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APRIL 14, 1905
The Commoner.
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worth less than $27,000,000. If thoy
could raise four times the value of the
tangible property upon an expiring
franchise," can. any sensible man for a
moment hesitate as to what amount of
money the city of Chicago can raise
upon the security hereinbefore men
tioned? "The operation of public utilities by
municipalities is no untried theory.
Wherever a municipality has taken
over a public utility, as to this utility
corruption and bribery cease. "There
is no motive for the corruption of an
aldermanin case of a utility operated
by the public.
"If good results have been secured
in the cities of Europe and Australia,
why Can not .they be secured in the
cities of New' York and Chicago, and
the other cities of America? The men
or parties who charge the citizens of
Chicago or of New York with being
so inefficient, incapable or dishonest
as to be unable to own and operate
their own utilities, frame an indict
ment against the citizens of these com
munities which our people will answer
at the polls with a verdict of "Not
guilty.'
"The movement in favor of munici
pal ownership of all public utilities
has taken deep root among the intelli
gent people of this country. It is no
passing sentiment. It is here to stay.
Municipal ownership and operation of
these utilities and governmental own
ership of railways, telegraphs and ex
press transportation is a practical
question upon which the people must
pass within a very short time, and
the politicians and parties who ignore
this sentiment must be prepared for a
short-lived career before the people."
POLITICS AND THE JUDICIARY
The terms of the truce by which
Alva Adams has been installed as gov
ernor of Colorado, without the blood
shed that was predicted would follow
an attempt to seat him, lays bare the
entire miserable deal by which the cor
porations of the state have made a
barter for control of the supreme
court. The press reports have con
tained elaborate accounts of the elec
tion muddle in Colorado, leaving the
impression that it was a clear-cut po
litical fight between republicans and
democrats for the control of the state,
with abundant evidence of corrupt po
litical practices, ballot-box stuffing, and
election frauds that could be traced
to both parties. It now appears that
the triumph of one party or the other
had little or nothing to do with the
case.
Some years ago both parties in Col
orado made platform pledges in favor
of an eight-hour day in the mines and
smelters of the state, and upon all
public works and in all employment of
a certain hazardous nature. The ques
tion was submitted by a democratic
legislature or a fusion legislature
as a constitutional amendment, auu
was carried by a big majority. The
hitr cornorate interests of the state,
the smelter trust, the mine-owners'
syndicate, and like organizations op
posed the measure bitterly, and finally
secured a decision of the supreme
court declaring the amendment void.
This was followed by the labor out
breaks, which have brought so much
disgrace upon the state in the last two
years.
In the recent election Roosevelt and
Fairbanks carried the state by a big
majority, and all of the republican
state officers were elected, with the
exception of James H. Peabody, the
governor, "under whose administration
the deportation of miners by the mil
itia was perpetrated in the Cripple
Creek and Telluride mining districts.
Alva Adams, who has already served
the state twice in the capacity of gov
ernor, had a majority of about 10,000
on the face of the returns. By a re
markable action, the supreme.court
of 'the state took original jurisdiction
in the election cases and throw out
enough democrats to give the repub
licans a majority of the senate. By
the adoption of an amendment to the
constitution the number of judges of
tho supremo court was increased by
two, and as soon as tho republicans
secured control of tho senate Peabody
was used by the parties to the deal and
induced to send in the names of two
members for supreme court appoint
ments. The senate confirmed these,
and then the interests that had linnn
backing Peabody gave way and with
drew all objection to the inauguration
of Gov. Adams. It is always a deli
cate jnatter to comment upon the char
acter of members of a high judicial
body, but there Is no secret of tho fact
that tho men appointed by Peabody
to fill the two places on tho supremo
bench of tho state were named by
two men who represent interests in
Colorado that are seeking an extension
of franchises and are bitterly opposed
to tho enactment of an eight-hour
law. Gov. Peabody himself declares
that ho has been tricked, used by the
men who were needing his services,
and then ilung asido with scant cere
mony. 'Peabody promises to go on
with his contest, but ho no longer has
even tho Indifferent encouragement of
tho leaders who were urging violence
a fow weoks ago rather than seo hlB
placo taken by Alva Adams.
