fK w"ir'Tjn-Twji'!n'i!5'iirWi"'"wj' !'vw m The Commoner. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR fit VOL. 10, NO. 29 Lincoln, Nebraska, July 29, 1910 Whole Number 497 9 A Brave Governor Governor Shafroth of Colorado has called a special session of the legislature to carry out the pledges of the democratic platform. The first one is the submission of the initiative and referendum and the others are equally demo cratic. Governor Shafroth is a conscientious and consistent democrat; he believes that platforms are binding and is brave enough to insist upon the keeping of the pledges made in the platform. Success to him; he is making a record that will give him national prominence and make him an important figure in the counsels of the party. Governor Shaf roth's proclamation follows: "The purposes for which it is to assemble are specially named in the proclamation as follows: "First To enact a law providing for the sub omission to the qualified voters of the state of Colorado amendments to sections one (1) and eighteen (18) of article five (5) of the consti tution of the state of Colorado, providing for the initiative and referendum, so that the legis lative authority of the state shall be vested in the general assembly, consisting of a senate and a house of representatives, both to be elected by the people, but the people reserving to them selves power to propose amendments to the con stitution and power to propose laws, and to enact or reject the same at the polls independent of the general assembly, and also reserving power to the people at their own option to ap prove or reject at the polls any act of the general assembly. . . ' ' t- - "Second To enact a law providing " for the official ballot and the method of voting at elec tions in this state by the headless ballot, and prohibiting the use of any emblem, device or political party or organization designation on such ballot by which a voter can vote for more than one candidate by placing a single mark on the ballot, or by writing thereon any political party or organization name or other name or designation, or if a voting machine is permitted It must not enable the voter to vote a straight party ticket, or for more than one person by the operation of one movement or device. "Third To enact a direct primary election law, or laws, for the nomination of candidates for political office, and for political party posi tions, and concerning and regulating the govern ment of political parties and political organiza tions, and a law, or laws, concerning the nom ination, expression of choice for, by the people pledging of legislators for, and election of United States senators for the state of Colorado, and a law or laws, concerning the registration of voters and concerning elections in the state of Colorado. "Fourth To enact a law, or laws, relating to banks and banking, and requiring the guaranty of deposits therein. "Fifth To enact a law or laws, establishing a public service commission, and prescribing Its powers and duties, and to provide for the regu lation and control of public service corporations. "Sixth To enact a law, or laws, to define, Tegulate and control common carriers in this state; to create a state railnoad commission; to prescribe and define its powers and duties; CONTENTS A BRAVE GOVERNOR MR. BRYAN IN PORTO RICO COMPLIMENT TO IMPERIALISM PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS DIRECT LEGISLATION IN ARKANSAS THE NEBRASKA SENATORSHIP ELECTION OF SENATORS IF THE PEOPLE RULE, WHY DON'T THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT? CURRENT TOPICS HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT NEWS OF THE WEEK . V WASHINGTON NEWS to give to such state railway commission power to fix rates and enforce its orders; and to enact a law forbidding the issuing of railroad passes and the acceptance thereof, and prescribing pen alties for the violation of such lawB. Also to enact a law prohibiting the ownership or control of the capital stock of any corporation by an other. "Seventh To enact a law, or laws, authoriz ing the transfer of funds not needed in any branch, department, bureau or institution of the state to the general fund and to make an ap propriation to defray the expenses of this special session." Public Ownership of Public Government As a people, we of Colorado aTe set on the road to the better things In public life. It has been easy In the demanding hurry of business, In the struggle for material progress, In the duty and aspiration of personal life and its responsibilities, to leave politics to the politi cians and government to the "governing classes," And the result has been the Inevitable, which history has again and again recorded: The poli ticians have conducted politics for their gain; the "governing classes" have directed government its legislative, Its executive and Its judicial func tions,, splely for the enhancement and protection of their special privilege, until politicians and "governing classes," by their long usage and the people's default, have assumed a possessory right mid a clulm of Irrefragable title. By happy circumstances, oy courage and wis dom among publicists, and, most of all, by the reawakened purpose of the electorate, we have beon "sot on that road to better things" the -public ownership of public government. That Is the whole issue of these uprising times: A renewed public ownership of public government against the long prevailing private Ownership of public government. It is strange that the political prognostlcators for the parties have failed to see In "Insurgency" as It is variously manifested the new revolu tion of the whole people against conditions which oppressed the whole people. This revolution can not be called by any existing party name; It is not bounded by any particular party lines; It Is not against one's party tyranny any more