The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, October 30, 1903, Page 5, Image 5

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    '1'ipap.iiiBi.Kii.
OCTOBER 30, 1903. .
Left
Their
Principle.
The Now York Commercial says: "The Iowa
Idea' 14 not getting the cultivation that It' might .
he expected to get right in the
region of ita birth." That is
true. Governor Cummins and
other champions, of the "Iowa
idea," while pretending to. re
main true to Ita principles seem to have aban
doned them.
Men who were recreant in 1896 and 1900 aro
now asking that they be sent as representatives
of the party to h next na-
Gettlag tlonal convention. They baBe
.Together their plea on the ground of
Honestly. "harmony' and argue that "it
? ds best for the party that we get
together." Getting together is all right and a
thing great to be desired providing the getting
together is upon' thoroughly democratic ground.
Last year 9,764 subscriber lent their assist
ance to The Commoner in its subscription cam
paign, with the result that 63,
Everyone 643 new subscribers were se
May Lend . cured. Already several hundred
a Hand. " have enlisted in the present cam
paign and .he results aro grow
ing each day. . If you will do a part in this work,
fill out the coupon in this issue and mall to the
publisher.
- In one of his speeches, Governor Cummins de
clared that the duty on steel rails is altogether too
' high and promised that he would
do everything in his power to
Cummins'
' Iowa
Idea.
secure a reduction of that duty.
And yet it is known in advance
, ; -that the election of the republi
can 'ticket in Iowa will bo interpreted by republi
can leaders as an indorsement of the "let 'well
enough alone" policy.
The interest of those who cry loudest for "har
mony" Is not the Interest o democracy, but the
"interest. "that profits by special'
The legislation. The "harmony"
Fraudulent that will suit reorganizes may
Harmony. also suit those who are honest
enough to openly oppose the
democratic party, but it will hardly Bult. those
who are earnestly striving for the supremacy of
genuine democratic principles.
vyvs
"More than one year ago, Mr. Roosevelt rec
ommended to congress the appointment of a com
mission whose business it would
-What be to revise the tariff and yet
About the todc;- we are told by Mr. Roose
Commission? velt and- by other republican
loaders that there is no neces
sity for tariff revision. Would it not be well for
Mr. Roosevelt to explain" in his forthcoming mes
sage to congress what has come over the spirit
of his dreams that he does not now think that the
tariff is in need of revision?
Secretary Willis of the Young Men's Chris
tian association at Omaha addressed a gathering
In the ZPiTBt Presbyterian church
In that city on the evening of
Wednesday, October 14. In his
address Mr Willis said: "I fear
that there is n danger, that the
church is catering to the wealthy classes. I would
not array classes against each other, but I am
afraid that the wealthy men, not in Omaha,
but in other cities, seem to be dictat
ing what the minister shall preach and the policy
of the church. And yet the dollar question comes
to every One 'of us. The church should not cater
to the rich man 'nor to the poor man, but only to
the man w,ho wants Jesus Christ" ' Mr. Willis Is
not the only one: who has been impressed with the
Plutocracy
In the
Pulpit.
The Commoner.
idea that wealthy men frequently dictate tho pol
icy of the church and outline what tho minister
shall preach.
Fighting
For Special
Privilege.
. Fatal
to True
Democracy.-
Somo of tho men who deserted tho democracy,
excusing their dosqrtlon on tho grounds of tho
money quest' on, aro now plead
ing for harmony, and thoy fol
low up their plea by asking that
this "harmony" bo established
by pormlttlng them to represent
tho party at its-next national convention. Thcso
men Insist that tho "dead past bury its dead,"
but their purpose Is to rosurrcct tho corpso of
democratic acquiescence in monopolistic control
and again parade it before tho public In a Jeffer
sonian disguise while special privilege resumes its
sway.
Democrats who lovo thoir party because of
the principles for which it is presumed to stand
must awaken to tho importance
Not a of keoping tho party out of tho
Party for hands of the trust magnates or
Trust Hagnates. of thoso who are posing as dem
ocrats when in fact they are tho
mere representatives of rpecial interests. If ev
ery democrat who believes in tho principles sot
forth In tho Kansas City platform will do his duty,
tuo party will remain true to tho principles of its
founders, true to the policies of tho fatners of tho
republic, "and true to tho best Interests of tho
common people.
Democrats who have stood loyally for demo
cratic principles during the last two national cam
paigns should not be slow in un
derstanding that the "harmony"
offered by thoso who deserted
tho party in thoso campaigns
would "be woll-nigh tatal to true
democracy. If they succeed in placing tho party
where they want it to stand, it will not be essen
tially different from the republican party, because
they wore quick to' desert democracy when the
party was wrested from their control and made to
stand squarely for the interests of the whole peo
ple as against the selfish interests of the few.
