeat, and if
successful the party would bo in the position it
was when Mr. Cleveland attempted to make it the
exponent of plutocracy. That this Is the purpose
is plain to any ono who has watched the course of
the reorganlzers.
The only way to meet tho stealthy and covert
movements of the reorganlzers is by an open ap
peal to democratic voters. Tho very fact that
the reorganlzers refuse- to disclose their plans is
proof positive that they are conscious that they
are in tho minority in the party. They would be
glad to have tho pretense of a popular indorse
ment if they thought that they could secure tho
indorsement of a majority of tho democrats at
tho primaries, but they know that this Is as
impossible now as it was in 1896 and therefore
they will now, as in 1896, seek to secure by un
derhand means that which they cannot hope to
secure in a fair fight Tho advocates of the Kan
sas City platform, if they would hold the party
to the advocacy of democratic principles, must
proceed at once to perfect an organization within
A Significant Admission.
The speech delivered "by Secretary of War
Root before the Union League club in New York,
February C, tends to confirm the report that Mr.
Roosevelt's advisers have warned him that he has
gone a bit too far on the negro question.
Mr. Root took occasion to say that in. extend
ing White house courtesies to the negroes, Mr.
Roosevelt had gone no further than any of his
predecessors. He also invited special attention to
the fact that Mr. Roosevelt has appointed fewer
negroes to office than did Harrison, Hayes or Mc
Kinloy. Mr. Root declared that the fourteenth and
fifteenth amendments have utterly failed to carry
into effect the plan formulated to elevate tho
black man by making him a citizen and giving
him the right to vote. Mr. Root said that ho be
lieved that within a few years the overwhelming
dominant white opinion in the south would suc
ceed in excluding the negro from all offices in
southern states and he left upon his hearers tho
impression that he did not regard it to be tho
duty of the north to interfere with the inevitable
result
The Kansas City Journal, one of the leading
republican papers in the west, commenting upon
Mr. Root's speech, says that because Mr. Roose
velt has had time to manifest his disapproval, if
he felt any, but has not done so, "the speech must
stand as the latest and most up-to-date republican
doctrine as announced from the White house."
The Journal further says:
"This speech, where it deals with the ne
gro question, is so absolutely contrary to tho
record of the republican party it is difficult
to realize that it could have been delivered
by one of the party's leaders so eminent in
authority and high in position as Mr. Root is.
If the attitude of the republican party is
changing, the negro has himself to blame. In
the border states between the north and tho
south, and in all the larger cities, the negroes
are no longer loyal adherents of tho par.ty
that freed them. Republican leaders are be
ginning to feel that they cannot rely on the
undivided support of the black vote, and so
it Is not strange that their sympathy should
cool with this loss of confidence. But Secre
tary Root, of course, did not refer to this.
Ho meant that the racial benefits which were
expected to ensue from clothing the negro
with citizenship had not materialized and that
negro suffrage had proved a disapppintment
from a patriotic standpoint"
This will doubtless be interesting reading to
those who have imagined that the republican par
ty was the disinterested friend of tho negro.
It will be observed that this republican pa
per says that the negro has himself to blame if
the attitude of the republican party is changing.
The fault of the negroes, according to this repub
lican organ, is that In the border states between
the north and the south and in all larger cities
the negroes are no longer loyal adherents of the
republican party. The fault, according to this re
publican organ, is that the negroes have given
republican leaders cause to feel that they cannot
rely on the undivided support of the black vote.
"And so," says this republican organ, "it is
not strange that their sympathy should cool with
this loss of confidence."
The Journal editorial in which this comment
appears is entitled "A Significant Admission."
The Journal meant that the head-line should apply
to Secretary Root's address; and yet it is partic
ularly applicable to the admission made by the
.Journal itself, which is, in effect, that the re
publican party is the friend of the negro for po
litical purposes only.
Beneficent Laws.
In his message to the legislature Governor
Murphy of New Jersey denied that the laws of
the state gave unjust powers to corporations. Gov
ernor Murphy said: "
'"It Is the Impression of some -who are
tho party, tho purposo of which will bo to mako
tho fight at tho primaries, whero, and whero
alone, tho voice of tho people is heard.
If a club can bo organized In ovory precinct
tho delegates can bo selected from men whoso
opinions aro known and these men can bo In
structed as thoy wero In 1896. If this is dono,
tho Integrity of tho party can bo maintained and
its character so established that patriotic republi
cans will turn to it for relief whon they realize, aa
realize they must soon, that tho republican party
Is completely dominated by organized wealth.
These clubs will not only onablo tho Kansas City
platform democrats to know each other and to
act togothor, but they will furnish a means of
supporting democratic principles. They can cir
culate domocratlc literature and by local debates
bring ponding questions to public attention. It
would bo well for these clubs to invito both tho
' reorganlzers and republicans to meet and discuss
all questions at issue, for out of discussion comes
tho truth.
With a party as with an individual, character
is everything. A party that puts an empty vic
tory above the people's interests does not deserve
and cannot long havo tho confidence of tho people.
The Commoner desires to encourago tho for
mation of theso clubs and to aid them in their
work after they aro formed. A form for constitu
tion and by-laws will bo sent upon application,
and Tho Commoner wfll publish from time to
time suggestions In regard to subjects for debate.
DO NOT DELAY! ORGANIZE NOW!
If tho secretary of the club will report tho
organization to The Commoner notice will be given
for tho information of other communities.
ignorant of the facts that the corporation laws
of the state of Now Jersey aro especially llbf
oral, and that corporations organized under
them havo unusual and perhaps unwise pow
ers. This is not so. Corporations that want
to do a dishonest business have a hard time
of it undor tho Now Jersey law. Corporations
that desire to conduct their business as hon
est men conduct theirs aro protected as fully
and completely as any individual in the state.
"As a matter of fact, there are few, if
any real trusts, and tho name la given pro
miscuously to largo corporations of all kinds,
especially if composed of a combination of a
number of smaller concerns. Our people aro
too enterprising to allow monopolies to exist.
"In the last thirteen yearn tho corporations
organized under our beneficent laws have paid
tho state $13,000,000 and for tho last three
years payments have averaged $2,227,246. Their
capitalization is many billions and the stock
holders aro hundreds of thousands of people.
The state has its obligations to theso stock
holders. Let us live up to them frankly and
manfully and not be ashamed to bo honest"
If tho laws of New Jersey are not especially
liberal and if under those laws corporations do not
have unusual and unwise powers, then is it not
strange that Now Jersey has come to be known as
the "trust state?"
The fact that during the last thirteen years the
corporations organized under the "beneficent
laws" of New Jersey have paid to tho state $13,
000,000 would seem to indicate that the impres
sion of which Governor Murphy complains is not
altogether an erroneous one.
JJJ
Several eastern newspapers pretending- to be
democratic commend those democratic legislators
of Delaware who propose to join with anti-Ad-dicks
republicans to elect one democratic and one
republican senator. These are the same so-called
democratic newspapers that never loso an oppor
tunity to denounce fusion between western demo
crats and populists for the purpose of defeating
other republicans like Addicka.
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