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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1905)
wiwip fff !I .. The Commoner. i- VOLUME 4, NUMBER I?,. r R- Contempt Of The People a A most important nail in the struc turo ol' government was hit 3quarely on the head Wednesday afternoon, -vvhon Mr. Bryan said in his address be fore tho Jane Jefferson club: "There is such a thing as contempt of tho people and while it can not bo punished as summarily as judges can punish con tempt of the court, still it really do e'orves severer punishment." Contempt for the sovereigns them selves ho doomed a more serious of fonso than disrespect for tho will of those whoso power was conforred upon them by tho people In this lies tho peculiar enormity of offenses com mitted in this state during recent years. Mr. Bryan was right. The first of this series of crimes lay in the refusal qf tho legislature of 1903 to enact a law which tho people of the state had demanded by 40,000 majority. The mandate of a constitutional amend ment was defiantly disobeyed in tho matter of an eight-hour law. In this one unquestioned fact lay hidden enough of dire prophecy to have made all that ha3 followed a matter of Blight surprise. To defy an explicit mandate of the constitution and to ignore the popular will expressed by an overwhelming vot e when such a thing is possible on tho part of men elected to represent tho people and make the laws of the state gives reason to fear the worst. Such a situation would have been impossible without concerted, exten sive and atrocious corruption. This corruption must have entered not only into the legislature after it assembled, but must have penotrated the machin ery of the pnor election throughout tho state. This is merely typical of the evil which is tho supreme menace to all government and especially to ropublcan institutions. When tho people lose faith in gov ernment a3 tho source of justice and equity, as the embodiment of tho com mon interests and of law which applies equally to all, then Indeed is the crisis sorious. Officials who uso tho machinery of government for tho private interest of but part of the people are assuming a responsibility of awful import. Do they realize tho arguments urged by those who 3eek to alter the basis of society, of those who insist that rev olution is necessary before good can bo accomplished? "What folly it is," they say, "to talk of improvement through the govern ment and laws you have today! The officials of government are but tho paid tools of corporate wealth. If not paid outright, they are' so infected with tho prejudices of property interests, are so impregnated with the passions of cap italistic partisanship that they can not even pVetend to do equal justice to all. Yet you continue to trust to such seeds as constitutional righi3 and equality before the law." Such arguments have little weight when incorruptible legislatures pass laws for the weal of all the people; when executive oincers enforce the laws without passion or prejudice, with equal justice to all parties concerned; when courts evince absolute superiority to partisan or corporate bias. Then the loyal citizen who seeks to improve present conditions by earn est effort for gradual reform can de nounce the sceptical with confidence. But let the time ever come when the average citizen can not trust his government, whether of city, state or nation; trust it to be true to organic law, to equity and to impartial justice between man and man, and the founda tions will rock beneath this republic The desire to purge the electorate of this city and state from fraud is one which, should be encouraged. Denver News. ' test embodied in Bryanism is founded on truth and -justice. Dr. Schurman shows, too', how much moro real sym pathy there is between certain features of Bryanism and certain features of republicanism than there 1s between tho radicalism and the conservatism of the old democratic party. We get a hint, finally, of the enormous political strength a combination of tho radical elements of the two parties would pos sess if those elements could be con solidated in one party and so led as to command the support of the middle as well as the lower economic strata of our population. But the fact that the radical democrats are separated, from that portion of the republican party most in sympathy with them Is a car dinal feature of the political situation, and illustrates once more1 the force in practical affairs .of the old Latin prov erb, "Divide et impera." Springfield Republican. "Tory Democracy" In America "A surprising, indeed, a startling phenomenon," was the increased so cialist vote and tho abstention from voting of moro than a million radical democrats at the last election, re marked President Schurman of Cornell university to the merchants of Fitch burg Monday night. "Is it not." he then inquired, "in its quiet, peaceful way, ju3t as significant as the red liufc wuiun wuveu last weeK. in i,ne streets of St. Petersburg? Is it not, liko that, a protest of good and- honest citizens against what thoy believe to be injustice and the violation of the rights of man?" It is interesting to find a college - president taking this view and proceed ing, as Dr. Schurman does, to advo vate substantial concessions to the rad ical sentimont of the country. The democratic stay-at-homers seem to have had their votes counted, unof ficially, without going to tho polls. They aro being taken into account by thinking men, and their influence prob ably is being felt today, as they had not dreamed that It would be, in the government of the country and in the formulation of tho policies of the rul . ing party. Dr. Schurman is chiefly worthy of attention at this time be- cause he represents a certain class that will never openly train with radical elements in politics, especially in elec tions and- campaigns, and that always supports the candidates of what may be called tho vested' ruling power of the land. Yet his utterances are prob ably representative in a peculiar sense of that section of opinion in the repub lican party which has the most pre science, intelligence and freedom from the domination of selfish and monop olistic interests. It is the shrewd, far seeine onnortunist attitude nf tho rM time statesman who was tho firaf tn learn from the experience of mankind that- "if there be not revolution there must be reform." And so we find the president of Cor nell speaking favorably of just so much socialism as may be embraced in the municipal ownership of water works, gas works, electric lighting plants, tho telephone system and street railways. He demands public protec tidn from monopoly and, especially, government control of transportation rates on railroads. TTo r-niin ?,. 