The
Commoner.
WILLI Ail J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
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Vol. 2. No. 27.
Lincoln, Nebraska, July 25, 1903,
Whole No. 79.
; Missouri Calls a Halt
The Now York Evening Post says: "Missouri
halts tlie movomont lor democratic reorganiza
tion." In a mournful strain it tells how the re
organizers "wanted to leave all the matters per
taining to state and national affairs to a later con
vention, and have no more platform now than an
indorsement of the democratic governor and their
state officials," and the majority of the committee
on resolutions fell in with the idea. "But," the
Post sadly relates, "a Bryanito promptly moved
to amend by adding a resolution indorsing the
Kansas City platform."
The -Post says" that it is a significant fact
that "all hut four of the 122 delegates of the city
of St. Louis were jagainst tying to the silver folly
any longer, but most of the farmers remained
faithful to Bryanism."
The Post is really depressed by the Missouri
incident, and fears that "this tendency prevails
among many democrats in the rural districts at
the south and the further west, and the existence
of such a sentiment is a serious obstacle to party
harmony." Too bad that the rural districts should
thus array themselves against the city delegates.
Possibly the Post could suggest some method of
eliminating the : rural .districts .. entirely" so that
there would be ho" obstacle, to harmony? '
When the St. Louis machine nominated for
mayor a man who had opposed the ticket in two
campaigns and had not since returned to the party
,Tlie Commoner pointed out that it was a part o?
the plan of the reorganizes, and Mr. Well's friends
rebuked The Commoner and insisted that it was
purely a local matter. Now we have the delegates
selected by the aid of the St. Louis machine work
ing to reorganize the democracy of Missouri and a
New York paper speaks regretfully of their failure.
The loyal democrats of the country will learn
after a while that the reorganizing idea must ho
opposed wherever It presents itself whether ixt
precinct, county, state or nation, for it means the
same thing everywhere, namely, the emasculation
of. the democratic platform. The loyal democrats
will also find that the reorganizers never make an
open fight, but always seek to secure advantage by
underhand means. The fight made at Springfield,
Mo., against reaffirming the Kansas City platform
.was not made on the ground that the platform was
wrong, but on the ground that the matter should
be left to a later convention. Had they succeeded
in deferring the matter to a later convention they
would have redoubled 'their efforts to prevent the
later convention from taking any action in the
matter.
Missouri did well to put this "serious obstacle"
in the way of the reorganizers, and Texas has dono
the same thing.
SJJ
An Altgeld Fund.
- The immediate friends of the late John,, P.
(Altgeld are raising a fund for presentation to his
widow. Mr. Altgeld at one time was well off,
hut ho put his capital into a building which was
constructed in good times and sold under mort
gage during the Industrial crisis that extended
" from 1893 to 1896, so that his widow is left practi
cally without means. Mr. Altgeld's time was de
moted to the discussion of public questions to the
depletion of his income, and his multitude of earn
est, loyal and enthusiastic friends, ought to see to
it that a sufficient fund is raised jo put Mrs. Alt
geld above want
Had ho given his great ability to the corpora
tions he would not have died poor, and it would bo
a reflection upon the unselfishness of his political
friends and admirers to say that they would bo
slow In contributing to the fund proposed.
Money can bo sent to Hon. Clarence S, Dar
row, 1202 Ashland block, Chicago, Mr. Altgeld's
law partner and the chairman of the committee
having the matter in charge.
JJJ
The Basis of Harmony
. Cleveland's Bond Deal
A Maine subscriber asks for information in re
gard to the Rothschild-Morgan contract made by
the Cleveland administration and also in regard
to the issue of bonds which Mr. Cleveland after
wards planned to sell at private sale, but because
of the pressure of public opinion finally sold in the
open market. The facts are as follows:
On the 8th day of February, 1895, President "
Cleveland, through Secretary Carlisle, entered into
a contract "between Messrs. August Belmont &
At Boston, on July 24, Mr. Bryan addressed
the Now England Democratic League, his subject
being, "The Basis of Harmony." Following is the
abstract of tho address furnished to tho press in
advance:
In view of the numorous harmony dinners,
and tho discord they have created, it may not
bo out of placo to considor the basis of harmony.
Tho word "harmony" is euphonious, and tho idea
which It conveys Is a delightful one. Harmony!
