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The Commoner.
LNUARY 29, 1909
Ik.
HAT OF DEMOCRACY'S FUTURE?
Timely Editorials By Commoner Readers
'- '
"PWVUPT v"1 w'twt-jw j;pwtt ypf-Trw' yip"1"
P Joseph V. Starke, Gnadenhutten, O. My son
forks in Columbus, Ohio. Some old man askeu
Lim who he would vote for. He told him Bryan.
hiA nlH man sairl it would make hard times
Ind then said the Holy Father had told them all
vote for Taft. Any man can figure out how
?aft carried Ohio.
S. T. Caleb, Danville, Va. The people did not
inderstand the issues. Most of the common
fceople in our state, as well as other sections
f the country, look at and glance over the
)latforms of each party, and a great number of
them never read them at all, but listen to com-
lents on the issues by their neighbors, who
laever saw or read a platform of either party
Iln their lives, but simply repeat what some one
ielse has said. So to stifle the real point those
twho do not want any reforms get right down
to business and start their paid representatives
Ito work in dead earnest to spread these false
(reports to the common people, through bank-
Kers, manufacturers, railways, and other proml-
; nent men. Secretly and in this way they get the
I neonio confused and indmerent and tney aon't
care who is elected or what they stand for. So
it appears people will not think nor vote for
any real reforms to better their condition until
they have seen many disasters in business and
endured much and long suffering.
& s. jv. Troworidtre. MinooKa. m. xne reiorms
i' the democrats asked for in their platform were
f good and they will stand threshing over a num
E ber of times. There is one thing that I will
speak of, for your consideration and that Is the
& payment of our national debt, the war debt I
f. have reference to, as fast as it becomes due for
this reason the people pf this country are well
off and if they vote to build ship canals or if
congress passes a law to build ship canals let
them see to it that some provision is made to
Fr pay for the improvements. as they are made or
k soon after. The money managers of this country
F and some of the foreign countries would like to
see us get in debt one hundred times more than
we are and they would be willing to finance the
business of the country like they have been
It doing for years. To try to overcome the money
power and the trusts would be a' good thing
for the common people. The money power now
controls this country and if we get in debt
more the greater will be their opportunity to
bleed the people.
ft. n. xj. vvttiLi, uuumuuiu, in, -iuu aiu mj
Moses to lead the children of toil out of bon
dage through the single tax remedy. I want
to ask a few questions? I assume that God
made the earth and gave it to man, that all
material wealth is the product of labor applied
to land. Labor applied to this God given land
feeds, clothes and keeps alive the world of
humanity. Said Henry George: "He who owns
n the land rrom wnicn 1 muse nve is my master
l!J ... i t - xi ili i
and 1 nis siave. uau tiiese positions ue suc
cessfully disputed. I am sure they can not.
T l a TsAvft 4-.. 14 i pf n vrrntf 4 TJtiv Wrr 4-...4-Trt
t JL UUVU UCUU stuujriug a. yyoj tu uimf, tucoc tiuiuo
to the comprehension or, laborers and believe It
can be done. Since coming to that conclusion I
have thanked God for your defeat. You have
the confidence of more people than any other
man alive. Your magnetic presence and un-
I rlvnlprl nrjit.orio.al nowera nf. vou as trio nno
above all others to champion this cause. The
time and state of feeling over your defeat and
the means by which it was accomplished is op
portune for enlightening the masses. In order
to do so it Is necessary to get them to compre
hend certain facts. A knowledge of these facts
will place them beyond purchase. To illustrate:
Jonesboro has, say, 2,000 population with an
nvarnoro train a nf 2flfl on Mi hnnnn ronf 47 nop
HA UVl'At'-' .M..V.V V. -ymm-y V14.W, UVTMfelW , V
montn. xnow let ,uuu laDorers witn an aver
age capital of $100 each come to this town and
establish a needed industry. This addition,
doubling the population will double the price
of lots, adding to the value of lots $240,000.
Now if all but one are renters from necessity
they pay in rent say six par cent on the site
value of these lots, half of which they created
by establishing the needed industry. As popu
lation increases the toiler is forced into closer
and cheaper quarters until pauperized and joins
the submerged hundreds of thousands. Oh, yes,
a little charity is doled out by the robbery of
labor but not any justice. Mr. Bryan to these
toilers who are indispensable in mine and fac
tory, the numberless Industries of our country,
the single tax is the only way out except social
ism which goes too far, I think. 111 risk it If
there is no promising movement in the dlrec
ton of single tax. A great deal of charity is
due these men who sell their votes. Think for
a moment of children sent to school breakfast
less, of mothers who go to bed supperless that
their children may have something on the mor
row and all the result of our Infernal system of
taxation.
H. B. Bracewell, Allerton, la. I do not feel
discouraged as to the cause of reform. While
the last election shows that there is u large
number in each party who are swayed by the
threat of hunger, still there is In the great body
of the middle classes, plenty who do study
economic conditions, and are ready to vote them.
The triumph of the progressives in Iowa and
the rule of LaFollette in Wisconsin show that
an appeal may be heard among republicans.
There is no path open to us either as a matter
of honor or a matter of policy but to go on as a
party of reform. Let Taft depend on his own
party alone. Sooner will the leopard change
his spots than will the republican party become
a party for reform. The present congress, will
show that their policy Is "stand pat" and in the
end we shall receive recruits from their best
citizens who will aid In carrying out our work.
They have won one election by promises which
they do not expect to fulfill. They can win but
one; henceforth the American people are to face
the alternative of reaction or reform.
Dr. Robert B. Layton, Washington, D. C.
