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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1904)
If m . lbs ' 2 tosted. They could not toll what ho might do should they turn out and seek by heroic offorts to placo him In tho White Iioubo. Should their offorts succeed, he might not, after all, bo ablo to conduct 'a sate adminis tration.' But there Is distinctly a better feel ing In business quarters toward him." Thoro Is no doubt that the corporate Inter ests have an understanding with Judgo Parker, for without such an 'understanding thoy would not think of supporting him. The decision in the merger caso shows how Important it is that the prosidont should be in sympathy with the people rather than in sympathy with the corporations. Tho three judges appointed by Mr. Cleveland dis sontod from the opinion of tho court, and as Judgo Holmes stood with them, it would only require ono moro judgo to change tho decision, even if Judgo Brewer's separate opinion does not al ready Indicate tho probability of an adverse deci sion In anpthf ease. If Jupgo' Parker wore nominated by the inllu (meptff tho corporations and elected with the aid erTihoir contributions, is there any 'doubt that his appointees would be corporation men? Can tho democratic party afford to lend itself to a move ment to so make up the supromo court as to nul lify tho efforts of the people at reform? To se cure romedial legislation tho peoplo must have not only tho house, tho senate, the presidont, but the supremo court also, and as tho members of the supremo court hold, office for life, that depart ment of tho government Is hardest to change. As prosidont, Judgo Parker might appoint one, two, or even three supremo jusHces, and his appoint ments might bar the way to relief for ten or fif teen years. Can the party afford to take such a chance? Judgo Pnrkor has been before the coun try as a candidate for a year, and in all that time he has never expressed himself uppn a single pub- . lie question or indicated his views on a single is sue Can wo afford to nominate a question mark? If ,so, we need not bo surprised if the voters in dulge in exclamations Democracy's contest with plutocracy is not a sham battle or a make-believe fight. It is a ter ribly earnest struggle, and the decision in the morgor case has pointed out with great distinct ness the possiblo result of a mistake in the se lection of a candidate. There are hundreds of domocrats whoso sympathies are with tho masses of tho peoplo and whose opinions are knownmen who have had more experience in political life than Judge Parker, and who would poll more votes on election day. Some of these men have been mentioned; othors have not. Suroly among those who have been proposed or might be pro posed it is possible to find .someone who will give voico to tho democratic conscienc, and lead a chargo against the cohorts of organized and pre datory wealth. Tho republican party i8 controlled by the cor porations; it is dominated by the trust magnates and financiers. Tho presidont has signally tailed to enforce tho criminal section of the anti-truat law, and his attorney general hastens to allay any f fears that tho merger decision might have ex cited. Tho president will have the support of Wall street unless tho democratic party nomi nates a man nearer to tho corporations than he is. Could tho democratic party afford to get be tween tho republican party and the trusts, even if it wero possible to do so? If Mr. ParlfnopV, v. a man with a record, if hlB conviction. iSuOwn and his position on puhlic Issues V . defined Mr. Hill's championship of his caue might iut be sufficient to eiu sly destroy his availability but with his opinions unknown and his aspira tions in the hands of Mr. Hill, It Is not unfair to regard Mr. Hill as the keeper of his conscience and who is so poorly qualified to keop any one's conscience. Tho fact that Mr. Parker is an enigma ought to romovo him from consideration, and the situa tion Is made still worse by the blight, of Mr. Hill's support. When to this is added the over shadowing danger which the merger decision has pointed out, is it not time that tho honest, earn- The Commoner. est, loyal democrats awake from their lethargy, lay aside the thought of compromise, and begin an aggressive campaign to save the democratic party from tho menace of corporate control? If Mr. Parker is nominated it must not be as a "harmony candidate" it must be with the knowledge that he represents the same clement, tho same influence and the same methods which during Mr. Cleveland's second administration led the democratic party through "the valley Of the shadow of death." JJJ By and For the Classes. A Kennct Square, Pa., reader of Tho Com moner directs attention to Mr. Lincoln's Gettys burg speech and says that the most familiar quo tation in that famous address has been used in a way to give a distorted meaning. The suggestion made by this reader is so interesting that his statement on this point is printed in full: "The quotation to which I refer is 'That wo here highly resolve . . .; that this nation, un der God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, for tho people, shall not perish from the earth.' "Did Mr. Lincoln use the word government as a proper noun? If as a noun then in a sense so many use it: a 'government of the people, by the people, for the people?' This form would give to the prepositions 'of and 'by' precisely the same meaning, i. e., government derived from the peo ple. The tautology is too apparent to admit of his having used it In this sense. "My contention is that Mr. Lincoln used the word 'government' participially, denotes more of action than substance, and that the phrase, 