0i revision in the downward direction, and he concedes the justice of the In come tax that Mr. Bryan Insists upon ;;in any event," says Dr. Schurman, I beg you to remember that if you would check the development of radi calism and socialism now so imminent ou uiubL sausiy tne demands for jus tice in taxation which are made by the supporters of Mr. 3ryan, Mr. Wat son and Mr. Debs." Nor does Dr S'churman fail to advnnnto tho ia, pendence of the Philippineshere again speaking for those who think as he does on that question, yet who have invariably voted for the party that was responsible for the conquest of the is lands. Now speeches like this from a re publican furnish considerable insight into political .conditions in America. It is remarkable how far tho admis sion goes that much of tho great pro- Calling: a Halt on the Usurer Th. supreme court of the United States has struck a blow at usury, on a case coming up from a Missouri court, that will doubtless have its ef fect so far as banks are concerned. The case as wo find it stated in a con temporary is one that was brought by the bank to collect a note of $20,000, with Interest at 8 per centx, and was resisted on the ground that" the prin cipal of the original note, which was for $15,000, but compounded interest on the first note and also interest charged on an overdraft, a new note having been made to include all these charges. The court held that the bank must forfeit all interest since the mak ing of the new note and could collect only the original $15,000 and interest. This may have a deterrent effect on those banks which charge and try to collect usurious Interest, but there are worse sinners in this respect than any of the banks are. If some way can be found to suppress the loan sharks who ourish in every community it will prove a blessing to many an unfortu nate. When one of these gentry lends money on good security, charges 10 per cent a month as in torost nnii ofi-on most of the principal has been paid takes the property pledged as security that is the kind of business that needs to be taken in hand. It is going on all over tho country, and though the operations may usually bo p.nminnr- ed on a comparatively small 3cale they are none the less burdensome on those who are forced by necessity to submit to them. As a general tning those who borrow from banks are not forced to accept any conditions imposed on them, but the poor borrowers are often so hard pressed that they must accept any terms and then the blood is squeezed out of them without mercy. In all ages the usurer has been un popular, and in all ages he has flour ished. The great cause of complaint against him Is that he takes advantage of the necessities of his fellow beinra. There have been Shylocks at all times and In all countries. Even the savage practices the art and squeezes- his fel low savage. They are a class who be long exclusively to nn "J 7 no sect, for they are in anof them and of all of them. When a man S prosperous he can afford to laugh at them. When he reaches his last penny when he has exhausted the last Re source he finds some one ready to help him-for a consideration. The pound of flesh must be the penalty, ana ?ew rSethltS,Parment If th law can reach the banks it ought to reach 'the lesser offenders.-New Haven Union Why We Grow Old Bitter memories of a sinful , life which has gone all wrong make prema ture furrows in the face, take the brightness from the eyes'and the elas ticity from thfi Ston nn1 i.. life sapless and uninteresting Wo grow old because wo' do not know enough to keep young, jUst aa wo become sick and diseased becausa wo do not know enough to keep well Sickness is a result of ignorance and wrong thinking. Tho time will come when a man will no moro harbor thoughts that will make him sick or weak than ho would think of putting his hands into Are. No man can bo sick if he always has right thoughts and takes ordinary care of hi3 body, if ho will think only of youthful thoughts he can maintain his youth far beyond the usual period. If you would- "be young when old" adopt the sun dial's motto "I record none but hours of sunshine." Never mind the dark or shadowed hours. For get the unpleasant, unhappy days. Re member only the days of rich experi ences; let the others drop into obliv ion. It is said that "long livera are great hopers." If you keep your hope bright in spito of discouragements, and meet all difficulties with a cheerful face, it will bo very difficult for age to trace its furrows on vour brow. There i3 longevity in cheerfulness. Success. The American Englo Our bald-headed eagle, so-called be cause the feathers on the top of his head are white, was called the Wash ington eagle by Audubon, the great naturalist. Like Washington, he is brave and fearless, and as his name and greatness are known tho world over, so can the eagle soar to heights beyond others. The eagle was adopted as tho emblem of the United States in 1785, since when it has been U3ed on the tips of flagpoles, coins. United States seals, and on the shield of liberty Globe-Democrat. 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