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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 1910)
i riFwiifipqwj! nJ "w'T T 'w V T"Wx "W viBprf'''"""T' t-w jjKg5fp''j -mw- KHTHOipiff"inwwi'HlH,ii iH,iiiyi'M'lWllil li'WMUpW'WW The Commoner WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR VOL. 10, NO. 30 Lincoln, Nebraska, August 5, 1910 Whole Number 498 Nebraska Convention The Nebraska democratic state convention re fused, by a vote of 647 to 198, to endorse coun ty option and this has been heralded over tho country as a defeat for Mr. Bryan. Let all tho facts be known: About May 1 Mr. Bryan urged the calling of a special session of tho legislature to submit the initiative and refer endum. He stated that by the submission of the initiative and referendum the county option fight could bo postponed for two years. Ho failed to secure the special session. Then ho announced himself in favor of an endorsement of county option as the only way to break tho hold of the liquor interests and insure the sub mission of the initiative and referendum. As a result of his fight the republicans en dorsed the initiative and referendum, thus mak ing it certain that it will bo submitted at the coming session of the legislature (the democrats and populists also having endorsed it). This is a victory for the reform for which he has con tended for fourteen years. He can afford to be turned down on county option if he can mako sure of the initiative and referendum. But the democratic convention defeated, by a vote of 638 to 202 a plank declaring against county option and Governor Shallenberger an nounced at tho convention that he would sign a county option bill. Since the republicans and populists have declared for county option and the democrats have refused to declare against j- it the. .chances are .largely in favor of the pas J gage of' a county option-bill. It will-beV'seeh, therefore, that Mr. Bryan has reason to rejoico . oyer the progress made in Nebraska. It mat- ters little what is done to him; he can be happy so long as the things he is fighting for win and they are winning- in Nebraska. IN NEBRASKA . On the day following the adjournment of the Nebraska democratic convention, Mr. Bryan . gave out the following statement: "While the failure of the democratic conven tion to endorse county option was dhappointing, still the fight for county option in the democratic party has not been in vain. In the first place it has helped to sepure a declaration in favor of the initiative and referendum in the party, and now that all parties have declared for it, there is no doubt of the necessary amendment being submitted at the next session of the legis lature. The only thing that remains to be done on this subject is to pledge every candidate on all tickets to support the initiative and refer endum, and this ought to be attended to. The candidate who refuses to pledge himself to sup port the initiative and referendum not only de clares himself against the rule of the people, but repudiates the platform of his party. "The populist party declared for county option two years ago, and it was to be expected that it would declare for it again. The work now to be done is to secure county option candidates in every senatorial and representative district. The democrats who favor county option should turn out at the primaries and nominate a can didate favorable to county option. Tho repub licans in favor of county option should be as active in securing tho nomination of republican candidates favorable to county option. County option candidates should bo nominated by all parties in each district, and I havo no doubt that this can bo done in a great many districts. If the democratic convention had endorsed county option, tho issuo would havo been eliminated from our campaign for state officers, congress men and senator, out even as it is, it will not be a controlling factor except in tho case of governor. There Is no reason why anyone's vote on the other state offices should bo Influenced by the attitude of tho candidate on the question of county option, and there is no reason why we should not voto for our congressmen with a view to securing proper representation on na tional issues. "I believe that tho democrats havo a great advantage in tho discussion of national issues, and that advantage ought to bo used to secure as many democratic congressmen from this state as possible. It is fortunate that wo havo the Oregon plan on senatorshlp. Every legislative candidate should be urged to pledge himself to vote for the senatorial candidate receiving tho largest number of votes, and in this way wo can, to a great extent, eliminate tho county option question in the selection of a senator. The democrats ought to elect a United States senator. Mr. Burkett is opposed by a large and influential element In his own .party, and from this element wo ought to draw enough . votes to Insure the siiccejs of the, democratic candidate. .The-county" option question will cut some figure in the election of the governor, but If we can succeed in electing a' county option legislature, the governor In all probability will be elected who will either favor county option or be pledged to sign tho bill. "There is no reason why any democrat should be discouraged or lose interest in the fight. On the contrary there