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The Commoner
MARCH, 1916
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Mayor Bryan's Gan
didacy w
The campaign for the democratic gubernatorial
nomination is fairly under way. The announce
ment by Mayor Bryan of a number of progres
sive measures that ho believes should bo adopt
ed in Nebraska in the. interest of the people,
coupled with the announcement that it was al
most impossible to secure the passage of the
reform measures through tho legislature on ac
count of interference of special interests under
tho leadership of organized booze, has brought
all the corporation-controlled press of tho state
upon their hind legs in holy horror. In tho last
session of the Nebraska legislature the fire In
surance combine, under the leadership of a
prominent democratic lobbyist, endeavored to
pass what was known as a uniform rate bill. If
this bill had gotten through, it would probably
have cost the Are insurance policyholders of this
state a million dollars extra annually in pre
miums. The Omaha World-Herald was kind
enough to credit the defeat of that iniquitous
measure to the influence of Charles W. Bryan.
The people of Omaha asked the legislature to
pass a bill giving to the people of Omaha tho
right to vote bonds to establish a municipal elec
tric light plant. If the permission had been
given, the people of Omaha would now be sav
ing annually in their bills for electric current a
quarter of a million dollars that is now going
to a private corporation that has no competition.
The opposition to giving the people of Omaha
the right to engage in municipal ownership was
led by another prominent democratic lobbyist
representing the private Omaha electric light
plant. The bill passed both houses of the legis
lature by a public vote, and following its pass
age a number of members of the legislature
identified with-.the wet corporation element, who
voted publicly- for the passage of the bill, pri
vately petitioned, that the bill bo vetoed, making
a majority of the legislature opposed to the bill
after its passage. The Omaha News, a large,
independent daily, was generous enough to at
tribute the passage of that bill through the legis
lature to the influence of Charles W. Bryan, who
has been advocating municipal ownership of
public utilities for a number of years.
Mayor Bryan, in his candidacy for the demo
cratic nomination for governor, is warning the
people against permitting the Are insurance com
bine to get control of tho legislature. He is favor
ing giving to Omaha a municipal electric light
plant to protect the people of Omaha against the
extortions of a private corporation. He favors the
re-nomination and election of Woodrow Wilson.
He is an advocate of the good roads movement,
and favors rural credit legislation in the interest
of tho farmers. He is advocating the develop
ment of the water power of the state by munici
pal, county, district and state development so as
to give to the people of the farms and in the
cities electric current which will light their
homes and operate, their machinery, furnish heat
to take the place of high priced coal, operate iu
terurban railways, and will break the strangle
hold of the private light and power companies
which is preventing the growth and develop
ment of our state and which is preventing the
people of Nebraska from utilizing their natural
resources for the benefit of the people who are
entitled to them.
Mayor Bryan has declared in favor of help
ing to secure federal aid to enable the people of
Phelps, Gosper and Kearney counties to secure
the flood waters of the Platte river to supplement
the rainfall, which will double the crop produc
tion in all of those counties.
He favors the reduction of telephone rates In
Nebraska to a reasonable basis, and believes
that the power of the railway commission should
be used to protect the public rather than to re
strain the public while the public service cor
porations collect an amount in excess of a rea
sonable rate on the investment after the mois
ture is squeezed out of the stock.
He believes that it might, b well for the state
to provide hail insurance to protect the farmers
against impositions and loss,
The issue that Mayor Bryan is submitting to
the voters is whether they want progressive de
velopment for the state, or do they prefer to
drift for another two years while the wet, cor
porate interests of tho stato dominate tho state
senato and block all legislation affecting tho pub
lic service corporations in return for protection
of the organized boozo interests of tho state.
Mayor Bryan has mado an cnviablo record as
chief executive of 'the capital city, and also has
dovoted much time to protecting tho peoplo's
interest on bills that have beon before tho legis
lature. Ho lias devoted the past twouty years
of his life In an effort to protect tho weaker
members ol! society against the strong, and ho
entered the gubernatorial contest for tho pur
pose of being In a better position to carry out a
constructive program under tho leadership of tho
chief executive of tho state. If tho voters ofNe
braska belieVo in tho progressive measuros that
Mayor Bryan is advocating, if they want a man
to head the state ticket who has a program and
a record that will appeal not only to democrats
but to independent republicans as well, thoy
should not only support Mayor Bryan's candl
jciacrjit tho primaries April 18, but thoy .should
aJtfQ.jendeavor to interest their neighbors in sup
porting his candidacy on account of tho benefits
rttiiy will receive by the fulfillment of tho pro
gram which ho advocated. W. J. BRYAN.
TILLMAN DEFENDS DANIELS
Tho following letter is self explanatory:
United States Senato Committee on Naval Af
fairs. February 28, 1916. Henry Reuterdahl,
Esq., Now York City.
Dear Sir: I am mailing you a single copy of a
speech I made in the senato some time ago in
which I paid my respects to von L. Meyer, form
er secretary of the navy. I haven't read all of
your article, but I have read far enough in it to
find out its purpose and intent is to praise von
L. Meyer and abuse Daniels; and I can not help
but wonder who is inspiring you to do this. Your
idea of the secretary of tho navy Is summed up
in tho first paragraph: "Allowing tho profession
al men to run the show, thoy simply supplied
the official signature which mado the wheels
work." That was the typo of secretary von L.
