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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 24, 1910)
r!rrrwmmpmffm, " - T, -T-' j WI;iiji C7!Sr7w"tjwW PTWSV 'USfSW "(rr w m$ The Commoner WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR C' f ix VOL. 10, NO. 24 Lincoln, Nebraska, June 24, 1910 Whole Number 492 The Ohio Seriatorship - . - . -..'. Mr. John R. McLean haa written for th Washington (D. C.) Post a leading editorial. Tko editorial is printed in another column of this issue. Mr. McLean charges that Mr. Bryan Is "very active this year in the work of destroy ing the chances of the democratic party." Ho gays that "matters were looking very well In Ohio, a few weeks ago," hut Mr. Bryan, "started a division that threatens to nullify the efforts of broad minded democrats to hold the party and carry the state." Now what has Mr. Bryan done to justify this outburst from Mr. McLean? Mr. Bryan has simply suggested to the democratic leaders of Ohio that the democrats of that state in con vention assembled, nominate a candidate for United States senator in order that the voters of Ohio may know, prior to election day, just what they may expect in the way of a senator In the event they choose a democratic legis lature. , Why does such a suggestion as This threaten democratic unity in Ohio? Why does such a suggestion as this interfere with the plans of "broad minded democrats?" Why would such a suggestion adopted by Ohio' democrats inter fere with the effort to make Ohio democratic? The one particular reason is that in the event the senatorial candidate is chosen by the con vention, other men who would like to be sen ators would not give their efforts on election day to democratic victory and the party would lose the advantage of the-combined efforts and Influence of a large number, of ambitious men. On thafc,pointk it may. be (sald that If .there are any democratic aspirants for the senate in Ohio who Would abandon their efforts toward democratic victory because they wore not given an office, then the party would lose, and the state of Ohio would lose, more by the election of such a man to the senate than by outright defeat for the party at the polls. The people of Ohio are not Interested In democratic unity save as it may be the means whereby they may secure results in the way of good government. When it comes to the election of a United States senator, the people of Ohio are Interested In having an able, con scientious man; and under our form of govern ment they have the right to know before they cast their ballots who the man will be in 'the vent a democratic legislature is chosen. To be sure, the law at present does not ex pressly provide a method whereby the people may choose, bu men of all parties are in favor of the popular election of senators, and so strong Is the sentiment that that reform will soon be accomplished. In the meantime, It is particu larly the duty of democrats to give to the peo ple as nearly as possible a plan whereby they may pass upon senatorial candidates. This is true because democratic platforms, democratic editorials, democratic speeches, everywhere, are CONTENTS THE OHIO SBNATORSHIP - MR. BRYAN IN BRAZIL SENATOR DOLLIVER'S GREAT SPEECH WHAT ABOUT PERSONAL LIBERTY? THE McLEAN EDITORIAL CURRENT TOPICS MR. BRYAN IN SCOTLAND HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT , . NEWS OP THE WEEK WASHINGTON NEWS T k filled with declarations in favor of this now method of choosing senators. In Ohio the last s'tate , convention directed the state committee to include in its call, for the democratic state convention for this year, the nomination of a senatorial candidate Acting, as we are told, under the advice of some distinguished Ohio democrats the state committee ignored this com mand from tho state convention. It is absurd for Mr. John R. McLean to say that "Mr. Bryan' plan Is to ruin tho party if it will not serve his interests," basing his chargo upon tho ground that Mr. Bryan urges tho dem ocrats of Ohio to take the peoplo into their con fidence on the senatorial question. Mr. Bryan is not concerned in tho "growing popularity" of any individual. Ho has repeatedly said that he owes more to the democracy of America than he can ever hope to repay. He Is not con cerned in the building up or tearing down of any individual; he recognizes that tho best method he may devise of trying to, in part, re pay the great obligation he owes to American democrats Is tho dedication of his services to practical reform work. .The way to build up a democratic party that shall be strong is to make if deserving of the people's support. The way to win that success which will be worth having is to deserve it. In this day when the thoughts of men are centered upon practical methods for genuine relief to a patient and long suffering people, parties must give the people proof of their sincerity else they could not, in reason, expect to receive the public confidence. Mr. Bryan had no candidate for the Ohio senatorship, nor for any other office. ' He asked the democrats of Ohio just as he did the demo crats of Indiana, just as he intends to ask the , democrats ofother states, to nominate a strong and 'faith'ffiV man "as vthVaenYocrstlc -candidate for senator a man who believes that a plat form is a solemn pledge and that the peoplo rather than the special interests, are tho masters of public servants. There is a simple test whereby the character of conflicting political advice may be tested. Let all democrats consider this question in a plain matter-of-fact way. Does it not stand to reason that at a time when tho people are studying political questions and showing themselves criti cal of political