r
i n
The Commoner.
Vol. a, No. .
IO
Whether Common or Dot I
4,mQQQ0QvQQ
Keep On Trying:.
If you sometimes fool discouraged,
that's the, time to prove your worth,
gmilo and seek another purchaso on
this busy whirling earth. .
Bpit upon your hands, my brother,
grab a hold with all your might
Grab and keop right on a-holding, keep
a-holding good and tight
ffimo is wasted when you're weeping,
and a man who's sad of face
Seldom lands among the winners in
tho old world's business race.
If you slip, get up and hustle pluck s
worth more than all tho rest,
Jand you'll surely get there sometime
if you do your level best
Never sit down in the ashes weeping
over efforts vain;
full your belt up one notch tighter,
then strike out and try again.
Keep on trying, ne'er discouraged, even
though you often fail, -And
don't stub your toe, my brother,
twice upon the selfsame nail.
Profit by each failure, comrade, and
brace up to try once more,
Feeling sure that ev'ry effort takes you
further than before.
SCatch your breath and stretch your
muscles, then strike out with added
zest,
ta.nd you'll surely get there sometime
if you do your level best
Better aim high and shoot under than
to never shoot at all;
Better climb than to be Idle, even
though you often fall,
For the man down in the hollows with
his eyes glued on the sod
Never sees the glorious pictures by
tho greatest? artist, God. '
And althougnyou score a failure you
are further on your way.
Keep your eyes fixed on the future,
brace yourself for ev'ry test,
And you'll surely get there sometime
if you do your level best
would remark, 'for I don't want to bo
classed as a bolter; but you'll get my
vote and I think I can got you two
or threo other republican votes.'
"Of course this would make mo feel
good. This sort of thing occurred with
such frequency that finally I decided to
keep tab on the fellows who promised
to vote for me. For that purpose I got
a little note book and every time a
republican friend declared it to be
his intention to give me a vote I just
jotted down his name and the date of
his promise. '
"Being a union labor man I felt my
self entitled to the union labor vote,
being the only union labor candidate
on either ticket,. and every union la
bor man I met declared that I had a
cinch on the labor vote. I investigated
and learned that there were about 650
voters in the union ranks of the coun
ty, two-thirds of them being republi
cans. This made me feel good again.
"Whenever I went in the country
districts I was assured that I would
run ahead of my ticket, and various
voters were .named as having been
heard to declare that they would
scratch their tickets and give me a
vpte on this or that account
"This was my first experience jaa a
candidate, therefore I may be par
doned for "believing so much of what
I heard. I know better now.
"The night before election I footed
up the names in my little book and
found that 971 republicans had prom
ised to vote for me. Then I added
two-thirds of theninlon labor vote, 440,
malting a total of 1,413 republican
votes I felt rather sure of receiving.
This seemed to insure my election by
a narrow, but safe margin and I went
-tn 'nA n ftam rf "I1 tk soceairG-
e
Leekint; Backward.
It was tho Psalmist who remarked:
l said in my haste all men are liars."
Careful reading fails to disclose any
time or place where David had enough
leisure to revise the statement made
in hlsr haste. But David was a fairly
busy man and doubtless was not per
sonally acquainted with everybody.
And David may have been impelled to
make the statement by certain circum
stances connected With a campaign
lor office.
These reflections and ' animadver
sions are called out by the experiences
of a friend nominated for the state
' eenate in a Nebraska county by the
fusion conventions. The county is
normally republican by ?,500 majority
and a fusion nomination is indeed an
empty honor. But when Mr. Major
received the senatorial nomination he
felt honored and prepared to make
the best light he could against hope
less odds.
"I determined to exert myself to the
utmost to poll a good vote," he said,
after the election, "and if possible lop
off a few votes from the brutal repub
lican majority. I had the usual num
ber of cards printed, worked a few
newspaper men for some kindly no
tice and fortified myself with a few
statistics which I wove into a little
speech I framed up for the entertain
ment and Instruction of the voters.
"Then t started out When I started
X felt that I was up against it But
as the days went by I began to -feel a
Slimmer of hope. Every time I met
a republican friend and mentioned my
candidacy he told mo in strict confi
dence that he was going to vote for
ma, Dont say anything about it,'" he
lurm work I was going to do in.-
state legislature. .'
