-.; "W-' 7'fqgWJ,!J"',i
VOLUME 9, NUMBER 20
2
m
tho TWELVE PER CENT tariff on tho TWENTY
PER CENT (that la on lumber).
Sonator Bailey contends that it makes no
cWforonco to tho stool trust whether tariff is
lovlod on Iron oro or not, but Sonator Smith
of Maryland declares that tho representatives
of tho steel trust cxpressod a desiro to have tho
tariff on iron oro rotainod. It is safer to judge
thoir Interests by their REQUEST than to ac
copt Sonator Dailoy's opinion.
Tho democrats contend that tho tariff is a
tax and that a tax levied upon an imported
articlo onables a manufacturer to collect a like
amount upon all competing domestic articles.
As tho stool trust produces from twenty to
thirty times as much iron oro as is imported,
it Is reasonably safe to concludo that tho steel
trust will derivo a great deal more profit from
tho iron or? tax than tho government will de
rivo rovonuo.
Tho democratic platform domanded tariff re
duction and specified that tho roduction should
begin by putting upon tho freo list imports
that como into competition with trust controlled
products. Iron oro offered a splendid oppor
tunity in jinnlv the nlatform. but Senator
Bailoy and seventeen other democratic senators
rofused to do so.
In his letter to Governor Beckham, Senator
Bailoy does not discuss tho binding force of
platforms, but ho has been quoted as denying
that a platform is binding upon congress ho
has so declared, at least by his vote in favor
of a tariff on lumber, for tho platform specifi
cally domanded freo lumber.
Mr. Bryan, in his acceptance speech last year,
pointed out that a candldato if ho objected to
a platform should ropudiate It before an election,
not afterwards.
Tho Commoner respectfully submits that
whilo an individual senator or congressman may
bo willing to repudiate a ' platform after
tho election tho masses of the the people
have acted upon tho theory that a plat
form is binding, and the democrats in tho
house and senate have charged tho republicans
with lndlfforcnce to their platform pledges. It
is unfortunate that any democrat should fol
low tho republican example and thus strike a
blow at tho fundamental doctrine of representa
tive government, namoly, that the representative
shall givo voice to tho wishes of his constituents.
'It 13 unfortunnto, nlso, that democrats in tho
senate and house- lould put themselves in a
position wherd jfi leal opponents can accuse
thorn of votihgi'bOuflts to trusts for, however
guiltless the democrats may be, the party is
euro to suffer if the votes so olst will actually
benefit tho trust, evdn though theyuwere tfaat
without any indention of benefiting the trusts.
If tho doctrine announced by Sonator" Bailey
becomes the doctrine of the democratic party
tho party might as well abandon its opposition
to a protective policy. First, If senators and
members can not be bound by platforms, then
there is no hope of resisting tho influence that
the protected interests bring to bear upon the
public officials. Second, if, instead of lessening
the number of those benefits by protection, wo
aro to increase the number by extending protec
tion to all industries, we will find it next to im
possible to make any headway in the direction
of tariff reform for those who derive a pecu
niary beneflt from the tariff even though that
benefit bo Incidental will be active opponents
of any reduction, while the public, feeling only
a general interest, will be unable to cope with
the -special interest.
The Commoner regrets that Senator Bailoy
haB felt it his duty to take the two positions
above referred to. If the party joins him In
the position that a platform Is iiot binding,
then the. voters are left at sea and have no way
of enforcing thoir wishes. If the party en
dorses the position taken by Senator Bailey in
regard to raw materials the day of tariff reform
is more remote and the position of a tax-ridden
people more hopeless.
The Commoner.
to any particular section of tho state. Mr.
Bryan is undoubtedly in error in his conclu
sions as to this veto. Ho does not understand
tho matter, and I think if ho would take time
to investigate it his views would change. I do
not care to discuss tho question any further, for
my reasons were set forth in tho veto message,
and it Is unnecessary to repeat them."
