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The Comntoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY.
Entered at the postofiicc at Lincoln, Nebraska, as second
class mail matter.
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TUB COMMONER, LIrmIs, Nek.
Put none but loyal democrats on guard;
Organize a democratic club in your votinrr
:inct! .
precinct!
Organize democratic clubs and be prepared
for the battle of 1904!
That Venezuelan revolution seems to have
suddenly reached a Cleveland boom finish.
If the "Hands off" slogan fails to work, Mr.
Hanna might suggest the "full baby cab" cry.
The fact that the old Liberty Bell is cracked
Is not the only reason why it is not sent to the
Philippine islands. x
The Brooklyn Eagle should read Mr. Cleve
land's fishing article and try a new kind of re
organization bait.
The public shows a disposition to open somo
of Postmaster General Payne's "closed incidents"
with a crowbar.
The value of "asset currency" may bo cal
culated by using the depreciating stocks of Wall
street as a basis for figuring.
The dollar's worth of commerce that costs
five dollars' worth of powder ia profitable only
to the powder manufacturers.
Those thrifty gentlemen in the postal depart
ment doubtless will indorse the "speak softly"
portion of the president's advice.
A great many people who had never heard of
Borvla until a few weeks ago are now able to
point out its location on the map.
Think of it! The men who supported Mr. Mc
Klnley or the Palmer and Buckner movement are
auestioning Mr. Bryan's democracy!
"Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts!" Or
ganize a democratic club in your precinct for the
preservation and propagation of democratic principles.
Mr. Chamberlain will have to try somo other
argumorit than the old one to the effect that "the
foreigner pays the tax." The British voters know
v uetter.
The Ohio republican convention "pointed with
pride to several things, but not to the report of
the Ohio senate investigating committee in regard
to the methods by which one of the Ohio senators
secured his seat.
T?,?, meL sftatement of the fact that hundreds
are still suffering from the effects of the recent
floods in the west and south should be sufficient
:o bring them relief from the people of the more
tavored sections of tho country.
The Commoner.
Mr. Babcock, erstwhile tariff reformer, has at
last succeeded in making his forgettery envelop
his recent appearance as an advocate of tariff
revision.
Mr. Hanna may pose as the leader of Ohio
republicans, but it is safo to say that his fol
lowers have to see the J. B. F. mark before they
take hold.
As the days go by the people realize more, and
more the necessity of some one like Joseph "W.
Folk to push the investigation into the postal
frauds.
Now Whitelaw" Refd isfsaying some harsh
things about "high society." Is it possible that
society has been saying means things about Mr.
Reid's knickies?
Of course Mr. Hanna fondly hopes that Tom
Johnson will heed the wailing cry of "Hands off."
Mr. Hanna is still nursing a varied assortment of
bumps and bruises.
Would any defender of the Administration's
Philippine policy be willing to dopt for the
Philippines the same conditions made when the
Louisiana territory was acquired?
Mr. Hanna loses no opportunity to rejoice over
what he calls Mr. Roosevelt's devotion to Mr. Mc
Kinlcy's policies. Mr. Hanna's idea of devotion
seems to be in need of extensive repairs.
Perhaps Russia would be willing to promisa
evacuation of Manchuria on the date that the
trust beneficiaries permit the republican party to
revise the tariff in the Interests of the consumers.
The trouble with the Ohio republican platform
plank concerning the tariff is that it means what
the trust magnates wish and only appears to
mean what the consumers think it means.
A prominent trust magnate says, this labor
agitation must stop or prosperity will be threat
ened. Has he ever thought of giving labor a
square deal as one method of trying to end the
agitation?
The efficacy of the "Subscribers' Advertising
Department" is amply demonstrated by numerous
letters written to the publisher by those who
have tried it. Full particulars concerning terms,
etc., will be found on page 12.
A reader of The Commoner inquires whether
Mr. Heath, formerly assistant postmaster general,
and now proprietor of the Salt Lake City Tribune,
was in office at the time thv. newspaper guessing
contests were given the use of the mails, and if
so, whether Mr. Heath's contamplated guessing
contest had anything to do with the rendering of
the decision. The Commoner is not able to
answer.
The imperialist who can detect a similarity
between the acquisition of the Louisiana purchase
and the acquisition of the Philippine islands is
equally capable of detecting the similarity be
tween truth and falsehood. If it were proposed to
annex the Philippine Islands under the same terms
and conditions assumed in the annexation of the
Louisiana purchr-e the republican leaders would
bo the first ones to object.
