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The Commoner.
WILLIATi J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 3. No. i4.
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 24, 1903.
Whole No. 118;
games Robert
Williams of Winois
i
Continuing its policy of presenting the names
of democrats worthy of being considered as candi
dates for the democratic nomination for president
In 1904, The Commoner this week offers the fol
lowing concerning Congressman James Robert
"Williams of Illinois, contributed by a personal
and political admiror:
"James Robert Williams was born in Whito
county, Illinois, December 27, 1850. He is a grad
uate of the State University of Indiana and tho
Union College of Law of Chicago, and since 1876
has been engaged in the practice of law at Carmi,
111. From 1880 to 1882 he was master in chan
cery, and county judge from 1882 to 1886.
"In 1889 Mr. Williams was elected to congress
to fill a vacancy, and was re-elected to the Fifty
. second, Fifty-third, Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh
congress, and is, now a member of the committee
on insular affairs. His congressional district in
cludes the counties of Clay, Edwards, Gallatin,
Hamilton, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Saline,
Wayne and White. This district was carved out
as a republican district by the apportionment ot
1901, and State Senator Chapman, republican, is
charged with having engineered the gerrymander
for the purpose oL. himself securing, the. congr.e&p
sioha'l election. " Mr. Williams friends assert that"
his run against Mr. Chapman was phenomenal, and
that it gives a correct estimate of the esteem and
confidence felt for him by those who know him
best. McKinley carried the district by 2,252 in
1900, but Mr. Williams carried it by 300. In 1892,
1896 and 1898 the district was carried by the re
publican candidates for state office, but Mr. Will-"
iams carried it for congress.
"In 1896 he was a delegate to the democratic
national convention and seconded the nomination
of Richard P. Bland for president He was chair--man
of the Illinois delegation to the Kansas City
convention and was selected by tho delegation
to present tho name of Stevenson for vice presi
dent. . "He made a remarkable race in 1902 in a dis
trict gerrymandered 2,200 against him and was
successful because he has the confidence of the
masses. He is particularly strong with the farm
ers and with union labor men, and these rallied
to his support. He has long been recognized as
one of the strong men of his party. He has al
ways been a democrat and steadfast in his sup
port of the party platforms and candidates. He is
of the plain people and has none of tho aristocrat
in his make-up. He has ability and is an inces
sant worker. Mr. Williams' triumphant re-election
in 1902 recalls a prophecy made by Congress
man Champ Clark of Missouri a few months prior
to" the election. Mr. Clark said:
"'The republican legislature of Illinois last
winter gerrymandered the state in a most .out
rageous fashion. A more unfair caper was never
cut, but its fine scheme to disfranchise thousands
of democrats bids fair to be defeated. For ex
ample, the Carmi district, which J. R. Williams,
popularly known as "Bob" Williams, -represents
yrtth so much ability, they gerrymandered so as to
give the republicans about 2,200 majority, accord-
Ing to the returns' of 1900, but the democrats pro
' ijbse Co overthrow their plans and to re-elect "Bob"
with a whoop. Ho was renominated unanimously
and with great enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is
more contagious than smallpox, tho measles or tho
bubonic plague. Consequently there is great fear
and trembling in the republican camp, for Bob
Williams is one of the best campaigners in tho
land and one of the ablest men in tho congress
of tho United States. Ho is a man with tho
courage of his convictions. ... Ho is right polit
ically, and a republican legislature tried to steal
his seat in congress by a shameful gerrymander.
It is believed on all hands that ho will win out.
If he does, he is presidential timber.' "
"Philanthropy"
One of J. Piorpont Morgan's friends recently
announced that Mr. Morgan was planning to build
a great art museum and present tho same to tho
American people. Speaking to a reporter for tho
New York World, this friend said:
"This much can bo said definitely, and that
is that Mr. Morgan is by nature one of tho
most philanthropic men in the world. He
has not made his vast collections with a
view to keeping them secluded for tho per
sonal enjoyment of himself and his friends,
but he cherishes the ambition of making his
collection the most beautiful and valuable in
tho world. Morgan is today the greatest art
'.j3jfPpjrector. ins the 'yyorld. He has spent mpro
money for art objects probably than tho
' dozen other most lavish collectors in tho m
world combined. Ho is a man of rare tasto
and expert judgment. As an art critic he has
few equals, and he has gathered together
hundreds of marvellously beautiful things. It
is the desire of the owner of these objects that
they shall be made available for the Ameri
' can people."
