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The Commoner.
WILLIAH J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 3. No, 35.
Lincoln, Nebraska, July 10, 1903.
Whole No. 139.
Gov. James B. Frazier.
Governor James B. Frazier, of Tennessee, waa
born in that state forty-five yeirs ago, and is a
descendant of an old revolutionary family. One
of his ancestors fought at King's Mountain and
was a member of the constitutional convention of
1796. He is of facotch-Irlsh descent, and learned
'eomething of the responsibilities of public posi
tion from his father, who was a man of high
Btanding and one of the judges of Tennessee.
Governor Frazier completed his education at
the University of Tennessee in 1878 and after two
years of Btudy was admitted to the bar. While In
active practice since that time he has often been
called upon to act as a special judge under the
laws of the state. He is a Jelfersonian democrat
by inheritance and by conviction and is able to
give a reason. for the faith that is in him. He
has taken part in all of tho campaigns since he
was old enough to make a political speech, and
was especially active in the campaign of 1896.
Four years later ho was an elector-at-large on
the democratic ticket In 1902 he was unanimous,
ly nominated for governor, and was elected by
nearly 50,000 majority, this being the largest ma
jority, with possibly one exception, given to a
candidate for governor in that stato since the
civil war.
Mr. Frazier is not an aspirant for the presi
dency, but his name is mentioned as one of the
democrats whose political experience and official
record entitle him to consideration among thodo
worthy to be mentioned in connection with the
office of chief executive.
JJJ
Revealing: Party Secrets.
"Walter Wellman sends to his paper, the Chi
cago Record-Herald, a very interesting discussion
of campaign funds. It gives what purports to be
the opinion of some Inside republicans in regard
to the alleged friction between the financiers and
President Roosevelt. Without Indorsing Mr.
Wellman's conclusions, it is Instructive as show
ing that Mr. Wellman and his informants agree
about the enormous campaign funds which have
been collected and used by the republican lead
ers. The Commoner has insisted all the time that
it is impossible to raise ard use the amount of
money disbursed by the republicans in 1896 and
1900 without debauching voters and, what is
scarcely less vicious, mortgaging the party to
Wall street Mr. Wellman has underestimated
rather than overestimated tho amount spent by
republicans. The use of such campaign funds has
indeed become a national scandal, and the repub
lican readers of The Commoner are Invited to
give the matter serious consideration. What will
such a use of mmey lead to? What can be Its
inevitable result except the weakening of. our
government and the paralyzing of the adminis
tration that is elected by such funds? Presenting
as it does a republican view of the subject, Mr.
Wellman's article is certainly of more than pass
ing significance.
If the financiers are dissatisfied with what
Mr. Roosevelt has done, they are certainly very
exacting in their demands. Has he not resisted
all reform of the tariff? Has he not protected
even tho trusts, in the enjoyment of the monopoly
which high import duties give them? Has he
not supported every proposition that the finan
ciers have asked? Has he not only failed, but
refused to enforce tho criminal law against trust
magnates? Has iq not even affixed his signaturo
to the Elkins bill, that relieves railroad officials
of the foar of imprisonment? What is the sum
of his offending? His supporters do him scant
honor when they suggest that he has been re
strained from action by the foar of those whom
ho should have prosecuted. It is suggested that
if ho is re-elected he will throw off all restraint,
and become a reformer, but how can he throw off
restraint unless he is under restraint now? Why
not give the country some practical ovidonce of
his purpose at once? Why leave the imagination
to picture what he is going to do when he has
such a splendid opportunity to do something now?
Mr. Wellman's paper is a western paper, and
it is possible that ho is Just using the pretended
opposition of Wall street to so'idlfy western re
publicans. He is a witness for tho administra
tion and we can uso his testimony to prove that
tho administration is indebted to the corporations
for its existence, even though we are not com
pelled to accept his testimony where it helps his
side of tho case.
JJJ
The American Commons.
(Poom Read by lion. Howard 8. Taylor at the Fourth of July
Celebration at Fairvlew under the Auspices of the Falrvlovf
Jefferson Club.)
When Liberty, wounded, betrayed and oppressed
By tho Insolent, tyrannous kings or tho world, v
Fled over the sea to the ultimate West
And, here, In her refuge her banner unfurled; - -J
When the hopes of mankind In the balances lay,
And the unborn, wondering centuries stood .
To witness America's Passover Day
And the sign of her door-llntels sprinkled with blood,
Then Liberty, menaced by envy and hate,
From the Beats 'of the mighty, the thrones of the great;
With tocsin and summons
Called forward her commons
And marshaled and made them her Pillars of State.
