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The Commoner,
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL, 10, NO. 46
Lincoln, Nebraska November 25, 1910
Whole Number 514
x
y The Passing" Again
In 'another column of Jtftis issue Tho Com
moner reproduces some of tlio. things, kind and
unkind, said about Mr. Bryan. Among these
articles is one written by A. Maurice Low, and
printed in the National Review of London.
Mr. Low is mi American correspondent who
moves in the circles where trust magnates most
do congregate. Mr. Low has devoted many
years of his life to attacks upon the principles
"for which Mr. Bryan stands. He has lost no
opportunity to assail. Mr. Bryan himself.
' It will be observed that Mr. Low says that
the conspicuous part played by certain distin
guished democrats whom he names means that
-"Bryan and Bryanism" are no .Jonger to be
tolerated among democrats. Mr. Low adds:
"The radical republicans stole Mr. Bryan's pol
icies and made them their own. Now con
servative democrat have robbed Mr. Bryan of
the party, of 'which he was once chief. Mr.
'Bryan can-follow li(s policies into the insurgent
ranks or can rcjoin'hls party under Conservative
leadership." l f
Democrats have heard just such talk before.
They heard It in 1902, 1903. and 1904 when
.they' told us that reorganization, of the demo
cratic party, .wjth . the. special interests acting
as the reorganizes, meant victory in November.
But the November election returns told another
'story. The p'arty went to Ignominious defeat.
' .Since then-the thing which these .gentlemen
. misname "Bryanism" has so grown in popularity
that men .of all parties endorse it. It is' not
"""Bfyanlfim." It is good old democratic prin
ciple honestly app'lled to present day problems.
And the reason they call it "Bryanism' Is that
Mr. Bryan- has insisted that it be honestly ap
plied, by public officers who are heartily In sym
pathy with it.
-If it be true that the insurgent republicans
now have a monopoly upon these democratic
principles then the democratic party is no longer
what it ought to be. If it be true that the
democratic party is properly described by Mr.
Low then the. democratic party has ceased to be
of service to the people.
These points are, however, yet to be deter
mined. If the so-called "conservatives," which
. is another name for "reorganizer" and is, in fact,
a democratiq synonym for republican "stand
patter," are to control the democratic national
convention for the use and benefit of these
. special interests, then the American people will
. witness the inspiring spectacle of an effort made ,
by democratic statesmen to erect a democratic
structure upon a foundation so false that it
. could not even support republican frame-work.
Here is one hint to democrats everywhere:
If these so-called "conservatives" or "re
organizers"' mean well with this great govern
ment of ours, why do all their writers and rep
resentatives take it for granted that their efforts
CONTENTS
:
-y
"THE PASSING" AGAIN
HARVEST TIME
THE BALTIMORE CONFERENCE
RATIFY INCOME TAX
THE NEBRASKA VICTORY . s
POPULAR ELECTION OF UNITED STATES.
SENATORS
LAFOLLETTE'S WARNING
PROGRESS OF THE INITIATIVE AND
REFERENDUM
FOSS' CHALLENGE TO LODGE
GROWTH OF SOCIALISM GIVES EDITORS
A CHILL
CURRENT TOPICS
- HOME DEPARTMENT
' WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Look Him Up
If tlio democratic nominee for tlio presi
dency is to represent democratic principles,
ho should bo a roan whoso record Justifies
tlio. belief that he favors the election of
United SUitcs senators by popular vote.
" Don't let any political literary bureau
or any "local statesman" persuade yon to
follow any candidate for tlio democratic
nomination until you know Just what ho
will represent and work for when elected.
' Examine his record.
Study hlsr environment.
Notice tho character of his backers.
The republican party is nil but wrecked
by "standpatism." ' .
The thing 'called "conservatism" in Uio
deniocrntic party is only another name for
the influences 'that have brought the party
of Lincoln to its present day plight.
J
are necessarily antagonistic to Mr. Bryan's
'efforts?
What has, Mr. Bryan over done td justify
anyone in believing that ho could, be cpunted
'upon to wage war against men who are really
laboring for the general good?
' ' The fact Is that there 1b a move on foot,
larger In proportion than the movement in 19.04,
to turn t,ho democratic party over to the preda
tory Intorestsr,theseMvriters understand that
Mr. Bryan recognises the real purpose of this
movement and they know ho may be depended
uport to fight It.
Hence "the passing of Bryan" in so many
corporation-co'ntrolled publications.
GAMBLING DEVICES
Now that tho state legislatures are about to
convene It would bo well for tho reformers to
look into the many gambling devices that aro
being used to cultivate the gambling spirit In
the young. It is useless to denounce gambling
at cards, at tho wheel of fortune, and through
tho lottery so long as slot machines and other
games of chance are allowed to run openly.
