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: VOL. 10, NO. 22 ? - .- Lincoln, Nebraska, June 10, 1910 Whole Number 490
Election of Senators
Tho Commoner gives considerable space this
week to the publication of tho major portlori
of Senator Owen's speech on popular govern
ment. A better speech, or a' more timely one,
than this was never made in the interest of a
people struggling to perpetuate popular govern
ment. Every Commoner reader should make it
his particular business to place Senator Owen's
speech before some republican or democrat who
may not have had the privilege of reading it.
Election of senators by popular vote has been
growing in favor during the past year. It has
been growing in favor during the past thirty
days. It will continue to grow and it now bo
comes the duty of everyone who believes in that
reform to give It impetus at every opportunity
for intelligent missionary work.
The revelations in Illinois have disheartened
many patriotic men and some have been sur
prised that such a condition of affairs could ex
ist in this age, but Senator Mason, who is some
thing of a political observer, declares that fifty
per cent of the seats in the United States senate
were purchased. This only indicates the large
amount of suspicion that exists among men who
have closely watched politics. Senator Mason
doubtless, and of course unintentionally, exag
erates. It is not at all likely that anywhere
near one-half of the seats in the senate were
purchased but if even one seat was purchased
the disclosure of that fact should be sufficient
to arouse the American people to determined
action.
"! The situation will not be met by the mere
punishment of the men who gave and the men
who accepted the bribe. It would be well If
every guilty man could be brought to account,
but something must be done to protect the sen
ate for the future and to make practically im
possible the purchase of another senatorial seat.
This may be accomplished through a constitu
tional amendment providing for the election of
senators by popular vote. In the meantime
those who believe in that reform may put it into
practical operation by the nomination of sena
torial candidates.
Jn Oregon and in Nebraska they have what
is known as the Oregon plan, whereby a vote
may be taken directly upon the senatorial can
didate. In Indiana they adopted the plan of
nominating candidates for the Benate, the re
publican convention naming Mr. Beveridge, the
democratic convention naming Mr. Kern. In
the democratic convention a bitter fight was
made against this plan, but the rank and file
of the party, under the leadership of such men
as Governor Marshall and John E. Lamb prac
ticed what they preached. They nominated a can
didate for senator In order that the people of
Indiana might know just what they might ex
pect in the way of a senator in the event they
chose a democratic legislature.
In Ohio it has been proposed that the demo
cratic convention nominate a candidate for sen-
' CONTENTS
" f . ;
& ' . '
5; . ELECTION OF SENATORS
UNDER THE INCAS -:.;'
"NO CRIME""
' LORIMER - '
. ' WHY DID HE OBJECT?
- THE BOY WHO FORGETS
SENATOR OWEN'S POWERFUL SPEECH
p " CURRENT TOPICS
HOME DEPARTMENT
J LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
i WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
!: - NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
1
ator but prominent politicians In Ohio object
to that course. They say: "Let us have no can
didate, and then every ambitious man through
out the state will bo. working for a democratic
legislature in tho hope that tho lightning may
strike him," But more Important than moro
party victory aro the public interests and tho
public Interests require that tho people know
what to expect in tho way of a senator from
Ohio in the event they choose a democratic
legislature. The very fact that politicians ob
ject to taking the people into their confidence Is
sufficient to aTouse suspicion.
Ohio democrats who believe in the popular
election of senators ought to write to Governor
Harmon and to other democratic leaders, urg
ing them to lend their Influence to the nomina
tion by the democratic state convention of a
senatorial candidate. If these leaders refuse
or fail to discharge this duty then there are
hundreds of Ohio democrats capable of taking
the lead and making the same fight which
Governor Marshall, John E. Lamb and other
faithful Indiana democrats made in tho conven
tion of that state.
Let every Ohio democrat who believes that
tho democratic party should practice what it
preaches and should stand resolutely for real
reform, take off his coat and participate in a
determined effort to make Ohio democratic in
the purest and best sense of the term.
"NO CRIME"
The attorney for Lee O'Neill Browne the
"democratic leader," who is under indictment
for bribery in connection with the election of
Senator Lorimer has raised the point that it
is no crime in Illinois to buy a vote for United
States senator. It is well tho court did not.
find it necessary to uphold that plea. It does
seem, however, that in some instances men have
not considered it a crime to purchase senatorial
seats. At times they have not even considered
it criminal to buy the presidency. The truth
Is that it Is just as great a moral wrong for a
greedy trust to purchase a protective tariff
through the contribution to campaign funds of
large sums of money as it is to purchase a vote
for a trust candidate for the senate upon a pay
ment of money directly to the member of the
legislature. Most men are honest but the public
thought needs to be educated more strictly
along these lines so that the high standard of
integrity held by the average man In his private
affairs may be held by the public, and held so
firmly that the individual or tho political party
that dares to violate it will be called promptly
to account.
