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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb,
and fittingly expressed by turning our faces for
ward rather than back. Therefore, we bind
ourself to specific future performances rather
than to as.lt for votes by reason of our past
achievement, however great it is. Our plat
form shall bo a guarantee of performance rather
than a confession of faith.
Wo indorse such efforts as President Taft has
made to fulfill the promises of the republican
national platform and pledge him our support
for all efforts for the enactment of progressive
laws.
Wo commend the fight made on Cannonism
and Aldrlchism in congress, modifying the rules
of the house of representatives and overcoming
the senate leadership, so that the enactment
of long dolayed public measures has been made
possible.
Wo pledge our loyalty to the republican na
tional platform of 1908 and bind ourselves to
carry out its declarations, accepting tho policy
of protection as outlined in our party platform
as the established policy of the nation and bind
ing our Kansas members of congress in both
houses to vote for a revision of the tariff law
of 1909, using as a basis for fixing duties the
difference between the cost of production at
homo and abroad, with a reasonable profit for
, 'American manufacturers.
We do not recognize tho revision of the tariff
of 1909 as a satisfactory fulfillment of the tariff
pledge of tho republican platform. And we
therefore pledge the people of Kansas that tho
republican senators and congressmen from this
state shall work and vote for legislation that
will create an independent non-partisan tariff
commission with ample power and sufficient ap
propriation to ascertain accurately the difference
between tho cost of production at home and
abroad, and after having obtained such informa
tion we hereby pledge our republican senators
and representatives immediately to fix the duties
upon tho basis of this information.
."Wo pledge our senators and representatives
to vote for a joint resolution that will promote
the revision of the tariff, one schedule at a time.
We pledge our republican members of the
lower house of congress to support and vote
for a rule that will make the membership of
tho more important house committees elective
instead of appointive.
We demand the strictest enforcement of the
anti-trust laws and believe that violators of the
law. should be imprisoned.
While indorsing the amendments made to
tho interstate commerce law by tho last session
of congress we pledge our senators and repre
sentatives to vote for such further amendments
to tho interstate commerce law as will give
The Commoner.
power and money to tho interstate commerce
commission to ascertain the physical valuation
of tho railroads.
Wo plodgo our Kansas republican senators
and representatives to vote and work for effec
tive laws that will prevent over-capitalization
of corporations and will require all moneys re
ceived for tho sale of stocks and bonds to tho
actually invested for tho benefit of the property
owned by tho corporation.
And we further pledge our republican con
gressional delegation to work for laws that will
give the interstate commerce commission au
thority over the issue of stocks and bonds of
common carriers.
We pledge our members of congress to con
tinue the policy of the republican party now
firmly established of caring for tho soldiers and
sailors of the war of the rebellion and for those
who carried the flag of liberty to the oppressed
of other lands.
Wo pledge our Kansas republican congress
men and senators to voto on all measures con
corning the conservation of our natural re
sources along .the lines advocated by Ex-President
Roosevelt as opposed to the lines laid down
by those who are hiding behind the out-worn
doctrino of state's rights, and wo demand that
every possible effort be made to prevent private
interests from obtaining unrestricted ownership
or unchecked control over the vast mineral and
water and timber resources of Alaska.
We hereby pledge our Kansas republican mem
bers of congress in both houses to make every
effort to obtain tho submission to tho people of
a constitutional amendment that will provide
for the direct election of United States senators
by tho people.
We pledge our republican senators and con
gressmen to the enactment by congress of a
law regulating shipping of intoxicating liquors
into states which have prohibitory laws.
Wo favor an amendment to the United States
constitution to provide for popular election of
federal, circuit and district judges for limited
terms; and we instruct our senators and con
gressmen to labor for the early enactment of
a federal code of civil procedure to simplify
and expedite litigation in federal courts, follow
ing tho reformed procedure now in vogue in the
most enlightened and progressive states d'f the
union. We endorse without qualification the
administration of Governor Stubbs and we
pledge the people of Kansas during the two
years to come the same fidelity to public inter
est that he has manifested during the past
twenty months of his administration.
We pledge republican members of the legisla
ture in both houses to vote for a law that will
place statewide public utilities, railroads, tele
graphs, telephones, electric lights and power
companies, street railway, distributors of gas,
whether in cities or by pipe lines, express com
panies and common carriers of ajl kinds, under
the control of a state commission having au
thority over the issue of stocks and bonds, hav
ing means and power to obtain the physical
valuation of the plants of these corporations,
to fix and adjust rates upon their own motion
and to regulate rates and services in the in
terests of the people of Kansas and the investors
and employes of these corporations.