How It soothes tho oar and calls up visions of
peace and love and Joy. Harmony, whether among
tho heavenly bodies whoso movements mako tho
music of the' spheres, or among bodies torrcstrlal
with their conflicting interests and varying moods,
who can resist its claims or dispute its sway!,
Harmony is but a synonym for order, and is not
tho result of chance, but a product of inexorable
law. Tho musician must learn tho Bcalo and
properly arrange tho notes, or harmony, no matter
how earnestly wooed, can never be won.
Harmony in government is likowiso tho result
of fixed and unchangeable rules. Jefferson states
two of these rules namely, absoluto acquiescence
in the will of tho majority and frequent elections
the second aids tho first by giving Jiope ot a
Co., New York, on behalf of N. M. Rothschild &
Messrs. J. PfertoTi'P&rgir hdwever-gre,yimhM4f fct-wr; Xmjj
anil Messrs. J. S. Morgan & Co., of London, and
themselves." This contract was attested by W. E.
Curtis and Francis Lynde Stetson, tho latter hav
ing been a member of Mr. Cleveland's firm when
ho was practicing law between his two presidential
terms. The contract was for the private sale of 4
per cent bonds at a premium of about 4 per cent.
Four per cent twelve year bonds were then sell
ing at $1.12, so that there was no excuse for thirty
year bonds being sold at $1.04. The contract pro
vided that 3 per cent goldbonds, if authorized by
the government, would bo accepted in lieu of these
with" a saving to tho government in interest that
would amount to sixteen millions in thirty years.
Congress refused to authorize gold bonds, partly
because they would discredit silver as a standard
money and also the coin bonds already Issued, and
partly because the effect of such bonds would be to
aid the financiers in forcing all borrowers to
make gold contracts. To show how one-sided the
contract was it is only necessary to state that less
than three months before that period ten-year
coin bonds were sold at a premium which reduced
tho rate of interest to less than 3 per cent. Tho
bonds that were sold to the Rothschild-Morgan
syndicate at $1.04 wore in a short time worth
$1.17.
Notwithstanding this experience Mr. Clove
land's administration afterward negotiated with J.
Pierpont Morgan for a private sale of one hun
dred million dollars' worth of bondq at aboujt $1.05
and Mr. Morgan began forming a syndicate for tho
handling of them. When tho matter became known
there was such a protest over the scheme that Mr.
Cleveland was compelled by public opinion to al
low bidding upon the bonds. This forced change
in the administration's plans netted the govern
ment more than five millions of dollars on this.,
issue of bonds, and J. Pierpont Morgan waited un
til just before the timo for receiving bids expire
and then handed in a bid for about 5 per cent
more than he was to pay at private sale. It Is evi
dent, therefore, that either Mr. Morgan was driv
ing a hard bargain with the government or that
the administration was willing to give him an
enormous profit, and yet these transactions did
not destroy the intimacy between Mr. Cleveland's
administration and the financiers who were using
it for the fleecing of the public. Tho Cleveland
administration was quick to stop small leaks, but
the syndicate could bore 'holes into the treasury
anywhere.
were living today his observation would probably
suggest a third rule, namely, the ascertainment
of the will of the majority by methods so direct,
so fair and so honest that tho minority cannot
doubt that that will has been actually expressed.
Jefferson also laid down the rules by which,
and by which alone, real harmony can bo secured
within a party. I say real harmony, for that
harmony cannot bo considered worthy of the
name which, like theharmony temporarily ex
isting between tho confidence man and his victim,
is purposely employed for deception and injury.
The great founder of the democratic party
whose profound philosophy sounded all the depths
of human naturo and measured 'the height and
breadth of human government, not long before
the end of his eventful life, said in a letter to
Mr. Leo that there were but two permanent par
ties, the aristocratic and tho democratic; that
these two parties existed in every country, and
that where there was freedom to think, speak
and write, these parties would become apparent.
With the aristocratic party he classed "those who
fear and distrust the people and wish to draw all
power from them into the hands of the higher
classes." With the democratic party he classed
"those who identify themselves with the people,
have confidence in them, cherish and consider
them as the most honest and safe, though not tho
most wise, depository of .the public interests."
Every well informed student of history will recog
nize this distinction. In every community yon
can draw a line separating the aristocrat from the -democrat.
It will not be a perpendicular line, nor
will it bo a horizontal one; it will not separata
those of illustrious lineage from those of humble
, bith; it will not separate the rich from tho poor;
it will not separate the educated from the unedu
cated; it will not be along lines of vocation or
occupation; hut it will separate those "with the'"
tastes, spirit, assumption and, traditions of the
aristocracy" from those who "believe in a gor-
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