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45
The Commoner.
.VOLUME 11, NUMBER 3a
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
Entered at the Postofllce at Lincoln, Nobraaka,
as second-class matter.
WlIXIAM J. UltYAH
Editor and Proprietor
HICHAM) L, MlCTCAIJTt
iVseoctoto Editor
CnARIJCB W. Bryam
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Address all communications to
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nob,
whether the violation of law was "reasonable"
or "unreasonable" the supreme court opinion
(now upheld by Mr. Taf t although in his mes
sago of January, 1910, he practically condemned
it) gives to tho federal court the, power of pass
ing upon any violation of the anti-trust law as
a "reasonable" violation.
And there is not the smallest difference be
tween this power than the power of a court to
say that a case of burglary was "reasonable"
burglary, or that a case of horse-stealing was
not "unreasonable" horse-stealing. Mr. Taft
admitted this when, in his message of January
1910, ho said: "This is to put into the hands
of the court a power impossible to exercise on
any consistent principle," adding that it is to
give to courts "a power approaching the arbi
trary, the abuso of which might involve our
whole judicial system in disaster."
"AFTER A TIME"
Press dispatches from Peoria, 111. two days
following the defeat of reciprocity said that
President Taft had "a heart to heart talk" with
the people and that he was in "a serious mood."
The president said: "What tho future is I
know not. I only know this, that I am going
ahead and do the best I can. I havo confidence
that the American people can always be trusted,
not only to exprcise their sober second thought,
but also a discriminating sense aB to what is
fact and what is fiction, after a time."
The people do sometimes havo "a discrimi
nating sense as to what is fact and what is
fiction" particularly "after a time."
In 1908 the people were made the victims of
the fiction that Mr. Taft was a progressive.
To be sure, they should have known better.
. But Mr. Taft permitted Mr. Roosevelt to select
him as the Roosevelt successor and to herald
him as a progressive leader upon whom reform
republicans might depend.
But Mr. Taft has been anything but pro
gressive. On the contrary he has been a stand
patter of tho standpatters and his entire ad
ministration, becoming worse and worse every,
day from tha insurgent republican standpoint,
has presented the strongest sort of standpat fact
against the moat lurid sort of insurgent fiction.
The republican party hag often fooled th
American people.
But the people were never go badly fooled as
thoy were when they were led to believe that Mr.
Taft had gome conception of popular govern
ment or some sympathy with thoge who would
perpetuate it.
"Shall the People Rule" the Overwhelming Issue
If You Say "Yes" Then Organize a Democratic Club
The following charter was taken out in pur
suance of instructions given at a meeting of
United States senators, congressmen and others
at the democratic conference room, Senate Ofllce
building, Washington, D. C, August 23, 1911.
The same meeting instructed that by-laws be
adopted after the charter should be taken out,
and that a national executive committee of nine
members be chosen, to consist of four United
States senators, four congressmen and one other
member, with power to add to their numbers,
and all to be subject to recall. A committee on
organization was named, consisting of United
States senators Robert L. Owen and George E.
Chamberlain, and Mr. George H. Shibley.
CHARTER
The federation Is chartered under the laws of
tho District of Columbia, as follows:
"City of Washington, District of- Columbia.
We, the undersigned, being citizens of the
United States and of full age, and a majority
being residents of the District of Columbia,
hereby form an organization, the Federation of
Democratic Precinct Clubs of U. S. A.? to be com
posed (1) of affiliated Democratic Precinct clubs,
one or more in each voting precinct -throughout
the United States, (2) of affiliated Democratic
clubs other than for voting precincts, these
affiliated olubs as a whole to be grouped to
gether into (3) city and county federations, (4)
state federations, and (5) a national federation.
Each federation shall consist (1) of the indi
vidual members of the territorial area, (2) of a
general committee which may be designated as
follows for the several federations: City or
county council, state council and national coun
cil, (3) of an executive committee, which may
be known as president, vice presidents, secre
tary and treasurer, lecturers, organizers, and
such others as the federation may choose to
elect, and (5) an advisory body which may be
known as. advisory council.
"The term for which the federation is or
ganized is perpetual.
"The object is to promote the art of self
government. "Tho number of directors for the first year
shall be nine, who shall be known as the na
tional executive council.
"A charter shall be issued for each of the
several federations except the national one.
"Each city federation, county federation and
state federation may be designated as a branch;
for example, the McHenry county (111.) branch
of the federation of Democratic Precinct Clubs
of the United States of America.
"Witness our signatures and seals this 24th
day of August, A. D. 1911."
(Signatures of incorporators.)
