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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 1903)
n" e ', The Commoner. H Vol. a, No. 50. wrmvmupjimmim I i FORUH OFT HE WEEKLY PRESS Gunnison (Colo.) News-Champion: Just as long as we hesitate to touch the tariff, the trusts will continue to touch the people. Webster Springs (W, Va.) Echo: "Wo won't touch the tariff," says Quay. It is the tariff payers that the Quayites prefer to touch. Wheeler (S.' D.) Courier: The pres ident's messago constitutes an able brief for the defense in the case of the People vs. Special Privilege. Mankato (Kas.) Advocate: The re publican papers are beginning to boom Qrover Cleveland for the democratic nomination for president in 1904. As the democratic candidate Grover would bo highly satisfactory to the repub licans. Manchester (N. H.) Union: As President Roosevelt in effect said in his messago it is no longer any affair of ours. Wo havo become a world power now, and are in the business of interference with weak people our selves. Greenfield (Mo.) Advocate: A tar iff commission of so-called "tariff ex perts" would give thousands in an nual salaries to those fellows who are already fatting by the system at the expense of the plain people. A com mission from the tariff payers might accomplish something. Sauk Center (Minn.) Avalanche: The most noticeable peculiarity of the document is the fact that Mr. Roose velt takes up considerable space to tell congress that the tariff has noth ing to do with trusts, and then recom mends the removal of the tariff on hard coal as a slap at the anthracite trust Woodsfield (0.) Spirit of Democ racy: The republican who did not applaud McKinley's Buffalo speech when it was delivered, was looked upon as little better than a "copper head." The republican who does not now repudiate the teachings of thai speech, is denounced as-a traitor to the cause of "protection." Madison (Wis.) Democrat: The Wisconsin republican newspapers are for tariff revision andthey are against the ship subsidy steal; but all the same they are like republican con gressmen they are against these things individually, but they are for the party that is for them. Thus they are-for the measures they unsparingly condemn. McMinnville (O.) Telephone-Register: It is certainly an edifying brand of statesmanship that would refuse to admit Arizona and New Mexico to statehood because they might go democratic. Let Porto Rico and the Philippines take- heed. Not develop ment along the lines of civilization and culture is the prerequisite of ad mission to stateshood, but the political views of the inhabitants Chadron (O.) Record: The United States pays for transporting the mails .enough money every year to pay the interest at 3 per cent on enough mon ey to duplicate every mile of railroad in the United States, Then why don't it do it? Because we, the fool people, vote to elect men to congress and senate who are in the pay of the railroads and they will not vote for such a thing. Only that and nothing more. Crete (Neb.) Demonm t rnu SiSiS8 not.hc!ld togother on the cause of the panic in 1893. Many say it was the Wilson bill which of course was not passed till 1894; and now comes Secretary Shaw who says it was the fear that the holders of pa per money would get redemption in dollars worth less than 25.8 grains of gold. Then it was the money ques tion and not the tariff which caused the panic. But the fact is, it was neither. It was the result of in flation, speculation and liquidation. Grant City (Mo.) Times: Many conservative papers throughout the country are taking the president to task for his weak attitude toward the trusts. We believe Roosevelt would like to take the trust bull by the horns and rub his nose in the dust, but ho has received orders from the political bosses not to undertake it, and he is heeding the warning. But putting all partisanship aside, this tiust question must be met sooner or later, and if the republicans keep on dallying and delaying it the people will arise and again drive them from power. Red Wing (Minn.) Argus: Roosevelt- in October pointed out the an thracite combine as a conspicuous ex ample of a trust that had not the ben efit of protection. He argued that the trusts were not' strengthened by the tariff. Roosevelt in December pointed out the duty on anthracite as the one change that should bo made In the tariff. He spoke with