5B" " ww"1' rjwf",'';'
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which camo from, or supported by tho capital
of Now England and the middle (eastern)
states, on account of the tariff, had a reflective
influenco on all those states. Connecticut and
Rhode Island and Delaware and Now Jersey
ought naturally have gone for Mr. Bryan. The
"solid south" has today less menial servitude
than the solid New England, with her tariff trust
manufacturing interests. My life was from boy
hood to young manhood spont in tho factories
of Now England, and I know whereof I have
spoken. I would bo glad to see the "solid New
England" freed from its white sorvitude. I bo
liovo for my ninth reason that a largo number
of the democratic party, who left its ranks in
1891), failed to come home to vote; and, tenth,
the remedy-reformers must get together from
now on, stay together, vote together, and these
must include the great body of smaller mer
chants, farmers and laboring men of the whole
country, standing on tho great princlplo of
"equality for all and Bpecial privileges to and for
none." Eleventh, I answer that unless the re
form element get together as above (not align
ing themsolves as this .year independents
socialists, etc.) the democratic party, as such,
can never hope to and can never gain control
of the federal government.
W. Ramsey, Solomon, Kan. I would say
first, that farmers here are prosperous, getting
g'oo'd crops, and good prices, and republican
n'anerB and sneakers always called the attention
f of Ihese facts and claimed theso facts as results
of wise legislation and advised their hearers not
I to make a change, as Bryanism would surely
bring disaster. "Can the democratic party get
ioutrol of the government?" If we should have
xrftUOGAMfmi ,nf hnrl nvnra nrr n hnrl mnnov Tin.nl
the nartymfKii' serif. c.nnfm nf frnvnrnmmir. Tint.
with the Vhble" "power 'of the federal govern-
rnenV with moreth'arf fl, 000 national banks,
x with millions of rfgnorant laborerst.tllati can be.
vpj&a nee cattjc, tne prospect of a. change .in .the
near juture is not encouraging.
' James conzitt, Deadwdod, S. D. To your
first questidn: Yes. To your second question:
r Largely the Inconsistent attitude manifested by
democratic leaders on banking and money. To
yoir third, question: Act .consistently and re
member that a right principle never changes.
P"Can the democratic party hope ever to gain
I' cbritrol of tho. federal government?" No. There
rare, too many traitors in the democratic party,
and the honest leaders are too timid. They use
Loo. much confetti in fightlne the eneniv. Thev
fsnould come out more boldly, be more aggres-
snre in exposing repu oilcan corruption in high
plates For instance: Panama canal deal,
Philippines railroad deal. New Mexico land.
, doals, asset currency law evils, showing incon
sistency of tho honest money cry, evils of our
I national banking system, show up the immense
.increaBe in paper money in the last twelve years,
none of which Is a legal tender, an d,tle Inter est
we pay on its circulation. How the manipula
tors can control Hb volume show how it would
be better to open, up mines giving employment
.wilabar, digging gold and silver to make money
iLot jnaji to au,ow the manipulators to .start
Mating pressos to make monev out of nnnmv
Skr after them with hot shot. Put them on the
defensive in every case. Don't be timid, always
be the aggressor. Never allow them to put you
on the defensive, This will stimulate your fol
lowers and bring new recruits and last, but not
least, show now utterly impossible it will be
for the government to control corporations and
trusts so long as tho manipulators have power
to control the volume of our circulating money.
John Sinclair Smith, 518 East Cambria
Street, Philadelphia, Pa. The party lost in ray
Answering the question, J'What course" shall re-
lormers aaopt ior tne xuture," I would say:
Hol'd still closer to the first principles of democ
racy, equal rights to all, special privileges to
node. Let the people know the whole truth
about our colonies in both the East and West
IridTos,, and the millions paid to certain prlvi-
jegGfl sects ior tneit support at tho polls, saving
Morgan, uarnegio, liocKoteilor and others many
numons oi dollars, it was a great scheme and
it worked out first class. The press of the
whole country on this question have been dilmb
jdoge as old Jeremiah once called the leaders
of"tsraelt the 'eould not bark, and the Jews
went to Babylon. Educate the people and give
urall tlif facts, Fourth, "Can the democratic
natty hope ever to gain control of the federal
$df$rnment?,u Yes. Truth crushed to earth
shall rise again. The eternal years of God are
ers. Cunning and capital can not always rule.
