JjJM
&
Straws for Reorganizes.
In an article in the Chicago American, under
the abovo caption, Hon. J. G. Johnson of Kan
sas, chairman of the executive committee of the
democratic national committee, says:
THo assistant republicans with democratic ante
cedents who have sot themselves the task of rcorgan.
izing tho democratic party to suit their peculiarly
"conservative" theories will doubtless "view with
alarm" tho heresies of tho progressive democrats of
Sun Francisco and Chicago.
The new charter of San Francisco is admitted on
all hands to bo the most radical municipal code yet
adopted by any metropolitan city in America. It pro
vides for absolute home rule, for public ownership of
monopolies and utilities, for adequate compensation
to tho city for tho uso of privileges and franchises!
and, by a referendum system, that the people shall
puss in advance upon proposed grants of important
franchises for all purposes.
Tho democratic party in San Francisco indorsed
and supported this charter, and after its adoption re
indorsed it and elected the first mayor to administer
its provisions, and has bacn, through Mayor Phelan,
administering the city's affairs in accordance with its
terms over sinco its adoption, and apparently to tho
entire satisfaction of democrats of all shades of
belief.
"Within a few days the democrats of Chicago have
renominated their popular mayor on a platform which
declares for homo rule, municipal ownership of all
public utilities, including street railways, gas and
electric- lights, no use of public privileges by private
corporations without ample compensation, and tho
adoption of tho referendum system as a check on
vicious legislation.
Mayor Harrison, on this platform, will receive, as
he should, tho cordial support of every Chicago .dem
ocrat. Democrats everywhere recognize these principles
tnMif,!T luminous with the purest democracy. They
harnTfjnlzo with and emphasize Buck time-honored
democratize maxims as "economical government,"
"special prAHeges to none" and "tho preservation of
power in the Ifruuls of the people," and no consistent
democrat will advocate a purely local application of
those salutary policies.
These principles are in the platform of the de
mocracy of Chicago and San Francisco to stay. They
will not be "reorganized" put. They are in tho hearts
of the democracy in the state and nation as well, and
woo to the "reorganizer" who is wilfully or igno
rantly blind to that fact. '
Jackson vs. Imperialism.
Congressman Gaines of Tennessee, who repre
sents the Hermitage district, has had printed in
tho Congressional Record a letter in which he pre
sents evidence to show that Jackson was not an
imperialist. Tho quotations given by Mr. GaineB
prove that the hero of Now Orleans specifically
repudiated the doctrines which the republicans
now advocate. Tho following is taken from tho
letter:
Vo tho Editor of The American:
Tho republican speakers throughout the country,
by way of justification of tho injustice done tho Porto
Ricans, say that the laws recently passed to govern
Porto Rico are exactly alike or similar to the law a
passed in 1821 by Congress for tho government of
Florida until " the first session of the next-Congress "
a.nd that Andrew Jackson as governor of Florida en
forced these laws. I deny that tho laws are oven re
motely identical, but oven if it wore true, wo never
theless find Andrew Jackson refusing to enforce tho
Florida statute except for a few months (June to Oc
tober), and after setting up the government under
' ibis law as best ho could, he resigned and'roturned
homo (in October, 1821), and in severe and unmistaka-'
blolanguago condemned tho law. Ilero are his words:
" I am olothed with powers which no one in a re-
The Commoner
public ought to possess and which, I trust, will never
be again given to any man. Nothing will give me more
happiness than to learn that Congress in its wisdom
shall have distributed them properly and in such a
manner as is consonant to our earliest and deepest
convictions." (Frost's History of Jackson, and Monu
ment to Jackson.)
At another time he said: " I hope that no living
man shall ever in tho future bo clothed with such ex
traordinary authority." (State Papers, p. 100, Seven
teenth Congress.)
How can one conceive of language more severely
condemnatory of the unrepublican law that conferred
such imperial power?
The Statesman's Manual, volume 1, says: " Jack
son took possession of Florida in August, 1821, and re
mained but a few months, for, disliking tho situation
and disapproving the extent of power invested in him
as governor, he resigned the office and again retired
to Tennessee."
What Jackson then condemned McKinley now en
dorses. Ho condemned both the policy and the law
under which ho acted, even although it was a tempo
rary law and a temporary policy, and the people made
him President and continue to honor his memory.
McKinley now upholds this policy and law and de
mands that wo make both the policy and law perma
nent for the control of our new imperial possessions,
because he has determined to hold them permanently,
thus making this policy and law necessarily continu
ous, since he does' not propose to make them into
states nor the inhabitants into citizens of the United
States, nor to acknowlege that the Constitution of the
United States applies to them, but must go there, if at
all, " by statute as a statute," repealable at any time.
And yet ho asks the American people to uphold what
Jackson condemned and declined to uphold, and for
that reason make him again President, and thus make
him and his successors, if he ever has any, the impe
rial rulers of 11,000,000 inhabitants who can claim no
rights nor benefits under the Constitution.
