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The Commoner,
'VOLUME 1, NUMBER 5a
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other democrat whoso sole interest is in the
welfare ot his party and his country has said,
that democrats should rule and that the malign
influence with which Mr. Roosevelt has con
tended all too unsuccessfully in his party shall
not fasten itself upon the democratic party.
The New York World is not a democratic
paper. Its advice to democrats can not be relied
upon. Its proprietor, nor its editors, has not the
slightest reason for personal unfriendliness to
ward Mr. Bryan. Their antipathy to the editor of
The Commoner lies deeper than anything of a
personal character can go. The purpose of. the
World and the men who follow its leadership
is not to build, up the democratic party nor. to
advance the public interests; it is rather to see
to it that as a result of the election of ,,1908
the democratic party shall not become the
medium through whioh a long suffering people
shall find relief. Uninstructed delegations is
the purpose of the World and its coterie of cor
poration politicians. "Trust your delegates,"
will be the plea to the rank and file of demo
crats in various sections. "Let your delegates "
be. free to do th-e best thing for the party and
for the country."
Against this advice The Commoner says to
every democrat in every precinct in the United
States of America: See to it that your opinion
Is registered and that your sentiment finds ex
pression in the councils of the democratic party.
See to it that the opinion and the purpose of
the majority of democrats in every precinct is
expressed in resolutions and given force in ex
plicit instructions to delegates representing that
precinct. Then let the county conventions in
struct their delegates to the state convention
and let the state convention instruct its delegates
to the national convention.
Let the voice of democracy be heard all
along the line, and when the majority shall rule
then the best results for the party arid 'the coun
try will have been accomplished.
oooo
Alili BAD
,'
The New York World recently said that
ftinety-seven1 per cdnt of ' stock ex.charige trans
actions amounted to "gambling with marked
cards." Thomas W. Lawson of Boston writes
to the World this letter: "Wall Street protests
your statement that 'ninety-seven per cent of
stock exchange transactions are gambling with
marked cards.' Although opposed to betting,
I will wager any representative of Wall Street
$10,000, my winnings to go to any charity
selected by the World, and will increase the net
to $100,000, after details have been arranged,
that the percentage is above 99 per cent."
Mr. Lawson may be accepted as . an au
thority on this poirit. If he is even approxi
mately correct, and The Commoner believes he
Is, then the stock exchange ought to go.
OOOO
. ' UNBECOMING
XV" AtAC V V VW U4 lULUllliifc. L.VM VI I. II 'V! II U
fftlleKed income from hln lfr.t.nr PTumiromanfa
Puttie Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch says: "It
ia uui Huueu wnat iee ne (.juryanj receives for
political speeches."
The intimation that Mr. Bryan, charges for
his political speeches is a species of attack which
a paper of the character of the Richmond Times
Dispatch might well leave to- the irresponsible
republican politicians -who conceived the falsehood.
lion submits one report or two, the members
of congress will deal with the subject just as
if there had been no commission. Those who
are opposed to the taxation of the many for
the benefit of the few, under the guise of pro
tection, will .be just as much in favor of tariff
reform after the experts report as before, and
tariff beneficiaries just as clamorous. for a high,
tariff if the commission reports in favor of its
reform. - t
The commission plan, fibwever honestly pre
sented by Senator Beveridge, is a delusion and a
snare. If a commission is appointed and the
next presidential election results in a victory
for those who believe in high tariff, the Teport
will not be likely to receive serious considera
tion; if the commission is appointed and the
presidential election results in the election of a
majority in favor of tariff reform, tariff, reform
will come regardless of the report of the com
mission. , No republican president or republi
can senate or republican house can tie the
hands of a democratic successor, just as no dem
ocratic president, senate or house can tie the
hands of a republican successor. We may as
well, therefore, discard the commission sugges
tion and proceed to revise the tariff through the
officials authorized to make the' revision. That
power can not be delegated, dr, if it could be,
it would not be.
One question remains; when should the
tariff be reformed? Senator Beveridge says
"after the election." There .have .been several
elections; why have we not tiad tariff revision?
We needed tariff reform three years ago, but
when the president came in with a large popular
majority to his credit, the friends of protection
said that the people had ratified the course of
the party and that it would belying in the face
of the verdict to modify the tariff. Now we
are told that it would be unwise to disturb busi
ness just before the election. Some people re
gard the election as a disturbance, and, there
fore, protest against any prolonging of the dis
turbance by an after-the-election change in the
tariff system.
OOOO
THE WORST "NATURE FMOR"
The Washington Herald is deserving -of al
commendation for its exposure of the con
temptible "nature fakir" who palms off upon
an unsuspecting people as genuine pumpkin pie
the abomination consisting of crust and squash
filling. None of us is injured by the romances
written about our animal friends, but when it
comes to imposing upon our interior mechanism
and loading our digestive apparatus with false
pretenses, we demand a halt in. the name of
good health as well as good morals. For this
reason The Commoner desires to enlist along
side the esteemed Washington Herald in a cru
sade against the imitation pumpkin pie- The
Hubbard squash is all right when appearing in
its proper role. Cut into pieces of the proper
size and baked in the rind, and properly sea
soned with salt, pepper and real butter, it is
really a fine dish. But when It falls into the
hands of the culinary "nature fakir" and comes
to us disguised as a pumpkin pie we rebel. The
Washington .Herald may draw on The Com
moner for all the editorial assistance we have
in stock for use in its seasonable campaign
against the squash -imitation and imposition.
