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The Commoner.
. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
ty
VOL. 10, NO. 3
Lincoln, Nebraska, January 28, 1910
Whole Number 471
A FamiliarWarning
When President Taft visited Arizona and New
Mexlcohe took occasion to warn them not to
write constitutions like Oklahoma's. Well, ho
gave tho same waTning to Oklahoma but the
people there ratified the constitution by over
100,000 majority and, as the democrats carried
the state by only 30,000 it was evident that a
large number, of republicans endorsed the. con
stitution. ' And 'so a large number of republicans
in Arizona and New Mexico are likely to insist
upon the right of the people of the' territories
to write their, own constitutions whether those
constitutions please the president or not. Those
on the outside are at liberty to make sugges
tions but the people who are to live under the
constitutions are the ones to determine their
provisions, subject only to the condition that
they do not violate the fedoral constitution.
The provision in the Oklahoma constitution
which seemed to arouse the ire of the president
most was that embodying the initiative and ref
erendum, but that was the most important pro
vision in the document. It gave the people con
trol over their government and insured them
against misrepresentation. The initiative gives
the voters the means of compelling the submis
sion of any question upon which they desire
to act, and the referendum enables them to
veto any legislative measure to which they ob
ject. To attack he initiative and referendum
is to attack the doctrine of self-government; to
oppose it Is tor question the capacity of the peo
ple for self government. -
. Jf the people of the territories are careful to
geethattheircbristitutions contain the initiative
and referendum they need not worry about other
provisions' because "with these they can soon cor
rect any mistakes that the constitutional con
ventions may make. Oklahoma is the only state
to begin with these guarantees; the other states
have had to add them. Missouri, Maine, Oregon,
Montana and South Dakota having already act
ed. The others will act in time. Arizona and
New Mexico have waited long; they can mate
up for lost time by beginning right.
"CORRUPT AND CONTENTED"
Lincoln Stefflns, a magazine writer, visited
Philadelphia recently and addressing a repre
sentative of the Philadelphia North American,
Baid: "When I was here before Philadelphia wa"s
corrupt, but not contented; but today I see that
it is both corrupt and contented."
It is bad enough for the people of a munici
pality, of a state or a nation to become so care
less that their public servants become corrupt
and carry on their infamies, aB they often do,
all the while their constituents imagine they
are rendering faithful service.' But when the
corruption has been exposed, as is the case with
Philadelphia; when it has beefi shown that the
CONTENTS
"" " A FAMILIAR WARNING ' " '
UNSPEAKABLE WOE
"BRINGING PEACE"
"MR. BRYAN'S GREATEST SPEECH" '
AFRAID OF THE TRUTH, AFRAID OF THE
LIGHT
JOHN W. KERN'S OPINION
PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
MONEY EDUCATIONAL SERIES FEDERAL IN
CORPORATION CURRENT TOPICS
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
"" HOME DEPARTMENT
NEWS OF .THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
. . ,..
, WILX2 YOU HELP MA30D IT A. ' ,
.'. MILLION? 2),
' Charles V. Dieter, Mondak, Mont.
If you run the subscription price at 60 -
" cent's per jrear in clubs or five for a' few .
. ' months we" ought to be able to put The '
' Commoner in a million homes before
next November. Why not make this
suKKestioh a war cry:
- - "A million subscribers for November,
1910.". " " '
'' ' If you would just put this in on the
front page of The Commoner that you
want a minion suDscriDers Derore me
election next November and make the
price 60 cents, and ask all your readers
to help in getting them, you would bo
surprised at the rate names would come
in. If every doctor and lawyer that
takes The Commoner and believes in its
teaching would just ask their clients to
subscribe for the paper when they came
into their office, there would be a million
subscribers in two months, or less. The
four names that I send you herein, be
sides my own name, are men that came
into my office and I just asked them if
they didn't want to subscribe for The
Commoner and told them that I was go
ing to send in a list of names and asked
them if they didn't want to join the list,
and they all fJaid that they did and gave
-
me their 60 cents and three of them told .-
me that they have been wanting to sub-
.
' scribe for The Commoner for some time,
5l but just. neglected to do so. One. of these
" men was a' republican, hu,t he. don't like
the new tariff law. I think that the
' prospect's for a democratic housp next
fall neverwero better." -When -the price. .
of everything begins to raise, tho people
' will fregin to realize the makeshift the
new tariff bill really Is. I will', send in
the names of some more subscribers
soon. Best success to The Commoner
and to Mr. Bryan.
people of that city have been plundered by
public officials and by rings that have fattened
upon public contracts; when it has been made
known to .the people that vice and crime has
been protected systematically and persistently,
then to be told that the town is thoroughly
contented with its plight is deplorable indeed.
