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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 10, NO. 10
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 18, 1910
Whole Number 478
Constructive Legislation
One newspaper writer complains that demo
crats do not advocate any "constructive legisla
tion;" that their energies are devoted to criti
cism of republican administration. It may bo
that that depends upon what one calls "con
structive legislation." Just now it would seem
that the most important service that a political
party may render to the people is to aid in the
prevention of destructive legislation as contem
plated in the republican program. And it may
be said that the very prevention of this form
of legislation, involving as it does the life 'of
the republic, is the highest form of constructive
legislation.
The special interests have, under the repub
lican party, become so thoroughly entrenched in
power in this government that the most pains
taking, patriotic effort will be required before
they are dislodged. Mr. Taft's national incor
poration plan would destroy our system of gov
ernment, leaving the states mere helpless prov
inces .and the people subject to the whims of
corporation magnates; the railroad bill with its
court 6f commerce would centralize railroad
authority at Washington, making it inconvenient
for shippers to make effective protest; the ship
.subsidy bill would take from the pockets of the
many ror tue benefit of the few; the central
DanK would vest absolute control over the mon
ey of the country in the hands of a coterie of
;men; the republican party's tariff policy would
'continue the system of "seeking to tax the peo
ple ricii" wntcn, in reality, is a tax upon con
sumption lor the benefit'.of generous contribu
tors to republican campaign funds.
Does the democratic party wage war against
federal incorporation, insisting that the rights
"of state government, as Well as the rights sur
rendered to the federal government, shall be
.preserved intact? Does it insist that the state's
-authority over corporations shall be retained for
the benefit of the people whom corporations
'are presumed to serve? Does it object to a
. system of railroad law that would centralize
authority over railroads at a point practically
inaccessible to the shipper? Does it" object to
ship subsidy or any other form of subsidy be
' cause "equal rights to all and special privileges
to none" provides the rule for the public ser
' vant? Does it object to the central bank be
cause to give such an institution life would give
its managers a power over the people too great
for human beings to have? Does it insist
upon a tariff revision made downward for the
consumers and by the consumers? Does it fight
Aldrlchism and Cannonism in the capital build
ing, Taftism in the White House, Ballingerism
in the departments? Does it insist that the
house of representatives shall bo restored to its
representative position so that it shall voice, in
some degree, the will of the people? Does it
insist upon the election of senators by the peo
ple rather than by the special interests? Does
it demand the enforcement of the criminal
CONTENTS
CONSTRUCTIVE LEGISLATION . '
THAT ULTIMATUM
THEY ARE THE PARTY
TROUBLE IN NEW YORK
INCOME TAX REJECTED IN VIRGINIA
MR. BRYAN'S WORK IN SOUTH AMERICA
DEMOCRATIC LITERATURE
LABOR TROUBLES
WHERE THE OLD SHIP IS LEAKING .
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OP THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
clauso of tho anti-Sherman law against tho chief
magnates of tho trusts, requiring those per
sistent violators of law to wear tho prison
stripes? Does it stand for tho restoration of
this government as tho fathers intended to tho
position of a government of, by, and for tho
people, rather than a government of, by, and for
the trusts?
If the democratic party does stand for theso
things, if its platforms are written in unmis
takable terms and its candidates are of such
character that they may reasonably be trusted
to do the people's will, then the democratic party
has a great constructive policy.
Some men may sneer when they are told that
the republican party has gone so far in Its
plutocratic policy that It has actually imperiled
popular government. But more and moro
thoughtful men are coming to recognize this as
a solemn fact.
"But soberly It is now no child's play to save
the principles of Jefferson from total overthrow
in this nation." Tho democratic party has tho
fundamental principles essential to this great
work of salvation. If it shall remain true to
those principles, true to the spirit in which
Jefferson and Jackson served the public inter
ests, it will be given the task of restoring the
American nation, and the opportunity to dedi
cate it anew to the real service of the people.
THEY ARE "THE PARTY"
. The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal (rep.) says:
"The insurgent Washington correspondents tell
us that the president has finally 'lined up with
.'Aldrich and Cannon.' That is misleading. Ho
has simply stayed lined up with the party ma
jority with the party organization that has all
along accepted his leadership and defended, tho
record of the party. The only recent change
in the situation is the disclosure that the in
surgents or some of theiri have definitely
depided not to co-operate with, tho party ma
jority in securing the adoption of a single item
of the administration program. Will the Taft
leadership mean opposition to tho insurgents?
It will inevitably not because Taft so wills it
or the organization so wills it, but because the
.insurgents so will it." .
