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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1910)
:w,,rBif3f!WBppRBPrir (. rvwffr1 an- rTtwwf" vyHfr ""- &niTt' 'sy"" "ITI, flpnr "V jpf '.rrr""i -fcV The Commoner. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR VOL. 10, NO. 4 Lincoln, Nebraska, February 4, 1910 Whole Number 472 "Good" of Course V The Philadelphia North American, republican, in one of its fearfully and wonderfully made editorials, says that Mr. Taft is a puzzle. , Re ferring to some of the recommendations in his special message, the North American says: "Such recommendations coming from an Aid rich or a Cannon would be pronounced deliber ately and villainously, wrong. The honesty of Taft "saves him froin any such unjust inter pretation of his desires or utterances. But they are of such character that only the abiding faith in his 'goodness of intent frees him from such censure." If the editor of the North American would call in some of his bright reporters, say the young cub on the police run, he might learn something to his advantage. He might learn that Mr. Taft is a puzzle only to those who, through blind devotion to the republican party, have had their eyes so habitually sealed that they could not gaze through a stone with a big hole in it. Sooner or later republican editors and o'ther republican leaders, who desire to save their deputation for intelligence, and who are not hopelessly bound to the special interests, will have to recognize, the fact now patent to many of the plainest sort of people: The facjt that however honest Mr. Taft may be and however extensive one's "abiding faith in. his goodness" may be, he is the friend of Aldrich and of Cannon as he is the friend of Ballinger; he is the advocate of Aldrichism and 'Cannonism -JiudiJaLJ&PwjssLUJlin, full sight of the American people, undertaking to deliver to tlfe contribu tors to republican campaign funds, dbminiari over the corporation and financial affairs of the American government. We may well .understand why the North. American hesitates to "censure" the gentleman whom it recently supported for the presidency. The American might, at least, get its own, eyes open to, the simple truth. THEY LIKE THE "IF" In his speech at Dallas, introducing Governor Harmon, Hon. J. E Cockwell called attention to a,very nice distinction. He said: "We have troubles here, too. The promised land looks so far away to some of our people that in their hunger they are tempted by the flesh pots of Egypt and,leave the line of march, forgetting the final goal the absolute destruc tion of the protective tariff and seek to satisfy their agreed by -demanding protection on the articles in which they are immediately con cerned. They 'thus yield the principle. Our people are taught by some that if we must pay a protective tariff on the manufactured 'products of lumber, hides or wool, for example, then lumber, hides and wool must also be protected. CONTENTS "GOOD" OF COURSE IS IT "OBSOLETE?" MR. CANNON KNEW EDUCATIONAL SERIES A COMEDY IN THREE ACTS BY A REPUBLICAN EDITOR PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS WHERE THE OLD SHIP IS LEAKING DEMOCRACY AND INSURGENCY PUT THE COMMONER INTO HANDS OF MILLION VOTERS CURRENT TOPICS WHETHER CQMMON OR NOT HOME DEPARTMENT NEWS OPJTHH WEEK rt T . ' WASHINGrON NEWS ' ; l "FOUR YEARS MORE OF THE FULL DINNER PAIL" "Revolutions have been started by less than the American people are suffering now," says Senator Joseph L. Brlstow of Kansas. "Meat foots up to a quarter of the average household expenses, and it ought to be cheaper today instead of dearer than it was twenty-five years ago, because of the greater economy in its preparation and sale. When I was a boy 25 per cent of the carcass went to waste. Now nothing goes to waste not even the blood." Senator Bristow's words crystalize the sentiment of protest in all parts of the country against the higher cost of living. Thus far the movement, which first took . form in an actual boycott at Cleveland, has met with most success in the west. The east has been slower to follow, in fluenced perhaps by a widespread leeling among small dealers and in the labor unions, that, a- universal boydott, though effective as a protest, would actually play into the hands of the packers, who, with their control of cold storage houses and refrigerator lines could carry their product through a prolonged boycott, though a thirty day's cessation of" trade would put the small independents out of business. Denver News. 0 . j Is It "Obsolete 9 () , S) Those who thus say ffvTmust yayf1i&$om manufactured articles know full well there is no 'if about it, under present conditions it is a case of 'must,' and the true statement of their argument is: 'Because' we must pay a protec tive tariff on the manufactured products of lum ber, hides and wool, therefore it is right to pay a second protective tariff on the raw products also. But I digress. These matters will bo settled by the constituted authorities and tho issue will be properly presented in th$ platform. Who shall carry tho banner?" - The point which Mr. Cockwell makes is worthy of consideration. He is right in saying that