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.VOLUME. 4, NUMBER 20, 1
emnlary Ufo make a record to which he could
plR an assurance of his worthiness ..He would
not then bo tempted to conceal his former delin
quencies. He could apply for work and joint to
the experience that had taught w sdom and as k
to ho trusted, and such an appeal would ilnd a
quick response. ...
What is the value of a human life? Who will
measure its possibilities for good? A fault how
over grievous, a sin howover black, ought not to
consign its perpetrator to hopoless despair, bin
is all too common to permit even the most vir
tuous to look with unfeeling contempt upon those
who have most erred. While the safety of society
requires the Imprisonment of tno offender, the
welfare of society also requires that he shall bo
reformed and made to feel that the past when
purged by sincere repentance, is no bar to future
effort. A consciousness of his wrong-doing may
oven spur the ex-convict to more earnest effort
in the hope that he may confer upon his fellow
men a boneiit that will offset the injury done by
him. .. , i
In his poem, "The Man With the Hoe," Mark
ham asks:
"How will you ever straighten up this shape;
Touch it again with immortality;
Give back the upward looking and the light;
Rebuild it in the music and the dream?"
And these questions may be asked concerning
tho criminal. The citizen, the patriot, the Chris
tian, may well consider society's duty to society's
prodigal son.
jjj
V
An Illogical Demand.
The reorganizes are saying that New York
ought to dictate the platform and choose the
candidate because New York Je expected to fur
nish tho votes necessary to elect a president.
Well, she has furnished the candidate and the
platform several times, 1868, 1872 and 1888 for
instance, when she did not furnish the electoral
votes. She is now claiming recognition to the
exclusion of states which have furnished electoral
votes since she did. If the voice of a section is
i to bo potent in proportion as it furnishes votes,
why did tho upper part of the state over-ride the
wishes oE tho New York city democrats? When
over New York state furnished a democratic ma
jority it conies from the city of New York, not
from the upper counties.' It is a little inconsistent
for the Hill-Parker combine to Insist that New
York must dominate the national convention be
cause she expects to furnish the votes, and then
shut out the New York city democrats who always
furnish the New York state majority. But New
York "logic is never logical in politics.
JJJ
Pledged To Wadl Street.
The St. Louis Chronicle of last Wednesday in
terviewed some of the prominent uankers in at
tendance upon the Missouri Bankers' association.
The interview will bo found on another page.
Attention is called to it because one of the bank
ers, Mr. J. M. Donald, vice president of the Han
over Bank of New York, declared that "President
Roosevelt has pledged himself to the bankers of
tho country to accept any money standard they
may decide is the best." He also said: "Presi
dent Roosevelt realizes that the standing of the
country depends upon tho standing of the bank
ing interests. Tho banks are tho safety valves of
tlie country. Ho realizes that upon them and
their success depends the wealth and prosperity
of the United States."
Mr. L. F. Potter, president of the First Na
tional Bank of Harlin, la., was quoted as saying:
"Tho finaneial interests aro strongly for Roose
velt." However, he is willing to add: "Parker is
all right and would bo given the full democratic
vote."
Mr. J. R. Domlnlck of the Traders' Bank of
Kansas City, whom tho Chronicle describes as
"tho only democrat among the six approached,"
said: "Roosevelt is a good man. He has gone
along cautiously and is now considered all right
by the money interests. They do not fear him."
He said that as a democrat ho would select Par
ker, but significantly added: "But wo really do
not want a change of administration at present.
And without doubt there will be nono. Roosevelt
will bo nominated and elected. Though many of
us may be democrats and vote for a democratic
nominee, still wo want Roosevelt to win."
These interviews present the political situa
tion in a nutshell. Mr. -Roosevelt is satisfactory
to the moneyed interests, he has secretly pledged
his administration to do what the financiers (and
The Commoser.
they are the trust magnates also) want donj.
The financiers and trust maBnatvpe'
want Roosevelt to win. However, to remove any
uneasiness they would like to ominato Parker
in tho democratic party and then the linanciers
and trust magnates could divide up and feel that
Wall street interests would be secure no matter
which candidate was elected. Can any democrat
who has the interests of his party and his country
at heart favor the nomination of a candidate who,
like Judge Parker, attempts to deceive the public
and at the same time gives secret pledges to plu
tocracy? The reorganizers are not seeking success,
they are attempting to secure control of the demo
cratic party in order to prevent any interference
with republican policies.
JJJ
Waiting Until Election is Over
On another page will be founO a copy of tho
Hill bill reported to the house of representatives
by the republican committee on banking and cur
rency, and now awaiting the action of the house. -It
is reprinted in order that the readers of The
Commoner may know wha to expect at the short
session which follows the election. The bill pro
vides, first, that customs receipts as well as in
ternal revenue receipts may be deposited in na
tional banks. The purpose of this provision is
to enlarge the government deposits in the national
banks, and is an indirect attempt to pass the Aid
rich bill. The measure would lay the foundation
for a still larger corruption fund than is now ob
tainable. The second provision of the bill removes the
limit upon the withdrawal of national bank cir
culation. The purpose of this provision is to place
the control of the paper money of the country
more completely in the hands of the national"
banks and enable them to enlarge or decrease the
bank circulation at will.
The third section removes the limit on sub
sidiary coin and authorizes the recoinage of sil
ver dollars into subsidiary coins half dollars,
quarters and dimes. The purpose of this is to en
able tho secretary of the treasury to reduce the
standard money of the country by converting
standard silver dollars into fractional currency,
which is only a limited legal tender.
