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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1907)
The Commoner JUtY- 5$ 1907 has beon demonstrate, to be sound, and every day Increases the number, of those who" believe as the democratic platform in 1900 stated, that a private monopoly is indefensible and intol erable. The party's position on the tariff question is vindicated. Our protected manufacturers, by selling abroad in competition -with the world, admit that they do not need the tariff to com pete at home. There are more tariff reformers in the United States today than there ever were before. The party's position on the railroad ques tion is vindicated. It has been demanding reg ulation for more than ten years, and the unani mity of the sentiment in favor of regulation shows how strong the democratic position, is. The president has secured a little regulation but very little compared - with what the country needs. Our party's position on the labor question is vindicated. We demanded arbitration in three campaigns, and arbitration grows stronger each . year. Wo denounced government by injunction in-1896. The abuse of this writ becomes more and moro apparent. Events have vindicated the party's position on imperialism, and the best informed republi cans now admit that ultimate Independence is the only solution of the Philippine question. The president has even adopted the demo cratic doctrine of an income tax and Is favoring an inheritance tax also to prevent the transmis sion of the swollen fortunes to the next gener ation. When has a party in power lost in pop ularity so rapidly as the republican party has? When has a party out of power increased its strength more rapidly than the democratic party has? And it is a positive and aggressive democ racy not a timid corporation democracy thaf. has coerced the administration into the adoption of democratic ideas. If a party is strong in proportion as its principles are strong, then the democratic party is growing rapidly in strength. If the people Jike democratic policies when those policies aro put into operation by republicans, they can not greatly fear them when put into operation by democrats. But there is another indication of victory. The democratic party is more united than it has been lor many years, and this unity Is due to two Causes. In the first place the money ques tion, which-defeated the democrats in 1896, is out of ' the way. The advocates of the gold standard have lcept the gold standard, and the advocates of more money have secured from new discoveries of gold the increase that they sought to secure from the restoration of bimet allism. There is no division in the democratic party among the rank and file. There are a few papers under the control of favor-seelring corporations and a few salaried attorneys who would make the democratic party the tool of predatory yealth, but they are impotent to carry out their plans. While the democratic party is united, the republican party is more divided than it has been in recent years, and this divi sion can not be healed. The standpatter and the republican reformer are at outs, and their controversy grows more bitter. The republican reformer is shouting that something must be done, and the standpatter, his hands to the elbows in the pocket of the public says, "let well enough alone." No matter -what the republican party does, it can not please both sides. All that the democratic party has to do is to be 'loyal to the interests of the people and make .a strong fight on a strong platform and victory , is within its reach. oooo A RAILROAD VIEW The Kansas City Journal says: "The ver iest tyro in the railroad business ought to know, and every business man in or out of it does knowr that the value of- a Railroad has nothing to do with the rates it charges for traffic." This is refreshing. There are at least three plans upon which railroad rates can be based. First, on what the traffic will bear; second, on the rates fixed by other roads, and third; on a basis of value with a view to earning a reason able return on the money invested. If rates are fixed according to what the traffic will bear, then the railroad is in the class with highway men and takes whatever it can secured without stopping to ask what is just. If it bases its rates upon competition with other rates, all it has to do is to enter into agreement with the other competitors and then it can join with them in charging whatever the traffic will bear. . If the competition Is protected, then its rates must have some- connection with the value of the property unless the competing roads are in a position to ignore -values and substitute an arbitrary basis of rates. If the railroad is a common carrier and permitted to exorcise tho right of eminent domain on tho ground that it partakes of a public character, It can not justify tho charging of higher rates tlan necessary to . secure a reasonable return upon tho investment. To say that a railroad costing $25,000 a milo has a right to collect dividends on fifty or seventy-five thousand a mile, or, as in some cases, on $100,000 a milo, is to deny that the railroad owes any obligation whatever to the public. The language quoted from the Kansas City Journal was used in answer to Mr. Bryan's sug gestion that we must first ascertain the valuo of tho railroads because it is impossible to determine what rates are reasonable until wo know upon what investment the railroads should be permitted to earn a profit. Mr. Bryan ex pected that tho Journal would bo opposed to the valuation of railroads but ho did not ex pect that paper to frankly admit that in tho opinion of its editor the value of the road had nothing to do with the rates. Objection has been made to the subsidizing of newspapers, and yet, like all other evils, this evil has soma compensating advantages. Only a subsidized newspapor or a paper run in tho interest of tho railroads would present so unreasonable an ob jection to the valuation of tho roads. It Is possibly fortunate that tho'extreme railroad pos ition is thus stated so that tho voters can under stand what they have to oppose. If they get any reforms, they will have to fight for them, and they can fight better when they understand how little concession they can expect from those who dominate the great corporations and use them for the exactment of toll from tho public. OOOO WINNING BY JUSTICE The president has authorized Secretary of State Root to notify tho Chinese ambassador that' he will recommend the reduction of the indem nity agreed upon at. the close of tho boxer trouble. Tho indemnity claimed by the United States was $24,440,000 and some six millions have been paid. It has been found that $11, 000,000 