The Commoner.
MAY , It 10
, ,
HECURK6NT Vp,cs 311
MR. BRYAN gave out the following state
ment April 28: "I have mailed a copy of
the following letter to the democratic members
of the Nebraska state senate and house of rep
resentatives: My Dear Sir: The failure of the
legislature to submit the initiative and referen
dum at its regular session has brought the
county option issue which is direct legislation
into the present campaign, and this question
is drawing attention from national issues. It
is unfortunate that this should be the case at
this time when six congressmen are to be elect
ed and when a senator itr to1 be chosen by the
nfixt legislature.' Unless the mistake made by
the legislature can be remedied, our party will
be confronted by a very serious situation. It
might promise in its platform' to submit the
initiative and referendum at the next session
but it could hardly expect to be trusted to sub
mit the measure next time if with ar democratic
governor, senate and house l is unable to do
"so now, unless it declares its independence of
special interests. In my opinion the best way to
meet the situation is by the submission of the
initiative and referendum by a called session of
the legislature, and I have no doubt that Gov
ernor Shallenberger will call such a special ses
sion if assured that a majority of both houses
will support the initiative and referendum resor
lutlon which passed the house at the last ses
sion. The initiative and referendum will givo
to 'the people the legislative machinery through
which they could legislate upon any question
in which they are interested. A called session
would also doubtless ratify the. income tax
amendment If it is not possible to submit the
initiative and referendum for ratification as a
constitutional amendment at the election Hhis
fall, nothing is left for our party to do but to
declare for the initiative and referendum and ;
also county option in., its state platform this
Bummer. . In order fo ascertain whether an in
itiative and referendum resolution would pass
in case q a, special session being palled, I take
the' liberty "of submitting the question to you
and to the other democratic members of, the
Benate and house. Please wire me at once, at
my expense, whether you would be willing to
support such a resolution at a special session.
Kindly answer even if you answer in the nega
tive, in order that the poll may be completed
as soon as possible. I shall ask the president
of the Nebraska Direct Legislation League to
co-operate by ascertaining how many of the v&
publican members, of the senate and hous will "
pledge themselves' to' support the initiative and
referendum resolution. . Awaiting a reply at
your earliest convenience, I am, very truly
yours.' '"
THE FOLLOWING letter was sent by Mr.
Bryan to J. H. Mockett, Jr., president of
the Nebraska Direct Legislation League, at Lin
coln, Neb.: "I have just mailed a letter to the
democratic members of the state senate and
house, asking whether they will vote for the
Bubmission of the initiative and referendum in
case a special session is called. I have no doubt
that Governor Shallenberger .will call a special
session if assured that the resolution will re
ceive a majority of both houses. I beg to sub
mit to you the request that your league put
the ,same question to the republican senators
and members and inform me of the' result. The
initiative and referendum, if submitted; and
Adopted, will be the means of securing a popu
lar vote on any question upon which the people
jdesire to speak."
UPON THIS subject Mr. Bryan added: "I
hope that the democratic papers and the
Tenublican nanfirs t.Tini. fnvnr iha inlttfitivfl and
R referendum will take the matter up and urge
tne passage of the initiative and referendum
h resolution. It might be well for the 'committee
men and all others, both democrats and repub
licans, who are interested in the present cam
paign to- see those senators and 'members who
I diaVnt support the measure at the last session
fim point out to them the importance of the
Jp$ciai session. Nothing but the submission of
;the amendment can correct the mistake that
was mado. It is foolish to expect that a ma
jority of either party will permit the domina
tion of politics by the special interests when that
.domination becomes apparont, and it will bo
apparent to all if a measure so universally pop
ular as the initiative and referendum can bo
throttled. Unless the initiative and referen
dum is submitted, there will necessarily be a
fight in both party conventions, and it is not
unlikely that both cqnventions will cndorso
county option." .
BRIBERY IN the Illinois legislature Is
charged by Charles A. White, a member of
that body. White alleges that Wsilllani Lorimer
was elected to the United States senate last May
by bribery and corruption. The Associated Press
report of this story follows: "White, who is a
democrat, in his statement says that he received
$1,000 for voting for Lorimor. This money,
he alleged, was paid him by Lee O'Neill Browne,
democratic leader of the last legislature. White
also says that he received $900 more from the
'jack pot,' a term applied to an alleged general
corruption fund distributed at the close of each
session of the legislature. The $900, White
alleges, was paid him in St. Louis by Robert
E. Wilson, also a member of the legislature.
According to White he was first approached by
Browne on May 24, 1909, while the voting was
going on for a United States senator. A dead
lock had existed for some time. Browne asked
White if he would vote for Lorimer and White
said he could and would. On May 25 they met
again and Browne said he would pay $1,000 and
a share of the 'jack pot' for White's vote for
Lorimer, according to the statement. On the
next day Lorimer was elected on joint ballot, .
many democrats voting for him and White wag
among this number. White says Browne paid
him $100 in the next week at Springfield,
Later, in Chicago, . White alleges Browne paid
him $50 and then $850. At the time he re
ceived the last sum. White says that Browne
had $30,000 in a belt. On July 15 White says
he met Wilson in the Southern hotel in St.
