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JUNE 2?; 19.08.
The Commoner.
Editorials by Commoner Readers
John T. Campbell, Rockville, Ind.
It may seem strange that a radical
political partisan on being disap
pointed by the conservatism of his
own party should go square over to
the opposite party. Sometimes that
is the best and only thing to do. To
explain: I was an abolitionist before
I was a voter. I was a republican
when Fremont was nominated for
president. I was a soldier in the Union
army. I believed in the radical re
construction measures not at first,
but I, like many others, grew up to it.
I believed that those amendments to
the constitution were proper under
the circumstances. I believe now they
should be enforced that is, I believe
VJae southern representation should be
reduced, because of the disfranchise
ment of the negro vote. The republi
can party in the last presidential
campaign declared for such reduction.
They won with that plank in plain
view. They have the requisite ma
jority to enforce the reduction. They
are not going to reduce it. Crum
packer of Indiana, and Keifer of Ohio,
are the only men in Congress who are
working in good earnest to accomplish
that end, and their efforts will be
smothered by republican congress
men. The republican party can not
build up an available party in the
south. The southern voters, what Is
left of ,Uiem after' disfranchisement,
will accept nothing but an uncon
ditional -surrender' of everything that
was in issue with republicans in 1904.
Since the party that made the four
teenth amendment declines to enforce
it and deliberately makes it a dead, let
ter, why should a radical continue to
hurrah, work for and vote ssTDi a
party that practically says such -radical
was wrong? That is the impli
cation and there can be no other. If
we were wrong why should one still
encumber the Held? If we were wrong
the other party was right. If they
were right why not put them to the
front? Why pension1 the soldiers who
fought on the side now abandoned as
wrong? The republican platform of
Indiana almost labels itself "stand
pat." Don't move, lest something
shall drop off. I would rather ride a
horse going the wrong way than sit
astride, a dead horse in the road. If
the democrats will declare for a
repeal of the fourteenth amendment
I shall work and vote with them. If
the next republican candidate for
president shall be defeated by the
thirty electors based on a disfran
chised vote I shall not grieve.
Samuel H. Lapp, St. Vincent, Minn.
I see in the Minneapolis Journal a
Washington special, to the Chicago
Tribune -which says that President
Roosevelt has made a speech attack
ing magazine writers for exposing the
rottenness of high public officials.
(Note the high)'. I suppose if it wore
low public officials they would have
to take their medicine like the rest
of us low scoundrels. I am a low,
very obscure, ignorant farmer and it
seems to me that if those high public
officials are attacked unjustly they
have the courts to go to for redress.
"Upton Sinclair, the author of the book
entitled "The Jungle," Is especially
singled out to "be chastised. The puD-
usners of that book are responsible
men and the high public officials could
easily have those men arrested for
libel. Why do they not ao it?
According to this special to the Chi
cago Tribune the president says tlmt
this class of writers has done a great
harm to the country (I, for one, fall
to see where the harm comes in), and
they are liable to prosecution for
treason and ought to be compelled to
stop their mud throwing and "make
good." Certainly they should. But
the high public officials do not seem
to care to bring them into court. They
seem to want to make them stop by
scolding them. As for "making good,"
it is very hard for the common people
to get evidence against high public
officials. For instance, when men con
template committing a crime they do
not advertise in the daily papers for
witnesses. The government, it seems,
could not get evidence against tlio
packers without promising immunity.
This special to the Chicago Tribune
further says that the president says
in his speech that, in his opinion, the
throwing of mud at public officials
without proper proof is degrading to
the community and tends to lower
the ideals of public men because if
they think they are accused of dis
honesty, no matter what they do, they
will not have the same motive for
living up to the best ideals. Strange
reasoning, for honest men, Is it not?
God help the poor public officials! We
did not do it. Oh, no; but if you keep
on saying we did, we will. One would
think, according to the scolding that
is to come, that these officials are
men who could not be turned from the
straight path by all the powers of the
universe.
May the Lord protect "Upton Sin
clair and his associates in this great
crime of exposure from the wratn of
the mighty, is my prayer. If
it had not been for men like
Upton Sinclair (call them kickers
if you will): If it had not been
for the kickers the barons would never
have forced King John to sign the
Great Charter. If it had not been for
the kickers, the head would never
have come off the tyrant cnarles the
First. If it had not been for the'
kickers, our fathers (God bless them),
this nation would never have been
born and we poor common people
would not be, basking in the light
tnat snmes irom our poor wronged
high public officials. Men do not seem
to change very much as tne centuries
go by. Two thousand years ago the
Son of Mary spoke his mma about
the high public officials and money
changers of the time and they cruel
fled him; though the common people,
we are told, beard him gladly. The
common people of today read about
Upton Sinclair's book, "The Jungle,"
gladly. This speech of President
Roosevelt's will be read throughout
the world, we are told by this Wash
ington special. No doubt it will.
We read of an affair which
took place in the streets of
Berlin a few years ago. A pri
vate citizen jostled a soldier in the
street and the soldier drew his sword
and ran the citizen through. The high
officials of Germany said that it was
the proper thing to do. No doubt they
will read President Roosevelt's speech
with much pleasure. God help the
people of this republic if they must
not criticise the high public officials.
BETTER THAN SPANKING
irFitn,,rvK docfl not euro children of lol wottin.
it! rr. rt U.oro ould- bqjew children that would do
if 9i,! ,R lin8tltnfipnl cause for thlF. Mrs.
",'. Bx 118, Hotro Damn, Inrt.. will bond
you ln,tMVr,t0,10r,0(lny 1 jour' children trouble
banc p J1.8 W,ny . Don l bBD, Ul chA J "
""man. iicnti'tbolplt.
the Omaha World'fymW
ABLY EDITED. NEWSY. DEMOCRATIC.
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Convincing Evidence
"What makes you think that Marc
is inhabited?"
"My correspondence with the edi
tor of the magazine I wrote for,"
answered the" professor. "He says
that is the only view which has any
popular interest." Washington Star. OCOCOCOCOCOOCXXCOCO
15
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