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The Commoner.
VOLUME B, NUMBER 25
JWORDS OF CHEER FROM EARNEST DEflOCRATS
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EDITORIALS BY COMMONER READERS
The "editorials" by Commoner readers presented In each Issue must be
Interesting and Inspiring to democrats everywhere. These "editorials" are
written In response to the primary pledge plan.
Democrats everywhere are showing great enthusiasm as they enter
upon their effort to make their party true to Itself by making It true to
the people. Don't withhold your pledge because you always attend primaries.
You can help the work by setting a good example to your careless colleague.
Send in your own pledge. Then ask your neighbor to sign. It will require
time to cover the entire field, but if democrats co-operate, the desired result
will be accomplished. Every democrat is asked to pledge himself to attend
all of the primaries of his party to be held between now and the next
democratic national convention, unless unavoidably prevented, and to secure
a clear, honest and straight-forward declaration of the party's position on
every question upon which the voters of the party desire to speak. Those
desiring to be enrolled can either write to The Commoner approving tho
object of the organization and asking to have their names entered on the
roll, or they can fill out and mail the blank pledge, which is printed on page 9.
Extracts fiom letters deceived by
The Commoner follow:
William H. Phillips, Sykerville. I
herewith enclose the primary pledge.
Your plan will be a great benefit to
tho party.
G. W. Glass, Stamping Ground, Ky.
I send primary pledge with six sig
natures. L. S. Bell, Watauga, Ky. I heartily
approve of Tho Commoner's plan to
get out the democratic vote.
Allen G. Dutz, Guyandotte, W. Va.
I enclose primary pledge with thirty
six names of Jefferson democrats.
Please send me a lew blanks by re
turn mail, as I want to do all I can
for the grand old party.
A. N. Gorden, Leesville, Mo. I
herewith send primary pledge with
thirty-five signatures.
W. N. White, El Paso, Texas. An--0.tiergord
J)iim-rGama.ay;ex -from, .tie
enemy. x
J. L. Binchfield, McGregor, Texas.
I sign the primary pledge and think
all. domocrats ought to do likewise.
Hurrah for The Commoner.
A. H. Kor, Russia, N. M. Find en
closed pledge with nine signatures.
W. J. Moore, Comanche, Texas. I
heartily endorse your primary pledge
plan. I am one of those old gray haired
democrats. I cast my" first vote for
John u. Breckonridge in 1860. En
listed in the confederate army July,
1861, and was with the enemy until
the surrender.
H. G. Williams, Meadville, Pa. 1
enclose primary pledge with twenty
signatures.
Franklin G. Leh, Valley N. J. En
closed find primary pledge. If every
true democrat will keep the ball roll
ing wo can achieve a noble victory
in 1908. Yours looking forward for
good work. -
William Taylor, Petersburg, Ind.
Enclosed find primary pledge with
twenty signatures.
Gus Meeters, Yellville, Ark. I send
primary pledge with thirty-five sig
natures. A Baxter, Moscow, Idaho. I send
the pledge but will not vote for gold
standard candidates.
John W. Alphonse, Stamford, Conn.
I send primary pledge with thirty
five names.
A. B. Black, Deputy sheriff, Blooms
burg, Pa. I am going to make an ex
tra effort to get a lot of signatures
in this county, but of course it will
ta,ko some time.
Ed. J. Lithnan, Willowdell, Ohio
I enclose primary pledge with twenty
signatures.
Captain J. J. Hutchinson r,viAo,i
City, Colo. I will try to fill out the
pledge and return same to you
C. C. Aliff, Beckloy, W. Va. En
closed find primary pledge with
hirty-fivo signatures.
A. W. Purdin, Levorton, Mo. I
think the primary pledge plan a good
one to get tho veterans in line by
1908 for the greatest struggle in his
tory. Democracy must rule to save
our republic.
Fred Hellwig, Bonaparte, Iowa. I
send primary pledge with thirteen
signatures.
J. L. Linville, Bethany, Mo. En
closed find six pledges. It's hardly
worth while for me to send these
pledges, for we all attend the pri
maries any way, but we want to be
recorded among that noble throng
that gave a name to the democratic
party.
