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The Commoner.
OL'PME 6, NUMBER 2
TO COMMAND THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PEOPLE
W
George W. Register, of Ironton, Mo., writes: "Some of our democratic
brethren seems to be casting about for a name for local organizations for
democrats. Why not call them Democratic Primary clubs and be done with
it? That is really what they are the club where the people as their Initial
or primary act, express their views upon public questions. It would seem
to be the next step in Mr. Bryan's primary pledge plan. These local organi
zations would also form a nucleus for the education of the people and for
the distribution of educational matter. Democratic Primary club would suit
me, taking primary in its genuine sense."
Mr. Register has made a good suggestion. Why not act on it?
Primary pledges, accompanied by encouraging letters continue to reach
The Commoner office in a gratifying way. There are hundreds of thousands
of democrats who have not been enrolled. The field is a large one and in
order to cover it effectually every one who believes in this plan of organi
zation must do his part.
Don't withhold your pledg- because you always attend primaries. You
can help thework by setting a good example to your careless colleague.
Send in your own pledge. Then ask your neighbor to sign. Every demo
crat is asked to pledge himself to attend ali of the primaries of his party
to be held between now and the next democratic national convention, unless
unavoidably prevented, and to secure a clear, honest and straight-forward
declaration of the party's position on every question upon which the voters
of the party desire to speak. Those desiring to be enrolled can either write
to The Commoner approving the object of the organization and asking to
have their names entered on the roll, or they can fill out and mail the blank
pledge, which is printed on page 9.
Extracts from letters to The Com
moner follow:
Walt W. Vandiver, Coweta, I. T.
Mr. Bryan's Idea of an organization of
the people is fine. Let there be an
addition made to the pledge In which
each signer agrees to get two more
voters to sign this pledge next week,
each of these to pledge himself to get
two more for the week following. If
th'is plan is followed in four months
if there are as many pledges sent in
next week as were last week, and
each signer does a3 he pledges him
selfthere would he sixteen million
signers. Let any one make the cal
culation, starting at one thousand. I
trust that the coming three years will
serve to bring the great agricultural
west to understand and to amalga
mate the always highminded and
eminently correct south.
George W. Courtright, Wheelers
hurg, Ohio. You are doing a glorious
work, and we intend to help all we
can.
Robert Neill, Attorney, Batesville,
Ark. I enclose herein the primary
pledge, signed by myself. Our Ar
kansas democrats always attend thb
primaries, however, and do not need
muph pledging in that regard. The
Commoner's books will show that my
subscription, and one for my mother,
Mrs. D. Neill, who was then living,
were in and paid before the first
issue of the paper, and it has been
a pleasure to me to send, in several
blocks of subscriptions since. My
first vote was 'cast in 1SG0 for Bell
and Everett, as the presidential can
didates, though I would cheerfully
have voted either for Stephen A. Doug
las or John C. Breckenridge, as my
latner nau been a life-long democrat,
and a devoted adherent of Andrew
Jackson. I was somewhat like your
self, barely reconciled into support
ing Judge Parker In the late con
test. It was my supposition that he
was a believer in the single gold stand
ard, like nearly all New Yorkers, but
his record as on upright and able
jurist was good, and I presumed he
was a democrat. His silence on pub
lic questions seemed to me rather
ominous, and his gold telegram to the
St. Louis convention, evidenced to my
mind that he was not a statesman;
the idea that the present gold stand
ard of money is "irrevocably fixed"
seems to me that of a tyro statesman
ship. It now turns out from the
judge's speech at the Jefferson ban
quet in New York that ho is in sym
pathy with the plutocratic element of
the country. I will not say of the
democracy, as plutocracy and Jeffer-son-Jacksonian
democracy are anti
podes. Now it Ms not my intention
to abuse Judge Parker, who I doubt
not is an estimable gentleman, clean
in his professional and personal life,
but I am just a littlo sore at the way
some of our "leaders" allowed the
party to be sold out by Jo. Pulitzer
et al, in the late presidential con
test. Now these leaders I have in
mind are "good fellows" "real demo
crats," and able men. but wisdom will
'not die with them. With some of
them you and I served in congress,
and know them, and that their in
tentions were Rood, but the same can
scarcely be said of their judgment in
the matter in question. In my humble
opinion if the democratic party shall
ever command the confidence of the
country, it must be an aggressive
party, standing up for the traditional
tenets of the party and the rights of
the masses. Jefferson and Jackson
were both denounced in their respec
tive days as radicals, and I reckon as
anarchists. Success to The Com
moner, its editor, the new editor and
the little editors.
