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The Commoner.
VOLUME 10, NUMBER .
Democratic Newspapers on Plutocratic Organization
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ABOUT BRYAN
Ono kind of democrat would like to see Mr.
Bryan eliminated from democratic councils and
Ills influence become nil.
Mr. Bryan Is not likely to gratify his demo
cratic enemies by withdrawing himself from his
party's councils of war. Ho has announced re
peatedly that he expects to devote the remainder
of his life to politics. He is the most influential
man in his party. He can lead millions of his
fellow democrats to the support of any man ho
may chooso, except .somebody who has sought
to humiliate him. These millions will not fol
low him when he endeavors to lead them to sup
port a Parker. Their resentment of Blights put
upon Mr. Bryan are deeper than are his own.
Bryan may forgive, but they will not.
With Bryan the most influential figure in his
party, what are his enemies going to do? They
have a hard job ahead. Bryan is the champion
of the common people and their spokesman in
convention. He is not a dictator. He is' not
a boss. He is the one prominent man in politics
who has always scorned to build a political ma
chine. He apparently never considers such a
thing. His appeal is always to the reason and
conscience of his hearers. If these methods are
not sufficient, he fails. Since running for the
house in 1894 ho has uniformly failed. But In
spite of all that, he has millions as faithful to
him as Mohammedans to the Prophet.
What, then, are the democrats who want to
bury Bryan, going to do? How can they get
rid of him? The answer is, they can't. They
must figure on his being with them for a gen
oration or so, and always having a following
sufficient to defeat any of their machinations.
The reactionary democratic enemies of Bryan
are certainly in a bad way. They might solve
the difficulty with satisfaction to the masses of
the .party by going permanently to the stand
pat element of the republican party. These
elements of the two great parties are in full
sympathy and have purposes identical. Tho
obvious thing for them to do, in the circum
stances, is to get together and stay there. Dar
lington (Wis.) Democrat.
BRYAN'S SERVICE TO THE PARTY
Bryan's position at the present time is unique.
There Is no doubt that in the three campaigns
he made for the presidency he succeeded in es
tablishing the democratic party in the minds
and hearts of the American people as the popu
lar party, devoted to the interests of the com
mon people, as opposed to the interests of the
plutocracy.- It is true that all three elections
were lost, but the fruit of his splendid fighting
is seen in the democratic house just elected.
When Mr. Bryan .began his leadership the party
was very much in the wilderness on account of
the Wilson tariff bill fiasco, which President
Cleveland denounced as "party perfidy and dis
honor." Mr. Bryan was the democratic Moses,
.and in fourteen years, instead of the forty years
taken by the great Jewish leader, has led his
party within sight of the Promised Land. It
is too early yet to select tho man who is to
bo the democratic Joshua.
. "Party perfidy and dishonor" was a strong
statement as to the principal measure of a dem
ocratic congress from a democratic president.
This is the reproach Mr. Bryan had to wipe out
from the democratic party, and with splendid
courage and fortitude he has accomplished the
task. When Bryan began, the American people
had reason to distrust the democratic party.
They had commissioned it to put an end to
plutocracy, by the tariff for revenue only method,
and for this purpose had entrusted it with power.
Instead of proving faithful, the democratic party
proved faithless, and from the party of the
people, out of office, transformed itself in office,
to the party of the plutocracy, to the just dis
pleasure and disgust of the American-people.
It must not bo forgotten that the renewed
confidence tho American people now have In
the democratic party, as expressed In the elec
tion last month, is in great measure due not
only to the great ability of the commoner as a
campaigner, to the breadth and wisdom of his
statesmanship expounded by gifts of eloquence
which 'have placed him In the first rank as an
orator, but also to his sterling character, which
In three fierce presidential campaigns could not
be assailed by his bitterest enemies. The un
faithful democratic party has now come to ba
tegarded nationally as the faithful democratic
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Believing that democrats do not desire
to engage in a shaih battle The Com
moner confidently lays down these propo
sitions: The democratic party must, bo pro
gressive. No Wall Street candidate can hope to .
hold tho democratic vote.
Democracy must go forward and meet
present day problems boldly in the spirit
of Jefferson and Jackson.
Tho democratic victory of 1910 is" the
result of fourteen years of democratic
fight for reforms.
The party cannot retire now.
It must go forward.
What do the democratic editors of the
country think about The Commoner's
position The Commoner will be glad to
reproduce extracts from demop.rn.tifi iH-
torlals on this line. Let the weekly
newspaper aB well as the daily speak out.
Send clipping of editorial in sealed en
velope, addressed Exchange Editor, The
Commoner, Lincoln, Neb.
50
party largely because of tho fidelity of William
Jennings Bryan. In tho party's councils this
will not be -forgotten, nor will it be forgotten
by the democratic rank and file. In all sorts of
political weather the commoner has beeiv the
true friend of the common people, an American
statesman standing firmly for tho American
people. Houston (Texas) Chronicle. '
A CELEBRATION, NOT A CONFERENCE
The announcement that the proposed national
democratic conference will be called a celebra
tion instead, and that the gathering to be held
In Baltimore, probably on Jackson day, will be
"free, open and devoted solely to the promotion,
of party unity and harmony," is interesting.
Norman E. Mack, national chairman, and Champ
Clark, minority leader of the house, who will
probably be chosen speaker when the "democratic
house, tho election of which is to be celebrated,
assembles, acted wisely in recommending to the
committee in charge that the word "confer
ence" be omitted from the Invitations and the
word "celebration" be substituted.
