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The Commoner.
SEPTEMBER' IS, 1912 '
which are at work. They do not need a guar
dian to protect them from the misuse of the
knowledge which they may acquire, and they
ought not to he required to employ detectives
to find out what the officials are doing after
the election. Mr. Taft knows that a great many
matters come before executives and legislators
where it is difficult, if not impossible, for the
average voter to investigate the facts. The
people have a right to know in advance of elec
tion whether those with special interests to look
after are contributing sums larger than public
spirit, patriotic motives and general interest
would explain. If, for instance, a candidate for
governor is likely to have to pass upon railroad
legislation, the people have a right to know
whether men largely interested in preventing
railroad legislation have contributed liberally to
bis campaign fund. If a man aspires to an office
in which, if elected, he will have to pass upon
anti-trust laws, it is only right that the public
should know to what extent the trust magnates
are financing his campaign. And so if a man
is a candidate for office which brings him into
official connection with tariff legislation it is
proper for the public to know whether he will
be so obliged to the beneficiaries of a high tariff
as to be embarrassed when he attempts to pro
tect the consumer.
Mr. Taft misrepresents what I have said in
regard to Mr. Hughes. I called attention to
some of the contributions that were made to
Mr. Hughes' fund, and in view of the fact that
Mr. Hughes attacks the remedies without ad
vancing any remedies of his own, and in view
of the further fact that this testimony was
quoted by the president against me I asked the
president whether he thought that these con
tributions by trust magnates would lessen or
increase the weight of Mr. Hughes testimony
on the- subject of trusts. It will not do for
Mr. Taft to put Mr. Hughes upon a pedestal and
claim for him Immunity from criticism. It is
not necessary for me to pass judgment upon
Mr. Hughes or upon what he has done in order
to pass judgment upon the question under dis
cussion. He is only human and was one of
"the allies" before the Chicago convention' Wo
assume that public officials will be honest, and
yet we require bonds of those who handle money
no matter of vwhat character they may be. The
law will not permit a judge, a juror, or an offi
cial to accept a gift; if the gift is from one who
has an interest in the official action of the offi
cial, and in forbidding this the law does not ask
as to the character of the official. The law is
based upon human nature and human experi
ence, and it is not necessary to furnish f.pecific
proof of special weakness in the man who re
ceives the money, or to prove that his decision
was in any manner affected by the gift. No
scales have yet been invented for the accurate
weighing of the reasons which enter into an
official's decision.
'It is only fair, however, to assume that in
using Mr. Hughes' case as an argument, Mr.
Taft means to say that he will not object to
contributions from trust magnates, railroad
magnates and tariff beneficiaries, no matter how
much those contributions may be, even though
he may; if elected, be compelled to pass upon
questions where their demands may be on the
one side and the interests of the general public
on the other. He must not complain if he finds
that many republicans of the rank and file will
differ from him on this subject, for the average
man will judge aspirants for office by the rules
applied to average men. Common sense and
the universal judgment are against Mr. Taft's
position, and against the arguments which he
advances in its support.
After giving out the above statement, Mr.
Bryan referred to Mr. Taft's statement that
Thomas P. Ryan contributed $15,000 to the Ne
braska campaign fund in 1904, and said: "This
has been denied, but I assume that he has taken
the statements of.some of his republican, advisers
without taking time to verify those statements.
Mr. Ryan did not contribute any money to the
Nebraska campaign fund. The national com
mittee contributed $15,000 in 1.904, and the
members of the national committee who had
charge of the fund, have stated that the contri
bution was made from the general fund of the
committee, and was not contributed to the com
mittee by anyone for the purpose of being sent
to Nebraska.
WALTER WELlAlAN'S STATEMENT
Walter Wellman, writing in the Chicago
Record-Herald rep.) of October 29, 1908, said:
"During tho past weof or ten dayB money
has been pouring In upon the . republican na
tional committee in a golden stream. The con-
A New Special Low Rate Campaign
Offer-Five for $1.00
To still further assist tho workers in tho
different precincts who are using Tho Commoner
as campaign literature, a new low-rate offer is
made 20 cents for single subscriptions from
now until the close of the campaign or a club
of five for $1.
This new rate will give encouragement and
impetus to thousands of loyal workers all over
the country, who know from experience what
it means to have The Commoner going every
week during the campaign into tho homes of
from 10 to 100 doubtful voters in their precincts.
The Commoner makes tho best sort of a cam
paign text book for voters, for It contains every
week just those matters of timely interest that
the voters are interested in, as well as masses
of authoritative information and answers to tho
arguments and statements of political opponents
bearing on the current campaign.
