Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1906)
m ii ,t.i,.iteaSSwi5giSggfei !''. -' jwsgttraprwwr iiwini"r"t"l"'p"',"l" """".'' """'' uii.il.-, ! i, tit. ,)nll--':lt"--l"r"'"'n""'fMl'l'l""'"w'' , fT TiiVLTT '' -.'"--:; C. s.,.- " . " , . ' j . r J The Commoner. VOLUME 0, NTJMBEK 11 Walshes "S i- H "'"."! ... ' ' Eftr I. rs. .. ! V J K l M Although Senator LaFollotte's action with respect to tho railway rate bill appears to hayo found favor with tho American people, the Wis consin senator does not stand well with tho re publican politicians. Newspapor dispatchos say that Sonator LaFolletto is openly insulted by his republican colleagues while republican news papers are reading LaFolletto out of the re publican party. For instance, the Washington correspondent for the Springfield, Mass., Repub lican, referring to ono day's proceedings while the rate bill was under discussion, says: "Anything and everything that LaFol lette offered during the day was even more quickly marked for slaughter by the repub- " licans than if it had come from the demo crats. One of his defeated amendments was designed to strike at the past practice of tho railroads in offering only partial testi mony before the interstate commerce com mission and full testimony before the courts, thereby aiming to discredit the commission by reversals of i'cs decisions. Senator Spooner had offered such an amendment last night, Inn; withdrew it apparently when he found it was contaminated by LaFollette's approval. In petty ways the republicans are showing un necessary discourtesy toward tho Wisconsin, radical, but they are helping instead of hurt ing him." "Where will LaFollette land?" is the ques tion generally discussed at the national capitol, and the question seems to be disturbing a large number of republican politicians. It can not be denied that many of the republican leaders are really anxious that Senator LaFollette should withdraw from their party. The position of these, is perhaps well described in a dispatch written by Frank J. Stillman, the Washington correspondent lor tne sioux city (iowa) journal, Mr. stniman says : "Tim ntntfimnnt. linn nnmo frnm nlnso nflrfirvnnl friends of Senator LaFollette, of Wisconsin, that ho is an aspirant for the presidential nomination and may fairly be considered in the race. If this bo true, the methods employed by the senator -in the senate may bo regarded as peculiar, unless he has worked out a new system of political pro cedure. As a matter of fact, a close observer of the senatof during the last few weeks would have formed the conclusion that he has been seek ing to line up democratic support in the senate. Senator LaFolletto will doubtless claim that he can get no consideration at the hands of the republican members of tho senate. If this be true it is due primarily to the fact that he has deliberately insulted the senate. He has not only disregarded the unwritten rules of that body, but he has gone out of his , way to repeatedly slam the senate and its membership. Custom has established the precedent that a brand new senator, before he breaks out in a set speech, shall sit in tho chamber long enough to become familiar with procedure and the methods of the senate. It is customary for a new senator to listen and vote during the first session of his member ship, although it is regarded as perfectly in order for him to ask questions and occasionally inject remarks of a pertinent sort upon pending legisla tion. In the case of Senator LaFollette It was expected that he would enter tho forum of debate at once, and considering the nature of the legis lation in hand and the experience of Senator La Follette in this line there was a disposition to accord him respectful hearing provided he saw lit to conduct himself in harmony with the spirit of the senate. In the course of his three days' speech on the rate question Senator LaFollette took occasion to roast the senate and senators a number of times. After he had spoken a couple j. uuuie uio m-HL uay anu mere appeared a largo array of vacant seats on both sides of the cham ber, the senator stopped in the midst of a remark and administered a rebuke to the senate because senators were ot present, declaring that the people would see to it that senators were sent who would remain in their seats, or words to that effect. This roast occurred just as Senator Alli son had arisen to leave the chamber to attend a session of tho. committee on appropriations, of which he is chairman. Senator Allison and Sen ator Dolliver wore two senators who remained in 'If each day during the LaFolletto Swh nf1,,,onB as