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Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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V0,Lk2O, NO. 12
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Lincoln, Nebraska, December, 1920
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Whole Number 740-
TO
rem'Gourt Delays
?.,
... The delay of the Supreme Court in' deciding
the case 'testing the constitutionality of the Farm
Loin 3ank law focuses attention on a situation
no- longor bearahle. Many months ago a group
Get Right Then Go Ahead
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t
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. .In tho November issue of The Commoner wo
stated that the best way to build up the Demo
cratic party and to make it a power for gcod was
of interested parties brought suit to test the to dcclaie r a set of principles that represented
of
valrdity
Loan ".Bank.
v
tho aspirations xf tho people morally and pollti-
cally, and then organize around those principles
with leaders who could command the confidence
and support of the masses of the people. Iu
other Words, DESERVE TO WIN THEN1 OR
GANIZE. It is absurd to talk about having a profes
sional organizer to organize all tho elements
claiming to be- Democrats "into one' working
force. Tlint plaa was tried Jit' the recent cam
paign, but the public refused to be organized.
The Democratic National committee spent one
and a half million dollars trying to get the moral
cloment of the country, including the women, to
3jb&ifcst6, justify aldemand for legislation gty-r Vide in the, Democratic campaign wagon after
'JHigto 'such upases- animniedlat&t, Jiearinggfcand' -th. liiTiLOrclomoat-imd pre-empted the front
"$iuiWnWh Bait Francisco.. The election results in-
frja'(onab1e time. ' M - - " dicate that seven or eight million Democrats pre-
,the law establishing the Farm
The Farm Bank interfered
w-ltk - InereSt rates artd commissions of the
banka ahjiT insurance companies,' dnaV'ttie
suit 'suspended competition. They have al-"
.ready profited, but they have brought an enor
moUrloss.Jto tho farmers. The suit ought to have
bfin heard and decided at once. Every day's
felay. has cost the farmers bTundreds of thou
itMHn, if hot millions,'' of dollars; while, ithas
it'ahlcld banks' and insurance companies to raise
interest rates and commissions. -
.''Remedies arb never applied until Suffering
1 "t r '
4c0mpel ct,iotu The" farmers liave. suffered
-If the federal Farm Loan Bank ict is uncon
stitutional, congress and the people can, remedy'
the cfofect. If the act is constitutional, unreason
able .decays arS exasperating and very harmful.
It 4s to be regretted that the Supreme Court
docket is so choked with businessj but provision
should be 'made so that cases of great public im
portance could be- determined without delay,
tyhere a few haying a pecuniary interest ad
verfteto, the Interests of a multitude attempt
Vo -'invalidate a law,' the law ,oiight not
ferred to jvnlk, and some of those walking never
reached the polls in' time to vote at the Novem
ber clcctiom
The suggestion to adopt a national legislative
program, a state legislative program and a Mun
icipal legislative program that would provide
legislative remedies to correct governmental
abuses, provide means to curb the. profiteer, and
promote the peace and prosperity of the great
'masses of the people, has created a wide inter
est and met with the enthusiastic approval of a
Jbe suspended during the' bearing unlesB the com-': reat n,HI,y IeoPe wlio lmvc volunteered tneir
plainants protect trom'ldss. those wJio may suf- support of snch a.plgn.
ferllwtile the case is being heard, i fiere is an' Following -the overwhelming defeat of the
.opportunity for senators and members of the -Democratie party in 1894 on account of its sub
hduse to render a real and permanent service -to serviency to Wnll Street interests, the Demo-
their constituents.
W, J. BRYAN;
cifots of Nebraska met and adopted a progressive
legislative -program-, and then commenced mi
I J HOUSTON ENTIRELY WRONG'
: Secretary Houston's commendatlpns to '- , - , howew smaH. The;coat of co,
.An'-n tho rAvoniift law are extremely dis . r ? . .. ' .
..iv.in. rriiov nra sn - unwise and so un
-democratic thajt one wondors v.-hat eyil adviser
hasUmposd. on him. As Congressman Kitchen,
loafer -ot the Democratic minority' in ,the house,
vory pnopefly points.out, it- is the specjaj duty of
the 'House to suggest what articleshpuld be
taxed' andxhow much in order to meet the govern
ment's estimates ot its requirements. But the sec
retary, not only assumes' to advise congress as to
the ttemsof" revenue law but urges a reduc
tion In the' taxes on the rich while he asks for
an'increase in the taxes on the smaller incomes.
