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The Commoner.
VOliTIMB 9. NUMBER
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The Commoner
ISSUED WEEKLY.
Encored at tho PoBtofllco r.t Lincoln, Nobraska,
a.0 accond-claso matter.
WIIJ.IAM J. DnVAK
Editor and Proprietor
RlCIIAIin L. MlCTCAI.VJi
ABHodnto 'Editor
Chaiimss W. BnvAN
Publlshor
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
GO SLOW, BROTHER, JOHNSON
Brother Johnson of tho Houston Post seems
75. --r-oy-tuuu ttgiTatecr becaus'e"Congressman
Hardy did not support tho ticket in 1896, and
suggests that the "Texas democrats who were
loyal to the platform and ticket that year are
in no framo of mind to be lectured by Hardy
now." Brother Johnston ought to go slow
for he will find that, a number of his bosom
friends did not support the ticket in 1896. There
is Brother Kirby, for instance, and others who
did not support the ticket in 1896, but with
whom the colonel has been able to affiliate in
more recent days. Ho ought not to open up old
sores now merely because Congressman Hardy
is not willing to become a protectionist.
THEY ARE FEW BUT NOISY
When it is remembered that the sheep own
ers of Texas number but about eleven hundred
'out of a population of nearly five million it is
surprising that they can make so much noise
and coerce so many officials and newspapers.
They remind one of General Grant's story. On
his first visit to the west he was awakened early
in the morning by the howling of wolves. The
commander of the fort asked him how many
he thought there were. He guessed five hun
dred. The commander then took him to a little
hill where ho could see them and he was sur
prised to find there were but three they had
their heads together and were howling in
concert.
A PERPLEXED BOY
Parunts is strange. One day I came from school
. And told my paw about a. swap I made,
A "sight unseen" wif Mugsy, the durned fool,
And swapped a old barlow wifout narry blade
And got a good old barlow in tho trade.
And maw looked sad, an nen she shook her
head
Ever see your maw look that-away?
Hut paw, he slapped my back, and laughed and
said:
"He'll be a man some day."
'. But nothor timo I said, when I was late,
N "I laid up on tho barn and watched the sky
And pigeons, way up yonder, flyin' straight '
And white and red clouds jest a sailin' by
And wonder how them little swallers fly''
And paw, he growled, an nen he shook his head
And 'lowed 'at I was gittin' purt-nigh grown
But maw, she drawed me 'gainst her side and
said:
"Let tho dear child alone."
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Standpatism" Wins
-
William J. Moxley, standpat candidate for
congress to succeed Mr. Lorlmer from tho Sixth
Illinois district, was elected at a special election.
Ho defeated the democratic and ttib insurgent
candidates. This victory and tho character of
boasts made by the Aldrich and Taft supporters,
together with tho defiant speech delivered by
Speaker Cannon at Kansas City on tho evening
of November 26, indicates that no mercy is to bo
shown tariff reformers within tho republican
party. The Chicago Inter Ocean, republican,
prints this editorial:
MOXLEY WINS WHO LOSES?
After a most embittered campaign the Hon.
William J. Moxley, regular republican candi
date for congress in the Sixth district, was elect
ed cleanly and handsomely by a tremendous
plurality over a regular democrat and a repub
lican "insurgent."
The nature of the campaign made against
Mr. Moxley; the manner in which he was at
tacked by six allied newspapers in this city for
tho policy of the republican house of representa
tives in Washington; the extent to which he
was made the heir to all the old anti-Lorimer
hatreds and falsehoods; and the venom and
vigor with which the Chicago newspaper trust
and its work were revived to defeat him, have
made the Moxley campaign and the Moxley vic
tory matters of tremendous national and local
importance. What do they mean?
They mean, in the first place, that the bolt
from the republican party which was organized
by the so-called insurgents in the senate and
house at Washington has been promoted for
All it was worth in this test campaign and has
failed ignominiously failed not only to defeat
the regular republican party but even to serious
ly imperil it.
They mean, In the second place, that the
friendship of the Hon. William Lorlmer, now
senator of the United States, has become a posi
tive asset to the aspirant for political honors
in this city and that any attempt to mako that
friendship look liko a liability, such as has been
made by tho resuscitated newspaper trust in the
campaign just closed, defeats its own object
and actually helps the candidate whom it is
expected to hurt.
They mean, in the third place, that the old
old lesson of the newspaper profession and news
paper business still holds good; that a cam
paign mado by newspapers no matter how
numerous on false issues, false presentations
of fact, and false representations of the candi
dates is .foredoomed to failure if only courage
ously encountered and exposed.
From the national viewpoint, of course, tho
most important result of the election is tho
utter collapse of the insurgents.
