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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 1908)
HfrnWji Mi, iMin'iafiwiimwHiWuiyKn''Hyj -fmmiijniMi in imj ;ww rv m.i-.....i i t nr ii.h,. iin iiIim jhi iff I'!""1 The Commoner." VOLUME 8,4lgUM:BEIt 21 momborfl of the house had passed it? Was It a good bill? If so, what secret influenco killed it in the scnato? If tho senate had been com posed of men ELECTED BY DIRECT VOTE it would have passed tho Littlefleld bill; does tho ox-congressman profor a senate that has tho "courage" to assassinate a measure in the pub lic interest to a sonato that would be afraid to oppose what tho people want and need? Mr. Liifleftalcl ought to bo the last man to reproach Iho house with cowardice or to commend the senate for courage, Some change must have come over him possibly this change may bo explained by subsequent acts. In the meantime, the fight for the election of senators by a direct vote of the people will continue. Those who believe that the people should think for themselves and then elect offi cials to carry out their wishes see in the popu lar olection of senators a necessary step in the reform program tho gateway to other re forms. y f V 2r THE LEADER VS. THE BOSS Tho leader is not a man who thinks for tho people but a man who thinks with the" people. Tho leader is going in tho same direc tion that the people are going far enough ahead to bo in advance but not far enough to bo out of sight. Tho leader is not only in sym pathy with the people but ho relies upon per suasion to iniluenco them. Ho presents his arguments to them but recognizes tho right of tho people to reject any proposition submitted by him. Tho loader's title to leadership rests upon his ability to propose tho best thing at tho right time and, as those who follow the leader follow him voluntarily, he must appeal' to their conscionco and their judgment. The leader is a moulder of opinion, and a moUlder oi opinion dooB not create public opinion he merely expresses it in effective language. As Thomas Jefferson simply put into appropriate words tho aspirations of the people, so, today, the leader tho moulder of public opinion coins Into current language the sentiment, like procious metal, which experience brings forth from humanity's great store house. ' ,( Tho boBS, however, is an entirely different character if tho word '"character" can bo ap plied to ono who is often without character. Tho boss has no sympathy with tho people; he nns 'fc.g..Qwn interosts to serve and whatever iUthLoriJbcau secure ho turns to his private I' advantage. '" Tne )oss is an embezzler of power and, measured by every moral standard, he is In tho same criminal class with the embezzler of money. Tho boss has introduced bribery, cor t ruption and intimidation into politics and ho wiff ro out when these are eliminated. "Let tho people wio" 1b as much a terror to the - boss as the cowevmandment, "Thou shalt not "steaVVi u.'o tiie thief. The spread of tho pri mary, is- only a reaction from boss rule and, like -4very' ther plan for tho bringing of the gov- . eminent nearer to tne people, tne primary sys tem Increases the relative influence of the real leader and lessens the influenco of the boss. 1v t THE OKLAHOMA WAY The following report on an Oklahoma bank failure shows the way they do things in that democratic commonwealth: "The International Bank of Coalgate was reported to the bank commissioner by one of his examiners a few days ago" for violating the banking law of tho Btate, particularly in its managing officers borrowing from the deposi tors' money. "The bank commissioner at once visited the bank In person and found that the total deposits were about $37,000, of which the president, L. A. Connors, owed over $6,000, and the cashier, L. Elzy, owed over $4,000 in other words, about thirty per cent of the deposits had -teen borrowed by the two managing oClcers. The bank commissioner demanded that they im mediately replace the money. They failed to do so. He closed the bank at 2:15 Thursday evening; telephoned the state banking board received instructions to immediately proceed to pay all approved deposits. In forty-two minutes from tho closing of the bank the bank commis sioner was ready to pay approved deposits. By Friday evening Blxty per cent of the depositors had appeared, proved their claims and received tneir money. By the end of the second day ninety per cent of all deposits had been paid. A few depositors who live in the country don't Boom to bo in any hurry about drawing their deposits. ONE FARMER IS REPORTED AS THE MONSTER CAGED ! ANSWERING OVER THE RURAL TELE PHONE THAT HE IS TOO BUSY-TO COME AFTER HIS M6NEY, BUT WILL WANT IT IN A WEEK OR SO". "In the meantime both the president and the cashier have been arrested for the violation of the state banking law, and are "held under heavy bond. "There will probably be, no loss to the state guaranty fund, and no assessment required on, other hanks. Liquidation will likely reimburse the state fund within thirty days. The loss will probably not exceed the capital stock." w 5 w w ALL ARE "SATISFIED" In an editorial entitled "Bryanism as a Trust Asset," the New York World undertook to show that the democrats should repudiate "Bryan ism" because Wall Street was satisfied with Taft. Summoning the New York Times to its aid, the World said: "The Times, in a single sentence, dis poses of Mr. Bryan's delusion that tho trusts are opposing his nomination: " 'The trusts today do not want Mr. Bryan elected, but they want him nominat- ' ed because they are entirely satisfied with Mr. Taft and they know Bryan is the weak est candidate the democrats can name.' "A hint to the same effect can be found in Henry Clews speech before the Manchester Economic club Wednesday night. " 'It may surprise some to learn that the great power concentrated in the presi dent's hands by congress has made the great corporations, including the railway 4 companies and banking institutions, ambi tious and eager, to control the federal gov erment itself, and. they are resolutely work ing to control it as far as they can by the force of capital, but as unobtrusively as possible.' "Already they are sub rosa powerful political machines. In this connection it is significant that some large railway and banking interests have identified themselves with tho Taft movement." Less than sixty days ago tho Now York World practically announced that it would aup port Mr. Taft. And now comes the World with the admission that the trusts are "entirely sat isfied with Mr. Taft" and that these . interests "have identified themselves with, the Taft moVe inent." If there are men who, in?" years gone cby, had respect for the New York World's pretend sions but now believe that the World's policy is controlled by .certain special interests and that for this reason alone the New York news paper will give its support to Mr. Taft then the World has only itself to blame for its un enviable plight. Poor old New York World! It has some well-earned credit marks. But now that it has been unmasked even the good it has done in certain particulars does not serve to protect it from the jibes of men of all parties who despise hypocrisy even though they pity the hypocrite. 4v 5 V CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS The following telegraphic correspondence explains itself: Lincoln, Neb., May 25, 1908. Secretary William H. Taft, Washington, D. C: I beg to suggest that as leading candidates in our re spective parties we join in asking congress to Pqss a bill requiring publication of campaign contributions prior to election; if you think best we pan ask other candidates to unite with us in tho request. W. J. Bryan. ii,Was?inton' ?; C" May 2B' IMS'. -Hon. William J. Bryan, Lincoln, Neb,: Your telegram received. On April 30th last I sent the follow ing letter to Senator Burrows, tho chairman of the committee on privileges and elections of tho senate: "My Dear Mr. Burrofra: I sincerely be HeVe that it would greatly tend tp the absence of corruption in politics if the expenditures for nominations and elections of all candidates and all contributions received and expenditures made by political committees could be ma,de: public both in regpect to state and national politics. For that reason, I am strongly in favor of tho passage of the bill which is now pending in the senate and house, bringing about this result so far as national pplitics are concerned. I marked this letter personal because I am anxious to avoid assuming an attitude in the campaign which it is quite possible I shall never have tho right to assume, but so far as my pergonal in fluence is concerned, I am anxious to give it for. ' the passage of the bill. Very sincerely yours, William H. Taft." Since writing the above, jn answer to , inquiry I have said puhlicly that Ij ' 0 4i-,w HJ!fl A rf , Jn,t J