P5WWTWff
2
The Commoner.
wore tho bluo and llio Bona of those who woro
tho gray mnrcliod with each othor ton years
; ago and vlod with each other in their loyalty
'to tho govornraont and to tho govornmonts
'ideals. Tho soldiers mingled togother without
1 regard to section, or party, or creod and proved
that in a groat oinorgoncy our peoplo aro
patriots by ovory tost that can ho applied. And
I havo no doubt that in meeting tho issues pre
sented by peaceful progress wo shall bo equally
successful In proving that beneath our minor
dlfforonces thoro is a unity of purpose that binds
us all together and insures the triumph of every
righteous causo.
J & vtf & ?
NO RYAN CONTRIBUTIONS '
Tho following interviow givon out by Mr.
Bryan on his return from a trip through Ne
braska explains itself:
I havo just read tho New York World's
story charging:
First, that my brother-in-law, Mr. Allen,
chairman of tho Nebraska democratic state com
mittee, had a conference with Mr. Sheehan in
1904 in regard to campaign funds.
Second, that Mr. Sheehan, as Mr. Ryan's
attornoy, secured from Mr. Ryan $20,000 for tho
Nebraska campaign.
Third, that Mr. Ryan made tho contribu
tion to securo my "open and unqualilied support
of Judgo Parkor."
Fourth, that "to disguise the source of tho
contribution, Mr. Ryan gave the check to Mr.
Sheehan, and that Mr. Sheehan gave his checks
to Mr. Allon."
Chairman Allen and Mr. Dahlman, tho Ne
braska mombor of the national democratic com
mittee, havo already denied tho World's charges
and stated that the only money received came
from tho national committee, but I desire to add
the following statement:
Mr. Allen says that ho never saw either
Mr. Sheehan or Mr. Ryan, and I have no re 3on
to doubt his word. If Mr. Ryan contributed
to tho Nebraska campaign it was not with my
knowledge or consent. Whilo I had but a re
mote personal interest in the Nel raBka campaign
that year, I am always interested in Nebraska
politics and am also interested in national poli
tics, and I am not willing to be in even the
.slightest degrco, obligated to any favor-seeking
corporation. Ji therefore, the World will secure
from either Mr. Sheehan or Mr, Ryan a state
ment, or prove in any other way, that Mr. Ryan
gave to Mr. Sheehan, to any one-else, or to the
national committee any sum whatever, with the
understanding that that sum would be used in
tho Nebraska campaign, I shUl see that tho
amount is returned to Mr. Ryan.
As to tho charge that my support of Judge
Parker was purchased I need only to say that I
announced my support of Judgo Parker imme.
dlatoly after tho St. Louis convention, and that
that support was open and unqualified from tho
convention until the polls olosod. I had opposed
hlB nomination, but he had no more loyal sup
porter during the campaign. I was in corre
spondence with him, and both on the stump and
wh, m pon ronderod all tho assistance I could.
JWhilo the World was selling its columns to tho
.republican committee to be used in caricaturing
Judge Parker, my paper was urging his election.
MR. SHEEHAN'S LETTER
Tho Associated Press carried the following
dispatch: b
yZ Iork,' Juno 5- "Whatever money was
aent to Nebraska for iiso in the campaign of
904 was taken from tho general fund of the
'democratic national committee, which was mad
Hip of voluntary contributions from many Cr-
;on8, according to a lettor written by William
V Sheehan of this city to William J. BrVaS S
Lincoln, Neb., on Juno 1, and made public tn-
Jay. Tho letter bears upon the allegatC which
Las been published that Thomas F. RvSn CQn
rlbuted $16,000 to the campaign in 1904'
Wish William F. Sheehan. Zirman of Uie
democratic national committee, who, it was
,charged, gave the money to T. S. Allen of nS
.braska. In making the contents of tho letter
public Mr Sheehan's representative today called
attention to the fact that it bore date of June 1
And said that there was no delay on Mr qiToil
Pi.blfcrt.ed in tho Now York Worid on 130 las?
