'VVWIM
'The Commoner.
I. , THE FORUM OF THE WEEKLY PRESS 4
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, Crawfordsville (Ind.) News-Review:
Men who fight for principles never
lose heart even though they fail to
win. This is true in politics as in
other things.
' Emmettsburg (la.) Democrat: There
is one thing tlrat the anything-to-win
democrats can't deny and that is that
repudiation of the Kansas City plat
form was disastrous in Ohio, New
.York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Cripple Creek (Colo.) Democrat: "If
that surplus is burdensome, I will
spend i t,'says 'Mark Hanna;. and there
- is- more truth than - poetry in thi3.
When the Hanna-Payne subsidy bill
goes on the books, we will not lose
sleep over the surplus.
Lamar (Colo.) Sparks: The "re
organized" democratic party of Ohio
did not make half as good a showing
-this year as it did when the plain
people had control of it. The personnel
of the generals drove too many of the
privates to desertion.
Benton (Mo.) Kicker: It is claimed
that trees worth $10,000 have been
discovered in the Philippines. Accord
ing to our modern code of honor this is
another reason why we should hold
on to the islands. The bigger the
pile the more honorable it is to steal it.
Charleston (Ind.) Hoosier Democrat:
Every monopoly organ in New York;
' as well as their western echoes, are
constantly telling us that bimetallism
is dead. Well, why don't they let the
dead rest, then? If it's dead, why con
stantly remind the dead of the fact?
I Ogden (la.) Messenger: This cou.n
'try when it was. young and not ao
strong always sympathized with strug
gling republics. But since we have
become strong we seem to have lost
that commendable, characteristic. We
seem to have lost the spirit that our
fathers once possessed.
Monticello (Ind.) Democrat: The
Philippine war was to end within sixty
days after the election if Bryan was
defeated. This is probably the longest
sixty days on record. It appears that
the Filipinos were not encouraged to
hold out simply in hopes of democratic
victory. Somebody lied about that
matter.
Glasgow (Ky.) Times: The Times
respectfully calls attention to the fact
that when a republican court of ap
peals turns a democratic office-holder
out, and a republican in, nobody is as
sassinated. Which is quite an excel
lent improvement on the way some
people have of committing murder to
hold their jobs-.
Greencastle (Ind.) Star-Press: One
of our correspondents writes and asks
"What is a democrat?" A democrat
is an honest man who favors that form
of government which confers the
greatest blessings and places the light
est burdens upon the people, and when
election day rolls around goes to the
polls and votes the straight democratic
ticket. What more could be asked?
Rolla (Mo.) Sharp Shooter: Demo
cratic principles never change, but are
always the same from one generation
to another, but the democratic policy
sometimes changes to meet new issues,
as they come before the people, and the
policy should invariably harmonize
with the principles of democracy
which means the greatest good to the
greatest number, and any policy
adopted that does not havelnview the
best -"interests of the Tvholq people Is
-not- democratic, and should be re
jected by all good democrats mo dif
ference --who are behind it. Eternal
vigilance is the price of your democ
racy, as well as of your liberty.
Ellsberry (Mo.) Democrat: Mr.
Bryan has suggested the- organization
of debating societies as a means of
familiarizing the young people with
public questions. In view of the fact
that nearly all of the great papers are
owned or dominated by the trusts that
are appropriating the business of the
country and crushing out individual
enterprise, the suggestion seems a
good one.
Rolla (Mo.) Herald-Democrat: Dem
ocracy stands pledged against mon
opolies, trusts, combines, the hold-up
protective tariff and for the coinage
of silver on an "equal footing -with
gold as well as unalterably opposed to
issuance of all money through the na
tional banks, whereas, on the other
hand, the republican party stands
committed to every one. It is time the
people were beginning to think for
themselves.
Thayer (Mo.) Tribune: A conven
tion of three hundred manufacturers
at Washington adopted resolutions
against "tariff tinkering" at the present
session of congress and asked for the
appointment of a reciprocity commis-
sion to arrange such changes In the
tariff as may be needed. They were
probably moved to this by the success
of the monetary commission ap
pointed in 1897, to advance bimetal-,
lism in accomplishing nothing.
