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committee of that state. This is not an- attempt
at reorganization but an effort to extend the party
machinery to ovory county and keep the organiza
tion in nghting trim. Stato headquarters will' bo
kept open all tho time so that there will bp con
stant communication between tho party officials
end tho various sections of the state. While tho
mombors of the committee may not feel it to bo
thoir duty to emphasizo any particular party
principles, they were all loyal to the Kansas City
platform and can bo trusted not to give aid and
comfort to thoso who seek to republlcanize tho
democratic party. It will bo gratifying to tho
readers of Tho Commonor to know that Mr. Mc
Lean does not dominate tho committee and that
his political methods will not be employed. Har
vey C. Garber, of tho good democratic county. of
Darke, is chairman, and Messrs. Baker, Burnett,
Frey and Salon are his associates. The commit
teo Is harmonious and effective work can be ex
pected from it. Tho organization deserves and
will doubtless receive tho cordial support of the
raul: and file of the party. The members of local
organizations are chosen by tho democrats for
whom they aro to act, and with care in tho selec
tion of these local representatives the party cau
bo saved from a repetition of tho mistakes of last
fall. Only lethargy among the voters can make it
possible for tho reorganizes to obtain control of
tho party machinery in Ohio, and recent exper
iences ought to mako tho Kansas City platform
democrats alert.
JJJ
"Smartness" and "Honesty."
Thoso people who havo attributed tho defeat
of tho demodracy to its adherence to the princi
ples of bimetallism may be interested in reading
an edltoral that appeared in the Lincoln (Neb.)
Journal, a stalwart republican newspaper, of April
18. The editorial follows:
Tho Portland Oregonlan declares that
"McKinley defeated Bryan in '9G because of
tho adoption of free silver at 16 to 1 by tho
national democracy as a part of their creed"
Nothing is more absurd. Tho adoption of
that novol and seductive battle cry camo per
ilously near snatching victory for the party
that nearly bankrupted the nation in four
years, when its defeat was apparently as cer
tain as sunrise. Had tho Chicago convention
been held sixty days later nothing would havo
saved McKinloy from defeat. Bryan and 16
to 1 swept tho country like a prairie fire for
. threo months but tho election did not como
soon "enough to catch tho people in the first
whirl, and tho republicans had timo to rally
with their fire extlngishors and check tho con
flagration. Tho republican rally was accom
plished during tho last thirty days of tho
campaign. It was iho most brilliant politi
cal flank movement if smartness is better than
honesty In politics ever seen in our national
history but the oxtra month of reflection and
debate saved tho country from a most tre-
mendous economic disaster. Without slxteen-to-one
and the meteoric Bryan on tho tall end
of tho special trains, the democrats would not
have carried a single state outside the "solid
south" in '96. It was the last quarter stretch
that winded Bryan and his Chicago steed.
Tho strategic strength of the Chicago flank
. movement was tho capture, bag and baggage,
of tho populist uprising when it was at its
zenith.
Without undertaking to discuss at this timo
tho merits of tao issue of bimetallism it is inter
epting to observe that this republican newspaper
admits wat very many careful observers havo
believed, that, tho so-called "silver issue" was not
responsible for tho , defeat of tho democratic party
In 1896. It is true, as this republican newspaper
admits, that "tho republican rally was accom
plished during tho last thirty days of tho cam
paign"; and it is particularly interesting to ob
serve that, referring to this republican "rally"
this republican newspaper says, "It was tho most
brilliant political flank movement if smartness is
better than honesty in politics, ever seen in our na
tional history." This is the most candid' state-
The Commoner.
ment that we have ever been privlliged to read in
a republican newspaper. Men well versed in poli
tics understand that the republican victory in 189G
was assured "during the last thirty days of the
campaign." It is interesting to learn from an emi
nent republican authority that "it was the most
brilliant political flank movement, if smartness
is better than honesty in politics, ever seen in our
national history."
JJJ
The Administration "Aroused
Tho Washington correspondent of the Chicago
Record-Herald after saying that the president in
tends to take vigorous measures to put a stop to
the alleged Weylerism in the Philippines, says:
At last the administration has been
aroused to an appreciation of the fact that the
American people want to know the truth
about tho situation in tho Philippines and
they also want all guilty officers punished.
As is often tho case, the public mind was
deenly stirred by the ugly news from tho
Philippines before official Washington real
ized that something was wrong.
President Roosevelt himself, having heard
of tho deep agitation of tho people over these
disclosures, brought the matter to the atten
tion of the cabinet today. With great earnest
ness he said this sort of thing must stop, and
that the guilty must be punished.
It will be observed that the president's action
is attributed by this correspondent to the fact
that the administration has been "aroused to an
appreciation of the fact that the American people
want to know about tho situation in the Philip
pines and they also want the guilty officers pun
ished? According to this correspondent President
Roosevelt acted hecause ho "heard of the deep
agitation of the people over these disclosures."