There la yet time to get up a good club In
your precinct,' but the work should not bo de
layed a moment. Other forcos are working con
stantly, and the moat effective work can bo done
right now. Any worker can engage In this work,
and It will take but a short time to got up a
Commoner campaign club. Read what the work
ers are doing in other precincts. Many work
ers have been surprised at tho eagerness of tho
votora to obtain light on present day problems.
Tho time to reach these voters la now. Send a
club from your precinct. Get The Commoner
into the hands of as many new and doubtful
voters as possible, particularly those who have
formorly voted the republican ticket. A good
Commoner club will help you to achlevo a big
victory in your precinct. Uoo the attached
blank for a club of five subscribers, or a blank
sheet whore more names are sent.
FIVE FOR $1.00 CLUB
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.:
Gentlemen Enclosed find $1.00 for which please send The Commoner to the follow
ing five new subscribers under your special campaign offer FIVE FOR $1.00 from now
until the close Of the presidential campaigu.
Name
Name
Name
Name
Name
P. O.
P. O.
P. O.
.P. O.
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- A ...
tributions are coming from heads of large busi
ness concerns, from the big banks, from the
chiefs of corporations, from men of wealth and
substance. The explanation is fright. Serenity
has given place to panic. And the men of wealth
have reached for their check books. Fear of
Taft's defeat is no longer felt by the men who
are managing the campaign. If extraordinary
means should be necessary to win they are pre
pared to employ them. In other words, they
will use money to bring victory. Tho practical
politicians here admit that the "floater" class of
which we hear so much in Indiana, is also known
In this state. In this city alone, it is said, there
are 40,000 votes that can be turned one way or
the other with money. Up the state, sorry to
relate, thero are said to bo 00,000 or 70,000.
Not all of them need to be bought. Some of
them can be 'hired to bring in the voters on
election day, in the Indiana style. The demo
crats, of course, are making ready to raise a
dreadful howl about a purchased election. But
those of us who know the game know they
would do the same thing if they had tho money
to do it with."
i ,
A SUGAR-COATED PILL
The democratic house of representatives, It
will be recalled, passed a bill placing sugar on
the free list. It was estimated this would re
duce the price approximately 2 cents a pound.
Another bill was passed placing a slight tax on
Incomes in excess of $5,000. This would have
meant, in a few words, a transfer of a small por
tion of the burden of taxation from the break
fast table to wealth. The corporation-controlled
senate has objected to this program, and both
bills died with the session.
The democratic program of substituting a tax
on wealth for the tax on sugar was class legisla
tion the standpatters and protectionists cried
out 'in chorus. They were never heard to corn
main, however, of the existing class legislation
which permits the burden of federal taxation
to fall entirely upon the shoulders of tho Passes,
taxing the average man, woman and child on
every stitch of clothing they wear and every
thing else tliey must have In order to live, while
nermltting fortunes to go untaxed.
The masses of, tho people produce the wealth,
and by legislative advantage few get possession
of it and now those few object, and have pre
vented, the transfer to wealth of even tho small
amount of taxation derivod from tho tariff on
sugar, which is but one of more than 500 things
on which the consumers pay a tax. They would
prefer that the government continue to tax
sugar Instead of wealth, because they eat no
more sugar than the section hand on the rail
road or the worker In the mill, and therefore
under the present system of protection aro com
pelled to pay no greater tax to the federal gov
ernment than does the poorest man. v
If a fiscal system which requires a millionaire
to pay no more tax to the national government
than the section hand or mill-worker Is fair and
just, there is no need of reform; but If such a
system is unjust, the free sugar Lllld were moves
In tho right direction.
Tho average citizen of this country eats 80
pounds of sugar a year. A saving of 2 cents a
pound "would have meant $1.00 a person a year,
or a saving of $8 to a family of five.
Because of the obstructionists in tho senate,
however, this saving Is not to be. Tho peoplo
must go on paying an artificial price for sugar so
that tho poor old sugar trust shall not want for
dividends on its watered stock, while the million
aires need not bother about paying a single penny
of taxation on their wealth for the support of
tho government. Perhaps some day it will bo
different. But It will not be until .. democratic
senate and president aro elected to co-operato
with a house of representatives that Is really
trying to represent the will of the people of
this country. San Francisco Star.
OPPORTUNITY FOR DE3IOCRATIO NEWS
PAPER MAN
Circumstances make necessary tho sale of a
leading democratic weekly newspaper and job
printing office in a live city of several thousand
population In Nebraska. This is a splendid op
portunity for a progressive democratic news
paper man. Price about $6,000, including plant,
paper stock. Junior Lintoype, etc. $8,000 cash
necessary. Address, J. W. F. care The Com
moner. "Total Incapacity" that is the fault the na
tional progressives find with tho democratic
party is It? Well, that does sound a little harsh
when one remembers how slow they have been
in finding out the true inwardness of tho re
publican party.
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