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The Commoner
APRIL, 1921
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!A National Bulletin
? Editor of the Forum. My Dear Sir: Respond
ing to your invitation, I beg to submit the fol
lowing reasons for the establishing of a National
Bulletin. The publication proposed is not a
Newspaper, and will not bo a competitor of either
Me daily or the weekly press. Its sole purpose
is? to cive to the voter information, absolutely
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necessary ror an intelligent exercise 01 sov
ereignty. Our government rests upon the con-
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Vceht of the governed, but the value of that con-
isuiH uciJcuua um,iioi.y uyuu wuuiuei xi is given
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understanding of the issues to be
fAt present all the avenues of information are
private hands. Our newspapers, may be
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''4fliua?mcu mtu iwu gcuciui uiuaaua, jmi uauu jmiJum
$$hS" so-called independent papers. The partisan
iVpaper is admittedly biased. It does not pretend
fyi$8t gve koth si(es with a view to enabling the
''frraader to form a judicial opinion; and it, could
' ,.,ffot if that was the purpose of its existence. Par-
;v ;&IlsnP makes an editor unconsciously unfair,
t '$,ojn when he tries to bo just. His convictions
" igplbr his judgment so that he cannot fairly weigh
- jtiiearguments, pro and con. Without intending
'VHfi5& so ne will give undue weight to arguments
v$jghlch influence him and entirely ignore argu-
, " ,m0nts on the other side which have great weight
with opponents.
"-But if a partisan paper is unreliable, -a so
called independent paper may be even less trust
worthy. When one reads a partisan paper he
, makes allowance for the known bias of the edi
).lf when he reads a so-called independent paper
ly-'ftiffiietwill be deceived if he expects the arguments
VMS&be presented without bias. This is an im
jv possibility. No man with sense enough to edit
v-L''iifaner of imnortancn can be without cnnvintion
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the great issues and he cannot be without bias
'" JjKi hasiconvictions. I may add that he cannot
wmyim,iixs hvjiii uia urns uu iiiuuci uuw uuiu uo
trils.
jJMany of the so-called independent papers are
. Pjiblished for the. purpose of deceiving; they de-
,.- sliberately conceal the reasons that prompt them
fepjffitake the position they do. It is not always
..t'i&Sly to know who owns a paper, why the owner
ipjrns it and. what ho is really doing with it, even
;yiimgh we have a law intended to compel the
5isclosure of ownership. We have had recent
. illustrations of this. One of the leading papers
M.$New England was found to be owned by the
Nejv York, New Haven and Hartford R. R., and
etui more recently an Indianapolis paper was
fcmnd to be owned (three-fourths of the stock)
vUmP" Proiiinent public man, although another
,-. 'jman had for years been making affidavit to its
'.'Sership. To summarize the above, the situa-
.'Hon seems to be that the partisan papers can-
ilwfiSk be absolutely fair EVEN WHEN THEY TRY,
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ilt is to meet this situation a really serious
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Tiiuuation tnat tne National Bulletin is pro-
f?oied. It should be under bipartisan control
dtffat is, controlled by a board whose members are
A'mjcE'osen by the parties for which they speak. I
;fjuld suggest a board of five, two chosen by the
r',y$5najorities in the Senate and House, two by the
r' OEfflnorities and one by the president. This would
V'$jffs!ye the majority to the party that controlled the
'P?v":h'ite House, but the board should be controlled
''siM rules which would insure, first, the publica-
':';ilpn of all important acts of the president and
. ..J$Cngress, together with the important measures
n .Mproposed, but defeated, or kept from coming to
ifivote. Second, editorial space divided between
,lhe various parties in Congress and factions of
-&uporties according to voting strength. Every
;jjmrty represented in Congress should have edi-
''.$S5lal space in proportion to its members in the
, hate and House. If the editor chosen by a
v'narty does not represent all the'party, those who
ussent from the choice should be permitted to
select a spokesman with space proportionate to
Hue number who designate him as their repre
sentative, xuiru, space mr tue presentation oi
pie merits of candidates legitimately before the
mblic for nomination or election. Presidential
candidates would speak through the entire cir-
inlation of the Bulletin, Senatorial candidates
would speak through the Bulletin sent into their
representative states, and the Congressional can-
lldates would speak through the Bulletin sent
Shto their respective districts.
