Commoner
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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 4. No. 12.
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 8, 1904.
REORGANM ARGUMENT.
In Leslie's Weekly for March 31, an editorial
appeared entitled "Tough on the Nebraska Worm?
.This editorial is reproduced' in full by The Com
moner, not because of fts literary merit, but as a
fair sample of the sort of "argument" that is used
by those who are either reorganize or agents
of the 'men most interested in having the reor
ganizes obtain control of .the democratic party.-
Leslie's Weekly editorial is as follows:
"At last, tho worm has turned! The curious
product of Nebraska's m'xed-up politics, who
twice misled the democratic party into giving him
the presidential nomination, has now been given
a setback by the democracy of his own state. He
has been spewed out of the mouths of the demo
crats in the north, east, south, and west, and his
last remaining hope was that he might go to the
democratic national convention at St. Louis, with
his own state solidly behind him, to rule or ruin.
iWhen the Nebraska democratic state committee
met recently, to fix a date for the state conven
tion, to elect sixteen delegates to St. Louis, the
.wide-mouthed political Bpell-blnder and ham
stringer, fresh from the chicken-coop of the pop
ulists, and with some ot4heife:thTersoChealU"
appropriated chickens still clinging to his gar
ments, undertook- to fix an early day for the con
vention. The conservative democrats in the com
mittee, who, like .all the rest of their kind
throughout the country, have grown utterly sick
and tired of the pretensions of the Nebraska fakir,
took things into their own hands and, after a bit
ter fight, carried the day by a vote qf seventeen
to fourteen. This marks the end of the potential
influence, as harmful as potential, of the most
brazen counterfeit of a statesman that the demo
cratic party or any other partyv -?s ever pro
duced. He dies hard for he realizes that the "mo
ment he drops out of sight his free advertising in
the newspapers, which has given him a hand
some fortune, will cease, and then he must go to
work, like any other man, to make his money
with his wits and give his jaw a rest"-
tfhat he is, but it has little or no respect for
the spurious 'reformer who, under the pre
tense of promoting tho interests of the com
munity, 'steals the livery of heaven to serve
the devil in."'
But tho Tribune overlooks the fact that Mr.
Roosevelt made these appointments and he made
them, according to tho Tribune's dispatches, over
the protests of Chicago people. Tho Tribune must
not forget that he is "avowedly a civil service re
former." Is the Tribune willing to apply tho conclud
ing' sentence of its editorial to Mr. Roosevelt, who
made the appointments?
Is the Tribune willing to say of Mr. Roose
velt, as it has said of Mr. Hopkins, "The public
may have some respect for an out and out spoils
man, who avows himself for what he is, but it has
little or no respect for the spurious 'reformer
who, under the pretense of promoting the inter
ests of the community, 'steals the livery of heaven
to serve the devil In'?" If the Tribune is not
willing that this shall be applied to the man who
made these appointments, will it explain how it
can place all the responsibility upon the senator
who procured the appointments while relieving of
all responsibility the man who made the appointments?
witwwmawMWrwi ii iy ampmmmin ilwt'' i;i i ' 'nrfmrmm4mitm
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WHY NOT OWN THEM?
What, About Mr. Roosevelt?
The Chicago Tribune complains against Sena
tor Hopkins and says that the people of Illinois
have already had "a test of his quality." The
Tribune specifies, that Mr. Hopkins procured tho
nomination pf Mr. L. T. Hoy as appraiser of the
port of Chicago; that ,he obtained the removal
from that position of General H. H. Thomas upon
a mere pretext; that Senator Hopkins procured
the appointment of anothor incompetent, Dr.
Jamieson, as naval officer at Chicago. The Tri
bune denounces Senator Hopkins for his part -in
these appointments, reminds him that he' Is
avowedly.. a civil service reformer and shows
"that he has filled jthe most important offices in
his gift wtfh spoils politicians of the most virulent
type. He must reward his followers whatever be
comes of the commercial interests of tho com
munity." Theri! the Tribune concludes In this way:
"The , public may hav some respect for an
out and-out" spoilsman who avows himself for
Secretary Taft has appeared before the insular
committee of the house and made an argument in
favor of the proposition to give the projected
. Philippine railroads a guarantee of '4 or 6 per cent
on the investment. He thinks that a land grant
. would not attract capital, but that the guaranty
of dividends would. Will Secretary Taft favor
the plan adopted in France twenty-iivje years ago?