Governor Johnson says that ho announced
during tho campaign that ho would veto any
unjust measure taxing oro. That is not specific
enough to constitute a repudiation of the plat
form, but The Commoner will bo pleased to
publish extracts from such speeches if the gov
ernor will send speeches with date and place of
delivery.
NOT THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
In the Commoner of June 26 an editorial
was reproduced from tho Lincoln (Neb.) News.
In this editorial tho "Georgetown University"
was mentioned as having fallen under the Stric
tures of the Carnegio foundation. This was a
typographical error. It was tho "George Wash
ington University" located at the national capi
tal, and not 'the "Georgetown Univefslt&" that
was disciplined by the management of the Car
negio pension. .
guard tho Interests of tho people of the stato.
It is not fair to assume that the supremo
court of tho United States will, on appeal,
deny to the people of Nebraska, acting through
their legislature, the right to determine tho
security which a state bank will give to do
positors, but in the meantime the voters of Ne
braska should, leave no doubt as to their de
termination to have security for their deposits.
1
DO YOUR WORK AT THE POLLS
GOVERNOR JOHNSON'S VETO
Tho Chicago Record-Herald prints this dis
patch: Minneapolis, June 25. Governor John A.
Johnson replied today to tho attack made upon
htm by William J. Bryan in tho last iqsue of
his Commoner, criticising the governor's veto
of the tonnage tax bill as a violation of a1 prom
ise made in the democratic state platform.
"I do not think Mr. Bryan understands the
situation, the bill, my veto, or conditions sur
rounding It," said Governor Johnson. "In dis
cussing our platform last fall before the people
I said I would veto any bill that would do harm
RESIGNATION OR PUNISHMENT '
It is interesting to read the. editorials, which
are appearing In the republican papers now..
They are preparing the people for a disappoint
ment making an air cushion, as it were, to
fall on. The Denver Republican is one of the
latest to take up this task. In a recent issue,
under the title, "Let Well "Enough Alone," it
Indulges in a labored effort to show that the
Dingley bill is no.t so bad .after all. It begins:
"If the extraordinary session of congress
would adjourn without date, having determined
after .grave cpnsideration and, debate and many
paper experiments, that the Dingley tariff meas
ure iipv in effect can not be improved upon,
the nation' at large would .heave a sigh of re
lief and the treasury of tho united States would
begin to refill."
And yet it was this very Dingley law that
aroused all the agitation in favor of tariff re
fprm; it was the Dingley law that caused Presi
dent Taft to travel thr.pugh. the west and, hold
put tile hope of tariff reduction; It was this
very Dingley law that republican reformers
promised to revise in the interest otthe con
sumer and now these reformers would be de
lighted to .apcept the Dingley law as a compro
mise, i The tariff barons have contrpl of con
gress and are audaciously, impudently and arro
gantly raising the tariff rates
So cprnpletely have the tariff reform. repub
licans been routed that they are proposing to
lay down their arms if. they are only assured
that the tariff wall will nott be made higher!
What an Ignominious failure! But RESIGNA
TION will be the cry of the thick and thin re
publican papers from now on; tho republican
voters will be urged to be resigned to their
fate and to make no faces while they swallow
the bitter dose that the leaders aro preparing.
But if patience ever ceases to be a1 virtue that
time is certainly here; if righteous indignation
is ever justified it surely is now. A whip of
scorpions is the thing needed now not talk
of resignation and "let well enough alone."
