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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1905)
" ')J I BWWfrfPPWPWP PWWwii wr- - ,7 . DECEMBER 8, 1905 The Commoner. AN INDICTMENT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY- Are not the American peoplo justified in bringing an indictment against the republican party? The record warrants the assertion that that party is the greatest pretender and the great est dissembler of all political organizations. For years it posed as the friend of bimetal lism and charged the Cleveland administration with having completely demonetized silver. Its presidential candidate of 1896 while serving in the house denounced Mr. Cleveland for his par tiality to the single standard and charged that It was his purpose to "make money scarce and therefore dear,' to make "money the master and everything else the servant." And then in 1896 the party declared for bimetallism, through inter national agreement, pledging itself to bring about that agreement, and saying that in the meantime the existing standard would be maintained. No sooner had the votes been counted than republi can leaders declared that the victory won on that platform was a victory for the single gold stand ard! They made no serious effort to fulfill their pledge as to an international agreement. On the contrary they proceeded in the effort to fasten the single gold standard more thoroughly upon the country. The republican party sent a special envoy to the coronation of King Edward, a thing there tofore unheard of in the history of our govern ment. In the war Great Britain waged against the Boers it gave all the aid and sympathy it dared to give to the monarchy, and refused the smallest word of cheer to the republics. The British freely used our ports for the shipment of horsqs and mules. Pretending' to lie anxious for the preservation of the, American system the republican party has created colonies- and governs them as King George governed the American colonies, adopting the very policies against which our own fore fathers fought. And now Porto Rico as well as the Philippines is in revolt. Pretending to be the special champion of the soldiers and the sailors, the representatives of that party have repeatedly snubbed and sought to humiliate Dewey, Schley and Miles, heroes of our latest war. In its name elections have been purchased through the enormous campaign funds contribut ed by trusts and voters dependent for a living upon their wages have been intimidated by em ployers. Enormous and unnecessary expenditures have been made until the deficit for the last fiscal year was $24,000,000 and the deficit for the coming fiscal year is estimated at $40,000,000. And now when it is proposed to meet thaf. deficit by depriving the trusts of the shelter they find in the tariff, we are told that we must not interfere with "business interests!" Republican leaders boast of the integrity of their party's foreign policy; yet they violated the rules of nations when they interfered in Panama, and by force wrested that strip from its constitutional possessors. They havp boast- THE RELIGIOUS DRAMA In the October Fortnightly Review Mr. B. W. Findon utters a strong plea for what he calls "the religious drama," basing his appeal upon the ground that such a drama would appeal to peo ple of little or no faith, and to people who, be cause of spiritual inclination, are not attracted to anything devoid of. religious ideas. Several of the so-called "religious plays" have been finan cially successful, as for instance the "Sign of the Cross," dramatic enough in Itself but having a thin veneer of religion over a body of very worldy materials. A well known western minister recently de clared in a public address that if he were not a minister of the gospel he would be either a news paper man or an actor. These three professions talk to and teach more people than all other Professions combined. This being an acknowl edged fact, why should religious people object to using, the stage as a factor in the moral up u of the world? Man's love of the dramatic ed that they would build the canal, but recently it has developed that Senator Morgan and others were right when they charged that the Panama route was chosen at the dictation of the trans continental railroad companies, and that tho pur pose was not to build a canal but to delay tho building of a canal. Secretary Taft announced that tho trusts wero endeavoring to "hold up" tho government In tho purchase of Panama canal supplies, and ho said that in order to avoid these impositions tho gov ernment would purchase supplies abroad if such a course were necessary in order to protect it from extortion. While many republicans applaud ed Secretary Taft for this act, It is noticeable that, although tho popular demand for tariff re vision has been constantly growing, tho peoplo have not heard anything of Secretary Taft's plan for these many months. In spito of tho fact that many republicans are demanding tariff revision, it is plain the republican party will not give to the individual consumer the same privilege Secretary Taft at one time claimed for the government. The republican party pretends to bo willing to give the people relief from trust impositions. That party is in control of every department of government; yet no relief is in sight. Tho boast ed Northern Securities merger case was said to have been won for the people, but it develops that the only result is a change in tho method of or ganization, and the same old men continue to placo upon the people the same old burdens. We are told by republican newspapers that the railroad managers feel confident that they have averted the danger of any serious railroad legislation. The republican leader in a recent speech con demned the able lawyers who for a price give their talents to great corporations in order that the people may be oppressed; and then within a few-days after delivering that speech he ap pointed as his secretary of state Elihu Root, one of the most famous and successful corporation lawyers and a man who retired fjrom ' the post of secretary of war to resume tho practice of law in the interests of corporations. And when ho retired, as he did, for tho purpose of "mere gain" Mr. Roosevelt gavo him a fine certificate of character and said that he was the greatest man in a!l the world in Roosevelt's time. That was quite different from the statement Mr. Roose velt made when Engineer