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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 10, 1908)
ryirfft JfV7f ?WBPW? 6 The Commoner VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2 wy-" r The Commoner. ISSUED WEEKLY. WlMJAM J. UnYAN Editor and proprietor. FOCll-ANH L. Mktcai.kk fuoclntoUdltor. CiiAiti.iaW. Bjitan , I'ublLshcr. Edilorlnl rooms nnd Buslnc OfTco 324-3C0 South 12Ui Street; Tntrrcd nt the I'oMofT.cc nt Lincoln, Neb., n fccond-clUM- matter Ouo Year 81.00 Klx Month 50 In Clubs ofFJvo or inoro. 1'crYcnr - . - .75 J85o 5 Three Mont lift - -Kliifflo Copy - - - - Bninplo Copies 1'rcc. Foreign rostnuo 62 Oonta Extra. SUIISCIUI'TIONS can bo sent direct to Tho Com moner. They can also bo sent through nowspapoiB which havo advortlsod a clubbing rato, or through loca.1 agonts, whoro sub-agonta havo been appoint ed. All romlttanccH should bo sent by postofllco money order, express order, or by bank draft on New York or Chicago. Do not send individual checks, stamps or money, DISCONTINUANCES It Is found that a largo majority of our subscribers prefer not to navo their subscriptions Interrupted and their fllos brokon In case they fall to remit before expiration. It Is thercforo assumed that continuance Is deslrod unless subscribers order discontinuance, either when subscribing or at any tlmo during tho year. Presentation Copies: Many persons subscrlbo for friends, Intending that tho paper Shall stop at tho end of tho year. If Instructions aro given to that effect they will rccclvo attention at tho proper time. RENEWALS Tho dato on your wrapper bIiowb tho tlmo to which your subscription is paid. Thus January 31, 08, means that payment has boon re ceived to and Including tho last lssuo of January, 1908. Two weeks aro rcqulrod after money has boon rocolvcd beforo tho dato on wrappor can bo changed, CHANGE OP ADDRESS Subscribers rcquostlng a ohango of addross must glvo OLD as woll as NEW address. ADVERTISING Rates furnlshod upon applica tion. Addross all communications to THE COMMONER, L'ncoln, Neb. give tp the fifteen million depositors of the country protection to their savings. We "believe that insofar as tho needs of commerce require an emergency currency, such currency should bo issued, controlled by the fed eral government and loaned on adequate se curity to national and state banks. Wo pledge ourselves to legislation by which the national banks shall be required to establish a guarcntee fund for the prompt payment of the depositors of any insolvent bank, under an equitable sys tem which shall bo available to all state bank ing institutions wishing to use it. We favor a postal savings bank if the guar antee bank can not be secured and that to be constituted so as to keep the deposited money in the communities where it is established. But we condemn the policy of the republican party in proposing postal savings banks under a plan of conduct by -which they will seggregate tho de- posits of rural communities and redeposit the "same while under government charge in the banks of Wall Street, thus depleting the cir culating medium of the producing regions and unjustly favoring the speculative markets. OFFICEHOLDERS Coincident with the enormous increase in expenditures is a like addition to tho number of officeholders. During the past year 23,784 wore added, costing $16,156,000 and in the past Bix years of the republican administration the total number of offices created aside from many commissions has been 99,318, entailing addi tional expenditure of nearly $70,000,000 as against only 10,279 new offices created under the Cleveland and McKinley administrations, which involved an expenditure of only six mil lion dollars. We denounce this great and grow ing increase in the number of officeholders as not only unnecessary and wasteful, but also as clearly indicating a deliberate purpose on the part of tho administration to keep the republi can party in power at public expense by thus increasing the number of its retainers and de pendents. Such procedure we declare to be no less dangerous and corrupt than the, open purchase of votes at the polls. MISUSE OF PATRONAGE We condemn as a violation of tho spirit of our institutions, the action of tho present chief executive in using the patronage of his high office to secure the nomination of one of his cabinet officers. A forced succession In the presidency is scarcely less repugnant to public sentiment than is life tenure In tlmf mn xt. good intention on the part of ,thr aymuiHva ,i t ) rlrtuo In tho ono selected can justify tho establishment of a dynasty. Tho right of tho people to freely select their officials Is Inalienable and can not be delegated. PHILIPPINES Wo condemn the oxperimor!; in imperialism as an Inexcusable blunder which has involved us in an enormous expense, brought us 'weak ness instead of strength, and laid our nation open to the charge of abandoning a freedom doctrine of self-government. Wo favor an im mediate declaration of the nation's purpose to recognize tho independence of the Philippine islands as soon as a stable government, can be established, such independence to be guaranteed by us as wo guarantee the independence of Cuba under tho neutralization of the islands can be secured by treaty with other powers. In recog nizing tho importance of the Philippines our government should retain such land as may be necessary for coaling stations and naval bases. INCOME TAX Wo favor an income tax as part of our revenue system and -we urge the submission of a constitutional amendment specifically author izing congress to levy and collect a tax upon Individual and corporate incomes t the end that wealth may bear its proportionate share of the burdens of the federal government. CIVIL SERVICE Law pertaining to the civil ssrvice should be honestly and rigidly enforced to the end that merit and ability should be the standard of ap pointment and promotion rather than services rendered to tho political party. THE NAVY The constitutional provision that a navy shall bo provided and maintained means an ad equate navy, and we believe that the interests of this country would best be served by having a navy sufficient to defend the coasts of this country and protect American citizens wherever