MTTBSSIiffi''WMBffr
The Commoner.
NOVEMBER 20, 1908
3
"AND NOW !" SAYS WATTERSON
Tho following editorial written by Henry .
Watterson appears In the Louisville Courier
Journal: AXD NOW!
"I do not know," said Edmund Burke, "tho
method of drawing up an indictment against a
whole people." Neither does tho Courier-Journal.
The result of Tuesday's election shows' con
clusively that a great majority of tho people
of tho controlling section of the union are well
content with things as they are; that it is. bet
ter to endure the conceded shortcoming of tho
party in power than embark upon an unknown
sea of continuous agitation; that Bryan meant
.this whilst Taft meant est; in short that a'
dollar, though tainted,, in hand, is work a bush
full of patriotic abstractions.
The idiosyncrasy of the time is commerco.
As in the last century it was liberty reaching
out after institutional freedom and measurably
'attaining it is it now materialism reaching out
after markets. The average voter of better
education and intelligence takes no thought of
tho hereafter, and is even moro indifferent to
the heretofore. He is completely engrossed by ,
the rtresent. That which Bacon calls "the wis
dom of our ancestors," makes as little appeal to
his reverence or reason, as that which Burns
calls "light from Heaven" makes to his imagina
tion. He would not exchange the current crop
reports, with a rising price list, for all the books
that were ever written upon political economy.
He either carries the fool of the vicinage with
him, or else raises enough dust to blind his eyes
and disarm his suffrage.
We need take no account here of the agen
cies of organization and corruption, though both .
may be seen clearly enough. They show so
plainly in the nomination and election of tho
successful candidate as to make it apparent that
whole segments of the people are no longer
appalled by anything, however Immoral and
wrong, that does not touch their pockets. Even
those that, preach the simple life in the maga
zines of the east are deaf to the drum-taps of
conscience. Nay, he that shrieks "righteous
ness" from the highest places is found often
practicing fraud in the lowest; so that the lan
guage of the religion of literature and journalism
and commerce, is cant.
It Is the part neither of common sense, nor
.of upright manhood, in the vanquished to kick
"against the pricks. Let us"hope and believe that,
despite its pharasaism and defilement, politics
is not war, nor party lines yet lines of battle.
The electorate has declared for a high protective
tariff; it ,has declared for an invincible arma
ment, embracing a navy unsurpassed upon the
seas, along with a corresponding military estab
lishment upon a' fixed war-footing on the land;
it has recorded a vote of confidence in the
chieftains of the two branches of tho national
legislature, as they are known to be constituted
and controlled, and has given them carte blanche
to make billion-dollar congresses the rule and
not the exception.
The country is rich. It is in the aggregate
growing richer. It is quite rich enough to stand
it, However unequal the distribution of its
wealth, the system, which is able to keep up a
lobby in each of the houses at Washington, will
have no reason to fear that its orders will not
be executed as vwell in the matter of Impost
duties laid, to protect their,, vast accretions of
capital as in the matter of government contracts ,
made to fatten the party-workers. Are we not
a world power, arid are these outlays not essen
tial to our dignity?
Yet each mishap has it compensation, in
the personality of the elected president the peo
ple may be said to be in possession of an anchor
to windward. ' Judge Taft owes his election to
his own character. Of this there can be no
manner of doubt. From first to last he was
grievously handicapped by the president. It
was the belief that he is not as Roosevelt that
though his platform faced two ways, he could
be relied on to face but one way, and that way
the reverse of the spectacular performances and
agitations barren of result, to which the presi
dent has accustomed us that weighed with the
commercialized instinct of tho middle classes
of society as well as the overpowering Interests
of massed wealth, the honest yielding themselves
to tho dishonest, and making common cause
against a change of parties in spite of all argu
ment in Its favor. '
That the republican party can not- compose
the irrepressible conflict between "capital and
labor. Is as certain as that tho old, historic dem
ocratic party could not compose that botwcon
freedom and slavery, But neither tho chiofs o2
the system, nor the victorious party loaders need,
trouble themselves about that just yet. With
such men tho rule Is "sufficient unto tho
day," and "eat, drink and be merry, though
tomorrow ye die." Just as fl'ty years ago a
little moro of moderation and a little less of
party spirit might have averted our sectional
war, ought it to bo plain to thinking men that
tho course of over-confidence on which wo nro
launched must inevitably lead to conditions
equally baffling to the statesmanship of tho fu
ture. Pray Heaven that they bo not so ruinous
and tragical: but that, under God. it shall bo
the destiny of the republic to vary the experience
of human kind and to work out without blood
shed tho problems of popular government to
some hitherto unknown and benign conclusion.
