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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 9, NO. 35
Lincoln, Nebraska, September 10, 1909
Whole Number 451
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On to Sham Battle !
Herinafter will be found an editorial from
the New York Times entitled "The First Step."
The readers of The Commoner should examine
It carefully and put it away for future reference.
The Times is one of the most impudent of the
so-called independent papers. It has no poli
tics; it feels no obligation to support any party;
it is the mouthpiece of plutocracy, but it is al
ways proffering its advice to ' the democratic
party, apparently unconscious of the fact that
the democratic party could not win its approval
without forfeiting its claims upon the producers
of wealth. It will be noticed that it would not
be satisfied with the repudiation of "Bryan;"
it demands the repudiation of "Bryanism." And
what does it mean by "Bryanism?"
The direct primary must go; it is "a barren
.ideality" and a Bryan doctrine. Of course, it
is bad, for it contemplates the overthrow of the
boss and the restoration of the government of
the party to tho hands of the members of the
party. That is treason in the eyes of the Times
because the political boss is the bulwark of
plutocracy.
The popular election of sonators must go, too,
says the Times., It is denounced as a "prepos
terous fad." Of course it- is objectionable it
would make it more difficult for the predatory
corporations to send their agents to the United
States senate.
And what else must go? Opposition to im
perialism, ,"ies, the declaration of independence
isin ofte'nse'to'' tho aristocracy of pelf.
Tariff "is the only thing it sees that it can
approve, although -it supported ?Mr.A McKlnlcy;-,
ttfe higliftlest'df 'protection. '..;-"
The platform which It proposes would read
about as follows:
1. Down with Bryan.
2. Down with Bryanism.
3. Down with that "barren ideality," the di
rect primary.
4. Down with that "preposterous fad," the
popular election of senators.
5. Down with the Declaration of Indepen
dence. 6. Give us a sham battle on the tariff question
while we secretly secure a few more privileges
for the syndicates and monopolists.
And this is the re-organization which is pro
posed! What else would the Times include to
make the platform entirely satisfactory to it?
How would it do to denounce the income tax
and eulogize the trusts?
The Times editorial follows:
THE FIRST STEP
Among the gentlemen of the democratic faith
who will assemble at Saratoga next month for
consultation and utterance there may be one
or two, not more, who will approve and applaud
CONTENTS
ON TO SHAM BATTLE
A CONFUSED ORGAN
NATIONAL INCORPORATION PLANNED
EDUCATIONAL SERIES NON-PARTISAN
. ' JUDICIARY
GOVERNOR JOHNSON AND THE TONNAGE
TAX
EDITORIALS BY COMMONER READERS
CURRENT TOPICS
MR. TAFT AND HANDICAPS
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
tho advice we are about to offer. Boyond doubt
all the others will say that our advice is un
' wise, untimely, and unacceptable. Wo thero
' fore offer it with full conviction of its sound
ness, knowing that politicians are often tho
worst judges of party policy.
Let the conference declare that, Inasmuch as
a candidate who has been threo times defeated
for the presidency, ought not to ask further
honors of his party, therefore, in the judgment
of the .democrats assembled at Saratoga, Wil
liam J. Bryan should forthwith declare that in
no circumstances will ho seek to accept a fourth
nomination for the office of president.
That is tho very beginning, tho first step, tho
cornerstone of democratic re-organization. Tho
signets of tho call for the Saratoga conference
have talked about reawakening tho interest and
the loyal support of tho domocrats of the Tilden
and tho Cleveland school. Tho Tilden and the
Cleveland democrats care nothing for their party,
will have as little as possible to do with it, so
long as It accepts the leadership, the principles,
and the quadrennially recurring candidacies of
Mr. Bryan. Before they re-enter the councils
of the party ho must depart from them..
It may be said that New York is ill-chosen
as the state In which the movement to get rid
of Bryan should begin. But it must begin some
where. If tho democracy of New York demand
that ho take himself out of the way, other
states will follow that sound example. In tho
south, where they are tired of him, but whore
domocrats of ability, of principle, and of convic-
tion have largely left tho party to go itts stupid
' way to certain doom, the action wo advise would
have beneficent results. .More than one southern
state, we are confident, would declare that tho
democracy has had enough of Bryan. Other
-JBtatesall-ov$xu.iUfciinIbui would take-up the
' .note; and presently it would. cpmmandThcTatr
tehtion of even Jiis reluctant ear. We admit,-of
course, that this is an unusual form of advico,
but the situation is unprecedented, Bryan him
self is unprecedented. Ho must be forced out,
he will not go "voluntarily. His leadership brings
ruin to the party, but riches to himself. He is
too selfish to renounce his opportunity. It must
bo taken from him.
