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The Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 10, NO. 30
Lincoln, Nebraska, August 5, 1910
Whole Number 498
Nebraska Convention
The Nebraska democratic state convention re
fused, by a vote of 647 to 198, to endorse coun
ty option and this has been heralded over tho
country as a defeat for Mr. Bryan. Let all tho
facts be known: About May 1 Mr. Bryan
urged the calling of a special session of tho
legislature to submit the initiative and refer
endum. He stated that by the submission of
the initiative and referendum the county option
fight could bo postponed for two years. Ho
failed to secure the special session. Then ho
announced himself in favor of an endorsement
of county option as the only way to break tho
hold of the liquor interests and insure the sub
mission of the initiative and referendum.
As a result of his fight the republicans en
dorsed the initiative and referendum, thus mak
ing it certain that it will bo submitted at the
coming session of the legislature (the democrats
and populists also having endorsed it). This
is a victory for the reform for which he has con
tended for fourteen years. He can afford to
be turned down on county option if he can mako
sure of the initiative and referendum.
But the democratic convention defeated, by
a vote of 638 to 202 a plank declaring against
county option and Governor Shallenberger an
nounced at tho convention that he would sign
a county option bill. Since the republicans and
populists have declared for county option and
the democrats have refused to declare against
j- it the. .chances are .largely in favor of the pas
J gage of' a county option-bill. It will-beV'seeh,
therefore, that Mr. Bryan has reason to rejoico
. oyer the progress made in Nebraska. It mat-
ters little what is done to him; he can be happy
so long as the things he is fighting for win
and they are winning- in Nebraska.
IN NEBRASKA
. On the day following the adjournment of the
Nebraska democratic convention, Mr. Bryan
. gave out the following statement:
"While the failure of the democratic conven
tion to endorse county option was dhappointing,
still the fight for county option in the democratic
party has not been in vain. In the first place
it has helped to sepure a declaration in favor
of the initiative and referendum in the party,
and now that all parties have declared for it,
there is no doubt of the necessary amendment
being submitted at the next session of the legis
lature. The only thing that remains to be done
on this subject is to pledge every candidate
on all tickets to support the initiative and refer
endum, and this ought to be attended to. The
candidate who refuses to pledge himself to sup
port the initiative and referendum not only de
clares himself against the rule of the people, but
repudiates the platform of his party.
"The populist party declared for county option
two years ago, and it was to be expected that
it would declare for it again. The work now
to be done is to secure county option candidates
in every senatorial and representative district.
The democrats who favor county option should
turn out at the primaries and nominate a can
didate favorable to county option. Tho repub
licans in favor of county option should be as
active in securing tho nomination of republican
candidates favorable to county option. County
option candidates should bo nominated by all
parties in each district, and I havo no doubt that
this can bo done in a great many districts. If
the democratic convention had endorsed county
option, tho issuo would havo been eliminated
from our campaign for state officers, congress
men and senator, out even as it is, it will not
be a controlling factor except in tho case of
governor. There Is no reason why anyone's vote
on the other state offices should bo Influenced
by the attitude of tho candidate on the question
of county option, and there is no reason why
we should not voto for our congressmen with a
view to securing proper representation on na
tional issues.
"I believe that tho democrats havo a great
advantage in tho discussion of national issues,
and that advantage ought to bo used to secure
as many democratic congressmen from this state
as possible. It is fortunate that wo havo the
Oregon plan on senatorshlp. Every legislative
candidate should be urged to pledge himself to
vote for the senatorial candidate receiving tho
largest number of votes, and in this way wo
can, to a great extent, eliminate tho county
option question in the selection of a senator.
The democrats ought to elect a United States
senator. Mr. Burkett is opposed by a large
and influential element In his own .party, and
from this element wo ought to draw enough
. votes to Insure the siiccejs of the, democratic
candidate. .The-county" option question will cut
some figure in the election of the governor, but
If we can succeed in electing a' county option
legislature, the governor In all probability will
be elected who will either favor county option
or be pledged to sign tho bill.
"There is no reason why any democrat should
be discouraged or lose interest in the fight. On
the contrary there is every reason why the voters
should come out to the primaries on August 1 6.
A full vote at the primary will give an authori
tative expression of the wishes of the voters,
and that is all that we can ask."
Following Is another newspaper dispatch:
"Mr. Brytin was asked about the motion which
he made regarding the so-called 'gag rule' and
said: 'Some of the papers construed it as an
effort to secure a hearing before tho convention.
