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The Commoner
6.
..ISUo,,
sues and Candidates for
1SCU
' J"J I V ""I
Readers D
ssls
1920
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BH
In response to a request made In our Octobor
' ' Issue'or democrats to' suggest upon what issues
the next national campaign should be fought
arid- to also make Ruggestions as to available
ddiiibcratic presidential candidates, we repro
duce below as many of the letters received an
space In this fssue will permit., '
'' Charles Allen Taber, Massachusetts. In an
swer to your "Attention Democrats"' In Ihe last
Commoner, permit mo to write that perhaps the
spirit of the people and the condition of public
affairs next year will decide what shall be the
Issue in the presidential campaign. It Is to be
hoped that prohibition will be so far settled
that It will not bo the prominent issue. Prob
ably the treaty of peace will be adopted, but
. some Issue will naturally arise relating to the
policy which we shall adopt in dealing with
foreign nations. Probably we shall ask for
some .amendments to the treaty and we may
raiso some Issuo as to how far we ought to go
in our efforts to control other nations. From
-present indications wc may expect that our in
dustrial situation will be very prominent in the
public mind. There are many difficult prob
lems and probably one year will not have solved
them satisfactorily. The rights of labor will
probably bo discussed very seriously and we
may expect serious troubles to arise. We are
undoubtedly facing a strong demand for a gov
ernmental control, if not oporatfon, of most of
the great public utilities. While a large num
ber of people are advocating this policy, it seems
to mo that the best element' among them are
not ready to go far at present .in this line, ex
cept in relation to the railroads and perhaps
some of thejnore Important utilities.
It Is harcfto answer now the question as to
who shall lead the democratic party with the
greatest assurance of success. You probably
know that I would prefer to have you to be
come the next president. You have advocated
most of the political policies and principles of
government which I have advocated, and very
few which I have not accepted, put the domin
ant Issue for next year may bo now to the people
and, outside of their .old prejudices. If the
dominant Issue shall arise out of the so-called
rights of labor, your past might not injure you.
Probably, we cannot expect that the democratic
party can carry, a Now England state, although
New Hampshire is a possibility. Possibly New
York may have some citizen who can get the
nomination and carry that state; but I do not
hear or road about any such person at present.
Probably the next president will come from one'
of the northern states In the middlewest. It
may not be necessary that he should carry his
pWn state; but it win probably be necessary
that ho should carry either New York or Ohio
Is it probable that arty "democrat can carry
.either of the Pacific states? Missouri is prob
ably a doubtful state. Who can carry Missouri?
How; would Joseph W. Folk meet the require
ments of next year? The democrats of Massa
chusetts are not of much use in the election of
next year, but. perhaps they might be induced
to help the nomination of a good candidato for
president. I shall watch the next, Commoner
to see what other men are advocating in this
. W. C. Dizer, Dolawaro.In your October is
suo you requested suggestions about issues and
candidates for the democratic national conven
tion of 1920 to consider.
' UaVu tal!COd with fully two hundred demo
crats who take a deep intorost taxational poli
tics. They were nearly all dry men but many
have until recently been counted as wet voters
Fully two-thirds of those spoken to are anxious
to see Mr. Bryan carry the next democrat K
nomination for president. The second choice with
all of them seems to be about equally divided
Between 'Folk of Missouri and Palmer of Pom
sylvanla. uu
All over Delaware and eastern Maryland there
is. an ncreasing sentiment for William Jennings
Bryan: They all believo he would be the strong
est candidate, of any democrat becauso of his
known and well defined position on prohibition
woman suffrage, the labor question and the Trial,'
. qvMtiott. They think he most Joariy fita thS
w l8Sues arl8lng 5rom tlxe "
rl vHeis. regarded as the soundest democrat in
America on all economic questions and 'his
patridtism is -never questioned. Patriotism wit"
Bryan is a principle in peace as well as in war.
With many it is merely a war time embt'ion
The eastern newspapers are not friendly to
Mr. Bryan, but they are almost without excep
tion owned or controlled by ' .rge railroad an'd
predatory interests.
