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The Commoner.
WILLIAH J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 3. No. 8.
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 13, 1903.
Whole No. 112.
The FiftySeventh Congress
Tho adjournment of the Fifty-soventh con
gress completes the work of the federal legislators
"chosen. In 1900. They have succeeded in increas
ing the expenditures of the government ahout
tCO per cent over the expenditures of tho Fifty-
fflrst congress, which startled the country with
fits "billion-dollar" extravagance.
Tho increase in the per capita cost of gov
ernment is largely due to the fact that the great
manufacturing industries are using the taxing
power for their own enrichment and they, there
fore, encourage extravagance to make an excuse
&or a high tariff. Then, too, the imperial policy
rapon which the government has embarked is add
ing a considerable amount to the appropriation
ffoills. The army expenditure is more than dou-
Sffble what it was before we began to experiment
with colonialism and the navy is feeling the stim
ulus of tho war spirit. ""
While heavier burdens are constantly being
laid upon the people by the government, those in
authority are more and more negligent of the
rights and interests of tho people. Tho failure of
the president to secure, or even seriously attempt
to secure, effective anti-trust legislation is the
most prominent feature of the second session of
congress. It will be remembered that tho presi
dent made some anti-trust speeches last sum
mer or at least speeches which his political
friends construed as. antagonistic to the trusts.
It was even said that Mr. Littlefleld had been
selected to lead the fight against monopolies.
"Just wait until congress meets in December,"
said the president's supporters, "and then you
will see a strenuous attack on the trusts." Many
democrats were deceived by tho noise of prepar
ation and a "minister went so far as to say that
Mr. Roosevelt had been raised "to the office provi
dentially to meet the aggressions of organized
wealth.
Well, congress convened and the papers told
us how the bills were pouring in, how tho com
mittee was combining the good features of tho
various bils, and finally how a draft of the com
mittee bill had been submitted to the attorney
general But ho regarded it as "too drastic" At
last the bill was drawn so as to effect only cor
porations hereafter organized, leaving existing
trusts to continue their depredations. The demo
crats of the house were denied an opportunity
to present amendments and tho bill was rushed
through and sent to the senate. The senate com
mittee kept it until the democratic members, to
gether with a minority of the republican members,
reported it over the protest of a majority of tho
republicans. By the same vote the committee
added an amendment making tho bill apply to ex
isting corporations as well as to future ones, but
when Senator Blackburn, acting under instruc
tions from a democratic caucus, moved to take
tho bill up for consideration in tho senate only
two republicans voted with the democrats to con
aider tho measure.
Can anti-trust republicans be deceived any
longer? It is not fair to lay all the blame on
the republicans of the senate because Attorney
General Knox, speaking for tho administration,
aid that the two little clauses inserted in th
Nelson amendment and tho Elkins bill in regard
to rebates and publicity were entirely satisfactory.
It was in the power of tho president to focus at
tention upon this subject, to point out tho neces
sity for strong and vigorous legislation and to in
sist upon immediate action, but Instead of this ho
abandoned the fight before any decisivo victory
was won. Whether the president lacks purpose or
only lacks moral courage is a question about which
people may differ, but there is no doubt whatever
that his anti-trust campaign, begun with great
flourish of trumpets, has ended in an inglorious
rout.
Just before adjournment Senator Elkins
pointed out that for the third time the republican
party had failed to keep its promise to admit
tho territories of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Ari
zona. Having spent the session doing little of im
portance It Is now necessary to have an extra ses
sion of the senate In order to secure tho ratifica
tion of tho Panama and Cuban treaties.
Surely it must bo a partisan republican who
will point with pride to the record of tho Fifty
seventh congress.
JJJ
Addicksism Still Lives
The-flcnatorialontcat In Delaware has been
brought to an end, but ho,w? Not by tho eloction
of Addicks, to bo sure, but by tho election of one
of his .staunchest supporters to tho long term and
by the election of an anti-Addicks republican to
tho short term. Arid this is the net result of a
contest that has raged for more than six years.
