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AUGUST 31, 10
The Commoner.
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THE PRIMARY PLEDGE
FROM THE PEOPLE
SPECIAL OFFER
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As thla copy of The Commoner may be read
by some one not familiar with the details of the
primary pledge plan, it is necessary to say that
according to the terms of this plan every demo
crat is ashed to pledge himself to attend all of
the primaries of his party to be held between
now and the next democratic national convention,
unless unavoidably proyented, 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 approving 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 14.
Extracts from letters received at The Com
moner office follow:
G. L. Babcock, South New Berlin, N. Y.
Inclosed find primary pledge with twelve signa
tures. William P. O'Rourke, Newark, N. J. I take
pleasure in handing you herein primary pledge
with twenty-five signatures.
John Moran, XJnityville, Pa. Enclosed please
find primary pledge with signatures of thirty-five
loyal democrats.
W. C. Broan, Cotter, Ark. Enclose find list
of thirty-seven signers to the primary pledge.
Joseph Martin, Camden, Ohio. Please find
seventy names signed to the primary pledge, prom
ising to attend all primaries of the democratic
party. I expect to do all I can for the good work.
Please send me more blanks.
Linn A. E. Gale, .East Pharsalia, N. Y. En
closed find several primary pledges which I have
secured from loyal democrats. I will send more
as soon as I can for I consider it a- very impor
tant part of the work for reform. A full repre
sentation in the democratic primaries would' soon
rid the party of the domination of men whose
only motive is greed.
Henry G. Clayton, Waynesburg, Pa, En
closed find primary pledge sheet, signed by 35
democrats ; " the plan is a good one, and will, I be
lieve, be the means of arousing a lively Interest
among the voters of the country that will tell at
all future elections. Please forward other blank
pledges; also sample copies of The Commoner.
Edward Callaghan, Charleroi, Pa. I never
realized the Importance so forcibly or so clearly
of the attendance of voters at the primary elec
tion as I did at our last election for delegates
to the county convention. And I do now sign the
primary pledge and hope that all the voters will
vote all the time because all the voters will be
right sometimes, although I voted for Parker,
yet I have been sore at Bryan for taking the
stump for the ticket. And just think of it! The
Pennsylvania democracy, instead of giving Bryan
the "skidoo," endorses him, and rocks the boat
for Emery. I am going to vote for Emery, be
cause I know him to be a good clean republican.
I take back all the harsh things I said against
Bryan.
P. Stuart Byrne,1 Marquette, Mich. Here is
my primary pledge and it is no empty promise
either; have attended every one I could for the
past thirteen years. Right fn this neck of the
woods democrats at the present time are as
scarce as hen's teeth, as you may know when I
tell you that at a primary held a month ago mine
was the only democratic vote cast in a precinct
where the voting strength all told Is 363. But
T am one of those kind of democrats who believe
in striving for a principle even if it is unfash
iopable. But wait till 1908; then they will all
be tumbling over themselves to get into the band
wagon those "temporary expedient" fellows and
all the rest. Yes, put me down as a primary
pledge democrat, and put me down big.
F. M. Newkirk, Mountain Grove, Mo. En
closed find 35 signatures to the primary pledge.
J. M. Stowe, Davidson, Sask, Canada. As I
am under another flag my support can not help
you much up here, but I expect to be of service
in 1908, when I will be not a "still democrat,"
"but a live one, all the time.
Henry G. Clinton, Waynesburg, Pa. The
Commoner of July 20, has excited much favorable
comment: Mr. Metcalfe's article, "Stand by
Roosevelt," is one of the best of the many good
things that have appeared In The Commoner.
Evidently Mr. Metcalfe knows what he is talk
ing about, and his article has so opened the eyes
of many voters that they are now earnestly ask
ing "which Roosevelt?"
Mrs. G. T. Watson, Portalos, N. M. -Please
give mo your opinion as to the best preparatory
school for boys, a school that looks after tho
moral development of boys as well as tho learn
ing of books. I am a reader of Tho Commoner
and one of its staunchest friends. (Will somo edu
cator among The Commoner readers givo this
reader the desired information?)
