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JANUARY 10, 1908
The Commoner.
M
tlio case of Governor Johnson, however, it is
believed that this flro would not be drawn, for
while he is more or less a conservative, in the
sense that he has never been a worshipper of
Bryan, he belongs to a ypunger generation and
is without any handicapped record.
"For these reasons the anti-Bryan men hero
believe that should their movemont make head
. way Johnson will be the man on whom they
can all unite. But as to whether it will make
headway they are equally' as ignorant as tho
democrats in Minnesota.
"The prevailing opinion here is that tho
governor can do nothing to push his boom along,
and that if he were to try he might do the
cause more harm than good. At the same
time, it is expected that he will keep his own
house in order and, should the opening come,
be prepared to deliver for himself the votes of
Minnesota, the Dakotas and of such other north
west territory as he can control.
"During January and February the forces
will be ajfc work within the party that
will decide who will get the Denver nomination,
and Governor Johnson will bo powerless in their
hands. Should the nomination go to him, it
will be without reference to anything he him
self might be able to do. He can neither help
nor hinder the movement that is now on foot,
and it is understood here that he purposes keep
ing his hands off until the right moment rolls
around, should such a moment ever come."
ANOTHER REPORT
The Washington correspondent for the Buf
falo (N. Y.) Evening News, under date of Wash
ington, December 20, printed the following:
The greatest political campaign conducted
in forty years in the democratic party, and at
any rate since the late William C. Whitney man
aged to nominate Cleveland in 1892, was begun
at the meeting of the democratic national com
mittee in this city this week.
President James J. Hill, the famous "Jim
Hill" of St. Paul went down 'to New York some
time ago, and told the "System" that he had the
man for president, and that it must furnish the
money. It is anything to beat Roosevelt, first,
second, to beat any man who represents Roose
velt policies; and third, how to turn the trick.
.At present writing it is regarded as im
possible for the "System" to capture the repub
lican national convention and nominate its man.
The alternative is to capture the democratic
national convention and make the nominee its
own creature. The hatred of the "System" for
the policies of the president is the basis of this
combination. This plan of the "System" started
by Hill to capture control of the presidency is
the true "conspiracy," that has been mysterious
ly whispered about the White House and in
Washington for several months. Tho News Is
able for the first time to state In print just
what there is of the story.
The first place at which those who are en
gineering this scheme showed their hand was
at the national committee meeting a few days
ago in Washington.
The south will send solid delegations in
Btructed for Bryan. So will many states from
other sections. New York will not do It. New
York Is playing the game of the "System" as
far as the present organization of the party is
concerned. Boss Murphy is not lor Bryan.
Neither is Chairman Conners. Bryan has no
show whatever for the vote of the New York
delegation. The talk of Chanler for president
is a joke. Johnson is the man for the "System"
and every other name but Bryan is a mask for
Johnson. Wherever you fina" a democratic news
paper assailing Bryan there is seen the outcrop
ping of the "System" even when the newspaper
itself doesn't know It.
, Another thing is to be noticed. The "Sys
tem" is going to do ita T)est to create and pro
long panic conditions. It is doing it now. It
controls vast enterprises of its own and thou
sands of smaller ones are dependent in one way
or another on the activities of plants owned by
the "System." The entire outfit is used to
frighten the country into the belief that it Is
Roosevelt that is to blame for current conditions
of business. Other monetary crises have been
followed by defeat of the party in power when
they came. It is hoped to, win the great prize
of the presidency for the "System" by defeat
ing Bryan first for the nomination and then by
defeating the republican candidate at the polls
unless the "System" can bo certain of controlling
him when elected.
The main point is to defeat any man repre-
senting even remotely the Rooseveltian policy
toward corporations and Bryan is as much hated
as Roosevelt on that score. It is not surprising
that as the people begin slowly to sense the
immense and complicated game of the "Sys-
tmo" they continuo to Insist on Roosevelt's stay
ing in the White House until ho has utterly rout
ed and crushed the "System." It is conceded
oven by tho Insldo men of tho "System" that
Roosevelt can do it. Ho has tho incomparable
backing df the nation that no other man has
ever been able to muster. There is no chanco
against him whatever. It is about equally hope
less to look for refuge if Bryan is elected. No
such man as either of them, or any ono resem
bling either of them in character and moral prin
ciples is to bo endured If tho brains and resources
of tho ."System" can provent so dreadful a re
sult of the campaign of 1908 In tho mind of
tho "System."
IN MINNESOTA
The following dispatch was carried by tho
Associated Press: "Duluth, Minn., Jan. 4.
Democrats of Minnesota who favor tho nomina
tion of W. J. Bryan for president, tonight gavo
out an address to tho democrats In Minnesota,
setting forth their reasons for supporting Mr.
Bryan. The address Is signed by T. T. Hudson,
democratic national committeeman for Minne
sota, and more than one hundred othor promi
nent democrats of the state. Tho address in
part says: 'Believing that It Is essential In tho
contest of 19 08, that the democracy of the na
tion shall continue- on advanced ground; that
there shall be no retreat; that what has been
already so dearly won shall not be lost, It is
our firm conviction that the best Interests of
the American people aro In the nomination and
election of W. J. Bryan to tho presidency as'
chief exponent of tho reforms needed In our
nation, and to that end wo ask tho co-oporatlon
of democrats In Minnesota. The conflict Is be
tween reaction and progress. The Interests with
selfish Influences behind them, which have al
ways been Inimical to pure democracy, aro still
at work. "Let no true democrat be deceived. In
tho present situation no man can bo seriously
considered in place of Mr. Bryan, if these in
fluences are behind him. We know what Bryan
stands for; he is no experiment. If wo win with
him It will be a victory worth tho winning, a
triumph of the principles we hold dear.' "
OOOO
Washington Letter
Washington, D. C, January C.
