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The Commoner
X&$nm 7, .NUMBER 28
dont has partially adopted tlio democratic vlow
1 on this subject, but bo far tho republican leaders
have resolutoly opposod It. The president Ib
helping to oducatc tho people up to tho need of
railroad regulation but his party, under Its pres
ent leadership, Is powerless to accomplish this
or any other important reform. If tho demo
cratic party will clearly and unequivocally de
mand, first, tho ascertaining of tho value of all
tho railroads; second, tho preventing of over
capitalization; and third, tho reduction of rates
to a point whore they will yiold only a reason
able return upon tho real valuo of tho roads If
ho party will do this, it will commend itself
not only to democrats but to those republicans
who have been led to study tho railroad ques
tion. Tho railroad situation presents a vital
Issue, and the issue should be so stated that
everyone can understand the party's position.
While democrats may differ as to tho relative
importance of tho trust question, tho tariff ques
tion and tho railroad question, all must agree
that tho party must take tho side of the common
people on all three questions.
Let tho line bo drawn botwoon those who
want to make this a government of the people,
, by the people and for the people and those w,ho
want it to bo a government pf the corporations,
by tlio corporations' and for tho corporations.
A K
.p..
oooo
PLANNING FOR WAR
This is a great Aimo for war scares. Put
n uniform ory a "man and ho writes with his
sword and uses blood for ink. A Hungarian
naval expert has surveyed tho Hold and' reached
tho conclusion that wo should
First Create a strong fleet on tho Pacific.
Second Speedily complete tho Panama,
canal.
Third Increase western coast defenses and
create severaj new bases.
Fourth -Make an immediate and extensive '
Jncroaso In the standing army. '
: And why? To resist the attack which in'
tho opinion of this expert; Japan is planning.
And .'we have at home some of these' Vekperts"
whose inflamed imaginations exaggerate every
Japanese into a regiment and see the Pacific
coasts turned into a Japanese colony.
h .If durvcountry followed' the advice of
Jingolataand 'alarmists It would'havq, the .people'
boj impoverished by preparations fori war that
they could np.t' resist an attack 4f it over came. "'
xx
THINK IT OVER
In a speech delivered at Jamestown, Gov
ernor 'Hughes of New York gaid: "Political
leaders who have performed, the function of
clearing-houses for legislation, and who while
posing as party Workers have, served under a
retainer of special interests,- careless alike of
party principles or of public justice, are passing
from the stage."
.They "are passing from the stage," aro
they? Undoubtedly that is what the represent
atives .of special interests would have us believe
But even now it is generally believed that these
same special interests will dominate tho repub
lican national convention, even as, they dom
inate the republican United States senate.
Governor Hughes must be a humorist. How
tnany among the possible nominees of the re
publican national convention are- objectionable
to the great corporations? Look at, tho list and
think it over.
N OOOO
0r- NOT DIFFICULT
Discussing the question "jail instead of fines"
for the trust magnate, the Independent (New
Yoxlc) says: "In the case, of great corporations
engaged in transportation or manufacturing, the
prblem is how to fix individual responsibility
by law without impairing the value of corpora
tions as instruments of material progress, and
It Is a problem not easily solved. It is quite
possible that drastic legislation fixing such re,-..
sponslblllty would do more harm than good."
Why should it be any more difficult to fix
individual responsibility so far aj? tho corpora
tion official is concerned "without impairing the
value of- corporations as instruments of material
progress" than it is to fix individual responsi
bility vamong men generally without impairing
the value of natural persons as agencies in "the
upbuilding of the community and its business
interests?
The corporation obtains all of its powers
as well as its life from the law. What tho law
says it may do that may it doj what the law
forbids that it may not do; and what the law
says with respect to the plans for keeping trad6
and commerce among tho several states, freo
from conspiracy or restraint that is the rule;
and it is tho duty of men who accept responsi
ble office in corporations to see that tho law is
not violated.
"Corporations as instruments of material
progress" aro useful only whon they serve public
intorests. Wh,en their power is so used as to
make them a menace to public interests then
thoy cease to be "instruments of material prog
ress" so far as, the public interests aro concerned
and should be treated even as the flesh and
blood outlaw is treated.
Wo had in the beef trust case a shining
example. For years the members of that gigan
tic conspiracy against the lives of the people
had laughed to scorn every proceeding brought'
against them; but the smiles faded from tho
faces of the conspirators when thoy were prose
cuted under the criminal clausj of the Sherman
anti-trust law. In that case it was Ovident the
powers and the limits of the corporation had
been so clearly defined and that the responsibili
ties of the men in authority in those corpora
tions had been so explicitly fixed that everyone
of them would have drawn a prison sentence but
for the wonderfully opportunq "immunity bath,"
which had been administered by the United
States commissioner of corporations.
"Thou shalt not steal" is the law written
in the statute books of men even as in the word
of God; and to tills law tho men holding respon
sible office 'in corporations are to be strictly
hold if the corporation is" to be in- truth an "in
strument of material progress" rather than a
destroyer of honest business and a pirate upqn
the high seas of commerce.
OOOO '
"AFTER TIIE ELECTION" -An
Associated Press dispatch says that
Senator Hopkins of Illinois on leaving Oyster
Bay after a conference with the president said
that "the conclusion was reached that no tariff
revision should be undertaken until after the
next presidential election." .
"It would be suicidal to the republican
party," the senator added, "to undertake a re
vision of the tariff during the next congress.
After the presidential election I believe it will
be tho "duty of the republican party to revise
tho tariff and, that ife will be done."
