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The Commoner
VOL. 15, NO. 8
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The Commoner
ISSUED MONTHLY
, Entered at tho Postofllco at Lincoln, Ncbrauka,
; &h Hccond-claHH matter.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN CHARLES W. BRYAN
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THE COMMONER, LINCOLN. NEn.
"Millions of star-gleams and sands-by the sea;
Birds by the thousand to carol their glee.
Life's countless hours and showers of dew,
Myriad flowers but only one 'You!'" '
As a straw to show which way the republican
wind is blowing it might be stated that the New
York Sun has recently been canonizing the late
Senator Nelson W. Aldrich and declaring him to
have been a much maligned and misunderstood
patriot.
Senator Cummins has started on a campaign
tour of tho west in the interest of his candi
dacy for tho republican presidential nomination.
This will be an interesting experience for Mr.
Cummins, and it won't interfere in the least with
tho schemes of the republican national bosses,
who have other plans.
Uncertainty controls most of the affairs of
life, but it needs no gift of prophecy to declare
that tho next republican platform will bo written
by tho same men who composed the declaration
of principles upon which Mr. Taft ran, and the
progressives will be asked to swallow it or stay
outside as they did then.
A recent cable stated that the cause of tho
coal strike in South Wales was thafe while coal
prices had gono up 36 per cent the wages of tho
miners had increased but 7 per cent. If those
miners had been familiar with the theory of tho
protective tariff they would have understood that
tho ratio of 6 to 1 in distributed benoflts is the
best they could expect.
All of those who believe that if the repub
licans regain control of national affairs they will
not fill the service with deserving republicans
will kindly raise their hands. And yet one of
the oft-repeated criticisms of the 'democratic
administration is that it was intent upon filling
these same offices with democrats whose service
to tho party had earned that reward.
Sixty per cent of the articles sent out to re
publican editors from Jonathan Bourne's philan
thropic publicity organization at Washington are
upon the necessity of an increase in the tariff on
some schedule or another. Only three guesses
will be permitted as to who were the mysterious
republicans who endowed this qommittee with
several hundred thousand dollars cash.
The difference between thep republican way and
the democratic way is indicated in a recent bul
letin of the department of agriculture which sug
gests that tho farmers irPEhose sections of the
.qountry whore it has been demonstrated that flax
can be profitably grown, umta in securing ex
perienced men who can prepare tho fiber for the
market. Tho republican way to help the flax
grower was to, levy such a tariff upon linens that
the foreigner was barred from the country and
the linen trust could thus be undisturbed in fix
ing the price to be paid for flax. The democratic
way is to teach the farmers how to help them
selves. The republican way was to make it easy
for the manufacturers to help themselves to the
farmer's flax crop. ,
THE CATHOLIC POSITION STATED
The Knights of Columbus acted wisely in giv:
ing a formal answer to the misrepresentations
which have been circulated in regard to the at
titude of American Catholics on two important ,
subjects, namely, on political questions and the
public schools. The Knights, at their recent an-,
nual meeting at Seattle, say:
"We should lose no proper occasion to declare
tho position of Catholics and the teachings of
the church on this matter, namely, that while
Catholics acknowledge the popo to be supreme
in spiritual matters, they do not hold that he has
any authority in civil matfcis. If any spiritual
authoricy were to direct us to do any act con
trary to the rights of freo citizens, or the wel
fare of society, we would be bound to disobey."
Other points touched upon in the report to the
meeting, as published, are as follows:
"The report declares that Catholics uphold and
support tho public school system, but feel that
religious instruction is necessary, and, there
fore, bear an extra burden for private schools.
An opinion was expressed that in time all gen
eral forms of religion will be taught in free
schools.
"The report condemns the action of politicians
in raising religious issues in campaigns, as well
as tho activities of quasi-political societies in dis
criminating against persons of any faith." .
Those who have come into intimate acquaint
ance with representative Catholics did not need
to bo informed that they do not concede to the
church authorities the right to direct their course
in political matters, but many Protestants, lack
ing this knowledge which comes with personal
acquaintance, have been misled, and tho state
ment above quoted is both wise and timely.
So, in the matter of public schools. A parent
may send his child to a private school as
many Protestants as well as Catholics do with
out indicating hostility to the public school sys
tem. The American public school is an estab
lished fact; it is a permanent institution, and it
is idle to talk of any class or creed interfering
with it.
The Knights are to be commended also for
protesting against the introduction ot religious
issues into politics whether to aid the members
of a church or to oppose them. The right to
worship God according to the dictates of one's
conscience is one of tho inalienable rights It
must not be jeopardized by the dragging of re
ligion into politics.
W. J. BRYAN.
PRESUMPTUOUS GRAVES
John Temple Graves, one of the "war at any
cost" journalists, is giving publicity to a story
told by somebody to tho following effect:
"When Noah was building tho Ark his neigh
bors stood around and offered advice and criti
cism. Some said: 'The very building of this
craft is likely to breed a bad state of mind and
create trouble. It's tempting Providence, that's
what it is! Don't you know that it suggests a
flood?'
