Commoner.
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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 11, NO. 5
Lincoln, Nebraska, February 10, 1911
Whole Number 525
UA Sham Argurffeht
The opponents of popular election of senators
are up to their old tricks they are raising false
issues in order to deceive the voters and cover
up their own nefarious purposes.
One of the papers is demanding that with the
change in the method of election there shall
be a change to proportionate representation;
that is that the states shall be represented in
the senate in proportion to their population.
There is no demand for this; there is no com
plaint among the people because the states have
an equal voice in the senate; it Is that the cor
porations do the talking and the people "have
no voice at all.
Another paper proposes that the senate shall
be abolished; this too, is a false issue. There
is no popular demand for the abolition of the
senate the demand is simply that it be brought
into harmony with the people. The states have
two branches in their legislatures and the value
of two bodies is recognized the world over, but
there is no reason why either branch should
represent plutocracy.
There is no answer to the arguments made
in support of the 'direct election of senators;
therefore the friends of the predatory interests
find it necessary to evade the real issue and
divert attention, but the people will win their
fight soon next congress, if not this.
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GENUINE VICTORY
The democratic party should make an
aggressive fight for progressive demo
cratic principles. It is not essential that
we always win, but it is essential that
we be true to democratic ideals. It is
not necessary that we succeed, but it is
necessary that we keep the faith if
democracy is to live. More was gained
for tho people in the Bryan campaigns
that ended in apparent defeat than would
have been accomplished by the barren
victory of leaders controlled by the pow
ers that prey. These campaigns wrought
a revolution in the public conscience, and
aroused the people to the need of reform.
Underlying these campaigns, and greater,
than any special issue, was the struggle
of humanity against the oppression of
plutocracy, of men against dollars and of
conscience against greed. Through these
campaigns the people were awakened and
they are ready now to give tho harvest
to be reaped from the sowing of tho
seeds of truth. While it is better to lose
with the right than to win with the
wrong, we can bo right and win also.
Joseph W. Folk, in The Commoner,
January 20, 1911.
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CERTIFICATE FOR. THE WORLD
ThoewYork. Wrld' points' a double cblunjri'
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this in reply5 tb "The Commoner's attack on the
World, allowing that it is spokesman for cer
tain special interests." Mr. Watson grows al
most hysterical in the tribute he pays to Joseph
Pulitzer and his newspaper and he assures the
American people that there are but "two points
of difference" between Mr. Watson himself, and
Mr. Pulitzer or the World.
That is all very interesting, but the fact re
mains that democrats are quite as capable of
judging a newspaper as Mr. Watson is, and dem
ocrats know that when the World makes a real
fight against a corporation candidate it is in
the interest of another corporation candidate;
that when the World proposes reorganization of
the democratic party it speaks for the special
interests whose representatives .hope to domi
nate the party.
If this is not true how does it happen that
tho policy and the candidates supported by the
World have the support also of the known rep
resentatives of special interests. In its issue
of 'January 16 the World laid down the rule
for Mr. Sheehan and it must be judged by the
same rule. In that issue the World said:
"Judge Parker assures us that William P.
Sheehan 'is as free from alliances that would
hinder his usefulness to the people as God's free
nlain to us why all of Thomas F. Ryan's politi
cal influence is back of Mr. Sheehan's candidacy?
Will he explain why all of Anthony N. Brady's
political Influence Is back of Mr. Sheehan's can
didacy? Will he explain why all the political in
fluence of the Ryan corporations and the Brady
corporations is back of Mr. Sheehan's candi
dacy? We have never known the time when
either Mr. Ryan or Mr. Brady was greatly in
terested in the election of public officials whoso
most conspicuous merit was their 'usefulness to
tho people.' "
CANAL TOLLS
CONTENTS
A SHAM ARGUMENT
THE DENVER PLATFORM
SHIP SUBSIDY
RECIPROCITY WITH CANADA
SHIP SUBSIDY IN THE SENATE
JOSEPH FELS AND HIS MISSION
RAILWAY MAIL CLERKS' COMPLAINT
VOTERS AS LEGISLATORS
'PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT x
; WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
WASHINGTON NEWS
'NEWS OF THE WEEK'
It is to be hoped that congress will set its
face against canal tolls beyond the actual cost
of jmaintaining and operating the canal. Every
dollar exacted in tolls on vessels carrying freight
between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts will be
added to the freight charges of the trans-continental
railroads. Every dollar added to freight
going to or coming from South America will
lessen our trade with the South American re
publics. Every dollar added to freight going
through the canal will be used as an argument
in favor of a new and cheaper canal at some
other point on tho Isthmus, thus involving us in
diplomatic controversies.
