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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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VOL. 10, NO48
Lincoln, Nebraska, December 9, 1910
Whole Numbftr 516
T) MMKU'IH!. t4(.., MflflM ,'. ,. 1M J ..l ...ff i1 -If.- SI X U- i .. ..-- -
t a iic wuouwiiB wj fu uuuuit w nutv uruMoeu unu win ran mc Kxuvernmeni jrom me grip oj tnose wno nave maam
it a business asset of the favor-seeking corporations. It must become again a people's government, and be ad"
ministered in all departments according to the Jeffersonian maxim, 'Equal rights to all, special privileges to
hone.' 4 Shall the people rule?' ismthe overwhelming issue which manifests itself in all the questions now undmr
discussion." Democratic National Platform of 1908.) Will Democrats now make their party a "business
asset of the favor-seeking corporations" by permitting the corporation agents to reorganize itt
Cannonism Dethroned
However people may differ as to the elements
which enter into the democratic victory won at
the polls on November 8, there can he no doubt
that Cannonism was overwhelmingly repudiated.
The .democratic national platform of 1908 spe
cifically and emphatically denounced Cannonism,
and the strongest protest made by the progres
sive republicans in the Iiouse was against Can
nonism. The democrats with some sixty ma
jority in their favor, and with the aid of the
progressive republicans thrown in, ought to have
no difficulty in inaugurating a new era. They
.ought not to hesitate to root out Cannonism
and establish representative government in the
national house of representatives. They made
a good start in the first session of the present
congress when - they put the speaker off the
committee on rules, enlarged the committee,
and provided for the selection of the majority,
and -minority members of the committee by the
caucus of their respective parties. This last
"change is the most important of all. The des
potem .vpf the speaker finds its tap-root; in the
fact"' that ha. appoints committees, and in sp
doing puts the members of the committees under
obligations to him. He not only controls the
majority through the committee appointments
but he may even coerce the members of the
minority party by threatening, to withhold com
mittee. appointments.
The whole scheme is repugnant to the demo
cratic sense of justice. The speaker ought to
be a presiding officer rather than a boss. He
- ought to be in position to decide parliamentary
questions upon their merits, not according to
party exigencies. The committees ought to rep
resent the wishes of the party, not the wishes
of the man who may happen to be speaker. And
the minority members of the committee should
be free, to represent their principles and their
party without fear of the speaker and without
expectation of favor from him. Champ Clark
is just the man to lead in the inauguration of
this reform. He led in the overthrow of Can
nonism in the first session of the present con
gress;, and the precedent established in the se
lection of the new committee on rules and in
.jthe selection of the Ballinger investigation make
It easy to extend the principle to the appoint
ment of all the committees. If the democratic
party will have the courage to inaugurate the
reforms demanded by the people, it can count on
popular approval; if, after having loudly de
nounced Cannonism, it complacently adopts the
more iniquitous featuro of Cannonism, it will
find the people as ready to rebuke it as thoy
rebuked the republican party.
MOSES O. WETMORE
CONTENTS
'- CANNONISM DETHRONED
- THE JOB SESSION
DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPERS ON PLUTO
CRATIC ORGANIZATION
IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY PROGRES
SIVE? CONFERENCE IDEA ABANDONED
THE REAL MAKERS OF SOCIALISM IN
AMERICA
' PRESIDENT TAFT'S ANNUAL MESSAGE
PRACTICAL TARIFF tal.jv
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
FOSS FIGHT AGAINST LODGE
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT '
NEWS OF THE WEEK
The death of Colonel Moses C. Wetmore,
which occurred at St. Louis November 2G, will
be widely mourned. He was a Jofforsonlan
democrat in belief and in habit. The wealth
accumulated by business ability and experience
never turned his head; ho remained to his death
a friend of tho people a believer in their ca
pacity for government as well as in their right
to self government and his simplicity and free
dom from ostentation kept him in touch with
the friends of earlier years.
He was Missouri's member of tho national
democratic committee and during the last cam
paign rendered efficient sorvico as chairman of
tho finance committee.
HIb Influence was always on tho side of tho
producing masses as against the exploiting cle
ment and his death Is an irreparable loss to tho
party at .this time. In-1896 Colonel Wetmoro
vent to Chicago a champion of Hon. Richard P.
Bland, but since Mr. Bryan's nomination ho has
been his personal friend.
