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their politics, as ward bossos would have dono?
Does, ho forgot how a' United States supremo
court doclded the income tax case according to
their syraapthies five voting with tho under
taxed rich and four with tho overtaxed poor?
Does ho forget tho most recent case tho
Standard Oil and Tobacco cases where oight
Justicos of tho United States supreme court
wont out of their way to repeal a criminal law
which was objectionable to the trust magnates
a law that congress had repeatedly refused to
repeal? Many other cases might bo cited.
The trouble with President Toft is that he Is
constitutionally distrustful of tho people. He
has no fear of the tyranny of a minority but
becomes hysterical at tho thought of tho ma
jority making a mistake. He is willing to re
tiro to the secrecy of the white houso and,
WITHOUT GIVING THE PUBLIC ANY IN
FORMATION AS TO RECOMMENDATIONS
RELIED UPON, appoint judges to nullify acts
of congress, but ho can not think of allowing
tho voters to sit in judgment upon the acts of
a judge.
It is not strange that one Vho justifies our
nation in governing tho Filipinos without their
consent and-who favored the granting in the
Philippines of PERPETUAL FRANCHISES
under which foreigners could bind a helpleBS
peoplo forever it Is not strange that one hold
ing these views should be willing to apply Im
perialistic doctrines to Americans and dispute
the right of tho voters to impeach their judges.
Every judge is now subject to impeachment
at tho hands of tribunals elected by the people,
is it going to ruin our country to allow tho
sovereigns the people themselves to con
stitute tho jury and impeach for cause?
President Taft has made grave mistakes in
appointments and other grave mistakes In
vetoing the bills reducing the tariff, but these
may be attributed to errors of judgment. When,
however, ho refuses to allow Arizona to frame
her constitution to suit herself subject to tho
restrictions of tho federal constitution he shows
leanings toward a centralized government, and
when he becomes frightened at the recall he
discloses A LACK OF FAITH IN THE CAPA
CITY OF THE PEOPLE FOR SELF-GOVERN-ENT
A LACK OF FAITH IN THEIR INTEL
LIGENCE AND PATRIOTISM.
The president says that the judge represents
the minority rather than the majority. That Is
not a fair statement of the question. Courts
are instituted because the whole people not the
minority only desire justice. Race and reli
gious questions are safe in proportion as gov
ernments aro free. It is a reflection on tho
people to say that they would recall a judge
because he Protected the rights of the minority.
Tho masses do not deserve the contempt which
tho president heaps upon them their sense of
justice is much more acute than the sense of
justice in Mr. Taft's advisors. In the masses
the truth has not been choked by "the cares of
this world and the deceitfulness of riches.".
The president's error Ib an honest one his
environment has biased him against the people.
He is as suspicious of them as a king's courtier
is of democracy. It does not alarm him to have
a president force a nomination upon a party by
the unscrupulous use of patronage. It does not
arouse fears for his country to see the preda
tory interests coerce voters into supporting their
presidential candidate he 'can even bring him
self to threaten a panic if he is not elected, but
his nerves are unBtrung at the thought of the
peoplo UBing the recall to rid themselves of a
judge who prostitutes his office to tho service of
some corporate boss. It is hard to understand
how as Intelligent & man as the president can
say so much about a judge being intimidated by
the fear of the recall and nothing about a judge
being waTped by years of employment by a trust
or of life-term judges being weaned away from
the people by constant social association with
the beneficiaries of privilege.
But the president's veto will serve a useful
purpose it will very forcibly call attention to
tho judiciary and to the method of selection.
Some of our judges are appointed and some are
elected; both systems can not be best and the
contest which the chief executive has started
will not stop until one system or tho other
wins a complete victory. Will the president's
views be indorsed and all judges be given ap
pointments for life? Or will Arizona's position
prove the accepted one?
The Commoner stands with Arizona. In "a
government of the people, by the people and
for tho people" judges should be elected by the
people for limited terms and be subject to re
call for improper conduct.
IN KENTUCKY
Tho county option plank adopted in the Ken
tucky state convention was as follows: "Tem
perance is essentially a moral, non-political and
social question, and should not be made a
partisan issue between political parties. We
favor tho extension of tho present local option
law, as applied to tho sale of liquor, which has
been upheld by our highest court as valid and
constitutional, so that tho citizens of each and
every county In the state may determine for
themselves whether spiritous, vinous or malt
liquors may be sold therein."
The rejected plank offered by Henry Watter
son and associates was as follows: "Substitute
for Section 13 of majority report: The demo
cratic party of Kentucky is, and has always been,
a party of moderation and temperance. Every
existing statute in restriction of the sale and use
of intoxicants was enacted by a democratic legis
lature and approved by a democratic governor.
Unalterably opposed to the principle of paternal
ism, and pledging the party to the rigorous en
forcement of the laws, the democrats of Ken
tucky renew their allegiance to the time-honored
principle of self-government and home-rule em
bodied by the local option clause of the state
constitution and denounce tho double-dealing
and hyprocrisy of the republican effort to drag
into party politics a social, moral and religious
question having no proper place therein."
The Kentucky platform, referring to national
Issues, said: "On national issues, we, the demo
crats of Kentucky, In delegate convention duly
assembled and held in the city of Louisville,
Ky on August 15, 1911, do hereby pledge anew
our faith In and devotion to the time honored
and eternal principles of our party first pro
mulgated In the Declaration of Independence
and Bince reaffirmed in successive platforms of
the party, and we especially reaffirm our faith in
and devotion to the national democratic plat
form adopted at Denver, Colo., in the year 1908.
