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8
The Commoner.
VOLUME 5, NUMBER
THE TRUE DEMOCRATIC WAY-ORGANIZE
30
IB-
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:
Work along the lines of the primary
pledge is only now beginning in the
way that promises to make it effec
tive for the party's good. Sign the
primary pledge. Circulate it among
your democratic neighbors. There
are hundreds of thousands of demo
crats 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 organization
must do his part.
Don't withhold your pledge because
you always attend primaries. You
can help the work 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 at
tend all of thq primaries of his party
to be held between now and the next
democratic national convention, un
less 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 ap
proving the object of the organiza
' tion 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 received at
The Commoner office follow:
John H. Napier, East Lynn, W. Va.
I approve of your primary pledge
plan. I can get every democrat to
sign it that I can see, and will see
all I can. My district is democratic
and we are awake to hold it demo
cratic. Will use my -best efforts for
.-ths'catise; ' """
J. S. Bridges, Ladonia, Tex. You
will find enclosed pledge signed by
me. I think this plan is a good one.
I am a democrat and have all my
life been a democrat, having always
voted the straight democratic ticket
from township officers to president,
and always expect to do so.
Isaac Brasser, Sodus We who have
subscribed our names to the primary
pledge do so with the assurance that
it is the true democratic way. Pri
maries have long been run by select
committees to choose delegates who
would do the bidding of professional
politicians. The people are supposed
to elect the nominated candidate
they should exercise the same care
in his nomination.
W. H. Johnsonbaugh, Champaign,
N. Y. Please accept my pledge. I
have been a voter since 1858 and I
have no political sin to answer for as
I have never voted the republican
ticket.
. James Sherry, Minneapolis, Minn.
I send you 41 signatures to the pri
mary pledge. Continue the fight, and
the people will win. '
Emery Petty, Jens, Kans. Find en
closed primary pledge with 21 sign
ers. They all heartily endorse the
.primary pledge plan of organization.
As I am a farmer my time is very
limited just at this time of the year,
hut I will send in some more names
later on.
L. T. Powell. Tullahnmn TVmn T
always attend the primaries and try
to encourage every one to do so but
they are discouraged here in Tennes
see. Not one-third of the people have
voted in me iwo insi presidential elec
tions. I think the primary pledge
plan a good way to bring them to
gether. I am 67 years old. I have
always voted the democratic ticket.
I am a true Jefferson democrat; I
am for the constitution, liberty and
independence.
- George M. Grantecr, Lovilia, Iowa.
Some time since I thought of tak
ing more of an active part in politics
than I have heretofore, and about that
time I saw the primary pledge plan,
and it struck me as "just the thing."
You will find the pledge herewith,
signed.
:I. P. King, Marshfield, Mo. You
will find enclosed primary pledge
with 35 names, the result of one
hour's work. All democrats seem
janxious to sign it. You have struck
th6 keynote, and it will be of great
help to the party. I think I could
use several copies of The Commoner
to good advantage. There is noth
ing that I can do to help the party
that I ever let go undone.
J. P. Williams, Dent. Mo. Enclosed
you will find pledges from some pure
democrats that never scratch a tick
et. We think your plan is a good
way to organize the democratic
party.
E. B. Cook, Cambridge, 111. I think
your proposition a good one. "Pri
mary pledge" should be the counter
sign from this time on until corrup
tion is wiped out. The G. Cleveland
trick came nigh beaching the old Jef
ferson ship of state. We vote Bowen
is right, and Morton et al are tainted.
Maurice" McElhaney, Freestone, O.
I am sending a list of 24 good,
true democrats who have' willimrlv
'signed the pledge. All of them think
your plan a good one.
L. M. Gaskill, Rochester, Minn.
I send you my primary pledge and
three others of democrats good and
true. I cast my first vote for Abra
ham Lincoln. During the last 'third
of a century a large percetage of
thd voters of the country have be
come politically debauched. But
there are signs of an awakening of
the public conscience which eives en-
couragement and hope of the future.