Louis in response to a telegram and received
$900 as his share of the, 'jack potV , White saya
he met other representatives in Wilson's room
just before he received his money. According
to White- there was a general dissatisfaction
among the members of the legislature he met
in St. Louis, because they did not get more out
of the 'jack pot' but that was explained by the
fact that $35,000 was lost in the 'jack pot' be
cause of the failure of certain legislation to go
through."
A WRITER IN the Richmond. (Va1.) Times
Dispatch has been studying "some historic
muckraking" with the following result: "When
General Washington was about to retire from
the presidency and was seeking that qujet which
he so well deserved after his years of s6rvice,
the Republican Aurora paid him this neat com
pliment: 'If ever a nation was debauched by a
in,an, the American nation has been debauched
by Washington. If ever a nation has been de
ceived by a man, the American nation has been
deceived by Washington.' Not to be outdone
by its yellow morning contemporary of Phila
delphia, the New York Gazette had this to say
regarding the Father of His Country: 'Now
should the people rejoice exceedingly and let
their hear.ts be glad, for now is the source of
all misfortune brought down to the level of his
fellow-men. Now will political iniquity cease
to be' legalized by a' name.' In the next admin
istration Adams came in for even worse treat
ment at the hands of the men who had black
guarded General Washington, and who had
learned by the time the second president was
chosen how abuse should be framed. In one
of the republican sheets occurs this tirade: 'The
historian will ask why the United States degrad
ed themselves to the choice of a wretch whose
soul came blasted from the hand of nature, of
a wretch that has neither the science of a magis
trate, the politeness .of a courtier, nor the cour
age of a man. But in order to give the
president full Justice we must recollect that the
perfidy and Imposture of his kidneys have a
correspondent proportion to the crack in his
upper story; that, as Drydon says, 'every inch
which is not fool is rogue;' that the now blasted
tyrant of Amorlca, that ruffian who stigmatized
the governor of Virginia ad a minister recalled
in disgrace, is suporominently entitled not only
to laughter, but likewise to the curses of man
kind.' In like manner Jefferson was said to
have obtainod his property by fraud and rob
bery and to havo cheated a widow and her or
phan children of an estate valued at $10,000.
He was also charged with swindling his creditors
by paying his debts in worthless currency.' John
Quincy Adams, that ancient prototype of Fair
banks the ley, was referred to in similar termB,
and Androw Jackson foster-father of democ
racy,, was called 'the baboon at the other end
of the avenue' and other names which can hardly
bo printed, even in quotations, at this time."
NOW COMES tho New York Sun, mado famous
by. Charles A. Dana, and In discussing tho
Indiana republican convention, suggests Senator
Beveridgo as tho democratic nominee in 1912.
The Sun says: "Wo see nothing now for the
democrats, meaning tho disciples of Bryan, ex
cepting tho nomination of Beveridgo as tho party
candidate for 1912. Even tho prophet of tho
Platte must understand by this time ho can not
lead again tho democratic hosts to calamity.
It is only too evident that they havo decided to
die a different death. Then why not Beveridgo?
"Of course, it is conceivable that democratic
leaders, awakened by disasters in tho past, and
alive to the possibilities of the futuro may get
together and carve out a new department, ne
glecting populists and other drags, but is it
likely? It was made evident to tho whole coun
try a year ago that tho south is really in favor
of protection on the Aldrlch-Cannon plan.- The
only question is whether tho voting millions can
be divorced from tho industrial thousands. It
is a question of intelligence as against supersti
tion. If the latter should prevail Beveridge is
obviously tho democratic candidate for 1912."
AN "OBSERVING Woman" writes. from Far
mington, Conn., to tho tyow York Herald to
say: "Will you allow me to enter my protest
against tho exploitation of great gifts of wealthy
men as utterly unworthy of our praise or atten
tion? They give of their overflow, denying
themselves absolutely nothing, and are doing
less than is their 'duty to do.' In somo con
spicuous cases tho wealth has been gained by
oppression and extortion. I know of a poor sick
girl wl0 has been kept for three years by two
poor girl friends dividing her time between
them. I .know of a girl who works cleaning
offices from G o'clock in tho morning until 6
o'clock at night and-at night freely gives her
services to wash and iron for her frailer .sister's
family of six. I know still another who, after
working in a factory all day, gives the last half
of- her nights to watching over an invalid sister
(meloncholia), to relieve the hard working hus
band. I could pile up these unsung benevol
ences and they mount much nearer heaven
than, those that conspicuously occupy the center
of the stage and receive the fullsomo praise of
men. Let us be spared as much of the latter
as possible."
IMPORTANT decisions by the United Stated
supreme court were rendered. May 2. In
one of these the associations of retail, lumber
dealers in Mississippi and Louisiana were dis
banded and the "Standard Oil company of Ken
tucky" was, in another case, .ousted from Ten
nessee. In either case the state courts had held
that the -corporations violated the anti-trust
law and the supremo court supported this view.
In tho Mississippi case, Justice Lurton, the new
member, announced the opinion of the court.
Tho American Homestead, a monthly farm
journal of national scope, will bo sent to all
Commoner subscribers, without additional cost,
who renew their subscriptions during the month
of May. Take advantage of tills offer at once,
and send Jxi your renewal.
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