intent to be true, but ho did not know. They told him anthracite was not pro tected and he accepted their word. Now is it possible that on closer ex amination he could find some other cases where the tariff was duo to be revised? Grand Island (Neb.) Democrat: On Monday of this week the freight rate on Nebraska roads was raised in an amount sufficient to reduce the price of grain about two cents per bushel on the product of Nebraska farmers. We have asked that some of our good republican: brethren, explain why- this should como so soon after the signal republican successes in state, and na tion. 1 Others have asked that some of the rerublican shouters. for trusts, ship subsidies and such, explain the "whyness," thereof, but all are silent. The earnings of the railroads have increased each year while their vdivi- dends and salaries to high officials "have increased enormously. One more' turn of the screw upon the back of in dustry, ipon the productive energies of the .laborer. Cole County , (Mo.) Democrat: ' The democratic party was righ, qn the money' question in 1896. Every devel opment in .financial circles since then proves tha,t t was right. Every warning, every' prediction has been or is being f dlflHed. The panicky con dition of the stock market; that mon ey stringency whose evil effectfo are felt lh the i banking and business world;, the strenuona efforts of the secretary bf the ; treasury to prevent panlds;. the bills introduced in con gress for the inflation' of th,e .currency, upon a credit and vfind ,baBis, all go to 'show that the democratic partv was 'yght. The ideas' 'of the most rabid populist never 'went to greater lengths than those of the republican party at the present time on the ques tion of an exchange medium. The whole people will, not sqe the light, un til the occurrence of. a . financial cataclysm, and ruin is general. Pier pont Morgan has' acknowledged that he and others like him are tho har bingers' of socialism.' But the foolish people still will not see and will not hear "till anarchy comes fidWn on them like night,'" ii . TOM JOHNSON. Democrats should road what the Johnstown (Pa.) Democrat says of his political future It appears from later scrutiny of the election figures in Ohio that the "jolt" given Tom L, Johnson Tuesday was much less severe than it was jubilant ly reported to be in the early dis patches. There was ill-concealed joy in tho, first reports indicating that the Buckeye state had been swept with an anti-Johnson broom. The Associated press is after all a very human insti tution. Ordinarily its news reports are coldly impartial. But under cir cumstances such as those characteriz ing the Ohio campaign even the asso ciated press could not escape the bias of its surroundings and so the initial Ohio returns were exaggerated into a tremendous victory for Mr. Hanna and the monopoly interests with which he is bound up. As a matter of fact the Ohio elec tion is very far from discouraging to democratic democrats. It is true that the republican party elected its state ticket and held its own in the con gressional delegation. .But Mr. John son again won a sweeping victory in his nome county. The court house at Cleveland is for the first time in five years in fair way of being filled with democrats. Mr. Johnson's friends havo gained a number of judicial of fices; they have maintained their hold in the city of Cleveland; and all through the state, except in the lower corner where John R. McLean is para mount as a democratic boss in close al liance with the republican bosses and thoroughly Identified with the monop oly interests which the republican bosses conserve, the democrats have shown most encouraging gains. Had' there not been treachery of the vilest kind in Hamilton county and in the few other counties where McLeanisin is dominant, it is apparent that the republican majority would have been enormously reduced if not completely eliminated. McLean and Boss Bernard were able in Hamilton county alone, to throw 20,000 votes to the Hanna ticket and in the other counties controlled by this plutocratic combine similar jis sistance to the enemy was rendered. Tho same sort of treachery "that pre vented 'the election of Bryan 1 in 1896 has in Ohio hid the effect this, year of putting that state in the attitudp.pf indorsing crooKeo taxation, ripperism. boss rule and privilege in general. lt is only when we look more