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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 10, NO. 20
Lincoln, Nebraska, May 27, 1910
Whole Number 488
To Governor Harmon
Have you any influence with the democratic
state committee? If you have, why did you
not urge the committee to Include the selection
of a candidate for United States senator in its
call for a state convention? If you urged this
upon the committee and were turned down, why
don't you appeal to the convention as Governor
Marshall did? He made a fight lor the nomlnar
tion of a senatorial candidate and won not
only won a victory for the Indiana democracy
but won a place among the national leaders
of the party. Are you willing to follow his
example? If not, how will you explain your
attitude? Do you lack courage, or do you pre
fer the dark lantern methods that are respon
sible for the elevation of so many corporation
tools tQ the seriate?
Even if you are not an enthusiast on the pop
ular election of senators your personal interest
in the coming state campaign ought to lead you
to favor the nomination of a senator. The re
publicans will have a candidate and a" very
weak one too, why conceal the democratic can
didate? If the convention does not name him
the republican papers will spend their time gues
sing at him. They will pick out all the objec
tionable men in the democratic party and charge
that these men are setting up the legislature.
They may even suggest the name of John R.
McLean whose paper is one of the boldest as
sassins of democratic policies. Do you think
you can carry him through a campaign? This
is a crisis which will show your size are you
ready to have your measure taken?
If you falter, prepare to stand aside. The
democratic party is in no mood to be trifled with.
It has suffered so much 'from the secret' manipuy,
lations of the predatory interests that' it" de
mands daylight methods and honest politics. It
is- up to you, Governor.
A QUESTION OF ETHICS
Secretary Ballinger discharges Stenographer
Kerby with the following polite. (?) reprimand:
"Sir You are hereby discharged, from the
public service because you are unworthy to re
main in it.
"In divulging information obtained by you
In the confidential relation of stenographer to
the secretary of the interior; in communicating
that information to those whom you are bound
to know are wrongfully seeking to bring re
proach upon the administration and to injure
me, and In deliberately misstating material facts,
as to which you did treacherously communicate,
you show that you .are unworthy and unsafe.
The fact that your treachery is futile can not
mitigate the character of your offense. For the
good of the service you are hereby dismissed.
Respectfully,
"R. A. BALLINGER, Secretary.
"Mr. Frederick M. Kerby, Washington, D. C,
May 16."
This raises a question of ethics and as Mr.
Kerby suggests Secretary Ballinger is not an
CONTENTS
TO GOVERNOR HARMON
A QUESTION OF ETHICS
PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
ARGENTINE REPUBLIC
UP TO THE PRESIDENT
MR. BRYAN AT OMAHA
. DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES IN IOWA -
"SHOOT THEM," SAYS SPEAKER CANNON
PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON' 6R NOT
, . tNEWS .OF THE WJ3EK
,,,. ' WASHINGTON NEWS :
i
!Iv
excellent judge In matters of ethics. How far
is a clerk required to suppress his conscience
In order to avoid the charge of "treachery?"
A public office is or Is supposed to be a pub
lic trust. The Qfflcial is paid by the people to
do the peoples' work. To what extent is secrecy
justifiable? A public servant has been dis
charged and a congressional committee is in
vestigating the charge; a document is called
for and the committee rules that it ought .to bo
produced. It can not bo found, and circum
stances indicate that the interested parties do
not care to produce it. Several officials who
know the facts remain silent, but a confidential
clerk decides that he ought to tell what ho
knows. He does it, and is discharged, but the
document turns up. Now the question is before
the public conscience. What will the decision be?
If the clerk is guilty of falsehood let him bo
convicted on that charge and discharged, but
he was dismissed without trial.
If he told the truth why should be be dis
charged? If the facts are not discreditable to
those involved how can he bo guilty of treach
ery? If the facts are discreditable why not
punish the guilty? What standard shall we
employ to pronounce a harsher judgment against
the one who tells than against the one whose
misdeeds have been exposed? If it Is right to
pardon a' criminal who turns state's evidence
why should a clerk be discharged for simply
telling what he saw others do?
PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
Delegate Quezon of the Philippines, who re
cently petitioned the house of representatives
for independence for the Filipinos has received
a cablegram from the speaker of the Philippine
assembly congratulating him and assuring him
that the desire for independence "remains un
alterable." This ought Wt to surprise any one
The Filipinos have always wanted independence
and they will continue to want it until foreign
rule, no matter how good it may be, is termin
ated. In this respect they do not differ from
others. The sooner we announce the nation's
intention to give independence to the Filipinos
the sooner will there be harmony and good will
in the Philippines.
