M.I 1
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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
P
t
Vol. 6. No. 35
Lincoln, Nebraska, September, 1906
Whole Number 295
CONTENTS
-.
" Mb. Beyan's Lxttjcb . "
Reception at Lincoln -Railboad
Rate Law
Beitoee tub Jefeebson Club
TheNebbaska Contest
poweb of the fedeeal coubts
DODGING TnE IS8UB
Reception at Nobmal
!Fbom Tns People
Comment on Cijbeent Topics
Home Depabtment
Whetiiee Common ob Not
News of the Week
TREAT IT FAIRLY
While Mr. Bryan did not expect to have his
views on government ownership of railroads en
dorsed unanimously, he did expect that the oppos
ing newspapers wbuld tteat the subject fairly.
Some of the, interviews' published in the New
York papers against government ownership were
manufactured. For instance, Hon. E. J. Hale, of
North. Carolina, repudiates the interview -which.-was
attributed to him, and Governor Folk was
made to say that Missouri had tried government
ownership, whereas Missouri has simply tried the s
aiding of railroads the same as other states tried,
and with the usual result. When the southern
statesmen understand the proposition, they will
not be so violent in their opposition to it; in fact,
it affords the only means yet proposed of securing
the benefits of public ownership without the
dangers of centralization.
JJJ -
WHERE DOES IT STAND?
The New York World is very much displeased
with Mr. Bryan's references to government own
ership. The World was also displeased with govern
ment regulation and lost no opportunity to criti-"
cise the friends of rate regulation during the last
eession of congress.
What would the World suggest by way of
protecting the people from railroad extortion?
Would it have them tamely submit to continued
Impositions, or would it have them base their
hopes for relief upon the kindly disposition of the
men responsible for the corporation's wrong
doing?
JJJ
A SUB-TREASURY SCHEME
An Atlantic City dispatch says: "United
States Treasurer Charles Treat was the principal
speaker before the annual banquet of the Ameri
can institute of bank clerks here tonight. He
advocated a radical change in the system of gov
ernment credits as a remedy for periodical finan
cial stringency. His idea included acceptance by
the government of commercial papers with clear
ing house endorsements as a basis for loans of
currency to tide over panics."
Yet republican editors and politicians have
not ceased to laugh at the populist "sub-treasury
scheme."
DEGRADING
anefildncr about elevating the Filipinos. An
American soldier was acquitted on a charge in
volving a disgraceful association with a native
forcan, the verdict, being that "a custom saw
be extant in the islands is a bar to trial."
Lt sort of elevation works backwards with both
jrties to the experiment.
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REFORMED!
K
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
Mr. Bryan's Thirty-fifth Letter
1
Reference has already been made to the atti
tude of Hungary toward Austria, and what is
true of Hungary is to a less extent true of Bo
hemia and the Polish section of the empire. In
fact, Austria-Hungary is held together by a rope
of sand, and there is no telling when that rope
may break. It required the aid of Russia to hold
Hungary within the empire a half century ago,
.and now that Russia is no longer in position to
bolster up the Hapsburg house, the outlook is
not bright for the family of Francis Joseph un
less the friendship of Emperor William takes the
form of armed assistance. I mention this because
the anti-AuBtrlan feeling in Hungary, the anti
Hungarian feeling In Austria, the aversion to the
German language in Bohemia, and the demands
of the Polish subjects, not to speak of disaffec
tion elsewhere, all point to trouble ahead for
the ruler of Austria-Hungary. I visited Bohemia
with a view to gathering information on the sit
uation and was surprised to find the hostility
between the German and Bohemian elements. A
half century ago the German language was spoken
everywhere in Bohemia, but today the Germans
and .Bohemians have separate schools and ex
cept where business interests compel it, neither
learn the language of the other. So strong Is the
feeling that a Bohemian desiring to master the
German language would, If financially able, study
it outside of Bohemia in preference to attending
a German school In his own country.
It is a great misfortune to the people of
Hungary and Bohemia, as well as to the imperial
government, that this hostility-to the German lan
guage has become sov bitter, for the German is
one of the great languages of the earth, being the
spoken tongue of more than fifty millions and
containing in printed form most of the literary
treasures of the world. The German libraries
are rich in treatises on science and art, history
and philosophy, government and religion, and
these should be within reach of the people of
Hungary and Bohemia. Whatever may be the
merits of the Magyar and the Czech languages,
they are spoken by so few, comparatively, that
they can not possibly furnish so large a store
of learning as the German language contains.
The Austrian government, however, has itself
to blame for the estrangement, for, instead of at
tempting to win the affections of the alien people
made subject to it, it attempted to coerce them,
with the usual result. Resentment toward the
rulers soon turned into resentment toward the
language, and it became patriotic to abhor a
tongue which it would have been advantageous
to cultivate. Human nature is the same every
where, but kings seem to be as Ignorant of it
as they are of the lessons of history.
The Austria-Hungary empire can not exist
long under its present regime; if it is to continue,
the bond of union must be a substantial one and
no bond of union is substantial that does not
knit itself about the hearts of both parties ja
the union. There are certain advantages to be
derived from the association of several small
states together, but these advantages can not be
weighed against fundamental rights or against
a strong national sentiment Cold, calculating
statesmen sometimes underestimate the influence
of sentiment but they usually discover their
.