Wallace retired from the service of the government to accept another position for "mere gain." There is no question as to tho popular de mand for the election of United States senators by the people, and four times the house of repre sentatives has been forced to pass a proposed amendment to that effect. In each instance the republican senate has blocked the reform. When ever tho republican leaders conclude that the people are determined upon some sort of relief the house passes some sort of measure, Its lead ers knowing full well that the senate will not adopt it or will (as it did with respect to "the Esch-Townsend bill) appoint a -committee to in vestigate in the effort to discover whether the people are entitled to relief and in the effort, also, to see that they don't get what they are entitled to. Garfield reported that there was no beef trust, and then the federal grand jury at Chicago returned an indictment against the members of a beef trust, and then Mr. Garfield was assigned to make nn Investigation of tho Standard Oil trust, which It was announced was to bo "Juat aa rigid as his Investigation of tho boof trust had been." Bonaparto, tho now secretary of tho navy, a man who ought to get out of tho republican party just as quickly as ho can, returned tho pasooB which had been sont to him by railroads, saying that ho did not feel that in tho official position ho hold ho should accept such favors. Docs nny one boliovo that Mr. Bonaparte Is tho only mem ber of tho cabinet who hns been offered passos? Has nny one hoard of any othor member of tho cabinet refusing passes? Tho republican leaders sneer at govornmont ownership of railroads In America, and adopt tho plan In Panama. They reject an Incomo tax in our own land, and adopt ILwlLli respect to tho new railroads in the Philippines, whllo a fodoral judge in Hawaii has upheld tho Income tax In that territory. They authorize Messrs. Judson and Harmon to investigate the violation of tho nntl-rcbnto law, and they assure the people that tho Investi gation will bo "thorough and vigorous" and tho prosecution "swift and certain." Tho investiga tion was thorough and vigorous, but the prosecu tion lacked considerable of being "swift and cer tain." When Messrs. Judson and Harmon re ported tho republican administration rofused to act upon their report; it throw tho protecting arm of the republican party around a conspicuous offender and laid down tho rule, which it will find difficult to reverse, that when the anti-rebate law is violated the soulless and fleshless corporation must bo held to account, while tho powerful Paul Mortons go free and unmolested. Under tho authority of tho republican party trusts have multiplied to tho extent that sinco 1896 more trnsts have been organized than ex isted in all tho history of our government prior to that year. By its authority powerful violators of the law have been protected; men who havo spent their lives In helping great corporations to defy tho law have been advanced to high public ' places; and tho president's cabinet has como to bo the Alma Mater for corporation chiefs. Under the republican party congress, as tho representative of a free peoplo has abdicated, and congress under the control of tho great cor porations of the country is now doing busi ness at the old stand. Pretending to promote the general welfaro the republican party enriches tho few at the ex pense of the many. In dealing with tho peoplo of our new possessions it stands for force whero our forefathers would have stood for love. In Its relations with the people of our own land it is snivelling and hypocritical; tho arguments of its newspaper representatives are those of the so phist; the pretense of Its so-called leaders is patriotism, but tho purpose of tJT'o men who domi nate it is plunder. Who will say that there Is error in the state ment of fact in this indictment? If its conclu sions are not justified, then the republican party, now In control of every branch of tho government will provide the people with relief from the im positions that-havo been put upon them. But does any man acquainted with the char acter of the influences which dornlnat. the repub lican party today believe that tho people havo anything to expect in tho way of relief at the hands of that political organization? is instinctive, and lessons that would soon be forgotten if merely read are impressed upon the memory by the actor's art. The early church used the stage as an adjunct and the old miracle and morality plays were only sermons acted out by. a number of ministers instead of being read by one minister. Some students of biblical lit erature even claim that at least two books of the Old Testament were intended for dramatic presentation. That the people want dramas that ueal with the morals, that teach lessons of truth and jus tice and that champion virtue instead of glorify ing vice is amply demonstrated by the survival of those that deal with these things and the early demise of all so-called problem plays that pander to the baser passions. And if the stage Is to fulfill its mission in the highest sense pf that term, must it not more and more deal with those questions which have to do with religion? Every drama worthy of the name that nas pretended to be "religious" has been financially successful, as Instanced by the dramas of "Ben-Hur," "The Sign of tho Cross" and "The Prodigal Son." And yet even these have been lacking in many re spects. What might not be accomplished both financially and religiously if one of the many grand subjects in the Old Testament should o thoroughly handled by a master dramatist who, by training and inclination, sought to Im part wholesome lessons to tho people of his time? If the stage is decadent, if it has become, as many Christian men and women declare, antago nistic to the Christian life, is it not possible that the fault lies with Christian people and not with the stage itself? Thp Salvation Army seizes upon all the popular airs of the day and fits them to religious words. When a straightlaced sec tarian reproved General Booth for this and asked him how he reconciled dance hail tunes to Godly hymns, General Booth replied: "I do not be lieve in letting the Devil have a monopoly on all the good music." The same answer might bo made to those who object to the theatre why let the Devil have a monopoly on those things which, appeal to humanity? ii&ma&mTtotM1kiAWmve uttuMfiwiftnff iiiirtnnm t A. u.