Tho people, however, will be somewhat amused
by tho statement that "the public mind was
'deeply stirred by the ugly news from the Philip
pines long before official Washington realized
that something was wrong."
As a matter of fact, "official Washington"
knew tho truth long before the truth dawned upon
the public mind, ana it was the final revelation of the
reports, deliberately suppressed by the adminis
tration agents, that prompted the "public mind"
to reach a conclusion, in spite of the effort on. tho
part of tho officials to withhold the truth where
. merely suspicion formerly existed.
JJJ
No. Free Press in the Philippines.
The editor of Freedom, a Manila newspaper,
has been arrested charged with sedition in pub
lishing an article from an American periodical.
Tho -Associated Press dispatch says that this ed
itor "also added remarks of his own censuring
the United States commission rule and saying
that when it started in J'-.ly last, every paper in
the city upheld it, since which they had all drop
ped by the wayside as they would not support
arbitrary government, especially when evidence
of carpet-bagging and rumors of 'graft' were too
thick to be pleasant."
A mass meeting was held in Manila at which
it was decided to send a cable message to Presi
dent Roosevelt urging him to take steps to pre
vent tho commission from using the sedition
law in such cases to prove lese majesto against
editors.
It has not been forgotten that one distin
guished and much loved republican once said
that "our priceless principles undergo no change
in our now possessions." It is not tho least sur
prising that the men who had tho temerity to sup
press the Declaration of Independence on the
4th of July in the Philippines have the audacity
to curtail . freedom of. speech, particularly in a
Philippine ctyy;here we have been told that,ciyil
government' has-been established, order has been
restored, and veneration for United States sover
eignty has been firmly established.
Even Justice Brown, in his opinion In the
Downes case, intimated that there are some things
which even congress cannot do with respect to
our new possessions. Justice Brown drew a clear
distinction between such prohibitions that go to
tho very root of the power of congress to act,, ir
respective of time or place, and such that are oper
ative throughout the United States and among tha
several states. And Justice Brown added, "Thus
when tho constitution declared that no bill of at
tainder or ex post facto law could be -passed, and
that no title of nobility shall be granted by the
United States, it goes to the competency of con
gress to pass a bill of that description. Perhaps
the same may apply to the first amendment that
congress shall make no law respecting the estab
lishment of religion or property or the free exer
cise thereof, or freedom of speech or the press or
the right of the people peaceably to assemble and
petition the government for a redress of grieve
ances." It is true Justice Brown said that he did' not
wish to be understood as expressing an opinion
as to "how far the bill of rights contained in tho
first eigiit amendments was of general and how far
of local application," but when, In his remarkable
decision, Justice Brown rather leaned toward tho
notion that freedom of speech was a right guar
anteed to all men under the American flag, it is
difficult to understand with what reason the x-.i-ippine
commission may violate a right with which
even congrcrj dare not interfere.
The American citizen, however, needs no sol
emn judicial decree on this question. He knows
that once freedom of speech and the liberty of the
press is denied in the city of Manila, the interests
of the Filipinos and the interests of the United
States will be as mercilessly handled, by the, i'car-pet-bag'
government as the Filipinos in arms 'aro
handled by the military authorities. ''
JJJ -
The Packers' Agreement.
Several New York papers have printed fea
ture articles showing that great distress has re
sulted among the poor because of the high prjye . .
of beef. It is pointed out that many working men,
the character of whose work requires meat axa
food, have been compelled to do without this nec
essity. -
The Brooklyn Eagle rushes to the defense of
the beef trust and makes an interesting plea. In.
the beginning the Eagle is careful to say that'
"It is clear there is no trust in any such sense w
there i3 a steel trust, a sugar trust, or a merger,
of the Northwestern railroads." The Eagle ex
plains that there are five large beef firms, but
they are not consolidated in any legal form. It
admits, however, "There seems to have been an
agreement among these five firms not to under
sell each other and to maintain prices." The
Eagle says that "Undoubtedly these firms did not
propose to sell their beef lower, and undoubtedly
they kept the price as high as they could. That
is the very first principle of business." The" Eaglo
then proceeds to account for the increase in tho
beef prices on the lines laid down
by Secretary of Agriculture Wilson. This in
crease is due "to the rise In the prices of beef on
the hoof, to the cost of corn, and to a general rise
of prices, beginning with wages, due to general
prosperity." According to the Eagle, the increase
of beef prices is to be accounted for in .part by
the claim that there has been "a general shorten
ing of the hours of labor." The Eagle concludes
that tho increase in all of these .things "is part of
tho general increase dm to the good times." ils
Brooklyn newspaper consoles itself that "Mere
men have money to. pay high prices for beef t
present than they had. two or three years ago,
