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The Commoner.
. . . WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
Vol. 6. No. 48.
Lincoln, Nebraska, December 14, 1906.
Whole Number 308.
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CONTENTS
Democracy Must Move Forward
The Money Question
President's Message and
Madison Square Speech
Governor D avis' Program
A Word of Encouragement
Down With the Silver Trust
Discharge oe the Negro Troops
Washington News
Comment on Current Topics
Home Department
Whether Common or Not
News of the Week
ARE THEY "DONE" WITH IT?
The New York Press, a republican paper,
says: "The American people are done with this
system of unrestrained corporations depriving a
whole nation of its rights and liberties whilo- the
corporate powers declare that their privileges are
sacred as their protection in them by the constitu
tion is indefeasible. And if the corporations and
their legal retainers can not see what every one
else sees blazoned in the skies, the American
people are also done arguing with them. They
have only the' answer of Napoleon to the stupid
Archduke of Austria who, slave of worn-out for
malities, could not comprehend the fact of the
French republic. 'France,' said Napoleon, just
at the moment he was crushing the shell of Aus
trian pretensions under his irresistible heel, 'is
like the sun; so much the worse for him who
can not see it!'"
If the American people are really anxious to
be "done with this system: of unrestrained cor
porations depriving a whole nation of its rights
and liberties" then they will remove from power
the party which habitually derives its campaign
fund from these same corporations and habitually
legislates in their favor.
CONSTITUTION FOLLOWING THE FLAG
On another page will be found the message
of the president just sent to congress relative to
Porto Rico. It will be gratifying to democrats to
know that the constitution is at last following the
flag. The position taken by the president in
favor of conferring full citizenship upon the Porto
Ricans will he approved except that it ought not
to be described as the conferring of citizenship.
The hill ought to simply recognize that the Porto
Ricans now possess full citizenship by virtue of
the fact that they are a part of the
"United States. In 1900 the democrats in
sisted that the constitution keep company with
our flag wherever that flag floated over American
territory. The democrats insisted then and in
sist now that we can not properly have different
kinds of citizenship full citizenship in the United
States, semi-citizenship in Porto Rico and vassal
age in the Philippines. There is no twilight zone
between citizenship and the condition of the sub
ject. Democrats will rejoice in this new recognl
1 tion of the correctness of the democratic position.
Porto Rico ought to have a territorial govern
ment, reserving the right to add to the territory
from time to time as conditions may require.
When Porto Rico became a part of the United
States she had representation in the Spanish legis
lature, and while it will be some time before the
people of Porto Rico are ready for statehood, they
ought to have the territorial form of government
and a delegate in congress.
WELCOME TO THEM
"-?Z" Steffi fflmP S? 2 "'l '-V' && -i
Democracy "There are a few left, Mr. President; you might
as well get clear off your old platform and take 'em."
Democracy Must Motfe Forward
There are increasing evidences that the dem
ocrats who call themselves conservative are quiet
ly laying their plans for the capture of the next
democratic convention. Attention is called to the
matter, not that there is much danger of the
plan succeeding:, but that the readers of The
Commoner may know what Is going on. The argu
ment made two years ago by the friends of Judge
Parker was that President Roosevelt was unsat
isfactory to the business element and that a con
servative democrat like Judge Parker would be
able to poll a large republican vote. Tt ought
to have been plain to the party leaders that a
candidate conservative enough to draw corpora
tion republicans to his support would not ho radi
cal enough to hold the democratic voters, but It
was thought that liberal campaign contributions
could more than make up for defection among
the rank' and file. As unreasonable as were the
arguments made, they were successful, and the
democratic party made an experiment that will
not be repeated, at least for some years. After
the election the conservative element seemed to
be entirely satisfied to allow the organization of the
party to pass into the hands of those who believe
In positive and aggressive democracy. . As the
campaign approaches, however, there are indica
tions that some of the conservatives would rather
keep the party In a minority than for it to take
a position on the side of the people.
The Brooklyn Citizen has an editorial based
upon the possibility of Mr. Roosevelt being a
candidate again, which suggests that the next
democratic convention may take the conservative
side against the radicalism of the president. The
democrats may as rtll recognize th situation
and prepare for it I the first place, there Is no
probability or prospect of the president being a
candidate ai;aln. He has so announced, and it Is
only fair to him to take him at his word. Even
if he desired to he nominated, he would have
difficulty in securing a nomination. There is a
division in the republican party, and that division
extends from the top of the party to the bottom.
Mr. Roosevelt's radicalism has displeased the re
publican leaders, and his last message has very
much aggravated the situation. The republicans
who do not favor the pn-silent's policies, when
supported by the republicans who earnestly op
pose a third term, would he strong enough to
prevent a renomination, so the thought of his
nomination can safely be put aside.
Even if he were nominated, It would not be
good policy for the democrats to plan a conserva
tive campaign. If Mr. Roosevelt were a candidate,
.It would not only be wise but necessary for the,
democrats to make a radical fight. If the demo
cratic party were to attempt to attack the presi
dent for endorsing democratic ideas, It would
lose more democrats than it could gain republi
cans. If, on the other hand, it were to remain
steadfast to democratic ideas and use the presi-.
dent's arguments to strengthen the democratic
position, it would hold the democratic vote and
the conservative republicans would be left to put
up a candidate of their own and thus divide the
republican strength to the advantage of the
democrats.
But let us consider what is probable. There
Is no radical republican to succeed the president.
Senator LaFollette would be his natural succes
sor if Mr. Roosevelt's ideas controlled the repub
lican convention, but the republican party is not
yet ready to nominate a man like LaFollette. Th
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