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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1905)
"SwM I 2 K time. It would ho well If every American citizen could ponder upon these utterances and profit by them. On ono occasion ho said: The resources, advantages and powers of tho American people arc very great, and they have consequently succeeded to equally great responsibilities. It seems to have devolved upon them to test whethor a government es tablished on tlic principles of human freedom can bo maintained against an effort to build ono upon the exclusive foundation of human bondage. No statement mado by Mr. Lincoln is more appropriate today than his definition of liberty. Ho said: Tho world is in want of a good definition of tho word liberty. Wo all declare ourselves to be for liberty; but wo do not all mean tho sumo thing. Some mean that a man can do fis ho pleases with himself and his property. With others It means that some men can do as they plcaso with other men and other men's labor. Each of these tilings is called liberty, although they are entirely different. To givo an illustration: A shepherd drives a wolf from the throat of his sheep when attacked by him, and tho sheep, of course thanks tho shepherd for tho preservation of his life; but tho wolf denounces him as despoiling the wolf of his liberty; especially If it ho a black sheep. On another occasion ho declared: "I have novor had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from tho sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence." On another occasion ho re buked those who, in tho discussion of public ques tions, gavo no concern whatever to tho rights of men. Ho said; fa L Why tills doliberato pressing out of view tho rights ot men and tho authority of the poop lo? This is essentially a people's contest On tho side of tho union, Jt is a struggle for maintaining in the world that form and sub stance of government whose leading object is to e ova e tho condition of man; to lift art! flcial weights from all shoulders to clear tho paths of laudable pursuits to all to afford aH ?acoUofmad 3tan aad a fair ! in'the RiifS,1''?'1?101, Ul Preservation of tho Con fi Million, declaring: "The people of these United Ut?S arV10 rlshtfuI master of congresses and courts, not to overthrow the Constitution b,f oversow tho men who pervert the Stimon " On tho question of capital and labor Mr in coin was very explicit. Ho said: Mr.LIn- Monarchy itself is sometimes hinted at , . possible refuge from the power of tho peo- be l.Hnmiy I)rGSent POsItion coU soiree bo justified were I to omit raising a warning voicoagainst this approach of rSuning" It is not needed nor fiitinc horn n,f general argument should e i G n a others, to which I ask brief a Son ft f tho effort to place canHni . lt is labor. y L Ube of u Educes him to deserves much the h?SS? r CapltaI' antl ' men living are yfrMfJ No '. tlioso who toil un flZl y bo trusted than . inclined to take or ShT' none less havonotbonostfyearneTn Which th( surrendering afoK power wnM"0 ? ready possess, and which if nllt thf y aI" surely bo used to close thn ,w, en?ered' wil1 ment against such aTtLv ,,T S advance- , abilities and burdens Upon thorn $ dls' erty shall bo lost. tlh a11 of b- good. So while wo do no ,,rTr lmrm thn upon capital, wo do wtoh to i "?? a"y war man an equal chance to ? h , lhe """ablest W..onorsr.rmo0no The Commoner. in the race of life, freo society is such that he knows ho can better his condition; he knows that there is no fixed condition of labor for his wholo life. I am not a3hamed to confess that twenty-five years ago I was a hired laborer, mauling rails, at work on a flat boatjust what might happen to any poor man's son. I want every man to have the chance in which ho can better his condition, when he may look forward and hopo to bo a. hired laborer this year -and the next, work for himself after wards, and finally to hire men to work for him. That is the truo system. Ono statement made by Abraham Lincoln in his famous speech delivered at Alton should be kept before the people by every advocate of popu lar government. On that occasion, Mr. Lincoln said that there was one issue that would continue in this country, "when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent." Ho explained: It is the eternal struggle between these two . principles right and wrong throughout the world. They are the two principles that havo stood face to face from the beginning of time, and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It Is the same spirit that says, "You work and toil and earn bread and I'll eat it." No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the peo ple of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from ono race-of men as an apology for enslaving another race it is the same tyrannical principle. qfnnhnn ? T to,nsues" f Abraham Lincoln and tlm?P nmi HUglaS T Silent; but tue issue con W, and thc American people are face to face with that ssue at this time. The common right rtehV5ttklnfn.0W,C?IteBtl,le With thG ne Thl f Sf n i3 pIutocracy against democracy. The few say to the many: "You work and toil and earn bread and I'll eat it." In thl Tshane it ZTzLTL Tr though Abraham' Uncoln' bad X?nt i Vhe as?urance, intelligent men know that in whatever shape such a doctrine is re sented whether from the mouth of the Sine who ?ito?5rft f hiS w" naUolInS "vu uy rne milt of their labor or from a handful f SrTL0 lawasUeekoSI)eqal U neoniP it d k t0. enslave the masses of the People, it is the same tyrannical principle Enforce the Criminal