It was a source of great regret to Mr. Bryan
that the train service waB such that ho could
not reach St. Louis In time to attend tho funeral.
He has suggested that memorial exercises be,
held in honor of Colonel Wetmore on Jeffer
son day, and. will be present if the suggestion
Is carried out.
SENATOR YOUNG
The general opinion with respect to the ap
pointment by the governor of Iowa' of "Lafo"
Young to be Dolliver's successor is summed up
in the following editorial in the Kansas City
Times, a republican paper: .
"Lafayette Young, editor of the Des Moines
Capital is one of the finest fellows in tho world,
a tnan of ability and integrity. But ho does not
represent the political views of a largo majority
of the members of his party In Iowa. There
can be no question that tho republican party in
Iowa is progressive, and that Its political faith
was accurately represented in its two great sen
ators, Dolliver and Cummins. For tho governor
of Iowa to appoint even temporarily such a
standpatter as 'Lafe' Young, in tho place of such
a progressive aB Dolliver must impress fair
minded men everywhere as a disappointing ex
hibition of politics."
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WHY?
The New Jersey court of errors and appeals
has overruled the lower court's order, directing
the four great beef packing companies to pro-,
duco their books before a. New Jersey grand
jury. Dispatches say: "It is assumed that this
decision will end -the proceedings.'
Why is it so difficult to enforce the law against
the trusts? How does it happen "that whenever
they are brought face to face witbf tuelr evils,
some avenue of escape Is provided?
GOVERNOR SIIAFROTH .
Governor Shafroth of Colorado Is re-elected.
A tribute to the man and a tribute also to the
intelligence of the people of Colorado. His de
feat would have been a reflection upon the state,
for nV governor in the United States has raoro
fully earned a re-election.
The Job Session
Tho last session of congress has won tho Jitl
of tho "job" session becauso It Is hold after
tho election when many congressmen liavo bees
repudiated at tho polls and whon oven thoM
who have been ro-olcctcd feol Icbs restraint be
cause of the timo that must olapao boforo an
other election. Every careful observer of con
gressional proceedings has noticed tho tendency
on tho part of those In chnrgo of quostlonabU
legislation to postpono action until the last ses
sion, and that tendency is oven moro marked
when a party Is going out of powor. Tho dem
ocrats and progressive republicans must bo oh
their guard during tho session that convene
in December. Tho special Interests, seeing that
they will not bo able to control tho next con
gress, will do their utmost to real too on tho In
vestment that thoy made In tho present congress.
Tho ship subsidy will bo pushed If thoro Is a
chanco of carrying It through; the national In
corporation of railroads is another schemo that
may tako on now life, and a Washington dis
patch in tho Chicago Tribune recently an
nounced that .Attornby Gonoral Wickersham was
preparing a bill providing for tho Incorporation
of tho trusts. Thd dispatch says that tho "big
business interests aro behind tho Idea of na
tional incorporation."
If tho democrats can provent those and other
objectionable measures from being passed at
tho closing session of tho present congress, theso
measures may bo killed for a generation. Every
democrat and progressive republican should bo
vigilant during tho remaining days of this
congress.
REMEMBER 1801
Tho democrats aro being asked to accept
Wall Street leadership not because of any
democratic prlnciplo advanced but becauso Wall
Street promises victory. Wall Street has prom
ised victory before; It Is not a new promlso. In
1892 the democratic party won a victory on tho
tariff issue, but as soon as the election was over
the Wall Street financiers demanded the un
conditional repeal of tho Sherman law and se
cured it by a shameless uso of patronage and by
tho coercion that they know so well how to
practice. And what was the result? A repub
lican triumph moro sweeping than any before
since 1872 and moro sweeping than any sinco,
excepting 1904, when Wall Street again prom
ised victory. Tho defeats of 189C, 1900 and
1908 were not as disastrous as the defeats of
1894 and 1904. Tho party is more radical now
than In cither 1854 or 1904. What stupid folly
to think of winning a victory by retreat and
surrender to Wall Street!
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FORWARD, MARCH!
Tho democratic party must be pro
gressive. No Wall Street candidate can hope to
hold the democratic vote.
Democracy must go forward and meet
present day problems boldly In the spirit
of Jefferson and Jackson.
Tiie democratic victory of 1010 is tho
result of fourteen years of democratic
fight for reforms.
The party cannot retire jiow.
It must go forward.
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