relating to campaign expenditures In tlio state of
Nebraska In 1904. In view of the fact that
was chairman of tho executive committee of tho
democratic national committee In that year, per
mit mo to say that whatever money was sent
to tho state of Nebraska was taken from tho
general fund, which money was made up of vol
untary contributions from many persons. Why
there should bo any criticism of this particular
expenditure I am at a loss to understand. Tho
transaction was a perfectly legitimate one on
both sides. Thoro was not tho slightest sug
gestion at the time from anybody that you had
any knowledge on the subject or that knowledge
of tho transaction was to bo brought home to
you. It is probably needless for me to say that
noithor directly or indirectly was I responsible
for the publication in question, and were it not
for tho fact that I believe 'an act of injustice
has been done you I would not even say what
VI have in this letter. Yours truly,
"WILLIAM F. SHEEHAN."
THE EMERGENCY CURRENCY LAW
Spurred on by. the. masters of .high, finance,
congress used the expiring hours of tho session
to force through a so-called emergency currency
bill, but it is merely a consummation of a plan
which they have had on foot for years. They -simply
used the emergency to coerce the public.
Tholr object is to escape, from the present bank
note basis and this measure is but an entering
wedge. It establishes a precedent; it inaugu
rates a change; it substitutes the assets of. a
bank for government bonds. These financiers,
having won this victory by false pretenses, will
now proceed to plan for a reduction of the emer
gency rate of interest with a view to making
tho emergency currency a permanent currency.
An abstract of the law was published in
the last issue of The Commoner and the reader
by examining it will see that the provision in
regard to security is so liberal that almost any
thing can be put up as a basis for bank notes.
It is charged by some of the more independent
papers of tho east that there is behind the meas
ure a plan to boom certain bonds that need to
have their reputation more permanently estab
lished. Senator LaFollette deserves credit for lead
ing tho fight against it He was ...ably .assisted
by Senator Stone and Senator Gore, but it was
impossible for so few to long" delay,; the vote
when tho republicans were ready to vote for it'
and when most of the democrats felt that they
were justified in simply voting against the bill
and throwing tho responsibility upon tho
majority.
&&&& ..' ,,' .
A SAMPLE OF MISREPRESENTATION
Nothing in the experience of the man in
public life (and one can be in public life with
out being in office) is more irritating, than mis
representation of his position, and yet it seems
to be Impossible to prevent misrepresentation.
A newspaper man calls upon you, often as you
are getting on the train or getting off, and asks
a question. If you rofuse to answer tho ques
tion your refusal will be misconstrued and yet
when you answer it you take your chance upon a
misquotation, and if you are misquoted the un
friendly papers are sure to seize upon the mis
quotation" and build editorials upon it, gladly
assuming that you are correctly quoted. The
following is a case in point. Mr. Bryan went
to Baltimore in response to an invitation of a
local committee to deliver his lecture, "The
Prince of Peace," during the session of tho
Methodist conference the entire proceeds go
ing to the local committee which had in charge
the defraying of the expenses of the confer
ence. He announced to reporters that as he
was not there upon a political mission he would
not discuss politics,' Ono of the reporters a ed
him: "Will your advocacy of government und
state ownership of railroads be prominent in
the campaign?" Mr. Bryan replied: "That is
not a present issue and I do hot intend that it
.shall be made an issue. sThe people who aro
pressing it are trying to sidetrack the real
issue, which is the effective regulation of rail
roads." The reporter, instead of reporting
yhat MJ, ,Bl7au !tated' Published tho follow
ing; "This is not a pressing issue, and I do
not Intend that it shall be a leading issue be
cause the people who will press it are trying to
sidetrack the real issue, which is the regulation
of railroad rates," and ho described Mr. Bryan
as saying it "with emphasis and determination "
A comparison of tho two statements will disclose
the fact that the word "pressing" was substi
