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The Commoner.
WILLIAM JL BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 9, NO. 5
Lincoln, Nebraska, Februaiy 12, 1909
Whole Number 421
WORKING FOR HONESTY IN ELECTIONS
Representative McVicker, of the Nebraska
legislature, has introduced the following bill:
A bill for an act to amend section 5983 of
chapter sixteen of Cobbey's Annotated Statutes
Ifor the year 1907 entitled elections, and to re
fpeal said section as it now exists.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State
of Nebraska:
Section 1. That section 5983 of chapter XVT.
Cobbey's Annotated Stu utes of Nebraska for
)07 be amended to read as follows:
Section 5983. Every treasurer of a political
cemmittee as defined in this act, and every
Pother person required by section sixteen of this
act to keep an account, shall, fifteen days be-
Ffore each and every election, caucus, conven
tion or primary election in or concerning, or
Lin connection with which he shall have received
or disbursed any money for any of the objects
or purposes mentioned in section fourteen of
fthis act, prepare and file in the office of clerk
of the county in which said treasurer or other
iperson resides, a full, true and detailed state-
'ment, subscribed and sworn to by him before
an officer authorized to administer oaths, setting
forth each and every contribution received by
ihim amounting to more than $50 from one per
son, whether the sum be given in one sum or
(in smaller sums aggregating more than $50, and
such treasurer, or other person, shall after the
said publication until election file on the day
that such contribution is received, a statement
setting forth; each and every individual contri-
mtion in excess of $50 that may be received.
(And such-treasuji'eiL-.or-jQ.therRi3rspn, shall not
receive, within two days of the election, any
single contribution above $50.
And every treasurer of a political committee
;as defined in this act. and every other person
required by section sixteen dt.this act to keep
San account, shall within twenty days after each
and every election, caucus, convention or pri
mary election In or concerning, or In connec
tion with which ho shall have received or dis
bursed any money for any of the objects or
purposes mentioned in section fourteen of this
act, prepare and file in the office of the clerk
of the county in which such treasurer or person
resides, a full, true and detailed account and
statement, subscribed and sworn to by him be
fore an officer authorized to administer oaths,
setting forth each and every sum of money re
ceived or disbursed by him for any of the ob
jects and purposes mentioned in sectior four
teen of this act, the date of receipt thereof and
each disbursement, the name of the person from
whom received or to whom paid and the object
or purpose for which the same was received
and the object or purposo for which disbursed.
Such treasurer's statement shall also set forth
the unpaid debts and obligations, if any, of such
committee, with the nature and amount of each
and to whom owing, in detail and if there are
no unpaid debts or obligations of such com
mittee, such statement shall state such fact.
No treasurer of a political committee shall
receive or accept more than $1,000 from any
one person to Tje spent in any one campaign,
and every person contributing more than $250
to any campaign fund shall at tho time of mak
ing sucli contribution file a statement with tho
clerk of the' county in which said person re
sides, the same as if he were treasurer of a'
political committee, and for failure to do so,
shall be subjected to the same penalties as are
Imposed upon such treasurer for failure to com
lynvTflrthTdViMpn'frplhis section. t
Any person not a treasurer of a political com
mittee who shall In his individual capacity re
ceive 'money from any other person to be used
in any campaign in this state, for the election
or defeat of any candidate, shall be subject to
tho samo requirements aa to tho receiving of
said money, both as to tho amount received, and
as to tho publication of same, and shall, upon
failure to comply with tho provisions of this sec
tion, bo subjected to tho same penalties as are
prescribed for tho failuro of a treasurer to com
ply with tho provisions of this section, and
with tho other provisions of this act.
Section 2. That section 5983 of chapter six
teen of Cobbey's Annotated Statutes of Ne
braska for 1907 bo, and tho same is hereby
repealed.
Tho purpose of tho bill is to carry out tho
-democratic national platform pledge on the sub
ject of campaign contributions. It will bo no
ticed that it provides, first, for publication of
campaign contributions (above $50) bofore the
election. It follows tho rule adopted by tho
democratic national committee, except that It
provides for publication of individual contri
butions above $50, whereas tho national com
mittee published nothing less than $100, tho
reduction in amount is mado because smaller
sums are contributed to state campaigns. Sec
ond, tho bill prohibits contributions abovo
$1,000; third, it applies to individuals receiv
ing and disbursing money, as well as to treas
urers; fourth, it requires immediate notlco
when tho contribution comes from outside ofc.
tho state, and , fifth, It requires tho. Individual
contributor to file notlco himself if he gives .
more than $250.
