v'? "" fr 6 The Commoner VOLUME 8, NUMBER 59 ,- mbn people. He lives and feels In their plane, and ..when thrown to the earth, he falls among them and gathers new strength from the recti tude of his cause and the love and confidence of the common people. Bryan has never been defeated. No man la defeated who falls In the battle where truth Is slain. The corporations see that Bryan lives and gains new strength every time that he is dashed to the parth where dwell the common people. Their only tactics is to hold him high above and apart from the people In mid-air and squeeze him to death In the grasp of the cor porate powers. Bryan Is not easily killed; he is here to stay. He 13 yet a comparatively young man, and somebody must live while the cause that needs him has to live, too. Truth always finds a high priest to preach a doctrine, or a martyr to die for her when necessity requires. If Bryan be defeated, corruption and political dishonesty will continue to grow on and bend the bow to the arrow's head. This will make Bryan, or some one like him, necessary. Dishonesty should learn, while it Is time, that in the last analysis the square deal Is the champion that sooner or later must be met and met aright. In a' conflict like that, when it comes, men will read the Prince of Peace in a' light neither blurred nor Dbscured by the stupid prejudices of party tics and party cries. REV. J. F. NUGENT, LL.D., Des Moines, Iowa. BENEATH THE BETHLEHEM STAR ' PULITZER'S REPLY TO ROOSEVELT The New York World, in its reply to Presi lent Roosevelt's special message, says: Mr. Roosevelt is mistaken. He can not nuzzle the World. While no amount of blllings ;ates on his part can alter our determination to treat him with judicial impartiality and scru pulous fairness, we repeat what we have already laid, that the congress of the United States ihouTd make a thorough investigation of the Panama canal transaction that the full truth may bo known to the American people. The World fully appreciates the compli ment paid to it by Mr. Roosevelt in making it the subject of a special message to the con gress of the United States. The World likewise appreciates the importance and significance of Mr. Roosevelt's statement when he declared to congress the proprietor of the World should be prosecuted for libel by the governmental officials, and that "the attorney general has under con sideration the form under which the proceedings against Mr. Pulitzer shall be brought." This is the first time a president ever as serted the doctrine of Jese majesty, or proposed, in the absence of specific legislation, the prosecu tion by the government of citizens who criticised the conduct of the government or of the conduct of individuals who may. have had business deal ings with the government. Neither the king of Great Britain or the German emperor would ven ture to arrogate such power to himself. John Adams made an attempt to enforce such a law and destroyed the socialistic party in America. Yet Mr. Roosevelt proposes to use all the power of the greatest government on earth to cripple the freedom of the press on the pretext that the government Itself has been liboled and ho is the government. It Is true the World printed the public re port concerning tho Panama canal affair" which resulted from William Nelson Cromwell's appeal to tho district attorney's offico during the recent campaign to prevent the publication of a story which was said to be in the hands of the demo cratic national committee. It was Mr. Crom well's own action which caused the issue la the campaign. It is true, also, that when Mr. Roosevelt made his attack upon Dolavan Smith the World called attention to certain statements which Mr. Roosevelt must have known to be false or mis leading and appealed to congress to end all scandal by a full and Impartial investigation. If this bo treason, let Mr. Roosevelt make the most of it. Mr. Roosevelt's lamentable -habit of inac curate statements makes it impossible to accept his judgments or his conclusions. In his mes sage he does not state correctly even so simple a matter as the protended cases of his grievance. Tho World has never said that Charles P. Taft or Douglas Robinson made any profit what ovor, Mr. Taft denied that he was concerned in the transaction in any way, which denial tho World published and accepted. It would have been 'equally glatl to -print -Mr. Robinson's -denial - could ritr havoucceeded in obtaining one from him, as it frequently attempted. The World has A seven-yeaT-old lad sat at the feet of his mother, at an Omaha amusement resort one summer evening and watched with breathless interest the moving pictures in which, the "Passion Play" was given. Those who were privileged to see this striking presentation will understand the strong impression It made upon his young mind. When scene after scene had been flashed upon the canvas, showing the gentle life, the good works and the lofty mission of the Naze rene, and then describing the enormous sacri fices He made and the cruel punishments in flicted upon Him, the lights went out and it was announced that the entertainment was over. Not a word escaped the child's lips during the evening; but when the final act in the great est tragedy known tomankind had been pre sented to the audience' and the people rose to go, this boy turned to his mother and, heaving a sigh, said: "Mamma, if I'd been Jesus, I wouldn't have came." Impressive lessons often come from the mouths of babes; and in the simple statement of this little .child there is something which men and women may lay earnestly upon heart and conscience. When those who are free from the want and care and the vexations of life engage in the courtesies, the exchange of love tokens and the general good cheer which characterize the day we celebrate, they feel that it is "a goodly sight to see what Heaven has done for this delicious land." And it is true that the simple celebration of this day, by the exchange of gifts, by tht revival' of pleasant relations, would in itself be well, even though there were not something far greater and more substantial in the foundation of these good, things, than in the things themselves. The very fact that this day is celebrated throughout the world by men of various races, creeds and nations, and that as a holiday and a holy day it has