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
