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The Commoner.
WILLIAfl J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
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Vol. 3. No, 10.
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 27, 1903.
Whole No. 114.
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ffime to Organize Now
In an editorial in the Louisville Courier-Jour-,
Henry Watteraon laments the fact that demo
ts who believe in democratic principles as rep-
nted in the Kansas City platform aro begin-
to organize very generally throughout tho
try. Mr. Watterson thinks this is a bad
It is, indeed, a bad sign for those whose
ition is to persuade the democratic party to
diate its principles and to surrender itself
the merciless keeDinc of those who stand
to the trust magnates and who will cheerful
their bidding.
Today men, who, after having been honored
the democratic party, forsook its principles
to ana betrayed it into tne nanus or tne enemy, are
u 7 organizing; tney expect with tne aid ana asBist-
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tnat it win do so similar to tne repuDncan par
that whichever party wins the interests of tha
inists will be secure. By what reason, then, does
any one claiming to be a democrat question the
ght of democrats who do not believe in trusts
!and who aro devoted to what they conceive to be
ratio principles to organize in order to
ge battle with those who' would strip the demo-
Sratic party of all that would make it worthy of
e devotion of intelligent and sincere men?
The only hope of these reorganizers to win
e victory in the fight for the control of the
mocratic national convention is that the rank
End file of the party will not organize and that
democrats will not become active in the contests
at the primaries. With all their enormous cam
paign fund, provided by the representatives of spe-
1 interests, these reorganizers could not succeed
the presence of a thoroughly aroused democ-
cy. .Democrats wno reiuse to surrender tneir
nvictions; democrats who insist that their party
hall occupy a sincere and consistent attitude to-
ard public questions, have no campaign fund to
xpend, but these democrats are sufficiently large
n numbers to control the national convention of
1904 if they but organize and do their duty to
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their party in the struggle in primary elections.
Every day provides new evidence of the ac
tivity and determination of these reorganizers.
hoy pretend to believe that they represent the
pinion of the majority; but they know that their
hope of success depends upon the inactivity of men
gtfho really believe In democratic principles, and
jwho are democrats not for revenue nor for office,
but democrats from conviction.
It is tlie duty of, every democrat who believes
that the control of his party" should not be sur
rendered to -the hands of men who would destroy
its principles and corrupt its methods to engage
promptly in the work of organization.
In every precinct in the United States demo
cratic clubs should be organized.
The Commoner will furnish upon application
forms of constitution and membership blanks to
those who request them.
"Every reader of this paper who sympathizes
with this movement is urged to engage in this
wor'i.
As rapidly as these clubs aro organized, the
secrolaiies should report the fact of organization,
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notici cf which will bo made in Tho Commoner
for the information of other communities.
Thh work of organization must bo taken up
at once and prosecuted with all possible vigor.
Republicans who do not approvo of special inter
ests havt found it impossible to keep their party
from the control of representatives of those in
terests; and it will bo no easy task to protect tho
democratic party from similar influences unless
every demcorat who does not approvo of re
publicanizing the democratic party enlists for tho
fi?ht.
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At War with Democacy.
If any one doubts that bimetallism is not tho
only feature of tho democratic platform to which
the reorganizers object, ho has but to read an
editorial that appeared in the Brooklyn Baglo of
March 17. This editorial comments upon a speech
delivered at Chicago by Edward M. Shepard of
New York. Mr. Shepard is not a bimetalllst. Ho
pointed out some things which he thought tho
democratic platform of 1904 should approve. Ono
of these things was "the promotion of Philippine
self-government and independence." Tho Brook
lyn Eaglo objects to this and says that Upon
that statement tho democratic party could not
carry any of the nprth, west, middle or eastern
states;
The Eagle says: "Another of Mr. Shopard's
points involved the condemnation of tho action
of United States courts In the use of the injunc
tion power;" and tho Eaglo thinks that it would
be disastrous for ' tho democracy to indulge in
that condemnation. It declares that the attempt
to unify any political party In ancagonism to tho
use of the injunction power "will be as tactically
unwise as it is morally amazing."
