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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1905)
nTrmvr'WV-"' m lHgm W WiFPWjWfWPP WWPWWWpWMiHWH m "TrzTf ' 2 dentiul campaign o 1896 wero conspicuous in their efforts to see that tho people remained free from "hysteria and rancor;" they saw to It that, tho republican party, with tho aid of campaign funds stolon from democratic policy holders, as well as from republican policy holders, achieved a victory that, as was then claimed, was to be a victory for truth and righteousness, but, as is now known, was a victory for falsehood and dishonor. Tho people are so far removed from "hys teria and rancor" that, although it has been shown before tho insurance committee that even tho presont republican administration, as well as its predecessors, was placed in power through tho aid of campaign funds stolen from the policy holders, no serious demand has been made that tho republican party restore to the policyholders those ill-gotten gains. Even in the face of the disclosures that the republican party has profited by these thefts, republican statesmen pretend to bo anxious to devise a plan whereby such contributions shall, for the future, bo made impossible, expecting the people to forget tho part their party played in tho absorption of those funds. And the American people are so far removed from "hysteria and rancor" that newspapers seriously discuss the pretended efforts of these republican statesmen to give reforms along this line, while there is hardly a mention of the disreputable part played by republican party leadors, and even by a mem ber of the president's cabinet in tho misappro priation of these trusts funds. Men are not necessarily "hysterical" when they grow earnest in demanding reform. Men do not necessarily 'display "rancor" simply be cause they insist that when tne roguery of a United States senator or an insurance magnate has been exposed the guilty man be treated even as the common rogue is treated. The last person in the world to intimate that there is a disposition on the part of the American people toward "hysteria and rancor" should bo of a party that has shown utter disregard for the public welfare, servile devo tion to special interests and complete indiffer ence to the simple rules of common honesty. Rather than warnings against "hysteria and rancor on the part of those who have real con Si i ? D,ubllc welfarG' men who assume to teach and to lead, owe it to themselves and to their country to plead that the people show greater zeal in the protection of their interests and that they arouse themselves to greater earn estness in the effort to see to it that the wel fare of eighty million people is not iffljded' Thl speople owe li t0 themselves to defeat the machinations of a coterie of men whose wicked purposes differ from the wicked purposes of the highwayman on7y insofar that where one steals pennies the other steals thou sands; only insofar that where one retains his freedom by evading the courts and dodging the officers of the law, the -other retains his free- JJJ. . - "FOLLOWING ROOSEVELT" It is absurd for men to say that ih ,ia sratic party has abdicated, simply because SSS" sentatives of that party give their mmnn?fPf democratic principles and I Lmocratfo Pnni,nint0 even when those princinles nmi nSft policios' yocated by dlsUniffiSp8 , has long since gone by whe aiitSmen or no Si opposes those princlpresreTersJaded TS& ess sKaS1 least since 1896 demowaVn questIon- At cratic editors hav? Reached teen ,a demo railroad rate legislation ? ?f tl G acivi f by President Roosevett am! n?fnow reached been as resolutely statesmen and bypubffi 'odltor? republican The democratic partv standi , , defined principles and it V? f01 c,ertain well . ' converted to the ? demonP?M i he. onl)oaltin are The Commoner. velt's public policies today, it Is only insofar as he has embraced democratic doctrine. Men who approve of his clear statements with respect to railroad legislation have nothing but pity for his evasions with respect to the tariff question. Men who approve of th,o earnestness with which he insists upon the prosecution of the beef trust conspirators have no respect for tho readi ness with which he throws the protecting arm of his administration around the powerful Paul Mor tons who violate the law. Men who approve of his high-sounding essays with respect to tho evils of corporation contribu tions to campaign funds remember the advantages obtained by his own administration through cor poration contributions and recognize the fact that lie has not suggested adequate remedies for the evil, nor has he called upon his own party to "put it back." Men who approve of his declamations against special privileged and in favor of popular govern ment generally, have no sympathy with his hint that the already too highly favored banking sys tem shall be favored, beyond all reason with the privilege of an asset currency. Men who applaud hi Assertions that he is in favor of policies that will result in the greatest good to the greatest number have no sympathy with his indorsement of the ship subsidy scheme. It is safe to say that whenever and wherever Mr. Roosevelt shall adopt democratic policies, em brace democratic principles and move in behalf of tho public welfare along democratic lines, he will have the cordial support of democrats generally. But it is an insult to the Intelligence of the Ameri can people to say that when representatives of a great political party act on these lines they act to the detriment ofnhe prestige of their political or ganization. Democrats follow Mr. Roosevelt only so far as be hews to the line of public interests; and if any one shall say that we are not justified in de claring that Mr. Roosevelt hews to the line of public interests only so far as he adopts demo cratic policies, then wo invite attention to tho fact that Mr. Roosevelt has increased his popu larity among the people only as he has advanced along the pathway which has been blazed by the democratic party. In other words, democrats follow ' Mr. Roosevelt only as Mr. Roosevelt fol lows democracy. JJJ MR. WATTE RSON'S STORY Henry Watterson, visiting at the national cap ital, was asked by a newspaper reporter for his' opinion on the railroad rate question. According to Walter Wellman in tho Chicago Record-Herald, Mr. Watterson replied by relating the following story: "Once a Spanish premier was appealed to by a mob of workmen. The men imagined they were being ill treated, and they surrounded the house of the premier, demanding that he speak to them. Finally the premier raised a window and. thrust ing out his head, asked: " 'Whit do you folks want?' and the answer came, in chorus: " 'We demand our rights.' "1 grant them to you responded-the premier, rernuffi2 i? mef .dj8peP8ed. and that was the end of their discontent. ., "It.J? m,UCh the 6amo wdv iUl the people on this railroad question. On :the whole I think the country is doing fairly well." A very pretty story, indeed! w ,ut Iff V nossIble that so able a man as Henry Watterson is known to b attaches no more im portance to the evils of tfhlch the American peo ple now complain, and places no higher estimate Up4?. ihe intelIgencwe of that PeoP1 than one might imagine from bis very Interesting tale? Unless wo have woefully mistaken the intelli gence aa well as the temper of the American peo ple, they will require In their present-day de mands for bread something more nutritious than stone. ' JJJ i DIRECTOR AND SENATOR ' In a newspaper interview Senator Depew sava that the rumor that he contemplates resigning from the United States senate is "absurd? Yet Mr Depew has .resigned his position as a director in the Equitable Life Assurance society recior It is generally understood, that Mr. Denew lino severed his official connection with the , BqSuabte because of recent disclosures. How does it hn f TJf Wh,le ihese "sclosures hive been S&. cient t6 cause Mr. Depew's retirement from in official position in the Equitable ?t Is "Surd" SysKeSSt that hG rete & Does it not occur to thoughtful men that VOLUME 5, NfMBERa what the magazine known as "PuIih, rt , calls tho "literature of exposure" hi ,?lnloa" far enough, when a man who; because T g,no exposures, hangs his head in ahamS h, n Certaln ence of a commercial body lwafe, Pros' and defiantly in the councils of me nl o,,,rli(lly represent a free and intelligent ploio? Un,Pd to JJJ - NO RETREAT If one were to judge by the tone of paper comment generally Preview n exvs achieved wonders in the SnsSucion of wVe,t tion j0f his message dealing $$?$&$?& papet that' portion of the message. Tl ese n hi K'T say that, the president handled the llul y and fearlessly, und maintained h te JoaUim S8 on whIch S2K legislation, speak in glowing terns of the S dent's recommendations on this line. Thov anv he is not at all radical, but rather is so con erS tive that it is now plain there will be no dim- fi m the i'enublicau congress passing a bill that will meet with the president's approval Even Senator Elkins says he has been'sur prised at the president's conservatism. And Senator Elkins seems, also, to be in a jolly mood. Call the president's references to the rail road question radical or conservative as you please; he plainly declared himself to be in favor of railroad legislation on the lines laid down in democratic platforms. He plainly declared for a policy against which the Elkins, the Forakers and the entire railroad contingent have repeated ly protested. Every one knows that if in the legis lation to follow the president's recommendations Senator Elkins and the railroad contingent are pleased, the president will be displeased unless he shall have made a conspicuous retreat in his boasted campaign In the people's behalf. We are told by Walter Wellman, Washington correspondent for the Chicago Record-Herald that the republican leaders "feel that they can fix up the railroad rate question without having a big row within the party, and without setting the administration at loggerheads with the ;nen who have been its chief supporters in the halls of congress." Mr. Wellman adds: "Curiously enough, the senate leaders, almost to a man, believe that the president will accept what they have to offer him. They think he is in a con ciliatory mood and prepared to 'take writ ho can get.'" The president has something more important at stake than the conciliation of republican sen ators who are more interested in advancing the selfish interests, of corporations than in promot ing the public -welfare. He has gone too far to retreat. .The popularity he now enjoys is based largely on the public confidence in the sincerity of his- professions. For the best interests of popular, government it would be better that there be no railroad legislation whatever than that the president of the United States, having gone so far in an important reform as Mr. Roosevelt has gpne, should prove himself a "weakling" in the presence' of corporation lobbyists, even though they act in the guise of United States senators. JJJ MANNING AND CARLISLE Speaking- of the importance of the office of the secretary of the treasury, the St. Louis Globe Democrat makes Interesting reference to the part played by various ministers of finance, 'Among-other things the Globe Democrat says: Daniel Manning of the treasury, during his service in the first Cleveland administra tion had a more important task than fell to the Ijead of the state department, Bayard, while Mr. Carlisle, in Cleveland's second ad ministration, when gold was being drawn out of the treasury faster by the greenbacks' endless chain than it was drawn in by the bond sales, had a job which, in the comparison, made most of the labors of Hercules look light. But if memory is not at fault, Daniel iAIann ing adopted a more simple method of dealing with that endless chain than Mr. Carlisle did. Mr Carlisle yielded to tho demands of the gold barons, giving them the option. Daniel Manning notiiiea them-that if they undertook" a gold raid on tne treasury the .government would exercise its op tion of paying in silver or gold, according to us convenience. wm . : -V ju . t -f, - A,"S frA -A. -- j.-M.-iH.aiinrM.tsriyte. if Mttiitnunfinij i ' -"' - 1 -rmr MUfri VtUn-ii