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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL HI, NO. 50
Lincoln, Nebraska, December 22, 1911
Whole Number 570
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easures
Some of the presidential candidates are seek
ing to make themselves solid with Wall street
toy fierce denunciations of the initiative and
referendum. They assume that an attempt will
be made to indorse these reforms in the next
democratic national platform and are virtudusly
protesting in advance. There is no likelihood
of any attempt being made to secure an indorse
ment of the iniatitive and referendum in the
Jonal platform of 1912, but the discussion
of the issue will serve a useful purpose. A can
didate's position on these subjects if he under
stands them indicates his position on other
questions. A great deal-depends on the candi
date's position on fundamental propositions; if
he trusts the people he can be trusted if ho
does not trust the people he can not be trusted.
Wall street is now weighing the claims of
aspirants and it can be expected to smile on
candidates in proportion as they speak with
" contempt of the masses. One candidate has
made a high .bid for Wall street favor by de
claring that "The masses are more likely to
select an honest man than an honest measure."
This is the very essence of aristocracy; it is
, the undemocratic doctrine that the people have
not senso enough to decide questions but must
content themselves with selecting superior men"
to think for them. Jefferson said that "the
principles of right and wrong are easily dis
, cerned and require not the aid of many counsel
lors." The people can bo trusted to decide ques
tions if not why do we have platforms?
Issues are more easily understood than men "
and, then, issues do not change after the elec
' -tion, as men sometimes do. When the masses
' are fooled' It is by men more often than by
issues. In the long run, men, when understood,
.are strong or weak, according to the measures
they support proving that the people can be
relied upon to select honest' measures.
; RATIFY THE PEACE TREATY
Public sentiment in America is plainly in favor
of the ratification of the peace treaty. It may
be easier to ratify the peace treaty without
change although it would be better if the
appointment of ji commission of inquiry were
compulsory instead of Bubject to the request
of one of the parties.
America has the opportunity of taking the
lead in this world-wide peace movement and.
, the people's representatives in the senate should
not fail to sieze the opportunity.
"THE INTERESTS" IN 1004
Judge Parker is right in saying, as he did a
few days ago, that "there never was a time
CONTENTS
A TRUE MEANING
, .; THE REAL UNDERWOOD
THE PRIZE PLUTOCRAT
,.- GOOD FOR ARIZONA
THE SERVICE PENSION
HONESTY THE BEST POLICY
'A WEAK PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
AN INJURY TO THE PARTY
"BRYAN A REPUBLICAN ASSET"
K MR. HARMON'S RECORD HOW HE
DODGED ON THE PUBLIC
UTILITIES BILL
ABROGATING THE RUSSIAN TREATY
, , SULZER'S SPEECH
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
,jjtjtJitJtjtijttitt!)i
&
THE COMMONER WISHES
A MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND
A HAPPY NEW YEAR
TO EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE
AND FOREVER
J
i
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when the money powers oven seriously thought
of giving their support to the democratic
ticket," but those who were in control of the
St. Louis convention in 1904, thought or pre
tended to think that our party would receivo
Wall street support. It was a great disappoint
ment to the professional "distributors" when
it was learned that Wall street had decided not
to contribute. Wall street played a very smooth
game on the party that year and is trying tho
same game this year. Wall street is PROMIS
ING all kinds of support if the party will bo
"sensible and sane," but Wall street has no.
more idea of supporting the party this year
than it had in 1904. It is trying to nominato
the candidate but if it succeeds it will help to
elect the republican candidate. Democratic
hope lies entirely ih an appeal to the progres
sive sentiment of the country hence tho
criminal folly of nominating a "conservative."
GOOD FOR ARIZONA
The democrats won a sweeping victory Jin
Arizona at the first election of that now state.
George W. P. Hunt, democrat, was elected
govenior and the elections to the senate of
Henry F. Ashurst and Mark A. Smith is assured.
Carl Hayden of Phoenix was elected to congress.
The recall provision of the constitution was, of
course, defeated or eliminated in obedience to
Mr. Taft's orders. Mr. J. B. Birdno, chairman
of the democratic state committee, has issued
this statement:
"The people of Arizona simply refused to
indorse Taft's dictation as to what kind of a
constitution Arizona should have, and while they
voted to eliminate the recall from the constitu
tion, as they were obliged to do in order to gain
statehood, they showed at the same time that
the recall would be placed back in the constitu
tion as soon as it possibly could be done."
