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The Commoner
VOL. 20, XO. 2
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TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN URGING JUDGE
P'ARKER'S NOMINATION SHOWED NO INTER
EST IN HIS CAMPAIGN AFER THE CONVEN
TION. ,
That is tho lossen of 1904, Judgo Parlcer s
nomination was forced on tho Democratic Party
by 'those -who had no interest in electing him;
their only purposo was to make a Republican
victory easy, and that losaon ought not to bo
overlooked at this time when Wall Street is re
peating tho tactics of 1904.
If Mr. Hoover is a suitable man for tho Demo
crats to nomlnato; if ho stands with the pooplo
on tho questions now at issue, ho will not allow
tho World to offer him at auction to tho party
that bids h'ghost for him. If ho is tho man
whom tho Democratic Party noods to guide it
in its work of protecting tho peoplo from the
grood of monopolists and profiteers, ho will not
keep silent whilo tho World parades him as a
conservative which, translated into every day
language, means a reactionary
If Mr. Hoover Is tho kind of a man tho World
picturos him to bo, ho can not bo nominated ex
aopt by Wall Stnsfot influonco, for tho rank and
fllo of tho party would not for a momont think
of taking a non-committal candidate on a piat
form dictated by the World.
And If the World wero to succeed in securing
tho nomination of such a candidate by such in
fluences as It is able to command, Wall Street
would desert him a soon as tho convention was
ovor, and chuckling at its success, proceed to
oloct tho Republican candidate.
In 1904 Wall Stroot succeeded In controlling
tho Democratic Convent'on and its candidate was
defeated any candldato would have been de
feated whom it could nominate
In 1912 Wall Stroet tried to play tho samo
trick on tho party. It was not interested in Mr.
Clark; there was not a thing in Mr. Clark's record
that could give Wall Stroot any reason for loving
him. Wall Street, finding that it could not get
its first choice, Mr. Harmon, or its, second choice,
Mr. Underwood, throw its support to Mr. Clark,
not that it had any special interest in seeing him
nominated but because It thought it could use
him to retiro Mr. Wilson and then take advan
tage of the demoralized conditions to bring out
.oorno Wall Stroot favorite and use. him to over
throw Mr. Clark. Then Wall Street would have
proceeded to support tho Republican ticket.
The situation is tho tiamo now as in 1904 and
1912. Wall Street has no interest in tho Demo
cratic Party; it has no thought of supporting a
Democratic candidate. It Democratic candi
date waa defeated in 1904 and its candldato
would have been defeated in 1912. no matter .
what his name, if Wall Street had beon allowed
to p'ck out tho man. And so this year, Wall
Stroot will disgrace tho candidate if it nomi
nator him and thon desert him after it ha3 dis
graced him.
If Mr. Hoover wants the Domooratic nomina
tion ho had better notify tho World that its sup
port is a handicap to him, and take the peoplo
into his confidence. If he frankly states his views
on public questions and those views pleaso tho
Democrats, they will consider his claims, but ho
has not a ghost of a show ao the tongue-tied
candidate of newspapers that havo forfeited their
influonco with Democratic voters by their con
nection with tho-reactionary element of tho party.
v , ; W. J. BRYAN.
"THERE'S A REASON"
. Whon you read tho military program advo
cated by Senator Wadsworth of Now York, you
can. understand why ho opposes woman suffrage.
tThe , mpthors and wives havo moro interest in
stlieir homes than they havo in munition plants.
i
SECRETARY HOUSTON PROMOTED
The World as a
"Warwick"
.'
Socrotary Houston has been promoted from
,tho Department of Agriculture to tho Treasury
Department it Is counted as a promotion be
cause it ranks higher in tho place that it gives
him at tho President's council table. It was con
fidently predicted by newspaper men that Mr.
