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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1907)
' "T 5S5SiS WiUiWttSY,;, iw;J,,ll,ll; M - Wlm,mmtmmvml,ijkm -.. wW -"f... I w -- -.: DECEMBER 27, 1907 3 "ffOfffiT if l:t If I Nashville railroad, another by the Santa Fo, etc., etc. Other papers are controlled by franchise-holding corporations and used to defend anything that such corporations do. In North Carolina recently a lawsuit developed the fact that a paper had been subsidized by the Southern railway, and if the expense account of the lead ing railroads could be examined, a great many editorials could be explained. It takes a lawsuit to bring out the facts, and the prosecution of John R. Walsh has brought out a very interesting fact in connection with his paper. On December 17 the press dis patches reporting his trial say that "John II. Bradshaw, formerly editor of the Chicago Chron icle, testified that the paper was operated at a loss from the time it was tounded until October, 1904, at which time he said the deficit was ap proximately one million and a half." The report adds: "It is contended by the prosecution that from that time until the sus pension of the paper it was run at a loss of twenty thousand dollars a month." It will be remembered that this was one of the democratic dailies which left the party in 1896 and supported the republican ticket. It was so interested in the national honor and in an honest dollar 'that it deserted the party after the adoption of the Chicago platform. The testimony in the Walsh case shows how con sistent the owner of the paper was in his effort to defend honesty and honor. Prior to the con vention of 1904 the Chronicle insisted upon the nomination of a conservative democrat and de manded the repudiation of Bryanism. After the convention it became a straight-out republican paper and so continued until its suspension. The democratic party was very much relieved by its desertion, for its editorials were an injury to any party that it pretended to support, but the testimony of Mr. Bradshaw is interesting as showing the manner in which the paper was run. Mr. Walsh could not have afforded to sink a million and a half of dollars in the paper or to run it at a loss of twenty thousand a month Bimply as a business enterprise, but he thought it worth that much to him for the defense of the enterprises in which he was engaged. He could sandbag anyone who dared to take the side of the people, and he could praise every man who could be bought or intimidated into a betrayal of a public trust. The Chronicle was not a business enterprise; it was an adjunct to Mr. Walsh's various business enterprises if the word business can be used to describe an enter prise conducted as Mr. Walsh conducted his en terprises. The Chronicle is cited as an illustration of the subsidized paper, and there are a number of them in the United States. As a rule they do not have a large circulation their editorial policy does not appeal to the confidence of peo ple, but they can be used to abuse, denounce, (misrepresent and libel such public servants as carry conscience into their work or seek to be faithful to their constituents. It is fortunate that the inside history of the Chronicle is being made public, for it furnishes an explanation of s. good deal that is going on in the newspaper field. The Chronicle might have been a val uable paper and a money-maker but for the fact that its editorial policy alienated all except those who were venal enough to approve of it, or stupid enough to be deceived by it, and it Is complimentary to Chicago and Illinois that the venal and the stupid were not numerous enough to make the paper self-supporting. oooo NEBRASKA IN EVIDENCE Nebraska is coming to the front. It used to be that they thought our state too far west to be of political importance and too small to present a national candidate, but times have changed. The press dispatches the other day announced that Governor Magoon, of Cuba, a Nebraskan, was being considered as a presiden tial candidate. While the governor has asked his friends not to mention his name in that connection, still the fact that he has been thought of in that connection shows that Ne braska is on the political map; and then, too, we have an abundance of vice presidential tim ber. Only the other day the papers were an nouncing Hughes and Burkett, the name of one of Nebraska's senators being linked with that of the governor of New York. A little while before Hon. A. R. Talbot was spoken of as a possible- nominee for vice president. Mr. Talbot has long been prqm Inent in Nebraska politics, and is now the head of the Modern Woodman Order of the United States. How would Taft and Talbot do for a republican ticket? And then there is Governor The Commoner Sheldon; his namo has been mentioned. What would you think of Cannon and Sheldon? -that could bo changed to Cannon and Shellthom. And why should wo overlook Senator Brown? What is the matter with Knox and Brdwn? Knox was attorney general of the United Statos and Brown was attorney general of Nebraska. Then thoro is John L. Webster, who might rostoro the parity in Nebraska if Foraker wero nominated. Let It be known that Nebraska Btands ready to furnish an associate for any republican who may be nominated for president, and she has a republican who would make a hotter raco than some of the candidates who have been mentioned for the presidency. The west is coming to the front; it is no longer the great American desert whether you consider it from the standpoint of crops or politics. Hurrah for Nebraska! OOOO A PEW STRAWS The Commoner is gratified to find that Its position is In harmony with the sentiment of the business men of Lincoln on several impor tant questions. Lincoln, as the readers of this paper know, is strongly republican, and on the political questions which have divided the parties in the past the republicans havo largely outvoted the democrats. On the new questions that aro arising, however, there seems to bo a re-allgn-ment and the sentiment is becoming more dem ocratic. As an illustration of this, attention Is called to a vote recently taken In the Commercial club of Lincoln. This club has about six hundred members, and the membership Is almost en tirely composed of business men and profes sional men. Recently the secretary sent out a list of subjects upon which the opinion of tho