The Sioux City Journal knows whereof It
speaks. Mr. Taft is simply "staying with tho
party" when he lines up with Aldrich and Can
non. Aldrlchism, Cannonism or Taftism Is re
publican partylsm. Those republicans who are
in earnest and are anxious to accomplish some
thing for popular government will dp well to
recognize the synonymity between - the terms
Aldrlchism, Cannonism, Taftism. They will do
well to understand that they are engaged in
child's play when they denounce Aldrlchism and
Cannonism while professing undying devotion
to Taftism.
TROUBLE IN NEW YORK
Senator Elihu Root acting, it Is presumed,
for Mr. Taft took what the dispatches called
"active charge of the critical situation In the
republican party in New York state." He wired
to the state senators demanding that Mr. Hlnman
be chosen as president pro tem of tho senate
. to succeed Mr. Allds, who is just now under a
. cloud. Mr. Root made it plain that Governor
Hughes was with him in this demand. Tho
senators promptly ignored Messrs. Taft, Root
and Hughes and proceeded to the election of
their own candidate. There will be a lively
scramble for the mantle of the late Thomas
Collier Piatt. But Mr. Elihu Root is not the
heir apparent.
TIME FOR A CHANGE
Nelson A. Aldrich, admittedly the leader of
the republican party, says that the government '
should be conducted for $300,000,000 less each
year than is now expended under republican ad
ministration. This is a good thing to show to
your- republican neighbor. It may lead him to
make investigation all along the line, in which
event he will probably conclude that tho time
has come for a change in the administration of
national affairs.
That Ultimatum
Mr. Bryan's Commoner reprints from tho In
dianapolis News what is called tho "Insurgent
Ultimatum." And this is tho ultimatum:
"Either tho insurgents of today are tho repub
lican party of tomorrow or else when that to
morrow comes there will bo no republican
party." Tho terms are rather hard. In sub
stance It is declared that the insurgents will
rule or they will ruin. It is something now in
public affairs to bo brought up standing in so
harsh a manner. If tho minority Is not permit
ted to govern tho majority, in the open field
there will be no republican majority. That Is
to say, if the republican party does not hustlo
to get down the polo tho democratic party will
bo placed In the saddle Something like that
happened In 1892, but tho democratic party was
unhorsed at the first opportunity. Sioux City,
Iowa, Journal, (Rep.)
Tho Indianapolis Nows' editorial was not
necessarily a threat. It was moro in tho naturo
of prophecy. If all of the members of con
gress, who have shown signs of insurgency, de
serted the party that of itself would not neces
sarily bring fulfillment to the prophecy, and if
all of the congressmen who havo shown signs
of insurgency remained faithful to the party
organization, regardless of tho party platform,
that fact would not necessarily interfere with
.the prophecy's fulfillment. Tho force that
.makes and unmakes political parties is among
.the non-officeholding class and the vote that
swings the pendelum first one way and then
another is likely to bo Influenced by the very
conditions described by the Indianapolis News.
It Is an insult to the intelligence of tho Amer
ican people to say that they are unmindful of
the danger to popular government that is in,
volvod in the present day republican program.
.It Is true thatjpronhecy, so far as tho republican
party is concerned, has not always been safe.
Repeatedly that party has been given power In
the face of conditions that to the minds of many
thoughtful men made such a result extremely
dangerous to the well being of American gov
ernment. Repeatedly that party has won power
through false pretenses, through tho manipula
tion of the ballot, through the use of enormous
campaign funds provided by special Interests,
and many men have wondered why the people
trusted the party. During the last presidential
campaign the republican candidates were no
toriously supported by tho trusts. Republican
managers refused to print the list of the con
tributions to their presidential campaign fund
made through the congressional committee.
Only a few days prior to the election, John D.
Rockefeller himself made public announcement
that the republican candidate was hiB choice.
The people, then praying for relief on the tariff
question, trusted the republican party's promise
that the tariff would be revised. After tho
election tho party revised the tariff upward
and then explained to a betrayed people that
it did not specifically promise to revise the tariff
downward.
The Sioux City Journal need not be 'concerned
by threats as to what a coterie of individuals
may do. Insurgent .Norris of Nebraska may
protest against Cannon in the caucus and then
vote for him in the end. Insurgent Hayes of
California may become frightened at the party
whip and rush to the cover of the White House.
Insurgent Murdock of Kansas may become
alarmed lest by his protest against Cannonism
and Aldrlchism he is helping to defeat the re
publican party, but a betrayed people that are
not concerned In the discipline or the preserva
tion of the party max not follow weak-kneed
statesmen in their mad flight beneath the crack
,of the party whip. Sometimes It happens with
parties that they have so imposed upon the
patience of the people that even their best and
.' truest reformers are helpless to save. It might
be that the insurgents of today would become
the republican party of tomorrow and yet the
republican party would go down to defeat. The
Journal refers briefly to democratic history.
Does it not remember that in 1896 the demo-
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