The Philadelphia North American, a republi
can paper, says: "It will bo recalled that the
operators said the granting of
the 10 per cent wage Increase
would compel them to add to the
price of coal. The Increased cost
was 16 cents. And uic price at.
tidewater has been increased by about 50 cents.
The difference may be said to represent a fine .Im
posed upon the public for Its sympathy with tho
miners. We congratulate the Reading companies
upon their excellent showing and extend our com
miseration to the consumers of coal, who in times
of plenty continue to feel the exactions of dearth."
A reader of tho New York Evening Post,
writing to that paper with respect to Mr. Roose
velt's indorsement o Mark Han
Hsnna na, says" that this is the Thee
and dore Roosevelt whose homilies
Morallzlag. on "true patriotism "civic vir
tues," and "square deals," are
still ringing in our ears, and that "this Is the
Theodore Roosevelt for whom Jacob A. Rils thanks
God that he Is the hero of the young men of
America." The man who has spoken so often for
"true patriotism," "civic virtues," and "square
deajs," holds up Harina and h'u principles for ap
proval and Indorsement by the American people."
The Post reader concludes: "He cannot be for the
people and also for Mr. Hanna and the principles
which Hanna represents. Mr. Roosevelt has como
to the parting of the ways. Ho has made his
choice. He may continue to preach and moralize,
The
Exactions of
Dearth
but tho fact remains that ho is pro-Hanna, and
thcrcforo against tho pcoilo." ' ' , v
Aft -
Tho Hartford Uourant nays: "Stool common
was originally for tho moat part given away, and
Is not supposed by tho business
Nine In world to represent anything but
and prospects. But it was sold to
Forty Out. poor people, who woro tempted
by tho big 'ntorest. It Is a piti
ful story. Tho reduction of tho divldond la no
such mistake as paying tho first ono was. The
company has paid out nlno dividends of 1 per
cent, each on over $500,000,000 of common stock.
While the stockholders havo received $9 a sharo,
thoy havo scon their stock shrink about $40 a
sharo. Nino, dollars in and $40 out does not quite
balance"
That real democrats will oppose tho scheme
of tho reorganizcrs if onco thoy understand it, Ja
a foregono conclusion. Danger
Organization would como only in tho event
U the that thoso democrats will bo
Thing. lulled to sleep by tho siren
songs of ,the rcorgnnizcrs and
pormit tho schemo to go through by default. It,
therefore, behooves every democrat who is in
terested in tho cause of democracy not only to
v take warning, but to givo warning. It Is not "re
organization" that is needed in the democratic
party it is organization. It Is organization on
tho part of thoso who havo stood loyally by demo
cratic principles to tho end that tho integrity, of
tho party bo preserved and tho efforts of thoBe
who would prostituto tho party to selfish ends
brought to nought
A reader of tho New York Evening Post writes
to that newspaper to say: "President Roosevelt's
letter to Secretary Ehaw clears
Roosevelt tho air, for in that letter tho
and president emphatically declares
Hanna. that he stands for Hanna, and
tho typo of republicanism which
Hanna represents. Tho president stands by Han
na in Ohio, as ho stands by Piatt in New York,
Quay in Pennsylvania, Addicks in Delaware; as he
stands by Payne, tho postmaster general. It is
well for the people of this country, to see and un
derstand this clearly: The type of republican
ism which is embodied by Hanna and which is
loathed by thousands of honest men the country
over, Is the type for which- Mr. Roosevelt pleads,
and for which he oxerts himself yy secure its 'de
cisive and overwhelming triumph.' "
The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal, a republican pa
per, throws a bit of light on the methods em
ployed by tho corporations in
Passing controlling politics. The Jour-
the Word nal says: "Somebody wants to
Along. know what it means to 'pass
the word along the line' In Ne
braska politics. It is this way: A railroad de
cides that It wants to make a particular man a
member of the United States senate. The official
who decides the matter tells his general political
agent, who In turn passes tho word orally or by
letter to tho political friends, the attorneys, agents
and pass-holders of the road in every county
where the company does business. There may be
five or there may be twenty-flYo of these men in
the county, 'all of them active workers and In
fluential citizens. The 'line' Is so well lubricated
that tho 'word' will slide aloi.g almost as fast as
If it' were telegraphed. Then all of these folks
get quite busy, and the first thing the Innocent
people know a lot of men cof b to the legislature
under a secret pledge to v.t for the friend of
the road for senator, withoi asking whether he
Is a fit man for the office ce whether the people,
at tfnnt ! film f "
ti uvuio nnuu uiui vi uvu
41
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