They are in error. I had no doubt that tho
convention would present no opposition to my
making my report and discussing it. I proposed
the amendment to Mr. Hitchcock's motion be
cause I saw it would prevent Mr. Metcalfe's In
troducing his amendment to the Shallenberger
resolution. It had that effect as those remem
ber who wero at the convention. When Mr.
Metcalfe attempted to introduce his plank ho
was ruled out of order and the convention re
fused to modify the ruling.' "
"Lorimer Democrats
99
WATCH IT GROW
CONTENTS
NEBRASKA CONVENTION
"LORIMER DEMOCRATS"
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY GROWING
MR. BRYAN AT GRAND ISLAND
INSURING BANK DEPOSITS
THE PASSING OF BRYAN
VARIOUS POLITICAL CONVENTIONS
IF THE PEOPLE RULE, WHY DON'T THEY
GET WHAT THEY WANT?
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
Direct legislation, otherwise known as the In
itiative and referendum, is growing in popular
favor. Recently four democratic conventions
have declared in favor of this great reform.
Ohio democrats, Minnesota democrats, Iowa
democrats, and Nebraska democrats, adopted
state platform declarations in favor of the In
itiative and referendum. A few years ago a
man who offered a direct legislation plank in the
democratic convention was laughed at. Now he Is
highly honored and is given a seat at the head
of tho tablo.
PROGRESS
Colonel Sibert, who has charge of the Atlantic
section of the canal at the Isthmus, reports that
good progress Is being made In the construction
of the locks In his division. As much as 3,758
cubic yards of concrete have been laid In one
day, which is said to be double the record made
on any similar work in the world. The average
Is now 2,500 cubic yards per day. It will be a
great day for our country and for the world
when the first ship goes through.
At Lincoln, Illlnoiu, a few days ago a gather
Ing of Illinois democrats adopted resolutions d
nounclng tho democratic legislators who vota4
for Lorlmor and demanding tholr rotlromont'
from politics. Tho mooting was not as largely
attended as it ought to havo been, but tho reso
lutions adopted givo volco to tho conscience of
tho party, as tho Lorlmor democrats will find
If they becomo candidates for re-election.
Ono of tho democrats condemned resents tha
action of tho protesting democrats and mourn
fully declares that "wo may as well givo up
government If their diabolical doctrine that
ono party must not assist the patriots of another
in a solemn crisis," etc., "is right." "Patriots"
is good. So it seems that tho "patriots" of the
two parties got together and, finding that tha
patriots wore not in tho majority, proceeded to
buy enough votes to insuro a victory for tha
patriots.
Any democrat who voted for Lorimer
for "patriotic" reasons ought to bo retired to
private life and kept there long enough to learn
what patriotism means. The democrats who
assembled at Lincoln wero. right in refusing
to draw a lino between those who voted for Lori
mer for pay and those who voted for him be
cause they lacked sense. It Is almost as danger
ous to have a fool in tho legislature as a knave.
A democratic legislator who could be convinced
that ho was performing a patriotic duty in vot
ing for, Lorlmor could bo porsuaded to ddyany1
things-desired by the loltenaoffidedBaiEe
patriotic arguments wero used. He is not fit
for any representative position it is hardly safo
to allow him to run at large.
The Lorlmor senatorial election seems, from
developments, to have been tho most corrupt
in the history of tho nation; that a' majority of
the democrats should havo voted for such a
man, under such circumstances, is In itself con
elusive proof of widespread corruption. If
there were democrats who did not actually re
ceive money they could not have been ignorant
of the means being employed.
Turn "them out! Tho party can not pauso
to defend those who are guilty or who, If Inno
cent, have aroused a suspicion which can never
bo removed.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY GROWING
Tho modification of tho king's oath by act of
tho British parliament is a step in the direction
of religious liberty. The change not only elimi
nates tho words objectionable to tho Catholics,
but tho words objectionable to non-conformists.
And while Great Britain, a Protestant country, Is
making a concession to Catholics, Spain, a Cath
olic country, is making concessions to Protes
tants. Thus does toleration grow. It Is grati
fying to see the doctrine of brotherhood grow
ing the more gratifying to seo concessions mado
by both sides.
"LEST WE FORGET'
To dispel any possible lingering doubts, the
Associated Press again sends out the veiled
rumor that Secretary Balliner is to be exoner
ated by tho congressional Investigating committee.
The Primaries in Nehrasfca
August 10
Every Voter in Every Party
Should Go to the Polls on
that Day and Vote his Choice
II
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