"Election morning I aroaJTate my
breakV,H5L:U& Itfe-ttrfe and babies
good-bye and went down town. About
10 o'clock I went to my voting pre
cinct and Voted. There I met several
republicans who took me aside one at
a time to tell me how they had voted
for me, and how they were quite sure
that So-and-so and So-and-so had
voted for me. This was good news.
"By nightfall, however, I began
bracing myself for defeat, rumors
reaching me that there was almighty
lit.tle scratching being done. Having
some friends on the staff of -the local
morning paper I drifted into tho edi
torial rooms about 8 o'clock In the
evening and watched the returns. The
first returns opened my eyes. I soon
discovered that I was just about keep
ing even with the rest of the candi
dates on my ticket At midnight I
conceded my defeat and "went home
and to bed.
"I saw the full returns the next
evening. I had polled just eight votes
more in the county than any other
candidate on my tiqket, and was de
feated by over 2,000 votes. This was
proof positive .that about eight of those
971 republicans had kept their prom
ise to vote for me, or that about eight
repuDiican union lauor men had Btifled
their partisanship long enough to re
member a follow laboring man.
. "This much I have learned: When
a republican tells you ho is going to
scratch his ticket and vote for a demo
crat, oraw down tho lid of your left
eye, smile knowingly and forget it"
Candor compels the statement that
Mr. Major did not appear to be at all
downcast He took his defeat good
naturedly and accepted the jibes of his
republican friends in good part He
knows more now than he did a couple
of weeks ago.
K 7ual the Iittle stor3r that Major
told Uiat recalled the hasty remark
of the Psalmist: "I said in my haste
all men are liars." And after recall
ing the incidents of Major's story and
analyzing David's utterance, it would
seem to be a natural conclusion that
David must have said it right after
being defeated for ofllco on the demo
cratic ticket
Tkere Are Others. t
"Hurrah!" shouted Mr. Bildad,
throwing down the morning paper and
shoving back from the breakfast ta
ble. "Hurrah! We've won every
thing. Keep a good majority in con
gress, uphold the president's hands
and testify to our satisfaction with
the abundant prosperity brought by
our grand old party!"
"Yes, I read tho headlines," said Mrs.
Bildad. "That reminds me that Tom
my must have some new shoes, and-r"
"New shoes!' -cried Mr. Bildad.
"New shoes? Why I just bought him
a pair last week and the infernal
leather trust squeezed me out of at
least a dollar. I"
"Yes, shoes have gone up," said Mrs.
Bildad. "And we are out of coal for
the kitchen range and must have some
right".
"Wow! And the soft coal trust
whooping up the price fifty cents a
crack! We're getting It In the neck
from the trusts at every "
"Does look like It, Mr. Bildad. Here's
a notice that came from the tax col
lector yesterday. It says our taxes are
delinquent and that we'll be sold out
if we"
"Let me see that,- Mrs., Bildad. Great
Scott! Why my taxes have been
raised 37 per cent This is an out
rage. If the corporations were made
to pay their share of the taxes we
small property holders would not be
robbed blind like this. It's a shame,
that's what"
"On your way down town, Mr. Bil
dad, I wish you'd Btop at the butcher
shop and order a roast The Perkinses
are coming to dinner this evening and
I"
"What, inviting company to dinner
" Wiiuir iiu, gijway,boof-- trust is soaking
it lu us njsuL una leitj meat s worm
its weight in gold, Mrs. Bildad, be
cause the rapacious beef trust is "
"I know it, dear; but it can't be
helped. I see sugar's up a cent a
pound, but we've got to have a dol
lar's worth today."
"That's it squeezed on everything
by the trusts. It does seem like we
are going to be ground to fragments
by them. I am In favor of seizing"
Just then the telephone bell rang
and Bildad answered it
"Hello, hello!
"Yes, this is Bildad.'
"What?
"Yes, you bet -
"That's the stuff. It was a glorious
victory. Elected a- big majority In
congress, the 'whole state, ticket, ev
ery county office.
"What's that?