G. L. Root, Peoria, 111. Enclosed
find eight pledges duly signed.
John E. Brenneisen, Unionville, Md.
I send primary pledge signed. To
commence at the bottom is the right
plan but it should be followed un at
LtJieco.unty ajir. state, conventions.
Lora Plummer, Montrose,"lll. f en
close pledge with thirteen signatures.
James Allen, Fontana. Kans. I en
close pledge .list filled out. Send me
another blank, I think I can $ret it
filled out.
James J. Henry, Philadelphia. Pa.
I send primary pledge with thirty-five
signatures.
B. F. Van Meter, Lexington, Ky.
Here's my primary pledge. I have
been a democrat from mv pnviipnt
manhood to the present time.
Charles L. Warfleld, San Diego.
Calif. I enclose primary ' pledge
signed by twenty leading democrats
of this place.
Dr. J. A. Young, Pauls Valley, I. T.
I enclose pledge with forty-nine
signatures.
' Lyman Cole, ' Jameston, N. Y. I
send pledges with twenty signatures.
H. C. Ray, Dayton, Ohio. I am
willing to do all I can to forward The
Commoner's plan of organization. If
anything is accomplished here the
work must come from the rank and
file. While I am suro tho lnrim vo.
jority of voters believe in the reforms
The Commoner is advocating, the pri
maries are so manipulated that the
rank and file of the party have no
way of expressing their views. Thio
condition of affairs can be suppressed
only by a counter organization. I
once saw a wagon drawn by twenty
four horses. The wagon got in a rut
and tho twenty-four horses could not
pull it out, because they never pulled
together. Finally 'two old, sturdy,
work horses were put next to the
wagon, they threw their weight into
the collars and in less time than it
takes to tell it, the heavv wnenn TOo0
moving forward. A few men with a
purpose who will work together may
be able to pull the democratic wairon
out of the mire. b
W. W. Stell, Paris, Texas.As this
is my seventy-second birthday, and
having voted the democratic ticket
straight for fifty years, and living in
a state that is said to have a "brutal
democratic majority," I have thought
it hardly necessary for me to sign the
primary pledge. But I find the talks
of many who have signed the pledge
just like an old fashioned Methodist
love feast, and being a Methodist my
self I write to have my pledge re
corded. E. H. Speer, North Bellevernon, Pa.
I enclose; primary pledge.
Virgil Six, Abilene, Texas I here
with send my own primary pledge and
others duly signed.
Alonzo Fowler, Ava, Ohio. I am a
democrat first, last and all the time,
and am willing to assist in your or
ganization plan.
William Green, Landes, 111. En
closed find my primary pledge, which
I gladly sign. I believe it to be a
good plan to enthuse the voters. Get
them interested in the primary and no
fear but that they will be at the
polls on election day.
John T. Nichols,: Danville, Ind. I
send my primary pledge with four
others.
J. O. Wasson, Mobely, Ark. Please
send me a dozen copies of The Com
moner. I am securing signers to the
primary pledge and think I can use a
few copies of The Commoner.
Michael Hays, Adair, Mo. I heart
ily commend the primary pledge plan.
H. Fanchier, Moody, Texas. En
closed find primary pledge with eleven
signatures. I heartily endorse every
thing The Commoner advocates.
James Raerden, Bloomington, Ind.
Herewith find primary pledge with
thirty-five signatures.
Adolph Schaffer, Portland, Ore. I
send you my primary pledge. I be
IiGvf iu" "che tiue u6iiioeraoy.,and the
teachings of The Commoner.
E. L. Berry, Nehawka, Neb. I en
close herewith primary pledges signed
by fifteen democrats all of Nehawka
precinct. They all approve of your
plan, all signed except two to whom
I presented the pledge. I think your's
a good plan and hope it will be the
means of arousing more interest in
the party.