If the canal is a naval advantage to us wo
cannot afford to make others payfor it. We
claim to be paramount In the Western Hemi
sphere; we are opposed to other nations own
ing a canal on the Isthmus, and we ought to
be willing to pay for the prestige. We could
not in any other way so establish ourselven in
the confidence and good will of the people of
South America. Let us have a free canal.
OLLIE JAMES WINS HIS FIGHT
Kentucky democrats will have the privilege
of nominating their Candidate for senator. The
Louisville Evening Post of February 4, says:
"At the session of the democratic state execu
tive committee, at the Louisville Hotel, this
afternoon voted, nine to three, to include the
senatorship In the state primary that will be
held May 27 next. The result, which came as a
great surprise to the politicians outside, was a
great victory for Congressman Ollie James, who
urged that this be done. This action undoubted
ly greatly enhances the chances of Mr. James
in the race for the senate."
The Denver Platform
The Denver platform contained tho following
plank on the securing of depositors:
"Tho panic of 1907, coming without any legiti
mate excuse when iho republican party had for
a decade been in complete control of tho federal
government furnishes additional proof that it
Is either unwilling or incompetent to protect tho
interests of tho general public. It has so linked'
tho country to Wall Streot that tho sins of tho
speculators are visited upon tho whole people.
Whilo refusing to rescuo tho wealth producers
from spoliation at tho hands of tho stock
gamblers, and speculators in farm products, it
has deposited treasury funds, without interest
and without competition in favorito banks. It
has used an emergency for which It Is largely
responsible to force through congress a bill
changing the basis of bank currency and -inviting
market manipulation and has failed to glvo
to tho fifteen million depositors of tho country
protection to their savings.
"Wo believe that insofar as tho needs of com
merce requiro an emergency currency, such cur
rency should bo issued, controlled by tho fed
eral government and loaned on adequate se
curity to national and state banks. We pledge
ourselves to legislation by which tho national
banks shall be required to establish a guarantee
fund fdr tho prompt payment of the depositors
of an'y Insolvent bank, under .an equitable sys
tem which thall fce available to all sUt bifK
inginstitiltions wishing t& am it." ' ' $
"We favor a"postalHayirig8 bank If the guar
antee bank' CAtinot' be' secured and that to. b'e
constituted so as to keep the deposited money -in
the communities when It Is established. But
we condemn the policy of the republican party
In proposing postal savings banks under a plan
of conduct by which they will seggregate tho de
posits of rural communities and redeposlt tlie
same while under government charge in the
banks of Wall Street, thus depleting the circu- "
lating medium of tho producing regions and un
justly favoring tho speculative markets."
Since the election, Nebraska, Kansas and
Texas have followed the example of Oklahoma,
and enacted bank guaranty laws, and tho United
States supreme court has recently, by a unani
mous vote, sustained these laws. The decision
Is so sweeping that other states aro likely to
take It up and in the end tho national banks
will be compelled to establish a similar system.
The postal savings bank, which the platform
endorsed as an alternative system, has bedn es
tablished, but it lacks the safeguards recom
mended in our platform.
DEATH INVADES THE SENATE
It is seldom that death has made so many
inroads on the United States senate in so short
a time as during the past few months and it
has dealt quite impartially with the various ele
ments and sections. First Senator Dolliver was
called a leader of the insurgent republicans
and .a representative of the central west. Then
the summons came to Clay of Georgia, a con
spicuous southern democrat. Next it was Elkins,
a tower of strength to the standpat element in
the republican party; and now it is Hughes of
the farther west, a leader on the democratic
side and one of the ablest lawyers In that body.
The King of Terrors "loves a shining mark," it
is said; he has been proving it.
A BURDENSOME RECORD
One of the house democrats who voted against
free lumber, and thus repudiated the national
platform, complained that his record was
raised against him. when he aspired to a
place on the ways and means committee. He
protested and said: "If this record makes me
ineligible to serve on tho ways and means com
mittee It makes Ineligible to membership in tho
democratic party a large proportion of my con
stituency whose views I represent and hold."
That is illogical. He may represent the wishes
of his constituents on this subject and his con-
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