OOOO
TARIFF REFORM BY COMMISSION
vi Tarieform by commission is impracti
cable. While a tariff commission could collect
testimony, sufficient testimony can be collected
by the regular committees of congress to answer
all necessary purposes. In fact, it is not neces
sary to spend a great deal of time taking testi
mony, f.or it is a notorious fact that the present
rate of tariff duties is indefensible. The main
object of the taking of testimony in tariff con
troversies is not to inform the public, but to
prolong the discussion and prevent action
JDvery day means dollars to the beneficiaries of
the tariff so many dollars that they can afford
to fight for time, even when sure of ultimate
defeat. It Is not necessary to have a commis
sion of experts working for several years, for
any one acquainted with the subject can fore
cast the result. If such a commission is made
Tip entirely of protectionists, the final report will
be unanimous and will be opposed to any ma
terial reduction except where the manufactur
ers themselves have found the tariff a hindrance
instead of a help. If the commission is made
IP of both reformers and protectionists, there
frill be two reports, and whether the commis-
oooo
OBITUARY
J. S. Ruddock, Uklah, Cal., contributes to
the happiness of republican politicians In this
breezy way:
"For the purpose of adding to the gaiety
of nations, I would suggest that your good paper
print the following death notice. As there are
no mourners, and the burial must be in the
potters field, I assume the notice will be printed
free:
DIED December, 1907, The "Full Dinner. Pail."
Interment, Private. No Flowers.
OOOO
WHIOH IS WHICH?'
When representatives of the American
Newspaper Publishers' Association called upon
President Roosevelt he assured them of his con
viction that action should be taken looking to
a lower tariff on wood pulp. His words were
taken as an implied promise that the presidential
influence would be wielded to behalf of the
victims of a tariff protected monopoly. A couple
of weeks later Representatives Payne and Dal
zell, "standpatters," visited the White House
.and upon coming forth emphatically declared
that there would be. "no tariff tinkerjng of
any sort this year." Representative Dalzell
stated unequivocally that there would be no
tariff refision during the congress which con
vened on December 3. And Representatives
Payne and Dalzell seem to have made their
words good. In his message Mr. Roosevelt pro
posed "tariff revision" in the form of tree
culture, but congressmen of his own political
faith "dispose of the matter with the curt an
nouncement that , "there will be no tariff re
vision." And they kriOw and Mr. Roosevelt
seems to know that they know.
OOOO
A GOOD BEGINNING
A cablegram from. Manila, says: . "The .first
bill was passed by the Philippine assembly to
day.' It appropriates one million dollars for the
construction of schools throughout the prov
inces. The bill was passed unanimously. Isauro
Gabaldon, a national member, who was the
author of the first law, proposed several other
measures at the samp time, that he introduced
the school bill into the assembly. His measures
included bills to .construct .a capital building,
and to cancel, the indebtedness of provinces and
municipalities to the insular government. It
was unanimously decided to inaugurate, legisla
tion with the school bill."
It is a good sign that Philippine legisla
tion began with an educational bill, and what
is better this significant course was adopted
unanimously.
By wise action the Philippine assembly can
- strengthen the sentiment in f ayor of . independ
ence and give complete answer to the im
perialists who say that the JFilipinos are only
half-civilized and incapable of self-government.
OOOO
HAS IT QUIT MJREADY?
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat (rep.) says:'
"The only peril which confronts Bryan is the
possibility that he may be defeated in the con
vention. A beating there would be fatal to him."
Is It possible the Globe-Democrat has so
little hope of. republican victory that It is will
ing to" surrender even before the battle begins?
What has come over the atmosphere- of the
Gl6be-Democrat's editorial rooms? T'waS not so
to the days of "Joe" McCullough. ""
oooo
OVERLOOKS THE REAL POINT
Postmaster General Meyer advances the
idea that the postofllce department ought to be
operated as a business institution. But the
postofllce department is not exactly a business
institution to be managed exactly in a business
way. It is not so regarded by the eminent
business men who use the department to
further their own selfish interests. Among them
may be mentioned the express officials who take
good care to prevent the department from be
ing run on Common sense business lines; the
contractors who find the department easy prey
through the kindly help of political favorites
who may be depended upon to give the govern
ment the worst of it In every transaction, and
the practical politicians who use it as a means
of strengthening their hold by making post
offices political plums for the rewarding of the
' faithful. To conduct the postofllce department
on business lines would be to seriously inter
fere with the private business of the gentlemen
mentioned, and as they seem to be firmly en
trenched In control the postmaster general's con
ception of what the department should be may
be classed with what the late Senator Ingalla
called an "irridescent dream."
. OOOO
THE "FLEET'S .JOURNEY
The pride of Uncle Sam's navy, his best
battleships and cruisers, his speediest torpedo
boats' and his sauciest torpedo boat destroyers,
are under full steam and headed southward,
bbnnd around the Horn for Pacific waters.
Whatever men may think of the wisdom of this
maneuver; whatever may have been the intent
of those responsible for It; whatever may be
the outcome, of one thing we are assured tne
men who man the ships pf that great fleet will
faithfully perform whatever duty' may devolve
upon them. From the days of John Paul Jones
to the days of Winfield Scott Schley and George
Dewey; from the days of Stephen Decatur to
the days of Worth Bagley; from" the day that
Commodore Perry swept the enemy's ships from
Lake Erie to the day that Admiral Schley made
Spain's naval glory a dim reminiscence from
the first time an American naval vessel first
plowed the waters until the day Admiral Evans
gave the signal that, started our big fleet towards
(Continued on Page 6)
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