Loffingwoll of Now York was to havo tho place,
but fortunately the President wont west for a
secretary and tho country is to bo congratulated
that tho honor was conferred upon so worthy a
mian as Secretary Houston. Tho United States has
a man at the head of its finances who is big,
broad, level-headed and UNFOOLABLE. Wall
street can't deceive Secretary Houston and it
can't scare him. Ho helped to establish tho Fed
eral Reserve System and tho Farm Loan System.
Ho is prepared for the important work that now
devolvon upon him. W. J. BRYAN.
Many politicians havo been described as "War.
wicks;" many editors havo claimed credit for
bringing out candidates for positions high and
low but it Is doubtful whether our political
history furnishes an example of anyone so am
bitious as to seriously offer his services as a
"Warwick" to three parties at onco, and yet tho
owner of, a writer on, or somebody connected
with, tho New York World aspires to this dis
tinction, and ho does it in such a jaunty, off
hand way that a stranger might imagine it his
regular occupation. He takes himself seriously
too. It is, of course, a little risky to ridicule a
big undertaking because it must berremembered
that thoso who announce great Inventions are
usually laughed at and that great discoverers are
generally the joke of their day.
But, without inviting a rebuke for- seeming
levity, let us examine tho job that Mr.
of the World has tackled. Here is tho the tele
gram sent to a number of the prominent people
throughout tho country:
"The World has published an extended
editorial unqualifiedly endorsing Hoover
. for tho Presidency as the Democratic candi
date on a platform that would represent
tho historical principles of tho Democratic
party, as an independent candidate on a
platform of progressive liberalism or as the
Republican candidate on a platform repre
senting the kind of government which Mr.
Hoover has exemplified in'his public career.
Will you not kindly wire the World your
opinion of Hoover as a possible president?
Kindly state your personal politics. Tho
World."
Tho above telegram was doubtless sent to Re
publicans as well as Democrats (and possibly to
tho friends of "Progressive Liberalism" also)
as tho World asks thoso who reply to kindly
state their personal politics. As further evidence
that the World was no respecter -of persons but
freely lavished its confidence on all alike, it may
bo added that tho New York Tribune .received
a copy of tho inquiry from one of its corre
spondents. The word "unqualifiedly" (to be found in the
first paragraph of. the World's inquiry) cannot
be passed over without notice. The World's en-
oorsement is no hair nearted aifair; It Is not
given with mental reservations. 'It is unlimited
in its width, depth, height, and fullness. If the
World has heretofore qualified its support of
any candidate of any party, or approached the
candidate with hesitation or timidity, wo aro to
understand that it has turned over a new leaf, so
to speak, and assures Mr. Hoover that it is his
to have and to hold, in riches or poverty, in
sickness or health until death do part.
Next, it is worthy of note that the World can
not suppress its secret affection for the Demo
cratic party. Whon it comes to the party of
"progressive liberalism" it seems to be indif
ferent to the past, unconcerned ahout the pres
ent and oblivious to tho future. Any old plat
form would seom to bo acceptable to tho World,
if in desperation, it is compelled to organize
a new party and lead it to victory over the two
old parties. Even the Republican party is to
be allowed some latitude as to principles and
'policies if it will only limit itself to the subjects
exemplified by Mr. Hoover's public career.
But" not so with the Democratic party; It must
sign on tho dotted line if it "wants to seo
George." If Mr. Hoover is to receive the un
qualified endorsement of the World he must
stand flat footed, unequivocally and unquali
fiedly for tho historical principles' of the Demo
cratic party. He can think as he likes about any
principles that any one may wantto add to the
historical principles but he must swallow tho
past and shut his eyes to the future. .