they could teave other duties. t SSS?IvPleon wa,B leavlng his seat when Senator S ,PT,ed. and' with ereat dramatic ?Sf t,Bhialilns h hoad until llIs Pompadour trem K 'J U a flne frcnzy Slivered himself of the foregoing roast. It seemed to be directed principally at Senator Allison, who, in fact, was ono of the few senators during the three days' speech who did listen" for any length of time to Senator LaFollette.' "At other times Senator LaFollette has roasted tho senate and slapped the members in the face. He has seemed to take the view from tho beginning that the card for him to play was that of martyr; to make it appear that he had been turned down by the senate in the hope that this would popularize him in the minds of the people. Failing in this, he has taken the course of jumping on the senate. As for the senate, it has made no reply to the warnings and frenzy of tho statesman from the Badger state. It has gone right along about its business just as though Senator LaFollette had not appeared. "Latterly Senator LaFollette has taken a new tack. He is now in close communion with the democrats. Last week, during the final debate under the fifteen minute rule on the rate bill, lie voted with the democrats and was in constant conference with Senators Bailey, Money, Cul berson, Overman and others. When a situation -would arise permitting action, one of the demo crats mentioned or others immediately went to Senator LaFollette and a whispered consultation followed. At the first opportunity Senator La Follette took the floor, presumably along the line suggested by Senator Bailey or others. At all events, he seemed to be striving to embarrass the friends of the administration in the conduct of the rate bill. "It has been suggested that Senator .La Follette may b6 laying his plans to capture, the nomination for president on the democratic ticket with the expectation of being able to carry a suf ficient number of republican votes in Wisconsin to secure the electoral vote of that state and other close states. At any rate, nobody here, seems to be able to figure out how he hopes to win re publican support in the light of the tactics he has followed during tho last two months. He has not been directing his efforts against his col league, Senator Spooner, or against the group in the senate who have been opposed to the presi dent in his effort to obtain an effective railway rate bill. His policy, on the contrary, appears to have been to get into a row with tho repub lican side of the chamber in the hope that it would give him an opportunity to claim that he was being persecuted and appeal to the people on that ground." The Chicago Chronicle, which once pretended to be democratic, and which, controlled by motives similar to those actuating the patriots of old, left its party for its party's good, whips Senator La Follette from the republican party, saying: "Senator LaFollette, of Wisconsin, has been for years constantly veering away from the recog nized principles and policy of the party to which he assumes to belong and more and more identi fying himself with the socialistically inclined mal contents of the democratic party, to the leader ship of whom William Randolph Hearst aspires. So zealous an advocate of the fads and fancies of these visionaries as the degenerated literateur Julian Hawthorne has proclaimed that he can discern no virtue or good sense in all that has been said in congress during the pending memT orable consideration of the railroad rate bill, save in something that was offered by Hearst and tho flamboyant declamation by LaFollette. If anyone ever doubted the Wisconsin senator's af filiations the doubts must be dispelled by the rec ord of his voting on sundry proposed amendments to the rate bill in the senate on Friday last. On several of these the votes of the republican sen ators, or of every one of those who (ilaim to be republicans, were cast solidly together, with the one exception of LaFollette, who voted every time, without exception, with the democratic sen ators. Even on two or three occasions, when one or two of the democratic senators for stated, specific reasons, broke away from their party and voted with the "republicans. Mr. LaFollette stuck to his new allies and voted with the democratic opposition for any and every radical measure which irresponsibility might suggest. "While LaFollette was thus fraternizing with democrats in Washington his supporters at home were demanding of candidates for the state legis lature, in a return for LaFollette support, written pledges that if elected they will oppose and vote against the re-election