rsi . hi ciiwav'VW'MU
The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER.
'y
Vol. 4, No. 41.
Lincoln, Nebraska, October 28, -1904.
Whole Number 193
...A WORD WITH DEMOCRATS...
Every man is responsible for his influence, be it email or great. Every democrat who vote for Parker, votes to defeat
Koosevelt. Every democrat who does not vote for Parker contributes toward the election of Roonevelt. On every ques
tion upon which Judge Parker's position is open to criticism, President Roosevelt's position is worse; where they differ, as
they do on many important question., Parker is right and Roosevelt is wrong.
Roosevelt favors a high tariff; Parker favors tariff reform. Roosevelt favors a standing army of G0,000 at the minimum;
Parker favors a reduction of the army.
Roosevelt has brought the race issue into national politics; Parker would remove the race issue from politics.
Roosevelt stands for a colonial policy; Parker favors independence for the Filipinos and would make the promise now.
Roosevelt took into the white house a spirit of war; Judge Parker would durjstit ite for it a spirit of peace.
Pour yeard more of Roosevelt would make economic and industrial reforms more difficult; Judge Parker's election
would clear the way for economic issues. Let no democrat, by voting against Parker or by refusing to vote, take upon
himself responsibility for four years more of Rooseveltism.
Silver Democrats Vindicated
While the money question is not an issue in
the present campaign, both Parker and Roosevelt
being for gold, the silver democrats can insist that
their position has been vindicated and that the
question has decreased in importance only because
an unexpected increase in the volume of money
has raised prices and 'brought in part -what hi-
metallism would have brought in a larger meas
ure. The present situation can be illustrated as
follows: Suppose the democrats of u city be
lieved the water supply to be insufficient, pointed
to a lake nearby, called silver lake, and proposed
that an additional supply be brought from that
source. Suppose the republicans objected on the
ground that the water supply was sufficient and
carried the election. Then suppose a spring
burst forth in the center of the city supplying half,
as much water as the city used before; and sup
pose that all the people' rejoiced in the additional
supply and profited by it who would say that
the r-rubilcans were vindicated? To be consist?
ent republicans would have to favor plugging up
the spring and returning to the quantity in use
before the spring appeared.
This describes what has happened in the finan
cial world. The democrats contended that more
money was needed and pointed to the silver reser
voir as the only available source from which to
draw money. The republicans insisted that we
had money enough but soon after the election new
gold mines were found and from that and other
sources the volume of money has been increased
until we now have about 50 per cent more than
wo had in 1896 and everybody is glad. Who have
been vindicated, those who said we needed more
money or those who said we had enough and now
boast of the unexpected increase? To be con
sistent the republicans ought to propose to retire
the increase and go back to the amount we had
in 1896. The money question will again receive
attention when the demand for money overtakes
the supply; but the quantitive theory has tri
umphed. '
. JJJ
The "Big Stick"
The republicans who favor the, "big stick"
policy are in, the habit of posing as friends of
peace, but they contend that the best way to pro
mote peace is to have a big navy. The fallacy of
such, an argument ought to be 'evident to any one
who is willing to giye the matter a moment's
thought If each nation is trying to have a bigger
navy than its neighbor the likelihood of conflict
is increased rather than lessened not to speak
of the enormous expense. A large na-y is im
possible unless afighting spirit is cultivated and a
flgtiting spirit always leads to a row. To test this
suppose we repeal the law against carrying con
cealed weapons and encourage every person to
go heavily armed would that policy teud to pro
mote peace and good order in a community? Ex
perience everywhere proves that carrying weapons
tends to increase the number of shooting scrapes
and the principle applies to nations as well as. to
individuals. With a small army and a small
navy this nation won the place of primacy among
the nations. Under Judge Parker it would aspire
to the position of peace-maker among all the
nations; unnerproaident Roosovelt it aspires, to
be a peace-maker among the conquering empires.
