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The Commoner,
volume 8, Dumber 17,
would result In ft conflict? Men who load them
selves down with weapons and go out to exhi
bit their preparedness for any encounter aro
very apt to And an oxcuso for shooting. Our
nation Is to bo congratulated upon the fact that
tho president, with all his influence, was not
ablo to forco his four battleship plan through
olthor houso, and tho democrats can find grati
fication in tho fact that thoir position on this
subject is bo sound that they could secure largo'
ropubllcun support for it.
JV ri
INSURING BANK DEPOSITS
ft?
A citizen of Illinois writes to one of tho
Oklahoma officials as follows: "I am very much
ploasod with your law for securing bank depos
its. I havo been a resident of Illinois for a
numbor of years, was a dopositor in a bank that
fulled thoro, and on account of your favorable
banking laws for depositors, I transferred my
account to tho bank of Oklahoma.
My account Is small, but it amounts to moro
than seven thousand dollars. I havo friends
who left Illinois with twlco aB much as I had,
who wont to ,' Okla. I and my
friends camo from County, and
there aro othor friends who will transfer thoir
accounts to remain on deposit because thoy like
tho security. I writo you for no other purpose
than to lot you know how tho people of other
states appreciate tho banking laws of Oklahoma.
Wishing you success, I am, your truly ."
Tho Commoner has a copy of tho letter,
but the namo of tho writor together with tho
namo of his county In Illinois, and tho name of
tho banks in Oklahoma to which tho money Was
sent havo boon omitted that no injustice might
bo dono by tho publication of tho lotter.
, Tho fact that banks of Oklahoma aro mado
secure by a law that compels all tho banks to
stand back of each bank is already having its
effect. There is no doubt that Kansas and Ne
braska will adopt a similar law as soon as tho
legislatures can bo elected, and the reform is
bound to spread. At present, many of tho lead
ing bankers are opposing it under the false im
pvejfeithi that it woiild hurt the larger banks.
It will not take from the largo bank any legiti
mate advantago, and tho bankers themselves
will soon bo compelled to favor the law, because
tho people will demand the security and will
sond their money where tho security can be
found. Why not make the banks safe? Why
not protect depositors? We should havo laws,
state and national, giving assurance to deposi
tors that their earnings, when deposited in
banks, will bo safo. Tho bankers who have op
posed such legislation1 aro responsible for tho
growth of sentiment in favor of postal savings
banks. Their selfishness is short-sighted and
x!iein ' flnd by talktaS to their depositors,
that they are destroying the influence they used
to have as advisors. Many bankers aro already
taking a broader view of the subject and aro
tocreaaso g euaranty pla May their tribe
&&&&
SECRETARY TAFT MISQUOTED
Secretary Taf t claims that ho has been mis
quoted. He did not say that "we must ok
u7n,ft a .antic controversy between labor
and capital;" he was quoted as saying this but
as expressing tho hope that it would be peace
ably, settled What he said was, "That Snlow
hxborors united into organizations, the labore?
would stand no chance in that inevitable con
trovorsy that we always hope will bo peaceful
vVhfat ? tat-that inevltabircoPntrov-
gm?fi2 $W "pital 8ha11
Taf t ?ihghtC0rrenr iffiS ctfciS
tho annoyance of incorrect reports of speeches!
&&&&
TUB RAILROAD VOTE.
f n,Thern aro, lncresing indications that soma
of tho railroad managers are goinc to nuS
to organize the railroad vote for no purpose S?
Not a Matter of Personality
Jr
Tho Now York Sun prints tho following
letter:
"To tho Editor of tho Sun Sir: You aro
so thoroughly committed to tho opposition of
Mr. Bryan that it would be a matter of presump
tion to address to you a word in his favor if ono
could not confidently rely on tho Sun's spirit of
fairness to give both sides a hearing and even
Mr. Bryan his due.
"It has boon frequently urged of late by
several papers and numerous individuals that
Mr. Bryan should retire from the running in
favor of Governor Johnson or somebody else
who peradventure might lead a united democ
racy to victory. Tho writer of course has no
access to Mr. Bryan's inner consciousness and
Is therefore unable to say just what may be tho
motives that are controlling him. But whatever
may bo his motives or personal feelings, there
aro some obvious facts which an outside obser
ver must consider, and which Mr. Bryan in all
human probability has also taken note of and
given duo weight in deciding on his course of
action.
"Mr. Bryan, by the events of the past twelve
years, has established a certain relation with
about 6,000,000 voters, a relation which is very
real, very vital and largely personal. When Jt
comes to the question of retiring from the run
ning in favor of some other man, Mr. Bryan as
an honorable man would have no conceivable
moral right to ignore this relationship and the
duty which is laid upon Mm by virtue of this
relationship. Mr. Bryan, either by his own
volition, or by the forco of circumstances, has
beon placed in a position where these millions
2: men ?ok to hIm for thG accomplishment of
their political aspirations and ideals. This be
ing true, Mr. Bryan's personal feelings or amTii-
iiSS.11 ?ultG b.ldG the point He naj no
right to retire until ho-gets his discharge from
these" .millions of 'voters whom he has repre
Bentcd. "As one of these. millions, the nameless and
obscure, I should feel personally that Mr. Bryan
W-0lJld, &6,31 traltor to' tho cause he has rerir?
