i
The Commoner
, , WILLIAH J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
rol. 4. No, 9.
A
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 18, 1904.
Who! No. 165.'
A Prospectus
Mr. L. J. Law, one of the members of the
VHlfflnTilcnn rtfmnovntn ntnto nmTnlHpn linn mnYlo
1 'JjKjnibllc the following "Prospectus" of the proposed
. I Combination between the regular domocrats and
the bolters. It describes the situation so well that
it is reproduced with thanks and appreciation.
The prospectus follows:
It is proposed to combine the democratic par
and the bolting democracy into a single party.
(The details of the proposed combination are as
follows:
First Wall street financiers have agreed to
take the bonds of the new party, advancing a
easonable " amount of money on the same, pro
vided, that they, the said Wall street financiers,
are permitted to name the candidate for presi
dent, and also the officers who will be in control
.of the new democratic party; and provided fur-
hermore that the interests of the said financiers
e taken care of in case of victory.
Sfir.nnd Tho holtinor flemnnranv nf lX9fi and
900 (including both those who voted for Mr. Mc-
nley and those who voted for Palmer & Buck-
er) agree to the proposed combination, provided
that all the preferred stock be issued to them;
hat the bolting democracy as aforesaid be given
mplete control of the organization ot the new
arty, subject to the approval of the bondholders,
'nd that in case of a national victory all ap
pointments to offices (with possibly the excep
tion of a few minor ones) be made from the
ranks of the bolting democracy.
Third To the more than six million members
of the regular democracy it is proposed to issue
the common stock of the new party. This stock
will entitle the holder to take part in all parades;
i'to hurrah for the nominees; to work for party
f success during the campaign and upon election
day at the polls; and to vote on said day for the
candidates who have been selected or nominated
by the holders of the preferred stock.
While it may seem, at first sight as if the
vWall street financiers and the bolting democracy
were to receive most or me Deneuts to De de
rived from said proposed combination, still it
must be remembered that in case of victory the
holders of the common stock (the regular democ
racy) will have the pleasure of knowing that they
are on the winning side, and can have the satis
faction of belonging to the same party organiza
tion as the holders of the preferred stock, thereby
earning the right to be considered "respectable,"
or at least "decent." They may also be able to
win a few election hats by making judicious bels.
Holders of common stock will be considered eligi
ble for such fourth-class postoffices as are not im-
portant enough to attract any of the holders of
the preferred stock.
For further information in regard to the pro
posed combination apply to Morgan & Rockefeller,
Wall street, or G C , (confidential), Prince
ton, N. J.
JJJ
Gambling in. Futures.
The list of suicides has recently been in
creased by the names of -a number of meni who,
B having lost trust funds iiu mantel speculations,
were unwilling to face the disgrace. This usually
follows an ebb in prices and indicates tho extent
to which gambling on tho exchange is carried.
The south has not suffered so much as the north
from the. evil, but just now tho high price of cot
ton is alluring many into this dangerous habit
A considerable portion of tho amount gained by
tho south in higher cotton seems likely to bo lost
in futures. Speculation is a disease that is nearly
always fatal when it gets a firm hold upon Its
victim for it demoralizes as well as impover
ishes. Market speculation is not nearly so safo
as a lottery because market manipulators have
power to raise or lower prices at will not power
enough to keep prices low when the crop Is Bhort
or to make prices high when tho crop is largo,
but ppwer enough to cause fluctuations that will
wipe out margins even when the speculator
guesses rightly as to the general trend of tho
market. If a man feels that he muBt gamble ho
can break himself of the habit by purchasing a
small wheel of fortune and letting his wife run
it. - He will find that she will gradually accumu
late while he will gradually lose. After a while
he will learn how impossible it is to win perma
nently at games of chance and tho money paid
for the experience will remain in the family. It
may spoil the wife, though.
But even when one has ceased to gamble it
takes some time to get the poison out of tho
blood and to overcome the tendency to get some
thing for nothing. The slow accumulations tliat
come from honest labor and from the exchange
of things of equal value are not apt to satisfy
those whose imaginations are influenced by tho
project of winning a thousand dollar prize with
a lucky ticket or with the hope of making a for
tune by a favorable turn in the market. If the
child is to be fortified against gambling he should'
be taught both by the father's example and by
the father's precept that honesty in business re
quires that ho shall give a dollar's worth of work
for a dollar's worth of pay.
jjj
Missouri Politics.
The reports that come from Missouri indicate
that the friends of some of the gubernatorial can
didates are more interested in securing the nomi
nation of their choice than they are in advanc
ing the welfare of the party. It looks to the out
sider as if personalities were entering too much
into the controversy. When partisans carry their
championship .of a candidate to the point of 'un
fairness in conventions or fraud in primaries
they deserve a rebuke from the candidate him
self. There are a great many good democrats in
Missouri so many that no one of them can de
lude himself with the belief that his nomination
is so important as to justify the employment of
illegitimate methods to secure it. There is . no
better brand of democracy than the Missouri
brand and members of the party should see to it
that the state convention does not countenance
ward tactics.
JJJ
The administration's anti-trust crusade shows
signs of exhaustion everywhere save in its vocal
department ,
Why the War?
iiuiuncun symputny seems to uo somowuat ui
vided, somo hoping that Japan will thrash her big
antagonist, some hoping that Russlt, will bo vic
torious.' Somo sympathize with Japan because of
her wonderful progress in recent years, somo be
cause she is tho smaller nation, and some be
cause of tho belief that she is the victim of Mus
covite greed. Some sympathize with Russia be
cause they believe she has no sinister designs on
China or Japan, but only wants an lce-frco outlet
to the sea, somo because tho Russians belong to
the white race, and others because tho Ruslans
belong to the one branch of tile Christian church.
There are, however, a good many, and tho
editor of The Commoner is one of them, who de
sire to know just what tho fight is about It may
be natural for us to take sides according to pre
judice or partiality without stopping to ascer
tain tho cause of tho controversy, but it is hardly
a defensible position. There must be aomc point
on which the question hingessome demand of
Russia to which Japan will not or should not ac
cede or some demand on the part of Japan to
which Russia will not or should not accede. It
is the duty of outside' nations to find out the real
point in dispute and use their Influence to secure
a settlement which will bo just to both nations.
Sympathy will not settle the controversy and If
ono nation whips the other and enforces an un
just demand they will have bitterness that will
foment a future war. When tho diplomatic cor
respondence Is given to the world it will be pos
sible to see which nation Is to blame and to de
termine on which side the right is.
It is proper that our nation should observe
strict neutrality, but it should also endeavor to
find the real point at issue and join other na
tions in advising such an adjustment of the dif
ferences as will prevent further bloodshed and
remove the ground for future friction.
Both nations have been friendly toward the
United States and our nation is in the very best
possible position to proffer its good offices to se
cure peace based on justice.
JJJ
Plainly Stated.
If there are any democrats who ytt Imagine
that the reorganizers intend to make any conces
sions to those who remain loyal to the demo
cratic ticket in the event the former obtain con
trol of the democratic convention, they have
failed to read with profit the declarations made
by the organs of those who would republlcanlza
the party. For instance, the Mobile (Ala.) Regis
ter, in its issue of February 28, says: "When the
convention is held in St Louis, either the silver
democrats or the gold democrats will prevail. The
cleavage having gone to the bottom, there is no
chance for a compromise. If the silver men are
in the majority they will readopt 'the Kansas
City platform and this will be the democratic
party's appeal to the people."
The Register adds: "If the gold democrats
have the majority in the convention, they will re
ject the silver platform of Kansas City and adopt
i'f jj " fefo
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