George W. P. Hunt, the first governor-elect
of Arizona, issued a statement in which he de
clared the victory of the democratic ticket in
the election was a triumph for both progressive
democrats and progressive republicans. To
carry out these progressive principles, says the
statement, "both in letter and spirit, shall be
the essential part of my duty as chief executive
and in that duty I shall not be derelict."
ABOLISHING THE SECRET CAUCUS
Democratic members who are willing to
abolish the secret caucus should not forget that
they must make of that particular reform work
a finished task. The important thing in the open
caucus is to have a record vote on all questions
discussed and that vote should be made public
' in order that a member's constituents may .know
exactly how their representative voted upon
public measures.
There ought to be no half way business about
tho attitude of democrats toward this secret
caucus. The secret caucus is thoroughly un
democratic. It should never have been adopted
. by representatives of the democratic party and
now that it is to be abolished the work should
be done in such an effective way that the people
would have no reason to doubt the willing
ness on the part of the party's representatives
for publicity with respect to all their acts.
WHY NOT?
Why not give Americans a chance to buy ships
in. the world's markets and thus increase the
merchant marine?
A True Meaning
Whon, in his annual raossago, Mr. Taft said
that tho criminal clauso of tho Shorman anti
trust law had not boon cmasculatod, Tho Com
moner asked: "If that is truo thon why haa
Mr. Taft neglected to causo tho arrost of John
D. Rockofeller and other Standard Oil loadors,
together with tho Tobacco trust magnates, undor
tho criminal clauso of tho Sherman anti-trust
law?"
Referring to this question tho Lincoln (Nob.)
Journal says that Mr. Taft had already answered
that question in his mesBago when ho said:
"Criminal prosecutions have boon brought
and a number aro pending, but Juries haVo felt
averse to convicting for Jail sontoncos, and
Judges have been most reluctant to impose such
sentences on men of respoctablo standing in
socloty whoso offonso has been nioroly statutory.
As the truo meaning of such offonses bocomes
cloar, criminal action will bo moro successful."
But tho Beef trust magnates oyidontly did not
look at it in that way. Thoy havo not tho snino
confidence In tho "avorsoness" of Juries to con
victing for Jail sentences mon who conspiro
against tho people's necessities. For years and
years the members of tho Beef trust havo fought
against going to trial being unwilling to dis
play in tho "avorsoness" of Juries that sublimo
confidence Mr. Taft has shown. At ono tlmo
when the authorities had tho members of the
Beef trust face to face with tho Jury it was
seen that someone had taken tho precaution to
give them an "immunity bath" thus saving
them from tho necessity of trusting a Jury,
Mr. Taft does not speak with authority upon
this point, for tho only practical testimony we
have upon tho subject Is In tho case of tho
members of tho Beef trust and that Is all against
Mr. Taft's contention.
Ho has a chance, however, to put his claim
to tho test in a case which ho says has been
upheld by tho highest court In tho land. If the
criminal clause of tho Sherman anti-trust law
was not emasculated in tho Oil and Tobacco
trust cases let Mr. Taft causo the arrost and
prosecution of John D. Rockefeller and the
leaders of tho Tobacco trust.
Mr. Taft need not worry about the "true
meaning" of offenses against tho anti-trust law
being "clear" so far as tho peoplo aro con
cerned. When an English statesman, discuss
ing with Benjamin Franklin the propriety of
taxation, asked that groat American "who are
the best Judges as to tho propriety of this
taxation?" Franklin replied, "Those who feel
are best able to Judge."
The consumers of this country well under
stand the "true meaning" of the offenses against
the anti-trust law. Those offenses have their
basis in greed and they mean that tho men
guilty of them are willing to take advantage
of a monopoly upon the things tho people must
have in order to pile oppressions upon the backs
of tho people. Tho "true meaning" is that these
men, having made liberal contributions to the
campaign funds of tho dominant party expect
that party's official representatives to interpret
the law in the monopoly's favor and to resfrain
from using tho law's machine to the detriment
of the special Interests that would prey upon
the public welfare.
And the people understand, too, the "true
meaning" of the republican party's indisposition
to protect them from the trust system. A party
whose platform and candidates and campaign
funds are provided by the trust system can not
be expected to do anything to protect the peoplo
from that system.
PUT IT TO THE TEST
The Richmond Times-Dispatch says "the
effectiveness of tho Sherman law in the Tobacco
trust and Standard Oil trust cases is demon
strated." Then why is tho president unwilling
to put it to. the test by causing criminal prose
cution of tho Oil and Tobacco magnates.
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