Tho voters of tho nation will stand a
good deal In state and municipal ad
ministrations, but thoy have always
shown a disinclination to tolerate pol
itics on the bench. The interests that
appoint judges and tho Judges who ac
tions as prevail in Colorado arc usually
and surely slated for punishment by
tho people. Plain citizens can hardly
be blamed for questioning the quality
of justice that will be administered
by a tribunal so chosen. Colorado
has nothing to bo proud of in her
peaceable settlement of tho guberna
torial muddle. Washington Post.
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LThe Primary PledgeOrgan ize Now. j
From The Commoner, Lincoln, Nebraska, March 17, 1905
t7 tw i&M v t w 2r tv w ( W w
S Newspapersfavorlng the plan &
outlined are requested to re- &
& produce this editorial together &
& with the primary pledge as it &
J$ anncars below. Thev mav re- S
J8 quest their readers to sign &
& this pledge and forward the
& same either to The Commoner ?
& or to the office of their local 3?
& democratic paper. In the lat- l
t ter event these pledges may &
& be then forwarded in bulk to $
& The Commoner office where &
& they will be duly recorded. t
l2?t && 2?t &fc && 5 O W 2& V&r & 1&r l&rl
The Pledge Outlined
The following editorial appeared in
The Commoner of March 17:
"Mr. Bryan has been In receipt of
a multitude of letters since the' elec
tion urging organization for the cam
paign of 1908. The rank and file of
the party are ready to begin the fight;
they only await a plan of co-operation.
This plan has been under considera
tion for some weeks and is herewith
submitted.
"Let each democrat pledge himself
to attend all of the primaries of his
party to be held between now and the
next democratic national convention,
unless unavoidably prevented, and to
use his influence to secure a clear, hon
est and straightforward declaration of
the party's position on every question
upon which the voters of tho party
desire to speak.
"This plan does not involvo tho
writing of a platform in advance of
the primaries; it does not rest upon
the, paramount importance of any one
Issue. It recognizes the right of the
democratic voters to control tho policy
of the democratic party, and to deter
mine its position upon public ques
tions. It also recognizes the Import
ance of honesty and sincerity in poli
tics. "This proposition will appeal to all
who believe in the rule of the people
to all who are willing that the ma
jority shall govern In party manage
ment and in tho nation. It does not
mean that those who exert themselves
to secure a good platform will be
bound to support a bad platform that
is a question which each must deter
mine for himself but It does mean
that the democratic platform shall give
voice to the prevailing sentiment of
the democratic party, and that the
party shall take the country into its
confidence. The pledge proposed is a
primary pledge because the people
speak at the primaries. The national
convention is attended by delegates
and each delegate represents tens of
thousands of democrats. The state con
vention is also attended by delegates,
and these represent thousands, of dem
ocrats. The county conventions are,
as a rule, attended by delegates, and
these in turn represent hundreds of
democrats. At the primary the voters
speak for themselves; there democ
racy has its citadel.
"When the work of organization is
sufficiently advanced, a time can bo
set for the meeting of tho members
in their various localities. The mom
bers of this organization, whllo
pledged to but one thing namely, at
tendance upon tho primariesare
urged to co-operate among themsolvos
for tho support of every effort put
forth to eliminato corruption In poll
tics. No cause can prosper perma
nently that docs not appeal to tho
moral sense of tho country, and tho
moral sense of the country is now be
ing awakened to tho Importance of
purifying politics.
"The Commoner will do its part in
aiding every movement that has for
its object the ascertainment of the will
of the people and the scrupulous en
forcement of that will.
"The Commoner will also furnish all
the Information that It can upon tho
questions which arc before tho public
to the end that Its readers may be pre
pared to render tho maximum of as
sistance to every worthy cause.
"Who will be the first to make this
pledge? A record will bo kept In Tho
Commoner office of the name and ad
dress of each person who enters into
this movement. Those who desire to
be enrolled can either wiite approv
ing the object of the organization, and
asking to have their names entered on
the roll, or they can fill out and mail
the blank which is printed below.
"The Commoner will be pleased to
publish a limited number of brief let
ters on this subject. Mr. Bryan is
encouraged by his correspondence to
believe that there will bo a prompt and
hearty response to the above proposition."
THE PRIMARY PLEDGE
I promise to attend all the primaries of my party to be held between now and the next demo
cratic national convention, unless unavoidably prevented, and to use my influence to secure a clear,
honest and straightforward declaration of the party's position on every question upon which the
voters of the party desire to speak. ""
Street ,
. Signed
Postoffice State
County Voting precinct or ward
Fill out blanks and mail' to Commoner Office, Lincoln, Neb.
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