"You bet I'll help celebrate. Going
to have torches and red fire?
"Bully. I'll be there. Great idea,
that, celebrating the glorious victory."
Then Bildad hung up the receiver,
donned his hat and coat, kissed Mrs.
Bildad good-bye and started for his
office. As the door slammed behind
him Mrs. Bildad picked up the paper
and remarked:
"I can't understand politics at all."
The Wide Boss.
The notorious boss of the notorious
gang, after boosting other men into
office for years, determined to become
a member of congress himself and get
tho first whack at the perqulsities In
stead of coming in on the second deal.
t Accordingly he called the gang to
gether and made public his decision.
"But the public knows you are a
Crook, that VOU have nn crmKnlanna
that you ate in politics only for the
graft and that you are always In the
market," said a subordinate gangster.
"How can you expect ib get enough
votes to elect you?"
"That's dead easyi" replied the boss.
"Of course we can control tho art
maries because a majority of tho vnL
ers in this district take no part in
them. That means wo can secure con"
trol of tho convention and give mo Mm
nomination, eh?" ino
wMtlhenr ate tte nmlaatin.
"Easy enough. We'll tell 'em they,
must vote for me if they want tS
hold up tho hands of the president
See?" uu
There was no answering tho argu
ment, henco the gang went out and
whooped it up for the boss. The result
proved that the boss knew a thing or
two about "practical politics."
Drain Leaks.
The burden grower light when love
helps us lift
He who idles in the morning sippeth
sorrow at twilight.
You deserve no credit until you
have done your best.
It Is better to show the son how
than to tell him how.
Too mtfch political pie usually re
sults jn party indigestion.
Borrowing is a slippery hill, easy to
descend, but difficult to climb.
One swallow does not make a sum
mer, but several will bring on a falL
Politeness is a mask that some men
discard as soon as business hours are
over.
It is a blessed thing for us that God
judges us by our efforts and not by
our achievements.
Prayer helps you to secure what
you need, but it won't bring you what
you may think you want
If we knew at forty what we thought
we knew when twenty the libraries of
tho world might be spared.
Will M. Maupin.
Bulger.
Thet dog hain't got no pedigree,
Er ef he has if s lost;
But lots o' dogsuv high degree
Ain't wuth more'n half their cost.
Depends on what you want 'em fur?
Well, yes, thet I'll admit,
You'd call thet dog a "common ci?iL,
He's jes' chock full of wit
Bulger, old boy, ther's hawks about,
D'yesee im cock his eye?
When tether's chicks 'r runnin' out
You'll see 'im watch the sky.
Some varmints crawls an' others flies
To steal your fowls away,
But Bulger Bleeps with open eyes
An' watches night and day.
Huntin? No; ain't' much at that;'
Ther's little here to hunt, .
In fun he sometimes hunts the cat
An' trees her, too, the runt!
But vhen he sees me take my gun
Old Bulger's wild to go,
An' he an' I've had heaps o' fun
A-trackln' hares in snow.
Young man, I'll tell you why I. like ,
A -r,TTll nnJ- frnm Tt4m &
tu uoyci 11 jfuit ituui mux.
Onrn TM n. hnv a mprrv tllro ' . ""'
My bright-eyed little Jim. , r, ;
He loved that dog; and often they ' "
Played in the meadows free; f
An' once when Jim was lost away
He brought him back to mo.
An' often yet I see them two
A-rompin' 'neath the trees, '
Where grass is green an skies are
blue
Happy as birds an' bees.
My little toddler now lies low, .
Down where the willows weep,
An' by his side whore flowers grow
Some day shall Bulger sleep.
H. E. Grimm, in Outdoor Life.
Au
WANTED Active canvassers mto
and female, whole or spare time, for
the sale of Mr. William Jennings
v -I.. .. .!. i. nfifillaned. It
t- jm - L..4 a alfnw lib
8 apionuiu bvbiwi i ttw w".
terms, a Digconmwaiuu y -.-
4. --- .ar. Address.
WMl lUCHIll wuhwj. " flflj
ADpey 1TSSS, ruDiieu - - -
Avnu, mew x or
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ral
who
The
Fifth
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