tuted for the word "present." Tfiis may have
; VOLUME 8, NUMBER 22
been a typographical error, or the reporter may
have written tho word carelessly. It will be
noticed also that tho word "leading" was insert
ed before tho word "issue." The two words
"pressing" and "leading" change the entiro
meaning of the sentence. Mr. Bryan stated
that it would not bo a PRESENT issue; that is,
not ah Issue to bo considered at this time, and
that he did not intend that it should bo made
an issue by those who were using it to escape
from the real issue. Then the word "rctes"
was added, and this limits the railroad ques
tion to the subject of rates, whereas the term
used ,by Mr. Bryan, "effective regulation of
railroads," covers other things' besides rates. It
will be seen, therefore, that the reporter by
using three Words that Mr. Bryan did, not use,
gave the opposition press a chance tp misrepre
sent Mr: Bryan's attitude. If Mr. Bryn had
actually saH that the railroad question wa not
a pressing issue, it would ha- e been equivalent
to saying that it was an ' sue tiut not as impor
tant as some other, but to say that it was not a
present issUe was equivalent' to saying that it
is not an issue at all 'at the present time. If
Mr. Bryan had said that it would not b2 a
leading issue it would have meant that it would
have been a minor issue, but he said that it
would not1 be an isue at all,' which is an en
tirely different proposition. '
There is no way to pre.ont' these misrep
resentations and this is only' an illustration
without a refusal to answer questions. A'he
newspapers are doing a great work and the
representatives are, as a rule, conscientious and
anxious to report correctly, but it is not always
possible to have an interview taken down in
longhand and the memory is not infallible.
With the very best of motives a newspaper man
may unintentionally omit a word or a phrase
or unintentionally add a word' or phrase, and
the phrase omitted or added may change the
entire sense of the sentence or may1 give un
friendly critics a chance to draw trrojig con
clusions from the interview. ' '
u r Bryan nas stated lime and time again
that the question of government ownership of
railroads is not an issue and will not be an
issue in the campaign. The question-of -regulation
is an issue, and those who are opposed
to regulation, recognizing the weaknesaof theTr
position, are cpnstanfcly striving toi.decei,ve the"
voters and to turn . attention away, from the
subject under consideration to some other
subject.
Sometimes interviews ,are doctored in Iho
newspaper office after they havo been sent in.
Mr. Bryan has. had newspaper men complain
to him that, interviews sent in, by them had
been edited in the office so as to conform to
the editorial policy of the paRer. Of course,
no defense can be made of such journalism and
yet there are daily papers whjch stoop to such
methods in their selfish subserviency to the ox
ploiting interests. I(j
r.Ifc is aitributo to the intelligence as well as
to the fidelity of the masses that. the. numerous
misrepresentations of the subsidizedN press are
having less and less influence with the voters.
It takes time for the crooked methods of a bad
paper to become known, but when they become
known, the paper's influence decreases until, in
time, its support becomes a reflection upon a
candidate and its opposition a compliment.
ZOLA'S TRIUMPH'
The removal of Zola's remains to the
Pantheon the beautiful building reserved for
the ashes of the great -is the final act in the
great Frenchman's triumph. It was Zola's cour
ageous letter that led to the vindication of Major
Dreyfus, and the vindication of the wronged
soldier not only satisfied the universal sense of
justice but lifted Zola to the pinnacle -of fame.
Thus it Is'a great cause brings Victory to those
who attach themselves to it.
: . &&&&
THE MASSACHUSETTS PLATFORM
The Massachusetts democrats, under tho
leadership of George Fred Williams have pre
sented a clear, concise and unequivocal plat
form. While it is intended to represent the
views of the democrats of that state, it will be
seen that it deals with nearly all of the ques
tions before1 the public, and on most of them
the language is such as might bo employed by
the democrats of every section. There is prom
ise of victory in the fact that 'the democratic
party is so unified in purpose and so harmonious
in policy that the democrats of all the states'.
r
' )
tj&toiM&&.i&iXb$Sgii
ai&vuuHc,
.
t