tfc
The
Commoner.
WILLIAfl J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
ki
Vol. i. No. 44.
Lincoln, Nebraska November 22, 1901.
$1.00 a Year
"The People Sovereign."
In his seventh annual message to congress,
President Monroe Baid:
"Meeting in you a new congress, I deem it
proper to present this view of public affairs
in greater detail than it might otherwise be
necessary. I do it, however, with peculiar
satisfaction, from a knowledge that in this
.respect I shall comply more fully with the
sound principles of our government. The peo
ple being: with us exclusively the sovereign, it
is indespensable that full information be laid
before them on all important subjects, to en
able them to exercise that high power with
complete effect. If kept in the dark, they must
be incompetent to do it. We are all liable to
error, and those who are engaged in the man
agement of public affairs are more subject to
excitement and to be led astray by their par
ticular interests and passions than the great
body of our constituents, who, living at home
in the pursuit of their ordinary avocations,
are calm, but deeply Interested spectators of
events and of the conduct of those who are par
ties to them. To the people every department
of the government and every individual in
each are responsible, and the more full their
information the better they can judge of the
wisdom of the policy pursued and of the con
duct of each in regard to It. From their dis
passionate judgment much aid may always be
obtained, while their approbation will form
the greatest incentive and mdst gratifying ,
reward of -virtuous actions, and the dread of
their censure the best security against the
abuse of their confidence. Their interests in
. aU vital questipns a,re the same, and the bond,
- " 1 imMT 1 1 c -....... d wt i-ii'i 'hrrT-r-- mTi'mlfiiTBirtm in Tr 1 f T -rri- if 1 tet-mt!tl P.xAi- .- -T ?.t.t
"i;TroporuQnaDiy sirehgthened as tney are better --' uw. awj,vr,v vn .
informed of the real state of public affairs,
vccacy of an imperial policy and reconcile, If ho
can, the principle of such a policy with the prin
ciples of a republic. If he believes in taxation
without representation and government without
the consent of the governed, let him apologize, in
the name of .the American people, for the war of
the revolution and for the loud professions which
we have made on the subject for more than a cen
tury. If, on the contrary, he accepts the doctrines
set forth in the Declaration of Independence, let
him reconcile them with the actions or our car
petbag government in the Philippines, or use his
great influence to bring the government back to
its old foundations.
. The president has shown that he possesses
physical courage; will he now prove his posses
sion of moral courage? Will he be entirely frank
with the people, outline his policies and ask
judgment upon them? Or, will he resort to the
ambiguity that has characterized the utterances
of most of the republican leaders? The people arc
the exclusive sovereign, and they are entitled to
candor and honesty from those whom they en
trust with authority.
?
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Tlianlcsgiving, 1901. &
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g The Lord hatlt been our strength and shield,
especially in difficult conjunctions. It is by
such knowledge that local prejudices and jeal
ousies are surmounted, and that a national
Spolicy, extending its fostering care and pro
tection to all the great Interests of our union,
Is formed and steadily adhered to."
This sentiment from one of the greatest as
ill as one of the earliest presidents is respect-
illy commended to the present chief executive,
fiho not only meets a new congress, but Is him-
jplf new to the responsibilities so suddenly and
:expectedly thrust upon him.
The people have been agitated by conflicting
irinciples; they have discussed conflicting policies
id they have been led or mislead by conflicting
ridence. It would be well for the president to
ke the people Into his confidence at the very be-
ming of his official career and state to them the
its as he understands them and the policies
lich he believes it best to pursue. If he believes
mt a "branch bank" is a desirable thing, let him
rankly say so and give his reasons; if he believes
lat an "asset currency" is safe, let him declare
if he thinks that the silver dollar should be
lade redeemable in gold, let him say so and also
Rtate whether he recognizes the fact that the re
tirement of the silver dollar is the natural and
'necessary result of its being made redeemable in
gold. If he thinks that a national bank note. Is-
sued for the prout or DanKs and controlled in vol
ume by banks for their own interests, is better than
a greenback, let him state his position and invite
judgment upon it. If he thinks that a private
monopoly is a good thing, let him explain why;
or, if he believes that it Is indefensible and intol
erable, let him point out an efficient remedy.