survived the test of two thou sand years of time and of searching investiga tion and bitter criticism provides testimony, if, indeed, testimony were necessary, of the substantial foundation upon which this anni versary rests. Men who pay little attention to the life and deeds, to the lessons and love of the One whose birth the world commemorates appre ciate the value of the customs of this occasion. This would be a sad old world, indeed, with Christmas time removed from our observance. But the' festivities which endear this day even to the eminently practical mind could not long endure if the inspiration were removed from the consideration of men or if the structure were undermined in our hearts. The exchange of presents is but an incident to this occasion. Back of all the customs and the festivities is the Inspiration provided in the fact that two thousand years ago a child was born " In Bethlehem and His entrance into a world of trouble was celebrated by the angels singing: "On earth peace, good will toward men." To establish peace was the mission of this Babe. Not merely the peace which should re strain men from doing violence to one another but a peace that should soften the hearts of all men, bringing them to a realization not only of their duty to God, but of their obligations to their follows. Not only the peace that would prevent nations from engaging In war but the peace that would establish justice in the affairs of state and that would prevent wrong and oppression on tho paTt of governments as well as on the part of Individuals. Not only the peace that would provide order for the transac tion of business but the peace that would per suade the strong not to take advantage of the weak; the peace that would reign supremely in tho heart of the individual as it would control the conscience of the community; the peace that would bring the strong and the well to the bedside of the weak and sick; the peace that would provide from the abundance of the rich food for the hungry and clothing for the naked; the peace that would prompt men to lend a helping hand and give a word of en couragement wherever a helping hand and a kind word were needed. Not the peace involved in thought of self, but the peace of justice, the peace of fair play, the peace of honesty; the peace of patriotism, the peace of humanity the peace "that is above all earthly dignities." It would not be right to strike one discor dant note in the harmonious song of the Christmas time, but if men are to be impressed with the Importance of peace as Christ taught it, this is an appropriate occasion for the lesson. It is a melancholy fact that, although the cele bration of this day is more general now than it has ever been before, the chief lesson which Jesus Christ taught and the mission which He came to fulfill are sometimes Ignored by na tions that boast they stand chief among those committed to His cause. It was said of the author of our own char ter of liberty that, "in the monumental act of independence Jefferson poured the soul of a continent." That was the celebration of a prin ciple. It is proper that in the celebration of the greatest of all principles, in the commemor ation, of the birth of the greatest of all men. nations that follow Him in song and story shall be able to pour their souls into the celebration. It is proper that these shall manifest jealous care for the substantial foundation upon which this celebration rests. Nations whose people have reared temples to the Man of Galilee, who have expended millions of dollars in the effort to build up and advance the forms and ceremonies of His religion, should in fact as well as in theory, "give their pure souls unto their cap tain, Christ, under whose colors they have fought so long?" If one would yield to .pessimism, if one would believe that the violation of God's laws by nations could continue, he might be inclined to say with the little lad: "If I'd been Jesus, I wouldnlt have came." But the principles of the man of Galilee aTe too well established to yield in the presence of error. The things that have in the past swayed the hearts of men and the course of nations are operating to the ad vancement of truth and the malntainance of justice. Let us hope that before the men and the women of this world again assemble at the fire side and in the temple to give homage to the sweetest and tenderest of all memories, the na tions standing foremost among those that ob serve Christian form will be foremost in observ ing Christian substance. Let us believe that before another anniver sary confronts the men and women who owe all that is good in life to the lessons of the Chief Magistrate of Love, the law of God aTid the order of Christ will become fixed in the affairs of nations, and of individuals. When "Mercy and Truth are met together," when "Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other," the American and the Filipino; the Englishman and the Boer; the "friend" and the "foe;" the "rich" and the "poor;" the "bond" and the "free," may kneel in triumph at a common altar beneath the Bethlehem star- R. L. M. no evidence that he was associated with Mr 2ESWIV aSdJV0Uld, accept hIs word that J? i?i, 1 ' Rbins01i ls an estimable gentleman of high, character, whose reputation .lor veracity britoSlta5aw. that f hiS dIstinS If the World has libeled anybody w i,nnn intimidated by .Mr. Roosevelt's threats or by volt m ppwer denUnciatQn or y Mr. RoosS- , nSiESPL11?1 man ovey po Srossly "beled tho United States as does this president, who 'besmircuesreongress, Imlldoxes judges SSaiia ttS, who has shown himself the most reckless un scrupulous demagogue whom the American peo plo ever trusted with great power and authority. We say this not in anger, but in sincere sorrow. The World, lias. immeasurably more re spect for the office of the president of the United States than Theodore Roosevelt has ever shown during the years in which he has -maintained a reign. of terror and vitilized the. honor and hon esty of-both, public Dfficers and. citizens who op posed his policies or thwarted him in his pur poses. So far as the World -is concerned, its pro prietor may-go to jail, if Mr. Roosevelt succeeds, as-he threatens, f hut even in jail -the World will not- ceasevto- be a fearless champion of fre speech, a free press and a free people. t,Z&r bj