members was asked. Three of these questions havo been discussed in Tho Commoner, namely the postal savings bank, tho guaranteed bank and the asset currency. Tho vote on these threo questions is as follows: For postal savings bank 250 Against postal savings bank 91 For guaranteed bank 31G Against guaranteed bank 32 For asset currency. . GO Against asset currency 201 It will bo noticed that tho vote is almost unanimous In favor of tho guaranteed bank, a system which The Commoner has strongly en dorsed. The vote is almost unanimous, too, against an asset currency, which The Commoner has Btrongly denounced. The majority for tho postal savings bank Is not as much as It Is for tho guaranteed bank, and this, too, Is In har mony with Tho Commoner's position. While It favors the postal savings bank in places where there is no guaranteed bank, it believes that tho guaranteed bank has advantages over the postal savings bank. The position taken by tho business men of Lincoln on these questions is very encouraging, and if their position can be taken as tho position of business men elsewhere, the prospects of the democratic party are Indeed bright, for it is quite certain that the republi can leaders will not permit any real reforms to be accomplished, and it is evident that the busi ness men of the country are tired of waiting for reforms. They want something done that will be helpful to the public, and It is becoming more and more evident that they will have to look to the democratic party for relief. These votes are straws indicating the direc tion of public opinion. OOOO A REVENUE TARIFF Opposed 'to the policy of protection for protection's sake stands the policy of a revenue tariff. While a twenty-five per cent tariff, levied for the purpose of raising revenue, gives the same protection in any particular schedule that a protective tariff of the same rate would give, there is a wide difference between the two sys tems. Under a revenue tariff the law is so drawn as to raise revenue, and the government stops collecting when it gets enough; under the protective system the schedules are dictated by the beneficiaries of the tariff, and may be so arranged that the people will bear a heavy burden and the treasury receive but little reve nue, and those who fix the duties never know when to stop. That a protective tariff law can be used to raise an industry to any desired height must be admitted, but a lever will not act without a -fulcrum, and the masses have served as the fulcrum and borne tho pressure while a few have onjoyod tho bonoflts. The preHont tariff Ih not only IndefcnHlblo in principle, Indefensible as a matter of policy and Indofoimiblo on tho ground of necessity, but It has oxertad and gtlll oxorU a corrupting In fluence In politic. The government hos boon regarded as a prlvato asset In business, and manufacturers have used tho elections as n slot machine, putting In campaign contribution and tho votes of omployos and drawing out larger dividends. Public sontlmcnt tuts been debauched and tho public conscience wared. Tariff reform will not only roduco taxation and load to tho moro oqultablo distribution of tho proceeds of toil, but it will holp to purify politics by re stricting the government to Its legitimate sphere of action, driving tho lobbyist from tho national capltol and reducing tho campaign funds to rea sonable proportions. The substitution of a tarlfT levied for the purpose of raising rovonuo for a tariff levied primarily for tho purposo of protection seems likely to be ono of the Important reforms that will come In tho near future as a result of tho prosont awakening. OOOO REGULATION WILL HI: EASIER Tho Springflold (Mass.) Republican says: "Mr. Bryan's plan of a government guaranty of national bank deposits to bo supported by the banks themselves, Is receiving a good deal of favorable comment from western papers, qulto regardless of party. It Is being urged, for ex ample, thut under such a policy tho falluro or suspension of the largo bank at Kansas City would not havo happened, slnco there would then havo been no such oxtended withdrawal of de posits as had taken place on the circulation of dubious rumors. If tho government should ever adopt such a plan, then In justice to the soundly managed banks, which would be taxed to protect depositors In other banks, It would havo to deal with the speculative Institutions a llttlo moro effectively than heretofore." Yes, and It will bo oaslor to got effective regulation when there Is Joint liability. Now the good banks aro opposed to necessary regulation because they think they do not need it. OOOO CAMPAIGN EXPENSES If the people paid tho campaign expenses they would get more attention from tho officials elected. For forty years tho republican party has been barterlug away legislation and Immu nity in return for campaign contributions and tho people havo had to foot the bills. It Is cheaper to pay campaign expenses by direct ap propriation than to pay through bad laws and lax administration. OOOO PECUNIARY It must strike tho Christians of Germany as somewhat remarkable that the kaiser should give only pecuniary reason to support his peace policy. He does not oppose conquest on the ground that It would bo morally wrong but only on the ground that It would not pay. On this low ground, however, as well as on higher ground, we can oppose all forms of colonialism. OOOO HIGH FINANCE To borrow money at three per cent and loan It to favored banks for nothing, that these banks may save the country by loaning tho money out at a big rate this may be high finance, but It will strike the average man as rather an expensive way of meeting an emer gency. But it is Wall Street's way. OOOO MONEY IN HIDING The money In hoarding and hiding has been estimated at over one billion dollars. This not only reflects upon our bank management but enables us to estimate the enormous in crease in the loanable capital that would como from a guaranteeing of banks which would draw this money Into the banks and put it into the channels of trade, OOOO NO BANKER'S TRUST Some are advocating a guaranty of depos itors by an association of banks, but this would make a bankers trust that would soon run all other banks out of business. The government should be the guarantor and then It can admit to the system all banks that will comply with the conditions. -ifcvin Mifcunn mfamrniutti tlMtjiiJ.jAskfXittil i.Wiikj.