If he believes in the strenuous doctrine
that this nation will decay unless it diverts itself
with the pastime of subjugating or killing off
"inferior races," let him openly announce his ad-
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Rich comfort to provide.
Our feet He leads
Through verdant meads
The living streams beside.
And for ffis love ice homage pay
To' Him this blest Thanksgiving Bay.
With sicelling song and glad acclaim
We come from fields and marts
To magnify His holy name
With 7iumble, thankful hearts.
Through all the years
His help appears
With love that ne'er departs.
For this we come and gladly lay
Our tributes this Thanksgiving Day.
For all the Lord hath done for us
We chant a glad refrain
From coast to coast, from sun to sun,
From valley hill and plain.
Our Bhephcrd, guide,
Wliattier betide
His love wiU still remain.
And bowing at God's throne we pray
His blessings this Thanksgiving Day,
Will M. Maupin.
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Suspicious Rejoicing.
Why do the republican papers rejoice over
every event which they can torture into a victory
for the reorganizing element of the democratic
party? It is only fair to assume that the republi
can editors have a partisan interest in weakening
the democratic party. It is only fair to assume
that they will be pleased by any Indication of
weakness on the part of their political opponents.
Why is it, then, that they exult whenever gold and
corporation democrats secure control of the party
organization? Why is is that they constantly sur-
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press all evidence encouraging to Kansas City
platform democrats, and magnify everything that
gives hope to the men who oppose tho Kansas City
platform? Head, for illustration, the republican
comments on the recent olection. The republican
papers gave columns of editorial space to the sup
pression of tho Kansas City platform by the Ohio
convention and declared that the domocrats of
that state had put themselves in good fighting
trim by discarding tho so-called "heresies" that
had "handicapped" them. They also vociferously
asserted that the democratic candidate for gov
ernor in Iowa was opposed to allowing national
issues to enter into tho campaign. Now, they
point to tho republican majority in Iowa as a do
feat for silver, and they either ignore tho result
in Ohio altogether, or, as some of tho papers do,
oxplain It by saying that Mr. Kilbourno was at
heart a silver man and that he did not poll as
large a vote as he would have polled had ho been
an advocate of tho gold standard.
Tho result in Nebraska is especially pleasing
to tho republicans, although tho republican candi
date this year polled fifteen thousand votes less
than the fusion state ticket and Mr. Bryan polled
last year.
The Chicago Tribune says that Tuesday's elec
tions "are gratifying," and that they "indicate
plainly that the democratic party is rehabilitating
itself by returning gradually to its old doctrine."
How fortunate it is that the gold standard papers,
that call themselves democratic, and;. thr.,rpvubll
Can"papers are able to agree' so' complete!? MMtf '
the best course for tho democratic party to pursue.
This harmony is so harmonious as to arouse tho
suspicion that either the republicans are badly
deceived as to what Is best for their party or that
gold democrats are very much mistaken as to what
is best for the democratic party.
JJJ
Our Duty to the Boers.
The struggle which the brave Dutchmen of tho
Transvaal are making for national existence will
soon require American attention, however much
political leaders in this country may seek to closo
their eyes to the situation.
It is not too much to say that the battle which
the Boers are waging against Great Britain is one
of the greatest, If not tho greatest, among all tho
heroic struggles in the world's history. No thought
ful American would suggest that the United States
take actual part in the war. There are, however,
some things which the United States can do, which
would bo natural for them to do, and which will
in time be essential for them to do, if the admin
istration would reflect the very apparent senti
ment and sympathy of the people.
American presidents have never hesitated to
express public sympathy with a people strug
gling for liberty and a republican form of govern
ment. There is in such sympathy something be
sides the sentimental; there is an intensely prac
tical feature. The United States of America fur
nishes a living protest against the monarchical
theory of government. Every monarchy that Is
transformed Into a republic strengthens the United
States, Every republic that is erected on foreign
soil Is distinctly a benefit to our own republic,
When a republic Is crushed, or dies, the United
States suffers, perhaps unconsciously to many of
its . ople, but suffers nevertheless. Hence, in a
contest between two little republics in South Af-