Meyer was. I know, because I visited his office
a few times while 'he was in it. Daniels is run
ning the navy now, and that is the reason you
are abusing him. He is a thorough democrat;
perhaps too much of a democrat for a cabinet
officer, for he was a poor boy who has fought his
way up from the ground and doesn't feel because
ofJhis official position that he is superior to a
Jackie; therefore, he did not hesitate to have
his photograph taken between two of them.
Imagine von L. Meyer doing such a thing as
that?
Admiral Dewey is well satisfied with the effi
ciency of the navy at this time and its progress
under Daniels, as he testified in tho letter which
I published. Admiral Benson is also well con
tented with the conditions, although ho wishes
to make them better. All of the deficiencies
which Admiral Fletcher's report showed were
due, as I proved by the record, to republican
inefficiency, and to von L. Meyer's own lack of
loyalty to the navy itself as a fighting machine.
The surprising thing is that a sensible man like
you should attempt to charge Daniels with being
guilty of this crime against tho navy, for it Is
a crime that the fleet is not In better condition
than it is. The more evidence you pile up, and
you submit a great deal of it about the navy,
the heavier grows the indictment against von
. L. Meyer and the republican congress, and I am
surprised that your own sense of fairness did not
make you realize this. But I waste time in writ
ing to you. Read my speech and then I will be
glad to hear from you if you have the nerve to
write.
I will be glad to have you send 25 more copies
of your screed if you have It printed in pamph
let form, to send out, together with a copy of
this letter, and a copy of the speech I delivered
in the senate.
Have you the nerve to do this? I will see.
Very truly, (Signed) B. R. TILLMAN.
THE DEMAND FOR WAR
A group of New York gentlemen have an
nounced a meeting at which speeches will bo
made demanding that this country lay aside neu
trality and enter the war on the side of tho
allies.
By what name shall wo characterize this
effort to involve us in the horrors of this aw
ful war? If it Is almost treason to plead for
peace, what is it to argue for war? We have
reached an unhappy condition when any Amer
ican will speak for such a cause, or when any
considerable number will assemble to listen to
such speeches.
The Real Test1
Tho attempt to distinguish botweon a .mer
chantman armed for DEFENSE and a merchant
man armed for OFFENSE will provo f utile If tho
discussion Is intended to affect tho question of
passengers. If the submarine must comply with
the rules governing cruisers and allow time for
passengers to escape it would seem logical to
compel tho merchantmen to oboy the rules gov
erning merchantmen and not resist attack. It
would bo absurd to say that tho submarine can
not attack tho merchantman until tho passeng
ers are taken off and then allow tho merchant
man to sink tho submarine while it waits.
And if tho merchantman has no right to RESIST,-
why allow it to carry arms? As long as It
is permitted to carry arms and thore is no ex
cuse for carrying thorn except for use the sub
marine can have no assurance that its obedience
to international law may not prove fatal to it.
And why should nn American citizen bo permit
ted to put his life in tho hands of tho captain
of a belligerent ship, to bo forfeited if tho captain
docldcs to uao tho ship to resist attack? And
why Bhould this government permit tho question
of peace or war to bo decided in a moment of ex
citement by tho captain of a belligerent ship
who, by resisting attack, risks the life of an.
American citizen?
W. J. BRYAN.
HEARING FROM HOME
Tho discussions in congress show that the re
publicans also have beon hearing from home.
Nine-tenths of tho voters of tho United States
believe that AMERICANS SHOULD BE KEPT
OFF OF BELLIGERENT SHIPS, and the repub
licans in the senate and house are speaking out.
It is interesting to read tho arguments mado by
democrats and republicans in favor of giving
warning thoy are seeking to keep their con
stituents out of an unnecessary war. And the
other side? Well, It was not an argument, it
was abuse. Thoy say it is "unpatriotic." We
are now asked to allow the jingoes to define
patriotism for tho nation, and to fasten upon us
the duellist's standard of honor. It would be a
reflection upon tho intelligence of the people to
assume that tho country would set up this sham
standard of honor and turn itself over to tho
disciples of wholesale butchery.
The people along tidewater who are crying
loudly for protection from unnamed and un
known probable invaders of the country, assert
that tho lack of enthusiasm in the middle west
for tho program is duo to its distance from the
supposed danger zone. In other words, thoy
aro patriots and the people of the interior are
not. If that is tho case, then It in not asking too
much of the tidewater folks that they pay their
own life and firo Insurance.
From tho moment that the campaign to arm
the nation against Imaginary enemies was begun,
every form of graft that has been discredited in
the last ten years of national progress stuck it a
head above the horizon and began to look hope
ful again. An era of exploitation of the public
tax money Is a period when corruption flourishes
and every cramp-fingered grafter in the country
gets busy.
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CAN'T. EMBARRASS THE COLONEL
From tho Louisville Times.