. Mr, "Hopkins remarked that he believed,
such an argument would appeal to and be ,ac- '
cepted by the republican revisionists In all parts
of the country.
In the same interview Senator Hopkins
said that Speaker Cannon's chances for the re
publican nomination were every day improving
and that in his opinion the speaker would make
the very strongest candidate that could be
chosen.
Tho kind of tariff revision which may be
expected from the republican party is well rep
resented by "Uncle Joe" Cannon.
Of course there will be no tariff revision
untlL. after the presidential election and of
course there will be no tariff revision that will
interfere with the shelter provided by the trusts
after the presidential election if the republican
party has its way,
OOOO
IMPROVEMENT
Dispatchesxfrom The Hague under date of
July 12 said that the American delegates ap
pointed by Mr. Roosevelt supported the French
prdposal which was to the effect that there must
be declaration of war before the openinc of
hostilities. m
It will ba "remembered that Former Sec-
rLta,ry ?f t!l Navy John D- Lns ?aid that
. while Mr, Roosevelt was assistant secretary
of the navy he advised the sinking of the Span
ish fleet before a declaration of war had been
made. This story, as vouched for by Mr. Long
and also by Francis E. Leupp, one of Mr. Roose
velt's friends, was set forth at length In a re
cent issue of The Commoner.'
Now, according to The Ha'gue dispatches,,
the-'game man who advised the attack upon
Spain before declaration of War appoints dele
gates to The Hague who urge that such an ;
attack be made unlawful by ah agreement.
The world moves and everyone gathers wis
dom as- the days go by.
OOOO
, BY THE MASSES, OF COURSE
In a recent Issue Tho Commoner printed
. this editorial: - iu
"Those who urge the -nomination of a 'con
servative' candidate by the democratic conven
tion Btudiously insist that 'M?. Bryan's friends
say he does not want the nomination.' But fq
this 'the real issue? Tho presidential nomina
tion ought not to bo regarded as a compliment
to be handed to some one because he would
be pleased to have it. -A candidate should bo
selected because the rank and file of the party
want him nominated not merely because ho
wants tho nomination. First, what will tho
party stand for? Second, who can best repre
sent these principles in the campaign? These
questions ought to control the selection. Men's
ambitions ought not to count for much in a
presidential contest."
The New York World reproduces the above
editorial and complains that Mlv Bryan "leaves
too much unsaid." The World then asks:
"Is ho prepared to sink his own ambition
for thegood of the party?
"Is he prepared to let the rank and file
frame the platform as well as name the can
didate?" It is, indeed, hard to satisfy tho World. Its
two questions are answered in the very editorial
it reproduces: "The presidential nomination
ought not to bo regarded as a compliment to bo
handed to some one because he would be pleased
to have it. A candidate should be selected be
cause the rank and file of the party want him
nominated not merely because he" wants the
, nomination."
Mr. Bryan has repeatedly said that the rank
and file will frame the platform "and name
,the candidate and no man's v ambition should
be allowed to interfere with , that democratic
method.
OOOO
. FROM TWO STANDPOINTS
Imperialism must be viewed from two
standpoints, namely, from its effect upon the
United States, and fr.om its effect upon the
Filipinos.
Viewed from the standpoint of our own
people, we find that imperialism can not be de
fended without attacking our1 form of govern
ment -During the Revolution Buckle called at
tention to the fact that the people of Great
Britain could not defend their part in the war "
without asserting principles which, if carried
out," would destroy English liberty as well as
American liberty. And so we can not dbferid v
a colonial policy without asserting principles
which, if carried out, would destroy liberty iri
this country as well as in the Philippine islands.
Lincoln declared that the protection of our
country was not in fleets or armies, fonts or
towers, but "in the spirit which prizes liberty
as the heritage of all people in all lands every
where." "Destroy Jhis spirit," he exclaimed,
"and you plant the seeds of despotism at your
own doors." It is not an uncommon thing now
for people to speak of liberty as a gift which the
people of one country may graciously confer
upon the people of another country, and we hear
much of the doctrine that only so much liberty
should bo given -as the people are capable of en
joying. All of these expressions betray infidelity
to the republican form of government. When
liberty becomes a chattel, to be separated from
the person and sold at will, the person himself
is little more than a political chattel.
, The daily denial of the doctrine that gov
ernments derive their just powers from the con
sent of the governed, and the constant qualify
ing and amending of the doctrine of inalienable
rights these can not but weaken the founda
tion of our own government.
The- soldiers who go abroad to give physical
support to a carpet-bag government have drilled
into them doctrines antagonistic to the ideas of
a republic, and those who enter with, enthusiasm
upon the administration of a colonial govern
ment can hardly escape a change in their con
ceptions of government. No gold that could be
brought back in our merchant ships, if a Phil
ippine colony we're, really profitable, .could com
pensate us for the surrender of that ideal of
government which, planted on American soil
a century and a quarter ago and watered, with
the blood of patriots, has become, the hope of
the world. -''-
But what of imperialism from the Filipi
nos' point of view? Well, to begin with, it iso
objectionable because so long as ijt is continued
the Filipino can not speak in praise of American
institutions without exposing himself to tho
charge of stirring up insurrection.-vi We become
the enemies. of free government rather than its.
exponents when we make it unlawful for thoso
living under our flag to espouse' the political
principles for which the flag stands.
Second, the Filipinos have reason to com
plain of the expensiveness of our .government in
the Philippines. American officials do not go to
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