than the other party's corruption, and It can not be stayed by any piteous demand for loyalty to regular party organization. The News welcomes, from whatever quarter and under any worthy leadership, every move ment of the new revolution. We have no 'parti sanship to be wounded by the defeat of private ownership of public government, and no purpose which is not to be fulfilled by a restoration of authority to the hands of a' free people. And in this respect The News Is but holding Its place in the ever-growing ranks of a patriotic citizen ship, which has determined that parties may be useful agencies, but are dangerous commanders. It is from this ground that the people of Colorado will greet the proclamation issued yes terday by Governor John F. Shafroth. It will be long remembered as a call upon this state for enlistment in the army of progress. A ful fillment of its terms will be a compliance with the pledge of patriotism given by a majority of legislators when the people entrusted to them the authority of law-making; a fulfillment will enroll this state as a leader of the new revo lution. The legislature will make a choice between loyalty and torylsm. It will take its stand as a representative body, knowing and expressing a' people's purpose. - Or it will be a tory body, coerced and cajoled by old tyrannies and corruptions. The governor has given his proclamation chal lengingly. Ho is with the whole people of this state for public ownership of public government. And the whole people are with their own cause. And the legislature must meet this issue. Chicanery, evasive promise, multiplication of questions and hair-splitting dalliances are now alike useless. The Colorado legislature will te with the state In the new revolution, or it will brand itself as a tory mlsrepresentative of this commonwealth. Editorial in Denver News. Porto Rico The United States Is In Porto Rico (and Porto Rico In the United States') as a. result of tho Spanish war. Tho acquisition of iho Island was not contemplated In fact, although thoro had In former years been talk of tho annexation of Cuba, little Porto Rico seems to havo beon over looked. And yet It now turns out that Porto Rico was ripe for annexation, and is tho very base needed for tho extension of our trade with, and our influence over, tho republics of Vene zuela', Brazil and Argentina. It is the key to tho east coast of South America, as tho canal zone Is the key to tho west coaBt. Havo you ever seen Porto Rico? If not, you havo a picture In your mind and It may bo as Imperfect a one as I formed before going thoro. I had learned that tho Island was, roughly speak ing, one hundred miles long and fifty miles wide. I could easily picture such an island. I had heard that a military road crossed tho Island from San Juan on tho north to Ponco on tho south, and that in tho center of tho island the road was about three thousand feet about the level of the sea, and I pictured an Island rising gradually from all sides to that height. But when I reached Porto Rico I found a mina turo Switzerland. Tho beauty of tho island sur passes anything I had heard or read our people do not know what a gem they havo In Porto. Rico. Its mountains, its canyons, its deep gorges, its rivers, Its water falls, Its fertile plains, its rich valleys, it innumerable hillgIU fields of cane and pineapple, Its cocoanufgroves"; Its coffee plantations, its orchards of orange and grape fruit and Its quaint old Spanish towns all combine to mnJcn the Inland OI10 Of lliu moat delightful places to visit. To add to Its natural attractions they havo built hundreds of miles of roads so that one can now travel by automo bile some seven hundred miles and see some thing worth looking at every mile of tho way. When Porto Rico Is known, It is certain to become a winter resort for tho people of tho north Atlantic states. Tho hotel accommodations at San Juan are not tho best at present, but arrangements havo beon made for a $400,000 hotel on the beach which will meet the require ment of transient guests, while the moro per manent ones will prefer a cottage homo sur rounded by fruit trees and flowers. It now takes five days to make tho trip from New York, but it is only a question of timo when larger and faster boats will bring the isl and within three days of the mainland. It Is about 1,375 miles from New York, 1,250 from Norfolk, 1,100 from Savannah and 1,000 from Key West. A new line from Savannah and Charleston is already being discussed and it is not improbable that tho railroads will one day be advertising a "To Porto Rico by land" trip by way of Florida and Cuba. A regular boat already connects Florida and Cuba and a lino from the east end of Cuba to the west end of Porto Rico would reduce the water part of tho journey to a minimum. The effects of American occupation are very apparent. First, in sanitation. Great progress has been made in locating and eradicating dis ease. Some three hundred thousand cases of hook worm have been treated all but thirty thousand by the official physicians. An appro priation of $375,000 is asked for the completion of the work. There Is no yellow fever there or bubonic plague. Second, the products of the island have largely Increased in quantity and value. The cane, crop has risen from 70,000 tons to 300,000 tons and there has been a largo Increase In the production of grape fruit, oranges and pineapples. The grape fruit and oranges are equal in flavor to any In the market and the pineapples grow to enormous size fmme exceed ing twenty pounds in weight. But the most noticeable result of American occupation is the Increase in the school atten dance. It was less than 25,000 in 1898; it Is now more than 100,000, and increasing. While the United States has furnished the initiative and done the directing, the Porto Ricans must 5' a a N 1 I U m I .. ,WuS ;M j.iuauii .