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The Commoner.
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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 10, NO. 37
Lincoln, Nebraska, September 23, 1910
Whole Number 505
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-A 1 7" ' about direct primaries, substantially on tho
.Icfo. Y CtflY I fMlOTPITintl ?Inea of Governor Hughes' proposition, but this
flOl KJU.I UIEgl,OOIilU.ll is not tho main issuo. Tho main issuo is that
. , . , . . ... , . wo stand against bosslsm, big or little, and In
- Jh0Im0'ls ast. 5or sham J,attlc ?nd n favor of genuine popular rule, not only at tho
order that a real victory may bo won for tho elections, but within the party organization,
people every candidate for congress should bo and abovo all that our war ,s ruthlea8 against
Uueationed on several particular subjects by tho GVory specles of corruption, big and little, and
men whoso votes ho seeks. against tho alliance between corrupt business
Readers of Tho Commoner everywhere should and corrupt politics, as to which it has boon
ask their congressman: found that too often in tho past tho boss sys-
(1) Do you believe: A platform is a pledge, tem nas offered a peculiarly efllciont and ob
Siyeri by the candidate to the voters, and when jectionablo means of communication. Wo are
ratified at tho polls i becomes la contract between agaIn8t the domination of tho party and tho
j. the official and his constituents. To violate publIc by BpecIai intorests, whether these special
it, in letter or in spirit, is not only undemocratic, interests are political, business or a compound
but repugnant to tho principles of representa- 0j tne tw0
tive government, and constitutes an embezzle- . Qood no now nas' a job that wI11 IaBt tho re
a power' maihdor of his life. Tho driving of "corrupt
Answer . . . . . business" out of republican politics is a task
(2) Will you vote for a change in tho houso wortliy 0f his abilities,
rules, putting tho feelectldn of committees in .
- tho hands of party .caucuses, each callous select- v j : :
ing its own committee membership? , ILLINOIS I
' (-3) Where do' you stand on tho' tariff ques- - Tho re-nomination of Browno and twenty-two
tion? Do you believe in the principle of pro- other "Lorimer democrats" In Illinois can not
Section as interpreted by the republican party ho explained by any of tho rules ordinarily ap-
or do you favor tariff for revenue only? plied. It will require an examination Into tho
Answer - situation in each district to ascertain how tho
(4)' Do you endorse the democratic, platform democrats of Illinois could have given an ap-
dedlaration that a private monopoly is inde- parent endorsement 'to tho democratic loglsla-
'fensible and intolerable? itors who voted for Lorimer at tho very timo
.AnXwer I . . .' ... wh,en the bribery charges were being investl-
' -TO Will you do your utmost to make' it im- ga.ted, but of all thpse, tho re.-nomInation of
pog'sible for a private monopoly to exist? Browne is the most remarkable. Did ho ro-
A'nswer ,.,.. celvo a majority of all tho democratic vote
t6j Will you favor a bill requiring tho pub-recast or was nig nomination ducr -to the tactthat
licati6hfcfai - the -opposition was divided? Did ho 'receive re-
J&W-- i al5cTiorijday-?A.: wVv.Si. "-,' . '. -" publican votes or was hig re-nomination duo
' " ""Answer" .' .' , :.;... f. ,". .-..'. ;.... entirely to democrats? It is well to guspend
(7) Aro you opposed to national inc'orpora- judgment until tho facta aro obtained, but ouch
tion that is, the grant of corporation charters a result at a primary election amazes one.
by" the federal government instead of by tho ,
St Answerern.m?n .?. '. f.?". . AVOT NOT INDEED?
(8) Are you in favor of the election of United Rudolph Kroll, Spearflsh, South Dakota,
States senators by direct vote of the people? writes: "Regarding the recall measure why
Answer .. . . ; 1 not, If an official big or little turn traitor, let
(9) Are you in favor of the income tax? him take the samo medicine given to that class
Answer . in timo of war. If that were tho rule I think
(iO) Do you approve the democratic national most men inclined t to go wrong would thinkr
platform for 1908? twice before violating a public trust."
Answer " Mr. Kroll's question ought to set some people
Note: It is suggested that voters cut out to thinking. Public, interests are paramount in
the abovo list of questions and send it to tho peace as in war. The public official who, during
candidate for congress in their district, asking a period of peace violates tho trust given him
him to fill in tho answers and return tho samo need not bo put to death as some traitors aro
to tho voter. Tho voter may, if ho desires, for- during a war; ho may at least be required to
ward the samo to The Commoner and it will bo retire from tho public office to whose obligations
printed in tills paper. he is falso.