Section four provides for the issuance of gold
certificates in denominations of ten dollars and
upwards heretofore twenty dollars was the low
est gold certificate issued.
Soction live removes the limitation upon the
bank notes of the denomination of ?5. It will be
seen that sections one, two, and three will have
a very serious effect upon the financial system of
the country, while sections four and five are in
tended to provide means of substituting bank
notes and gold certificates for sliver certificates,
as the silver certificates are retired.
If the advocates of the gold standard had the
courage to present their measures; and submit
their case to the judgment of the public they
could at least claim credit for honesty of pur
pose, but now as heretofore they steadfastly re
fuse to take the people into their confidence or to
outline in advance what they intend to do. The
republican leaders are afraid to pass the Hill bill
before the election, but they will not hesitate to
pass it after the election if the vote in November
indicates that the people will tolerate any further
steps toward the gold standard.
JJJ
Lawlessness.
The press dispatches report that some Colo
rado strikers have been guilty of acts of lawless
ness, and the same papers report that the gov
ernor of Colorado and the military commander
who is acting under him refuse to obey. the courts
of that state. Here are two instances of lawless
nessone by workingmen and another by officials
The governor has called out the militia ostensibly
for the purpose of preserving law and order but
the evidence seems to convict him of using the
military rather to advance the interests of em
ployers in their conflict with their employ
Lawlessness is indefensible anywhere whe
ther, committed by poor men on a strike or by hich
officials in the interest of corporations. The law
!T w1? ele(i' ia?d tnose wno refuse to obey it
ought to be taught that they are not only gUnty
of disrespect toward their government and toward
the whole people who stand behind the law but
that they are Injuring thoge wh e law; 'Jut
interest they act. A laboring man who attlSSS
to use force in the settlement of n strii iH
himself and his fellow Krers more tL?U,eB
one else. Nothing so surely tarS ni, an 7
ment against a strike as ZZot
lence by the strikers. And so Governor Peabodr
and hi military subordinates, in resisting tS
law and disregarding the orders of the court win
injure those in whose interest they are acti'ne
Tho American people are law-abiding thev
will not tolerate disregard of the law on the part
of any one, high or low. And the higher the law
breaker, the greater the offense, for if those en
trusted with great authority and great responsi
bility are indifferent to the claims of the gov
ernment which they help to administer, how can
individuals in the humbler walks of life be ex
pected to show due respect for the government ana
its law$?
JJJ
Nebraska's Vote in 1892.
The Commoner published a letter written by
James E. Boyd (then governor of Nebraska), in
forming the democrats of Nebraska that' Mr.
Cleveland's national committee desired the demo
crats, cf Nebraska to vote for the Weaver electors,
as the only means of defeating the republican
electors the object being to throw the election
into the "house in case no other candidate had a
majority in the electoral college. As further proof
that such instructions were given, the following
letter Is published:
North Platte, Neb., April 2, 1904. Hon.
W. J. Bryan, Lincoln, Neb. Dear Sir: Prom
time to time I observe that the Chicago Chron
icle ehaiges thKt you and other democrats of
Nebraska who YOted for J. B. Weaver for pres
ident were "bolters." Now I was one of those,
but before doing so I wrote Mr. Harrity of
Philadelphia, chairman of the national com
mittee, und n&ked bm. if Nebraska democrats
should vote tho Weaver ticket, and his an
swer was that while no resolution of that
hind had been formed by the committee, yet
they had talked the Nebraska situation over,
and were practically of the opinion that it
would bo the very best kind of politics for Ne
braska democrats to cast their votes lor the
Weaver electors. Very truly yours,
WALTER B. McNEEL.
Mr. McNeel, the writer of this letter, is the
chairman of the democratic congressional commit
tee in the Sixth district of Nebraska.- His testi
mony corroborates the Boyd letter, although no
corroborative testimony , is necessary. In fact,
without any instructions at all the democrats ef
Nebraska should have reached that conclusion,
because it was impossible to defeat the republican
electors with the democratic electors, and as the
democrats had a majority at that time, the elec
tion of a democratic president was assured if the
election should be thrown into the house, and the
democrats of Nebraska would have been guilty
of criminal folly if they had failed to take advant
age of the only means in their power of contri
buting to democratic success. By following these
instructions they came nearer -defeating the re
publican electors, and the democrats of Kansas
and Colorado, who received the same instruc
tions, did succeed in defeating the republican
ticket.
JJJ
They Refuse to Investigate.
Congressman Dalzell has called down upon
himself the criticism of his republican colleagues
by his attack upon Congressman Bourke Cocltfan
Dalzell charged Cockran with having received
pay for supporting McKinley in 1896. Cockran
in a very dramatic scene denied the charge and
proposed a resolution investigating the charge.
In the course of his speech he referred to the enor
mous fund expended by the republicans in 1896
which he had heard estimated at 16 millions ana
suggested that this would he a good time to find
how it was expended. The republicans were
thrown into a panie and took an adjournment m
order to devise ways and means to escape tne
threatened investigation. On the next day tne
chair ruled that the resolution was not a privi
leged one and the ruling was supported oy
strict party vote. Speaker Cannon has increa.eu
his popularity with his republican colleagues w
extricating them from a very embarrassing siiuu
tion and Investigation. The republicans nav
thus run from another issue and Mr. DaleziM
illustrated the peculiar morality which P1""
among republican leaders. In charging LOCh,h0
with receiving money from the republicans
acted on the theory that it was reprehens lDie
Cockran to receive what it was .proper for rei
cans to pay. If he regarded tho payment i
money as a bribe then he would defend tiio iw
of a bribe but condemn- the receiving ot a
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