Although the writing Is on the wall,
the powers in control of the govern
ment seem blind to the signs which
portend the arousing of the people,
and are voicing through the presi
dent's cabinet the denial of the right
of trial by jury, the palladium of lib
erty, to persons accused of crime in
our subjugated provinces. They de
mand the loading down of the seas
with our war ships at a cost of a bil
lion dollars, and the expenditure of
three billion dollars each decade
thereafter, a sum greater by one-half
than our national debt at the close
of the Civil war, which is not half
paid yet. And why all this expense?
That the representatives of the gov
ernment founded by Washington and
Jefferson, and preserved by Lincoln
may swagger through the world with
a big stick. The organs of the pluto
crats who expect to draw the inter
est on the bonds to be issued in car
rying out this scheme are beginning
to demand something more precious
than gold as a standard of value to
counteract the "feverish prosperity"
caused by the providential Increase in
the production of gold since 1896,
which has partially cured the evils
caused by the throwing away of sil
ver as a standard money metal. Such
is tne vision of the future which the
plutocrats and imperialists present to
tne view or the American people.
Shall it be said or us, "Whom the
gods would destroy they first make
mad?"
B. T. Williams, FInley, I. T. Find
enclosed primary pledge with sixteen
names. I think the primary pledge
a good plan for the party to work
under.
John Brown. Shindlar. S. TV t o
determined to do all in my power to
help in the organization of the dem
ocratic party. If all the papers pub
lished in this nation would tell the
unvarnished truth for six months
graft and rascality would disappear. W. M. Sheets, Lansing, Mich. Fin i
Give us more papers like The Com
moner.
T. J. Dunbar, Portsmouth, O. En
closed please find 70 more signatures
to the. primary pledge.
G. S. Allen, Ashland City, Tenn.
I send you list of names who have
signedjthe pledge. Sixty-seven of this
list and 2G on my first list, make 93
in all.
H. L. Taylor, Newdale, W. Va. I
commenced studying democracy at the
age of 16, and am studying yet. The
older I get the sweeter the theme.- I
cast my first vote for Geo. B. Mc
Clellan; stayed at home in the Gree
ley campaign. Now, I feel safe to
say if the primary plan is carried out
as begun the victory will be ours in
1908. God bless The Commoner in
its good work.
I. W. Harrison, Marshalltown, Iowa.
Please send me a primary pledge
blank. I wish to sign before I pass
to the unknown. I am in my ninety
third year and a Jefferson, Jackson
and Bryan democrat. I have taken
The1 Commoner from the first, I read
it and then give to a republican or a
weak democrat, and hope to continue
the same.
W. H. Bollmann, Steelville, 111. I
am in favor of the nrimarv nledtre
plan.
Wm. T. White, .Franklin, . Ind. I
send primary pledge with 35 signa
tures. ,. Joel Ayers, Pinnacle N. C En
closed find primary pledge with 35
signatures.
Thomas R. Machem, Wilmington,
Del. I enclose herewith my primary
pledge. I have attended the party pri
mary ever since I became of voting
aee.' I heliava tinronte oVinnlrl iannU
their sons that it is their duty to
their party and to t'eir country to
attend narf.V nrimnrloa rnha vnnnn.
men should be looked after and or-
sumzeu. i Deneve tnat the campaign
i-uuu buuuiu come irom tne rank and
file for that is the only way that the
party can be kept clear from en
tangling alliances with corporations.
When the next campaign opens let
every Commoner reader pledge him
self to give one dollar ($1.00) toward
the legitimate expenses of the cam
paignit is the people's campaign and
they should pay the expenses if they
expect to come to their own.