parties, the best advice that may be given to a party that hopes to bo of service to the people, is to deal with the people frankly, to take them Into its confidence, to tell them exactly what it will do in the way of public measures, -to show them exactly what it means in the way of candidates? Does it not stand to reason that between the McLean advice that the , people Jse required to depend upon tho whims of a legislature for the character of their senator, and the Bryan advice that the peoplo be told in advance of election just who will be chosen senator in the event of democratic victory does it not stand to reason that the frank and candid method is the better way from the purely practical standpoint in this year of 1910? Let democrats everywhere deal frankly with the people and they will be given a victory worth having." WHAT ABOUT PERSONAL LIBERTY .An Associated Press dispatch from Chicago says that thirty breweries, including some of tho largest In the country, have joined with the Chicago police in their crusader against, the sel ling of liquor in tenderloin resorts. These brewers have given Police Chief Steward a writ ten guarantee that they will assist in preventing the sale of intoxicating liquors in all resorts in the city and will not deliver beer to any resort that has been placed under tho ban. "The brewers have made it plain that the ad ministration of any large city can prohibit tho sale of liquors in dens of vice if the administra tion so desires," said one 6f the brewers. But what about the personal liberty of these people? Are they to be denied their "rights," simply because such a course la necessary 'to the good government of Chicago? Mn Bryan in Brazil . Brazil, whether measured by area or by population,-is the giant of South America. She embraces within her far extended boundaries one-third of tho contlnont, and moro than a third of tho continent's population inhabits her domain. Compared with other largo nations Brazil is fourth In size, if "possessions" aro ex cluded. China comes first with nearly four and ma half million square miles; United" States fol "lows with threo million six hundrod and thirty six thousand; British America is third with threo million throe hundrod and sovonty-nine thousand; Brazil has three million two hundred and ninety-ono thousand. , Tho chiof physical feature of Brazil Is the Amazon, tho world's greatost river, whoso wai ters give color to tho ocean for noarly two hun dred miles. Tho Amazon basin contains two million sevon hundred and thirty-two thousand squaro miles, a considerable portion of which is included in Poru and Bolivia, and somo in Equador and Colombia. On examining a map of Brazil one finds that tho Amazon, largo as it is, really belongs to North Brazil; tho eastern portion of tho republic is drained by the San Francisco, which discharges its waters into the Atlantic between Hahia and Pornambuco, and the southern portion by tho tributaries of the river Platte, which finds an outlet into the ocean just below Buenos Aires, Besides these large rivers there aro a number of smaller ones which drain tho coast section. One who has not mado a careful study of the country is surprised to find that Instead of. being composed of great prairies, like Argen tina, or of wide valleys, Brazil is quite moun tainous. Tho mountains are not-- hlghwtka-M highest are less than ten thousand feet and the tablelands run from one thousand to four thousand. These tablelands are, as a rule, fer tile, and their altitude gives relief from tho heat which visits tho lowlands in these latitudes. Coffee, Brazil's chief article of export, grows in tho hills. The state of San Paulo which lies a little south of west from Rio Is the center of the coffee district; it supplies moro than half of the amount annually consumed on the globo. The world used sixteen million, six hundred thousand bags of coffee during the year 1908 1909; of this amount Brazil produced nearly thirteen million bags, and the single state of San Paulo nine and a half million bags. It will be seen from these figures that Brazil produces three-fourths of the world's supply, and that San Paulo produces nearly three-fourths of Brazil's share. The state of San Paulo exerts such a dominating influence over the trade that it is attempting to sustain tho price of coffee by forbidding the planting of new trees, except to replace old ones, and Is endeavoring to pre vent what It regards as excessive exportation by imposing a twenty per cent tax on shipments mado after a certain amount has been exported. These measures were adopted with a view to giving stability to tho security given by the state to some of its creditors, but it will not bo surprising if it results in Increased cultiva tion of coffee elsewhere and, therefore, finally In loss to the people of San Paulo. This pre diction Is frequently made by Brazilians whose study of history has taught them tho danger incurred by interference with economic laws. The state of Bahia, which lies northeast of Rio, Is the center of the cocoa trade, about sixty million of the sixty-five million pounds of cocoa exported being produced there at least it passes through Bahia, the seaport of the state bearing that name. The Amazon river states, Amazonas and Para, furnish the great bulk of the rubber. Some rubber is shipped from Bahia one American ' firm has two million rubber trees in that sec tion, but of the ninety-one million dollars worth of rubber exported last year Manaos, the cap ital of Amaxonas, shipped almdst forty-five mil lion dollars worth, and Para, the capital of the state of Para',; over thirty-eight million dollars worth. The' recent rise in the price of rubber n I rH "t'l