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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?
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