Ths scales wni ere long ran irom tne eyes of
many I think In the near future ana then we
The Commoner,
will bo ruled from Washington again. But, Mr.
Bryan, there is no mystery about your defeat.
McKinley's millions to Spain knocked you out
tho last time and Roosevelt and Taf t's millions
to the friars knocked you out this time. I am
a working man, mingling with those of my own
class, and know all about those who once 1vere
democrats meet many now who can not look
me square in the face when politics come up
although I boar them no malice, pdor dupes,
I pity them. But no one need weep for you,
Mr. Bryan; the time is coming when they will
bo kicking themselves.
George H. Phelps, Findlay, Ohio. In my
judgment, the defeat of Mr. Bryan was due
primarily to two causes: First "the system"
Controls the politicians of both dominant parties,
and the system sought through the politicians
to defeat the nomination of Mr. Bryan, and fail
ing in this they were determined to compass his
defeat at the polls, The politicians generally
did not honestly and .earnestly support the can
didate whose nomination was forced upon them
by a determined popular sentiment of the people.
Second, the business interests of the country,
honest for the most part, were sure that the
election of Mr. Bryan .would effect to unsettle
business confidence. Not that the honest busi
ness interests thought there was any reason for
this disturbance of public confidence, but fear
is. fear, and however groundless, its practical
effect Is none the less disastrous. These are
the, two, principal elements whichled to' the
dcsaof Mr. Bryan;tbhe people's real choice
fop president, and this element oi defeat was.
universal in its operation, and in no sense- local."
thqugli no doubt it was more potent in the east
than ,in the west or niiddle w.est.
v , John P. St. Jqhnj Olathe, Kan. The dem
ocratic party sustained no losses In this, John
son coiinty. Reformers should get together, and
stay together,' and open fire along the whole lino
against the salpons and gambling dens, the hot
beds of, crime.. Against the present, high tariff
system, which, is legalized robbery of. the
masses. Against our present financial system,
which is tho worst graft ever inflicted upon the
American people. Let all money be issued'. by
the general government, and be a. full legal
tender for all purposes, except -when' otherwise
provided by prior contract. Let tho banking
be done by the government. This would put an
end to financial panics, and obviate the neces
sity for a bank deposit guaranty law. Elect all
civil officers by direct vote of the people. Spend
more money for good roads for the people, and
less money for a large standing army, and a long
line of battleships. "Can the democratic party
hope ever to gain control of the federal govern
ment?" Under present conditions, never. The
money power, the monopolies and trusts, and all
the great railway corporations, the breweries
and .saloons are united in their hearty support
of the republican party. The party has hun
dreds of thousands of place holders and place
hunters working for it. It controls nearly all
the great metropolitan newspapers.- It is thor
oughly organized, and has millions of dollars at
its command. Nothing can overthrow it short
of a unipn of all reformers on a high moral
plane, that cares more for a higli standard of
manhood, than for 'a' high price for stocks and
bonds. More for honest government, and sober
happy homes, than for tainted revenue. This
re-alignment of political forces should bo under
a new name.
J, M. Chaiterson, Louisville, Ky. Last
year the republicans carried this city and county
by a majority of over four thousand, this year
by only about one thousand, so we have no
apology to make. Answering the question
broadly, however, "How did It happen in the
country?" the result was due to the power of!
money and corporate influence. Many people
like to be on the side where the money and in
fluence is. They think it gives them standing
to bo known as on that side of public questions
They care nothing lor principle, but look only
to men and influence. They like to be identified
with the rich and -powerful, and "feed of the
crumbs which fall from tho rich man's table "
This will continue until they personally feel'
oppression and want, when they will turn and
be the bitterest enemies of those unon whom
they fawned. Until this occurs to a mor
marked degree than at present, wo', must "be
STnfflii!0 aro,uaG PiQi conscience,:
Sesdireo!9file.int0rtl10 $&
F. tf Whltten; Portland, Ore.-Mr. "Bryan
would have carried Oregon hid it not been thS
VOLUME 8, NJ7MBER 47.
