The Commoner.
WILLIAfl J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 2. No. 8.
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 14, 1902,
Whole No. 66
I- r-
Why Not a Mes
sage, Now?
It is within the power of the president to as
eist in securing the election of senators by direct
L vote of the people. He has a right to urge, by a
E message to congress, the enactment of any meas
ure which he regards as important. The house
of representatives a republican house has with
in out opposition passed a resolution submitting a
constitutional amendment providing for the elec-
tion of senators by direct vote of the people. This
V is the second time that . a republican house has
passed such a resolution, and two democratic
i houses have done the same.
fct "Thorn in nn rlnnhf fliaf thfi resolution renro-
sents an almost unanimous demand on the part
I of the people. Does the president sympathize
& with this demand? If so, he has it in his power
flto aid in securing the reform. Will he do so?
lllf he will send a message to the senate setting
forth the reasons and there are many for the
election of United States senators by popular
bote, he will so focus attention upon the subject
tv.a to insure immodiate consideration of the res-,
Lolution, and consideration means passage, for.
I even those senators who look to the corporations
ito secure their re-election will not stand out against
fan overwhelming sentiment. The president has
given thought 'and attention to questions of far
Pless importance; will he remain silent on this
great issue when he has such a splendid oppor
tunity to give approval to a righteous demand?
Possibly a few postal cards written to- the
fc president urging him to recommend the submls-
k sion of such an amendment would have a helpful
influence.
JJJ
Purity in Politics.
While the' subject of reciprocity in tariff laws
Is being discussed there is another kind of recip
rocity which should not be overlooked, namely,
reciprocity between the people and their public
servants. The people owe it to their public ser
vants to commend and encourage them whenlhey
do well, and it is not only the privilege, but the
duty of the people to condemn and rebuke officials
when they betray their trust.
The public servant, on the other "hand, is un
der obligation to the people who elect him and to
the party which' he represents. When he becomes
the agent of the people to carry out their will, he
takes an oath .that he will be honest and faithful.
If he violates that oath he ought not to expect the
people to bo more considerate of his feelings than
he has been of their rights. If he sells them out
he has no reason to complain if they turn him
out. If he has received his price he ought not to
complain if they pursue their remedy and select
some one else to represent them. Why should1 a
party support an official who has brought disgrace
upon it by his unfaithfulness? If his devotion to
his party is not sufficient to make him behave him
self, his party ought not to be so devoted to himas
to shield him from deserved punishment.
When a good official falls, his party cannot
escape some censure even though the official's
previous record was" such as to justify the party's
confidence, but a party cannot defend an official
after his fall without assuming responsibility for
his sins. Neither is it incumbent upon a party io
incur risk in defending a member of the party
against charges not yet proved in court. Purity
in politics requires not merely that officials shall
keep out of the penitentiary, but that they shall
be above suspicion. If under suspicion let them
step aside until the cloud is removed. When an
official shows the first symptoms of that disastrous
official disease known as "the itching palm" be
should be quarantined until ho is entirely recov
ered or until it is shown that he did not havo the
disease. If he is a manly man he will prefer seclu
sion during the investigation and his vindication
will bo the more complete when it comes, but the
party by taking the suspicion upon Itself will eo
weaken itself that it cannot be of service to him
even after vindication.
The democratic party has suffered occasional
ly because of corrupt officials in city, county, state
and nation. As a matter of policy as well as a
matter of principle it ought to make an example
of every guilty democrat. It will by so doing win
the confidence of the people and by warning demo
cratic officials that punishment follows wrong
doing, it will lessen the number of betrayals.
Let every honest democrat resolve to fearless
ly prosecute every corrupt democratic official and
thus make the party stand for public honor" and
fidelity to public interests. This advice is espe
cially applicable to Pennsylvania politics. Even
republican papers are- open in their charges of
corruption in high places and it is evident that
some of the democrats have been besmirched by
republican corruptionists. Tho party .should be
purged of these ungrateful and odorous misrepre
sentatives. Pennsylvania politics needs purifying
and the democratic party must purge itself, of ,thesn
rotten members if it expects to be a potent factor
in tho cleansing of tho state.