The Eagle refers to Mr. Shepard's reference to
the duty of the wage earners to organize for pro
tection against tho powerful influences that seek
to oppress them as "his apologetic language for
certain dangerous forces of our time;" and tho
Eagle expresses tho opinion that those proposi
tions "will not commend themselves to the num
ber of men necessary for tho effpctlve reorgani
zation of the democratic party or to men of that
quality of heart and mind to make such reorgani
zation savory, defensible and successful."
The reorganizers are at war with the entire
spirit of the democratic national platform they
are, indeed, at war with democracy.
JJJ
Who Cares?
"What care the ma&s of the democratic party
as to what men or class of men have the conduct
of the campaign?" inquired ono of the speakers at
the Iroquois banquet. Well, suppose J. P. Morgan
is chairman of the national committee, Rockefel
ler treasurer and W. C. Whitney general corrup
tion fund collector? What would such a victory
be worth to tho party or tho country? An ex
treme case has been supposed, but what if the
leaders are men who think like Morgan, Rockefel
ler and Whitney, but are not so well known; will
the people faro any better? Plutocracy is never
so odious as when it hides under a democratic
name.
What About Nominees
The Commoner has called attontion to tho
demerits of some of tho candidates suggested by
tho reorganizers, and it proposes to call attention
to tho merits of a number of mon who aro worthy
of tho democratic nomination. As has already
been stated, there is no lack of presidential ma
terial among those democrats who aro really
wedded to democratic principles. It would bo
possible to find In overy state In tho union men
sufficiently honest, sufficiently able and sufficient
ly experienced to discharge tho duties of tho
office of president There aro many men who
havo never been heard of before outsldo of their
own states who can poll two or three million
more votes than any candidate namod by tho re
organizers. A man who has had no chance to
make a conspicuous record, but whoso record has
been good as far as made, would bo a much better
candidate than a man who has made a conspicuous
record on tho wrong sldo of public questions. It
may bo suggested as a guiding principle that no
man ought to bo considered for tho presidential
nomination on tho democratic ticket about whoso
'democracy there is a shadow of a doubt When a
campaign Is on our party has business enough on
hand assailing republican policies and defending
democratic principles. It cannot afford to spend
any time trying to prove tho democracy of its can
didate. And how shall wo irnow whether a candi
date's democracy Is beyond question? Not merely
by his perfunctory support of a democratic ticket,
but by his own convictions upon tho Issues In
volved. In every campaign many men voto their
party ticket without being in sympathy with all
or even the most Important parts of their plat
form. With some men the party name is moro
than a party platform; but such men could not
expect to represent their party in positions of
leadership. The struggle between the gold demo
crats and tho Chicago platform democrats was not
a struggle over gold and silver. It involved a far
more Important question namely, whether tho
financiers should control tho financial system in
their own Interests or whether it should bo con-
- trolled by tho people in the interests of the peo
ple. That question Is still an issue, and must
ever remain an Issue, and no man whose sym
pathies are with the financiers and against tho
people can or should expect to be tho nominee oiC
a party that stands for the people. Tho effort to
put at the head of tho democratic party a man,
who bolted in 1896 would be ludicrous If It were
not serious. Would the republican party think
of nominating for president a man who sup
ported the democratic ticket in 1896? Some of the
silver republicans who were with us six years ago
havo gone back to the republican party, but they
have not attempted to change the party's policy;
they havo simply adopted their party's position on
the money question. Tho gold democrats, on the
other hand, are Impudent enough to assume nc&
only that they are entitled to leadership, but that
they are entitled to it without in the least modi
fying their views on the questions that separated
them from their party.
The Commoner will from time to time present
tho names of real democrats whoso position on
public questions cannot bo questioned and whosa
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