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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 1909)
SKiST""' 1 TT" " ' r" " 1 Y ' WiiilMiMPIfililB r-r- ,- -; --w- T "TfT.TjT"'" a The Commoner ItU.GUST 20, 10 " f Editorials By Commoner Readers SENTIMENT IN LOUISIANA Lko Charles, La. The Commoner's stric ture and conclusions concerning the attitude of Louisiana's congressmen are just and cor rect The influence of the tariff beneficlaTics Is now at its height, but since the state has adopted the primary system her voters, being called upon to act for themselves in the disposal of their ballot, are studying the question and there are few of the farmers, wage-earners and business men who will bo satisfied with tho argument that the major part of the people in Louisiana are benefited by a protective tariff. That the protective system Is iniquitous needs no arguing. In it is concerned the second part of the question of taxation distribution, and the levying upon one industry or one class to support another is vicious. It is a two-edged sword for it defrauds one and at the same time places tho most powerful weapon money in hands which often use It to controvert tho proper course of a democratic government. I had the opportunity to observe this in somo of the man ufacturing districts in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio while engaged in the campaign last fall. Tho man who felt compelled to wear a Taft button In order that he might not displease his em ployer was almost certain to carry that sub serviency into the booth with him especially when he felt that a system of espionage was In use and a betrayal might cost him his posi tion and, notwithstanding the astounding tales of bank accounts, this loss of position meant eviction and hunger. I do not think that the democratic party will surrender to the power 'that is ambitious to dom inate all parties even though a few men of in fluence in the party are so counseling, but your Instantaneous reply to every criticism, your courage in challenging oven your friends when they are for a moment forgetful is timely and inspiring. Tlie attainment of the presidency is nothing. The outward manifestations of victory are empty, but your success has 'been constant. At times you have fought almost single-handed and have by your faith not only kept tho party a democratic party but have made the people see that all that is good in any party Is Its democracy. In the crisis now confronting us you have, as I believe, your greatest fight. In all the others you have won as history will show' and I feel sure that in this you will be the force that will keep us bound to the principles that are the excuse for our existence. LEON LOCKE. PRE-ELECTION SPEECHES Fruitvale, Calif. Mr. Taft, In his pre-election, speeches Interpreted his party platform plank on the tariff question as pledging to the people a substantial reduction of the Dihgley sqhedules. The tariff bill as formulated by the present congress, under the leadership of Senator Aid rich, provides for raising the present schedules. This bill, was formulated with the full knowl edge and at least, the tacit consent of the presi dent, although there was no ofilc'lal expression from him one way or the other. Had he allowed it to come to him without his having had any hand or voice in its making he could have vetoed it with consistency or have allowed it to become the law without his signature in approval. But he has thrown away such opportunity to be consistent. He has liad offered two amend ments to the tariff bill which will make him sharer in the making of '.hat bill. This being so, it would be quite as inconsistent, and pos sibly more unreasonable, for him to veto the measure, as it would have been for him to sign it had it come to him wholly as the work of congress unaffected by any amendment recom mended by him. Thus, as it appears, has Senator Aldrich by accepting the president's amendments to a tariff bill which violates the party's pledge as in terpreted by the president, put it out of the power of the president not to be a party to this breach of faith. The president may not be expected to disapprove of his owii recom mendation. More, by substituting the president's corpora tion tax amendment and his amendment pro viding for amending the constitution permitting imposition of an income tax, Senator Aldrich sidetracks the Cummins graduated income tax amendment. Evidently the Rhode Island senator has the better of ths president In this barter. For should the president veto a measure containing two provisions which were by him recommend ed well, the conclusion by all thinking people would bo that Mr. Taft may be an expert at golf, but at the game of politics he is a novice pitted against an expert The father-in-law of John D. Rockefeller. Jr., now first vice presi dent of the Standard Oil company, has demon strated his rare adroitness and skill in putting the presideat In a position which will necessi tate his approval of a measure which "unequivo cally" violates a pledge "unequivocally" made by as flagrant an act of equivocation as was over perpetrated. Evidently, Mr. Taft has no aspirations to a' second term. Wonder If this may not be part of the play to put Roosevelt in next timo; to keep LaFollette or Cummins or some roal dem ocratic domocrat out 7 JOHN AUBREY JONES. CELEBRATING JULY 4 St. Louis, Mo. As a reader of The Commoner, beginning with the first issue, and having no ticed the changing conditions of tho people for several years', and from timo to timo considered tho principles of government advocated by you relative to the rights of persons and property, permit mo to say something about celebrating July 4. Among other things the Declaration of Independence declares: "That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain In alienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and tho pursuit of happiness. "That to secure these rights, governments are Instituted among men, deriving their just pow ers from tho consent of the governed. "That whenever any form of government be comes destructive of these ends, it Is tho right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to insti tute a new government, laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." Granting, because It Is self-evident, that all men are born with equal rights to life, liberty and happiness; that these are inalienable rights, they can not, as a matter of right be taken from vs, but should be protected by just lawB. When ever the government aids and protects the few, and not the masses, then there is something wrong, and It is the right and duty of the peo ple to alter or abolish such government, to es tablish a new one, founded on such principles and powers that will most likely secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all. The