The Commoner.
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liearor to tho Roosevelt administration than any
other newspaper correspondent. Certainly no
correspondent is more friendly to that administra
tion than is Mr. Wellman; and it is interesting to
bo told by this administration correspondent that
feeling that he has the people with him becauso
of his "fight upon tho trusts and tho corporations,"
Mr. Roosevelt proceeds to display his "maBterly
skill as a politician" by seeking to win over to
liim the representatives of tho trusts and the cor
porations. According tp this administration correspon
dent, Mr. Roosevelt discovered "that in New York
and among these very people (the "trusts and cor
porations) there was a general and earnest desire
for a reformation of our currency system," and
also that "tho president has gone In for that re
formation with his accustomed ardor and energy
and IT WILL NOT BE HIS FAULT IF THE
FINANCIAL PEOPLE OF NEW YORK DO NOT
SOON LOOK UPON HIM Wl'irl MORE FAVOR."
A very frank and candid confession, indeed,
and perfectly in line with the idea which democrats
generally havo entertained of Mr. Roosevelt's dis
position to '"shackle cunninj as in the past we
havo shackled force."
JJJ
Demanding Army Increase.
At a banquet given at St. Paul, Minn., In
honor of Col. George E.'Pond, Mr. James J. Hill,
tho great railroad magnate, came out boldly for a
largo army. Ho said:
"It was not many years ago that' every
one thought wo needed but a small standing
army. This feeling has changod. The transi
tion was sudden and complete. Tho belief" is
.now general, and I am glad to see the timo
come when It is acknowledged, that if we are
to bo a member of the great family of nations
we must havo absolute and undisputed power
o enforce respect for our flag and for our
commerco, both on land and on the high seas.
"I am not overrating the demand when I
say that it Js imperativo -that tho United
.States maintain tho nucleus always and the
organization and the officers for an army of
200,000 men. With our varied interests, with
our expanding commerco, and with our crown
ing and ever-Increasing power, this strength
tt ,. is no, t more than m sjifllalent for our uses Jn.
times of stress ind danger. "However that may
be, r am thoroughly convinced that the United
States should maintain at all times an army
of 100,000.
"Tho people of the .United, States arc tho
government, their own 70rds dictate. But
they are a people of peace, and there is no "way
so sure to maintain and promote peace as to
be prepared to fight for it Wo must havo
peace for our industrial and commercial
growth, and peace we will have if we havo to
fight for it. Therefore I say that 100,000 men
should- bo always at hand to take the field,
.with tho knowledge always that 200,000 men
can be at once brought forward should tho
need arise."
This can only bo explained on one of two
theories: either he thinks that imperialism re
quires an army four times os large as we had be
fore 1896," or ho is looking forward to labo trou
bles and wants a large army to enable the admin
istration to enfoice government by Injunction at
the request of tho corporations.
Are the republicans ready for this situation?
Have they counted the cost in money? Have they
considered its. effect on tho national welfare?
jWhen tho plain people of tho United States como
ftd consider the purpose ot tho republican leaders
and the natural effect of their policies then will
be. a revolt that will shako that party to its foun
dation. The democratic party only needs to main
tain its integrity, stand by the people on all ques
jtioris and await a vindication of its position.
JJJ
Education.
" Coleridge wrote that "Thelwall thought it
jrery unfair to influence a child's mind by lncul-
cat(ng any opinions before it had come to years
lof discretion to choose for itself."
On one occasion Coleridge showed Thelwall
(Siis garden and said that it was his botanical
igardon.
"How so?" asked Thelwall, "it is covered with
tweeds."
"Oh," replied Coleridge, "that is only because
it is not yet come to its ago of discretion and
choice. The weeis, you see, have taken the lib
erty to grow and I thought it unfair in mo to
jprojudico tho soil toward roses and strawberries."
A very nappy way this was of seeking- to
impress upon men the importance of early edu
cation. Mann declared that "education is our only
political safety; outside of this ark all la -deluge;?'
and Kossuth wrote: "It Is in sound education of
tho people the security and destiny of overy na
tion chiefly rests."
It should not bo necessary to write lotig ar
ticles in order to impress upon the young men
and young 'Women of tho land the importance of
an education. Every young man and every young
woman should seize the opportunity to obtain a
college course. The Commoner Is now making an
offer which will place a college education within
the reach of every young reader of this paper.
Information concerning this offer will be found
in another column of this issue and further de
tails will tie provided upon application to this
office.
JJJ
The Nebraska Conventions.
On August 25 the democratic state convention
for Nebraska met at Columbus. On the same day
the populist state convention met at Grand Island.
The same state ticket was nominated in both con
ventions. John J. Sullivan, democrat, and now
chief justice of the supreme court, was renomi
nated. William O; Jones of Adams county and
Dr. E. O. Weber of Saunders county, both pop
ulists, were nominated to be regents of the state
university.
Mayor Reed of Kansas City addressed the dem
ocratic convention on the subject of monopoly,
and delivered 'a speech that will be remembered
for years by his enthusiastic auditors. Manton M.
Wyvall, a young democrat from Ithaca, N. Y., de
livered an earnest and eloquent speech. W. D.
Oldham of Nebraska, famous in the west as a po
litical orator, delivered a characteristic speech.
The address delivered by George L. Loomis, the
temporary and also the permanent chairman of
the convention, was listened to with the greatest
interest. Mr. Bryan also addressed the conven
tion. Tho platform is as follows:
We, the democrats of Nebraska, in conven
tion Assembled, reaffirm our faith in the prin
ciples of "the pfirty as enunciated' in the last
'national platform, adopted at Ifahsas' City.