is every reason why the voters should come out to the primaries on August 1 6. A full vote at the primary will give an authori tative expression of the wishes of the voters, and that is all that we can ask." Following Is another newspaper dispatch: "Mr. Brytin was asked about the motion which he made regarding the so-called 'gag rule' and said: 'Some of the papers construed it as an effort to secure a hearing before tho convention. They are in error. I had no doubt that tho convention would present no opposition to my making my report and discussing it. I proposed the amendment to Mr. Hitchcock's motion be cause I saw it would prevent Mr. Metcalfe's In troducing his amendment to the Shallenberger resolution. It had that effect as those remem ber who wero at the convention. When Mr. Metcalfe attempted to introduce his plank ho was ruled out of order and the convention re fused to modify the ruling.' " "Lorimer Democrats 99 WATCH IT GROW CONTENTS NEBRASKA CONVENTION "LORIMER DEMOCRATS" RELIGIOUS LIBERTY GROWING MR. BRYAN AT GRAND ISLAND INSURING BANK DEPOSITS THE PASSING OF BRYAN VARIOUS POLITICAL CONVENTIONS IF THE PEOPLE RULE, WHY DON'T THEY GET WHAT THEY WANT? CURRENT TOPICS HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT NEWS OF THE WEEK WASHINGTON NEWS Direct legislation, otherwise known as the In itiative and referendum, is growing in popular favor. Recently four democratic conventions have declared in favor of this great reform. Ohio democrats, Minnesota democrats, Iowa democrats, and Nebraska democrats, adopted state platform declarations in favor of the In itiative and referendum. A few years ago a man who offered a direct legislation plank in the democratic convention was laughed at. Now he Is highly honored and is given a seat at the head of tho tablo. PROGRESS Colonel Sibert, who has charge of the Atlantic section of the canal at the Isthmus, reports that good progress Is being made In the construction of the locks In his division. As much as 3,758 cubic yards of concrete have been laid In one day, which is said to be double the record made on any similar work in the world. The average Is now 2,500 cubic yards per day. It will be a great day for our country and for the world when the first ship goes through. At Lincoln, Illlnoiu, a few days ago a gather Ing of Illinois democrats adopted resolutions d nounclng tho democratic legislators who vota4 for Lorlmor and demanding tholr rotlromont' from politics. Tho mooting was not as largely attended as it ought to havo been, but tho reso lutions adopted givo volco to tho conscience of tho party, as tho Lorlmor democrats will find If they becomo candidates for re-election. Ono of tho democrats condemned resents tha action of tho protesting democrats and mourn fully declares that "wo may as well givo up government If their diabolical doctrine that ono party must not assist the patriots of another in a solemn crisis," etc., "is right." "Patriots" is good. So it seems that tho "patriots" of the two parties got together and, finding that tha patriots wore not in tho majority, proceeded to buy enough votes to insuro a victory for tha patriots. Any democrat who voted for Lorimer for "patriotic" reasons ought to bo retired to private life and kept there long enough to learn what patriotism means. The democrats who assembled at Lincoln wero. right in refusing to draw a lino between those who voted for Lori mer for pay and those who voted for him be cause they lacked sense. It Is almost as danger ous to have a fool in tho legislature as a knave. A democratic legislator who could be convinced that ho was performing a patriotic duty in vot ing for, Lorlmor could bo porsuaded to ddyany1 things-desired by the loltenaoffidedBaiEe patriotic arguments wero used. He is not fit for any representative position it is hardly safo to allow him to run at large. The Lorlmor senatorial election seems, from developments, to have been tho most corrupt in the history of tho nation; that a' majority of the democrats should havo voted for such a man, under such circumstances, is In itself con elusive proof of widespread corruption. If there were democrats who did not actually re ceive money they could not have been ignorant of the means being employed. Turn "them out! Tho party can not pauso to defend those who are guilty or who, If Inno cent, have aroused a suspicion which can never bo removed. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY GROWING Tho modification of tho king's oath by act of tho British parliament is a step in the direction of religious liberty. The change not only elimi nates tho words objectionable to tho Catholics, but tho words objectionable to non-conformists. And while Great Britain, a Protestant country, Is making a concession to Catholics, Spain, a Cath olic country, is making concessions to Protes tants. Thus does toleration grow. It Is grati fying to see the doctrine of brotherhood grow ing the more gratifying to seo concessions mado by both sides. "LEST WE FORGET' To dispel any possible lingering doubts, the Associated Press again sends out the veiled rumor that Secretary Balliner is to be exoner ated by tho congressional Investigating committee. The Primaries in Nehrasfca August 10 Every Voter in Every Party Should Go to the Polls on that Day and Vote his Choice II i O A. -ji..jjai,) A Jj,ns-tfft.
