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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 2, 1911)
The Commoner. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR "VtoblX E YOL. 11, NO. 21 Lincoln, Nebraska, June 2, 1911 Whole Number 541 Meet the Issue T On Monday, May 29th, Mr. Bryan gave to the prcfg tko following statement: The democratic members of congress win, on Juno 1st, caucus on the free wool question, and It is only fair to ask that they shall fairly and homestly meet the issuo. It is possible that some of the democrats be Here in the principle of protection. The larceny the "robsery under the form of law" em bodied in the protective system is endorsed by many good republicans who have not yet learned to apply to legislation the rules that they apply in every day life; and some democrats may have become pupils in this school especially those who have among their constituents influential beneficiaries of the system. But the democratic voters have a right to insist that the protec tionist democrats shall be as honest as the pro tectionist republicans. The republicans want protection on wool because they believe in the principle of protection; let no democratic advo cate of a tax on wool masquerade behind the pretense, that he is voting for a revenue tariff; let him not add hypocrisy to the sin which he commits against his party. Differences of opinion are to be expected within the party as well as without but ex pediency as well as honor requires that the differences shall be frankly stated, courageously fought out and fairly settled. If protection is to be accepted as a democratic doctrine, let it be accepted openly and lot it be applied to everything and to all sections. There is no reason why a few sheep raisers should be shown favoritism at the expense of all who wear woolen clothing. The republicans have been able to delude a great many people for a long time by advocating protection as a policy, but they have succeeded because they consistently applied the principle in favor of every industry which was willing . to subscribe liberally to the campaign fund. The democratic party can not hope to fool any body very long by a one-sided application of the doctrine to a few districts which happen to con tain protectionist democrats who insist on keep ing their hands in their neighbor's pockets. If the democratic party is to be Aldrichized let the change of policy be made with audacity, at least. The man who does wrong boldly may mislead a few, but the man who does wrong by stealth and then tries to conceal it by equivoca tion confesses his consciousness of guilt and can not hope for a following. However, before the democratic party is finally committed to the doctrine of protection it will be necessary to ponsult the voters of the party, and it may be well to remember that the CONTENTS MEET THE ISSUE THAT CENTRAL BANK SENATOR POMERENE AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION THE HENRY RESOLUTION THEY KNEW WELL THEIR MAN GENESIS OF TAFT'S NATIONAL INCOR PORATION BILL ONE TARIFF ITEM TO WHICH THEY OBJECT REPUBLICAN VIEW OF A REPUBLICAN LEADER PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS COMPETENT TO CHOOSE BUT NOT TO RECALL HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT WASHINGTON NEWS NEWS OF THE WEEK 0 APPRECIATED OT INDIANA 0 0 0 The following letter is self-explana- tory: 6 Anderson, Ind., May 15, 1811 The Commoner, Lincoln, Nob. I am pleased 6 to hand yon herewith thirty subBcrip- 0 tions to The Commoner under your two years for ono dollar plan, and enclose my check for $30.00 as payment for tho 0 same. It has taken very little effort to place these subscriptions. The rank and file of 0 the party Beem to understand democracy ' as declared and discussed in Tho Com- 0 moner. All the democratic party has to do to keep in favor with tho people is to oxe- cute into law the promises and pledges contained in tho national platform 0 adopted in Denver in 1908. 0 With best wishes for an extended in- 0 fluence for The Commoner, I am, yours very truly, H. CLARENCE AUSTILL, ' voters of all parties are braver than tho poli ticians. The republican voters were brave enough to turn out a lot of republican Aldrlches; what reason have our democratic congressmen to think that democratic voters are loss courageous? The democratic voters know that all needed -revenue can be raised' in less oppressive ways and they know that the argument that the tariff on wool is proposed as a revenue tariff is merely a Bubterfuge employed because those who employ it aro ashamed to say that thoy favor protection. The democratic congress has made a splendid record; let us hope it will not blot that record and impair tho party's chances in 1912 by a cowardly surrender to the relatively insignifi cent number of democratic protectionists who clamor for a tariff on wool in order to win the Bupport of those wool growers who go Into poll tics as a matter of business. THE ARBITRATION TREATY The arbitration treaty between tho United States and England means the beginning of the end of war. Tho people of tho whole civilized world are to be congratulated that after having once re jected it the