We1 -denounce the national Tepublican ad
ministration fb'r its 'failure to v carry out its
promises heretofore made and its siibserviende
to special interests at the expense of and tp
' the detriment of, the interests of the public
at large.
We are unalterably opposed to any form
of asset currency legislation and to any leg
islation of the character o the Aldrich bill.
We demand that the attorney general of
our state shall make application to the. su
preme court of the United States for permis
sion to put the Nebraska maximum freight
rate law into immediate effect, in accord with
the suggestion of that court. In the campaign
of one year ago the democracy of Nebraska
charged that the election of a republican leg
islature would be a victory for the railroads
and other corporate interests whi 'h presume to
dictate in state affairs.
We call attention to the faithful manner
in which republican officials have championed
t the corporations, enacting and applying stat
utes to the injury of the home owners, farming
and business interests to the profit of the rail
roads and other public corporations. Wo
charge that tho late republican legislature de
liberately substituted the Ramsey bill, intend
ing thereby to deny to the farmers of this state
all relief from the grain trust, the most bur
densome and exacting combine now operating
within the state.
We arraign the republican party of Ne
braska for the failure .of the last legislature
to keep Its ante-election promises; to provide
a just and equitable revenue law, and charge
that it surrendered to corporate Influence and
dictation, discriminating in favor of the rail
roads in the taxation thereof.
We arraign the republican state adminis
tration for its extravagant expenditures and
for burdening tho state with, an immense float
ing Indebtedness as a direct result of such ac
tion and we demand a more economic handling
of the public funds. The shameful interference
by Governor Mickey in tho efforts of his
deputies to properly and honestly enforce the
provisions of tho oil inspection law should
meet the severe condemnation of every lover
of law. His notorious and successful attempt
to permit the Standard Oil company to sell in -this
state a grade of oil condemned by his
deputies as dangerous to the life and property
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 33,
of consumers must be construed as eviden
of woeful Ignorance or criminal collusion
We believe the judiciary to bo tho corner-''
stone of American government, both state ami I
national. Upon its ability, independence and
integrity rests the future of American institu
tions We therefore demand that the juJt
iary 'of th s state be kept free from partisan
bias and the undue influence cf special and '
corporate interests. v ' an,u
. We commend to the voters of Nebraska
the record of John J. Sullivan as embodying
our ideas of the high character the judiciary-
- ought to entertain. J Urt
T, ,We !iS?te, a11 cItIzens, without reference to
their political affiliations, who agree with us
in the foregoing principles and who believe in-
Slind,epdent udIciary to support the nomi
nees of this convention.
In the populist convention at Grand Island
tho interest centered on the question as to
whether the "Denver manifesto" wou?d be at
proved. After a long discussion, it was agreed to
-219(5! questi0n t0 PP"list state connta
JJJ
A "Weighty" Fact.
nDnJhe New York Press, a republican paper, re
cently said many unpleasant things, and at the
same time some very untrue things, about Grover
Cleveland. The Washington Post, replying skin!
fully disposes of some of the Press' misstatements
word to the Press' adding:
"The one man to whom far more than to
any one of his contemporaries this era of
prosperity is duo is tho president whose ad- ,
"liptefration the Press reviles. He not enly
kihed free coinage, but, in doing so, made
sure of the election of the congress that passed .
the Dingley tariff act Has the Press ever
reflected on that fact? It is weighty."
In other words, according to the Post,, Mr.
Cleveland should be kindly treated by republican
organs not only because he killed free coinage,
to which the republican party is opposed, but alro
becauso in doing so he made sure of the election
of a republican congress.' And the Post calls
;W?a "weighty fact.','. , ,, . .,
Surely it must be a "weighty fact" with re
publicans. Perhaps with democrats'" it is1 also 'a
". weighty fact" that Mr. . Cleveland not only
sought to kill that .which the democratic national
platform for 1888 described, as "the coinage of the
constitution," but also "made sure" of the elec
tion of a republican congress and -made possible
the passage of a high protective tariff bill.
JJJ
What About Taylor.
Governor" Durbin of Indiana has written an
article for the Independent, referring' directly to
v the riots that have recently occurred in the Hoos
ier state. In this article Governor Durbin4 says:l
"Either the supremacy of the law must be estab
lished beyond question or free rein must be given
to the fury of riotous assemblages engaged in
trampling all law into the- dust. Anarchy and
constitutional government may not thrive with
in the same geographical limits."
It would be well if the governor of Indiana
could employ some of this spirit in considering
the case of ex-Governor Taylor, who is a fugi
tive from Kentucky justice and who now finds
protection in the state of Indiana by tho grace of0
Governor Durbin.
If the Indiana governor really believes that
"the supremacy of the law must bo established be
yond question," if he is devoted to constitutional
government and bitterly antagonistic to anarchy,
with what reason does he exercise his authority
to prevent the return to Kentucky of Taylor, the
fugitive from justice, in order that Taylor may
not be required to answer for his alleged com
plicity in the assassination-of Governor Goebel?
The governor of Indiana will find it just a bit
embarrassing to write upon the "supremacy of
tho law" so long as he persists in extending pro
tection to Mr. Taylor.
JJJ
The Crime of Speculation.
The bank embezzlements which have come to
light since the slump in stocks emphasize the nec
essity for a law that will make it a penal offense
for a bank officer to speculate on the market. The
gambling mania is so strong when one once yields
to it that trust funds are always in danger if the
holder of such funds Is speculating. A law to
prevent such speculating by a bank officer would
not only protect the public, but would be a pro
tection to the official as well.
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