Prom the local viewpoint the most important
event is tho triumph of Senator Lorlmer.
Cradled politically in a tempest of newspaper
vituperation; fighting every inch of his way from
a' precinct leadership to the senate of the United
States; contending unceasingly with the most
terrific newspaper onslaughts; "met on every sido
with abuse and always facing a storm of detrac
tion from every newspaper of this city, except
the Inter Ocean, ho stands today vindicated not
only in his own right and in his own ambition,
but even in that intangible and impalpable some
thing known as political popularity.
It Is a great thing for the republican party
that in this test conflict the LaFollette insurrec
tion has been smashed to flinders. But it Is a
still greater thing, for the cause of manhood in
the public life of Illinois, that Senator Lorlmer
has routed his newspaper enemies so utterly
and completely that they today this morning
look little less than .ridiculous in their impo
tence and their defeat. Chicago Inter Ocean,
republican.
i i
Senator Aldrich' s Western Trip
New York Evening Post, Ind.: Senator Ald
rlch's incursion into the west promises to be the
most interesting political Odyssey of recent
times. Here is a man who, heyond the Missis
sippi, stands for almost everything evil in our
political life. A director of trusts as well as
an organizer of them, a largo stockholder In
protected enterprises, a friend to Standard Oil,
Wall Street, corporate wealth, and swollen for
tunes; the man who is responsible for tho Dlng
ley tariff really, there are people in Kansas
who can not think of Senator Aldrich without
horns and a tail. Now, there were those who
thought ho was going among the heathen of
the west to teach but, dear no; in Philadelphia
he let it be known that it Is not as a missionary
but as an humble scholar that he is venturing
into tho great and noble and all-knowing west.
Its leaders are to teach him what are financial
truths and what financial errors and, merely
as an incident, Mr. Aldrich will let out just what
tho monetary commission Is really trying to ac
complish and how unselfish and patriotic afe
its objects. The west will find Mr. Aldrich per
sonally attractive, entertaining, and able; It will
come to understand better how it is that he is
the boss of the senate, and it will learn from
the senator's own lips how eager he is to do a
' thoroughly sound piece of financial reform be
fore quitting public life. Evidently he has the
courage of a Daniel, and the result of his going
boldly to the western lions can not but impress
the whole country whether it holds its thumbs
UP or down when the tour is over.
America from which we could create or recruit
the administration and control of such an insti
tution, while to Isolate It from our political
life is hopeless.
Indianapolis News, Ind.: Senator Aldrich
made his first speech in his western campaign
Saturday night at Chicago. A few days beforo
his appearance it was announced that tho sen
ator had no thought of urging any special plan
on the people and that his principal Idea was
to give us westerners a chance to becomo ac
quainted with him that we might see that he
was unadorned with horns and hoofs. As our
objection Is not to the Aldrich personally but
to tho Aldrich theory of government, "we aro
not able to see how an exhibition of his per-,
sonality will do much to change our attitude.
What we "in these parts" quarrel with p .tho
control of the government by such men as Aid
rich and Cannon in the interest of "tho
interests."
New York Sun, Ind. Rep.: The Sun will al
ways oppose a central bank of issue. Such a
bank is intended by the monetary commission.
The policy of that body, as now formally dis
closed by Senator Aldrich, points to no other
consummation. It Is our conviction that a cen
tral bank of issue bearing tho same relation to
the money of this country that the banks of
France and of England bear to the money of
those countries would prove a national evil. This
country is traditionally and temperamentally un
suited to such an Institution. If Mr. Aldrich
and his associates by their united genius can
fashion a central bank whose functions and pow
ers shall be purely automatic and mechanical
well and good. But such a bank with us is
impossible. We havo developed no class in
Ohio State Journal: On his visit west, Sen
ator Aldrich will talk on the subject of the
future system of money circulation. He will
not speak of the tariff or other political themes,
but will confine himself solely to the question
of finance. While he says he goes west in
search of information, ho will no doubt make
use of his trip to prepare the public mind for
his currency plan, which is reported to be the
establishment of a central bank at Washington
as tho main feature. He seems to have won
over President Taft, if he was not already there,
to this scheme of currency; but he will have
great difficulty in winning over the country.
The people are inclined to fear a great central
banking Institution, and the close relation of
politics, Wall Street, the trusts, and. tho great
money interests to it. They are afraid of it,
and It is not "likely that Senator Aldrich, with
all his sophistry, will quiet their fears.
CAREFUL, OF COURSE
Washington dispatches say that the Taft ad
ministration will "proceed with care" in its at
tack upon the trust system. In other words it
will not "run amuck." In other words, also, it
will "proceed against the trusts" in somewhat
the samo vigorous way in which it revised tho
tariff. '
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