A. NOTABLE VICTORY
The people of Denver won a notable victory
May 17 over the water system monopoly. By
pronounced majorities they repudiated the fran
chise which the water company tried to get
through. Then they adopted all of the proposi
tions offered by the citizens' committee and
finally they adopted the initiative and referen
dum and the recall.
The Commoner congratulates the people of
Denver upon their good work.' It congratulates
them also on the fact that in the Rocky Moun
tain News and the Denver Times they have
newspapers that may be relied upon to defend
the public Interests.
THE LA PAZ COLLEGE
Mr. B.ryan has been disappointed In the fact
that he has not received more subscriptions to
the La Paz (Bolivia) college. So far only two
subscriptions have been received and the list
stands:
W. J. Bryan $250.00
Edward F. Goltra, St. Louis . 250.00
W. M. Burgess, Omaha 50.00
Who will be the next?
THE INCOME TAX GAINING
The New York senate has ratified the income
tax by a vote of 26 to 20. Good! There Is
hope of re-consideration in the house where it
was defeated by one vote. With New York on
the side of the income tax who can be against
it? The income tax amendment is going to be
ratified glory enough for one year.
So there la a. "foul, flock" In "gum shoes" In
the republican camp, is there? And are wo
to understand .that only those &ra immaculate
who rqg aTcL the acta of government officials as
confidential?' ' MiHP
Argentine Republic J
The Argentine Republic is more like the
United States than any other country which wo
havo thus far visited. Sho has adopted tho
federal system and modeled her constitution
after ours; sho elects her president through
electors, and each stato has, in the senate, two
representatives chosen by tho legislature of
their respective states. (It Is to bo hoped that
Argentina will turn to tho direct election of
senators when wo do, If not before.) Tho rep
resentatives In the more numerous branch of
tho legislature are elected directly and In pro
pojtion to population. Tho states aro inde
pendent of tho federal government in their
elections and in local matters., An American
feels quite at home, therefore, among tho Ar
gentines. One can not fail, however, to note a
difference between tho presidential campaigns
in Argentina and in tho United States they
are not as exciting hero as they aro with us,
Tho election for chief magistrate will tako place
on March 13, and although I have been in
Buenos Aires about a week I would not have
known that a campaign was In progress, had
I relied upon appearances. But If wo aro move
noisy while the battle rages wo aro moro quiet
when it is over than they used to bo in South
America. All through southern republics I have
heard comments upon tho manner In which the
vanquished party accepts defeat in tho United
States. Our country is unconsciously toachlng
an important political lesson by the example
which the parties set of submission to tho will
of the majority. And no moro Important lesson
can be taught to thoso who enjoy the blessing
of popular government than that tho minority
should wait with patience until tho people, con
vlnced by argument; reverse their decision a
the polls.
In tho appearance of the country, as well as
In form of government, Argentina reminds one
of the United States. In tho west thc-e is some
irrigation, and plans aro now being perfected
for still larger systems. Mendoza. tho first 'city
one approaches as ho enters Argentina by way
. of Chili, Is entirely supported by irrigation.
It has a population of 30,000 and Is surrounded t
by vineyards and well-cultivated farms. In lo-
cation it somewhat resembles Damascus; liko
that most ancient city, it has mountains on one
side and the plains on tho other, and like Da
mascus, too, it depends upon d river whose wa
tersdo not reach the ocean. The Mendoza river
rises in the Andes and empties itself upon tho
sands of the table land.
For miles north, south and west of Buenos
Aires the land is as level as a floor, and the
cultivation improves as one approaches the capi
tal. Cattle, sheep and horses are scattered over
tho prairies, or pampas as they aro called. Tho
windmills, each with a' drove of stock about it,
recall the western portions of Nebraska and
Kansas. Where farming has encroached upon
the grazing lands, wheat fields stretch back
from tho track to the horizon, and piles of
stacked grain about the stations tell of the har
vest. Alfalfa, called lucerne in South America,
is: an Important crop, and the huge but shapely
stacks indicate experience In this kind of work.
Corn is raised in abundance but some of It has
been ruined by the locust. This insect is a
real pest here, and tho damage done by it runs
up into the millions. It has returned each
year for some years in spite of the expenditure
of large sums in an effort to' exterminate it.
Argentina Is rapidly forging to the front aa
an agricultural country, and there is still a vast
area' awaiting the plow. In fact, only one
seventh of the arable land is now under cul
tivation. I visited the famous Pereyra farm, thirty
miles from Buenos Aires, and saw a herd of
Herefords equal to any in the United States, a
herd of Shorthorns that would win premiums
anywhere horses 6f several breeds, both driving
and draft, and three varieties of sheep. The
proprietor ' could stock a county fair and still
