Commoner.
1 ne
WILLIAM J; BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR,
r
Vol. 4 No. 23.
Lincoln, Nebraska, Jun 24, 1904.
Republicans Aid
The Reorganizers.
The republican papers are just now Yory busy
helping the reorganizes. They are spending more
time at present denouncing the reguiai demo
crats and eulogizing tho "Wall street crowd than
they are in discussing republican policies. The
Pittsburg Gazette Tecently had an editorial criti
cizing tho Nebraska platform, assorting that it Is
"a profession of faith rather than a statement of
political Issues." The Gazette adds:
"It is the duty of every party to confine itself
to objects which are .practical and obtainable, for
it is the business of party to carry on the govern
ment. It is not right to bring forward issues in
which the people are not interested whatever
their abstract merit may bo. The people of the
country have shown in every way open to them
that they are opposed to the extensive program of
financial, judicial and social reconstruction to
which Mr. Bryan invites them with unfaltering
persistence. It Is a misnomer to call an organiza
tion tho democratic party when it absolutely dis
regards popular sentiment and taices the position
that the question is not what tho people want, but
what they ought to have. Public leaders undoubt
edly have educational duties to perform.toward
their adherents. There are times when public
leadership is justified in taking ground consider
ably in advance of the movement of public opinion,
but nevertheless, the basis of public action must
always be public opinion, and any sound and sen
sible party organization will bow to tho verdict
of the people."
Did the republicans drop the tariff when they
were defeated in 1890 and 1892? Did the gold
bugs stop working for tho gold standard when all
parties declared for bimetallism in 1B92? The
Nebraska platform does not deal with obsolete
questions. It deals with subjects now before con
gress and tho country. The platform reaffirmed
the Kansas City platform, just as republican plat
, forms are in tho habit of reaffirming the plat
forms of the party, but all of the questions spe
cifically mentioned are live questions.
Imperialism is costing tho country something
like a hundred millions a year, lr wo count tho
increased expenditure on the army and navy as
due to tho administration's Imperial policy. The
trust question is acute and of growing Import
ance. The tariff needs revision. The question of
government by injunction is very much alive. The
question of arbitration is vitally important, and
the eight-hour day was up before the committee
of congress, and the consideration of It was post
poned until after the election. The various phases
of the money question referred to are phases now
before congress. Not long ago the secretary of
the treasury announced that it was time to con
sider a basis for tho bank notes, and it is known
that the administration favors an asset currency.
The bill for the deposit of government money in
the various banks was recommended by a com
mittee of the lower house. The effort to melt
up the silver dollars is still persisted in, and the
issue between the greenb.OKs and national bank
note is one that must be settled.
The Gazette does not attempt to defend the
republican position on these questions, but like
the other corporation papers, -it assails the demo
crats who believe In an honest fight for honest
principles. There Is concerted action among tho
leading corporation papers, some of them calling
themselves democratic and some of them calling
themselves republican, but all the servants of or
ganized wealth, and these papers are persistently
and constantly atawork trying to secure the nom
ination of a Wall street, democrat. With such a
candidate nominated they can force President
Roosevelt to promise anything that he has not
already promised, and they can then rest, each
assured that whatever party wins the exploitation
of tho people can go on. It is astonishing that in
, yiow of this situation any democrats can be found
who would fall into tho trap now Doing laid by
the corporations.
Cleveland's Financial Advisers.
Mr. Cleveland, in his recent "bond Issue"
article, says:
"I think it may hero bo frankly confessed
that it never occurred to any of us to consult
in this emergency farmers, doctors, lawyers,
shoemakers, or oven statesmen. Wc would not
escape the belief that tho prospect of obtain
ing what wo needed might bo somowhat im
proved by making application to those whoso
business and surroundings qualified thorn in
telligently to respond."
Therefore, he says ho held an interview with
J. Pierpont Morgan, at tho White houso. Ho need
not have gone to tho trouble of explaining that
he did not consult tho public generally in regard
to the course to bo pursued. Ho never consulted
tho public or tho interests of tho public. Tho
very fact that ho attempts to explain why ho
consulted Mr. Morgan instead of 'farmers, doc
tors, lawyers," etc., shows that he Is conscious of
the weight of the criticism directed against him.
A little farther along in the article he says:
"After a little further discussion of tho
situation he (Morgan) suddenly asked mo why
wo did not buy one hundred millions In gold
at a fixed price, and pay for it in bonds under
section 3700 of the Revised Statutes. This
was a proposition entirely new to me and I
turned to tho statutes and read tho section
which he mentioned."
Hero is proof that Mr. Cleveland did not know
what the statutes contained on the subject, and
received this entirely new proposition from Mr.
Morgan. It has been often charged that Mr.
Cleveland received his financial views from Mr.
Morgan hero ho admits that Mr. Morgan even
Instructed him as to the statutes governing tho
issue of bonds. After this let no one doubt 'that
Mr. Morgan was tho trusted adviser of tho admin
istration. Tho difference between his advice and
the advice of Mr. Cleveland's official family was
that Mr. Morgan advised in hfs own Interests and
made an enormous profit out of the advice.