Clause The opinion rendered by the United States su-' preme court in the beef trust case appears to be a complete vindication of the government laim of tho Sherman anti-uTlaw 1,ab.te toJe terms tlceo, by Jus- from tho bench deS S Ct he SS?' 8peaW,ls trust law was i criminni !fi e Sherman anti enforced acM?clIngly al StatUte and shou be annoS KX?' 2 t -pondenU of the administration had declared Z QflaencQ Preme court sustained he gover i ?" ho su" la the beef trust case primin, nts contention be Instituted. On nf' J?1" J)r.oceedings would court's decision in that case wg ,l 10 suprem Patches said that unless thia8hInston dis" opinion as the government Pa,Cnkfrs accPted the criminal clause of So Shp "ndorstoocl " the would bo invoked snermau anti-trust law adopted8 LongaSL011? cour will be indeed the chief ffa'tl 55 Cla"S0' whi ta law should have bee enfold ? anU"toU8t feature of that law whlSh ?h f U is tho one greatly fear. The criminal ImIoJ . maSnates weapon which powerful i?L ,dlct,ment s the one Roosevelt has it in his ;i?r?a,10ra dread. Mr? sincerity by invoking Sift r ( omonstrate his criminal indictment In ?s w"1 a,d of the trusts. Men of all politic-,? Jl ?anl asainst the President will rtQ to th tl0S hope that the everything to gain and nothing? ,ncy' He ng fearlessly and atahvwtiy in inf,0S by stand" nterests and the only way in whi?f 18e of m,bli the many may be protected from th Welfare of few is by calling strictlv to ? th? greed of the UPl telr Poc S CE.men who, in The peS0 t0 M --nff'vS PWon" has gone by, Mr -Pie have U'& VOLUME 5, NUMBER i They are not 'only entitled to relief, but they mnf have relief. It is within your -power to protS them and whatever contempt these influential law breakers may show for injunction proceedings nr high-sounding manifestoes, they will oe very readr to obey the law and obey it implicitly when they are brought face to face with the fact that continued violation of the law means imprison ment JJJ A 'Special Cable" The Philadelphia Press of recent date con. tains the following "special cable:" London, Jan. 22. Consuelo, Duchess of Manchester, has ju3t escaned serious unB having contracted a chill in her left ear while motoring with the queen from Chatsworth to Welbeck. It was feared an abscess was form ing, but this, was absorbed and she is now con valescing, but is still weak. At Brighton she entertained the king at dinner the night be fore her return from Chatsworth, but had to leave the bridge table owing to the agonies she suffered. Just what this special cost is not known, but the readers of the Press "ought to appreciate tho enterprise of the Press in securing so promptly an account of this international incident. It Is possible that some of the Philadelphia women had earache about the same time and many of them doubtless had backache caused by bending over wash tubs or headachefrom overwork, but their names do not appear in the columns of the Press Why this discrimination against home industry' Must one go motoring with a queen in Europe to attract attention in this country? Must ono en tertain a king at dinner in order to secure the right to have earaches in public ? : What a differ ence between high bridge and low bridge, even in democratic America. JJJ A Bad Practice The Chicago Record-Herald has recently urged the enactment of legislation to prevent the in discriminate carrying of concealed weapons. The coroner of Cook county, writing to the Record Herald, says: " It has been my observations that a largo percentage of the cases that icome to this of fice in which revolvers figure are the result of irresponsible persons being in possession of weapons of that character, and I have mado special efforts the past two years, through the medium of my annual report to the county board, to have the proper authorities enact such legislation as would prevent the indis criminate sale and carrying of revolvers. If the editorials succeed in stirring the city coun cil to action I am strongly of the opinion, that it will go far toward suppressing crime in our city. The evil referred to cannot be cured entirely by legislation, although remedial legislation is cer tainly desirable. It is no doubt true that thous ands of men who were at ono time in the habit of carrying concealed weapons have abandoned tho practice and a healthy public sentiment will havo great effect in curtailing the practice among thoughtful men. Some provision regulating tho sale of pocket pistols might be advantageous. Cer tainly the Record-Herald, in its "laudable effort, Jb entitled to the support of all good citizens and It would be well if a similar agitation could be made in every section of the country. Q Two Religious Addresses President Roosevelt and ex-President Cleve land recently delivered religious addresses on the fnmwnSoin,dar"theormer at tne Lutheran church ChrSa85 Ag?n S latter at the Young Men's Roo5ip?t if! ?CIaUSn in PhiladelPhia. President an JL ,th0 ,C0Urse of hIs remarks: "It trv to rSmiS1 thi?Bfor llle People of this coun- more JoTh itholJ rightS' but' Ifc Is GVen a SsTt U;ing or thdm t0 remember their men and ?hn n ft?1 ana y3ia the work- the states S for SoVhW1?6!?',010 WOflc'of PublIc men sha11 Christ v 5w lt,,snt base(1 otf the spirit of witho ? which nnS1)irItl!a1' that moral foundation church1rtooenoft,?1?VeJand sugSested that "a men worth Lowing eSt,eemed 8uessf ui because interiors Ivor uZS' Choirs worth bearing and at tho fact S m,JS. " worth While to blink can gain a hint 7hS Ut50,ng far from home we bim a Hint that nations called civilized and jn wrv- ..rr " "1' -