Lowell (Mich.) Ledger: The pro
tected industries- are not willing to
have tariff duties reduced "at the pres
ent time," say the Washington re
porters. No, and the time will never
come when they will be ready to stand
on their own feet and thl'ive on their
own merit. Never! If McKinley's
hope of reciprocity and tariff reduc
tion is ever realized, it will be against
the united opposition of the mighty
trusts that have sprung up under the
wing of high protection.
Lexington (Mo.) Intelligencer: Mr.
Roosevelt in his message to congress
advises the regulation of trusts, but
says that protection is a good thins
and should not be "tinkered" with by
congress. That the president has giv
en ear to the demands of corporate
wealth is now apparent. Those who
had' hoped for better things at the
hands of Mr. Roosevelt will have to
seek relief through the democratic
party. The president must think the
American people extraordinarily gul
lible. Greenville (S. C.) Mountaineer: The
most striking illustration of indecision
and want of positive conviction will
be noted in the lengthy dissertation
upon prosperity, the trusts, business
conditions and the supervision of cpr
porations, in which the president U3es
trite aphorisms and glittering general
ities, but not a distinct and avowed
recommendation as to any of the evils
which he admits are attendant upon
the enormous growth of centralized
capital due to the abnormal accumula
tion of private and corporate weahh.
Cadilliac (Mich.) Democrat: It Is
idle to talk of tariff reform coming
through the republican party. It is
tantamount to saying that the repub
lican party will deliberately take its
own life. Anyone who expects this is
doomed to be disappointed. The re
publican party has fattened and flour
ished because it fostered high pro
tective tariffs. Its life-blood, its ev
ery pulse beat depends upon the con
tinuance of this policy. It is the veriest
bosh, therefore, to expect that .the tar
iff will be reformed through the In
strumentality of the republican party.
Tariff reform can only come through
a united democracy.
Florence (Colo.) Ex Parte: But sil
ver is not dead. Not only that, it can
not be killed. Sliver, in the abstract,
is not the' Issue. The farmers of Iowa
and the planters of Alabama do not
care for your silver or its price. They
are silver men solely because they
will not' tolerato (tho contraction
schemes of tho big leaders of tho re
publican party, and if all the silver
on earth were annihilated now, tho
fight on that principle would bo car
ried on as fast as conditions made the
fight necessary or available.
Ramsey (111.) News-Journal: Every
American -soldier who dies or gets"
killed in the Philippine contest dies a
martyr to tho greed and avarico of
commercial republicanism in this
country. The boys in the Held are
loyal, true, faithful and patriotic, but
the star chamber proceedings of tho
republican speculators that Induced,
or rather commanded tho lamented Mo
Kinley to get this country in Its pres
ent pitiable plight, if examined Into
which the calcium light of truth and
righteousness, would blancho the
cheek of every American citizen with
shame. No wonder a national repub
lican convention hiss out a resolution
With the struggling Boer "republic.
Miuden (Neb.) Courier: The repub
licans make bo many wild and unrea
sonable statements it is hardly worth
while to notice them. During the
campaign of 1900 tho republicans act
ually believed that if Bryan was de
feated the Filipinos would quietly sub
mit and peace would reign throughout
the Philippine Islands. Some even
went so far as to intimate that Bryari
and Aguinaldo were in some secret
communication. Over a year is past,
B'ryan was defeated, Aguinaldo cap
tured, and the war still lingers. Gon
eral Chaffee predicts that it will last
at least twenty years yet and that not
less than 25,000 soldiers will be needed
there permanently for that period. In
the face of these facts republicans un
blushingly declare that they fulfill
every promise, make good every as
sertion. Silex (Mo.) Index: Apparently some
men who believe themselves to be
democrats are being puzzled these day
as to just what their duty is toward
the present party and some have left
the party and gone into other parties
pretending to be more democratic than
the democratic party. It is to be
greatly regretted, that such men have
erred in their judgment. Their hearts
are all right, but their judgment i,s
lacking, for were it not so they would
readily see that a divided force can
never accomplish what a united one
might do. Let all democrats stand
by the party and assist in purifying
and elevating it on every hand. There
are many men in the democratic party
that the party might well spare, but
they are not democrats and in tha
party for personal reasons. The party
cannot afford to lose a single of the
real democrats.
