FY!ST " T f iniiiin iiiiphiM(W.w W(W-'- . 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 .ai 'i-Aifcat.-u ii hM muMim-