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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
Vol. 5. No. 45
Lincoln, Nebraska, November 24, 1905
Whole Number 253
CONTENTS
Roosevelt akd Whitney
Pkosperity in East and West
Me. Bbyan in Japan
"I Have Kept the Faith"
"Freight's" Petition
How CouiiD It be Otherwise?
Where "The Thing" Will End
Irving's "Eonely Heart"
A Senator's Duty
Home Department
Comment on Current Topics
TnE Primary Pledge
News oe the Week
IN MISSOURI
Mr. Vandiver, . Missouri's superintendent
of insurance,- has done well in suspend
ing the New York Life Insurance com
pany's privileges in Missouri until the $148,000
paid to the republican national committee and the
enormous sums paid to Lobbyist Hamilton -aro
relumed to the treasury. Mr. Vandiver has been
criticised in some quarters, and some well mean
ing men have expressed the opinion that Mis
souri's superintendent of insurance is moving
a bit rapidly. But is it not about time that some
one in authority moved rapidly?
Referring Jo the disclosures before the in
surance committee, the New York World says:
"Day after day this testimony adds to the rec
ord of crime confessed, lawbreaking admitted,
theft condoned. Sanctimony and hypocrisy cloak
forgery, perjury and larceny."
But in spite of these facts, no one has been
called to account before the criminal courts, and
no one in authority seems to accept seriously the
suggestion that these rich rascals should be treat
ed exactly as the poor rascal is treated. ' It would
be well if every superintendent of insurance in
the union followed Mr. Vandiver's good example,
and then it would be well if District Attorney Je
rome would justify the great compliment paid
him in the recent elections, by a relentless prose
cution of the insurance rogues.
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A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
The Kansas City Journal utters a timely
warning to the people when it declares that the
cry "it is easy to overthrow the political
bosses" is calculated to lull the people into a
false sense of security. It is true that the people
can overthrow the bosses when they decide to
do so, but there is danger, unless the people are
ever on the watch, that they will become careless
and neglectful and rely on their dormant power
instead of profiting by their active power.
But it i3 the experience of the always watch
full minority that it is extremely difficult to arouse
the sluggish majority to action. Relying upon
their ability to dethrone the bosses the majority
gives no heed until after the bosses have bul
warked themselves in every known way.
The result is that the fight for emancipation
from bos3 rule is always a bitter one. If boss
rule were prevented in the first place, or not
allowed to return after being once driven out,
greater reforms could be wrought with less effort
than is now required. The moral of the recent
elections is not that "we can overthrow the
Dosses at any time." It is that bosses should not
he tolerated in the first place.
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A BAD SET-BACK
ROOSEVELT AND WHITNEY
Henry M. Whitney, president of the Boston
Chamber of Commerce and late democratic candi
date for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts,
said that when in company with other members
of a chamber of commerce committee he called on
President Roosevelt, the president expressed
himself as favorable to the fullest possible free
dom of trade with Canada. In an address de
livered November 15 to Governor Douglas and
other boot and shoe manufacturers of Massa
chusetts who called to urge the president to favor
the repeal of the duty on hides, Mr. Roosevelt
referred to Mr. Whitney's statement. Mr. Roose
velt charged Mr. Whitney with misquoting the
words he used and suppressing almost -all that
he had used, adding that Mr. Whitney had de
liberately misrepresented what had occurred. Mr.
Whitney replies to the president's statement,
saying that he understood the president to ex
press himself as not unfavorable to the Hay-Bond
treaty, "but desirous of seeing and favoring also
the fullest possible freedom of trade with Can
ada" Mr. Whitney says that he was not aware
that this communication was to be regarded
as confidential because his committee had been
sent to consult with the president and report the
result of that conference to the full committee
which was equivalent to giving It to the public.
Mr. Whitney indignantly denies that he was
guilty of any willful and intentional misrepre
sentation. Mr." Whitney also presents the state
ments of Messrs. Hall and Webster, who accom
panied him to the White House. Both
gentlemen say that their recollection accords
with that of Mr. Whitney; that is, they remember
the president did make the statement quoted by
Mr. Whitney and that they did not understand
that It was a confidential interview.
Mr. Whitney has made a manly, dignified
statement. It Is Inconceivable that a man of
Mr. Whitney's Intelligence would deliberately
misquote the president of the United Statc3,
nor does it seem likely that he would havo
made Mr. Roosevelt's views public had he known
that such publicity would displease the president.
This Is so because as an Intelligent man Mr.
Whitney must have known that he would subject
himself to a rebuke at the hands of the president
and the prestige of the president of the United
States is so great that a publlcvreprimand places
the victim in a very unhappy position.
Many people who have found much to adrnlro
In Mr. Roosevelt have regretted his bad habit
of issuing public reprimands couched int cruel
words, just a- they have regretted that he has
on several occasions issued certificates of char
acter to wholly undeserving men. Mr. Roose
velt's bitter rebukes to former Minister Bowon
have sent that gentleman Into an undeserved ex
ile. In every public position he held Mr. Bowen
served his country faithfully and well, and yet
today so far as the general public Is concerned
he rests under a cloud, all because he was need
lessly and cruelly rebuked by the president, and
all In spite of the fact that his public services
entitle him to honor and respect.
If the president did not say exactly what
Mr. Whitney quoted him as saying, Mr. Roosevelt
might have set himself right without undertak
ing to do what Mr. Whitney regards, and what,
we believe, the majority of men who have read
his manly statement will regard, as a palpable
injustice to a well meaning gentleman.