j. w--'f "V
2
party should havo a volco In Its councils should
not only sign tho primary plodgo but ho should
obtain tho signatures of Ills neighbors.
C. W. Shorman, Sr., of Orchard Knob, Oro.,
a domocrat woll known to Nobraskans and ono
' -who has, porhaps, never missed an opportunity to
participate in tho primary elections of his party,
writes: '
From a bed of rheumatic torture, I ariso
to signify my hearty approval of Tho Com
moner's plan of making the democratic party
truly democratic, I accept tho pledgo as a
matter of course, because tho plan has been
my rulo of life. Ileal democracy is based
upon tho lovo of man for his follow men, and
Is therefore real Christianity. If all tho mem
bers of tho party could bo aroused to act upon
this theory, and make tho party's principles
ropresont tho united opinion of tho -masses,
tho corrupting power of greed and of sordid
commercialism would vanish before it like
tho molting snow beneath tho rays of tho
sun.
A. A. Paul of Crockett, Calif., says that ho
signs his primary pledgo most willingly, but ho de
clares that if tho position to which ho pledges
himself means only to attend tho primary elec
tions, it is not enough. Mr. Paul adds:
The fountain head of tho stream Is -tho
club, tho ward club or preliminary meetings
or meetings at which nominations are made
of those to bo elected at tho primary. If
theso preliminary meetings are neglected,
there is no use, in many cases, of going to
any of tho succeeding elections. Bad nien
named to us, voted for at the primary election,
aro tho llttlo streams that form tho larger
river, through county, then state convention
and the moral voter is powerless, if the
rivulet started at the club meeting is corrupt.
Tho Commoner desires to impress Mr. Paul's
statement upon tho mind of every democrat. It
must not be forgotten that tho primary pledge is
but a simple means to a very important? end It
Is expected that every democrat who attaches his
name to tho primary pledgo will carry that pledge
to its logical conclusion. - r
V. L. Terrott of Oswego, N. Y., "sends his
pledge and hearty endorsement of the plan. Mr.
Terrott says:
JIow, though, is a democrat to use his
'influence to securo a clear, honest, straight
forward declaration on every "question on.
which the voters desire to speak" when a few
men in each city hold dominion over the
party machinery the voters merely register
ing tho will of the party's local boss, power
less to securo oven tho entertainment of a
motion by tho caucus chairman, unless that
motion is approved by the party boss. It is
this un-American and undemocratic method
of conducting the party primaries that induces
hundreds of democrats to remain away from
them, and is driving not a few to enlist in the
causo of socialism, a dangerous doctrine that
loyal and non-office hunting democrats hope
never to soo prevail in our glorious and loved
country.
If every democrat will participate in the
primary councils of his party, conditions such as
those decribed by Mr. Terrott will not exist. The
purpose of the primary pledge is to make the
voice of the rank and file felt In its party coun
cils so that the candidates chosen and the plat-
"fbrm adopted will not havo been chosen and
adopted at tho dictation of ono man or of a
coterie of men.
Attention is particularly invited to a letter
written by Ed F. Poorman of Humboldt, 111., who
says:
' Enclosed you will And a sheet of legal
.cap paper to which I havepasted The Com
moner's primary pledge blank. I havo signed
tho same and secured fifteen other signatures.
It took only a short time to secure theso slg-
. natures and it was a pleasure to me to take
advantage of the opportunity to do something
for the cause of good government. It was
only necessary for me to show the pledge to
democrats when they gladly signed it, saying
that attendance of the primaries represented
true. democracy. One man said ho thought if
a man had to miss the primaries or the elec
tion 'ho should miss the election and attend
tho primaries by all means and see that good
; I platforms are made and good men nominated.
', it If every domocrat will adopt Mr. Poorman's
methqd.he will contribute materially to the move
ment. Undoubtedly democrats will gladly sign tho
primary pledge plan when their attention is called
to It. No man can render tho party better service
The Commoner.
than by circulating this pledge among his demo
cratic neighbors. "Request them to attach their
names to tho primary pledge and formally an
nounco their determination to co-operate with
their follow democrats in tho effort to make the
party worthy of tho support of men who, having
grown weary of tho impositions of special inter
ests, aro willing to strive for the public welfare,
along democratic lines.
JJJ
& THE PRIMARY PLEDGE
'& &
,38 (From tho Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma &
City, O. T.) ,38
8 The plan of organization suggested by &
,38 Mr. Bryan a few weeks ago, the object of ,38
tS which Is to secure a pledge on the part of &
cJ? all democrats who are interested in secur- &
& ing an honest expression of democratic ,38
,38 sentiment in the next national democratic S
& platform, appears elsewhere In today's Ok- &
& lahoman. It Is printed for the benefit of ,38
& the thousands of Oklahoma democrats S
,38 who are doubtless interested In the object &
& of the undertaking but who may not be &
& readers of Mr. Bryan's Commoner, or 6th- &
,38 er democratic papers in which it has ap- &
$8 peared. ,38
,38 The plan Is so simple, and its purpose ,38
i38 so easy, that It should appeal strongly to &
& every democrat who is Interested in se- ,38
38 curing a straightforward declaration of ,38
,38 the party's position on vital questions In ,38
5 the next national platform and enlist his &
,38 immediate support. We can imagine of ,38
no condition which would Induce any dem- ,38
,38 ocrat, unless unavoidably prevented, from ,38
a? attending the primaries of his party and ,38
,38 "making his influence felt in giving it a J8
,38 platform embodying the best democratic ,38
,38 sentiment on all propositions." .