Looking back over the circumstances of tho
campaign now ended, tho Courier-Journal has
nothing to regret, or retract. Wo have given
.expression to our .true beliefs, accenting alterna
tives, not of-our own making; with good grnc.o
and putting forth our uttermost in the cause
of tho right as wo wore able to see it. We had
great confidence in tho election of the demo
cratic ticket. In no political battle that wo re
call has It seemed to us that so much to con
demn appeared upon a single side, or was so
plainly visible. We believed that there was
virtue and intelligence enough in the voters
to seo this, and to resent It at the ballot-box,
though only as a rebuke to overlord Ism and
partyism, quite lost to the sense of good citizen
ship and fidelity to the state.
The result shows that wo oversized the spir
itual and undersized the material in the hearts
and minds of the people. Thoy were deaf alike
to precedents, to reason and to eloquence: for
nothing could surpass, as nothing has ever
equaled, the personal canvass of Mr. Bryan; its
wondrous lucidltv and power of statement; its
splendid intellectual and physical endurance;
its unanswerable argument. Nor did Ignatius
of Loyola sweep through a world of incarrinto
evil bearing the Cross of Jesus to triumph with
greater force of Inspiration and truth than did
tho heroic son of Nebraska traverse a land Rap
ing with curlositv, but too busy over Its work
and play to consider any danger to tho Immortal
soul of its constitutional fabric.
There Is something yet better than being
president of the United Stated, and1 that"
is the real sense of duty done. Tlldon wilt live :
In history, when Hayes Is forgotten, or execrat-
ed. History Will say of Brvan that In thro1'
great' popujar movements, clouded sompflmes by"
errors' of judgment and obstructed alwavs by
corruption as we now know by insurmountable '
corruption he led sublimely; that he sot be-''
fore his countrymen the standards alike of Ood ;
.i x it.. .1 H..J. t- . -.1 1.-. III.'
unci iriii.iii and iiiiil iivs wm uuwm uuuiuij vitu
clean hands and high repute,-carrying with him
the homage of patriotic men.
In the national ernvernment tho oligarch Ism
of privilege finds itself stronger entrenched' than :
ever before. Its fortress is unassailable. Tt can ''
never be driven out short of Its own dissolution,
or some dire cataclysm', bringing ruin In it3 train. '
Yet, vanquished as the democratic party Is, it'
has not been so one with itself in many a day '
and it owes renewed loyalty to the public service.
This should be maintained equally fn defeat and
In victory. There must be a 'systematic and en
liebtened opposltlom How this shall arrange '
itself and who Bhall lead it, will appear in good '
season. f ' J
Old time democrats will Tvait and keep their
powder dry If they should despair, IT they ,!
should break apart, the country would bo ex
posed to-political anarchy leading through radl-
calism and excesses of every sort to practical
irresponsibility on the one hand, linregenerate
debauchery backed by resistless force on the
other hand. We may be a power for good
though beaten and In opposition. Seven mil
lions of votes are never to bo despised in case
they hold together. Many states remain to
us The constitution of the United States has
not been abolished yet, nor Institutional free
dom nor wise and upright administration, and
these are still worth fighting for.