Tlforo is evident all through Delaware a grow
ing sentiment In favor of government ownership
of railroads about equally divided between Mr.
Bryan's Dual plan and' the Plumb plan. - Re
cently many pictures of Mr. Bryan .taken away
back in 1900 and 1908 have been brought oiit
and hung in prominent places. I haye recently
been asked for lithograph portraits of Mr. Bryan. .
I had four left over after one of his lectures and
now they are framed and, hanging in the offices
of three local Dusiness houses and one doctor's
office.
Occasionally wo hear the mention of McAdoo,
frequently Folk and Whitlock and Palmer, but
e-pn those who mention Folk would prefer Mr.
Bryan.
Mr. Bryan's fifteen propositions of last spring
seem to fill the bill for platform declarations
with all the progressive democrats in this section.
Mr. Bryan's position on the .Peace treaty and
League of Nations has won him many reubllcan
friends in Delaware. '
Personally I am ardently in favor of a fourth
nomination for Mr. Bryan, but I am almost
astounded to find so many who insist he' should
be the .candidate again in 1920. "'
B. W. Maxey, Nebraska. In the last issue of
The- Commoner you ask for opinions as" to . the
most likely candidate for the presidency "and
on what issues the coming battle should'' v be '
fought. It may be difficult to decide who fsrthe
strongest man, but it is not difficult to d,eclde
which is the. most able or deserving. You ybur- '
self should have this honor. There has hot Been
another man in the United States; for tHe last
twenty-five years that has worked so hard or
accomplished so much for the public good as
you have. Now as .to. issues, the democratic"
platform should declare for your "Dual plan f6r
the ownership . and pperatidn of! railroads. It '
should aiso declare for free speech and a free
press and the immediate release of all political
prisoners. A government that cannot withstand
the shock, of criticism is in great need of.
criticism. , ,
fathers won in 1776.
ratners won in 17 70 i nm
who, heretofore has cilampioneX!Sed in Ton
cause of the people, to desoTI y W
ot need. The-common neonlo w , nis our
.yuu inmost twenty-live years to fieh , . m to
and now feel that they have Loni helr WUE.
wm vioir i i- rr. mivt' Deen desert ..;
.,. , iu iuun. io some one elqp in i ju au(l
President Wilson, I think hll lead ,
democratic party. Mr! McAdoo' IT th
of the railroads has set back governmf fgent
ship for at least fifty years m7 2ent 0Wner'
have driven thousands Tf 1 lLB"rles's act
, nothing of Mr. Wilson's autocracy. ' to
say
L. D. Bass, Virginia.--I believe that vn
ed out the, best solution of the railS
2SSST in th'e Zi.
More than a year ago I wrote you alone fh
, same line as your old friend "An Pymi ,
' Democrat" did-in the to Issue V The
moner. I heard your great speech in ChlcaS
T2SV ff -ceived the nominal 0
democratic ticket, and since that have end";
all the reforms, you have advocated. At hat
time the democratic party was wrecked by Mr
Cleveland, and you pulled most of the fragmenti
i' toother and came near being elected president
i Ih f act, you have always polled more white votes
- than any of your opponents. But what I want
- 'tO'sayiis this: If seems to me that we are just
Where you will have to step in the breech and
pull us together and to victory. It seems tome
the democratic party .is already defeated unless
- you again take the lead. All of the great re-
- formsbthat we have had for twenty-five years.
yow.have adVocated, and without your aid could
rtever.fhave been pushed through congress. It
seemsuthat our times are calling for "Billy
BryaiLJ'miore loudly than ever. I was in Europe
'iu''19.12r and found that you and your doctrines
were permeating inany of their governments.
Th'e-kaiser has been overthrown and now you
r mus't "be enthroned as president pf this great
republic in order that Europe may see that the
greatest democrat since the republic has been
'founded "guides the ship of state." You have
., never- flinched when called to duty. Not only
American democrats, but the world is calling
for you. We need you. we need you NOW,
.. more than ever.
