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The Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 8, NO. 14
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 17, 1908
Whole Number 378
CONTENTS
MR. TAFT AS A CRITIC
WHENCE THE MONEY-? "
THE AMERICAN GAME
FAIRBANKS' COUP
CORRUPTION WORKING DOWN
WALTER WELLMAN SOUNDS A WARNING
TO REPUBLICANS
MR. BRYAN TO THE NEW YORK
AMERICAN
MOUNT VERNON AND AMERICAN WOMEN
MILLION ARMY PLAN
WASHINGTON LETTER
COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
A GROWING QUESTION
What is the extent of the financial inter
est hold by Joseph Pulitzer, owner of the New
York World, in railroad companies and in great
corporations commonly known as trusts?
This is a pertinent question because an
honest answer might uncover the special inter- '
ests for which the New York World speiiks in'
its present day attacks upon democrats.
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FIGHTING A GOOD FIGHT
The democrats in the senate made a splen-'
did fight against the Aldrich bill. They ham
mered it so 'hard and pointed out . Its defects
so forcibly that the majority was compelled to
abandon some of its worst features and add
several important .amendments. It was objec
tionable as it passed the senate but less so than
when it was introduced. The democrats of the
senate deserve credit for their consistent fight
against it. And now the democrats of the house
are engaged in a struggle against the tyrannical
rules that govern that body. Under the leader
ship of Mr. Williams the democrats of the house
are challenging the republicans to meet the
issues presented by the president. They ask that
the republicanss courageously meet the issues
presented and either endorse or oppose
the president's recommendations. The position
taken by the democrats is a sound one. It is
not filibustering to insist upon a vote upon an
important question, and the democrats are de
manding a vote upon several important ques
tions. Mr. Williams has announced that the
democrats stand ready to carry out several of
the president's recommendations recommenda
tions that are democratic, and asks if there are
twenty-nine republicans who will come to the
president's rescue.
The rules are such that a few men control
the house unless the protesting republicans are
willing to join with the democrats to change
the rules. Will they do so? Is their support
of the president sufficiently earnest to lead them
to rebel against the despotism that the rules
enable the speaker to-enforce? The democrats
of the senate and house are making political
capital; they are showing the insincerity of the
republican promises of reform; they are con
victing the republican leaders in the senate and
house of actual opposition to every important
reform.
Democratic prospects in the nation are
bright and growing brighter, and the democrats ,
of the senate and house are aiding these pros
pects by the fight they are making. More
strength to their arm's I
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WHY DON'T YOU LEND THKM A HANI), Mil. PRESIDENT?
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MR. TAFT AS A CRITIC
When Secretary Taft spoke at Omaha re
cently he took occasion to criticise . Mr. Bryan.
His first criticism was directed to Mr. Bryan's
conduct in advocating the ratification of the
treaty. According to Secretary Taft, Mr. Bryan
can not consistently criticise the imperialistic
policy of the government because ho favored the
ratification of the treaty. Secretary Taft is
either misinformed as to what Mr. Bryan did,
or he Is lacking In ,the candor that ought to
characterize public men in speaking of an oppo
nent. The question before the country was not
whether the treaty was as good a treaty as
might have been made, or whether it contained
provlsions that it ought not to have contained.
The treaty was made by the president's repre
sentatives, and when presented to congress, con
tained a provision for the ceding of the Philip
pine Islands to the United States. The repub
licans had a majority in both senate and
house, and the president was a republican, but
as the treaty requires a two-thirds majority,
some of the opponents of imperialism thought it
possible to secure the rejection of the treaty.
The rejection of the treaty, however, would
simply continue the state of war and furnish
an excuse for 'a continuance of war taxes and
war expenses. If the democrats had succeeded
In preventing, the ratification of the treaty, they
were not In a position to give instructions as
to a new treaty. If they had prevented the
ratification they would have taken upon them
selves the responsibility for anything that hap
pened while the state of war continued. If, for
instance, they had refused to ratify the treaty,
and insisted that Spain should give Independence
to the Filipinoes, there was danger of objection
being made by the European nations which have
colonies In the Orient, and none of the mon
archies of Europe arc anxious to hao a republic
established in Asia. With a minority in both
houses, the democrats could not possibly shapo
the policy of government, but they could bring
upon themselves just criticism If they involved
the country in further war. This was the situa
tion that the democrats had to meet and Mr,
Bryan proposed a plan for meeting it, and ho
has never for a moment regretted the part ho
took in that crisis. He proposed the ratifica
tion of the treaty and a declaration of our na
tion's purpose .to recognize the independence of
the Philippine Islands just as the treaty pro
vided for the recognition of the independence
of Cuba. The treaty settled the question as far
as Spain was concerned and left the future of
the Filipinos entirely to us. It was easier for
us to act alone than to act through a treaty, and
by acting alone we relieved ourselves of the
dangers that attend the negotiation of a treaty.
The plan which Mr, Bryan proposed came
so near realization that it required the vote of
the vice president to defeat it, for the treaty was
ratified by a very slender margin, and the vote
on the Bacon resolution promising independence
was so close that the presiding officer, the vice
president, turned the scales and decided the
question in the negative. One more vote and
the promise of independence would have been
given and all subsequent trouble saved. Now It
is hardly fair to judge Secretary Taft of ignor
ance of the situation at that time. He certain
ly knew that Mr. Bryan's plan included the
promise of independence as well as the ratifica
tion of the treaty. How can he, then, discuss
the matter without discussing the entire plan?
Why does he speak only of the ratification of
the treaty and ignore the promise of inde
pendence? Secretary Taft is not the only repub-
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