men who had in charge the outline of the proposed treaty inserted a clause provid ing for the investigation of all questions, even of those not submitted to arbitration. This is plainly the most important provision in the treaty. Other treaties have contained excep tions which largely reduced their value as pre ventives of war but now investigation is to be made compulsory in every case, even tho so called national honor is not made the basis of exception and war becomes a remote possibility. It will be remembered that at tho peace con ference in London five years ago Mr. Bryan in troduced a resolution demanding the Investiga tion of all differences before the commence ment of war. He had. at that time the support of Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman and the con gress then in session representing 256 nations unanimously adopted the resolution. It was later endorsed by peace congresses in New York and in Scotland. It Is understood that the United States has announced its willingness to make a similar treaty with France. It ought also make tho offer to Germany, Japan, and other nations. The world's peace is no longer a dream; it is very nearly a glorious fact. TIME FOR TEARS The Denver News says: "The senate committee of the Illinois legislature declares that William E. Lorimer was elected to the senateby bribery and corruption. Now is the time for Joe Bailey to turn on a few more weeps." That Central Bank Tho readers of Tho Commoner are warned again to bo on the lookout for the central bank. While it seems impossible that tho financiers should expect to got a central bank bill through tho house of representatives, still tho men who control our finances aro at work and thoy are too shrewd to work as hard as thoy aro now working without having somo prospect of suc cess. The democratic party should bo united in opposing tho central hank. Wo do not need it, and we can not afford to build up such a gigantic money trust in our midst. It Is hard enough to control tho financiers when there is somo little competition between them it will ho a hopeless task when tho finances of tho govern ment aro turned over to thom. Wo do not need wo must not have any asset currency. What wo need most is security for depositors and until wo can have compulsory guarantee all national banks should be given their choice between joining a system under which all tho banks guarantee each hank's de positors against loss, or to give individual se curity each bank making its depositors absolu tely secure. A banker ought to be ashamed to do business under conditions such as wo havo now which allow him to make a big profit In good times and yet compel his depositors to take great risks in hard times. Insofar as there is any need of an elastic cur rency it can bo secured In two ways. First: By allowing any ono (individual or bank) hold ing a government bond td borrow its face value (or near that) at any time by allowing tho in terest to bo suspended and secured, then the government can loan greenbacks to tho banks or to a group of banks as an emergency cur rency at an interest which would secure its return when tho emergency is passed and on terms which would compel the loaning of the money at a reasonable rate. If congress will look at the subject from the standpoint of the whole people, instead of viewing It from the standpoint of Wall street, it will not find it difficult to devise remedies for all our financial diseases. The trouble Is that tho financiers are interested not In protecting tho public, but in exploiting it, and the Aldrich measure, like all other Wall street measures, is simply a new kind of grand larceny. If, instead of depositing government money In favorite banks, tho treasurer was compelled to loan tho money, on security prescribed by law, to the banks offering the highest rate of in terest (as is done in several states) tho money would go where It Is most needed. That would give some elasticity to the currency, but it would not please Wall street. DON'T WORRY ABOUT BOLTS Republican papers aro telling about secret caucuses between protectionist democrats and the republican leaders, and we aro warned that these protectionists threaten to bolt and act with the republicans if tho special interests aro not protected. Let them bolt. Tho democratic party Is not responsible for what bolters do, but it Is responsible for what the party as a party does. The democratic party, as a party must carry out the platform. If any democrats want to join with the republicans to defeat the party, let them do so and take the responsibility; tho number of such will be few. "THOUGH NOT OF THE ALDRICH TYPE' Senator Martin is thus described by the New York Times: "He Is a progressive democrat, more of tho old school than of the new perhaps, and, though not of the Aldrich type of protec tionist, he is not the man to discard tried prin ciples of statesmanship to follow the lure of fads." - In other words ho Is not so progressive that he will not receive the enthusiastic support of the newspapers that are regarded as spokesmen for the special interests. Of course "he is not as good as Aldrich" but nevertheless ho will do. te4. iJu ; i. tx-