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Commoner.
The
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 7? No. 16.
Lincoln, Nebraska, May 3, 1907.
Whole Number 328.
CONTENTS
MR. HEARST'S NEW PARTY
THE CONSTITUTION SUPREME
WHERE DOES MR. TAFT STAND?
SENATOR BEVERIDGE'S MISTAKE
HARRIMAN, "THE UNDESIRABLE"
- OREGON'S "BIG STICK"
IS THIS CALAMITY?
A FLORIDA DECISION
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
PARAGRAPHIC PUNCHES
WASHINGTON LETTER
COMMENT ON CURRENT- TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WHATATHOUGHT! ,
The Los Angeles Times says: "John. D. Rock
efeller -will pass down into history as in many
respects one of the greatest and most typical of
all Americans."
The richest man in all the world grown rich
through the lawlessness of his business transac
tions a man who but a few months ago wasin; .'
Hiding and engag&Tiirraiccessf ul 'effofttoSvwcr
the officers of. the law,' bearing writs" commanding
liim'to appear in a cdurt of justice and tell the
truth!
Yet this man, in the opinion of General Har
rison Gray Otis, "will pass down Into history as in
many respects one of the greatest and most typi
cal of all Americans!"
A typical American, indeed!
- What a thought for a gray haired man to seek
to impress upon the rising generation!
OOOO
CLEAR ON ONE POINT, ANYWAY
The New York Times devotes considerable
space to an editorial entitled, "The Delusions of
Mr. Bryan," in which editorial it consigns to the
tomb Mr. Bryan and the political principles for
which he stands.
Well Mr. Bryan may have some delusions, but
he is not so deluded as to imagine that in any
advice the New York Times may give to the demo
cratic party or to the American people, that great
newspaper is actuated by any desire to interfere
with special interests or to make material con
tribution to popular government
OOOO
ON THE SAME DAY
On -April 27, the Associated Press carried an
Interview with a railroad president, declaring that
the railfoads had determined to obey the law and
that secret rebating was a thing of the past.
On the same day the Associated Press carried
a dispatch from Los Angeles, showing that the
Santa Fe railroad had been caught rebating, and
that an indictment of seventy-six counts had been
returned against that company.
OOOO
MISSED LAFOLLETTE
The Wall Street Journal says: "President
Roosevelt makes no secret of his desire, which is
a natural one, for the election of a successor, who
would carry out the policy with which his ad
ministration is identified." How, then, did Mr.
Roosevelt happen to overlook the high claims of
Senator LaFollette in the search for a successor?
" OOOO
ASTONISHING
. .It is astonishing how little a man has to ,
know In order to edit a .newspaper which is a
mouthpiece for pi-edatory wealth, but perhaps Ills
conscience would trouble him more if he really un
derstood the questions which he, discusses.
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ; ' ' ' ' iii ii
BUT HE KEEPS RIGHT ON SAWING WOOD
L
MR. HEARST'S NEW PARTY
Attention has already been called to Mr.
Hearst's New York speech on the evening of April
13, in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with
existing parties and his determination to organise
a new party through the instrumentality of the
Independence League. That Mr. Hearst means
well, will be admitted, but there will be a differ
ence of opinion as to the wisdom of his action.
In joining a party a man naturally asks two ques
tions: First, what does the party stand for? And
second, what chance has the party of accomplish
ing its purpose? The second question is scarcely
less important than the first for unless a party
has a prospect of putting Its principles into law
it strives in vain, and' because it strives in vain
it "does not appeal to the people.
Of course a party may do educational work
without dominating the government and all partie3,
however small, do educational work, but the great
majority of the voters prefer to see results rather
than to do pioneer work. Mr. Hearst complains
that the democratic party Is not harmonious that
Is true. But unfortunately there Is no chance of
securing absolute, harmony in any party of an
size. If a party has as many as two member
the conservative and radical elements will appear.
Even where all agree in principles there will be
differences of opinion as to methods and such dif
ferences cause almost as much .trouble as differ
ences In principle. The republican party seemed
to be a united partyswhen it came into power in
Mil. JT
3801 and yet before Lincoln bad been in office
three years the radical element of, the party
thought him too conservative; and before eight
years elapsed a republican congress tried to im
peach a republican president
The Independence League must grow In order
to exert a great Influence and it can not draw to
itself any considerable number of thinking men
without becoming a debating society.
I Whether rhe new party is really needed 13
a matter which time alone can decide. Mr. Hearst
has a large personal following and his papers exert-
a marked influence. He has left the demo
cratic party because he has lost faith in ite power
to secure reforms and the Independence League
will offer a political home to those who despair
of relief through either the democratic, or re
publican parties, but it can not hope to attract
those democrats who still believe that the., demo
cratic party can be made an effective instrument
in the hands of the people for the securing of
remedial legislation; neither can it expect to at
tract refCrm republicans unless' those republicans
believe that the Independence league can bring
reform' sooner than the democrats can.
The Commoner has faith in the democratic
party ncf. In Its infallibility or In its freedom
from mis nkos, but in the patriotic purpose of the
rank and file of the party and in the prospect of
an early lie tori' for that party. The democratic
party haj made mistakes what party has not?
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