Gambling Is one of tho most fascinating of tho
vices and one of tho most demoralizing. It is
harder to reform a confirmed gambler than a
confirmed drunkard, for while drink diseases
the whole body, gambling robs tho moral fibre of
tho man. It is not a matter of degree; the prin
ciple itself is wrong. It is destructive of morals
to try to get something for nothing. Not only
Is the principle vicious, but it cultivates extrava'
gance in the successful and crime in the un
successful. That which is won by chance Is soon
spent while embezzlement often follows gamb
ling lossos. Laws should be passed in every
state prohibiting all games of chance and all
schemes by which sales, compensation or words
shall depend on chance, whether it be by throw
ing dice, the turn of a wheel or any other de-
vice. Save .the young from the snares of the
gambler.
JUST A6 predicted
Last Juno when The Common urged Ohio
democrats to nominate a candidate for senator,
John R. McLean, through his Washington Post
and Cincinnati Enquirer objected and denounced
Mr. Bryan for "interfering" in Ohio politics.
The Commoner stated at the time .that Mr. Mc
Lean objected to senatorial nomination for tho
reason that he desired to be a candidato him
self and preferred to risk his chances with tho
legislature rather than with the people.
It waB denied at; the time that Mr. McLean
intended to become a candidate, but time has
justified The- Commoner's warning.
Mr. McLean Is a full-fledged candidate and
" an organized effort is now on foot to persuade
the democratic legislature of Ohio to elect a
jnonoDolist to the United States senate.
Harvest Time
1 Harvest time is approaching. Tho election
returns of 1910 Indicate- that tho democratic
party In approaching tho hour of Its triumph
For fourteen years it has boon laboring in bo
half of certain fundamental roforms which wor
much nocdod. At first itn policies woro regard
ed as dangerous, and overy possible offort wan
mado to arouse opposition to our party among:
tho tlmjd radicals aB woll as among tho avowed
conservatives. When tho democratic party took
tho side of the people on tho money question
and Insisted that tho country needed mor
monoy, tho money .changers organized and ter
rorized tho pcoplo into apparont submission to
tho disastrous conditions caused by an lnmiffl
clent volume of monoy. Now tho world knows
that thoro was not enough money in 1890, and
.intelligent people understand that tho prosperity
that followed slnco would not have been possible
without an unexpected incrcaso In the volume
of money.
When tho democratic party fought for an in
come tax, those who favored tho tax were called
demagogues and disturbers of tho peace, .and.
wero accdused of trying to array the poor against
tho rich. Since a republican president, a ropub
' lldan senate and a republican house have sub
mitted the income. tak amendment, the people
have beconjo convinced' that the democratic party
'was the champion of the masses In Us advocacy
of tho income tax.
When, elghtoen years ago, the democratic'
parly-'began its fight' for the election of frH&tffttorjT "
by direct vote of the pooplcr ftrwaiTtfceusdd of
attempting to revolutionize tho govornnleht aiid
destroy the influence of the states in the federal
congress, but now that two-thirds of tho states
have endorsed the reform; how that three re
publican congresses have declared for It and a
. republican candidato for president has admitted
that he Is inclined to favor it, tho pooplo recog
nize that the democratic party has spokon for
the masses of tho people.
When tho democratic party began, fourteen
years ago, to demand railroad regulation and
spoko out against rebates and discrimination,
tho railroad officials rushed 4nto the republican
party and mado it the ropresentativo of tho big
railway combines, but now that tho republican
leaders have been compelled to admit tho necea
slty for better regulation, now that the rank and
file of all parties demand it, the democratic
party is recognized as tho pioneer in this work.
During all these years the democratic party has
been pointing out tho evils of private monopoly
and Insisting upon the enforcement of the crimi
nal law and the passage of such additional stat
utes as may be necessary to protect the public.
Now that even republicans aro compelled to
admit that the trust evil demands attention,
our party Is recognized as the defender of tho.
people's Interest on this subject. Our party's
opposition to the ship subsidy and to extrava-
gance In legislation Is now more popular 'than
it was a few years ago.
For more than twenty years the democratic
party has been pointing out the Iniquities of a
high tariff and calling attention to the necessity
for tariff reduction. A great many have been
so wedded to the principle of high protection
that it has been difficult to check their faith In
the system, but the promise made by the repub
licans two years ago and their violation of it
in the first session of the present congress, these
together have opened the eyes of the blind and
aroused a country-wide protest against tho high
tariff leaders.
The growth of public sentiment in favor of
the things which the democratic party has been
advocating and the disgust with the management
of affairs by republican leaders, have led to
the signal victory won by tho democrats on
November 8, but tho victory will be of 'no. pur
pose unless the democrats entrusted with power
are In sympathy with the forward movement
which the democratic party has been leading.
There must bo no backward step; there must
be no dallying with the reactionary element ot
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