J;
UNITED STATES COURflfVS. NEBRASKA4
United States Judges Vandeventer and
Munger have granted a temporary injunction
restraining the enforcement of the Nebraska
statute providing for the guaranty of bank, de
posits. The judges have not yet given their
reasons and it is impossible, therefore, to dig
cuss the grounds upon which their decision
rests,., The fa,ct that two United States judges,
one a non-resident, . and both appointed by a
president living in another state can, without
awaiting action by the .state courts, interfere
with ;he operation of a. law enacted by a, Ne
braska legislature to regulate, Nebraska, banks
organized under Nebraska laws and accepting
deposits from .Nebraska people compels the citi
zens of the state to consider the question of
the state's right to control its own affairs and
proteciits own people. The fact, too, that bank
ers doing business in Nebraska would ignore
the, state judges and rush, into a United States
court Is significant; it indicates that while! thoy
are willing to make t.heirrinoney in Nebraska
and to use the state courts to collect debts due
them they are not willing, to trusts tho courts
of the state to interpret . the laws passed to
A number of shoe manufacturers, tanners and
retailers have caused to be sent to their patrons
throughout the United States, a circular urg
ing them, in what might fairly bo termed hys
terical .language, to write to their congressmen
and to President Taft urging them to prevent
the meat trust from having its way.
One of these circulars was sent to J. W.
Morgan, a Starke, Florida, business man. Mr.
Morgan's reply ought to be read in every pre
cinct of the United States and by every resident
thereof. Here it is:
Starke, Fla., June 26, 1909. National Freo
Hide League, Chicago, 111. Gentlemen: I am
in receipt of your' circular letter concerning the
question of free hides. I am heartily in sym
pathy with the idea of free raw material, but
as for writing to my congressman, or tb the
president, not much, Johnny.
I dare say 75 per cent of the members of
the numerous associations whom you claim are
affiliated in this effort to curb the meat trust,
were also affiliated last year in the effort of
keeping tho party in power which Is now re
vising the tariff on the upward grade. Why
didn't you affiliate, when you had the chanco
last year, to put a party in power, which was
pledged to a downward revision? You came
squarely up to the "parting of the ways," gen
tlemen, buti you took the same old route, with
the result that you are up t against it in the
same old way, only more so. Now take your
medicine, gentlemen. You helped to mix the
dose it'd just whiat you voted for, now take it.
I hope you get your hide chuck 'full of it. It's
free and you'll get more thati you 'want withr
out even the trouble of asking- for Jt.:
The people had a charipe f6r better things
last fall at the ballot box. -''Like; tine of old,
they chose the "mess1 6f 'pottage." '-'Now, iet
the meat trust and the oil trust, and the grand
old, trust-controlled republican party fill their
hides so full of the burdens of taxation (with
out representation) that they will ,;finally feel
the death grip placed on them, the yoke will be
so galling that the"worm will" turn at last. If
oppression is the only thing -to bring the people
to a' realization of their wrongs, let oppression
be poured out on them. Don't write to your
congressmen, gentlemen. Sit up and during the
next four years while you are trying to dodge
the lemons which your party is busily engaged
in preparing for you, resolve by the help of
God, and the party of Jefferson, Jackson and
Bryan, that your votes will he cast for the lift
ing of the burden from the. Weary back of this
great American common people, of whom you
are one, and T am one. Your, appeals are use
less now as well strap yourself to the tail of
a cyclone, and expect to float on in the enjoy
ment of sweet repose and pleasant dreams. I'm
sorry for you, but not too sorry to hope "that
you'll get your hide full. It's the only thing
. that will ever teach, you ariyth'lhg, apparently.
Truly yours,
!.J..' W', MORGAN.
DEMOCRATIC LITERATURE
Kanawha Falls, W. Va., June 16. 1909.
The Commoner: I am sending here-
with two new subscribers to The Com-
moner. 'This was done. with very little
effort on my part. In order , to. put the
democratic party in power, again we
must put good, sound, democratic Jit-
erature before the peopie to read. In
West Virginia we have, only about one-
half as many democratic papers as re-
publican.' X. believe it is possible to put
The Commoner in the Ixandsof two mil-
lion voters, with a paid up subscription,
and with this accomplished- within the
next two years we will win a? magnificent ,
victory, at th.e polls in pur next election.
wJtH, ,b8ti wishes, for iThft. Commoner,; i
.1 am,. 1 1 j"j : . Yours vteryx; truly, ..
' ;.. . : . ' - -,- PHILIP, CONRAD.
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