They were men from tho mines, from the shops, from the farms;
They were hunters and herdsmen and fishermen, bold;
They were homespun mtnute-men, springing to arms,
With a 'faith that could neither be bought nor be Bold
And these were the paladins, nobles and knights
Who conquered King George and bis hireling host;
Who penned with their weapons our charter of rights,
And made our republic bumunity's boast.
Who gave to posterity riches untold
A herltuge greater than mountains of gold.
It is no man's nor woman's.
It was won by tho commons,
For them and their children to have and to hold. ,, .
A blend of all races, in many creeds bred,
They were fused in the white-heated furnace of war.
United, they followed where Liberty led
As tho wise men once followed the Bethlehem star.
Go question the flag it will tell in a breath
IIow its tri-color hues by their spirit were planned;
That the white is their honor, the blue is their faith,
And the red is their valor on ocean and land.
Go search through the myths of the ancients in quest
Of their builders of empire, their bravest and best;
But Grecians and Romans
Are dwarfed by tho commons
Who founded the Great Commonwealth of the West.
Tho fathers are gone has their faith perished, toot -
Has the spirit that moved them declined and decayed?
Have their lofty ideals grown dim and untrue
In the hurrying scrapble of pleasure and trade?
Have the fanes of our patriot altars and graves
Eunkcn downward to mix with Insensible clods?
Are we parting our race into masters and slaves
With only fierce Mammon and Moloch for goda?
Ah, no. By our bells and our jubilant guns,
By the stars and the stripes where our proud story rnnrt'
By a score of good omens
We still have our commons!
And the hearts of our Fathers still throb In their Sonal
Iowa Democratic Platform
Tho Iowa democratic convention was not re
ferred to last week because tho editor of Tho
Commoner had not secured the information neces
sary for an-intelligent discussion of the situation.
He is now in position to say that the convention
was controlled by tho reactionary elements of tho
party and that tho refusal of tho convention to re
affirm tho Kansas City platform was due prin
cipally to the influence exerted by the represen
tatives of corporations, but partly to neglect on
the part of the friends of tho platform.
Tho corporation democrats are In politics as
a matter of business; they assume that their sal
aries cover their political services and they can
attend conventions at little expense, while tho
ordinary democrat must pay his way. The cost of
railroad fare sometimes affects the selection of
delegates and still more often affects the num
ber who actually attond. If, for instance, a county
harmonizes by sending Ave corporation democrats
and ten Kansas City platform democrats to a state
convention and fails to instruct, the Ave who can
get passes may go and six of the others may not
feel able to attend. Then the county stands 6 to
4 against tho Kansas City platform; if they are
Instructed to vote as a unit the five may by out
voting tho four cast tho iifteen votes against re
affirmation. To this advantage the corporation democrats
add the advantage which they derive from the
fact that they are unscrupulous in method. Thoy
are not only willing to betray constituents, but
they consider It smart to deal unfairly with their
party associates.
In the recent Iowa convention the delegate
from Wapello county were chosen by a conven
tion which indorsed the Kansas City platform,
but the reorganizers, chosen by courtesy, were on
hand and In the absence of some of the Kitnsaa
City platform democrats c--st a majority of the
votes of tho coqnty against the platform. Ac
cording tothe American, of Cr'eston, Mills county
indorsed the Kansas City platform, but was mis
represented In the state convention.
How can an honest platform be expected from
men who deal dishonestly with their constituents?
On another page will be foiind an extract
from the American, showing how tho convention
was manipulated.
The Iowa platform contains many good
planks, but without Improving upon the last nar
tional platform in any respect it shows weakness
where it departs Xrom that document
The plank against imperialism is not clear.
Tho coupling of Porto Rico with the Philippine
Islands leaves it in doubf whether the self-government
mentioned Is self-go,vernment in an in
dependent republic, as demanded by the Kansas
City platform, or self-government as a part of our
nation, as a few republicans favor.
Nothing is said In tho platform about arbi
tration, notwithstanding the increasing necessity
for some just and peacable settlement of differ
ences between labor and capital.
Tho money plank was written to deceive. It
has tho flavor of the platforms written by Wall
street representatives for both the leading parties
before 189C and for the republican party since.
"We insist that the Integrity of the money of
the nation be guarded with zealous care." That
'looks reaponable enough, but It will be found on
investigation to be intended by Its framers to
mean the gold standard, although not one of them
would dare to Indorse the gold standard openly