'gov ernment of the people, by the people, for the people,' (a most concise yet comprehensive defini tion of democracy), was meant to be the subject of the modified verb 'shall perish,' and that in. the sentence 'government of the people, by the people,' the prepositon 'of bears the same rela tion to the sentence that it does, in government of. the pupils, by the teacher; government of the laborers, by the bosses. "In using the expression, as many speakers do, 'Government of the classes, by and for the classes;' 'Government of the trusts, by and for the trusts,' the people fail to see, or feel, how they are affected, but by making it 'government of the people, by and for the classes as I believe Mr. Lincoln meant the formula to be used, .it presents a nauseous and revolting dose to freemen ev erywhere. "Granting my contention, then, would it not be well to define the form of democracy we advo cate as: government of the people, by and for the people; and plutocracy-the form we decry and detest-as: government of the people, by v?w ?hfh monTcliangers' always keeping in bv J f PeP1le are being kerned, ,yhher by and for themselves, or by and for the classes in disregard of the will and wishes of the people." JJJ Sermons on Burton. ion Sy VllZiT A1; Kansas, delivers an interelS Jg L? Mr'whfto1111 ex a?theW xt GD" licanMrbvrne'says XtBmto,i' ls a -Burton willlurSo nig Mr. ing to Mr. White this is tni w Accrd charactef W A&T twenty year ln Kansas lor Reforr oaj r. Burton WashJT -e fSre he went "to a prof;oOJuai candidate fTBs. he Was ore. ho had served a" term or CT "nal hon- ' Voicing 4. NUMBEn u, i. xao naa served a'tem. .. v , ttl non" er house of tho Jeff .tv? in die low. openly solicited bribes and u' whftro ho of times in the new?papersWod.doze heing a boodler withont J? ,, e state with ment upon Burtons par h TS"f test aS Perfectly reputable and flnano? and aSin newspapers have charged Sr2y "Feasible ng every obligation of Hf ? Ri,With viot- Htical, and flnnnMoT 1 Vl? sCial. moral toMas tteso p.fo, bar Mr. Burton's, election laivni.i , White in this way: - plained by Mr "His election was due to tho railroads in state poirtids BvpS, 11nfiuence of ney for the Rock S tho mK?1" the Santa Fe, and the Union piniSUrl FacI,lc. any infiuence'was at Topeka wort in 7ho1 ton. Peremntnrv ,i0J . working f0r Bur- and St Louis in the cXn4llC,licaso with Burton's election SimTZt Kansas railroad lawyers" sunrf -6 7 local lose their places." PPrt Burln or Then Mr. White sayg that Mr -r furnished a horrible example to you S "? has would, go into politics .as a means of SroflA vaGluroafChheoUtv:ery Gl" !- "e avoirretcK JftS? T condition speaks for itself 'and LI ?U da cordingly. Mr. White would dp beUe? T dress his sermons to the republican na?L Va" did it happen that a man wC character ,fW well understood in Kansas for twenty ye'a'r ' S a bad one, could be elected to represent S state in the senate? How did it hapSS ? that ?h . republicans of Kansas chose for United St! senator a man who dared not resent r8 that he had openly solicited brlbthat h wis a boodler, and that he had violated ever v owSf tion of life?" How did it happen that the a fed railroads were able to eleot this man "the The railroads did not provide the election mn chmery. The republican members of the nM leg Mature did the choosing. Would it hi well, then, for Mr. White to address some of his Sm? t0 the jepubHcan leaders of Kansas; ana S? rlyn0 the rePublins of Kansas, but to the republicans of other states who have sub mitted to railroad domination, just as tamely as the republicans of Kansas have done? y While Mr. White is engaged in the delivery of sermons, would it not be well for him to take as a text some of the other members of the Unite States senate? It is not necessary that he take ?- S, av? ben enad in small transac tions and, largely because of the smallness of tho scheme have been brought to punishment. There sits in the United States senate today a man wno nil ?IcUBlTy rreseiltative of the greatest of an trusts. In the discharge of his senatorial du- intPrPa Sh?ns ? :concerA whatever, for public SfffS: S AUsiness ls t0 ProtGCt the inter ests of the peat trusts; every other consideration ignored in consideration for the trust. Every public interest must bend to the private interests ticuiar enato?illIOIlaireS represented bv thls Par niini??it0n. dld wrong and undoubtedly deserves Spwlno ent; ls lt not' after a" a mockery for SPPJ7rners to prate about tne cheap wick th??i u Burtous. while closing their eyes to l TnnT vn a much larser scale of other pub who fn JS2 not been called l0 account, but a Mn S1 te f,the nptoriety of the fact that they nlaopf nr fntatIVes of sPecIal interests, yet retain Places of honor in the republican organization? JJJ t Concentration. The publication of the -second annual report ot the steel trust affords the Wall Street Journal a opPrtunity for comparing, the size and oper auons of the steel trust with other familiar things, mo journal says that it does this in order that us readers may be able to arrive at a truer ap prec a ion of the wealth and business of this fa 4i trust, it must.be admitted .that the Journal has, succeeded in preparing an Interesting show- corporatIona?it5lrotS2? of the Vnitca States SteeI edness We hi86B?3'I00' a?d lts onaed Indebt' Panies la ? ?S5 that of the subsidiary com- 722,135 c2 ' mmn a total of ?1'486' debt of S?f nr? thIs WItU thG Interest-bearing $901,470,950. d StatGS whIca amounts to Hs own debt aS taJesflstl pays in interest on ?25,G30 6?7 f the subsidiary companies ?43 111 735 Siin !t paIxd ln dividends last year .U1M6, malting a total of $(18,748,392. Com- fc -""" an he madfitto ;:; '"- mu Heinpt I o w M