Now come some republican politicians In
Wisconsin who announce their devotion to Taft
and their purpose to make what they call "a
bitter fight" for Taft delegates against LaFollette.-
In other words they hope to round up
for Taft that .old crowd of corporation-serving,
machine reactionary politicians who have fought
Senator LaFollette since his entry upon public
life and who have been properly whipped into
obscurity. Tho brainiest of the lot, former Sen
ator Spooner, has moved out of the state and
become a corporation lawyer in New York. Tho
men who are left are machine politicians of
the old stripe. They would be glad to get back
into even a semblance of power, if by pretend
ing to be for Taft they could beat LaFollette.
But It would be all pretense and the pretense
will be more hurtful to Taft than helpful to
them. A .
President Roosevelt has talked much
against the reactionaries in his own party. Ho
has put forward Secretary Taft as his choice
of a man to carry out his policies. Some of
us do not believe that either the Roosevelt or
the Taft policies are so progressive as they are
advertised, but If the president and the secre
tary of war allow a fight to be made In Wiscon
sin to eliminate LaFollette, the most progres
sive of all republicans, it will not bo jfor us any
longer a question of thinking, we will know.
Florida sends to' Washington a new sena
tor' in place of Stephen R. Mallory, who died a
few days ago. He comes by appointment of
the governor, of course, and at the next session
of the Florida legislature will have to fight
for his continuance in the senate. William
James Bryan, who is said to be no relation of tho
other W. J. Bryan, is but thirty-two years old.
He comes from a state which is rapidly passing
into the control of two great railroad corpora
tions the Flagler system on the east coast, and
the Plant system on the west. But his appoint
ment comes rom a governor who has not been
charged as being in the slightest degree sub
servient to these great corppration interests.
He himself has made what reputation he pos
sesses by a prosecution of the beef trust and of
the ice trust In his own state, and by his in
sistence, when solicitor of Duval county upon
tho strict enforcement of tho oxcIbo laws. After
all tho new man in tho sonato shows wisdom
when ho declines to toll too much of what ho
expects or hopes to do. In response to audi
tions, Mr. Bryan said: "I bollovo congrosa
should devise somo means of provontlng finan
cial panic at times when tho country is pros
perous. I think tho tariff should bo so rovlsed
as to meet new conditions and not foster preda
tory trusts and combinations. I bollovo In pro
serving tho sovereignty of tho sovcral states, and
I shall opposo any incasuro which tends to
weaken that sovereignty." Senator Bryan's
youth and tho circumstances undor which ho
comes to tho sonato rnako him ono of a group
of Interesting now democratic senators. Among
them aro Owon, tho Indian, and Goro tho blind
man from Oklahoma; Robert Taylor, hotter
known as Fiddling Bob of Tennessee; and Jctt
Davis of Arkansas.
All now men, each with a distinct person
ality of his own, each ono so far as may bo
judged, with a determination to Impress his own
conviction upon tho action of congress and to
advance tho causo of progrcsslvo democracy,
what these five men may do during tho long
session about to como will bo of national
interest.
WILLIS J. ABBOT.
OOOO
HER PRAYER
"Does 'ay mo
t ? Down un s'cop,
Doob p'ay 'Ord
Soul un teep;
'Foro mo die,
'Foro mo 'ako,
Does p'ay 'Ord
Soul un take."
That's tho way sho says hor prayer,
Eyos-o'-bluo and goldon hair,
Kneeling by hor llttlo bed
Whoro the softest glow is shed
From tho light out In the hall,
Like God's morcy over all;
Dimpled hands 'ncath dimpled chin
Sends sho her petition in
Carefully and slowly, then
Suddenly snaps out, "Amen!"
"Does 'ay mo
Down un s'eep,
Docs p'ay 'Ord
Soul un teep;
'Fore mo die,
'Fore mo 'ako,
Docs p'ay 'Ord
Soul un take."
So sho kneels and, sweet and low,
Halting, stumbling, going slow,
Plodding through It carefully,
Conscientious as can bo,
While her mother up above
Prompts hor in a voice of love,
And hor father, standing by
With tho love-Jight In his oyo.
Waits to clasp her tight again
YlTliriri atin'a unannml linr fin I " A rrt an I ii
''f
.
"Does 'ay mo
Down un s'eep,
Does p'ay 'Ord
Soul un teep;
'Fore me die,
'Foro mo 'ako,
Does p'ay 'Ord
Soul un take."
m.
.it,
So our llttlo baby prays
Nights that follow fiappy days, i :
Kneeling by her little bed '
With her golden curls outspread , i
Over her wee shoulders wide;
Weary limbed and sleepy-eyed,
Halting, ploddingly and slow, V
In tho hall light's softened glow, "" ;..
Lord, our little babies keep - ,-
When they lay them ."down unj s'eep.?'
"Amcn!
J. M. Lewis in Houston (Tex.) Pos't.
'
OOOO
SUNSHINE BOOMERANG
When a bit of sunshine hits ye,
After passing of a cloud;
When a, fit of laughter gits ye,
An' ye'r spine Is feelin' proud; .
Don't fergit to up and fling it
At a soul that's feelin' blue;
For the mlnlt that ye sling It
It's a boomerang to you.
Captain Jack .Crawford.
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