-rTripMW,-Tr? TMr The Commoner. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR VOL, 8, NO. 17 Lincoln, Nebraska, May 8, 1908 Whole Number 381 CONTENTS AMERICA AND CHINA INSURING BANK DEPOSITS THE RAILROAD VOTE GOVERNMENT BY CORPORATION EXACTIONS OF THE BEEF TRUST REPUBLICAN PUBLISHERS AND THE PAPER TRUST THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE MILLION ARMY PLAN WASHINGTON LETTER COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT NEWS OF THE WEEK DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE Mr. James T. Lloyd, democratic member of congress from Missouri, has been made chair man of the democratic congressional committee and has in charge the campaign that is . being prosecuted for the election of a democratic con gress. The work of this committee is scarcely second to the work of the national committee, for without a house of representatives, a demo cratic administration is helpless. With a dem ocratic house of representatives, the president Is able to bring pressure to bear upon the sen ate, for the president and the house working to gether can present issues to the senate and focus public attention upon remedial legislation. Mr. Lloyd's committee is a democratic com mittee a committee composed of real demo crats who are wedded to democratic ideas, and who are making a flght for democratic reforms. That being true, the committee has no disposi tion to collect funds from predatory corpora tions, and could not secure such contributions if it desired to. It must make its flght upon the contributions sent in by the democrats who aro interested in democratic success. The Com moner, therefore, appeals to its readers to send contributions to Mr. Lloyd for the carrying on of this work. The democratic flght ought to be made by the rank and file of the party; a small sacrifice on the part of each democrat would en able the committee to supply the necessary lit erature and get the party records before the public. C? W CORRUPTION ADMITTED Mr. Ryan, of the Metropolitan Street Rail way Company has admitted on the witness stand that his company contributed $500,000 to the campaign in 1900. As a part of this sum was, according to Mr. Ryan, used to prevent Mr. Bryan's nomination, it is quite evident that the rest was used to defeat him after the nomina tion. When one corporation and that a local one gives more money to a national campaign than the democrats were able to collect from some six million and a half of voters the Ameri can people ought to get some idea of the cor rupting influence of predatory wealth. These contributions are not gifts, they are investments. They are advance payments on contracts for the future delivery of the government into the hands of the contributors. These same influences are now trying to control both the leading parties and every intelligent man ought to know it by this time. Fortunately the masses are in corruptible and the scheme will fail in the dem ocratic party. Ik ' WILL HE KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGGS? NOT YET! AMERICA AND CHINA The president in his message urging the building of four warships attempts to use China as an argument In favor of a big navy plan. He says: "It would be equally foolish to rely upon each of them possessing at all times and under all circumstances and provocations an altruistic regard for the rights of others. Those who hold this view are blind indeed to all that has gone on before their eyes in the world at large. They aro blind to what has happened in China, in Turkey, in the Spanish possessions, in Central and South Africa, during the last dozen years. "For centuries China has cultivated the very spirit which our peace-at-any-prico men wish this country to adopt. For centuries China has refused to provide military forces and has treated the career of the soldier as inferior in honor and regard to the career of the merchant or the man of letters. There never has been so large an empire which for so long a time has so resolutely proceeded on the theory of do ing away with whajfc is called militarism." "In external affairs the policy has resulted in various other nations now holding large por tions of Chinese territory, while there is a very acute fear in China lest the empire, because of its defenselessness, be exposed to absolute dis memberment, and Its well-wishers are able to help it only in a small measure, because no na tion can help any other unless that other can help itself." It is strange that the president should at tempt to make the absurd mistake of attribut ing China's position to an overweaning desire for peace. It is not China's lack of military en thusiasm that has caused her misfortunes. It is the fact that she has been the abode of ig norance and selfishness. A few of her people have had a little learning, and have run the government on the graft system while the masses have dwelt In ignorance, and have been taught the philosophy in which each one looks out for himself and the devil for the hindmost. But to compare the United States with China, Turkey, Spain and South Africa Is to Ignore es sential differences. Our nation Is the most ad vanced nation in the world; its people are Intel ligent and well-informed. Our nation has abun dant resources and our people have an enor mous productive power. Wo have an ocean on either side to protect us against attack, and no nation is foolish enough to invite a conflict. If there is any nation that does not need to im poverish its people with preparations for imag inary war, our nation is that nation. Not only do we need less protection than any other na tion, but our ideals forbid that we should enter into the mad race for physical power that has Jed "other nations to decay. The president ,and other naval enthusiasts advocate a gigantic navy on the ground that it promotes peace. The theory Is antagonistic to all that religion teaches or that history proves. The very spirit that leads us to rely upon a big navy will lead us to use it. Some regard tho parade of our ships around the world as an ex hibition of our strength. It is to be hoped that this is not the real reason for the trip that they are taking. If this was tho reason, why should not other nations parade their ships, and how long would these parades continue before they M . M