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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 8, NO. 49
Lincoln, Nebraska, December 18, 1908
Whole Number 413
CONTENTS
THE COMMONER'S MISSION
PRINCE OF PEA'CE
CHAMP CLARK, MINORITY LEADER
THE "INSULT" TO CONGRESS
ROOT AND PLATT
A PRESENT TO LITTLE BOY BLUE
QUAINT. CHARACTER IN THE SPEAKER'S
CHAIR
PROBING PANAMA CANAL PURCHASE
COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
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"PRINCE OF PEACE"
Oil blessed Christ Child born so long ago,
In lowly manger though of royal line,
We bend our heads in adoration low
And in our hearts acknowledge Thee divine,
For Thou, Oh Son of God, who in Thy-lo.v.e.. ..
. Juel v ufltyirflbWiest'ate ' arid'seT us free
Mad'st' ample probfvThy birth was. from above
By da.ily'life of Roving ministry.
What wonder, then that angels winged their
flight
From realms of glory to our world, and then
Above Judea's plains awoke the night
With strains of "Peace on earth, good wilj to
men,"
Or that the shepherds, watching o'er their sheep,
Entranced by song they heard the angels sing,
Should leave their flocks nor longer vigil keep
Till they had knelt in worship to their King,
Or that the magi from the east afar
Should render homage and bestow rich gifts,.
Led as they were by truth's unerring star
To manger cradle which the world uplifts?
And so as with these simple men and seers
We worship or bring gifts of myrrh and gold,
Oh take away our doubtings and our fear,
That we Thy face in beauty may behold,
Not now, as then, a Babe in Bethlehem,
(Sweet as the sentiment such story brings)
But rather, in some New Jerusalem
As Prince of Peace, as Lord and King of kings.
C. F. VANDERVOORT.
Paterson, N. J., December 7, 1908.
THE COMMONER AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT
Why not give a year's subscription to The
Commoner as a Christmas or New Year's gift
for your friend? He will certainly appreciate
the offering and it will aid in the circulation of
democratic literature and thus contribute to the
cause of good government. The battle for pop
ular government must go on through the efforts
of those who appreciate1 that form of govern
ment and who understand that the very fact
that they are "in the minority makes it all the
more necessary that they fight the harder.
DO THE PEOPLE RULE?
Writing to the New York World "Omar
Khayyam" says: "Now that we have Mr. J. P.
Morgan's son-in-law, Mr. J. P. Morgan's former
paTtner, Mr. T. F. Ryan's attorney and Million
aire Taft's brother working in the government
for the respective patrons, we should no
doubt be satisfied. All of which raises the
question, do the people rule? And from tennis
court and, golf links comes the answer in the
tenor and basso voices, re-echoed by the trusty
chorus, 'Not while we have anything to say
about it.' It seems to. me not right, but then
I am a heathen unaccustomed to such things."
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WILL HE DO IT?
THE COMMONER'S MISSION
The Commoner's mission is to protect and
promote the interests of the great mass of peo
ple who tire not asking or desiring special privi
leges. It feels, therefore, that it Is entitled to
the support of those for whom it labors. This
does not mean merely the payment of one sub
scription price. On that score there is no ground
for complaint. But it means that those who ap
prove the work The Commoner is trying to do
shall, at every opportunity, make reasonable
efforts to enlarge the sphere of its influence by
increasing the number, of its subscribers.
The fight which Mr. Bryan has made
through The Commoner and on the stump has,
admittedly, forced some reforms the tendency
of which is to decrease taxes and give to the
producers a largershare of the results of their
toil. But, this has-been merely the sowing of
seed. Cultivation" will now be necessary and
proper cultivation means results. It is only by
eternal vigilance that the encroachments of the
special interests may be checked and legislation
for tho whole people secured.
One can scarcely estimate the benefits that
will accrue from the educational work of the
past year, but the work of the coming year will'
be productive of even greater results. Those
who advocate democratic principles labor under
the disadvantage of the lack of large papers,
through which to answer the misrepresenta
tions of the corporation press. The representa
tives of the various protective industries are
now in Washington protesting against a reduc
tion of their particular tariff schedules. .The
tariff barons have their hands in the people'
pockets and they do not want to remove them.
Tho masses of tho people can not afford to go
to Washington and defend their Interests in tho
framing of tariff laws. They are not in a posi
tion to know all that is going on among the
men who lay awake at nights to devise schemes
to secure advantage over the people. It must
be plain to every one that The Commoner Is
more essential to the public welfare at this
moment than at any other period of its history;
and without becoming subject to the charge of
Immodesty it may be said that It Is quite gen
erally agreed that since .its establishment Tho
Commoner has filled an Important place In tho
life of this nation, and that In protest, as well as
in championship, it has discharged an important
duty so far as the public welfare Is concerned.
Mr. Bryan has again assumed active edi
torial charge and it may be believed that The
Commoner wjll lose no opportunity to protect
the public interests.
Stirring times are coming and Important
work is yet to be. done. Only thoughtless men
imagine that the work of American patriots Is
at ati end; only the non-observing imagine that
the American republic Is secure from all dangers
within.
Thoughtful, patriotic men realize as never
before that It will require, patient, disinterested,
intelligent and pdrslstent effort on the part of
good men everywhere to preserve our govern
ment as the fathers laid It and to hold It true
to the high purpose for which, it was created.
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