Then the work of re-organizing tho party can
be hopefully begun. Evidence of the now birth
will naturally be given in declarations of prin
ciple in convention platforms. The Bryan doc
trines must be cast out. How great is the need
of such an expurgation appears from the ex
pressions of opinion of the signers of the call
for the Saratoga conference, printed in the Sun
day Times. They reflect a total want of leader
ship in thought and action. Apparently nobody
is doing any sound thinking for the party. That
silly and "barren ideality" the direct primary
found favor with some, the equally preposterous
fad of popular election of senators was approved
by others. One poor man was convinced that
there was an Issue In our insular possessions.
All that is Bryanism, and the sooner the party
is rid of it the better. It might be well for the
platforms of tho fall conventions to confine them
selves to the single issue of the tariff; that would
exclude a lot of pestilent stuff borrowed from
the state and national platforms of the last
twelve years.
With Bryan and Bryanism cast out, the demo
crats who for almost half a generation have
been disgusted with their party and ashamed of
it, who have refused to act with it, and
whose withdrawal from activity has made
possible the springing up of strange and un
couth leaders, would once more feel and show
an interest in the fortunes of the democracy and
would aid with their efforts and their counsel
in the rebuilding of the party. But the throw
ing over of Bryan is the first step. New York
Times.
Press dispatches state that the president is
going to urge the establishment of the postal
savings bank during the next session of congress.
Well, the president will have ample opportunity
to get acquainted with the money power and its
secret influences before he gets the savings batiks
opened.
A Confused Organ
Tho New York Sun must bo feigning obtuse
nosB when it confuses national Incorporation
with tho Hconso system advocatod In tho demo
cratic national platform. It says:
"Why should not tho federal Incorporation of
companies doing Intorstnto business, or tho fed
eral licensing of all such concerns, become a
'policy' of tho present administration? It is
already in tho platform in this mild guise:
" 'Second, a licenpo systom which will, with
out abridging tho right of each stato to create
corporations, or its right to regulate as it will
foreign corporations doing business within IU
limits, mako Jt necessary for a manufacturing,
or trading corporation engaged in interstate
commerce to take out a federal licenso boforo It
shall be permitted to control as much as 25
por cent of tho product in which it deals, etc'
"There it is, In the platform, ready for adop
tion In some properly intensified form by Presi
dent Taft and his sagacious advisers.
"It Is truo that tho platform in which Presi
dent Taft and his advisers will find tho germ
of their new 'policy' is not tho platform on
which President Taft was elected. But what
of that? The platform which contains it, if
our memory is not ontiroly ossified, Is tho plat
form from which Mr. Taft, Mr. WIckersham and
Mr. Root derived their corporation Income tax
that is to say, the platform dictated' to Denver
by ono William J. Bryan, , ;
"And a'jowel Is consistency!"
National incorporation is desired by railroads
and other big corporations as a means of escap
ing state regulation, while the license system
IsbprToied" by th' big corpomtforr-b:auji(jW--.-woiild
'a;dd national regulation to fltato rgu?
lation. If the Sun's editor will consult tho die-
tionary he will find that there Is a difference
between substitution and addition there Is the
difference between national Incorporation and
tho license system outlined In the democratic
platform.
NATIONAL INCORPORATION PLANNED
It Is evident that President Taft Is planning
to urge tho national incorporation of railroads
and other larger corporations. Such a measure
Is so uncalled for, so indefensible and so inex
cusable that the attempt to bring about such
a revolution In the regulation of corporations
suggests an organized and far-reaching plot to
withdraw the corporations from state control.
No state has asked for this, no platform has de
manded it and tho people have not discussed it.
With a cabinet filled with corporation attorneys
the president seems to bo planning tho biggest
surrender of the century. The great corpora
tions want to escape from state supervision and
national Incorporation is the means proposed.
The democratic democrats and the progressive
republicans will have the fight of a life time to
defeat it.
Doubtless many congressmen have been secret
ly pledged to it and many of the senators are
pecuniarily interested In bringing it about. The
predatory corporations are preparing to steal
a march on the people. It is not necessary to
have national incorporation; wo can have all
the regulation necessary without national in
corporation. The democratic platform demands
that federal remedies be ADDED TO, NOT SUB
STITUTED FOR state remedies. That plat
form was made to warn tho public against this
very proposition. Beware of national incor
poration! '
UNLOADING
A Kansas man Is advertising for some one to ,
help him lose his brother. No name Is given',
but it is probably a progressive republican try-
ing to get rid of Brother Aldrich.
HOW MUCH?
How much time will the president give to tho
income tax amendment during his tour?
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