So, amid the unneighborly and unpatriotic
vociferation of the republicans, the jubilation
and intolerance of the nondescripts flocking to
the winning, side the blatant bullying of the
leaders alike of predatory wealth and of plund
ering politics -lot us sit steady Jn tho boat, sus
tained by our owh rectitude and holding to tho
oars of what wo conceive to bo good government
in tho nation and in tho state.
t
v,0000000
THE OIUtlSTAlAS STAMP
nuiu ih cimnco 10 at once nolo a
good cause and at tho same tlmo partici
pate In a particularly happy observance
of tho greatest of all seasons
To tho Editor of tho Houston (Tox.)
Post: I have just read, with munh intnn.
est and pleasure, that a Christmas stamp 0
s to bo on sale very soon, which should 0.
have and doubtless will have Its thou-
sands and tons of thousands of purchase .
orH; ho stamp was designed by How-
ard Pylc, whose reputation as an artist
Is world-wide. It bears a wreath of holly
and the appropriate words, "Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year." 0
They nro Issued by the American
Bed Cross society and tho profit froirf-
uiu iwe ol ineso stamps Is to bo used
hi. we ngni on tuberculosis. Tho.prlco
for one stamp will bo one penny, and it
is estimated that if every man, woman
and child In this country will buy Just
ono of these stamps tho total amount
thus raised will provido tho whlto
plaguo workers with nearly $1,000,000.
These stamps will bo used as adorn
ments for Christmas packages and will
bo on sale, In any number, singly, Jn
sheets, or in books, In every stato of tho
nation during the next few weeks. , ,
As an evidence of what may bp ac-.
compllahed In this way tho Woman's ,
National Dally says that about a year
ago it was decided, as an experiment, to
put the stamp on aa)o In the state of
Delaware. At that tlmo the only hos
pital for consumptives was maintained In
a few shacks in a woodland meadow near
Wilmington. The stamps woro put on
tho market eighteen days before Christ
mas. Fifty thousand were printed, Thoy
were sold In one week. Nearly 400,000
were finally disposed of, and Delaware
is now in a fair way to owning a hos
pital for consumptives, and Is supporting
a tuberculosis nurse and a freo dls-.
pensary.
Since the recent International con-
, gress on tuberculosis such, startling facts, t
' have been published to the world, with 0
regard to the ravages of this dreaded ,
v disease, as have aroused the nation in its
determinal" m to fight and root out this
white plaguo which Is carrying away
by death, in this country alone, nearly
140.000 of our people every year.
Men throughout the world wlipjknow. ,
tuberculosis best are confident that not,,, ,
GT'bnlv can Its' present fearful ravages bo, ..(St..
, . limited, but, with proper care, tho dls-
.ease can be eradicated, and it Is to th)s t. ,
great and important work that tho., ,0
American Red Cross Is now directing Jjs (t,0, ,
attention and efforts. ,,. ,
But no war can be waged without-, 0
funds and the opportunity will be given 0 '
the people of1 Houston and elsewhere 0 ,
this'ypar for providing themselveswith ,
'tffose' Christmas stamps at a very small , 0
0 cost, and at the same time enabl? them 0
"io't'ake part' in a noble warfare. . u, , ,0 ,
0 ' ' Houston, ?exas. WILL AM HA UT. ,0 ,
0 0 .0 000 , S). '
THEY RESCUED THE BABY
" Guthrie, Okla., November 11. James. Wil
liamson, who is homestcading a claim on Hack
berry creek, dug a well twenty-two feet deep
and eight Inches square, then left it open S'lnday. ,
His eighteen months old baby backed into
the hole and shot to tho bottom, feet first.
The people of the community were holding
religious services when, rushing Into the build
ing "Williamson halted the preacher and told of
the' accident. Every man in the congregation
went to 'the Williamson homo and with shovels
and spades they worked in, relays for nearly nino
hours until a hole was dug big enough to per
mit the child to be rescued. Baby WilliamsoM
was not at all hurt, but very hungry.
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