J. B. Brown, Wilton, Ky. I enclose
herewith primary pledge with 20 sig
natures. Among the names you will
find Henry A. Bowling, manager Wil
ton hotel: M. A. Gray, lawyer: M.
D. Vanhoose, ex-member general as
sembly of Kentucky from Lawrence
and Boyd counties; S. 'McLemore,
foreman' North Jellico Coal Co., store.
A. Jenkins M. D.; M. T. Preston,
merchant; John Engles, merchant;
I did not see all the democrts here;
all I did see approved the plan and
signed the pledge. Success to Bryan
democracy.
Thomas Marlow. Omeca. 111. PirmKo
find enclosed primary pledge. I am
one among the oldest democratic vot
ers in old Marian county, Illinois. Push
the good work when election day
comes and we'll all be there. Please
send me some blank pledges and
oblige yours for pure democracy.
I. F. King, Marshfield, Mo. Find
enclosed pledge. It seems that it is
not necessary for me to sign pledge,
but probably it will bo of some bene
fit as I am a chronic voter, having
been voting the democratic ticket all
my life since I arrived at the voting
age, except four years, while we had
10 taice mat blood and thunder oath
under the Drake constitution. It Set
me oack. I am 66 years old and have
never failed to register my vote, even
down to Parker, but that was the bit
terest pill I ever swallowed. I had
to hold my nose and hand the ticket
in on a stick about four feet long
There are about forty of my name
and relatives that are voters in this
Webster, countv. anfl timv v- tuJi
democratic ticket to a man, and with
the help of God and The Commoner,
the time is coming when I expect to
aid a democrat in the White House.
Then I could pass in my checks a
great deal better satisfied. Go on
with the god work.
E. G. Fickler, Eagle Creek, Canada.
Enclosed please find primary pledge
signed. I am away up here under the
north star, but I want to be with my
old democrat friends in this good
move in spirit if not in person. This
nlan cives every democrat a chance
to show his colors, and gives him a
voice in shaping the issues as he sees
them. This inspires hope and activ
ity in the voter and I hope that many
reformers in other parties will see
their opportunity to go on record with
us in this move for good government.
J. F. Hager, Hewitt, W. Va. I write
you today to say I am going to use my
utmost efforts to extend the circula
tion of The Commoner. Enclosed find
pledge and order for ten subscription
cards. Yours to command.
J. H. Mills, Port Townsend, Wash.
Enclosed you will find my pledge
duly signed. I am in hearty sympathy
with you in the work you are doing.
If we hope ever to be successful we
must organize. The old G. O. P. is
always organized and unless we get
our forces together we might as well
give up the fight. If you will kindly
send me a dozen pledges I will try
and find some signatures for them.
I am as ever yours for the war.
George Hoover, Chicago, 111. Had
started with a blank of my own make,
but will turn that in and circulate
yours., our crowd in tne Tmrd ward
are Bryan democrats and municipal
ownership advocates are all .believ
ers in the primary work. And we are
trying to put in nomination men whose
names we can mention to decent vot
ers and ask them for their support.
Some democracy is all right and must
be maintained. The Commoner is do
ing a great and good work. I wish
you success.
V. E. Jewell, Piggott, Ark. En
closed please find 36 democrats
pledged to support the cause you ad
vocate. D. A. Douglas, Spearfish, S. D. I
was going through your city and in
tended to have the pleasure of hand
ing .this, list of 49 names to you in
person. You being absent from the
city, I will do the next best thing and
put it in the postofflce. I got those
names in one day and could not see
them all. We have about one hundred
and they are all true blue Bryan
democrats.
