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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 9, NO. 14
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 16, 1909
THE SOUTH IN THE CABINET
On another page will be found the speech
made by Secretary Dickinson, of the war de
partment, at the banquet tendered him by the
Iroquois club of Chicago. Having this statement
before them, the democrats of the country are in
position to form their own opinion upon three
points, first, the purpose the president had in
making the appointment; second, the propriety
of its acceptance, and third, its effect upon the
south.
Mr. Dickinson says he is a democrat, although
ho admits that he has at times disapproved of
the policies of the party, but he says that "on
account of local conditions" he "did not active
ly oppose it." And to make this confession
easier, he says that in doing so he did "like
many other southern men." Ho then proceeds
to assert that the democratic sentiment is not
as unanimous in the south as it appears, but
that there are "differences of opinion" which
"would lead to opposite party affiliations in
southern states, as in other states, but for a
constant and powerful, compacting force." He
regards it as a misfortune to the south and Ic
the whole country that "inexorable conditions
were such that differences on all other ques
tions have been subordinated to one question."
He does not know how long this condition will
continue, but thinks that all lovers of our
country should unite in hoping that the condi
tions which have operated in the past will not
continue to operate. He explains that "on ac
count of causes (to which he has referred) all
of the southern states at the last election cast
their electoral votes against President Taft, as
they have hitherto done with respect to other
republican candidates." It will be noticed
that he explains that the democratic victory in
the south was due, not to the fact that the
people of the south endorsed the position taken
by the democratic party, but to the "causes"
to which he has referred, namely, the "com
pacting force" of the race question.
Only one conclusion can be drawn from the
language employed by Mr. Dickinson, and that
is that he is not a democrat at all as democracy
is defined by recent party platforms. He does
not say in his speech before the Iroqupis club
how he has voted, but in an interview just be
fore the banquet he said that he did not vote
at all at the last election and that he had never
voted for Mr. Bryan, which means that in at
least three national campaigns out of the last
four, he has either abstained from voting or
voted the republican ticket. He says that he
has not "actively" opposed the party, although
he did not agree with it, but until he defines
what he means by "actively opposed," we can
not know whether he contented himself with
CONTENTS
THE SOUTH IN THE CABINET
A MAJOR GENERAL OP INDUSTRY
TPIOSE CONTINGENT ORDERS
EDUCATIONAL SERIES INFLUENCE OF
THE COLLEGE PROFESSOR
GOVERNOR GILCHRIST HAS FAITH IN
DEMOCRACY
"USELESS WAR ON TRUSTS"
RAISING THE COST OF LIVING
A STUPENDOUS HOLD-UP
STRAWS BY A WOMAN
COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS
LETTERS FROai THE PEOPLE
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK '.
not voting or whether he simply voted against
the party without making speeches.
It is also evident "from the language above
quoted that he regards himself as representa
tive of an element in the party in the south
which would leave the party and join the re
publican party but for the race question. Ho
further regards it as unfortunate that the situa
tion is such that this separation can not be
made now, and he suggests the hope that con
ditions may be such aa to make it possible to
have a republican party in the south to which
those can turn who do not agree with the dem
ocratic party. A little further along he explains
that Mr. Taft wanted a southern man in the
cabinet, but according to the argument pre
sented, a republican would not havo represent
ed the south, but merely a small minority of
the southern people. The president, Mr. Dick
inson thinks, would have been accused of re
warding a democrat for leaving his party if ho
had appointed a democrat who voted for him.
Mr. Dickinson regards himself as the proper man
because, not having voted for Mr. Taft, he
thinks the appointment can not bo regarded as
the payment of a debt. Mr. Dickinson is mis
taken on all these points. If the president had
wanted a representative of the people of the
south he would have selected a man who had
voted the democratic ticket, for the south is
no better represented by a1 man who refused
to vete the democratic ticket than by one who
actually voted the republican ticket,
Mr. Dickinson Indignantly denies that JMr.
Taft had any thought of breaking up the solid
south"it would .bdlittle ,ttfo brdatf jrftjrlofrsm
which Inspired the president," Mr. Dickinson
assures us, "to assume that his purpose was to
achieve political results." And yet no one can
read Mr. Dickinson's speech without reaching
the conclusion that that was actually the pur
pose which the president had in mind, and that
Mr. Dickinson enters heartily into the plan, for
when ho explains that many democrats are held
in the democratic party by the race issue, and
that he hopes that the conditions will not al
ways be such as to prevent these people join
ing the republican party, he announces himself
ready for the very work which Mr. Taft is wil
ling to undertake. That Mr. Dickinson is at
heart a republican is evident from the fact that
he not only promises to carry out the presi
dent's policy, but adds: "I can not conceive
that any duty can arise in connection with that
office that will be incompatible with any views
that I have hitherto entertained."