" There is nothing harsh about the bill, all of
its provisions can be easily compiled with. It
Is framed on tho theory that an election is a
.publlea.ffair-and that the voters have a' right r
to know what. Influences ,are at workrTherblIIr
ought to become a Taw in Nebraska and in otlforr
states whore tho legislatures want to purity
politics and make a nearer approach to honesty
in elections.
NOW FOR THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN PERIOD
The extraordinary interest just now displayed
lln all sections of America for everything per
taining to the career of Abraham Lincoln can
lot be explained by the fact that this is the one
lundredth anniversary of that great man's birth.
One must go deeper than that to learn why,
fct this moment, in every section 'of the united
States, men, women and children are eagerly
ieeking for facts connected with Lincoln's life.
In The Commoner's view this tendency
Lmounts to a great awakening. It is a reaching
nit on the part of the people for things that
five inspiration to good citizens, for truths that
CONTENTS
HONESTY IN ELECTIONS n-
. THE LINCOLN PERIOD fj
STORIES OP LINCOLN .
GETTYSBURG SPEECH M ,
GOVERNOR HASKELL'S INDICTMENT
EDUCATIONAL SERIES INITIATIVE AND
REFERENDUM
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE '
COMMENT ON OURRExNT TOfelCS
HOME DEPARTMENT ...
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT ' ' "
NEWS OF', THE WEEK ' ' , ,
PLUTOCRACY MADE UNIVERSITIES
WHO GETS THE MULE?
':;
help in the rearing of good men. It does not
represent, alone, reverence for the memory of a
man who, while serving as president during
the greatest of civil wars, was enabled to dis
charge his duty to his country, to the particular
section which stood by him, and to the particu
lar section which opposed him in such a manner
as to win from parties to the contest and from
their descendants enduring respect. It repre
sents a growing interest in matters that make
for the perpetuity of popular government. It
indicates that the people, grown weary of a
period of foolish herb worship, are looking for
something genuine upon which to expend their
honest and patriotic admiration.
For nearly eight years now we have had the
"Teddy Bear" period with all that such a period
could bring upon a patient people. Now, plain
ly, we are to have an Abraham Lincoln period.
The inanimate and the inane thing known as
the "Teddy Bear" will be replaced by the
healthy, wholesome volume describing the
hopes, the struggles and the achievements of
the Illinois rail splitter who, from poverty and
obscurity, rose to fame and honor and whoso
memory is enshrined in the hearts of a grateful
people. f
Lincoln's life is full of romance. It is full of
the dramatic. From the beginning to tho end
it is a story book. There are elements within
that career to attract the attention of all classes
of people and the child as well as the man will
be captivated with a well written record of Lin
coln's career. He was an intensely human man
a thoroughly real man; yet It was his lot to
have crowded Into his life more of the tender
incidents, the amusing episodes and the dra
matic experiences than has entered the life of
any other American citizen.
Even aBide from his war time experiences the
dramatic had full play. The Lincoln-Douglas
debates were undoubtedly the most interesting
contests that have ever taken place upon an
American platform. They are not stupid, dreary
speeches. They are tho living words of two of
America's greatest men men who while differ
ing radically in their general characteristics
were peculiarly fitted to engage in that particu
lar contest. Whether tho story of Lincoln deals
with him as a barefoot country boy, a lean, lank
rail splitter on the Illinois prairies, a fledgling
lawyer at the bar, a one term member of con
gress, an unsuccessful candidate for United
States senator, a twice victorious candidate for
the presidency, a martyred chief executive
whether the story of Lincoln relates to love, to
politics, or to war it Is a story of life. And one
of the greatest stories that has ever been re
duced to print.
Because this aroused interest in Lincoln lit
erature represents, In The Commoner's opinion,
an awakened interest In popular government
The Commoner is glad to announce that It Is
in a position to make it possible for every Com
moner reader to have In his library a very com
plete life of Abraham Lincoln covering six
well bound volumes. The details of Tho Com
moner's offer will bo found on page sixteen of
this issue. One set of these books goes with
ten yearly subscriptions to Tho Commoner.
This offer makes it possible for every Com
moner reader to have the life of Lincoln ready
at hand and it will also aid in Increasing The
Commoner's circulation. If through this plan
the circle of Commoner readers may be ma
terially widened and the number of people fa
miliar with Lincoln's career may be materially
increased, certainly great progress will havo
been made in the educational work to which .this
paper Is committed.
ONLY NINETEEN MORE DAYS' UNTIL
MARCH 4.
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