Gust Klingenstein, president United
German American Democratic club,
Jersey City, N. J. Enclosed please
find a list of members of our German
American Democratic club, which
have signed the primary pledge; the
215 members are all in favor of this
ieSand I wil1 send you about ten
additional lists as soon as my time
permits, to have them signed. It is
soon time that real democracy dic
tates at the primaries, and that we
get rid of so-called democrats as Hill
Belmont, Cleveland etc.
C. W. Dnotnr TTnxrni Tirri tr
9 J 111 CT VV I K " T til 1 T
organization plan is certainly O. K.
Enclosed you will find the primary
Pledge duly signed.
Samuel A. Cary, Cloyd's Landing,
Ky. Enclosed find list of. names of
peerless democrats signed to the pri
mary pledge. It does me good to co
?? a move like this which
tends to purify politics. The pluto
cratic element of the party was found
wanting last fall and the party will
not allow a repetition in 1908.
W. McCarter, Lake View, Iowa.
Enciosea find primary pledge, have
and do not have much time to run
evTl'can? am WilHng t0 do
enclosed primary ninrip-o !.',
signed by myself. 1,iuvwiy
W. T. Patton, Monitor, W. Va-T
enclose you primary pledge of twenty
names. I could get many more
signers if I had some leisure time I
wish every voter could read and study
The Commoner carefully. I have no
doubt it Tvould make a great chance
for the better.
Emile C. Geneux, Jeanerette, La.
I am in favor the primary pledge be
tween now and the next democratic
national convention; but if the na
tional convention of 1908 does no bet
ter than the national democratic con
vention of 1904 I will again turn my
coat and support an honest candidate
of another party. For me to support
the national democratic ticket "the
principles of 1896 must again be our
motto in 1908," and why? We aro
told that the country is prosperous,
that the amount of deposits in banks
is larger than ever before. The mon
ey deposited in banks is not in cir
culation, it requires a promise to pay
"compound interest" to have that
money put into circulation. This is
a drawback which falls on the indus
trial farmers and laborers. With the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
and gold, we would have less interest
to pay to the banks, money would
be easier obtained and our prosperity
would be 600 per cent larger to the
entire nation than what it is today.
Those who are now benefited by the
gold standard policy are the bankers,
the trusts, corporations and the poli
ticians who are well paid by the
above named ' beneficiaries "to keep
the people fooled by inducing them to
retain the most tyrannical financial
policy which was ever devised. I send
you my pledge, not as a partisan, but
as a man of true democratic princi
ples. S. E. Ely, Vandalia, Mo. Enclosed
find my primary pledge. Not that
it will change me through life in at
tending to my duties at the primaries
and general elections, voting the true
Jeffersonian democratic ticket.
W. J. Williams, Kans.s City, Kan.
Find three primary pledges. We de
sire our names to be enrolled for we
believe that the democratic party
should be the radical party, and
should champion radical principles of
reform, of which the country seems
to stand so much in need. We hope
that you5 will continue to wage war.
W. T. LeCompte, Pierce City, Mo.
Find enclosed primary pledge signed.
Your plan is a good one and the peo
ple of Missouri are with you. They
are .strong believers in the Pcie
advocated by The Commoner. They
- -rtrnnf nnv TnrtVO VfmllbllCan PlM
forms for the democratic party; neith
er do they want any more gom w
grams. The- last platform and tne
candidate knocked all the vim out ot
us. Give us a good platform and a
good ticket, and old Missouri will re
deem herself.
C. L. Bates, Greenfield, Tenn.--I
also enclose pledge as I heartily eu
dorse your efforts to reorganize u
democratic party, -on true demociouj
lines and think that at the primary
is the place for all democrats to.
in their best efforts for the redemp
tion of the party from the contioi
the plutocratic element.
-, Tr.,.nlnv Md. 'i
ueorge w. jxoss, w; Jtll
will sign the pledge au: enclose
same, a clipping of our cum , -
we are m a ntue ieuu ---- tl0
but will mostly be in line , when
presidential time come. - 0
democrat in the White House ns
IS1 "
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