will cover our loss and expense in curred, and the president will ask congress to reduce tho amount to the actual loss incurred. Thb is an act of justice which very "nat urally impresses the Chinese with our fairness and the Chinese ambassador has, in eloquent words, expressed his nation's gratitude. Our nation strengthens its. position when. it gives evidence of Its desire to do justice to all in its international dealings and tho president has made no mistake in reaching the conclusion which has been announced. Some forty years ago our government vol untarily reduced an indemnity which Japan was paying and the Japanese always speak of it in extending a welcome to an American. As na tions collect indemnity by force it is the moro important that they should scrupulously avoid anything like extortion. Our nation sets a splen did example in refusing tp accept more than the damages actually suffered and time will dem onstrate that from a commercial standpoint as well as from the standpoint of morals it pays for our government to be just. OOOO IUOH CRY, LITTLE WOOL In his address to the Michigan legislature President Roosevelt gave utterance to words that commend themselves to the thoughtful con sideration of the people. He said: "The only party allusion I shall make today is to say that the republican party in 99 per cent of its make-up and in all its highest thought is essentially the party of Abraham Lincoln's plain people, and shall continue to be such." Old-fashioned doctors used to speak of a "green stick fracture" when called to set the broken bones of some young child who had'met with an accident. The words "green stick frac ture" were expressive, as will be admitted by those w.ho know hoV a green stick will twist instead of breaking off short like an old stick. The "green stick fracture" of youth is recalled by this "big stick fracture" of facts. The jepub ;llcan party of today is as unlike the" republican party of Abraham Lincoln as day Is unlike night. ' Today it is the party of trust magnates, tariff barons and corporation managers. One of the president's chief advisors is the acknowledged leader of all corporation lawyers. The leading senators of his party are notoriously the spokes men of selfish interests. The treasurers of his party's campaign committees instinctively turn to the great trusts and corporations for the vast . sums used to finance republican campaigns. It trades tariff schedules for trust support and sac rifices the Interests of the plain people upon the altar of slush funds. It is the safe haven, the city of refuge, for every exploiter of the people. Its highest thought Is along the low lovel of financial gain, and tho flag which in Lincoln' time was made to fly over a people wholly froo has been made by it to fly ovor a people who havo no voice In making tho laws undor which they must live. Boasting that it Is a party 6f republican Ideals It has becomo a party of co lonial practices, advocating taxation without rep resentation and government without consent. It is well that President Roosovolt made no further allusion to party if other allusions ho might havo made were as peculiar as tho ono ho did make. OOOO FAR-REACHING CORPORATE INFLUENCE - Tho investigations which havo beon going on during tho last few years havo brought to light many iniquities. Tho sourco of corruption funds has been exposed and tho Inner workings of high finance revealed. Somo day tho Investi gation will be carried Into tho courts and wo shall learn whether tho judges who preside at the trial of corporations havo any pecuniary interest in tho cases which come boforo them not necessarily in tho particular case, but In tho result which follows Important decisions. It Is now moro than ton years since Senator Pottlgrew, of South Dakota, In a speech In tho United States senate, called attontlon to the fact that when a suit was brought In Now York for tho purpose of dissolving tho joint traffic asso ciation, it was found that only ono Judge out of tho eight judges in that circuit was qualified to try tho caso because of the othors holding stocks or bonds of some of the railroads that wore defendants. The far-reaching Influence of the great corporations Is not fully recognized. It is not easy for a judge to bo absolutely im partial when his decision may effect tho valuo of his own property. Ono of tho objections to allowing watered stock to be jssued la that when issued, It gets Into tho hands of pcoplo who regard themselves as innocent purchasers even though they might havo Informed them selves by investigation and such persons re gard any attack upon the corporation as an at tack upon their vested rights. Special Offer J. A. Brunier, Ppplav Bluff, Mo.-r-Horcwith enclosed please find list of names and address of seventy-six subscribers to The Commoner, part of club I am getting up. Will endeayor to got ono hundred subscribers to this clubr Will send you twenty-five moro additional names of subscribers in about two or three weeks. As I stated before, I sell tho paper at sixty cents each to all subscribers. I waived my right to any commission and let every subscriber get the paper as cheaply as possible. You will also find postofflce money order for $45.60 from these seventy-six subscribers. Everyone who "approves the work The Com moner is doing is Invited to co-operate along tho lines of the special subscription offer. According to the terms of this offer cards each good for ono year's subscription to The Commoner will be fur nished In lots of live at the rato of 3 per lot This places the yearly subscription rate at 60 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 j)rlce and find compensation In the fact that he baa con tributed to the educational campaign. These cards may be paid for when ordered, or they may be ordered and remittance made after they have bpen sold. A coupon is printed below for" the convenience of those who desire to par ticipate In this effort to Increase The Commoner' circulation: The Commoner's Special Offer Application for Subscription Cards PublUhor Commonkr: X am Interested la Increa Inc. Tirv rnMunvmn Alrrtilatlns. ami riPKlrA vnu t sent! ma ft supply of subscription card. 1 agree, to use my utmost enaeavor w eu ina-cams, ana wm remit for them at ttts rate of CO cents eacn, when soli- 51 10 15 20 25. 50 75 Box on Stbkbt No,......;.,. P. 0 1..8TATX. Indicate the number of cards wanted br inarUucr X opposite one of Uie numbers printed on end of ttd blank. T . t If you bollere tbo paper is dolni a work that merits encourage Hient, fill outtb9 above coupon and mail it to Tk Commoner L.lBColu,Nab. t I - .yt fetWfcqf:t;AJJJ3a&. nelUiJSrJ'mUU - ..; Vjgiaft '&aJXn vyMsfy . -- -- - - ----- i,M- r- - t- mz-rr . . - - -