No wonder men who earnestly strive to Im
prove conditions lose courage. Is it not, how
ever, true that the very blackness of the cloud
that presents itself to the reformer In Philadel
phia, ought to give new strength to the re
former's arm and new courage to his heart?
"BRINGING PEACE"
't
Republican editors and politicians are busy
devising "means of bringing peace In the re
publican paTty." One suggestion is that the
regulars under President Taft withdraw the
threat to withhold the postofflces from the in
surgents. Another is that Secretary of the In
terior Ballinger resign. It can not be that re
publican insurgents have no firmer base than
would appear in the light of these suggestions.
If Secretary Ballinger should retire and If every
insurgent received every office for which he
asked, the fact would remain that Aldrichism
and Cannonlsm is rampant in the capitol building-,
In the White House and throughout the
departments of the public service where the re
publican organization is dominant. Some politi
cians may be Interested in the distribution pf
the offices but the rank and file of the American
people are interested In the cause of popular
government and Aldrichism and Cannonlsm,
which is fast coming to be regarded as another
name for Taftlsm, is an ever increasing danger
, to the principle upon which our government was-
founded.
Unspeakable Woe
The Christian Endeavor World, Boston, Mass.,
printed in its Issue of January 20 ah article
written by Mr. Bryan and relating to total
abstinence. Tho article follows:
Why should one sign a total-abstinence
"pledge? First, because it marks tho crossing of
'the lino into the total-abstinence brotherhood;
second, because It strengthens one in tho hours
Vf temptation; and third, because It encourages
others to abstain from Intoxicating liquor.
A pledge is merely tho written evidence- of an
obligation already taken. A man can hardly
call himself a total abstainer who has never in
wardly resolved not to drink. It is the decision
that he makes which fixes his status; and, whon
he has made that decision, there is no reason
why ho should object to its being known, unless
he is either ashamed of it or afraid that ho
can not keep it.
There is nothing humiliating about taking a
pledge. Every man who becomes a member of
a fraternity or secret society of any kind binds
.himself by a solemn obligation; every person
who becomes a naturalized citizen takes the
oath of allegiance; every official is sworn into
office by subscribing to a pledge to support the
constitution, obey the laws, and perform the
duties pertaining to his office. The church
member takes upon himself certain obligations
as a condition precedent to membership, and
.marriage is solemnized by an exchange of
pledges.
. The husband and wife do not regard It as a'
sign of weakness to enter, tno holy estate of
'wedlock by promising fidelity to' each 'other In
the presence of witnesses. The man who ver
bally declares that he will pay a debt," bu fro-
fuses to put the promise into writing, is not
likely to be pointed out as an example of hon
esty; the official who says that he Intends to
perform tho duties of his office, but does not
want to make the promise a matter of record,
excites suspicion,.
. Why 'should tho man who intends to abstain
from intoxicating liquor refuse to let it be
known?
In hours of temptation it Is a source of
strength to one to feel that his word Is out, and
that otliers expect him to live up to It. Tho
expectation of friends Is in itself a factor to be
considered, and then the pledge of total abstin
ence helps to determine the circle of acquain
tances. Tho total abstainer makes friends
among total abstainers, and his friends consti
tute an environment that is helpful, while one
who objects to tho pledge is more apt to mingle
wi.th those who are not restrained by a pledge;
and this environment In turn may lead one into
moderate drinking, and from moderate drink
ing into the excessive use of liquor.
But there is another reason for signing the
pledge, which must have great weight with those
who recognize that man Is responsible for the
influence which he exerts as -well as for his
conduct. Tlrls sense of responsibility can not
be enforced by law, and it can not be cultivated
except through an appeal to the conscience.
. It Is not sufficient for a man to say that he
can drink in moderation and without harm to
himself. This might be entirely true in his
particular case, although many overestimate
their capacity to drink in moderation, and they
often underestimate the harm done to them
selves. There is a- moral question, which is
much larger; namely, can a man afford to in
dulge the appetite for drink, even when he can
do so without harm to 'himself, if by so doing
he leads weaker men to ruin?
The great apostle declared that if eating meat
made his brother to offend, he would eat no
meat. Why this resolve? Because the love
of his brother was stronger in him than the
desire for meat; and so we may hope, even
expect, that with the growth of the idea of
brotherhood and of the sense of comradeship
one with another the individual, especially the
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