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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1905)
(PWWW '.HHIUMJr" I The Commonere WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR 5 4 Vol. 5. No. 46 Lincoln, Nebraska, December 1, 1905 Whole Number 254 CONTENTS Facts to bk Fobgotteit - Have Thicy Been Punished? Respect the Judiciary Whitney Denied "A Squaee Deal" Great in Waii, Great in Lovjs A Good Example "Very Far From Dead" "Potent Promoters" A New York Life Certificate Home Department Comment on Current Topics The Primary Pledge News of the Week A GOOD EXAMPLE The Minneapolis club, the chief business men's club of Minneapolis, has just set an ex ample of law observance that should be followed by similar organizations. Recently Mayor Jones decided to "shut down the lid" as the sayjng goes, and as a result Minneapolis has been "dry" for several Sundays in succession. As an incor porated club the Minneapolis club could keep its buffet open on Sunday, but at a meeting of the directors it was decided to set an example, and as a result the Minneapolis club is as "dry" on Sunday as the ret of the city. The club's action takes from the opponents of Sunday observance one of their chief argu ments. "The saloon is the poor man's club," they exclaim. "You close the poor man's club on Sunday, but you let the rich man's club re main wide open." But in Minneapolis the "rich man's club" is also closed. The action of the managers of the Minneapolis club is worthy of commendation. JJJ GRAFT IN LITTLE THINGS Graft is not to be measured by size alone. Tiie little grafter is just as bad in his way as the big grafter -who accumulates his thousands and hundreds of thousands in a manner that will not bear scrutiny. If graft 'is to be abolished the work of abolition must permeate' all branches of society, for graft is worse than the dandelion, or Imrcock, or cockleburr root. An eastern physician writes that he has been offered a commission by the proprietor of a 'health resort" on every patron sent. That is graft. A New York physician was offered a commis sion of 10 per cent on all business sent to a crematory firm. At first thought this might seem like a Jegitimate offer, but when one considers the status of the family physician it takes on the enrmarks of a very contemptible bit of graft. Traveling men know full well that a small "present" will often influence a department buy er to favor a certain line of goods, but it is grati fying to know that the traveling salesmen are be-inning to fight that sort of thing. But the buver who engages in it is guilty of a very con temptible graft. Tn our eagerness to abolish graft in high places we should not overlook the "little graft ing" that abounds on every side. Every species of Kraft must be put under the ban if the national character is to bo cleansed and given a chance to lniDrove. . -- '" '"' ' T" ""' M' """" " " "" "" ' I Mil. "IMI , - '. : i -- NOW WILL THEY BE ADMITTED? PACTS TO BE FORGOTTEN If we accept the theory of some of our re publican friends, the political party to which they belong can do no wrong. According to their theory that party is not to be held responsible for the sins of commission or of omission in its name and under its authority. It was in the name and for the use and bene fit of the republican party that "a hurry up call" was" made, during the" closing hours. of ithe cam pain of 1890, for a boodle fund .of $5,000,000. That call was responded to. The men who , gave it posed as "defenders of national honor; but. as we have learned in the recent exposures before the New York insurance committee, they had small concern for their own honor when they took other people's money for the enrichment of the republican campaign fund. The men whose frauds have recently been exposed were, during the campaign of 1896, re ferred to by republican newspapers as models of good citizens, as "representatives of the busi ness interests of the country," and as men whose advice should be followed by patriotic citizens. The American people know today that but for the frauds and embezzlements committed by those men republican victory would have been impossible. Yet republican newspapers finding it impossible to conceal or apologize for the wrongdoing on the part of their patron saints, expect the people to overlook the very important facts that many of these embezzlements were made for the benefit of the republican party; and that they were made with at least the im plied understanding that republican victory meant a reign of frenzied financiering, an era of trust building, new opportunities for plunder by so- called captains of industry, and Immunity to those who were willing to commit crime under the guise of ."business enterprise." In the name of the republican party the ma chine, against which the good people of Phila delphia -and Pennsylvania generally battled, waged war against public interests. In Ohio tho machine against which the people of that 3tate revolted was, admittedly, the official representa tive of the republican party. But now some re publican newspapers 'and leaders, insisting yet i that their party is the "God and morality" or ganization, point to the overthrow of their party in Ohio and Pennsylvania as victories for right eousness, expecting the people to forgot the part J)orne by the republican party and its representa tives in those great contests. Some republican newspapers and leaders point to the contest for railroad regulation as a battle for the people's rights. They admit that the corporation lobby is using disreputable meth ods to prevent the people from obtaining relief, yet while all the time insisting that their party Is "the people's party" they expect the people to forget tLat railroad regulation failed at the last session of congress because of the republican senate's subserviency to corporate Interests; and they hope that the people will overlook the facta that if railroad regulation fails at the coming sea- sion the failure will be because the republican senate is wedded to Its corporation idols and that the people have nothing to expect at the hands of that republican body. Boasting that the republican party may be depended upon to provide a business administra tion of public affairs, these republican editors expect the people to overlook the gross extrava gance, the private snaps, the embezzlements and i i jmMMfcHLilfc'li' Il1i.fil tiTliWWmrrfTIMffc , .141 t-Jtrt .- Jiiii - -4-' v, . C-tt . jfcAm-jji , jgtft ,Vn ,'nJfcwfcig fK.