After what Mr. Dickinson had said before,
this statement was perfectly proper; he would
find it quite difficult to occupy a cabinet posi
tion in the democratic party but quite easy to
reconcile himself to the policies of a republican
president.
Having quoted from Secretary Dickinson to
prove, first, that he is not a democrat, and that
he has entered the cabinet to assist the presi
dent in disrupting the democratic party in the
south and in creating a republican party there,
it is well to face the issue presented.
It is true that there are many men in the
south (as well as in the north) who call them
selves democrats and yet are not in harmony
with the policies of the democratic party and
who would, but for the race question, ally them
selves with the republican party. Who are
these men? First, they are men who are in
their sentiment aristocratic; second, they are
men whose corporate connections lead them In
to opposition to the democratic party. Jeffer
son said a century ago that there are naturally
two parties in every country and that wherever
speech is free these two parties would manifest
themselves. These parties he described as an
. aristocratic party and a democratic party the
aristocratic party drawing to itself those who
do not believe in the people and do not trust
them; the democratic party drawing to itself
those who do believe in the people and trust
Whole Number 430
thorn. This Is tho natural distinction among
men and can bo found in every community aa
well as in every country.
Theso distinctions manifest themselves in pol
itics; tho aristocrat thinks society Is built from
the top and that if tho well-to-do aro taken
care of, they will look after tho poor, while tho
democrat believes that society is built from tho
bottom and that, if tho massos aro prosperous,
their prosperity will bo shared by the smallor
classes that rest upon the masses.
This natural distinction has boon emphasized
by corporate methods and by tho largo for
tunes which corporato organization has mado
possible. Every big corporation has a multi
tude of retainers and many of theso aro as sub
servient to their corporato masters as courtiers
are to a king. Whether Mr. Dickinson Is an
aristocrat by nature or has been weaned away
from his party by the Influence of tho corpora
tions with which he has been connected, can
best be determined by those who know hirn
personally. Mr. Dickinson may bo entirely hon
est in his opinion that his position is a disin
terested one a king's attendant may not bo
conscious of selfishness when he defends tho
institutions of monarchy; but no democrat need
bo deceived by tho arguments mado by Mr.
Dickinson. He has, inadvertently of course,
omitted a fact that ought to havo been stated.
He hold a high official position with a great
railway system, a railway system controlled by
Mr. Harriman. His salary has been stated at
$35,000 a year. Whether this statement Is
correct or not is immaterial; it is sufficient to
say that tho salary was enough to satisfy Mr.
Dickinson, it was doubtless more than the sal
ary of a cabinet position. Tho great railroad
systems are supporting tho republican party
because they f expect favors from the republican ,
party. Tiio public has" a" right to Judge whether'
it was merely by accident that Mr. Dickinson's
sympathies ran with his employers rather than,
with the general public which favors railroad'
regulation. All through the south, as well as
throughout the north, there are representatives
of the railroads, representatives of the. trusts,
and representatives of favor-seeking corpora
tions. . By a strange coincidence these are tho
very men who happen to opposo tho democratic
party. In tho south they complain that be
cause of the race issue they are restrained from '
making open opposition to the democratic party;
in the north they vote with the republicans and
contribute to the republican campaign fund,
protesting all the time that they aro good
democrats.-
If the president was anxious to represent tho
section called the 'south and not the people who
live there, he might consider the appointment of
Mr. Dickinson a concession to that section, al
though Mr. Dickinson really lives in Chicago.
A man who actually resides In the south would
bo a better representative of the section than
one who Is merely constructively a citizen, b' t
it Is the people of the south, not the geographical
area that deserves representation, and Mr. Dick
inson does not represent the people of the south.
In sentiment he Is entirely out of harmony with
the people whom he is supposed to represent in
tho cabinet.
If the president wanted to appoint 'a demo
crat, he ought to appoint a sure-enough demo
crat and not one In name only. A man who
can not "conceive of any duty that can arise in
connection with that office a republican cabi
net position that will be incompatible with any
views" that he has hitherto entertained, can
hardly claim to represent tho democratic party.
The president was not under any obligations to
appoint a democrat to his cabinet it would have
been a surprise to everyone If he had appointed
one. In fact, there would have been a unani
mous protest from his party if he had appointed
a sure-enough democrat; the fact that the re
publicans are satisfied with tho appointment of
Mr. Dickinson is proof conclusive that they do .
not regard him as a democrat and that they
do notexpeot him to act as a democrat.
There is a good deal of talk of bi-partisan
boards, but as a rule where a man of one party
i
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