We hereby bind republican members of the
Kansas legislature to vote for the enactment of
a law that will compel corporations doing busi
ness in Kansas to begin all litigation in Kansas
courts and take no refuge in the federal courts
until the litigation in question has been passed
upon by the Kansas supreme court.
We hereby instruct republicans in tho Kansas
legislature to vote for a law that will make the
second offense against the Kansas prohibitory
law punishable by a sentence in the penitentiary.
We believe that the first duty of every party
is to put the responsibility of government as
directly as possible into the hands of the voters,
giving tho people veto power not only upon
undesirable laws, but upon those who enforce
the laws. To that end we pledge our state
senators and representatives to that principle
and declare for the following policies:
To submit to the people in the election of
1912 a constitutional amendment giving the
people the power to recall officers of city, coun
ty and state governments whom they believe
to bo derelict or unfaithful, under procedure
similar to that now granted to cities of the
first class adopting the commission form of gov
ernment, and to give the recall promptly to the
people upon every officer under legislative au
thority. To submit to the people of Kansas a consti
tutional amendment In 1912 giving them the
Tight to Initiate legislation and to vote upon
certain legislative enactments the amend-
VOLUMB 10, NUMBER 8;
ments that .have been adopted by tho states of
Maine, Oregon and South Dakota, with a fivo
per cent petition for a referendum vote and
eight per cent for an initiativo vote.
To adopt immediately the Oregon plan, which
gives the people a right to vote at this general
election for tho partisan nominees for United
States senator. The enactment of a law which
shall compel publicity of campaign contribu
tions both as to source and to disbursement be
fore primary and general elections, both for
campaign committees and for Individuals, with
severe penalties for violations.
And we pledge republicans in the Kansis
legislature to so amend the Kansas primary law
that delegates to the national convention may
be elected at the primary erection, and that the
names of the candidates for president and vice
president shall be placed on the ballot that the
people of Kansas may instruct their delegates
on nominations for president and vice president.
We pledge all republicans in tho Kansas legis
lature to voto for the ratification of the amend
ment to the United States constitution providing
for a federal tax on incomes. And wo pledge
our congressional delegation too for a-law pro
viding a graduated tax without waiting for the
amendment.
We pledge tho republican members in tho
Kansas legislature to vote and work for a meas
ure creating a commission under tho authority
of the next Kansas legislature which shall make
inquiry into the practicability of a working
man's compensation law framed to meet labor
conditions in Kansas.
We pledge the enactment of an employers'
liability law, following the orovisions of federal
law and the advanced views of the supreme
court of Kansas on that subject.
We commend and indorse the bank guaranty
law passed by the last legislature and wo call
particular attention to the fact that it is tho
only guaranty law that has received the approval
of the superior federal courts. Wo commend the
present state administration for its successful
defense of the law in the courts and we hereby
reaffirm our faith in the principles embodied in
this law, and instruct our representatives in
congress to favor such legislation' as will permit
national banks to participate therein:
We favor increasing the exemptions to direct
heirs under the inheritance fax1 law.
We pledge our republican members of the
legislature to make such appropriation for the
practical Work of the farm departments of tho
state agricultural college as will bring it as near
the practical everyday life of the farmer as
possible.
Wo favor a uniform system of county and
township records and state publication of county
o,nd township blank books.
We send our greeting to Theodore Roosevelt
and the new world's champion of the rights of
man. in the world-old contest between rising
humanity and the encroachments of special
privilege.
In all the above pledges, both as to matters
state and national, we hereby add this para
mount pledge, binding upon republican admin
istration as well as upon republican lawmakers,
state and national, to consolidate all appointive
offices, boards and commissions where good ad
ministration and economy havo common inter
est; to reduce taxes levied direct and indirect,
wherever possible in the national, in the state
and in the counties and to spend no dollar of
taxes without giving the taxpayers one hundred
cents of value received.
We hereby adopt the eagle as the party em
blem of the republican party in Kansas.
FATHER AND SON
At the same election where Hiram Johnson,
Insurgent, became the republican nominee for
governor of California, his father, former Con
gressman Grove L. Johnson, was defeated for
renomination to the state legislature. Doubtless
the father was able to- stand the shock of his
own defeat in 'the great pride he felt over tho
high honor that had been conferred upon his
boy.
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The American Homestead, a monthly
farm journal of national scope, will be
sent to all Commoner subscribers, with
out additional cost, who renew their sub
scriptions during the month of Septem
ber. Take advantage of. this offer at
once and send in your renewal.
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