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The Commoner
VOL. 22, NO. 6
1 -OST" t " '
Harmony Is Possible
Below will bo found a statement addressed to
the Democrats of Nebraska, suggesting a basis
upon which the two factions of the Democrntlc
party that have been antagonizing each other
for a number of years ovor tho Issues of prohibition-and
woman's suffrage might And it possblo
to tunite and present a solid front to the Repub
licans on current issues.
It Is Mr. Bryan's intention to give out later
statements discussing tho matter of candidates
and also platforms. Mr. Bryan's first statement
Which we reproduce only covers tho senatorship.
It Is as follows:
"I have rocoived so many inquiries from Demo
cratic men and women in Nebraska, nslcing my
opinion on matters pertaining to the Democratic
political situation in Nebraska, making sugges
tions and urging that certain steps bo taken, that
I have decided to present through the daily press
In a frank manner my views as to the political
situation and o.ffer some suggestions which may .
throw some light on tho situation. -
"Tho people need tho Democratic party at this
time 'to stop the extravagance and inefficiency of
the present Republican administration and"to re
luce the operating expenses of the state govern
ment so as to bring the people's taxes 'within
their ability to pay. The essential questions Upon
which tho people are asking for information on
and which I expect to discuss are: Can tho Demo
cratic party win in Nebraska this year? Can all
olements of the Democratic party be united into
one fighting force for good? Can Senator Hitch
cock be re-elected to the United States senate?
What kind of a ticket and what kind of a plat
form will it require to bring about Democratic
success and bring about relief to tho taxpayers?
"For the past few years there havo been two
factions in tho Democratic party. One faction,
known as the dry progressive Democratic faction,
and the other, the wet conservative Democratic
faction. These factions, however, were common
ly known as the Hitchcock and Bryan factions.
"The liquor question has been settled in Ne
braska by a prohibition constitutional amend
ment which the most optimistic wet does not ex
pect to be repealed. Tho same is true in the na
tion, but tho matter of the enforcement of pro
hibition has been made an issue throughout the
United States by the wets. Tho people of Ne
braska are -not willing to take any backward step
on what has already been accomplished alon?
moral political lines. For tho Democratic party
to win in Nebraska, It is not only necessary for
all olements of tho Democratic party to be
united, but it is also necessary to draw to the
Democratic party a large block of Republican
votes.
"I believe that the Democratic party can be
united on an honorable basis. I believe 1t is pos
sible to re-elect Senator Hitchcock to the United
States senato.
"I am not authorized to speak for the progrcs
sive Democratic men and women of Nebraska
on political subjects, but I have actively partici
pated with them in their contests in this state
and bolieve that I have a fair knowledge of their
mental attitude towards present political condi
tions and possible candidates. I am not au
thorized to speak for Senator Hitchcock, but T
am going to suggest what I believe would be an
honorable and practical basis upon which he
Democratic forces of Nebraska could 'work to
gether. Assuming that Senator Hitchcock in
tends to file as a Democratic candidate for re
election, and knowing that a representative of
the state must represent the sentiment of the
state, I assume that the senator, in announcing
his candidacy, would announce his acceptance of
the prohibition and suffrage issues as already
settled by the voters of this state and pledge
himself to vote and use his influence in the Fen
ato, if elected, to uphold the well known senti
ment of Nebraska, which is opposed to any modi
fication which would weaken tho Volstead act
and that ho would support o liberal appropria
tion for the enforcement of prohibition. I be
lieve that such an attitude on his part as far as
national legislation is concerned would be sat
isfactory to all elements of the party in Nebras
ka, but in order to remove tho question of pro
hibition as an issue which has divided tho party
and in order to keep the prohibition question out
of the present state campaign, and as an assur
ance of the acceptance bySenator Hitchcock and
his paper, tho World-Herald, that the prohibi
tion question is settled, they should be wllUnu to
help draft a -state ticket and support it in the
primary composed of tho strong, progressive dry
Democratic men and women. Senator Hitchcock
has proven his ability. No one questions his
couragn. 'His acquaintance and leadership in the
United States sonute can be of great value to the
people of Nebraska if he and his paper bring
themselves into accord and accept what has been
accomplished in Nebraska by the moral forces of
all political parties.
"I bolieve the above is an honorable, safe and
practical basis upon which tho Democratic party
in Nebraska could be united. If the party could
bo united on tho basis suggested which gives
guarantees to each other that the questions that
have divided the party in the past would not
again be Te-opened , it would only then be a
question of drafting a state ticket in Nebraska
that would be supported and nominated in the
open without any trades or double crosses by
party fixers, and then by outlining a progressive
legislative program that would specifically state
what it meant, how legislative relief and admin
istrative reforms were to be brought about, the
Democratic party would again be in a position to
servo the people of Nebraska and all elements
of the party working together on current prob
lems, I bel'eve would command tho support of a
great majority of the voters at the coming elec
tion. "In a later statement I will discuss candidates
and suggest what it might bo possible to do to
disrel the present apathy as to candidatesand I
will offer some suggestions as to a platform cm
bodying specific legislative relief.
"CHARLES W. BRYAN."
