The Commoner,
Juno 27, 1902
7
THE WEEKLY PRESS FORUM.
A Menace to Government.
Marshall (Mo.) Progress: The only
way a halt can bo called upon the de
cline of popular government Is to elect
a democratic house that will stand for
its preservation and defense.
Exeter (Neb.) Enterprise: The State
Journal heads an article referring to a
republican state official, "Faithful to
His. Trust' Most republican officials
are faithful. to some trust dr other.
West Union (0.) Defender: Repub
licans indorse the economic rule that
in "pacifying" the Filipino infants by
"removal" there will be no trouble in
the future with the full-grown war
rior. Eldorado (Kas.) Advocate: Presi
dent Roosevelt's recent speeches may
be epitomized thus: To the Presby
terians, "Be good to your church and
suuport it and the administration's
Philippine policy." At Arlington, "Re
member the illustrious dead and favor
the republican regime in the Philip
pines." Watertown (N. Y.) Reunion: The
democratic party is' getting ready for
an assault on the walls of special priv
ilege that will force something to give
way. Back of the demand for tariff
.revision and trust regulation will )o
found tho people. And every one of
them will have a hammer and a hand
ful of nails to help nail down the lid
of that coffin.
Anna (111.) Democrat: The demo
cratic party is getting ready for an
assault on tho walls of special privil
eges that will force something to give
way. Back of the demand for tariff
revision and 'trust regulation will be
found the people. And everyone of
them will have a hammer and a hand
ful of nails to help nail down the lid
pf that coffin, .. '
'Honolulu (H. I.) Commercial: To
call a Philippine convention; to offer
the islands at cost, maintaining a pro
tectorate while payments are coming
in; to reserve one coaling station for
permanent use; to set up a free re
public in the East Indies such as we
ordained the other day in the "West
Indies that way lies peace with
honor.
Elyria'(0.) Democrat: It was no
credit to England to bully the Boers
out of their independence. Neither Is
it a credit to the United States to bully
the Filipinos out of self-government.
Waynesburg (Pa.) Democrat: We
could never respect a minister of the
gospel who defends the shedding of
the innocent blood of a people whos
only crime is asking for the liberty of
self-government.
Greensburg (Ind.) Now Era: Do you
remember Beveridge's great, spectac
ular, spread-eagle, illiterative speech
in which he said, "Where the Ameri
can flag once goes there is must re
main forever?" But it didn't. No, the
flag has gone down in China and in
Cuba. In honor, yes. But that Is the
only way the democrats want it to
come down or go up. It can come out
of the Philippines in the same way.
In honor. And with our free institu
tions it cannot remain there perma
nently in honor.
Fulton (Mo.) Telegraph: There is
no middle ground for uny man who
claims to be a democrat he Is either
for or against the party. If a man Is
opposed to the Kansas City. platform,
how in the name of common sense
can he claim to be a democrat? And,
moreover, . if any man believes the
"word democrat needs no qualifying
term'! in Callaway county, let him an
nounce for office on that basis, and we
guarantee that it will not require bur
a few .minutes to count his votes at
the primary election.
1
Jackson (0.) Herald: A few news
papers with a following of democrats
are making much out of an attempt to
repudiate the national platform adopt
ed at Kansas City in 1900. It is rather
strange that this is true and it isnot
indicative of good judgment or of loy
alty to party principles. The Kan
sas City platform was adopted by tho
party leaders representing tho whole
country and according- to precedent re
mains the expressed sentiments of the
party until the next national cbnven-
tion meets and adopts a new platform.
Marshall (Mo.) Citizen: This thing
of "reorganization" which we see so
much of over the state is nothing but
a trap set to catch the democracy. We
need no reorganizing. Let tho democ
racy stand on its platform until an
other national platform is made. No
'body wants "reorganization," but
those who have fought the platform
and the party and want to get on top
of it now and use. Not this year, gen
tlemen! We don't have to cross the
river till we get to it. And then the
democrats will need no reorganizes to
ford it. -
Fairbury (Neb.) Journal: The Bea
trice Democrat and a few other former
gold democrat papers are advancing
the theory of Dave Hill that "1 am a
democrat" should be the only qualifi
cation necessary for admittance to
democratic councils. That theory may
be all right for those whose vision sees
only postoffices and federal positions,
but the average man wants to Know
something about a man's principles
before he admits him into party asso
ciation. The difference between twee-dle-dee
and tweedle-dum is greater
than the difference between a Hill
democrat and a republican.
Franklin (Tenn.) News: The plat
form was all right in the main. It did
the. proper thing in indorsing and re
affirming the last national platform of
the party adopted at Kansas City. It
has the right ring on trusts and imper
ialism, and will command the confi
dence of the people In most all mat
ters of state concern upon which it
made declarations, and especially those
parts relating to better and more uni
form assessment and revenue laws and
of the development of tho state's re
sources. This is the field for the states
man's talent in this state now, and
we trust our public men will prove
themselves equal to it right away. .
Fulton (111.) Journal: Roosevelt's
administration has gained a reputation
for stopping several admirals, a num
ber of generals and a lot of minor offi
cials from talking. This great success
in suppressing free speech has encour
aged "Teddy" to tackle a woman, and
because she dared to criticise some of
his public utterances she is unceremon
iously fired out of the government ser
vice, without a minute's notice or a
chance for defence. He goes on record
as the first president who has carried
partisan spite to the extent of making
war on women. This Is about as re
vengeful and obnoxious an example
for small calibre politicians to pattern
after as has been set up to the present
era.