"We denounce the republican party and the
present republican president, for their flagrant
and willful betrayal of the trust reposed in them
by the American peoplo and call attention especi
ally to the fact that they have wilfully disre
garded their pre-election promises to the effect
that they would revjse downward, the unjust
tariff system and would relievo the masses of
the people of the heavy burdens of unjust and
unnecessary taxation.
"On the contrary the republicans enacted the
odious Payne-Aldrich tariff law of 1909, pro
nounced by Mr. Taft to be "the best republican
tariff law ever passed," which law was a. gross
breach of the promises of the republican presi
dent and his political party. This tariff law, in
order to enrich the few, increased the burdens of
the many, and authorized those favored few not
only to continue, but to Increase, their robbery
of the many tinder the forms of law."
ANOTHER YARN
Following Is a dispatch to the Cincinnati
Enquirer: Salem, 111., August 13. William J.
Bryan, who visited Salem, his birthplace, today,
was shown dispatches reporting that he Intended
entering the ministry.
"It provokes me very much to have such a
story circulated," said Mr. Bryan. "I do not
know whether to attribute It to over-zeal on the
part of my friends or to the malice of enemies.
I have never said or done anything to furnish
a foundation for such a story, and I hope It will
not be necessary for me to deny It again.
"I speak on religious subjects as I do on
educational subjects, as well as on economic
and political questions, but I have not had any
thought of abandoning politics for the ministry
or any other calling. I expect to make the study
and discussion of public questions my chief busi
ness while I live; other things aro incidental."
Mr. Bryan delivered an address tonight at
the Methodist church on "The Old Religion."
'
JUST THE SAME
Mr. Underwood says that the company he is
interested In can make pig Iron more cheaply
than it can be produced anywhere else in the
world, but he does not say that his company
sells it at a lower price than other companies
charge. If his company sells at prices fixed by
the steel trust it is just as much interested in
the tariff as the trust is. A little more light on
this subject would be acceptable.
VOLUME-11; NUMBER 33
WHY THEY OBJECT;
San Juan (New Mexico) Democrat: All the
big guns of protected Interests, democratic as
well as republican, are turned just now on
Bryan, yet the brave old commoner stands un
flnchingly in the front rank, never faltering nor
backing away from a principle once declared
When Bailey of the senate and Underwood of
the houso turned away from democratic policies
Bryan promptly opposed them. The public now
sees the plight they are in. Bailey has already
got his and Underwood's is coming. And now
to guard against official dishonesty Bryan, in tho
columns of The Commoner, has instituted a set
of leading questions for prospective democratic
candidates for 'the presidency. Governor Folk
of Missouri and Governor Marshall have already
responded, giving their views on all great ques
tions of the day and the others will soon follow
suit or else be out of the running. They can
not avoid the main issues, however much they
would try.
An instance of this kind came up before Colo
rado people last election when Judge Gunter was
asked a set of questions by T. M. Patterson and
tried to ignore them, getting behind the dignity
of his position, and later was glad to come out
and say where he stood, but too late his hesi
tancy had worked his defeat. The time is now
here when seekers after public office must not be
afraid to state publicly where they stand. No
matter who tho questioner. They can not side
step just because they do not like the quizzer
nor his methods. The questions may be per
sonal, but the answers concern the public. Bryan
is still a mighty power before the people and
no amount of ridicule thrown at him by the cor
porationlsts can destroy the deadly aim of his
marksmanship. Underwood, Bailey, Harmon
and their kind may rant and cavort if they
choose, but it is only an evidence that a coyote
is hurt if he ki-yl's.
Isn't It strange that some officials expect the
peoplo to trust them when they are unwilling
to trust tho people?
"DICTATORSHIP"
Editor The Commoner: We read and hear
a great deal nowadays about the political
dictatorship of Mr. Bryan.
This recalls an old story of Abraham Lincoln.
When someone, during the civil war complained
to him about tho intemperate habits of General
Grant, he inquired what brand of whisky Grant
drank, stating that he wanted to know so that
he could send a barrel or so to the other
generals.
Now we think that several barrels each, of
the particular brand of political dictatorship that
inspires Mr. Bryan's utterances and writings
would help his critics immensely.
Mr. Bryan is running a great paper, the sub
scription list of which is now increasing so
rapidly that It soon will stand second to none,
If indeed, it does not already occupy first place.
This he is doing wholly with an eye single to
the good of the common people. And so long as
they understand and appreciate him as they
now do he can well afford to snap his fingers
at his critics. And we might further add, that
today he stands not only at home, in the eyes
of the masses, but abroad throughout the civi
lized world, beside his critics, as "hyperion to
a wart." D. D WOLFF.
Atlantic City, Wyo Aug. 13, 1911.
HOLDING UP A PRESIDENT
Ex-President Roosevelt recently appeared be
fore the committee investigating the steel trust
and reiterated his statement that he permitted
the steel trust to gobble up its largest rival in
order to prevent a panic. He may console him
self in that way but how does he explain his in
action afterward?
If the steel trust holds tho industries of the
nation in its hands and can create or cure panics
at will why did Mr. Roosevelt do nothing to
take the country out of the hands of the steel
trust. If the steel trust is big enough to Inti
midate a president it is a menace to the nation's
safety. If the country had had a Jackson in
the white house, the steel trust could not have
Intimidated the executive, but since we have
few presidents like Jackson we ought to have
legislation which will protect timid presidents
from the bulldozing methods employed by the
trusts.
THE DOOR CLOSED
If any democrat has cherished the delusion
that our party could nominate a candidate who
could got nearer to Wall street than President
Taft is, he now sees his mistake. The veto of
Arizona's constitution gives Mr. Taft the un
divided support of Wall Btreet. Democracy must
look elsewhere.
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