Filed with the recorder of deeds, Washington,
D. C, August 24, 1911.
LET US ORGANIZE!
Constitution of Democratic Precinct club
you are invited to join:
PREAMBLE
The real political contest in this country is
between the people and the holders of special
privileges the special Interests. .
This country is governed through party or
ganizations and the special Interests have for
years controlled the regular republican organi
zation, and through it have controlled the na
tional government and many of the state gov
ernments. This regular republican organization the
stand-pat "machine" is being driven out of
power by the people, who have elected a pro
gressive democratic house of representatives,
and the people now partially control the senate
through tho democratic senators and ,the revolt
ing republican progressive senators, 'it is obvi
ous that the democratic party is about to come
into control of the government in 1912, and
the great danger of the democracy Is that the
advocates and holders of privilege will rush into
the bosom of democracy for shelter, with pro
testations of party loyalty and zeal and urgent
advice as to party policy and choice of candi
dates. Already the special interests are making
secret efforts throughout the nation to control
the regular democratic organization, and will
endeavor to guide tho choice of the democratic
nominees. For this reason the people must
control the primaries, tho conventions, the
nominations, the elections and the men elected
and in their own interest. '
In this contest the advocates of privilege havo
unlimited funds, and an army of skilled workers
and strikers, a powerful press, a host of bene
ficiaries, and will under, cover contest the field
from end to end, while the people are un
organized. The present regular democratic
organization, consisting of national, state
county, city, township, ward and precinct com
mittees, and officeholders, have no right and no
duty, as an organization, to take sides to de
termine the nomination and election of their
successors in office. This work of nominating
and electing must be done by the people. Tho
work of tho regular democratic party organiza
tion begins after it has been elected by the
people, and after the democratic candidates
shall havo been nominated by the people.
It follows that the need of the hour is or
ganization of the people themselves for self
defense in the governing business, and, first of
all, in the governing business is the selection of
the regular party organization, city, county and
state committees and delegates, from the pre
cinct to the national convention. The demo
cratic party should be safeguarded in every pre
cinct, and from the precinct to the national
convention, so that the democratic party may
nominate a progressive democrat for the presi
dency, nominate absolutely trustworthy men for
every party and public place, and have an or
ganized army of a million precinct men able,
willing and anxious to elect a1 democratic presi
dent in 1912. This makes necessary the organi
zation of the people themselves; therefore
Resolved, That we, the undersigned, citizens
of this precinct, join in establishing a Demo
cratic Precinct club, and that we adopt the fol
lowing constitution:
Article I. Name. This club shall be known
as the Democratic Precinct club, of the
precinct, of the Ward (or township),
of county (or city), of the state of
Article. II. Object. The object is to take
part in the nation-wide movement of patriotic
democrats for insuring progressive control of
the regular democratic organization, from the
precinct to the national convention, and thereby
place in ofllce none but trustworthy citizens,
especially a progressive presidential nominee, all
of whom shall be pledged to the voters to sup
port the following people's rule program:
First. To promote the establishment of a
thorough system of actual self-government with
in the party by the members of the party;
Second. To promote the establishment of a
thorough system of actual self-government by
the people within the states and the nation; and
Third. To so legislate and to so administer
the laws as to abolish privileges in industry,
thereby lowering the cost of living and opening
up the opportunities of life in full measure to
the masses of the people.
Article III. Program. The program is in
two main parts:
First. To organize a self-supporting and self
governing Democratic Precinct club in this pre
cinct, open to all democrats, and enroll addi
tional members. This club shall federate with
other Democratic Precinct clubs in this county,
city and state, and the nation, as a member of
the federation of Democratic Precinct clubs of
the United States of America, under the by-laws
of the federation. The president of this club
shall be the club's representative in the county
or city council of the county or city federation
of Democratic Precinct clubs.
Second. To promote the greatest possiblo
publicity for the records, views and affiliations
of the candidates' within the party; to question
candidates for party offices and for public offices,
and to see to it that they are pledged to tho
people to support the people's rule program; to
raise the issues of the people's rule program
from time to time as may appear expedient to
the club, the county or city federation or the
state federation, as the case may be; to urge
the members of the party to attend the pri
maries and all elections; to see that the laws
against corruption are rigidly enforced, that the
votes in primaries and the elections are gotten
out, properly counted and returned, and that
our principles are steadily advanced.
.This organization shall be continued yeati
after year for use in the primary election cam
palgn and in the contest between our party
nominees and those of the opposing parties, ana
as an agency for assuring at all times the good
conduct of party and public officl&la.
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