R. E. Rose, Mountain Grove, Mo.
Enclosed find thirty-five, primary
pledges. Long life to The Commoner
and to W. J. Bryan. We who were
born democrats in '96 have never de
serted our leader. Success to the pri
mary pledge plan and success to the
principles of true democracy. Let us
all work and pray that "government
of the people, by the people and for
the people, shall not' perish from the
earth."
W. S. White, Saint Jo. Texas. En
closed find primary pledge filled out
and signed. I heartily endorse your
plan. Am a Texan and democrat of
long standing, and I read The Com
moner, and am getting ready for
the great awakening of 1908.
E. L. Willaford, Richmond, Mo.
See enclosed a primary pledge sheet
with twenty names. We have another
sheet which will be sent in when full.
These names are secured without
much exertion. Everyone signs who
is asked.
H. N. Briggs, Clarion, Mich. I hand
you herewith my primary pledge to
gether with a few other signers. I
am in full sympathy with Mr. Bryan's
movement to secure a clear, honest
and straightforward declaration of
our party's position on every question,
not only for the campaign of 1908,
but for all future time. We want no
more of "Cleveland's sane and safe
Democracy," so-called, but 'the pure
and simple, Jefferson's simplicity, ex
actly suits me. I am still young in
the ranks of the people's cause havine
only cast two presidential ballots
one for Bryan and last fall for Var
ker; and I must say Parker was a
hard pill fbr me to swallow, but I
did so only on his policy of anti-im-perialism,
and anti-trust. I believe
that Parker's disastrous defeat last
fall will be beneficial in awakening
the rank and file to a sense of duty
and I trust that they will see to It
that the plutocrats are driven for ever
from tho party's mediations in the fu
ture. Every body should read Law
son's exposure and missel's articles
on the beef trust.
J. L. Bradley, Flat River, Mo. I
enclose the primary pledge signed. I
sign it with pleasure as I fully be
lieve it the only salvation for the
common people as it is -the only full
and free way to get an expression
of the people. Any candidate who is
afraid to submit his candidacy defin
ing his position to the people, the
people should be afraid of. I had
rather be in the minority than on the
side of the voters who secure their
election through funds contributed by
the trusts, I will cease by saying I am
a W. J. Bryan democrat.
J. M. Jones, Clearwater, Kans. I
endorse the primary pledge plan. At
the primaries is the place to do effi
cient work. If each individual demo
crat would attend all the primaries
of his-jparty, corruption in politics
would soon be eliminated. I like the
sentiment expressed in an editorial on
"Campaign Funds" in The Commoner
of April 14, 1905. "The only way to
make a successful campaign against
the encroachments of organized
wealth is to make it so honestly, so
openly and so fairly as to ap
peal to the conscience of the coun
try." I certainly enjoy reading the
brief letters published in The Com
moner from week to week. It cer
tainly is voicing the sentiment of the
people and especially the democratic
party. It shows whiph way the wind
blows. I wish every democrat would
thus express himself, vcome out and
show his colors, his loyalty to his
party. Yours for the -right.
W. H. Milliorn, Alia, Texas. I send
four more pledges duly signed by
four good democrats. Your plan to
bring the people closer together is
the way to success. I am 70 years
old, and have voted the democrat
ticket ever since I was 21 years old.
I shall do all I can to help the good
cause.
J. S. Cunningham, Knoxville, la.
Please find enclosed primary pledge
signed. I heartily endorse this move
ment, although it can not add any
thing to the interest I have always
taken in democratic conventions, hav
ing marched" in the ranks and voted
the ticket for fifty-four years and as
a specimen I have not missed a na
tional convention for thirty years.
In 1896 and 1900 I had the honor of
being a delegate to both conventions
and I shall always be proud of the
fact that both conventions were con
trolled by the people and not by a
machine. I hope the next convention
will adopt a radical progressive plat
form including all tne present issues
such as government and municipal
ownership and the referendum, in
come tax, election of United States
senators by the people, tariff for reve
nue only, no favoritism. If a mem
ber of the cabinet -violates the law
punish him as the man who steals a
horse. Nothing else is "a square
deal." No man can favor a square
deal who advocates protection and
I hope to live long enough to assise
in electing to the presidency a cham
pion of human rights.
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