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thoy lmvc not reached the Incorruptible mass that
fiirnlBhoB the votes. As the flght progresses It
will becomo more and more apparent that It is a
battle royal between the money power and the
common people Tho lino will bo drawn between
those who want to make the party tho defender
of monopolies and those who desire to keep it tho
champion of popular rights. Wo lo3t some of our
loaders in 1890 and some went over into tho re
publican party. We shall lose some moro this
year, but wo shall obtain recruits from among
those who rccognizo tho demoralization wrought
by commercialism and deslro the restoration of
higher ideals. If to urge the democratic porty to
bo true to its principles and honest in its meth
ods Is to subject Mr. Bryan to tho charge of try
ing to dictate, ho will bear tho accusation with
fortitude.
JJJ
"Division and Silence."
Tho Nashvillo Banner gives its readers a
splendid sample of tho political Immorality of the
reorganizes. It complainu because Mr. Bryan
points to tho corrupt use of money by tho demo
cratic leadors in 1892 and protests against a re
petition of tho metfiods then employed. The
Bannor says:
"His porslstont accusations of corruption
against tho democratic party of 189i! como
with poor grace from a man who has twice
beon tho nominee of the party, and who now
professes to be a democratic leader anxious
for tho party's success. If he knew such thin&s
to bo true, as ho alleges, it would become
him to keop quiet. Revelations of that kind
should bo left to tho enemy."
If there is any lowor moral plane than this
tho Banner ought to point it out, for unless it
doos, its roadors will bo justified in believing that
is ha3 reached tho bottom. This would seem to
be on a par with tho boodler's maxim of "Divi
sion and sllcnco." There is even greater reason
for a protest from democrats than from republi
cans for the same reason that one should bo more
anxious to correct wrong-doing in his own than
in his neighbor's family. Tt is impossible lor the
democratic party to condemn corruption in tho
republican party so long as it countenances cor
ruption within its own ranks. Tho trouble with
tho Bannor is that it is committed to the causo
of organized wealth and recognizes that money
must bo used to purchase privileges. It naturally
resents, thoreforo, any .effort to purify politics
or to lift t campaigns to a. higher plane.
JJJ
At Gettysburg.
It is reported that President Roosovelt has
accepted an invitation to delivor an oration on
Momorlal Day in 1904 at tho scene of the Battle of
Gettysburg. It may not be doubted that on this
occasion Mr. Roosovelt will pay a high tribute
to Abraham Lincoln; and yot who will say that
ho could in all sincerity repeat the magnificent
speech which Mr. Lincoln delivered November 13,
18G3, at the dedication of tho Gettysburg ceme
tery. Mr. Lincoln's address on that occasion was
extemporaneous, and yet it stands today in the
literaturo of tho world as one of the grpat re
citals. On that occasion Mr. Lincoln said:
"Four score and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth upon this continent a
now nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated
to tho proposition that all men are created '
free and equal. Now wo are engaged in a great
civil war, testing whether that nation, or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can
long endure. Wo aro mot on a great bat
tlefield of that war. Wo have como to dedi
cate a portion of that field as a final resting
place for those who hero gave their lives that
that nation might live. It is altogether fitting
and proper that we should do this. But in a
larger sense, wo cannot dedicate we cannot
consecrato, we cannot hallow this ground.
Tho bravo mon living and dead who struggled
hero have consecrated it far above our power
to add or detract. The world will little note,
nor long remember, what wo say here, but
it can never forget what they did here It is
for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated
horo to tho unfinished work which they who
fought hero havo thua far so nobly advanced.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the
great task remaining before us that from
theso honored dead we take increased devo
tion to that cause for which they gave the
last full measure of devotion-that we here
highly resolve that these dead shall not have
died in vain that this nation, under God
shall havo a new birth of freedom and that
government of .the people, hy the people, and
The Commone
for the people, shall not perish from the
earth "
What has Mr. Roosevelt and the party he
represents done to carry out the work here de
scribed by Abraham Lincoln? Have Mr. Roose
velt and the party he represents done their pai t
to dedicate themselves to the unfinished wont
which they who fought at Gettysburg so nobly
advanced? Havo Mr. Roosevelt and the party he
represents done anything in recent years to carry
out the great task which Mr. Lincoln in 1863 said
was before tho American people? Have they
shown increased devotion to that cause to which
the heroes of Gettysburg gave the last full meas
ure of devotion? Havo they highly resolved, or
have they, indeed, shown the slightest inclina
tion to let the world know that the dead at Get
tysburg did not die in vain? Have they not,
indeed, exerted their best or their worst en
deavor to see to it that this nation shall not have
a new birth of freedom, and that government of
the people, by the people and for the people shall
be supplanted by government of the trusts, Dy
the trusts and for the trusts?
JJJ
Orve Voting Contest.
Tho people of a Httlo town in the state of
Idaho recently received a severe object lesson
showing tho ovils of the so-called voting contests.
A piano was to be voted for the most popular per
son or organization in the town. The ladies of a
certain secret society entered the contest, as cid
also teachers in tho public schools. But suddenly
a new factor entered the light, and the proprietress
of tho largest disorderly house in the city be
came a candidate. The result was the proprietress
of tho disorderly house won by a majority of 130,
000 over her opponents.
Of course this woman could not be forced
from tho field, because the contest being for the
purpose of determining who was "the most pop
ular person" in the community everyone had a
right to participate.
It is safe to say that in this particular Idaho
town there will be no more voting contests for
many a day. It would be well if such contests
could be avoided generally throughout the coun
try. Aside from tho disgraceful result on this
particular occasion no progress, so far as public
interests aro concerned, is made by such con
tests. In the first place it is a species of gambling
that should bo frowned upon by all good citizens.