Belle Plaine (la.) Democrat-Herald:
Conditions are constantly changing
whfch give birth to new issues and
what may have been the paramount
issue of a party creed four years ago,
may by force of changed conditions
give place to other issues which at
once became the paramount issues :o
be considered. But any party whose
organization is so loosely constructed
that the lower branches of such or
ganization will repudiate the doctrines
of the highest branch of the same or
ganization, cannot expect a party suc
cess, and is not worthy to attain 5t.
When the warring factions of the
democratic party stop quarreling
among themselves and present a solid
phalanx against their old time oppo
nents, then, and not till then, will vic
tory bo assured. But this cannot bo
brought about by county organizations
repudiating tho principles formulated
in tho national organization. Tho
county organizations and the state or
ganizations must remain loyal to tho
national organization, otherwise tho
whole party organization becomes like
a rope of sand. It is to be hoped that
the democrats of Scott county have
learned a lesson by their recent fail
ure to. secure an indorsement at tho
polls. It Is hoped that they will now
realize their ludicrous position. It
was -simply a caso of tho tail endeav
oring to wag tho dog.
Huntington '(Ind.) News-Democrat:
Democratic simplicity has been the
theme of patriotic speech since tho es
tablishment of our government. The
tendency to gobble tho globe, however,
will destroy some of our pet illusions.
Tho inevitablo result of the imperial
istic tendencies of the government Is
found in tho annual report of the
heads of bureaus of the army and
navy. They all demand more ofllcera
and more men and tell of the great
danger to the country If their demands
are not complied with. As the army
has been raised to mamximum of 100,
000 men and the naval force largely
increased by tho last congress, tho
former at all events far beyond what
is necessary, these demands for a still
greater increase is pretty good proof
that the democratic charge of mili
tarism is rapidly being accomplished.
Woodsflold (O.j Taxpayer: Tho
Chinese exclusion law expires in six
months. Unless renewed this wlnt?r
this country will be flooded with Chi
nese who will come in swarms and
take the places of Americans at wass
that Americans cannot live on. The
corporations are all lighting to prevent;
this law being renewed that they may
have cheap labor that has no votes.
If this is done, there will be race riota
in this country tho like of which has
never been witnessed on earth. The
working people of this country haie
shown In the past that they are un
willing to have the Chinese displace
them in their native land. Great
events will occur out of this subject.
The congressmen and senators the
working people have elected will seric
the wishes of the corporations. Mind
the prediction. Beware the result.
Logan (O.) Democrat: The flrat
mistake of this campaign was made
at the state convention. How can it
be expected that we acquire success I
we repudiate this year our declarations
and teachings of last. In 189C we held
up our platform as the second Declara
tion of Independence to lead our peo
ple out of bondage. In 1900 we re
affirmed our steadfast belief In those
principles, and the editor of this pa
per was honest in his advocacy of
such and will take no backward step
now, but there came upon the boards,
only a year later, a democratic state
convention in Ohio and voted down a
resolution that declared our unfalter
ing reaffirmation of those principles.
Could we expect other than defeat,
delving in such hypocrisy before the
people? What right have a few plac
form makers to, with one stroke of the
pen, 'destroy all the days and nights
of toil on the part of the democratic
editors of Ohio in four years honestly
and earnestly endeavoring to teach tho
people the way to liberty as we see It.
and as these platform makers claimed
to have seen it. Is it any wonder that
thinking men become disgusted and
stay "at home, Tather than have their
convictions bickered and bartered Ly
a few.
W