sentedif he should listen to the advice-which fs
so freely offered and decline in advance td accept
the nomination. In other words, Mr. Brvan's
personal feeling ambitions or Inclinations do
not enter into the question at all, but simply
his duty to the men he has represented. And
from the point of view his conduct in 1904 may
ssSSSSSS-sS
freight, .handlers, etc.. etc. It is customary for
erfm5a?ers t0 appeal t0 the employes about
electldh time, when an attempt is being made
eCtmme 0fllcial friendJy to the manage
ment The usual method of coercion is to
threaten a reduction of wages if the railroad is
not able to select the officials. u"aa 13
The employes, however, and thev con
stitute the real voting strength of the railroad
elementought to know by this time that the
man selected by the managers is seldom friendlv
to the employes. In all matters affecting la
bor, the man who- obligates himself to the rail
road management is opposed to anything that
the employes ask for, although the employes
may have been coerced into supporting him
when a candidate. w ng mm
1 th railroad employes want a law mak
ng the railroads liable for injuries to empires
they must find their support from the fame
laborers in tho cities and the public geSemHv'
for the men elected by the railroad influence
are almost as a unit against such leeislatirm
And so if the railroad emtfoyT Tw"nt re-
ief from government by injunction; they cannot
hope for it from the men elected by raiZl
influence. They ought, by this SL fft . 7 d
agers. threatened th T emp oy03hewS'ratl In
duction, if the rate bills Sed,L?5,, reT
passenger rates Increase t5 ',?', reduced
S4 "he advantage to
gcho pay dlvvldena4vaock?wi,'S!'PP5S!m,iBt
Ployes have interest TconSo $ 5?e
be open to criticism but his conduct in 1908 is
If I may still further trespass upon the pa
tience and space of the Sun I should like to sav
just a word of what Mr. Irryan represents tn
these 6,0d0,000 and more who look to him tS
fulfil their political aspirations and ideal 1
find a very general misconception of what Mi
Bryan really stands for. Bryan democracy 3
supposed to be the summation of all political
madness and wickednessby tho people who
have never taken the trouble to find out just
what it is. It is supposed to be free silver or
government ownership of railroads or some
thing else. And it may or may not involve or
include these things according to circumstances,
but these things it certainly is not. The heart
and soul of the Bryan movement, the one thing
that those 6,000,000 and more do really mean
and mean most intensely and all the time, has
found its best and completest expression in the
Declaration of Independent and Lincoln's
speech at Gettysburg. However much we may
like to disguise the fact and talk about 'strict
construction' and 'loose construction' being the
?n ,a!?i0 cJea7aSe between political parties
in the United States, the fact remains that the
one significant question before Us today, and
the most vital question in the history of the na
tion, is the question of oligarchy and democracy.
Can any sane, intelligent man who knows the
5ff 4S? republlcan party since it became
wedded to the tariff doubt that it has moved
away from the sublime conception- of Lincoln to
toe government of the few? It is the fashion of
the day to laugh at democracy and- speak of
the peepul,' but we Bryan democrats go back
.more and more to the greatest of Americans, if
not, Indeed, the greatest of men, and by his
SJi wrei5edIS5.to? t0 the task-or which he
gave his life, 'that government of the people,
?ryomePeeaPrteh.'f0r " PePl6' Sha" 0t perish
"Sensible both of the sacrifice which had
already been made for this cause and of the
grandeur of the ideal, we should consider' it
tSIow lmpertI,nence and ,a. profanation for , Mr.
Bryan to obtrude any personal considerations in
the campaign. His duty is to serve. If he is
toetarrship0. "' " n right to dec-
Natick, Mass.," &gj? DEMOCRAT.
tiroansPwniIC'hnnd0 th,eS ?eed not fear that r"uc-
raifroa ne JmZ ? a Pint where honest
railroading will be injured. The employes
will be better off when railroad managers are
compelled to earn their money by XStag to
the business of tho road and not by exploiting
the p,S?llc throu&fc the stock market
The democratic party stands for IusHpa in
SernublicmPy0eS' t0,the stockholders and to
SL? c' ,hose, patronage enables the rail
?nflS ,tCVexist No les"i.mate business will be
injured by democratic success, and the railroad
employes will stand in their own light if they
allow themselves to be deceived by the mln
tteb5fidta J ftmanipulatine the ranroads fo?
tne building up of enormous fortunes All thit
the public demands is that the railroads shall
recognize their quasi-public character and dis
charge the important duties that devolve upon
05 PER CENT WATER
Mr. Ryan seems to have turned State'i evi
dence. In his attempt to defend his manage
ment of the Metropolitan Street Railway he
throws some light upon the methods which have
been employed to build up swollen fortunes.
He says that 95 per cent of the railroad stock
is waterthe roads being built with bonds.
The public buy -the bonds and the managers
Seadi nn2 St0(?C WhIle mey Manipulate
on the Bid? A.makG. eV.en larger fortunes
Democratic plan of ascertaining thevalue of
1