If Mr. Morgan is "by natur3 one of the most
philanthropic men in the world," why does ho
confine his demonstrations along tliis line to tho
field of art? If he thinks it the part of philan
thropy not to make his vast art collections with i
view of keeping them secluded for the personal
enjoyment of himself and friends, and if he thinks
that it is important that these objects be mado
available for the American people, why does ho
not show a bit of the same spirit with respect to
the people's necessities?
Mr. Morgan is very anxious to have his art
collection admitted free of duty and he has been
very bitter in his denunciation of tho high tariff
that would be assessed against thesojtreasures;
and yet there is nothing in his brand of philan
thropy to prompt him to protest against the high
tariffs levied upon the necessities of life.
No one will seriously object if Mr. Morgan's
friends can imagine that they find anything of
the philanthropic in tho greatest trust organizer
the world has ever produced; but they ought
not to flatter themselves into the notion
that they can bring any considerable number of
the American people to their way of thinking in
- the light of the fac that Mr. Morgan is the head
and front of the most oppressive commercial sys
tem that has ever arrayed itself against tho real
business Interests of a country.
JJJ
If 'those "undigested securities" are causing
any financial cramps perhaps Dr. Shaw could be
induced to administer a few large doses of his
celebrated United-States Treasury elixir.
fypublicanizing tfo
Democratic Party
Mr. Thomas F. Ryan, writing in tho North
American Review, appeals to tho southern democ
racy to "lino up" with the reorganizes. Tho ad
vice which Mr. Ryan gives is tho same that la
extended by all tho representatives of thoso who
would republicanizo tho democratic party. Moro
interest, therefore, than attaches to tho article of
Mr. Ryan, will bo taken in an editorial relating
to that article and appearing in tho Kansas City
Journal, a republican paper.
Referring at largo to Mr. Ryan's suggestions,
the Journal says:
"Wo can imagine tho sorry figure that
would be cut by tho democratic party before
tho people on tho issues presented by Mr. .
Ryan. With scarcely any modification his
presentation of these issues could bo adopted
bodily into the national republican platform
without doing violence to the views of that
party."
The Journal admits that Mr. Ryan is "correct
enough fn saying that there can be no hope of
restoring public confidence in tho democratic par
ty until it supports tho policies which he enumer
ates;" but the Journal adds:
"That which ho proposes Is a public con
fession that tho democratic party has been
wholly wrong on every prominent Issue be-
foro the American people in tad last -ten
years. Such acbnfession, of course, carries
with it an open admission that tho republican
party has been wholly right on tho solfsamo
issues. And the spectacle of a political party
laying claim to tho franchises of the pcopio
under such a set of circumstances Js not an
exhilarating or inspiring one, nor does it
seem to warrant tho hope of Mr. Ryan that
such a discredited and humiliated organiza
tion can carry the country.
"Still, as Mr. Ryan shows, there is no fu
ture for the democratic party unless it repub
llcanizes itself in the manner suggested. With
the passing of years and a steady adherence to
intelligent economics, sound finances, and a
loftier degree of patriotism, democracy may
get back into the respect of tho people and
earn tho right to a larger participation in tho
affairs of government." '
Reorganizes have sneered at the charge that
they seek to "republicanize" tho democratic par
ty; and yet here we have .ono of the leading re
publican papers of tho west saying that with
scarcely any modification, the Ryan presentation
of these issues could be adopted bodily into tho
next republican platform without doing violence
to tho views of that party.
Just as democrats have repeatedly charged,
this republican paper admits that that which
the reorganizes propose is a public confession
that the democratic party has been wholly wrong
on every prominent issue before tho people in
the last ten years.
Just as democrats have contended, this re
publican paper admits that such confession car
ries with it the admission that the republican par
ty has been wholly right on the selfsame issues.
Just as democrats have shown, this republi
can paper points out that there would be no rea
son for the people to set aside tho republican
party in order to put in its place a democratic
party that differed from the republican party in
name only.
Perhaps these reorganizes may find consola
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