The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 7, No. 30.
Lincoln, Nebraska, August 9, 1907.
Whole Number 342.
CONTENTS
GOVERNING DEPENDENCIES
GOOD FOR LANDIS
FORAKER'S CHALLENGE
THE HAYWOOD TRIAL
PRAISING ROOSEVELT
HOPKINS ON DINGLEY RATES
A BILLION DOLLAR ASSET
"THE SOURCE OF BRYANISM"
WATERLOGGED STOCK
WASHINGTON LETTER
COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
GOOD FOR LANDIS
Judge Kenesaw M. Landls is a conspicuous
figure at this moment conspicuous because, in
a proceeding pending in his court, he had the
courage to impose the extreme penalty against
history's greatest pirate on the sea of commerce.
It is true that fines are not adequate to
meet the situation for the reason that the crim
inals can often afford to "pay the fines for the
privilege of continuing the violation of law.
Some have expressed the hope that Judge Landls
would not impose the maximum fine because
they feared the oil trust would merely increase
the price to the consumers and make them pay
the enormous fines even as they have been re
quired to pay the "generous" contributions made
by Mr. Rockefeller to educational funds. But
Judge Landis had nothing to do with that theory
and it is well he imposed the maximum figure.
It is more than likely that the oil trust will
shift the burden to the consumers, but this will
only aid in the crystalization of that public sen
timent that will be expressed so forcefully that
men in authority will cease to trifle with the vio
lations of anti-trust laws and Will vigorously en
force that criminal law which provides for tho
imprisonment of the arrogant monopolist even
as the common rogue is imprisoned.
Good for Landis : And new let us have
just as a beginning a few prosecutions under
the criminal clause of 'he Sherman anti-trust
. law.
oxo
FORAKER'S CHALLENGE
On another page will be found Senator For
aker's 'challenge to Secretary 'Taft. This would
indicate war between the senator and secretary.
As a result of the senator's opposition six mem
bers of the state committeo voted against the
endorsement of Secretary Taft, the vote stand
ing fifteen to six.
While democrats can not sympathize with
Mr. Foraker's standpat views on the tariff ques
tion they can heartily approve of his demand
upon Mr. Taft for a clear statement of his posi
tion. The people are entitled to know how
much tariff reform he favors, when he wants to
begin and how far he wants to go. Will he
meet the issue-presented by Senator Foraker or
will he dodge?
There are several other questions that Sen
ator Foraker might have presented but the
tariff question will give him plenty to think of
for, the present.
OOOO ' .
KNOX AND PRITCHARD
- No one has mentioned Judge Pritchard yet
as republican candidate for president. ' Or how
j.iwould "Knox and Pritchard" sound?
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A PECULIAR POSITION FOR A REFORMER
Governing Dependencies
It will not be necessary to discuss the illus
trations given by Senator Beverldge except inso
far as those Illustrations are pertinent to tho
subject under consideration, and that subject
is imperialism. Few republicans have shown
the courage that Senator Beveridge has in meet
ing the issue presented; most of them evade it.
While the Filipinos were in arms they excused
themselves from discussing the subject on tho
ground that they could not talk to people who
had guns in their hands. When the Filipinos
laid down their arms, these same persons de
clared that the matter was settled and that there
was nothing to discuss. Even Senator Beveridge
seems a little timid about taking hold of the
real principle involved, and, so far as we know
it is the only question of which he has shown
any fear whatever. He says: "So we see by
practical examination of actual conditions In the
Philippines, Porto Rico, Cuba and San Domingo
that there not only Is not, but never has been,
an Issue of imperialism, if by that term is meant
the doing of something that we ought not to do.
On the contrary, if by imperialism is meant the
general policy of permanently holding and ad
ministering government in these various pos
sessions, that, as we have pointed out, is so far
in the future that it is not a subject for immedi
ate or even early settlement." "At no other
question does he shy so, and if the question
scares him, what a specter it must be to the re
publican politicians who are less frank and can-'
did in the statement of their opinion.
'But, plucking up courage, he expresses his
willingness to join issue "on a general policy
of permanent occupation of these islands-Ha-
wali, tho Philippines, Porto Rico now; Cuba, if
she again tries self-government, again fails and
we are again compelled to intervene; and San
Domingo when tho years demonstrate to us
and the world that we can not get out of it if
we would and ought not to get out if we could."
Hero wo have tho bald proposition that colon
ialism is to be a permanent thing; that we are
to hold what we now have, take Cuba if sho
makes one more effort at self-government and
falls, and later San Domingo "if," and he clearly
Intimates, that tho failure of self-government
in both Cuba and San Domingo is to be not only
expected, but oven desired.
Before taking up colonialism as it presents
itself in the case of the Philippines, let us con
sider for a moment Hawaii, Porto Rico and
Cuba. In Hawaii a republic had been instituted
and annexation asked for. There Is some ques
tion about the extent of the uprising upon which
the republic was built and about the disinterest
edness of our nation's conduct, but as the people
of Hawaii are apparently satisfied to bo citizens
of the United States, and as the islands are too
small to support. an independent government
and too near to us for us to permit them to fall
into the hands of a foreign government, the
question presented Is quite different from that
presented by the-Philippines. We can deal with
Hawaii according to American principles and
within the limits of our constitution. The same
may be said of Porto Rico. The people of Porto
Rico welcomed annexation, and they are so few
in numbers that wo can admit them to citizen
ship and givc tho island representation in con
gress withoul; danger to our government. In
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