Whether the contests are under the auspices of a
newspaper or of a merchant, or, indeed, of a reg
ularly established gambling concern, it is. never
theless, a form of contest that bodes no good to
public interests. The good people of this Idaho
town may imagine they havo seriously suffered
because of the result in this particular instance.
If, as a consequence, an effective ban shall be
placed upon similar contests in the future these
Idaho people will have good reason to congratulate
themselves.
JJJ
A Devoted Reformer.
President Roosevelt recently appointed, and
the senate promptly confirmed, T. N. Jamieson as
naval officer at Chicago. And thereby hangs a
Let tho story be told by republican news
papers. Before the appointment was made Walter
Wellman, Washington correspondent to the Chi
cago Record-Herald sent to his paper the follow
ing dispatch: w
tVOUUME 4, NUMBER
I
,
"At. fhn "WliHn !, . i. ...
.....n, uuuac tno cnarge which
has been made by reputable Chicago business
men well known to the president, that Dr
Jamieson was the chief lobbyist at Springfield
for several corrupt measures, was heard with
firiT,ise, esident Roosevelt had been kept
wholly in the dark as to this fact. It was
at once seen that Jamieson is not the eort
of man Theodore Roosevelt likes to appo?nt
Pill)hc office. More than once has ho bar
reled with senators because they tried to
thrust upon him just such men. He has two
or three quarrels of the same sort on his
hands now; and in one or two of these in
stances the senators have threatened tn S"
Prive him of the delegales from their sVel
unless the president yields to their rtL
But the president declines o y ieS 2Sd SJh
them to go ahead and do their wo?sl SS
chine ? ff Jt JS mal
machine should t?y to neln V at the
Un, Unless the sporf ?!&M
refute tho charges made against him and cIva
that worthy a clean bill of Health, it is said
the president will refuse to appoint him and
say to. the machine:
.. " 'You may have tkie office, but you must "
bring me a decent man lor it.' " -
"Well-known business men have filed at
the White house charges that in 1897-8 Jamie- -son
was the chief lobbyist for several corrupt
measures at Springfield the notorious Allen
street railway bill, the gas bill and the ele
vator bill all of which were dragged through
the legislature by the shameless use of boodle
that the decent citizenship of tho state ro?e
to resent these outrages and repudiated at tho
polls three-quarters of the men who had lono
Jamieson's bidding. That in 1899-1901 Jamie
son again appeared as chief lobbyist for sev
eral corrupt measures, but by this, time was so
well known he could do little harm; that he
had under his thumb In 1903-1 Speaker Miller,
who attempted to throttle the municipal own
ership act which led to a disgraceful riot in
the assembly and a blot due wholly to tho
methods of Jamieson and those" who stood
with and behind him."
After the appointment was made, Mr. Well
man sent to the Record-Herald the following:
"This action was taken by the president
in the face of the most serious charges against
Jamieson and in spite of protests of many
Chicago business men. Moreover, the nomina
tion was made suddenly and without awaiting
the arrival of detailed and definite charges
against Jamieson, which the president ha'-l
been informed were on the way, signed by re
sponsible persons. In his anxiety to please
the machine Mr. Roosevelt turned a cold
shoulder upon those who were conscientiously
trying to save him from a blunder whfch will
hurt him moro than it will hurt anyone else.
"Saturday last the president agreed to
appoint Jamieson at the behest of Senator
Hopkins and Representative Lorimer, with
Senator Cullom giving a perfunctory acqui
escence. Before he went to bed that night
the president was informed of the record and
character of Jamieson. The following day
moro particular statements concerning the
fitness of his prospective appointee were
placed before him."
Referring editorially tc this appointment (be
Record-Herald said: "The man is wholly unfit
for the place and undeserving of it, as everyone
familiar with local politics knows." Also, "Tlio
president has made himself responsible for the
selection of an official who is notorious as an un
scrupulous lobbyist against the public interests
and a holder of political sinecures." The Record
Herald expressed the hope that the president
would withdraw the appointment, adding that
"even Theodore Roosevelt cannot safely traclo
upon his reputation in such a matter."
Tho Chicago Tribune, referring editorially to
the Jamieson appointment, said: "No matter
who promoted it or who ruithorized it, it is dis
creditable." The Tribune says that Jamieson has
been identified with "some of the worst legisla
tion ever known at Springfield," and adds- "He
is known not merely as a ward heeler but as
one who uses his influence to promote suspicious
or dishonest legislation."
It will be seen, however, that the exposure
of Jamieson's record had no influence upon the
Roosevelt administration. Jamieson was ap
pointed in spite of his bad record; and yet, wo
, presume the Tribune and the Record-Herald will
continue to point to Mr. Roosevelt as a perfectly
sincere man, a devoted civ'l service reformer aim
a president who discharges his duty- with an eyo
single to public interests. :
JJJ
A Special Offer.
Attention is directed to The Commoner special
subscription offer. This offer is riimilar to the
"lots of five" plan adopted last year. Cards, each
good for one year's subscription to The Com
moner. Will br fmtnlahol In tnia l flirn nh tllO
rate of $3 per lot. This places the yearly sub
scription rate at 60 cents.
Any one ordering the cards may. sell them
for $1 each, thus earning a commission of $2 on
each lot sold, or he may sell them, at the cost
price and find compensation in the fact that ho
has contributed to the effort to. widen The Com
moner's sphere of influence.
Theso cards may be paid for when ordered or
they may be ordered and remittance made after
they havo been sold.
A coupon is printed on page 7 for the con
venience of those who are willing to assist in th
coming contest.
R
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