.?
JULY, 1916
,JS . . ,J ,
The Commoner
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CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEMOCRATIC
CAMPAIGN FUND
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In the-campaign of 1912 President Wilson (then governor of New Jersey) announced that no campaign contribution would b
received from corporations. This act of the democratic candidate for the presidency was approved by democrats who wanted the
party to be free from the control of the special interests, and it established a precedent that should guide the action of all political
parties.
In that memorable campaign the democratic national committee appealed to the people for the funds with which to conduct its
campaign, and received a generous response from allv sections of the country. Funds will be needed this year, and the committee,
will again depend upon the people for financial support. The Commoner will assist in the collection of this fund and it will receive
contributions, acknowledging the same in its columns and delivering the fund to the democratic national committee.
Every democrat ought to have some part in this work. Do not be ashamed of a small contribution. Give what you can afford
and every penny will be acceptable.
Here is a suggestion to Commoner readers: Circulate a subscription list at once among the democrats of your precinct and
send the proceeds to The Commoner office without delay. The democratic national committee must be supplied with funds imme
diately. To Mr. Ben Marley, Gorman, Texas, belongs the honor of making the first contribution to the national democratic campaign
fund, through The Commoner. Mr. Marley sends his check for $1, under date of June 24, 1916.
i
Now for Good Roads
i
While the appropriation for good roads seems
small when compared with the money to be
spent in preparing for imaginary wars, still it is
a beginning. It" establishes a principle, and
plans can now be laid for a system of interstate
highways. Thev Lincoln highway has already
been entered upon, and there will be room for
a Washington, Jefferson and Jackson highway
south of it and why not an Adams highway
from Boston to Chicago. The Washington high
way could run west from the national capital.
The Jefferson' highway could run from Washing
ton, past Monticello and thence west through
the Louisana purchase, or the Jefferson highway
may be laid out north and south, as some have
proposed, traversing the Louisiana purchase and
running from the Canadian line to New Orleans.
The Jackson highway could run from Washing
ton southwest to New Orleans. There will be
highways enough to honor all of our presidents.
The movement commencing with interstate
highways will continue later to the improve
ment of local roads:, until the mud embargo is
lifted from the nation.
W. J. BRYAN.
The New Yorkers complain that they are pay
ing too large a portion of the income tax. Not
at all, the figures simply show what the .men
with big incomes escaped before they were called
upon to pay their fair share. The income taxes
are an approach to justice.
Harmony and Hughes is a slogan the repub
licans are thinking of adopting. The harmony
part of it is supposed to be furnished by the four
millions who voted the progressive ticket in
1912 and whose return is now anxiously desired.
The bluffer is always called if he bluffs long
enough. The case of Colonel Roosevelt is an
illustration. He tried to hold up the republican
convention with a painted pistol, and ,came up
against a real bandit.
Colonel Roosevelt wants to take a division of
soldiers .to Mexico. Not much. The President
would find him harder to deal with than the
Mexicans. Imagine him taking orders from
anyone!
4 Crop prospects are good this is another blow
to the republican party. It c; . no lenger claim
a partnership with Providence. But its part
nership with all the special interests still holds
good.'
"How dry I am" seems likely to become the
campaign song of the republicans who thirst for
government favor
The brewers, who play politics all the time,
succeeded in getting their candidate nominated
for governor of Iowa in the last republican pri
mary by the old expedient of getting several drys
to run against him for the nomination. They
realize how helpful in the governor's chair will
bo a man who sees no evil in the saloon that "his
fellow-citizens have banished by law, a law that
the brewers and distillers intend to disregard. As
a result thousands of blank pledges to vote for
the democratic nominee aro being circulated by
the temperance people, and being signed by
many republicans.
It will be interesting to notice how the repub
lican figure jugglers will be able to present the
prosperity issue with the facts as they are star
ing them in the face. It is going to be a difficult
task to convince the ordinary citizen with a bank
account that he is facing the poor-house. Yet
we have no doubt big business, which doesn't
get the lion's share when prosperity is diffused
as it is now, will continue to feel that the demo
cratic plan has robbed it of the share the repub
licans taught it was theirs.
When some republican orator declaims on the
hustings this fall about the necessity of a higher
tariff to protect the laboring men of this coun
try from the pauper labor of Europe, just ask
him why the skilled labor of this country which
has no tariff protection enjoys a higher average
wage than that employed in the factories built
up under the protection theory. The bulletins
of the census bureau upon wages show very
clearly where the protection money goes.
The Nebraska delegation to the democratic
national convention solidly supported the ma
jority report of -the committee on resolutions
when the direct issue was the adoption of the
plank on woman suffrage. That plank recom
mends' that the states give women the ballot. The
national convention will always be remembered
as haying converted some distinguished Ne
braskans on the suffrage Issue.
Without having thoroughly investigated th
matter, we should say offhand that not more
than seven supporters of the President were sur
prised to hear that Colonel Roosevelt had de
cided to support Justice Hughes. Approximate
ly that number believed the colonel was sincere
four years before when he called the same re
publicans who nominated Hughes "thieves and
train robbers."
The dispatches tell us of the sons of promin
ent republicans going to Plattsmouth, N. Y., to
drill; why go north just when the farmer boys
are going toward the Mexican line?
' if the west and south do not pay a large pro
portion of the income tax, they at least feed the
cow that the big financiers milk.,
The Good Soldier
The good soldier is the soldier who is ready
to perform any duty assigned to him. To be a
good soldier one need not be bloodthirsty, he
need not be anxious to kill someone or be killed.
It is ho more necessary that the soldier should
bo ANXIOUS to fight than that" theflreman
should be eager for a firo. It is sufficient bat
soldier and fireman be ready to make any sscrl
flco required.
It is no reflection on the courage and loyalty
of the fireman that the people who employ him
try to prevent fires by encouraging the erection
of fireproof buildings no fireman feels offended
if people prefer a hotel of steel and concrete to
a firctrap structure. Neither is it a reflection
on the patriotism of the soldier to try to avoid
war. Peace treaties are Intended to prevent war
as fireproof buildings are intended to prevent
fire. Ono can appreciate the service rendered
by both fireman and sdldier without desiring
either a fire or a fight.
W. J. BRYAN.
' THE NEW CHAIRMAN
Vance 0. McCormick, the now chairman of the
democratic national committee, is a fighting
democrat. A man has to bo all of that to Tim
for governor of Pennsylvania on a democratic
ticket and niako a good fight.
He is a Yale man, was a college football play
er and a good one; he publishes a newspaper in
Harrisburg, Pa., Is a director of the Federal Re
servo bank in Philadelphia and was mayor of
Harrisburg when ho was 30, years old. He is 44
now, so that he has all of the balance and dis
cretion of maturity, together with youth enough
to work night and day through the strenuous
months ahead of him and do good work all the
time.
He succeeds Chairman McCombs, whose record
of service in 1912 entitles him to the thanks of
his party, and unless all the signs fail this sec
ond Mc. will keep up the good work. St. Louis
Republic
FULFILMENT
You are the quiet at the end of day,
You ate the peace no storms may ever mar,
You aro the light that can not fade away '
Lost be the path in darkness, you the star.
Once as a dream that youth had held unreal,
Now as -a dream -more real than all things
true; . '
You only -yet the symbol and the seal
Of dreams eternal that shall coin through
' ' you'.' ' ')(''"
Thomas S. Jones, Jr., in Literary Digest.