As Mr. Hoover has the unqualified support
of tho World and must run on a platform un
qualifiedly endorsing all the principles that tho
Democratic party has stood for during its his
tory, it is evident that the World and Mr Hoover
have for a long time been in close communion
bonference or correspondence, for otherwise how
can the World know that Mr. Hoover knows what
tho historical principles of the Democratic nartv
are? Is the word "historical" intended to
exclude prohibition and woman suffrage ir
Mr. Hoover Is as big a man as tho World
would havo us believe too big for any party and
quite large enough for threewould he be ui
ing to accept a nomination at tho World's hinic
without knowing what kind of a DemwSSS
Platform tho owner, editor, nr nmn v. c
with tho World, has up his sleeve? MrlZ
,, 4x.ro vuai.buuuo ml WIS OWD On PUDlIc (ltlPa
tions i and be unwilling to be a hand-picked
candldato on a home-brown.fi -nintfn,. T ,,
World's support so decisive in a smail matte? I
V ,T ltJlu"y iui- iVr. hoover, big as ho is
Is willing to run on any platform if only ib
has the World's unaualifiari Anrinrenmnno
But complications arise as we progress or ! 1
luu wwu 4Jtugia muni now oe taken in connec
tion with liberalism, as Wo advance. While tho
World seems to regard the polling of some
twenty million of votes as a trifling formality
after a man has been found whom it can un
qualifiedly endorse, still until our in wo nm
terially changed, it is necessary to consult that 1
iiumcrouu uouy cauea tne electorate. Assuming
that that small portion of the public that re
ceives its political instructions from the World
is willing to accept its definition of historical
democracy, that larger sector of the vot
ing public whose members, because of re
moteness from New York or for less
creditable reasons, do not rnari tho Wnri,i
may require enlightenment. Is the World in I
tne position to puDiish tho platform agreed upon
by it and its candidate or is it able to assure
us that it knows what kind of a platform a
Democratic Convention will consider historical?
Wo have no means of knowing how many in
quiries tho World sent out or what percentage
of those who received them have answered, hut
it would surely tax the courage of any man of
prominence in any party to announce in advance
his willingness to support any man for presi
dent who is not sufficiently identified with any
party to trust his ambition to that party's judg
ment. Usually the man who is not particular as
to what party nominates him finds the members
of the party as indifferent to him as 'he is to
them, but, of course, this is the first time that
any candidate has ever been put up at auction
and offered to the party (hat bids highest for
him. As the case is unprecedented it may not
be safe to rely upon precedent. A revolution
makes its own precedents, and this may be a
turning point in our political history. Hereafter,
the nation may be saved the expense and excite
ment of nominating conventions and elections
the whole matter may be turned over to some
successful newspaper which will obtain the
necessary assurances from the candidate and, in
turn, give satisfactory assurances to the voters
and then proceed to conduct the fortunate presi
dent (?) elect to the White House.
If the World succeeds in this new venture it
will certainly havo a scoop on all the papers
and politicians in history; It will become as his
torical as tho principles of the Democratic party,
but if it fails aye, there's tho rub some may
be cruel enough to recall a story that has often
found apt application.
A promoter organized a bank and persuaded
a number of retired business men and farmers
to become directors, assuring- them that they
need not devote any time to the bank's business
or attend the board meetings he would attend
to everything himself. After some months he
called tho directors into the bank and informed
them that tho Institution was insolvent. Ho ex
pressed the keenest regret that misfortune had
overtaken them and to emphasize his distress de
clared that he would gladly allow his body to be
cut up and divided among the directors if that
would do them any good. One of his farmer
directors, a little deaf, raised his hand to his ear
and asked what tho promoter had said. When
the offer was repeated in a louder tone tho farm
er settled back in his chair with the remark
"well, if the -offer is accepted, I speak for the
gall." - W. J. BRYAN
WHEN WJLTi REDUCTION BEGIN?
Are taxes to be reduced?. If so, where will the
reduction begin? The big taxpayers want it to be
gin with them; the masses want it to begin with
them. Where do tho candidates stand? Will tho
Republican candidates jploase step up and take
the public into their confidence. And where do
the Democratic candidates stand? And the
World's candidate what has he to say? Don t
all speak at once.
P.oor Senator Capper! He has destroyed any
chance he ever had to being the Republican
nominee for presidout He has attacked prof
iteering that rules him out. Seo his speech on
another page.
.
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