to the senate of John C. Spooner, the present senior senator from Wiscon sin. Mr. Spooner is a republican and it is but a plain statemenrof fact that no other public man in the "United States Is held in higher regard for statesmanship, for wide and deep legal and po litical learning or for high personal and political character. No senator has reflected more honor on his state from every point of vievTand none ia more distinguished for devotion to sound, states manlike, conservative republican principles and practice. Yet this republican, one of the fore-' most of the senators from all the states, Mr. La Follette and his friends are openly and covertly plotting and intriguing to defeat. Certainly La , Follette's pretense to republicanism is as im pudent as it is hollow. He belongs to Hearst' and Bryan." Robert M. LaFollette will be given a cordial welcome to the democratic fold, but what shall it profit the republican party if it gains all tho John R. Walshes in America and loses its La Follettes? JJJ CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS ARE AP PROACHING The primary pledge is designed to awaken the interest of the rank and file of voters in the primaries of their party. As a result of the campaign waged on these lines thousands of democrats have signed a .pledge promising to lose no opportunity to participate in the pri maries of their party, and to see to it that the party makes a clean, honest and straightforward declaration on every question upon which the voters of the party desire to speak. The congressional elections are now ap proaching, and The Commoner desires to arouse new interest in the primary pledge plan of or ganization. To this end Commoner readers, everywhere are requested to participate in the effort to obtain by June 1, 25,000 signatures to the primary pledge. If you. do not have a primary pledge form, you will find one on page 14. This may be clipped or copied, as you prefer, and signatures attached thereto. Send signatures to The Commoner office as rapidly as possible. Extracts from letters received at The Com moner office follow: Otto Wieck, Omaha, Nebr. Enclosed find the required pledge. I am ready to do for the party Tvhat little I can, though you must consider that1 I am nearly olghty years of age. Wm. Bouck, Franklin, N. Y. Find enclosed fifty signatures to primary pledge. Success. D. C. Shaffer, White Cloud Ind. You - will find enclosed thirty-four of primary pledge signers who are for a free vote and a fair count. Bernard J. Sachs, St. Paul, Minn. Enclosed find twelve signatures to primary pledge. Norris E. Hoover, Hustontown, Pa. Enclosed find five names for primary pledge. This repre sents the fruits of five minutes' work. H. W. Frazier, Kimballton, Va. In response to your thirty day campaign call I herewith en--close you the names of twenty true Bryan demo crats who have enlisted to fight until the sun goes down on the sixth day of next November for the democratic principles. May the American people, regardless of past party affiliations, arise and break the chain of might, strike down cor-' ruption and once more come again unto their own. Hoping that pledges may increase to fifty thous and by the 1st of June, I am yours to serve J. M. Cawby, Fontana, Kans. I have a few names that have signed the primary pledge and l will send them in so you can enter their names on record. I heartily approve the primary pledge and think it will be a great success if followed O. L. Murray, Mont, Ky. Enclosed find two primary pledges signed and also application for subscription cards. My precinct is small but democratic three to one. W. H. Tisch, Grass Lake, Mich. Enclosed find six signatures to the primary pledge Witt,H,iB KIn.s' Eadeville, Mo. I enclose, her with, eleven signatures to the primary pledge. win, nVi' ulwrth. Jadwln, Mo. Enclosed here SiL. rr foiJrn. sISnatures to the primary -pledge. My pledge has already been 'sent in. r , JJJ rm JHERE ARE OTHERS mi TheSeatth3 Wash., Times (Republican) says:l Those former trusted employes of Standard Oil who are testifying as to the wickedness of old John D, Rockefeller's pot company, tell some pretty bad tales, but, as they belong to the in dependents now isn't it just likely that they are " a wee mite prejudiced?" To what particular independent company do Theodore Roosevelt and James R. Garfield Tie long? If there was nothing to conceal in Stan dard Oil affairs, why did John D, Rockefeller take refuge in flight when Missouri officials sought to serve upon him a subpoena, command ing him to appear in a court of justice and tell the truth? ., jfl& A .). n Mto.aBfAlAaa.?.,