those who preface their defense of protec tion dn local products by saying, "If we must pay a tariff on something else," etc, really mean "because," and there is a great difference be tween the two words. "Because" implies resign ation, while "if" does not. The people who say they want a tariff on what they produce "if" they must pay a tariff on what they buy, really mean that they are ready to accept the protective 'tariff as a settled policy, and will make no' further effort to overthrow it. Mr. Cockwell has rendered the cause of honest tariff reform a service by "pointing out the paralyzing influ ence of, that word "if," when used by protec tionist democrats. They have used the word until they like it, and they have gradually trans formed it from a threat into an excuse. In an editorial entitled "An Obsolete Prin ciple," the St. Louis Censor, a weekly publica tion, says: "There has been a 'fool' theory in this coun try for a long time, that tho object of its gov ernment may bo summed up in tho statement 'Tho greatest good to tho greatest number.' However, such a principlo may have been ap plied"by tho pipneers of the republic, it Is dead er now than tho character cast for the 'load' at a wake. Carthago, Missouri, has Just had a fine illustration of the working of tho now system of laws handed down from time to time bv va rious federal judges. Carthage, a city of fifteen thousand people, has had its water supply cut off in a day, herself placed at tho mercy of flro and pestilence, her mains and sowers left with out water, her mills and factories stopped, her buildings heated by steam rendered uninhabit able, and tho cancellation of her fire insurance policies threatened, for tho good and sufficient Reason that the water corporation, backed by a federal court, had concluded to quit. Carthage had a corporation supplying it with water, that several years ago it attempted to regulate. This was a very wrong thing for tho peoplo of Carthago to do, for what right have the peoplo to interfero with tho divine right of nionopolies? Tho monopoly entered into agreement with tho people, but with the same mental reservations Charles I always applied to parliament, it did not keep them, but what of that? Then tho water monopoly applied to Phillips, of Kansas City, federal judge, and the result of Phillips' decision is that the welfare, evqii, the .llyes of fifteen thousand, people, havo no rights where interests or rlghtd of one corporation are In volved." : It is worthy of serious cdn&fderation on the part of all men who are interested in govern ment and all men are interested in .govern ment although they do not always display that interest whether this St. Louis newspaper J3 correct in the statement that "the greatest good to the greatest number" is an obsolete princi ple. May it not be that those who either from special interest or environment lean toward the privilege have been encouraged by the apparent indifference of the masses of tho American people? May it not be that righteous principles continue to live even when their importance is not recognized by the very peoplo most de pendent upon them? May it not be that the very insolence that has been displayed by tho representatives of special Interests, the very emphasis they have given to their power to Im pose upon a patient people will be the very means of demonstrating to those who now doubt and to those who never knew that "the scaffold sways the future" and "behind the dim un known" the light of truth is shining? If heavy Imposition will arouse the American people to the importance of tho warning "eternal vigilance is tho. price of liberty" then the victory over indifference will be worth all it shall havo cost. MB. CANNON KNEW , " In December, 1905, the New York Tribune printed an interview with Speaker Cannon in which the speaker said that tariff revision was impossible, adding: "If some fellow did introduce a tariff bill, and it was argued and argued, and at the end of . twelve months its advocates could gather to gether enough votes to pass it, the country being, held up by the tail in the meantime, I think you'd find that the new law would have just. as many outrageous things in it as are found Un the Dingley tariff act." Mr. Cannon certainly knew what he was, talk-. 4 Ing about. . The truth is that the, new law has' . even- mqr,e "outrageous things in it than are found in the" Dingley tariff act." '!: But why did not the rank and file of republi cans know? "THE TALK OF THE TOWN" ' The New York Tribune, republican, prints this touching poem: The cost of living's gone so high We can not live and so must die. And say, We've got to do it right away, Becausb unless we're p. d. q. f In what's it's up to us to do, The undertaker's will combine Along the whole darn funeral line And make that cost prohibitive As now we find it is to live. Thus we can neither live nor die, No matter by what means we try, And this condition being true, Say, what in thunder shall we do? . , Is the answer "vote the republican ticket and get 'four years more of the full dinner pall'' " M -Tftt fomM'tlfffo&U' iAfc i&h&ai&M 'Z42 . 4--i "taMti w.ik-.H-i v . , -,ICJ UIML.&. . 'fruAfj "