To Elect Mayor by
Direct Vote
The readers of The Commoner will recall that
about one year ago at the city election of the city
of Lincoln, Nebraska, Charles W. Bryan was a
candidate for city commissioner with a view to
the mayorship. Lincoln has the form of govern
ment known as the city commission plan. The
charter provides that five councilmen are to be
elected and that after they are elected, they se
lect from their number by a majority vote of the
council one of their members who shall act as
mayor and assign the other four members of the
council to other departments of the city's work
In the city election in Lincoln Mr. Bryan was
a candidate on a municipal ownership platform
and his opponent, who was a candidate for- the
city council with a view to the mayorship, ex
pressed himself as opposed to Mr. Bryan's mu
nicipal ownership program. At the election Mr
Bryan received a majority of upwards of 600
vo.es over his opponent, but-both he and his on
ponont were among the five highest men at the
dty ccnuncnirher6f0r0 WeW mem of
In place of carrying out the wishes of the poo
pie as expressed at the polls and assigning Mr
Bryan to the position of mayor, the city council
under pressure from the business interests of "Sp
city, who were opposed to Mr. Bryan's municipal
ownership program, was induced to override
the will of the people and to assign Mr Bryan
to the department of streets and public improve
ments,, and selected his opponent for mnvn?
whom Mr. Bryan had defeated at the US The
assigning of Mr. Bryan to the dMartmpnV n?
streets did not prevent him from organ Sng nun
lie sentiment and securing the passlge of mS"
nicipal coal yard ordinance, the results of SX
the readers of The Commoner WfamiHar Th
people however, havo resented the action of TS
council and have demanded that the charter h
amended so that they may vote direct for mavor
At a recent session of the city council Mr
Bryan presented a petition drawn under the inki
ativo and referendum provision of the city chr"
tor, and asked that an election be called i and ?h
the people be given an opportunity -to vote S
suggested amendment to i the charter t?v?i he
for the selection of a mayor Below wniPiVcling
Mr. Bryan's statement to the .council n hto!an
ing tho petition. The pronosK L pres?,nt
the charter will probably bo Jresonted totEw6
ers and passed upon at their SSnerni 5? VOt"
held in Nebraska July 18 Kvi-Prl?ary
ment to the council Is as follows ym B State"
m ,. , Lincoln, Nebraska, May 29. 1922 .
LcrCbbr,thocitycou-
statuteafor the purpoee of amending th oh. ?d
of the c.ty of Lincoln. nKSSt'S
charter as drawn will permit the people to B
lect whom they want for mayor for the cltv h
direct vote and repeals that provision of ih
charter which permitted the members of the Mt!
council to assign one of their number to the S.
sition of mayor after the election of the C
councilmen at the city election.
The commission form of government placed
the discretion of the assignment of the variotiB
heads of the government in the hands of thn
council so that jobs in certain departments
could not be promised in advance. The com
mission form of government' remedied the abuse
referred to above but anotlier abuse has guwn
up under the commission form of government
that is more dangerous to the people's interests
and more contrary- to the American principle of
government than- the abuse which it was in
tended to remedy, namely,the bverriding of pon
ular government.
As the Lincoln charter requires the mayor to
constantly investigate questions of public inter
est and make recommendations to the council
for legislative action,' candidates for the city"
council with a view to the mayorship are ex
pected to outline to the voters the legislative
and administrative measures that such candi
date if elected would try to have carried out
during his administration. The refusal, there
fore, of a city council to assign to the mayor's
position the candidate for mayor who received
the largest vote overrides the public choice for
the place and it also places the leadership of
mayor in the hands of a person who is" opposed
to the legislative and administrative program
which the majority of the voters had declared iu
favor of at the polls.
This amendment only provides for the selec
tion of the mayor direct, I am willing to have
the amendment to the charter broadened so as
to enable the voters to vote direct for the head
of each department but this petition only pro
vides for the voting direct for the mayor, and the
petitioners request that this amendment to tho
charter . be submitted at the general election
known as the state primary election to be held
July 18, 1922.
It was only necessary to secure the signatures
of about one thousand registered voters to re
quire this amendment to the charter to be sub
mitted at the time indicated above but this peti
tion contains the signatures oi upwards of four
thousand registered voters, which is not only
enough to require the election called but is con
siderably more than half as many voters as the
entire vote cast at the last regular city election.
I do not believe any member of this council
or any considerable number of the voters of
Lincoln are opposed to permitting the public to
select their mayor by direct vote, and I do not
believe that any member of the council or any
considerable number of citizens will oppose the
submission of this amendment at the coming
primary election so that the people will have an
opportunity to vote on this amendment to the
charter at this time.
Attorney General Daugherty is defending
against a number of nasty charges by claiming
that these attacks are in tho interests of the war
profiteers whom he has announced his intention
of prosecuting. The character of the Democratic
senators who have said very plain things about
the attorney general does not justify the state
ment. Here in Nebraska -Mr. Daugherty has but
very few friends. Daugherty defended the par
don of a Nebraska bankwrecker who was left
in prison but forty-four days after the govern
ment had fought for seven years to get him in
side, and when those familiar with the case chal
lenged his statements and demanded his author
ity he refused not only tp reply, but declined to
allow the representatives of the state to examine
the papers upon which he based his recom
mendation for pardon. ,
1 "ji "
The Senate has named a committee to investi
ate why the price of gasoline has been steadily
rising in the face of a largely increased reservo
supply, it does not, of course, require a Senato
inv.estigation to understand why a monopoly can
fix its own price, but there are a number of
senatorsstanding for re-election this fall and
there are several million automobile owner
voters interested in lower prices for gasoline.
P ' m n mi
It wouldn't she a bad idea for the administra
tion to wait until after the congressional pri
maries have been held in the various states be
fore appointing all of the special attorneys to
conduct the war fraud prosecutions. Tno
chances are that those primaries will greatly
increase the lame duck supply and thus nialce
necessary the employment of ah additional num
ber of investigators. . .
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