Havana (111.) Democrat: We are
thankful that the democratic spirit
still lives in the hearts of our people,
the spirit of liberty and equality. The
spirit that won the Magna Charta from
King John, that blazed forth in the
Declaration of Independence, that suf
fered at Valley Forge, and triumphed
at Yorktown and New Orleans. It ha3
been defeated a thousand times, but
has never been overthrown. It has
often been discouraged, but always re
turned to the conflict against privilege
with renewed hope and vigor. Politi
cal tyrants are no longer to be feared,
except as they ally themselves with
commercial tyrants, who now rule the
world. In the fight against them we
need to be brave, hopeful and persis
tent, wise as serpents, harmless as
doves,
In The Independent (New York) of
May 1 appeared, a symposium on "The
Concentration of Wealth." . Following
is Mr. Bryan's contribution to tho
symposium, which appeared under the
caption, "A Menace to Government
and Civilization' and which is repro
duced by courtesy of The Independent:
What is to be the outcome of tho
tendency toward tho concentration of
wealth now manifesting itself through
out the world and especially in the
United States? Prophecy is always dif
ficult; first, because it is Impossible to
measure the relative influence exerted
by tho many forces which unite to
produce a given condition; and, sec
ond, because no one can tell how soon
a remedy, partial or complete, may be
applied. The best that can bo said Ib,
that other things being equal, certain
causes will produce certain effects. But
the qualifying phrase, "other things
being equal," is a very important one;
and as other things are never exactly
equal problems In government, politi
cal economy and sociology are always
more or less intricate. The most im
portant factor in tho problem is man;
and no view of the future can be at
all accurate which does not take into
consideration what is commonly called
human nature. At some other time I
shall discuss the methods employed
in the concentration of wealth and
the remedies to be applied; but these
are beyond tho scope of tho present
inquiry.
The main purpose and inevitable
consequence of the present concentra
tion of wealth is monopoly; and pri
vate monopolies are in the long run
likely to prove as disastrous to those
who control them as to those who are
their immediate victims. They are
disastrous to the former because they
necessarily violate the rights and dis
regard tho interests of the public;
and man is so constituted that he can
not habitually and systematically tres
pass upon the rights of others, or even
MBMt
consciously disregard tho welfare of
others without dwarfing his manhood
and lowering his charactor. If a man
feels that he Is giving to society a
service equal in valuo to tho compensa
tion which he exacts from society ho
mingles among the people as among
friends and shares their sentiments
and aspirations; but if ho employs tho
methods of a highwayman, as a prlM
vato monopoly generally does, ho be
comes suspicious of the people, know
ing that they should protest oven if
they have not already dono so. He
fears to trust them with the use of
political power and in tho end will
seek to doprivo them of participation
in the government. A man cannot long
bo a monopolist and remain a believer
in tho doctrines of a republic, because
a monopoly rests upon arbitrary pow
er: and, as it Ignores Inalienable
rights, it cannot consistently recog
nize the people as the source of power.
Besides being hurtful to those who
control it a monopoly is injurious to
those who feel the. weight of Its op
pression. The victim first suffers from
the tyranny of a monopoly, then be
gins to feel resentment toward those
"who control and profit by it, and at
last ho is alienated from the govern
ment which takes from him tho right
to avenge his own wrongs and then
leaves him helpless and at tho mercy of
despollors.
It is doubtful whether any one can,
by his own ability and industry and
without tho aid of governmental favor
itism or the enjoyment of special priv
ileges accumulate or control enough
money to separate him in sympathy
from his fellows or make his wealth a
menaco to society. But a private mo
nopoly, duo as It is to a perversion of
government, and defying as It does ev
ery moral principle, hardens those who
possess it, embitters those who suffer
from it, breeds hatred between citizens,
materializes religion, jeopardizes tho
government and arrests tho progress
cf civilization.
Preserve Democratic Principles.
More and more every day are the
friends of true democracy becoming
aroused to the importance of doing
some .active work to build up demo
cratic sentiment, not only for the
present campaign, but for all time.
More and more is it being realized
that the safety of free institutions
lies in the enlightenment of voters,
and that he who disseminates infor
mation regarding tho important ques
tions of the day is performing a valua
ble service.
The Commoner is published for the
purpose of applying democratic prin
ciples to all public questions and keep
ing those principles clearly before the
people. The subscription price is $1.00
per year. In order to place the paper
In the hands of as many new readers
as possible during this campaign we
are issuing subscription cards at tho
very low special price of 60 cents each,
in "lots of five." Each card 'is good
for a year's subscription, dating from
the day it is received at this office,
filled out with tho subscriber's name
and address.
Orders for the subscription cards
are reaching us in steadily increasing
numbers. Last week more of them
were issued than during any week
since our offer was first made. Every
present subscriber can raise a club of
five at 60 cents each among his friends.
Have you tried it? You will bo sur
prised to find how easily it Is done.'
We have scores of letters testifying to
this. The publisher of Tho Commoner
Is Willing to trust any reader of the
paper who will try to raise a club. If
you are, willing to do what you can to
help increase the paper's circulation -fill
out the coupon printed below; tho
cards will be sent you and you may
remit when you have sold them.
Cut out this coupon, write in your'
name and address and mall it to T h 0
Commoner, Lincoln, Neb.
Application for "Lots of Five Subscription Cards"
PUBLISHERS COMMONER: Phase send me five sulscription cards. I
promise to me my utmost endeavor to sell. these cards, and will remit for them at the
rate of 60 cents each when sold.
Name.
PostofBce.;
County State .