The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 10, NO. 23 Lincoln, Nebraska, June 17, 1910 Whofc Number 491
A Dismal Failure
Every young man and every old man too for
that matter should read an editorial that ap
peared recently In the Chicago Evening News.
That editorial follows:
"Senator Aldrich, during the period of his
official activity as a member of the national sen
ate, has been a power in the republican party
and in the affairs of the nation. Now it must
be. humiliating to him to find that his followers
are belngdriven from office by an indignant
people. The verdict of condemnation passed up
on his policies must impress even so inveterate
an exponent of the old order as the senator from
Rhode Island.
" 'The one fact that stands out,' says the New
York Evening Post, after conceding the ability
of Senator Aldrich and his hard work in the
carrying on of the necessaTy business of tho
senate, 'Is that he was the living embodiment of
that sordid and corrupt system which has left its
ineffaceable brand on the history of the republi
can party for three decades.' The close of Sen
ator Aldrich's career, the Post confidently
affirms, 'will coincide with the close of this most
unedifying chapter in the history of the repub
lican party.'
"Men love power. Senator Aldrich during the
days of his supremacy had the satisfaction of
realizing his own Influence 1n the affairs of gov
ernment. But most men, especially as they ap
proach the close of their active careers, also
craye honor and the approval of public opinion.
Since lie has not gained these the senator from
Rhode Island Is a dismal failure."
It& man like" Aldrich can notftnd satisfac-'
tion In the sort of honors that have come to him
through ardent service to the special interests,
how may any other public man expect to profit
on that line. No other man may expect to win
In the hearts of the trust magnate's the pinnacle
attained by Mr. Aldrich, yet he has found that
this sort of honor is like dead sea fruit that
turns to ashes on the lips. Young man, if you
intend to enter public life, better be determined
to win your own self-respect through faithful
service to the public interests.
WHAT IT MEANS
The Commoner warns Governor Hornon that
Mthe democratic party is in no mood to be trifled
with." We hope this means in part that tho
editor of The Commoner does not mean to re
turn to trifling. New York World.
It means that The Commoner sneaks for those
democrats who believe that persistent and con
sistent efforts toward reform should be made
by the democratic party. They do not believe
in the brand so popular in the New York World's
editorial rooms wherein the line is drawn
against reform whenever It touches the great
railroad trust in whose securities the World
editor's money is reported to be invested. It
means that the democrats of America are deter-
CONTENTS
A DISMAL FAILURE
A NATION-WIDE FIGHT
A REPUBLICAN MEASURE
MR. LATTA'S POOR EXCUSE
OREGON PLAN IN NEBRASKA
McHARG REWARDED
SENATOR OWEN'S PRACTICAL QUES
TIONS WHERE BATTLE IS RAGING
"MOCK" AND "REAL" DEMOCRACY
CHAMP CLARK AND THE SPEAKERSHIP
PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
mined that If the weary, trust ridden people turn
again to the democratic party they will not "hold
the word of promlso to th oar only to break it to
the hope." It means that in order to givo the
people reason to turn to the democratic party
the party's own doorsteps must bo swept clean
and the party must bo placed In a position whero
it may win success because it deserves it.
Try Your Hand at This
In his great speech delivered in tho United
States senate Senator Owen of Oklahoma asked,
"If the people really rulo why don't tho peoplo
get what they want?"
The Commoner will bo glad to print brief an
swers to this question.
Make your answer brief and to the point.
This question is in reality the most Important
question that may be considered by the American
people. Plainly something Is wrong with the
American government; plainly the peoplo do not
get what they want although they are presumed
to rule. What is tho matter? Tho Commoner
readers have the opportunity of contributing to
the solution of this problem.
WHY?
Quoting from a news report the statement,
"Senator LaFollette spoke at great length," tho
Houston (Texas) Post says: . "Why not the
simple statement that Senator LaFollette spoke.?
The public understands very well that it is al
ways to a finish whenever LaFollette takes the
floor."
And the public is always anxious to read what
LaFollette says because the public has learned
that the senator from Wisconsin is a faithful
defender of the public interests rather than the
servile tool of special Interests.
But how does it happen that the Houston
(Texas) Post, which passes In some quarters
as a democratic newspaper, Is so ready to aim
its shafts at men like LaFollette. The Post's
reputation among democrats would be of a
higher order if it gave more support to faithful
public servants and lesB encouragement to those
who have little or no sympathy with popular
government.