.,38 In this connectipn It may be asked, why r,38
6 is it necessary for a democrat to pledge .38
,38 himself to attend the primaries and as- J38
,38 sist In securing an expression of the best
J8 democratic sentiment In the next national
,38 platform? The question can be answered
,38 by pointing to the shortcomings of the
,38 last democratic platform and enquiring If
,38 it is not desired by the rank and file to
,38 profit by past mistakes.
,38 While there was much In the last'demo-
,38 cratic national platform to commend it to
,38 democrats everywhere, It was not an ideal
,38 party declaration .of faith In' many re-
,38 spects. It Ignored both the income tax
and money questions which were not of
,38
,38
,38
,38
,38
,38
i
,38
,38 paramount consideration then or now but ,38
n38 which are, of necessity, live public ques- ,38
,38 tlons and which should be dealt with ,38
frankly and honestly.
In the hope of 'obviating the. 'mistakes &
of the past and bringing the party 'back ,38
as closely to the people as possible, the ,38
organization plan is put forward. The &
& pledge Involves no obligation which any ,38
38 genuine democrat can not wlllinniv . n
sume and Indicates nothing more than a ,38
desire to have a platform made at the ,38
next national convention which embodies ,38
the real democratic sentiment of the coun- ,38
try, uncontaminatedby the so-called "re- ,38
organizer" influence. The Oklahoman ,38
would like to see every democrat in Okla- ,38
homa sign It, not only because of the .38
i58 prime object, but in the hope that obliga- ,38
& tion assumed will stimulate him to more ,38
& active efforts in the future In behalf of ,38
& keeping the party close to the people to ,38
J8 tfie end that It may ever remain a cham-' ' ,38
c58 pion of their rights and Interests. ' "' ve
J8 . JUJ8 &&&
.38
,38
,38
38
,38
&
t .volume 5;;tjmber u
A MIGHTY POOR GUESS
'A writer In the Cincinnati Enquirer presents
an interesting explanation of Mr. Garfield's beef
trust report. This writer says:
"In the report made by Commissioner
Garfield upon tho profits and methods of tho
so-called Beef Combine there is a brief line
1 which nevertheless, in the opinion of those
who are best informed, contains the true
explanation of the higher prices for beef.
As with wheat so with beef, the United
States is beginning to consume more than
the farmers or the ranches can produce.
Not many years ago the great body of tho
plain people were content if they had beef
once a day, and many of them did not buy
it more than three times a week. Now
beef consumption is no longer a luxury, but
a daily necessity of life. One of the fore
most men of xthe Beef Combine went to tho
Argentine Republic last fall prepared to spend
within five years as much as $50,000,000, if
that were necessary, in tho purchase of
ranches or the rental of them, and in the rais
ing of beef for importation. He said to friends
in this city just before he sailed that within
five years, in his opinion, the United States
would be found importing heavily of beef, and
that our exports of beef carcasses or cattle on
the hoof would be stopped. Mr. Garfield inti
mates that one of the reasons for the high
price of beef has been the very great demand
for it, a demand that began in this excessive
way just after the new era of prosperity set
in, that is to say, early in the second year of
McKinley's first administration."
If "under-production" or "over-consumption"
contains the true explanation of the higher prices
for beef, how does' it happen that while prices
required by the trust of the consumers have been
going up, the prices paid by the trust to the cat
tle reisers have been going down?
If there is the scarcity as described by the
Enquirer writer, how does it happen that the
cattle raiser has not profited by "the very great
demand, a demand that began in this excessive
way just after the new era of prosperity set in,
that is to say, early in the second year of Mc
Kinley's administration?"
It will- occur to a great many- people that the
Enquirer writer has made a mighty poor' guess.'
FOR YOUNG AMERICANS
'The editor of Young Americans asks for an
article on the subject, "Why Young Americans of
Today Should Interest Themselves in Politics?"
The, reasons are so numerous that it would be
difficult to furnish a complete answer.
The young Americans of today will be the
acting, governing force of tomorrow, and only by
interesting themselves in politics not only before
maturity, but all their lives can American citi
zens hope to do their full duty to their country.
Free government is a responsibility as well as a
privilegea grave responsibility for when ono
has the privilege of participating in the govern
ment he must share in the responsibility for bad
government as well as in the credit for good gov
ernment. Whether ojie ever becomes a candidate for
office may depend upon circumstances, but every
one regardless bf his occupation should study
the science of government, acquaint" himself with
public questions and give to his country his con
science and his best judgment on every question
that arises.
In the study of public questions the most im
portant thing is to get hold of the controlling
principle. Only when one understands the prin
ciples which govern a subject does he understand
the subject, and the fundamental principles ap
plicable to politics are really every-day principles
with which all are familiar. "Thou shalt not bear
false witness," "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou
shalt not kill" these will be found to cover most
of the questions, and of the three the second
"Thou shalt not steal" is probably the broadest
in its application, for every pecuniary injustice
done by one man to another whether directly or
indirectly, whether in violation of law or in the
absence of law, partakes of. that character of
larceny.
One is never too young to begin to interest
himself iri tlfe principles of government, and there
is no age However advanced1 at which one can
afford to be 'indifferent. ' lu ' " ' )il
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