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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1908)
fMfr"? ... - v ., The Commoner WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR M M i -z VOL. 8, NO. 47 CONTENTS' THE GROWTH OF SOCIALISM FOR WHOM DOES HE SPEAK? SPEAKER ROOSEVELT COERCING THE VOTERS SOLVING THE MYSTERY DEFICIT TOM JOHNSON "BROKE" BUT STILL FIGHTING THE CORONER'S INQUEST AN INTER ESTING REVIEW ' - COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT - NEWS OF THE WEEK ' ' . COERCING THE VOTERS Every American Citizen Hns" the Right to Vote as . Ho Thinks Best - -We fear ttyat in thp event of Mr. Bryan's election on November .3, we may not be in, posi tion to give $ach $110 of you a pay envejopp 'here after, for we JfeeT that his ..election would cer tainly develop a lack- of confidence and business ftepresldn'with'not enough Vorlc for all of us. Xho business world has faith in Mr. Taft's policies, ' Your interests and ours are identical. THE AtJLT & WIBORG CO. - (Cincinnati, Ohio.), ... The employers 'who sent the abovo notice1 to tth'eir employes jused' their influence as em pfoyer's'to frighten those who worked for them. . If all "employers- valued citizenship at so low a price, our business -would soon be done along political lines no one daring to work for a member of another party, and no one, willing to 'purchase of one" belonging to another party, "ft might be well for our public instructors to spend a little time in emphasizing the right of each oitizen to make his vote represent his own conscience and judgment, and in rebuking the effort of employers to use their influence as pay masters to control the politics of the country. tV i&fc to fcT v.- Lincoln, Nebraska, December. 4, 1908 Whole Number 411 . V BY THE WAY- Tr "w ' safe h . J 1 lin'.lt jtv, n (, ,raSKI t DONT FORGET THE LITTLE FELLOW - 4 THE GROWTH OF SOCIALISM ; FOR WHOM DOES IT SPEAK? In its issue of November 28 the Outlook Magazine, edited by Rev. Dr. Lyman Abbott, says: "Neither Mr. Bryan's type of mind nor his policies are wanted by the people of the country." i "For whom does the Outlook speak? i For the reverend gentleman who, until re cent disclosures, was presumed to wield au un chained pen? ' For Theodore Roosevelt, its new associate editor? Or ' ' 'For Mr. James Stillmau, famous as a mem ber of the Standard Oil group and destined to become even more famous as the benefactor of the Rev. Dr. Lyman Abbott, and stockholder id the magazine of which Theodore Roosevelt is poon to become associate editor? iS c 5 I SUPPLANTING PLATT i One of the quickest waya to' accomplish postal ' reform and wipe out the-, constant- re curring postai deficit will be to retire Thomas Qpfjier PlaTt fronx the senate, and see-to it that no more representatives oP jthp express- com panies 4are elected to that body for' the, purpose . of protecting the Interests, battle express, com panies at. the expense ,o-,th.e people,- But.notlw iugiis- to be gainedhy'. supplaniingElatt-fwith-'an - abler -corporation- agents. , t Tho returns so far tabulated indicate that the growth of socialism has not been as rapid during the last four years as during the four years preceding. Several causes have been giv en for this retarded growth. First, some demo crats who voted the socialist ticket four years ago, voted the democratic this year. Second, President Roosevelt has stimulated the reform element in his party to hope for remedial legis lation from the republican party. Mr. Taft's nomination was heralded as a triumph for the progressives and doubtless held within the re publican party many who would have deserted it had the reactionary element selected the nom inee. Third, the active supi.ort given by the labor leaders to the democratic ticket tended to reduce to a minimum the socialist gains from the ranks, of labor. There were other reasons, but these have been mentioned as among ,the more influential ones. ""Now what is to bo the future of socialism? The small vote cast by the independent party and by the populist party is apt to turn men from both of these parties to the socialist party. The defeat of the democratic ticket Is likely to discourage- some of the democratic laboring- men and turn them toward the socialist party. Some of the democrats, not laboring men, may be weakened in faith and, made susceptible to the. arguments of socialtsits.' but much depends upon the character of MrJCTafi'a administration The argumentff-present ,h?w tjis behalf were incon sistent in- the wesjUhe. was- represented as a reformer. ready to piii?dn: tire president's mantle, Ttye president conaiantly. offered him to Ihe party as-the' only man to "continue," to "com plete" and . to "clinch" the reforms upon which ho, tho president, had entered. In the east Mr. Taft was represented as a quiet and amiable candidate who would restore "peace" in tho business centers, and, as Mr. Rockefeller put It, avoid "rash experiments" In legislation. Mr. Taft can not satisfy both sides. Ho may make an attempt at reforms, but he is quito sure to bo thwarted by the standpat clement of his party, and his failure to accomplish anything In the Interest of tho people if ho falls will increase the socialist strength. The socialist, as The Commoner views him, is an honest and earnest man, but a mis taken man. Seeing abuses that ought to be corrected, he seeks to overturn tho entire industrial sys tem. That there is injustice in the distribution of the rewards of labor, no one can deny, and starting with this admitted injustice, with the "known abuses," which even Mr. Taft concedes, the socialist makes them the basis of his pro test against individualism. The scientific so cialist presents- a- new system which ho would substitute for individualism. There Is no donbt that the theory of socialism appeals to a senti ment and yet the proponed system will not staad the test of analysis or reason. Tho socialist is as much mistaken m seeking to destroy com petition as is the parent who imagines that his ' child can be made stronger and better by re lieving him of the struggle that has developed the father. In the careers of the sons of the rich we find one. of tho strongest arguments . againstvthe elimination of competition. Children m I li'i ' -ySv J j m&