How easy it is to deceive a man who does not
do much reading and is not familiar with our
politics. The people were misled and many
democrats were prejudiced against you. May
your Commoner reach many more voters, and
present the facts to the American people. Right
must win.
Lewis Eltel, Vernon, Ind. There will have
to come a great revolution of sentiment against
the republican party in the United States and
in favor of the democratic party to enable it
to dislodge the republican party from power.
That revolution will come in time, if the demo
cratic party is to be a progressive reform party,
and continue to stand for honest government
In the Interest of all .the people. To say the
democratic party can not hope to ever gain con
trol of the federal government, to my mind, is
against intelligence and reason. Wisdom, man
liness and courage will grow in this country,
and I have an abiding faith and hope that the
American electorate will in the course of time
wake up to see it their duty to vote the demo
cratic party into power. Then manhood will
rule in the United States government as against
Mammonism that rules now.
P. E. Kenney, Salina, O. The democratic
party can hope to gain control of the federal
government. The Influences operating on the
great army of Bryan Volunteers in the cam
paign just closed shows a tremendous moral
awakening. For twelve years Bryan has been
constantly vilified by a powerful subsidized
press, and antagonized by every tariff baron
and favored special interest in the land; and
yet, not only opposed, but maligned and cul
minated by these forces, and opposed by the
national administration and all that federal
patronage implies, together with the prestige
of the president's high office, Mr. Bryan's vol
untary supporters constituted such a tremendous
force, morally and numerically, that they struck
terror to the hearts of republican leaders. Their
after election boasts do not harmonize with
their pre-election herculean efforts and expres
sions of doubt as to results. It must be borne
in mind that the millions who supported Bryan
were neither coerced nor purchased by promise
ot political preferment or special privilege. They
were men who thought for themselves and voted
according to their honest convictions. If we
could set apart in a class by themselves those
of Taft's supporters who were not prompted
by selfish' motives, and who voted with the
trusts and kindred favored interests, honestly
believing it was for the public welfare, I imagine
the crowd would be very small. Republicans
boast of Taft's hold upon his followers, but
some one has aptly said that Taft and the ad
ministration dragged their followers along by
the purse strings, whilo Bryan's hold was upon
the hearts and convictions of his supporters.
Rembrandt Morgan, Winfleld, W. Va. "Givo
them rope enough and they will hang them
selves," is an old saying. Live In hope that
the scales will finally fall from the people's eyes.
John S. Beesy, Almo, Mich. In my judg
ment, the Ignorant voter Is greatly to be feared.
For the future I would say put a temperance
plank In the democratic platform and bo not
too radical on tariff questions. With a temper
ance plank the democratic party will surely win.
F. K. BIrdwell, Bedford, Ind. Give us Mr.
Bryan and the Denver platform In 1912.
S. M. Gracy, Lowry City, Mo. Wo must bo
gin at once to enllghton the pooplo by sending
out more reform literature and have our con
gressmen keep tab on every act of the republi
can party in congress and publish It to the
world.
George L. Roby, Fowlor, Ind. I believe that
the democratic party was defeated because the
people no longer care for the individual that It
has been Mr. Bryan's dream to protect. Hope
of individual supremacy has been killed In most
breasts, and among the masses there raises the
doubt whether they want the individual back
in power, they find the hired man of the trust
easier to do business with than the avaricious
old despot who drove them harder for his per
sonal profit. I think that the republican party
won in spite of its weak candidate becauso it
has become tho tool of a socialistic movement
extending from tho wealthy downward through
the organization of joint stock companies.
M. M. Warmoth, ago eighty-five years, George
town, Ind. Tho majority o people In this na
tion are now very poor and have to do days
work for bread. Tho laborers are mostly under
the control of the moneyed Interests and the
bread scare is effective. The democratic party
now is a prepense; it is a beggar in politics; It
has no force in business. What good for Gom
pers to advise poor people to vote for Bryan
when they must vote for bread, The man who
is hungry knows best what to do. The demo
cratic defeat is only' natural. Tho party has
no ability in business as well as no voto for a
majority. This is a government by force. For
myself I will say I votod for Bryan because ho
is a good and able man and deserved the presi
dency. If I was an able man like Bryan I would
not dabble with democratic politics.
D. Bachrach, Baltimore, Md. Tho issue must
be sharply drawn and the Denver platform made
the basis of the reform movement as well as
the other principles advocated by Mr. Bryan, In
particular, direct legislation, tariff reform and
the curbing of trusts and monopoly.
Isaac Busby, Lucedalo, Miss. I' beg demo
crats not to give up. Keep on trying.
C. E. Carnahan, Mount Pleasant, la. The
democratic party is tho laughing stock of the
people. I have been a democrat and constant
supporter of Mr. Bryan since 1896, and had
higher hopes of success this year than In any
other campaign, but it was hoping without rea
son. We have no papers, no money. Officials
and Influence are against us, so that nothing
less than martyrdom can possibly wrench our
government permanently from the hands of tho
republican party.
Thomas Delaney, North Troy, N. Y. As a
reader of your worthy paper I am not at all
surprised to havo democracy go down to an
honorable defeat as far as your candidacy and
others on the ticket with you, but it is an ever
lasting disgrace to find men who call themselves
democrats always supporting the pernicious re
publican press. It seems to mo that In a great
city like New York, controlled generally by
democrats, If they were really sincere in true
democracy there would be some good demo
cratic papers of repute there. The same can
be said of nearly all of the large cities of tho
eastern states. What wo need in all the cities
is one or two fearless, upright and honest -democratic
papers to espouse the cause. Without
it all other efforts are In vain,
C. J. Holman, New Marion, Ind. We will "win
if the party will continue to stand by the people
against all encroachments on their rights. The
ignorance of the masses is deplorable. Educate
them. V
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