.A. I. Holloway, Mississippi. I noticed your '-'''
article on the front page "of this month's' t!om-?'"''& J. Edgeworth, Illinois. Your headliner in
moner, "Attention, Democrats,' and I- hasten to ' a.' Octob'er issue, "Attention Democrats, Uncle Sain
write what I think should be some of the most Needs You," amuses the average man. What
important planks in the next democratic plat- -' the country needs is for the republican party
form, as follows: 1. . America lor Americans, -'to nominate, any good republican next year for
as taught by Thomas Jefferson, the OTnntaaf '''"nresiilent with' nn "America First" slogan. This
democrat that ever lived. 2. Back to the Con-- ia'all- that will be necessary to put an end to
ctilllttnn nF 41i TTntJ-,1 OJ...X n . . nr. .,'... r. n.. TTrilnnnton
wUvu ma uujicu otuuss. a. isring nome "ie international nonsense or
.w uU.uv.i uvjjr m u,uv lureiim nniintw
4. That there shall ho nn mnro AmQnn iv..
conscripted and sent across the seas to fight in
a, foreign country. 5. No meddling or "en
tangling alliance" with any foreign nation
6. Let the people of every nation, both great
and small, govern themselves. 7. That the
EfttS2nStateR otan2Lng army sha11 nt exceed
100,000 men. 8. That universal military train
ing should not be tolerated in a democracy
I regret very much that I can not think of a
standard-bearer for the democratic hosts for
1020. I have always supported you and your
measures from 1896 to 1917. I endorsed and
S0rtrd th? democratic platforms of 1896 and
1900. I endorsed your course in the national
convention in 1904 when Judge Parker of New
York was nominated. I-fully endorsed the nlat
form of 1908. I more than ever endorsed 50Ur
course in the Baltimore convention, and you
should have been nominated instead of Mr Wil
son I endorsed your resignation from the cab
inet and all of your utterances until wal war
declared. You and President Wilson snoL nii '
oyer the United States and the BloSS? l
"Elect Mr. Wilson and He Will KeeJ ?Us OuTot'
War." You know, and Mr. Wilson knows that
that slogan or promise to the good- women of
the woman suffrage states Is what elected Mr
Wilson It would not have boon so bad to have
deceived the men, but he deceived ?,! 2 5
women and after deceivlne ?? J e god
conscripting our )aJffi J
the seas; after deserting his nost. nf ? 85
going to a foreign coun ry and accXtfna "2
league of nations, which, if adonted hvSS tU
ate, would destroy the indSJa.
the Wilsonian
democracy.
' .'.Thomas .McCarty, Iowa. Who can lead will
greatest assurance- of success? My answer to
the', question is William Jennings Bryan.
- Can any reader of The Commoner suggest the
name of a man who would give the party more
assurance of carrying a democratic senate ana
house with him than Mr. Bryan?
Can any reader of The Commoner suggest tne
name of a man that would carry a larger voie
of the moral people of. the nation, regardless
party lines, than Mr. JBryan? .
Can any reador of The .Commoner suggest w
name of a man who would be more huralHauns
to the foes of the people than Mr. Bryan? wj
Bryan is the greatest advocate of the rlgius
labor, the tights of women, and the rlgius
the people to rule in the universe.
There hasn't been a measure advocated w
give . relief to the people in the past twenty-m
years, but what Mr. Bryan has been the ieau
and organizer of It. . . ,.,nv
Mr. Bryan Is the father of the state m
guarantee of deposits now In six states.
.Mr. Bryan wrote the initiative, referendum
and-recall in his state platform in 18 J b.
Mr. Bryan is a persistent advocate or w -
two measures. . a,lirpr of
Mr. Bryan is the -originator d secure
the thirty peaco treaties. There t on bb
feature in the league of nations but wnai
work of Mr. Bryan. . . hCi f0Und
As an organizer, 'his 'equal is not to oe i
Jnthe, universe: He took off VIs i;? Wall street
,more and licked the W,hoJe combined wau
force: He 'paid his own . expenses m 1C
i.
'ilUto