V
the larger business men were induced by the
republican managers to frighten their employes
into voting for Taft by threats of a panic and
low wages if Mr. Bryan should win. All politi
cal reformers should stand by the principles
laid down by Mr. Bryan and set forth in tho
Denver platform, they are right and will ulti
mately win, for continued disaster will surely
follow the continuance of the present republican
policy of allowing the "interests" to rule.
M. S. Parsons, Carthage, Mo. The demo
cratic campaign was made above the heads of
the people, 'necessarily, because of the dignity
of democratic principles and. the Integrity of
the candidate. Even the victors could not glory
over the victory. They see the shadow of shame
hang over the spoils, and every honest thinking
voter, whether democratic or republican, de
plores the condition which suggests the necessity
for lowering the standard of manhood to pre
serve human life, and will soon either refuse
to be driven farther, or accept the seeming in
evitable and sink lower until they become dead
ened and lose entirely the inspiration which has
raised American manhood above the manhood
of other nations. Upon the democratic party
rests the responsibility of maintaining the dig
nity of this nation by encouraging the men to
continue the fight for principle. What man
could ask for a greater heritage than this privi
lege, and what man well grounded in the faith
can. doubt the final triumph?
William Gleeson, Chicago, 111. Some there
ate who will attribute It to Mr. Bryan's unpopu
larity and give as proof Taft's majority In many
of the states,, notably New York artd Illinois, and
will plead that if we had had another candidate
results would have been different. With those,
I agree. I believe that it would be vastly differ,-'
ent, as I am firm inrthe belief, that if' the demo
cratic national convention had named any other
living man than Mr. Bryan on that, occasion,
his fate would have, been sealed in advance,. and
ere'the convention wa over his friends and sup
porters might have carried him off to the politi
cal morgue, ere they had adjourned, and so have
saved the democratic democrats from burying
him under an aValanclie of votes on November
3, 1908. With the true democracy at that time,
it was Bryan or bust. f.r believe that wer,e'it"
possible to restore Washington, Jefferson'Jacic-,
son or Lincoln to the flesh and have placed either
one in the position occupied by Mr. Bryan- he
would have received the same , fate. And
further, v I believe that if the democratic party
had adopted as their platform the Ten Com
mandments, the apostles' creed, and the gospel's,
the republican press and party would have ridi
culed it as detrimental to the business interests
of the country, and as a check to our prospec
tive prosperity of which Mr. William Howard
Taft was the advance agent. How did it hap
pen? This is an era of Hamiltonlanism in
every large city of the country; there are clubs
which bear his name, and whose members revere
his principles. There are other organizations,
such as manufacturers and commercial associa
tions, etc., which are auxilllaries, the member
ship in the three societies are nearly identical.
In those organizations are the men of wealth,
they have the money; In the eitles it is to them,
a Venal press looks for advertising patronage,
and so shape their policies to get it. The news
papers of today have deviated from their origi
nal purpose, namely, to publish the news and
record facts and events; they are now run on
purely business principles and there to print
that pays. In political controversies they are
unscrupulous and on such occasions' as a national
campaign the political editor secures on his staff
the most competent prevaricators. To this
stricture on the cosmopolitan press there are a
few honorable exceptions, and the country
press in most cases are not influenced by the
same Machivelian tempters. I have been a
staunch trades unionist all my life, believing that
it was a duty of wageworkers to combine to
protect their labor, as a rule their only capital ;
but they are today about as potent a factor in
stemming the trend of political aggression as'
was tho stink pels of the Chinese to prevent the
onward march of a modern army equipped with
the improved machinery so potent In dealing
death, and destruction amongst their foes. To
day there are In this country classes as distinct
to the intelligent observer as ever there was in
ancient Rome, when the patricians arid the
plebeians were distinct factors in .their1' pdliticaU
and sotjial pconomy. -.True, many Wih iflsjute
this proposition, 'but none louder thian thjisWliq,
believe in and revere the principles and"po)icies'
as advocated by Alexander Hamilton? t ; 'tiiK
ever, to sustain my position point WHnH vast
accumulation of wealth in the hands of the. few.
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