0. L. Bright, Harris, Colo. Some
time ago I sent you my signed primary
pledge and today I am sending you
20 names to be enrolled. If I had a
little time I could send you 500 names.
If convenient it would be a good plan
to send each of these signers a copy
of The Commoner. I subscribed for
The Commoner before it was pub
lished and would not be without it.
Here's to your health and a long life
of usefulness.
1. H. Givler, Carthage, Mo. En
closed find list and pledges. Could
get many more. These are all neigh
bors and all favor your primary plan.
No one that I asked to sien sairl nn.
but all willingly signed the pledge.
Send some more blanks and I will
put them in other hands in our county
precinct for signatures to primary
work. Personally I think it will help
both locally and nationally in our
work as aparty.
John L. Moore, acting secretary
democratic county committee, Van
Buren, Mo. Please send me 30 pri
mary pledge blanks, as I am anxious
to have one to send to each school dis
trict In this 'county. Awaiting your
prompt reply, I am, yours for dem
racy. UL'
Linn A. E. Gale, East Pharsalia N
Y. I have read the primary plan 'and
beg to record my hearty approval
of the same. It is the duty of every
democrat to attend his party prima.
ries every year if possible and he who
does not when he might is false to
the party. I am not yet a voter, but
I am, doing all I can for the cause.
I enclose pledge signed by democrats
who are firm advocates of radical
democratic principles. The present
apathy so noticeable in the east .8
dangerous and ought to be stemmed.
In McDonough (the town I live in)
there are 108 democrats. I think, of
these, no more than 40 ever attend
the primaries. The result is a few
men who voted for Palmer and Buck
ner do the business.
R. H. Smith, Red Star, Ark. I send
you 12 names, all for Bryan and good
government. Continue the fight and
Bryan and the people will win.
M. H. Williams, secretary Demo
cratic club, Milburn, I. T. Enclosed
find primary pledge signed with eleven
other good democrats. The primary
pledge plan is heartily endorsed by
the people in all parties here. We
want to see another campaign in 1908
with live issues like we had in 1896,
something that is in the interest of
the masses of the people of the United
States.
C. R. Gardner, Georgetown, Colo.
You will find enclosed signed primary
pledge. Please send me fifty more and
I will do all I can to get them signed.
M. E. Cady, Camden, 111 Enclosed
find five nrimarv nledges who believe
if this republican form of government
is perpetuated and maintained it will
be through Jeffersonian principles n
advocated by The Commoner and en
dorsed by true democrats not of the
Cleveland make up. I voted for Gree
ley and Parker, but if I shall be per
mitted to live till 1908 and we have
the same kind of material I think I
will go fishing on election day.
T. R. Burgie, Elizabethton, Tenn.
Enclosed find primary pledges of 35
dyed in the wool democrats of this
stronghold of republicanism. We ap
prove the plan of organization and
don't want any harmony with so-called
democracy who in reality are radical
republicans, and only pretend to he
democrats, because by so doing tney
can injure the democratic party nioro
than they could if they came out ro
their true colors. .If there are any -mo
will have the decency to stop this in
famous lying and hypocrisy let tnem
do so.
J. A. Gleason, Washington, Cal.-
Enclosed find renewal of my subscrip
tion for Commoner and "Gatt ins
Gun;" also primary pledge ow
signed. It is not only a pleasure, nut
also an honor to be permitted to 30m
this great democratic family circle,
have been much interested in reading
the enthusiastic responses from pat
riotic democrats all along the line.
is virtually a "feast of reason. Jenei
son and Bryan democracy is s"
enough for me.' But under the exist
ing conditions I think we should nav
a whole lot of real old Jackson yen"
racy freely intermingled with it.
mocracy that has snap, vim and oat
bone to it. Straightforward, fearie
and outspoken. We must have dewu
racy that stands for something
that something so positive and swip
that all the people may undc rstau
its meaning. We must first sin
to get the party squarely on w
feet. Then stand it "pat" on its i o
time foundation. With taat ena
view let all get aboard w1 W
democratic life boat. Then yrita
wonderful leader, W. J. Bryan u
helm, "Pull for the Shore,' hoys
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