GOOD ADVICE
Collier's Weekly gives this good advice:
"Every democrat In the United States has a
patriotic duty during the twenty-five weeks
which end the 8th of next November; It Is to
see that men of high qualities get the demo
cratic nomination for congress in every dis
trict." That is good advice, too, for men of all
parties. We need not only good men but we
need also platforms that meet the issues of the
day in unmistakable tone.
ONLY A WARNING
Tho Philadelphia North American says, In a
feather duster editorial, that John Dalzell has
"received a warning." But what do men of
Dalzell's' stripe care for a warning so long as
they can get such papers as the Philadelphia
North American to support them and the peoplo
of Pennsylvania to elect them. So long as they
are permitted to rule in the republican party
they will put up with all the feather duster
warnings the people see fit to give them.
RATHER LATE
Charles J. Bonaparte, who was Mr. Roose
velt's attorney general delivered an address be
fore the Canadian club, of Montreal, on the
"Purification of Politics." Mr. Bonaparte had
an opportunity when he was attorney general
to make generous contribution to the purification
of politics; he failed, however, and his advice
on that line In a bit too late.
A Nation- Wide Fight
The Houston (Texas) Post criticises Mr.
Bryan's suggestion that the democrats of Ohio
nominato a candidate for United States senator.
Tho Post says:
"It was noted at the timo that there was no
domand whatever in Ohio for convention action
with respect to tho sonatorship, and probably
it waff for this reason that tho committee de
termined to lot it alono. Moreover, convention
action with respect to senatorships gives no as
suranco that tho choico of tho peoplo can be
better obtained that way than by members of
the legislature. Ordinarily, tho member of the
legislature will bo very apt to represent th
views of his constituents. They can instruct
him quite as well as they can instruct conven
tions, and there ought to bo no difficulty in
securing a good senator, provided, of course,
that the democrats elect a majority of the legis
lature. It has been many years since tho dem
ocrats, controlled tho Ohio legislature and It will
require a tremendous battle, with tho party
united, to win tho legislature this year. To In
troduce a question and a contest that might
tend to division and tho loss of tho legislature
would not have been good policy and could only
have postponed tho desired result the election
of a democratic United States senator from Ohio.
It is good policy to take into account existing
conditions, and those conditions in Ohio are un
questionably better known to Governor Harmon
and tho Ohio democrats than to outsiders."
While tho convention's action with respect to
tho senatorship gives no assuranco that. the beat
man will bo nominated, still It permits tho peo
ple to know prior to election day just what they
may expect In tho way of a United States sen
ator, in the event they choose a democratic
legislature.
It is reasonable to bellevo that tho choico 6t
the people can be better obtained through nom
ination by convention, held prior to election
day, than through selection made by the legis
lature after election day.
Tho Post's arguments about the necessity for
"tactics" in the effort to control the Ohio legis
lature are of no moment in this day when men
of all parties are turning seriously to the effort
to preserve popular government. It is absurd
to say that a party which stands out in tho
open and tells the people just what it proposes
to do In the selection of a United States senator
will, by reason of its frankness, lose votes. It
may be true that it will lose the active co-operation
of a few men who -aspiro to senatorial
honors but whoso affiliation with special inter
ests Is too notorious to justify any party in
giving them nomination for high office.
The conditions in Ohio, so far aB popular
government is concerned, are no different from
the conditions in other states. The abuses in
the United States senate are so flagrant that a
cry has gone up from tho American people and
it reaches from. Maine to California and from
the lakes to the gulf. It is the crj", "push the
popular election of senators." Tho very fact
that there are men In Ohio, as there were In
Indiana, who object to tho democratic conven
tion acting and telling the people in advance
what a democratic legislature would do in tho
way of selecting a senator, Is sufficient reason
to place Ohio democrats on their guard. Nor
is tho selection of a senator purely a state
affair. Democrats everywhere are Interested In
driving the trusts from power in the United
States senate. Democrats everywhere are In
terested In placing that great body under tho
control of a majority composed of men who will
be dominated by patriotic desire for the public
welfare, rather than" by concern for special in
terests. On this point, then, there are no "outsiders"
with respect to any senatorial election in
America. Tho fight for popular government is
nation-wide and must neceasarily be so if effec
tive work is to bo done.
Indiana democrats cordially welcomed The
Commoner's help in bringing about tho nomlna-