LORIMER
Tho Illinois senatorial scandal has attracted
attention throughout the world. Everyone
seems to bo surprised that a United States sen
atorship has been purchased. But why should
there be surprise? When "Lorimer was elected
through the aid of democratic votes It was plain
that some powerful influence had been employed.
The Commoner said that the reason for the
peculiar vote cast by these democrats would,
in time, be disclosed. The proof that Mr. Lori
mer's seat was purchased is so conclusive that
the press with practical unanimity demands that
he resign from the senate. He may continue
in his high office for a time, bu he will not long
be able to withstand the strong public sentiment
which, once aroused, can not bo successfully
resisted.
WHY DID HE OBJECT?
When it was proposed to publish Senator
Bourne's speech on the Oregon use of the pri
mary, the naming of senators by direct vote of
tho people, the initiative and the referendum,
and the recall, Senator Gallinger objected. Ad
mittedly Senator Bourne's speech was Interesting
and instructive. There are many calls for that
speech. Why, then, did the republican senator
from Vermont object to its circulation among
the people? The reason is plain. It is not
to the interest of tho republican party that the
people be educated in the way of making popu
lar government practical and effective, -
Under the Incas
Thero aro two Porus, tho Modern Poru, which
Is just awakoning to her destiny, and Old Peru,
tho Land of tho Incns, whoso history ended
whon Plzarro scaled the westorn slope of tho
Andes and planted the banner of Castile upon
tho great fort at Cuzco. When tho Spanish
cavaliers reached tho tablelands of Poru, lured
on by tho tales of fabulous stores of gold, they
found an organized government and a much
higher degree of civilization than thoy had ox
pected. An unlimited monarch relgnod over an em
pire of a million square miles, tho territory now
embraced within the borders of Equador, Peru
and Bolivia. Ho ruled in regal splendor, lived
in a palace, with many wives, sometimes a thou
sand or more; he had his ministers of stgto and
'an army of retainers.
According to the traditions related to tho
Spaniards, the dynasty had lasted nearly flvo
hundred years. About tho close of tho eleventh
century, as tho story goes, Manco Capac and
Mama Ocllo, man and wife, appeared on tho
shores of Lake Titicaca, tho great and beautiful
lake, 12,500 feet above tho sea, which occupies
one of the basins of tho Andes, and as "children
of the sun" claimed tho allegiance of tho people.
Tho Inca, for so tho ruler was called, seoma
to have had HttlO trouble in bringing tho scat
tered tribes under his government, and ho grad
ually extended the limits of his kingdom until,
at tho time of tho conquest, it had reached th
vast proportions mentioned.
The-Inca was a mild despot; while ho waged
wars of conquest against neighboring rulers and
compelled obedience, he sought to win the con
fidence of his subjects by just treatment, and
showed political genius in his dealings with
them.
He established his capital at Cuzco, situated
near the head of the valley of tho Huatanay, a
tributary of tho Amazon, and built a fort which
gives proof of knowledge in architecture and in
the art of war. Authority descended from father
to son, and the family seems to havo been fortu
nate In producing a long lino of wiso rulers.
These successive Incas continued tho work 'of
development. Roads wefe built from the capi
tal to the extremities of tho pmpire; rest houses
were established at convenient distances and
stored with food; and runners carried the news
from place to place.
Splendid temples were built to tho sun, and
ornamented wth gold an(i snVer. Tho lands
were held by the state and leased to the people
according to their needs, the tenant keeping
one-third of tho crop, tho Inca receiving one
third, and the remaining third going to the
Sun. The Inca was, of course, the custodian of
the Sun's share, but ho is crediting with storing
it in years of plenty and distributing it in years
of famine.
That the people were industrious will not bo
doubted by anyone who has visited the country.
Irrigation was understood and well constructed
aqueducts and extensive systems of canals en
abled them to utilize the mountain streams.
Even now terraces can be seen, reaching to tho
. tops of the mountains. They are no longer in
use, for the population dwindled under the sys
tem of forced labor inaugurated by the Span
iards, but they give conclusive proof of the In
domitable energy of the people and of the In
telligence with which they worked.
They were master builders. . The walls stl'l
standing show skill In stone cutting tho stones
being so carefully dressed and laid together so
closely that after more than four centuries a
knife blade can not be Inserted between them.
The Spanish built upon the walls laid by tho
Incas, and the work of the Indians has thus
been preserved. Several streets In Cuzco have
Inca walls on both sides, and one of the stones
has twelve angles. The stones aro interesting,
not only because of tho skill displayed in cut
ting and fitting them, but also because of their
size. It is a mystery how these immense blocks
were handled, some of them being more than