question, therefore, is, are the social, in dustrial and political conditions of our people such today that they enjoy life, liberty and happiness within the meaning of tho Declara tion of Independence? A family with plenty of unencumbered and Income property, sur rounded with the comforts and some luxuries of life may be satisfied, but how about tho fam ily In need of the dire necessities, confronted with poverty and defeat? The discouraging conditions of many In big cities, apparent to any observer, is sometimes alarming. Let us stop and reflect a little. What can we say and do so that our people can share alike in opportunities and prosperity as tho founders of the nation intended? If It Is true that the protective tariff policy enables the favored few to plunder the many then we are not executing the principles of government as set forth in the Declaration of Independence. They who are favored by such privileges organize private monopolies by force of which they deprive others of an equal chance in the race. The special privilege regime of private monopoly has such a foothold now that outsiders who start in business are soon forced to surrender because they can not suc cessfully compete with organized monopoly. Justice Brewer, delivering the opinion of tho court in a certain case, quoted Justlco Mathews who, when speaking of the principles of our constitutional government, wisely observed: "And It Is always safe to read the letter of the constitution in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence. No duty rests more Imperative upon the courts than the enforcement of those constitutional provisions intended to secure that equality of rights which is the foundation of free government." Good, but some of "the captains of industry" are opposed to such an equality of rights, and they are represented in the legislature and on the bench. The .courts will hare to do bottor than some have done anA interpret our laws with the judicial wisdom expressed by Justices Mathows and Brewor, and curb the unlawful combinations of predatory wealth, planning by day and by night, to sub jugate the common people. Let. us point out tho ovils of spocial privileges as being indefensible on the grounds of justice. A real statesman once said: "Our fathers brought forth on this continont a now nation, conceived In liborty, and dodicatod to tho prop osition that all men are created equal." Later he said: "I see In the near future a crisis arising that unnerves mo, and causes mo to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations havo been on throned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powor of tho coun try will endeavor to prolong Its roign by work ing upon the prejudices of the pooplo until all wealth Is aggregated In few hands and the re public is destroyed. I feol at this moment more anxiety for the safoty of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may provo groundless." Fellow citlzons, who aro tho statesmen of to day in authority that can see an approaching criBis which causes them to tremble for the safoty of tholr country? Stop by step organized monopoly la becoming more arrogant. While ours is a government of, for and by tho people on parchment, it is not so In practice, but can be made so by sufficient vigilance if wo do not wait too long. It is well, but not enough, for us to express our indebtedness to the heroes of tho Revolution. Wo must deal with actual con ditions. In this way wo can do something In furtherance of equal rights to "llfo, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." On tho Fourth of July wo should discuss, from tho standpoint of righteous citizonBhip, the moans and methods to be employed. Believing that tho nation was well founded, and if our civilization is all wo claim for it, wo should succeed. Let us do our best. CHARLES J. MAURER. Lest We Forget IT'S GOOD, GOOD! TliJn is an Associated Press dispatch; Now York, Juno ID, 1008. J. picrpont Morgan, who arrived from Europo today, expressed tils plousuro at tho choice of Secretary of War Taft aa tho rapublcan nomlnoc for the presidency. "It's good, good," Mr. Morgan Bald. He declined to talk furthor upon politics or any othor subject. IIAIUIIMAN'.S ATTORNEY" FOIt TAFT Tho following Is taken from the Chicago Records Herald, republican, issue of Tuesday, Juno 10: William Nelson Cromwell of New York, attorney for the Harrlman Interests, arrived In Chicago last night and announced that ho had como to oce tho stampede for Taft. "It Is all over," said Mr. Cromwell. "I find that tho Roosevelt stampede was all talk. I And no such sentiment. It will be a stampede, yes, but It will be a stampede for Taft." Mr. Cromwell Is a close personal friend of Secre tary Taft, and has como hero direct from Wash ington, where he met the coming' nominee WHAT DID IT MEAN? Tho public demands light on tho tariff question. The republican platform deals in goneralities. The language employed may mean anything or noth ing, and the speeches of tho republican candidate intensifies tho gloom that the convention threw over tho subject. Let there bo light, that the people may know whether tho tariff laws aro to continue to bo made by a few beneficiaries In their own Interest, or by tho people's representa tives for the people's good. Prom Mr. Bryan'8 speech at Denver, October 16, 1908. TnEJ EXPLANATION The following Is reproduced from an editorial written by Henry Watterson entitled "Peace With tho System," and printed In tho Louisville Courier Journal a fow days prior to the national election of 1908: "Flying the flag of Roosevelt the republican leaders have made their peace with the system. From Rockefeller to Carnegie, from Harrlman to Corey, every chieftain of wealth and predatory wealth, the honest too often making common causo with the dishonest, Is well content with Taft and Sherman. They foretoken and imply tho old order of special privilege to tho few, impositions of every sort to the many; high finance rampant; high tariff, 'revised by its friends,' rampant; the end of Roosoveltlsm and agitation 'for tho good of business business only organized capital and licensed monopoly; the same old story, tho same old song, the same old crowd slicked over with f'oose grease from the Roosevelt larder, but mean ng four years more of the rascaldom which Roose velt has unmasked but not downed; which Roose velt has exposed, but left intact; which, in spite of Roosevelt and all his works, stands today aa Impudent and as defiant as ever it stood, a gray wolf lording It over the senate, a gray wolf lord ing it over the house, and two gray wolves. Sher man and Sheldon, 'Sunny Jim' and 'Black George riving tone and effect to tho ticket. Should any thoughtful democrat, should any patriotic Ameri can, should any honest man, balk of his duty be fore such a layout?" m mi tii - n m . - ! -,! . a n ' 4 4 iih-