"Others said: 'There isn't a cloud in the sky.
Wo have .passed the rainy season. You are nerv
ous and hysterical.'
"A number" remarked: 'When you see a flood
coming it will bo time then to build rafts and
boats. It's "locking up money" to build a shin
now.' "
If Mr. Graves' thinks that the building of the
ark in anticipation of tho flood is a parallel case
to the preparations for warwkich he is now
preaching, he must be laboring under the delu
sion that ho has as authentio information of the
coming of war as Noah had of the flood. If so
Mr. Graves is very presumptuous to think himself
on such intimate terms with the Almighty.' If
the Lord knows Graves as well as we do he will
never tell him anything. .He is not at all likely
to communicate with him directly, but if Ho ever
does talk to him, He will probably say to him
what Ho said to Ananias rather than what he
said to Noah.
Prohibition
Have you noticed that none of these jingoes
who are going up and down tho land declaring
on the supposed unpreparedness of the United
States is giving a definite program of expendi
ture to secure a condition of preparedness thnt
will satisfy him and his fellow,? PThf explana
tion is that they. are seeking to create a panicky
feeling among tho people that they believe will
enablo them to secure popular consent to a
great expenditure of public money for no eood
purpose. BUUU
It may be assumed that all who advot,.
legislation for the restriction of the sale of in
toxicating liquor regard its use as an evil Tho
unanimity of the sentiment against the 'linunr
traffic is shown by the fact that in every state
in the union there are laws prescribing coniii
tions under which it can be-soldsale to drunk
ards and minors being everywhere prohibited"
Where liquor is sold at all the tendency of pub
lie opinion is everywhere toward greater strict
ness in the regulation. Sale is now generally
prohibited on Sundays, and the hours are grad
ually lessened. In Nebraska the saloon opens
at seven in the morning and closes at eight
o'clock in the evening. In some states the hour
of closing is even earlier. If the liquor inter
ests had left the people free to decide these
questions for themselves the sentiment in favor
of prohibition would not have grown as rapidly
as it has, but during recent years the liquor in
terests have organized their forces in nation and
in state and wherever an issue has been made
they have supported the local saloon element
with money and with speakers.
The liquor question is, therefore, no longer
an abstract question; in taking a position on any
legislative phase of it one has to decide not
merely what course he would, if able to direct
legislation, regard as most practicable, but
whether in taking sides he will become the po
litical associate of those who have a personal
interest in the sale of liquor, or act with those
who have a public interest in the welfare of the
community. For many years I felt disposed to
decide the question according to the circum
stances of each particular case, but I found that
everywhere, and at all times, the liquor inter
ests not only preferred the smallest legislative
unit, but obstructed every effort made for the
protection of the public. I have, therefore,
reached the conclusion that complete prohibition
of the manufacture and sale of intoxicating li
quor furnishes the best legislative solution of
the problem. If we allow it to be sold we are
kept busy trying to enforce restrictions it is
like inviting a burglar into the house and then
staying -awake all night to watch hhn.
I am not in a position to decide when, as a
matter of policy, prohibition ought to be made
an issue inany particular state, but wherever
it is made an issue by legitimate authority my
sympathies are wholly on the side of those who
advocate prohibition, and wholly against the li
quor interests. When the amendment was voted
upon in the house of representatives at the last
session of congress I expressed-the opinion that
the time was not ripe for an attempt to secure
national prohibition, but I announced, at the
same time, that I would favor national prohibi
tion if- a constitutional amendment was sub
mitted. The resolution received a larger vote
than I expected, having a clear majority a fact
Which, in itself, contains a terrific indictment ol
the liquor traffic. At the rate at which the sen
timent is now growing it will not be many years
before a national prohibition amendment is sub
mitted, and when the Bentiment in favor of pro
hibition is so strong that two-thirds of the mem
bers of both houses favor its submission it will
probably be ratified by three-fourths of the
states.
I hope that national prohibition will not be
an issue in the campaign of 1916. I prefer to
see that campaign fought out upon the economic
issues which divide the two leading parties. The
democratic party has. made a splendid record in
matters of legislation and administration, and
its defeat might result in the undoing of some
of the things that have been accomplished. I
believe that, for the present, at leasfc until after
1916, it is better to. make the prohibition fight
In the states that are ready for it rather than in
the nation. Wherever it is an issue in the states
I hope to see the democratic party take the pro
hibition side. It is not only the moral side but
the economic side as well, and no party can hope
to gain any permanent advantage by allying it
self with the distillers, the brewers and the saloon-keepers
who, for. pecuniary reasons, seek to
perpetuate an evil which surpasses any other
evil in our land-Public statement by Mr. Bryan.
i3
. Pour Ohioans are unannounced but none, the
less real candidates for the republican presiden
tial nomination. As usual they are running
principally on the fact that they are residents of
Ohio. Nobody knows whether they are for any
thing except whatever the republican platform
makers decide shall he the issues. -
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