Delaware has been without a senator for several
years and now that she has two senators, one
will do just what Addicks would have done and
the other will vote the same as the Addicks sena
tor on all important questions. The fight against
Addicks was entirely proper, for he would be a
disgrace to any legislative body, but why should
the republicans fight him for trying to buy a sen
atorship with his own money if they are going to
support men who buy senatorships with corporate
money and corporate influence? Mr. Addicks
might have been his own master, but many re
publican senators are the servants of tho corpora
tions that secure their election. Addicksism is tho
natural outgrowth of commercialism. If business
men are to bo bought with legislation that gives
them money out of the pockets of tho taxpayers,
how can those without business be convinced that
it Is wrong to sell the'r votes for a less, but stip
ulated sum? Wherein has Mr. Addicks been more
shameless in tho uso of money than Senator Han
na or Senator Quay? Why Teject Addicks and
swallow Addicksism?
JJJ
An organization known a tho National Econ
omic League has started out to educate the people
on the trust question and other economic ques
tions from the plutocratic side. It has sent out
a circular to banks throughout the country an
nouncing that it is similar to the campaign urged
against silver that enabled tho republican party to
save the country from bimetallism. There is no
doubt that the league will be amply supplied with
money, because tho trusts can afford to pay lib
erally if they educate tho people up to sub
mission to the evils of private monopoly.
Reorganized Plan Disclosed
On another pago will bo found oxtracts from
tho Brooklyn Eaglo which disclose tho plans of
tho reorganizers. It is a full and complcto con
fession of all that Tho Commoner has charged as
to the purpose of tho corporation domocratfl. Thoy
do not contemplato victory; thoy have Intelli
gence enough to know that they cannot hope to
win with a platform and candidato antagonistic
to tho rank and file of tho party, but thoy desire
to regain control of tho party in order to pre
vent its doing anything to interfero with republi
can plans.
It will bo noticed that tho proposed platform
Is to bo "acceptable to eastern leaders AND TO
THE COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL INTER
ESTS OF THE COUNTRY." As tho republican
platform is entirely acceptable to these same in
terests, how can a democratic platform bo equally
acceptable unless it is similar in language and
purport?
The Kansas City platform democrats are under
a debt of gratitude to tho Eaglo for this early an
nouncement of tho real intentions of tho reor
ganizes. The only hope tho Cleveland-Hill demo
crats haveof obtainlng-cofetrol-of-thcrparty ma
chinery rests upon their ability to deceive tho
voters as to their purpose. It is ovident to all
who know tho leading reorganizors that they do
not desire harmony, but are intent rather on
wreaking vengeance on those who aro responsible
for driving tho Wall street element out of tho
party; but many are misled by their promises.
Wo have the samo fight to make now that wo
made in 1895. In March of that year an address
signed by about thirty members of congress called
upon the silver democrats to organize within tho
party and secure control of the organization.
More than three-fourths of the democrats of tho
house and senate refused to sign the address for
fmr of "disturbing tho harmony of tho party."
But in less than four months the plans of tho
Cleveland element became so apparent that a con
ference was held at Memphis and the bimetallic
league organized to carry out th9 plans set forth
in tho address issued in March, and this confer
ence was attended by many who four months be
fore refused to believe that Mr. Cleveland in
tended to wreck the party if i refused the de
mands of the financiers.
So, today, many timid democrats have hesi
tated to take a stand against the reorganizors,
but in a few months thoy will find that thoy mu3t
either become tho pliant tools of organized wealth
or take up the fight for the masses as against tho
monopolists.
Lot those democrats who are democrats from
principle and not merely for hope of office read
the Eagle's editorial and ask themselves what
hope such a platform as it outlines and such an
organization as it desires would hold out to those
who believe in equal rights to all and special priv
ileges to none.
The Eagle says that Mr. Hill hag been in cor
respondence with certain democrats in Nebraska.
That may be true, but not one of them will dare to
admit that he favors Mr. Hill's nomination "if ho
aspires to be a delegate to the next national con
vention. We had some Nebraska democrats of tho
nr"'
L.
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