closely at the returns that we discover that only in a comparatively small portion of tho state did the democratic caupe suffer. Reaction developed only where treachery was rampant. The cause of the "people showed progress wherever Mr. Johnson, had gone and : wherever an odious bossism did1 not 'preVail'. The war is not fought outy The bat tle of; Tuesday was merely apreHin-, inary struggle. . That it has gons against Mr. Johnson is no more to be taken as eliminating, hi,m from poli tics 'than the union, defeat at Bui! Run wa,s to be taken as settling th contest between' slavery and freedom. The reverse at Bull Run mrel served to nrouqo the.Mrlt of the north and to drawjnor.e clearly the lines between lovalty and disunion. And the reverse which th.e democrats have sustained in Ohio will but intens'fv1 tlie determina tion of' democratic democraav to con tinue Its wpr on privilege Mr. John Ron has made U pin in, that the skulk ers and the traitors must get out and stay but Ho has declared" "war upon John R, McLean-and airhltfttind. He to not, the man to weaken or waver. The bAitJp royal '.willonta next ypnr. Mr. Johnson will agnin be. a candi date for mayor of Cleveland. Four successive 'victories' In 'hiJ3"hbW city' in all probability will be signally crowned by a fifth. And then will come the supreme s.truggle. On one side will be Mr. Johnson with five victories to his credit. On the other will bo John R. McLean with a record of defeat and another one of treach ery. Both will seek to control tho democratic party of Ohio. Can it bo doubted that in such a contest victory and honor will win over defeat and porfidy? Can it be doubted that the brave and clean-handed leadership of Tom L. Johnson will triumph over the skulking and debauched leader ship of a man in open md notorious alliance with the unclean forces of a degrading bossism? It is a safe guess that the democrats of Ohio will take no backward steps. Mr. Johnson or someone "standing for the great principles" for which Mr. Johnson stands in all political likeli hood will be nominated- for governor of Ohio next year. We believe Mr. Johnson himself will be the man. And we believe that in the great struggle which his nomination will bring on the powers of plutocracy will not ho Ktrong enough to prevail against him. There will he elements at work for him before the middle of next year which in themselves will probably be deris ive in his favor. Hanna has providpd for a system of boss government which con hnrdly fall to invite tho bitterest antagonism. He has prac tically destrovpd home-rule in the cit ies of Ohio. But thus far the effect of tnisbas.not been felt by the people. They, are; still governing themselves. R'it by next- year the ppople wi11-hvo begun to discover that they are ruled bv a central power a power con trolled, not by . themselves, but by powerful special interests centered in Jthe executive office of the state. When thev realize this fact nnd begin to un derstand Us true significance, is it to be 'doubted that the spirit of revolt will seize upon the people and sp'ir them on to a sharp rebuke to the 'pnrty responsible for robbing thpm of so prpcious a rlfht as that of controll ing thrown affairs? Aorntlv tMs consideration has not been taken into account' bv those who hve ben jubi lating' over Mr. Johnson's defeat. "Bnt it is a considprntion of the first im portance and those who overlook it are prpttiv certain to wairp up to a sur vrteo befQro the end of 1903. Tom, Johnson is still a potent fac tor in! mericnn politics and tnno who have jumped at the conclusion tbnt 1ip has hpnn elfminntpd nro " jtin themselves in the wav of a very rharp 4 dinppintmpnt. Johnstown (Pa.) 'Democrat. JNbv. 7. 1 : - Regular. Tho western journal which expresses doubt as to the regularity of the Anglo-Gorman propeedimrs on the Vene zuelan coast is poorly informed. Where there are two rich and strong powers against one that Is poor and weak such proceedings are decidedly tho regular thing. Pittsburg (Pa.) Dispatch. .U. On December 1'G Representative Mar tin of South Dakota introduced a bill in the house making October 21', tho ahrtivorsary of the discovery of Amer ica, a legal public holiday Jo bo known ,as (Colunibus day. I4FART IIImi'JFIIIiI And Btomnch D(mm Write Dr. Miloi. Dqpt, H. Chicago, 111., for B0 fr treatment and booic ,1,000 of tha mppt romaric Die euros vu iutu , -- -. g dfcy ,fa-&.zM4