JJJ
The Panama Incident
If one desires to estimate the possible dangers
to wl.ch we are exposed because of President
Roosevelt s military enthusiasm he has only to
consider the Manama incident. One morning the
department wired to our representative at Pan
ama: "Understand there is an Insurrection there.''
Tne answer came back: "Not yet Expected this
afternoon." And within a few days a seceeding
republic was recognized and our influence was
thrown against the parent republic, Colombia.
"Why? Because little Panama had a canal in her
pocket that we wanted. This nation that spent
four years bringing seceding states back Into the
union, recognized a seceding section of Colombia
with inexcusable haste! If it had ween -ngland,
Germany or France, Instead of little Colombia, wo
would now be engaged in a bloody and expensive
war. But, it may be said, that the president would
not deal that way with a large nation. Then
shame on a president who would bully a little re
public like Colombia and treat it as he would not
treat a big European government!
JJJ
John W. Kern
John W. Kern, democratic nominee for gov
ernor of Indiana, Is making a vigorous campaign.
No Indianan Is better k'nown in the Hoosler state
than the democratic nominee for governor. Men
of all parties have confidence In his ability and
integrity. He has rendered great service to his
party and to his country In the past, and Intho
office of governor he will be able not only to serve
the people of his own state, but he whi be able
to make material contribution to the progress of,
reform in national affairs. It Is to be hoped that
the people of Indiana will see to it that not only
Mr. Kern is elected to the office of governor, but
that the entire democratic ticket will be elected,
in order that Mr. Kern will be surrounded by men
who are pledged to the same Ideals, so that they
may help to make his administration a success
and not bend their energies toward making it a
failure.
A Change in the Nation's Idjals
Is it possible that republican voters cannot
seo that wo are slowly undergoing a change in
our nation's ideals. It used to be that wc agreed
a3- to what the ideal was. Ten years ago If you
would ask a man anywhero, republican or demo
crat, what his idea was of this nation- position,
and the method by which it influenced the world,
Jie would have turnedj) the Bible and read you
that sentence: "So 'live' that others seeing your
good works may bo constrained to glorify your
Father." And he would have said that it was the
mission of this nation to so administer the bene
fits of free government and civil liberty that peo
ple everywhere, inspired by our example, would
imitate us. That was the ideal a few years ugo.
And it required no great navy, no great army, to
support it. What Is the new ideal? Ask the pres
ident for some maxim that we can use to the
world in showing what our future policy is to be,
and he will answer: "S'peak softly, but carry a
big stick." Can you see any difference between
these two ideals? There is all the difference be
tween light and darkness.
The man who presented President Roosevelt's
name in the Republican convention paid a glow
ing tribute tCi war. He snld that war must still
settle the destinies of nations. He said that you
might strike from all your hymn hooks every na
tional anthem, that you might sing the praises of
the quiet life, but that out in the darkness would
still be the tramp of horses and th'e silent, rigid,
upturned face. He said that men might prophesy
and women pray, but that peace would never come
to abide forever on this earth until the dreams
of childhood became the charts to guide the des
tinies of man. He said events were numberless
and mighty, and that we could not tell which wire
ran around the earth; that wo might be basking
in the sunshine of peace today and tomorrow
writhing in the toils of war. He said the thing
to do was to keep great figures at the front. He
said if the force was great the power to resist it
must be granite and Iron.
We doubt if anyone can find in all the speech
es made in this country before such a eulogy of
war. We are told in the Old Testament that the
Messiah was coming, and among other things he
would be called the Prince of Peace. And when
he came the announcement was made, not to the
soldiers In battle array, but to shepherds who kept
their flocks by night; and it was not a call to
arms, but "Peace on earth; good will to man."
For two thousand years that gospel of peace
has grown. For that gospel of peace millions
have gladly given their lives. For that gospel of
peace thousands have crossed' oceans and buried
themselves during their life among unknown peo
ples, even savage tribes. For nearly twenty cen
turies this gospel of peace has been the growing
hope of the world. And now the ex-governor o
H
4
i
r
I
I
"' .. -
,1