- ''.-,
Will Not Stir
Wall Street.
The following dispatch published by the New
York World would Indicate that Wall street has
registered a protest against any further disturb
ance of securities and received satisfactory as
surance that' no more "bombs" will be exploded.
The dispatch raises a suspicion that the suit
against the merger has ceased to terrify. The dis
patch reads:
Washington, March 4. The bill in equity
in the suit to be brought by the attorney gen
eral against th3 Northern Securities company .
merger will be completed in a day or two arid
will be printed by the end of the week. At-
torney General Knox had a long conference
with the president after the cabinet meeting
today.
It developed today that within a week the
president has had two propositions submitted
tohim by the moving powers in the merger.
The first was the blunt question whether there
are any more "bombs"-the exact word used
to be fired by him that will have a tendency
- to stir up Wall street. The president answered
with an emphatic "no."
The second was a request to hurry the
action againstthe merger.
I
The Mississippi
Resolution.
As it is the aim of Tho Commoner to keep its
readers informed upon political matters of na
tional Importance it hastens to report the very
significant resolution adopted by tho Mississippi
legislature. It was Introduced by Hon. W. S.
McAllister and reads as follows: :
Whereas, In the last two presidential cam
paigns the great states of the north and east
were solidified against tho democratic candi
dates, which caused their overwhelming de
feat. In the section east of the Mississippi and
north of the Ohio and Potomac rivers, there
is presented a homogeneous population, led and
marshalled by the highest types of American .
enterprise and sagacity; and the most amazing
aggregation of wealth and intelligence that has
occurred in the whole history of man.
This section has untold millions of idle
capital for Industrial investment and expan
sion, while in the southern states there are
boundless natural resources being neglected
for tho want of ready capital for their devel
opment and utilization.
And, Whereas, In the advanced state of
society political alliances should have regard
for commercial relations, social Improvement
and Industrial growth, but aside from this
practical business view of the situation wo ,,
have ndt forgotten, nor will wo over forget, the
devotion of the glorious democrats of tho
north and east to our section in her hours of
adversity; and in the years to cbme wo stand
ready to march with them in the procession
of progress, and in time of national peril as
sist them in voting down issues calculated to
disturb the national peace, and impair public
confidence, and maintain at whatever cost the
paramount supremacy of the federal flag, and
point with pride to tlie dauntless valor of the
southern soldiery in the late war with Spain.
Under the beneficent auspices of this fra
ternal policy, the south will enjoy every pos
sible advantage, and carve out of the iuturo a
career of social, material and intellectual
splendor that not even an imaginary limit can
be assigned where they will come to a stand- :
still.
Compromise and concession being the con- .
servative principle in our system of popular
government, it should be given a political turn
and applied to the exigencies of our national
party organization, as the means of harmony
and unity, to the end that our grand old party
may present a united front in the next national
election. Upon these lines we invito the co
operation of conservative, patriotic men of all
sections, that sectional estrangements may be
no more, and that the talent, resources and
genius of the American people may be ap
plied unhindered and unfettered to the practi
cal solution of social and economic problems, ,
and to the mitigation of the condition of kin
dred peoples, not yet free.
The purpose of the resolution was to place the
Mississippi democracy on the side of the reorgan
. izers and to declare against the Kansas City plat
form. Those who supported the resolution made
the very common mistake of assuming that the
democrats who betrayed the party can .again se
cure the confidence of the democratic voters with
out repentance or reformation. Like all who adopt
the "anythlng-Jo-win" policy they ignore the hon
est devotion to principle that actuates the rank
and file of the party a devotion that results in the
repudiation of leaders even congressmen, senators
and presidents who attempt to put the party on