There the government guaranteed a certain divi
dend and a certain contribution to the sinking
fund, but at the end of a fifty-year term the gov
ernment is to own the roads.. If the government",
representing the people, is to take all the risk,
why not secure to the people the enjoyment of the
benefits? Where is our boasted progress in the
science of government If we do not protect tbo
rights of the people as carefully today as tho
French government did tho rights of the French
people a quarter of a century ago? If railroads
are demanded in the Philippines and private capi
tal will not build the roads, it would be bettor for
the government to build them and give the public
. the benefit Far better to do this than to pledge
the revenues to private corporations with no com
pensation in return. If the Philippine commis
sion guarantees! dividends, this guaranty will bo
made an excuse for continued possesion to "pro
tect vested rights." If, however, the government
builds the roads for the people, tfray-will belong
to the people when the Filipinos are given inde
pendence. Secretary Taft seems to bo quite thoroughly
saturated with the idea that the main purpose of
government is to look after capital and to offer it
such tempting advantage as to overcome its pros,
verbial timidity. He would build society from 'tho
top, on the theory that the capitalists will take
care of the people if the government will only
take care of tho capitalists. .
c
Whole No. 168.
PARKER NOT AVAILABLE
Mr. Cleveland's nomination is out of tho ques
tion, although ho Is the first choice of tho pluto
cratic elemont In tho democratic party. Mr. Olnoy
has removed himself by his adyocacv of Mr.
Cleveland's nomination, and Mr. Gorman's chances
seem reduced to a minus quantity by his failure
to securo the co-operation of tho democratic sena
tors in his position on tho Panama question. Mr.
Hillis not a possibility, but he has talten up tho
candidacy of Judge Parker in tho hope of making
himself tho "power behind the throne." Jab some
of the democrats aro considering Judge Parker as
a "harmony" candidate it is Important that tho
real nature of his candidacy should be examined.
He is first of all Mr. Hill's candidate, and that m
Itself would be sufficient to raise a suspicion in
regard to his position on public questions. Tho
Hon. David B. has a legislative record that en
ables us tq easily ascertain his position on public
questions a record so antagonistic to tho demo
cratic party that ho refused to give any open sup
port to tho ticket in 1896, and did not even dis
close, until sonio two' years after the election,
how ho yoted. . In a letter written shortly before
gh'eelecuon. htpJ4aN4orJcMreiHUjUcantuthat, ..
he had not decided what he would do, concluding
With the statement, "I am a deraocrafsfrll very
still."
Mr. Hill has made himself the champion of
Mr. Parker In New York, and it Is not likely that
he would do this without having an understand
ing with Mr. Parker as to his own position with
the administration. It can bo safely taken for
granted that in case of Judge Parker's nomination
and election Mr. Hill would be the controlling fig"
ure in the administration, and that would mean,
that those wo attempted to reach the White
house would have to wade through peanut shells
knee deep.
Mr. Hill stands for everything bad that Mr.
Cleveland stands for, and lacks the brutal frank-
ness that has given. Mr. Cleveland most of his pop
ularity. But Mr. Hill's support, dangerous as -it
is, Is not so detrimental to Judge Parker as the .
corporate support, which is gradually gathering
about himA Tlje Washington Post recently de
scribed the Situation as follows:
"In the mean time Parker stock has been
having a little boom. It is now almost gen
orally conceded by democrats here in Wash
ington that he Is the most likely candidate.
Many matters have taken shape to help him,
although the attitude of the New York demo
crats, still worries the party leaders. Judge
'ParkeiS-so it is learned, here from men who
are j.n clse touch with the thought of tho
financial itnd business world has, through ap
propriate channels, given assurances that It
nominated and elected president his adminis
tration will be conservative. He will see to
it that the large interests are fairly treated.
This campaign of enlightenment from Judge
w Parker is described as progressing meth-
odically, but with dignity. The Judge's at
titude on many of the questions before the
public are not well known, but, none the less,
business men In high places are being ac
quainted authentically with his views in outr
line.
"The criticism of tho magnates against
Judge Parker has been that he had not been
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