William Orr Farmer, Kirkland, Wash. I sond
you a clipping from tho Seattle Times containing
an extract from tho address of Prof. Ross, given
at the commencement exercises at tho Washing
ton state university. Prof. Ross's remarks are
certainly opportune, in viow of the wholesale
disclosures of corruption in high places that have
recently been mado in tho crimes condoned bo
cause of tho social position of tho criminal who
remains unpunlshod.
W. F. Burgoner, Los Angeles, Cal. Enclosed
you will find two editorials from tho Los Angeles
Times of June 18. In these editorials Editor
Harrison Otis tries to explain away tho vindica
tion of the quantitative theory of money. I send
these clippings to show you tho trend of repub
lican argument here, and hope you will repro
duce that part of Mr. Roberts' speech touching
on the quantitative theory, in Tho Commoner. It
would pass for an extract from one of Mr.
Bryan's 1896 speeches.
.
C. B. Cole, Wyandotte, I. T. I would like
to say a word to The Commoner readers in re
gard to Thp Commoner, Condensed, or Commoner,
book form. I fear that a great many Commoner
readers have overlooked the value of this work.
I have taken overy copy just as fast as they have
been put out, and added to my collection of books,
and I have none that I prize more highly than
The Commoner Condensed. They cost practically
nothing. -I -would not take $5 per volume for
them, if I could not get them again, and I would
like to urge every Commoner reader who has not
got them to take all back numbers and also take
the volumes as fast as they come out, and add
to their library. As a reference book on all po
litical subjects it has no equal.
A. G. LaGrango, Worthington, Minn. If the
cartoonist of your paper is short of material, I
would suggest the following: "As the elephant
is the exponent of the republican party, or g.
o. p., which means the great octopus party, I
would suggest that the four legs of the elephant
be sub-divided into eight tentacles or suckers and
that one of these suckers should have for its
co-efficient or money-valve, J. P. Morgan, who Is
doubtless a lineal descendant and heir-at-law
6f the Morgan, tho Ladrone pirate who infested
the high seas three hundred years ago, and J.
Dodger Rockefeller for another; Carnegie, the
modern Robin Hood, who divides his loot with
the people, and so on, and as this is to be a lean
year for the g. o. p.'s, let him be drawn in skele
ton form."
John Flaherty, South McAlester, J. T. I in
close you a copy of a letter by Governor Green
McCurtain of the Choctaw Nation, of which the
McAlester Daily Capitol says: "Green McCur
tain, governor of the Choctaw Nation, a man
known as one of the greatest living Indian schol
ars and statesmen; a man who has long served
hiB tribe in many positions of trust with honor
to himBelf and race boldly comes out at this
Important time and advises his tribesmen to
weigh well the evidence of the past before form
ing an alliance with a political party whose his
tory has been one devoid of respect or honor in
the execution of sacred treaties." In this letter
Governor McCurtain said: "Judging the future
by the past, we must conclude that if the In
dians have any friends they are to, be found in
the democratic party. We have never received
any favor from the republican party. That party
has been unjust and oppressive to the Indian from
1865 to tho present moment. The only favors the
Choctaws and Chickasaws have ever received from
the government were at the hands of President
Cleveland, a democrat. His instructions to his
commissioner sent here to treat with us showed
him to bo our sincere frierid. Had his policies
been carried out, we would not now have any
cause for regret He was anxious that every pro
tection be given us, and told his commissioners
that they must yield ns every advantage. The
only thing he insisted on was a change in our
forna of government"
One readbr writes: "Find 7 subscriptions.
I have intonded to do this for your paper long
oro this, but havo simply neglected getting at it
Thero was a meeting. of our democratic county
central committco at my offlco last Saturday and
this is tho result of tho more announcement that
I would sond in tho names ,of any who desired to
subscribe for Tho Commoner. Hopo I can do
more for tho good of tho causo you represent, in
tho future."
Commoner readers havo sent in yearly sub
scriptions In numbers as fqllows: L. A. Lobor
man, Mcadvillo, Pa., 6; E. J. Hall, Marion, Ind.,
11; S. M. Rodflold, Maryvlllo, Mo., 6; J. M. Starke,
Montgomery, Ala., 10; D. A, Frakor, Sholburn.