Tif repeal of the 'excess profits tax' would be
ih&ccudtfbie-Ulie profit-hHS already 6en col
lectod by'he profiteers. A repeal Of the tax
would" he; aw 'enormous rift to them while their
victims .Would have to m'ake up the deficit caused
by tlierepeal of that tax. He even proposed to
remdve the two thousand dollar exemption and"
- lecting increases in percentage as the income de
creases and it is doubtful whether the tax col
lected on incomes under two thousand would bo
sufficient io pay the cost of collection, . not to
speak of the injusicS"1bat would-be done or to
take into account the unnecessary annoyance
Biich a tax would cause. The proposed increase f
of two pr cent oh incomes under $5,000 would
be'lifty per cent increase and the same percent
age of increase is recommended on Incomes be
tween $5,000 and ?10,0Q0.
: To make such an Increase on the smaller in
comes and at the same time decrease the rate
'Of the large incomes would be an outrage that
even a Republican congress would hardly dare
to perpetrate. The Democrats in congress will
grievously disappomtHhefr constituents if they,
do not unitedly opposo tho secretary's recom
mendations. , V- J.. -BRYAN.,
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educational and reorganization campaign to t
cure the ennctaicnt of it into the law of JJto land;
Under the leadership of the Nebraska Democ
racy thnt progressive legislative program ' wan
written into the national Democratic platform
for. sixteen years, and a continuous educational
campaign was kept up by Mr. Bryan all those
years in favor of tho remedial provisloiiH of that
platform.
That platform was embodied Jm the Baltimore
platform, and a Democratic congress anil a
uLiiiuwiuuv iin;iwi;iii were VJVUIUII pH:UJCU IO ;;
that platform. During the four year that fol-'V;
lowed, the pledges of tfiot platform wer r
deemed, and they constituto more mhievemkt
in the way of progressiva r.nhlnthm in IwhaW
of the masses during that four years than vtt.
ever enacted during any twcnt,vHve yvm of tke
country's history. Bince that ' Icglslatli'c pro
gram Was completed M) legislative program tliW
appealed to thc'mawcrhflJelinTmS np
leadership has appealed to the peopje in their
own behalf, and no set of Democratic principfc
has been promulgated that met the need of
thcjuasscs.
The candlc!ates wlio desirec (lie D;mocra(c
nomination for President in the recent primaries
announced no legislative program for the con
.if .1 .M.l 4 tWA f fl.. V...Tl)C A ft nmm 41... kln.fj. .' if tiA
mv(uiuuuii ui nu uii. uvi iiiu itjuiiun U "
me propciivc ihuuiuhiuh ruci ju convention i 4m
San Francisco they Joined together and voted
down all the platform suggestions that would .'
commit the candidate or the party to ppeuUlc
loffiNlntivo remedies that me nonlft wew .'-"''.
'manding. The election result was inevitable--
SUNK WITHOUT TRACE.
The Democratic party can again he made to
serve a great purpose; it can again be restored
to the confidence of tho people and made the
means of bringing them into the control of the
government and restoring the people's rule.
When the organization of the party com
mences, tho rank and file of the pnrty will want
to know WIIT it Is being organized, WHO i
organizing It and WHAT it is going to do after
It is organized. GET RIGHT THE.V GO
AHEAD.
Dcfore organization is commenced the policy
of the party should be set forth a platform
or legislative program should be submitted for
the consideration and approval of the masses
who arc looking to the Democratic party, for re
lief. The Commoner desires suggestions from
the progressive, thinking people of the country
as to what the Democratic platform should con
tain. We desire to secure a consensus of opin
ion as to the needs, ambitions and aspiration;
of the people. The suggestions may be for either
the national, state or municipal program.
The Commoner hopes by .he next issue to smV
mlt a legislative program representing as nearly
as possible the desires of the people. Wc will
then call on Uie public to organize around a pet
of principles or program; to pledge all those who
believe in tho principles to work for their en
dorsement at municipal, county, state and na
tional conventions, and to nominate candidates
who are pledged to work for and vote for the
enactment of such a programjnto law.
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