their rights may be in jeopardy." ASIATIC IMMIGRATION We favor full protection by both national and state governments within their respective spheres, of all foreigners residing in the United States under treaty, but we are ojpposed to. the admission of Asiatic immigrants who can not be amalgamated with our people or whose pres ence among us. would raise a race issue and in volve us in diplomatic controversies with orien tal powers. WATERWAYS Water furnishes the cheapest means of transportation and the national government hav ing control of navigable waters should improve them to their fullest capacity. We earnestly favor the immediate adoption of a liberal and comprehensive plan for improving every water course in the United States -which is justified by the needs of commerce and to secure that end we favor, when practicable, the connection of the Great Lakes with the navigable rivers and with the Gulf through the Mississippi river and the navigable rivers with each other and the rivers, bays and sounds of the coast with each other by artificial canals, with a view to perfecting a system of Inland waterways to bo navigated by vessels of standard draught. We favor the co-ordination of tho various services of the government connected with water ways in one service for the purpose of aiding in the completion of such a system of inland wa terways; and we favor the creation of a fund ample for continuous work, which shall be con ducted under the direction of a commission of experts to be authorized by law. PAN-AMERICAN RELATIONS The democratic party recognizes the impor tance and advantage of developing close ties of Pan-Americanshlp and commerce between the United States and her sister nations of Latin America and favors tho taking of such stens consistent with democratic policies for better acquaintance for greater mutual confidence in trade as will bring lasting benefit not only to the United States but to this group of American republics having constitutional forms of cevern ment, ambitions and interests akin to our own. PROTECTION OF AMERICAN CITIZENS We pledge ourselves to insist upon the iust and lawful protection of our citizens at home and abroad and to use all proper methods to secure for them whether native born or natural-, lzed and without distinction, ,of race9or qreed tho equal protection of law and the enjoyment of all rights and privileges open to them under our treaty; and if, under existing treaties tho right of travel and sojourn is denied to Ameri can citizens is withheld from American passports by any country on the ground of race or creed -we favor prompt negotiations with the govern ments of such countries to secure the removal of these unjust discriminations. We demand that all over the world a duly authenticated passport issued by the govern ment of the United States to an American citizen shall be proof of the fact that he is an American citizen and .shall entitle him to the treatment duo him as such. TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE We pledge the democratic party to the en actment of a law to regulate the rated and services of telegraph and telephone companies engaged in the transmision of messages ' be tween the states under the jurisdiction of the interstate commerce commission. GRAZING LANDS The establishment of laws and regulations, if any are necessary to free grazing on public lands outside of forest or other reservations un til the same shall eventualy be disposed of should be left to the people of the state respec tively in which such lands may be situated. ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO The national democratic party has for the last sixteen years labored for the admission of New Mexico and Arizona, and recognizing that each possesses every qualification, we favor the admission of these teritories as separate states. ALASKA AND PORTO RICO Wo demand for the people of Alaska and Porto Rico all enjoyment of the rights and privi leges of a territorial form cf government and the officials appointed to administer the gov ernment of all our teritories and District of Co lombia should be thoroughly qualified by pre vious hntin flrlo .!-, J x csum.uutj. ,M ,4., i 1H OKLAHOMA P We welcome Oklahoma to the sisterhood.'of states and congratulate her upon thq .auspicious beginning of a great career. . : K HAWAII . ,We, ,favor the application of princirs -of the land laws of the United States to our 'newly acquired territory to the end that tho land" Si SJ territory may be held and utilized for the benefit of bona fide homesteaders. l POPULAR ELECTION OP SENATORS n.0e faYor hQ election of United States sen ators by direct vote of the people and regard Reforms m &S Ule gateway to othev national MERCHANT MARINE rwewi?H1,eye in thG American merchant maiine without new or additional burdens upon the people and without bounties from the pub lic treasury. L HEALTH BUREAU We advocate the organization of all exist ing national public health agencies into a na tional bureau of public health which shall have power over sanitary conditions connected with factories, mines, tenements, child labor, and such other subjects as are properly within the juris diction of the federal government and do not nnhnlfnn11 the P?wer of the states controjing public health agencies. NATIONAL RESOURCES We repeat the demand for inte.nal develop ment, and for the conservation of our natural resources, contained in previous platforms, the ' enforcement of which Mr. Roosevelt has vainly soirght from a reluctant party; and to that end we insist upon tho preservation, protection and replacement of needed forests, the preservation of the public domain for homeseekers, the pro tection of the natural resources, in timber, coal, iron and oil, against monopolistic control, tho development of our waterways for navigation and every other useful purpose, including tho irrigation of arid lands, the reclamation of swamp lands, the clarification of streams, the development of water power, and the preserva JISJL ? Glctricity generated by this natural mi fl ,1 S control1 of monopoly, and to such end we urge the exercise of all powers, national, state and municipal, both separately and in co operation: . ltkIw. .. r WM K', 2 f !;.. T. tf ,.&, 1,