Ind., 7; Ida Alico Westerflold, Lincoln, Neb., 8;
J. N. Baxter, Now Martinsville, W. Va., 6; S. N.
Smith, Muncie, Ind., 7; J. S Moyer, McKeesport,
Pa., 7; Philip Dolan, Union Center, Wis., 7; G.
P. Armstrong, McEwensvillo, Pa., 6; I. N. Jonos,
East Stone Gap, Va., 8; John Dohony, Fairmont,
W. Va., 12; Levi Thayer, Now Berlin, N. Y., 8;
II. H. Willsio, TarkJo, Mo., 10; James Ilcagau,
Elkhorn, Mont, 10; Terence D. Stewart, Morgan
town, W. Va., 7; I. N. Kelly, Big Stono Gap, Va.,
20; Thomas Thomas, Ionia, Mich., 8; Annie L.
Jack, Vicksburg, Miss., 31; W. I. Williamson, Jan
nlngs, La., 6; A. C. R. Morgan, Woathorford,
Tobas, 9; J. H. Langston, Phoenix, Ariz., 7.
Tho following havo each sent in five yearly
subscriptions : J. J. Russell, Charleston, Mo.;
Michael J. Flynn, Cincinnati, Ohio; J. H. Beard,
Carthage, Wis.; Isaac R. Konnard, Rossvillo, Ind.,
Joseph F. Tull, Carrollton, Mo.; A. G. Read, For
est Hill, Cal.; T. S. Collier, Dearborn, Mo.; John
McNornoy, Dayton, Ohio; Joseph A. Quinlan, East
Chicago, Ihd.; Preston Childers, Muddy Branch,
Ky.; C. II. Davis, Livonia, Mo.; J. W Kline, Ds
Moines, la.; C. W. Hazlett, ones, OkJa.; James
W. Ross, Atwood, Ind.; S. W. Morgan, Sunny
side, Cal.; F. B. Atwater, High Springs, Fla.; J.
Hogo Tyler, East Radford, Va.; F. W. ICamman,
Herscher, 111.; O. A. Crout, D'Lo, Miss.; M. D.
Daggett,. Oshkosh, Wis.; P. S. Anthony, HunU
villo, Ala.; Edward N. Rutherford, Lafayetto,
Ind.; J, J. Cleary, Escanaba, Mich.; W. Tf Bar
nett, Torre Haute, Ind.; W. H. Musgrove, CuJl
nan, Ala.,. It. M. Rings, Kirksvillo, Mo.; JoEn
Draper, Freeport, Mich.; L. C. Northcutt, Elmira,
Cal.; L. E. Brockett, 'Harris, la.; C. W. Worslor,
Wellsville, N. Y.; L. J. Ezell, Trenton, N. D.; A.
Applegate, Prospect Plains, N J.; G. G. Jalnes,
Exeter, Mo.; I. B. Talbott, Albion, Neb.; J. M.
Earnhart, Lebanon, Ohio.
Everyone who approves the work Tho Com
moner is doing is Invited to co-operate along
tho lines of tho special subscription offer. Ac
cording to the terms of this ofTer cards each good
for one year's subscription to The Commoner
will bo furnished In lots of five, at the rate of $3
per lot. This places tho yearly subscription rat
at CO cents.
Any one ordering these cards may sell them
for $1 each, thus earning a commission of $2
on each lot sold, or he may sell them at the cost
price and find compensation in the fact that he
has contributed to the educational campaign.
These cards may be paid for when ordered,
or they may be ordered and remittance mado after
they have been sold. A coupon- is printed below
for the convenience of those who desire to par
ticipate in this effort to increase The Commoner's
circulation:
THE COMMONER'S SPECIAL OFFER
Applleatten for Subscription Cardt
6
10
15
20
25
50
75
100
Publisher Commoner,' I am interested In In
creasing Tbe Commoner's circulation. aodde
sire you to seud me a supply of sabseriptto
cards. I agree to use. my utmost endearer to
sell the cards, and will remit for thesnat tbe
rate of GO cents each, when sold.
NAM..
Box. oe Strwt No
P. o Stats
Indicate tbe number of cards wanted by
marking X opposite one of tbe numbers print
ed on end of this blank.
If yeu believe the paper Is delng a werk that mer
its encouragement, fill eut-tlie abeve eeupon and mall
XtU THE COMMONER. Lincoln, SUfc.
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