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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1908)
t miiIMJUMR' JHVu(piuVi(wpTI wwrwjimfPiiiipw .M0F,w&l!GFt0WHn 2 The Commoner. T iMtM"' k ' TnlS THREAT OP A PANIC Mr. Taft sayo that liia election is due pri marily to the support of the business interests of the country. During the latter part of his campaign, Mr. Taft appealed to the business interests to elect him In order to avert a panic. If Mr. Taft had premised anything of advantage to the business interests, he might feel more complimented at the success of his appeal. But what is the situation? What legislation does Mr. Taft propose in the interest of business? He does not promise to protect the small manufacturer from the trust r he does not promise to protect the mer chant from the -greed of the monopolies; he does not promise to separate dishonest business from honest business or to relieve legitimate accumulations from the odium which is invited by illegitimate accumulations. His only argu ment is that somehow the republican victory will give confidence, and that a democratic vic tory would disturb confidence, and: who endorses this proposition? Mr. Morgan, who used last fairs panic to drive a rival corporation to sell to the steel trust. He had the endorsement of Mr. Carnegie who has profited to the extent of hundreds of millions out of republican privi lege, and he had the endorsement of Mr. Rocke feller, the most conspicuous criminal of the age, who is sure that Mr. Taft will not venture upon any "rash experiments." While the west was supporting Mr. Taft on the ground that he was a. reformer, those who were entrenched behind privilege supported him on the ground that he would not disturb them. ; rH,ve'we reached the point where the tidn'e flcfarlealof favoritism can coerce the nation by threatening a. panto if;. they are- disturbed? As 8onVe? one has expressed it,-they keep panics in cdld' storage and threaten to bring one out if the people-attempt any. remedial legislation. -Have we reached a point where the employers can multiply their votes by the number of em ployes and thus disfranchise those who; work fdr them? At the close- of tbev campaign em ployers in many instances threatened their em-ployes- with loss of- employment, and these threats were communicate'd from 'those- higher upu ' If people demand purity in politics they .are: answered, not with arguments, but with th6 threat -of a panic;, if the people- demand the Section of senators by the- direct vote' of the people, they are met not by argument,, but by the threat of a panic; if depositors feel insecure and- ask for protection for their1 money, . they are met not with arguments,.. but with the threat ol a panic. If the victims) of: the trusts show any discontent, they are whipped into submis sion, by the threat of a panic; if the laboring men ask for legislation which will protect them in their rights, they are told, to be content with bread and butter and they are- warned that these will be taken away from them if they ask for remedial legislation. If the consumer grows reatlesu under the extortion practiced through a higher tariff, they are warned that any attempt by the consumers to reduce the tariff will result in a panic. Thus every demand for correction of abuses, whether at home or in the Philippines, and no matter on what subject, is answered by the threat of the plutocrat: "Be still, or we will starve you." tv iw $5 to JOURNALISM There are two newspapers In' Kew York that, more than all the others, ore recognized' as the accredited and authorized mouthpieces of "the. system." These are the Sun and the Ttaes. For thia jeason their comments on Mr. Bryan, now that for the third time he has been defeat ed, are of special Interest and significance. This Is ttie Sun: And now let the Lazarus of a spent and degraded democracy renew for four more years the exhibition of his remunerative sores, with never a' dog so mean that he will stop to lick them." The Times Is a bit more coarse and com mon in its brutality. It can not quite measure up to the epigrammatic malignancy of the Sun, and, Is forced to resort to ordinary epithetieal abuse to vent its spleen. It reports that for Mv. Bryan, in his "crushing' defeat' it has "not opospark of pity.' In the course of a long, ill tempered and ill-mannered editorial it refers to Bryan as "the arrogant and unscrupulous Ne braskafl," excoriates him for his "callous selfish ness" and concludes that he is only "afc empty, cunning, calculating, Indefatigable, yet withal most persuasive, political adventurer.' How they do hate Bryan! It is not, ordinarily, a part of the American nature to beat and pelt with venomous words a man who has been struck down. There is, thank God, a chivalry in the American heart, a sense of decency, that lets us be spared that spectacle! But it is not so when Bryan Is concerned, and when it is the mouthpieces of the privileged oligarchy that are discussing him. When Bryan is indeed dad, and has been many years in his honored grave, plutocracy and its lickspittles will still go on pouring out a vomit of hate and bile whenever his name is mentioned. Omaha World-Herald. CANNON WILL BE SPEAKER The' gener.ll' opinion, o far as the election of the next' speaker is concerned, is voiced by republican papers in the declaration that the "recent election resulted in the vindication df Speaker Cannon and that he wfll succeed himself in the. speaker's chair. The following from the Milwaukee Sentinel (rep.), is a sample on thia line; "Joseph G-. Cannon has received a handsome and exemplary Indorsement and vote of unim paired confidence from the