No wonder Mr. Cleveland got into trouble
when ho relied upon the advice of the very man
who was to profit by the policy suggested! In
court Mr. Cleveland would closely scrutinize tho
interest that a witness had In tho testimony given,
but of course It nover occurred to him that Mr.
Morgan could have anything but a patriotic in
terest in the advice that ho gave. Even If Mr.
Cleveland's defense, is accepted as sufficient to
exonorate him from intentional wrong-doing, it
would convict him of a mental weakness that
would unfit him for any responsible position. An
official who thinks that ho can salely leave tho
decisions of questions involving millions of dol
lars to tho very men who are to profit by the ad
vise given, cannot safely be trusted in any posi
tion of importance.
JJ
Church Sets Example.
According to the press dispatches, tho South
ern Methodist church of Hobart, Okla., has sot a
good example in returning an excess of fire In
surance. The insurance company allowed the
church ?1,300 for repairs, but the church found
that tho repairs cost only ?1,000, and returned
the remaining ?300. And why not? That the in
cident should excite attention shows tho low state
of the public conscience. 'The principles of right
and wrong aro easily discerned," says Jefferson,
"and require not the aid of many counsellors."
That is true. It is not lack of intelligence, but
lack of conscience that causes the most alarm to-,
day. Cheating in business, cheating in politics,
and corruption of government all spring from
.tho same source, namely: indifference to moral
obligations. Tho Hobart church, has done well,
but as "darkness brings out the stars," so this
incident is made conspicuous only by the fact that
scrupulous integrity is not as common as it ought
to be.
Whole No. 179.
Shall The People be
Allowed to Rule?
Tho action of tho Illinois democratic conven
tion, recently hold at Sprlngflold, raised a question
which dwarrs Into Inslgnlflcanco tho Issues which
havo during recent yoars caused dlssentlons in tho
democratic party. The question rai&cd by tho arbi
trary, unfair and unprincipled action of Hopkins
and his satolltcs is: Shall tho people rule? Mr.
Hopkins as chairman of tho stato commltteo and
with a majority of tho committee to support hlra
soloctod a temporary chairman who would do his
bidding and, refusing to allow a minority report
to bo submitted to tho convention, declared his
man temporary chairman. Ho then had a sub
committee of his central committee throw out tho
rogular delegations and seat some two hundred
dologates who had no semblanco of right to sit
in,tho convention. His chairman refused to allow
a minority report to bo considered, saying that
it was merely advisory and would bo filed for
record. Tho chairman refused to allow a roll call
on the motion to adopt tho report of tho credential
committee. But notwithstanding the illegal seat
ing of delegates not entitled to seats tho conven
tion wa3 still about three to one against Hopkins
as shown by tho only roll call, namely, tho ono
on the Hearst Instructions, and the chairman con
tinued to run tho convention surrounded by a lot
of policemen and a body guard Imported fiom Chi
cago for tho purpose. In tho various districts
enough delegates worAthrown .out or lgadji
give Hopkins a majority of the stato committee
and a majority of tho delegates to tho national
convention and on the endorsement of theso dele
gates and committeemen by tho slato convention
no roll call was permitted. S"o unjust, so bold and
so outrageous was the conduct of Hopkins and his
chairman that Judge Prentiss oi Chicago and
Mayor Crollns of Jollet declined to bo candidates
before tho convention. It was not a convention,
it was a usurpation of power by a conscienceless
gang of political pirates. If tho democrats of
Illinois after making a successful light at tho pri
maries can thus bo robbed of their victory what
incentive is there to Illinois democrats to study
public question and work for reform? The Hopkins
crowd has destroyed all hope of success In Illinois,
this fall but there Is still a chance ol appeal to
the national convention and this appeal should
bo taken. A contest should bo prepared and the
voice of tho democracy of Illinois should bo given
a chance for its life. Democracy is a mockery
with a man like Hopkins in control. If ho can
stifle the voice of the people this year he can do
so indefinitely, and the sooner ho Is repudiated
the sooner the party will bo put on sound ground.
Tho national convention Is an appellate court to
which the democrats of Illinois ought to bo able
to look for Justice. It is alleged that the same
tactics were resorted to in Indiana; if so there
ought to be contests from that state also. The
right of tho democratic voters to control their
organization is one that can not be disturbed
without tho demoralization and ultimate destruc
tion of the party. That the people shall rulo 14
fundamental.
JJ
Predatory Politics.
On another page will bo found an interesting
editorial which recently appeared in tho Chicago
Tribune. Tho editorial is entitled "Jonn R.
Walsh," and more than a column in the Tribune
is devoted to an expose of Mr. Walsh's prominence
in predatory politics. It calls attention to the al
liance between Walsh and tho Chronicle on one
side, and the worst elements of the republican
party on the other, and shows how theso mercen
ary democrats and mercenary republicans use both
parties to increase their financial gains.
.The readers of The Commoner know some
thing of the Chronicle, and the Tribune editorial
will enable them to better undei stand its pur
poses in making its attacks upon' ail that is demo
cratic. A democracy that interferes with the pi ami
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