t Such a bulletin would have the triple merit
Ht informing the reader of the issues before the
country; of giving the arguments pro and con
from the highest authoritative sources, so that
Kach voter could form an intelligent opinion;
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and of doing away with the necessity for largo
campaign funds by offering an inexpensive meaus
of making known the claims of candidates.
The proposed bulletin should be. sent free to
every library, college, school and official, na
tional, state and municipal. Every organization
and eery person holding a public position should
receive it and it should be furnished to all others
desiring it, at a purely nominal pric'o not at
cost, but for a sum only large enough to indicate
an intention on the part of die subscriber to
road it. If it were sent free to all there might
be some waste becauso not everyone is interested
enough to read such a paper although every voter
should bo interested.
In giving the details of the plan I have no
thought of urging them; they are only suggested
by way of explanation bo that the readers will
understand what I have in mind. The proposi
tion is based upon the theory that tho govern
ment has a right to the conscience and judgment
of all its citizens and it cannot secure such an
expression unless the citizens are properly in
formed. If popular government is of any value,
it is worth enough to justify any expenditure
necessary for the enlightenment of those who
must sit in judgment upon the methods and
policies of the government. .
I said in the beginning that such a publica
tion would not be a competitor of either the
daily or tho weekly press. The statement could
be made even stronger than that; it would bo a
very great service to all publications. Tho parti
san editor would find in the Bulletin the best
arguments in support of his side and he would
also find the best arguments on the opposite side.
He could quote with approval those which rep
resented his views and answer those of the
other side. The paper that wanted to be inde
pendent could then be really so; it could con
fine itself to news and quote the editorial ut
terances of the Bulletin as presented by the rep
resentatives of both sides.
I might add that as "no question is ever ,
settled until it is settled right," such a publica
tion would greatly hasten the settlement of
public questions and by so doing reduce to a
minimum the period of agitation which precedes
the settlement of an issue a period now longer
than it should be because of the inability of tho
people to secure the facts and the arguments
on both sides.
The above is presented to meet a need which
I conceive to be not only real but pressing. I
shall .gladly transfer my endorsement to any
better plan proposed, or accept and use any 'im
provement suggested; my only purpose is to aid
the voters to understand the matters voted upon
and to open public office to citizens without
regard to their own wealth or the wealth of their
political friends.
"Let there be Light" is a command as impor
tant in politics as elsewhere; and, in a free
government, "equality of opportunity" in poli
tics as well as industry is quite as important.
Very truly yours,
W. J. BRYAN.
When Charles W. Bryan of Lincoln was,
mayor of Lincoln the only -important fight in
which he lost out was when the city commission
repealed, over his protests, an ordinance re
quiring bread to be sold by standard prescribed
weights. The repeal was favored by the bakers
because it gave them the opportunity to make
any weight loaf they desired to sell for a dime,
and was secured by circulating a petition for the,
repeal which misstated the question involved.
Only the other week the Nebraska legislature
made a state law out of the ordinance Mr. Bryan
championed, and every baker in the state must
hereafter sell his bread by the pound or half
pound and not by the dime.
Advices--from Washington are to tho effect
that the Republican congress has made up its
mind to rdpeal the excess profits tax and sub
stitute a direct sales tax. An excess profits
tax is one which the profiteering merchant finds
it difficult to pass onto his customers, while a
direct sales tax is one which is added directly
to the cost of each sale of goods made. Re
publican congressmen appear to believe that
nothing should be left undone to leave the con
sumer in any doubt as to whether he is carry
ing all the burdens of government.