The Florida territory contained about 10.000, in
habitants, white and black, and our treaty acquiring
them made them citizens if they so elected, gave the
immediate right of future statehood and the protec
tion of tho Constitution, now no longer doubted to ap
ply to the territories, as tho Supreme Court of the
United States has held in many opinions, while tho
President and his party propose to hold them indefi
nitely, and perhaps perpetually, outside the protec
tion of the Constitution, without ever intending to
make states of the territory or citizens of the people.
A few days before he resigned and came homo
from Florida General Jackson, in a public letter ad
dressed, not to serfs, colonists, or dependents, but
to the citizens of Florida," said:
" They (tho secretaries of east and west Florida)
arc charged faithfully to protect and maintain all tho
citizens and inhabitants of whatsoever description, in
the said provinces in the peaceful enjoyment of their
rights, privileges and immunities secured to them
under the treaty with Spain and" under tho Constitu
tion of the United States, so far as tho same is appli
cable." The republicans say that the Constitution does
not extend to our new possessions, but only to tho'
states, thus threatening Arizona, New Mexico, and
Oklahoma with imperialism; whereas Jackson held
that the Constitution applied to the territories, and
that, too, at an early day when the courts had not
fully construed or settled that question, now declared
no longer to.be an "open question "by the Supreme
Court of tho United States, composed of both republi
cans and democrats.
Books Received.
now to Study: by W. M. Welch. A guide for
pupil's self improvement in school and home. W. M.
Welch, publisher, Chicago and Omaha.
Money and Social Problems: by J. Wilson Harper.'
Ohphant Anderson & Ferrier, publishers, Edinburgh
and London.
Up From Slavery: by Booker T. Washington. An
autobiography Doubleday, Page & Co., New York.
Odin's Last Hour, and other poems: by Henry
McD. Fletcher. The Neeicy Co., publishers," New
York and Chicago.
Elementary Principles of Economics: by Charles
H. Chase. Chas. H. Kerr & Co.. publishers, Chicago.
Tho Hope of His Calling, or The Anointed Life:
by Rev. J. H. Goodpasture. The Cumberland Press,
publishers, Nashville Tenn.
The Religion of a Gentleman: by Charles F. Dole.
Thomas V. Crowell, publisher, New York.
Municipal Public Service Industries: by Allen
Ripley Foote. The Other Side Publishing Co., Chi
cago. Wealth Against Commonwealth, a bpok on trusts:
by Henry Demorest Lloyd. Harper Bros., publish
ers, New York.
Light in the Darkn?.ss, or Christianity and Pagan
ism: by K. B. Birkeland. Reminiscences of a Jour
ney Around the World. Minnehaha Publishing Co.,
Minneapolis, Minn.
Police Power: by W. G. Hastings, Wilbur, Neb.
An essay on the development of law, as illustrated
by the decisions relating to the police power of the
state. Awarded two thousand dollar prize by Ameri
can Philosophical Society.
Launching and Landing, or Poems of Life: by
Perry Marshall. Chas. H. Kerr & Co., publishers,
Chicago.
Business. Without Money: by William Henry Van ,
Ornura. A plan to reduce the dependence of business
men upon money and finally to cease its use entirely.
The Co-operative Press, publishers, Chicago.
American Relations in the Pacific and the Far
East: by James Morton Callahan. Published by the
Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, Md.
My Friend Bill: by Anson A. Gard. A story with
a political moral. Published by the Emerson Press,
New York.
v
Some Cases In Foint ,
BY J. A. EDOEttTON IN LINCOLN (NEB.) POST." ., Hl
Said the snake unto the hop-toad: "I propose behev-'
olent
Assimilation.
I possess so strong a love for you I 'k your better
ment And elevation.
Should I leave you hero in ignorance, you always
would remain ,
Just an unintelligent toad, and so 'tis wholly for your
gain
Thai 1 take you in and raise you to my exalted plane
Of civilization."
Said the tom-cat to the gray rat: "It has been de
creed that I
Initiate you
In the mysteries of progress and unto my system high
Con-cat-enate you.
You are nothing but a savage and I want it under
stood That my course is necessary and entirely for your
good.
'Tis alone to lift you from your degradation that I
would
Assimilate you."
Said the hen-hawk to the chicken: "By an act of
Providence
'Tis necessary
To assist you in your progress to a greater emi
nence. It is my very
Pleasant duty to assure you of my genuine desire
xo induce you to use upward and to help vou to
aspire; J
In my generous affection, you unto a station higher
I'll gladly carry."
Said the lion to the lamb: " I do assure you on my
word J J
T) . , Nearly prize you;.
Stirred Uh barbarifcy' m zeal has deePly
T. . . To civilize you.
It has been arranged by destiny that I am to expand,
lis the voice of Duty calls me-whieh the same 1
can't withstand
For yomlailbnefit and hlessing, unto me she gives corn
To gormandize you."
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