.The Honolulu Bulletin is disposed, to think
that the territorial government is partial to Borne
01 the politicians In its administration. This is
not strange. If at home we find men lining their
own pockets out of government contracts, what
can we expect in remote islands where human
nature Is as frail and where detection is no so
easy? There are American citizens In Honolulu
who arc quick to protest against vong-dolng, but
the trouble Is that the people here In the United
States do not feel that they are Immediately injured.
A reader of The Commoner asks whether there
is a law requiring that all ships, guns and am
munition for use in the United States army and
navy should be of domestic material and manu
facture. The inquiry was submitted to tho navy
department and information received that "the
acts of congress making appropriation for new
ships for tho navy explicitly require that they
shall bo of domestic manufacture. This is con
strued to mean not only the hull and machinery,
but also tho armor, guns, ammunition, etc." Tho
department adds that the law has been studiously
adhered to.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 24,
t, 4.AJ!c?ln' Neb' rePublican organ declares
that childishness and bigotry are responsible S
ex-Secretary Boutwell's anti-imperialtic v ew
If this is true we now know tho reason
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and others took
the stand they d.u But it is barely poa Se uSt
the organ in question is mistaken.
To .thL Graduato: May he realize that grad
nation is the commencement rather than the end
of his labors; may he recognize that his educa
if,011 SfAnFs a responsibility commensurate with
his abilities; and may his learning giVG him a
deeper interest in tho welfare of his Tellows and
convince him that he can best raise himself' by
raising the general level of mankind.
The Commoner published a definition of dem
ocracy a few weeks ago and since that time has
received others, the briefest of which is that
democracy means "The people to govern." That
is tho essence of democracy, and the test of a
deni6crat Platforms must agrei with this defini
tion and apply the definition to the questions be
fore the question can have consideration.
The .editor of Tfie Commoner receives a great
many suggestions, often unsigned. He utilizes
such of them as seem to be available. He receives
many good suggestions entirely outside the lino
of the subjects discussed. It is not the intention
of The Commoner to discuss all subjects which
are of interest to the public, but those rather
which are immediately before the public for po
litical action.
Before dwelling too long upon Russian cruelty
In permitting masacres like that at Kishineff let
us recall certain happenings in our own countrv
at New Orleairs, .at Rock Springs, at Spring Val
ley and in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. The
Chinese have a proverb running thus: "Swee
before your own doSr and bother not your head
about the frost on your neighbor's tiles." There
is considerable frost on the Russian tiles, but wo
have quite a bit of rubbish at our nation's door
that needs some attention.
A reader of The Commoner calls attention to
Marshall Field's complaint in regard to "the
lax enforcement of the law," and asks whether
Mr. Field is as anxious to have the criminal law
enforced against trusts as he is to have it en
forced against a laboring man. Tho difference be
tween the republicans and the democrats is that
the former are very anxious to have the law en
forced against small criminals, while the demo
crats insist that it ought to be enforced against
big criminals and little ones alike.
When asked the location of the walls of
Sparta the Spartan captain took his guests out
and showed them the army drawn up in battlo
array. "There are the walls of Sparta," he said.
"Ten thousand men and every man a brick." Tho
walls of true democracy are builded of the tried
and true defenders of the democratic faith, not
of tho men who would make the democratic party
so nearly like the republican party that the trust
magnates and beneficiaries of private graft would
as readily accept one as the other.
Some of the country banks are beginning to
get scared about tho plans of the big banks, and
it is well they are. It would have been better
still had they been scared some time ago. If the
small bankers assist the largo bankers to estab
lish a financial policy which is purely for the in
terest of bankers, they will find that such a policy
once established will be still further extended, 30
as to put the little financiers in the hands of the
big ones. The only safe course for the small
bankers to pursue is to stand with their custo
mers tho depositors and borrowers. They will
thus find protection for themselves in the protec
tion that they give to the public generally.
A New York reader of The Commoner makes
an inquiry. He reports that he is a market gard
ner and covered some plants with one of the New
York papers. In the morning he found the plants
dead. It was discovered that Cleveland's picture
was printed in that issue of the paper and the
question is whether tho blight was caused by the
picture or by the acid in tho printing ink. Tho
matter Is receiving serious consideration in that
section, and- It ought to be thoroughly investigated
before tho reorganlzers attempt to force Mr.
Cleveland's nomination upon tho party. It has
long boon known that Mr. Cleveland's policies were
injurious to agriculture, but this is the first in
timation that oyon his picture had a deleterious
effect
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