The recent increase in railroad rates has re
sulted in many instances in making it unprof
itable to use the transportation companies for
the marketing of products. The belief that
most of tho railroad executives are Republicans
is strengthened by their great devotion to the
principles of a prohibitive tariff.
Journalism
Journalism is ono of tho great professions,
and it can bo mado greater than it is. Tho
editor has a very large field of usefulness. Speak
ing daily or weekly to an audience proportion
ate to the subscription list, ho has only to win
tho confidonco of his readers to wiold an influ
ence on every vital question. With tho editor,
as with everyone else, success depends upon his
ideals. I believe that signed editorials would givo
tho editor an Individuality which tho oditorial
pago otherwise lacks. At present, fow know by
name the editorial writers on our leading pa
pers, and for that roason it is difficult for an
editor to ostablish a reputation. Ho goes off of
one. paper and on to another, according to tho
whim of the owner, bequeathing to the owner
such prestige as his writings have brought totho
paper.
The signed editorials will be more accurate
and less likely to do injustice to, those about
whom tho editor writes; when tho identity of
the writer is concealed, there is an invitation
to carelessness if not to recklessness.
But what the present needs most is an ideal
that will lead tho writer to express his own con
victions or none. No man can afford to write
that which he believes to be untrue, whether ho
is discussing men or measures. If ho yields to
tho temptation to express tho opinion of others
contrary to his own, he will in time obliterate
the truth-discerning-senso and thus cease to bo
a moral factor in tho newspaper world. No one
can legally excuse the commission of a crime by
pleading lie was the agent of another; and so
there is no moral justification for tho writing
of that which one bel!oves to be untrue, mere
ly because ho is told to do so. Great editors
do not work in the dark; they establish their
place by winning the confidonce of the pubjjc
and they hold that confidence by conscientiously
guarding the trust reposed in them.
W. J. BRYAN.
THE PRESIDENT AND PEACE
Two things are regarded as certain respecting
any steps President Harding may take looking
to America's part in any understanding or as
sociation among the nations on tho subject of
peace and, its preservation,
Ho will" not leave tho country. He will re
main on base, or close to base, while the matter
is under consideration, and in touch with his
constitutional advisers and public sentiment. He
will not hold himself superior to home advice
while negotiations are in progress.
He will not ignore the Senato, or attempt to
force his will on that body. Ho recognizes tho
Senate as part of the treaty-making power of
tho government, with the right to review any
work of the kind he may submit to it for judg
ment. Conferences will "go" in that matter as
in other matters. He believes in conferences.
He is constantly conferring as to domestic af
fairs, and especially as they are so much mora
difficult to handle?
Mr. Harding would probably take this course
without a warning. It chimes with his nature
and his view of things. But there is a warn
ing. It is the opinion of all Republicans and
many Democrats that in going to Paris, and
while there Ignoring the Senate, and upon his
return insisting that theSenate accept his work
without change, Mr. Wilson made a mistake,
and made the ratification of the peace treaty
impossible. Washington Star.
The only way that the Democratic party can
achieve success is by deserving it. The only
way in which it can deserve it is to present to
the voters of. the nation a progressive program
of legislation that common sense and human ex
perience indicate will solve the great national
problems that are pressing for settlement and
solution. That program must be fought for
under leadership that has proved its sympathy
with the struggle pf tho average man for hla
share in the prosperity of the nation, and a
capacity to carry It forward to success.
Nebraska Republican leaders, after having
forced through the house a bill to repeal tho
law making all elections of judges and school
superintendents non-partjsan in character, ac
quired a case of cold "feet and allowed it to bo
killed in the senato. Whether this was done in
obedience rto the strong hostile public sentiment
that was developed or whether they began to
figure that when the next election rolled around
nobody but Democrats would be elected remain
among the .unanswered questions.
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