voters of his dis trict. Those who know him best like him most and that is a pretty good sign for any man. It became evident toward the close of the cam paign that the violent and unreasoning hue and cry of spasmodic prejudice against Mr. Cannon was badly overdone and provoking a reaction The American people Tike fair play; they do not like to see a man houn,ded in the virulently .vindictive spirit; and It was plain to cool com mon sense that the shriek of Ill-informed sec tarian and class prejudice against Mr. Cannon was absurdly overdone. It Is as clear as the record can. make it that, whatever may have een Mr. Cannon's mistakes, the ledger of his long career In public life shows a handsome bal ance of patriotic public seryice to his credit Mr. Cannon's distriot rallied to him with" mores than the old time enthusiasm, and Mr. Gompers especially should note that In the labor union sections there was more than, the usual disposi tipn to vote "Uncle Joe" all right. Triumphant ly re-elected by his district, Joseph G:Canno.n Will be re-elected speaker of the house. tThose Who dislike the bouse rules he must enforce and he governed by, should direct their energies toward reforming the rules, instead" f misdi recting them in abuse of the speaker." The Des Moines Register and Leader (rep ) saysr. "Cannon will bo re-elected speaker in the' Sixty-first congress. His friends view yes- VOLUME 8, NUMBER 44 terday's results as a vindication for Mr Can non.. It may be accepted as practically assurer! that Mr. Cannon will succeed himself as speaker Mr. Taft as president will not make a fight against him for the speakership, and it is doubt ful If any fight made against him from the White House could prevent his re-election for speaker. With Mr. Cannon re-elected to the speakership, Representative Sereno Payne will continue as chairman of the ways and means committee? Dalzell will be ranking member, and this committee will he dominated by high tariff and standpat elements. It goes almost without saying that any tariff bill that passes the scrutiny of the committee will be calculated to disturb the present DIngley schedules as slightly ,13 possible." GOOD OLD NEBRASKA! The brightest spot, on the political map to day, the verdant oasis in a dreary desert, is Nebraska godd old Nebraska !" Where other states have faltered or turned to the rear until the spectacle is one discourag ing to the loyal democratic heart, Nebraska steps proudly tcthe front, and, with her hand upon the shoulder of her great son proclaims her love for him, her trust in him, her devotion to the ideals and principles to which his life has been given. The tremendous democratic gains made in this state, and. in. every section of the state, can not but be gratifying to- Mr. Bryan himself, and to democrats everywhere. Nebraska has chosen not only democratic electors and a dem ocratic governor, but-a- democratic legislature, and three and possibly qur , democratic con gressmen. " t"It is-a glorious1 victory that has been won in. ' Nebraska. Democracy has not only swept th estate, but has "carried? -by large pluralities, the two largest cities and two largest counties, each normally republfcanby a pronounced mar gin. Mr. Bryan' carried! his. own precinct, his ownicity, his own coun typhis own state, in each instance overthrowing heavy "republican majori ties. Demdcrats". are themselves1 -surprised at the completeness 6ff their triumph. Their sur prise is the greater since It came in a year al most everywhere else bitter with the taste of defeat. . i TJ ' . Democracy won in Nebraska because it de served to win!" And it deserved to win because democrats worked; worked hard,, faithfully, in telligently, unceasingly. Thanks largely to the Bryan Volunteers, and to Secretary Gruenther, the state was better organized this year than It ever has been before, and that work of or ganization told its story in ballots on election day. And thanks to a loyal and devoted demo cratic press, democratic policies have been pre sented to the ppople of this state with an earn estness, a1 sincerity and. an ability that was bound to have its effect. To the democratic editors all over Nebraska this newspaper tenders its compliments and congratulations. They deserve, in increasing measure, the thanks of their party. ' Democracy deserved to win the national campaign that is ended. And if its candidates and Its policies had been supported in every state with the same effectiveness- as in Nebraska, the World-Herald believes that democracy would have won. The- World-Herald is proud of Ne braska, and ol Nebraska; democrats Omaha "World-Herald. x2fi lV cv fcjfl THE FULL BARN BASKET Mr. Taft says that the farmers played an important part in hla victory. During his cam paign in the west he appealed to the farmers to support the republican ticket out of grati tude for their prosperity. Do republican poli cies guarantee prosperity to the farmer? The farmers prosperity is traceable to two sources: First, to good crops and second, to good prices. Surely the republican party will not contend that it furnishes the fertility of the soil or supplies the Industry which cultivates the soil. It will not contend that it regulates the sun shine or brings the rain In due season. If one will just? think for a: moment, he will know that the republican leaders do no control the suushine-oi' the rain, for if they did. there would be a tiUst'in sunbeams and a1 meter on the cloudsr tlie farmer would have to con tract Jbr warmth at so much tfer day and for the rains at so much per shower. For have not republican leaders allowed the coal trust to tax the consumer when, he wants to get warm.