When the conference was first proposed tho
Chronicle objected thereto, and this paper has
been glad to see Its opinion shared by other
papers of influence in the south and the country
at large.
The objection to the conference Idea is, in
brief, that no national gathering of democrats
can have authority. except the regular national
convention, which will not assemble until 1912.
The platform of the convention of 1908 is the
party law until a new platform Is framed. It
is true that Mr. Bryan lost on the 1908 plat
form, but even if the 1910 election had been
another defeat it would still be the party law
unrepealed. The 1910 election, however, was
not a defeat, but a glorious victory, won on the
1908 platform. N
It Is Important to insist on the platform and
to oppose any attempts to formulate a policy
different therefrom, for the reason that the plat
form framed by their duly elected delegates
represents the will of the democratic rank and
file. The democratic party Is tho party of the
people. It cares for tho masses, including the
classes, but not for the classes excluding tho
masses. True democrats everywhere will fight
any attempt at ascendancy on the part of tho
plutocratic element In the party, each man in
which must count for one democrat and no more
"Eternal vigilance," the father of the demo
cratic party taught, "is tho price of liberty."
Thomas Jefferson was right. We must be vigi
lant, if we would be free. We must see to it
that no step aside is taken from the straight and
narrow path that leads to tariff reform and the
enforcement of the anti-trust law.
The tariff and the trusts are. the two great
issues. Houston (Texas) Chronicle.
BRYAN AND ROOSEVELT
Eastern newspapers that have always op
posed Mr. Bryan and everything he represents
pursue a favorite pastime nowadays In compar
ing Mr. Roosevelt to the Nebraska leader, pre
sumably to the discredit of the former. Mr.
Roosevelt is said to resemble in his personal
qualities and public policy the Bryan of 1896
, and 1900. The comparison is Intended to be
entirely uncomplimentary to the African lion
hunter, but in the opinion of many intelligent
observers of the careers of both men it fails to
d)o justice to Mr. Bryan and pays Mr. Roose
velt an undeserved tribute.
Mr. 'Roosevelt undoubtedly owes a great deal
to the gentleman from, Nebraska, although ho
shows littlo disposition to acknowledge the
debt. Every principle and policy identified with
the ex-president's popularity has been taken
bodily from the code of morals and system of
government advocated by William J. Bryan.
This applies to such generalities as common
honesty, as well as. principles in detail, such as
the control of corporations. Mr. Roosevelt has
not adopted all of the things advocated by Mr.
Bryan, but he has kidnapped enough to gain
the approval of a large personal following
largely the same following that- Mr. Bryan had
in three presidential campaigns.
But this does not constitute a personal simi- '
larity of the two mep. It must be indeed an
enemy of Mr. Bryan who compares him with
Roosevelt. When did he ever lack courtesy?
He was never emphatic without being kind.
When did he ever prefer the "short, ugly term"
to language couched in decency? When did
he ever devote his energies to the organization
of Ananias clubs? In all he haB said regarding
the supreme court and other courts, when did
S? eeJrofer t0 dges on tho bench aa
fossils?
i,4In,iiMr,Bryan'8 record tfaere are no victims of
nis ill will. He has never manifested ill will
toward any Individual, but has dealt entirely
with conditions and institutions. There are no
fake naturalists in his creation, no great figures
in American history subjected to his contempt,
and no women involved with him in questions
of veracity. His course, even though it may
have been mistaken at times, has been plain'
and true, and to compare Mr. Roosevelt to him '
is to give the ex-president a place In the annals
of the nation which the historian of the future
will deny to him. Toledo (Ohio) Times.
REORGANIZATION
We believe The Commoner's declaration ia
the truest gospel.
These statements are true and must be ad
hered to by the democrats if there is to be "a
future for the democracy.
The next democratic house must make Champ
Clark speaker and that house with Champ
Clark's approval and assistance must do away
for ever with Cannonism In tho house. Tho
recent victory of the democracy was on the Issue
of Cannonism more than anything else. Tho
people asked of the democratic party opportu
nity to rule and if tho democratic party does
not give them that opportunity there will bo
no domocratic victory in 1912.
The democracy of the new house must reform
itself and must show thot it is progressive and
not re-actionary It must go in the opposite
direction from that pointed out by the messago
of President Taft. "No more corporation reg
ulation" must not bo its slogan.
And while wo have the Commoner's ear if they
are listening to this, we wish to say that the
militant democracy, the democracy that wishes
to be progressive and headed toward the rirht
is looking to Mr. Bryan of all other men in this
, country for leadership. The democrats of this
country wish Mr. Bryan to go on ahead and
?y:ioien,Jle,re ls mau t0 make President
,7. T.hls man Is th0 democrat who is
not allied with Wall Street. This man is pure
and undefiled. This is the friend of true de
mocracy." Mr. Bryan should take the lead. He should
name the candidate In 1912. if he does not
Wall Street will and the people have no othor
hope than Mr. Bryan.
Mr. Bryan can do as Roosevelt did in 1908
except that Bryan will get a man that will
pan out better than did Mr. Taft.
Which shall It be, Mr. Bryan? Folk? Clark?
Wilson? For whom shall we be? We- look to
you for our guidance. We have heretofore
looked to you for our platform with fourteen
years of good faith. Now we look for the plat
form and the man to stand upon it. Twico-i-Week
Press, Mt. Ayr, Iowa. '
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