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A BIG TASK SIGNS
Mr. Roosevelt, replying to Chairman Tjm William Warners republican senator from
Woodruff says: "The progressives aTe omphati- Missouri, announces that he will not bo a candi-
cally in favor of taking a real step forward date for reflection, and Governor Hadley, who
has long been suspected of nursing a senatorial
boom, declares that he will not be a candidato
to succeed Senator Warner as tho republican
' nominee. It is very plain that in tho opinion of
republicans, as well as of democrats, this is not
to bo a' republican year.
Plainly democrats have but 'to deserve suc
cess in tho year 1910 in order to win it, and
to deserve success they must glvo the people
explicit pledges on all public questions and
nominate men who may be depended upon to
redeem those pledges.
CONTENTS
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ASK YOUR CONGRESSMAN
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
A BIG TASK
MAINE, ARIZONA,. ARKANSAS
WHERE THE BATTLE IS RAGING
-LOSSES SUFFERED BY G. O. P. SINCE THE
BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
DEMOCRATIC LANDSLIDE
;WHAT THE WILD WAVES ARE SAYING
THE "NEW NATIONALISM" . ;
CURRENT TOPICS
IF THE PEOPLE RULE WHY DON'T THEY;
" GET WHAT THEY WANT? ;
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT 4 ' ,
fcT-rvrrrO "VT1 mTTTO TtTTiTRlTT
t- ANliiVViJ ur AAiia """.
WELL HE HELP LODGE?
Some time ago it was announced by Senator
Lodge's literary bureau that Mr. Roosevelt had
promised to help tho Massachusetts senator in
his efforts to secure re-nomination. It is likely
that if Mr. Roosevelt made a promise to Senator
Lodge he hag learned something to his advan
tage since his western trip. It is very probable
that Mr. Lodge' will havo to rely upon Vice
President Sherman, Timothy Woodruff, and men
of that wing of tho party for whatever aid ho
must have in the effort to obtain re-election.
Who is Responsible?
Tho Wall Stroot Journal rocontly printed tho
following statement: "Tho Goodyear Tiro and
Rubber company, of Akron, Ohio, has Increased
Its capitalization from $2,000,000 to $0,000,000,
tho $4,000,000 addition bolng entlroly common
stock. A cash disbursement of 12 per cent and
a stock dividend of 100 per cont havo been de
clared." '
Reforrlng to tho Journal's article tho Dcs
Moines (la.) Register and Loader, a republican
paper, says: "Tho abovo concorn, and others
'liko it In tho rubber business, had no moro
need of an incrcaso In tho tariff duties on man
ufactured rubber articles than a man with
enough to eat has of moro to cat, except to
gratify hogglshness. Yet, under tho direction
of tho interested Senator Aldrlch and others
associated with, him, tho rate on rubber manu
factures wns raisod from thirty to thlrty-flvo
per cent. When concerns liko tho abovo mako
such enormous profits that they can afford to
pay a dividend of twelvo per cont in cash and
100 per cent in stock, reductions in rates are
needed, not increases. Tho case f urnUhee an
illustration of tho sort of tariff revision th
republican national platform did not pledge the
party to bring about."
But Aldrlch wag the acknowledged republi
can leader, and no lege a personage than Wil
liam H. Taft said that the people could depend
upon him for faithful service. The republican
party can not eecape the responsibility for
"rubber" any moro than it can eecap, th. .tv
spongibllity for the ,many other evile which It
representative have folgted upon the people. :
THE QUARREL OVER CONSERVATION
Why all this controversy over who shall
"conserve?" Is thoro any private interest on
the back ground that can account for this heat
ed quarrel? Tho wholo nation is interested in
conservation but tho states aro interested In
development. Why not allow tho states to de
velop under limitations imposed by congress?
Let congress fix tho length of leases and other
wise safeguard tho national interests and then
let tho states control within theso limitations
and pollco tho reservations.
NO POP GUN BILLS NOW
Tho press dispatches say that President Taft
will recommend the reduction of the tariff, not
by a general bill, but by separate bills dealing
with particular schedules. Docs he forget that
that was tho plan adopted by the democrats in
1802? And does ho forget that the republicans,
in derision, called those bills pop-gun bills?
If that plan is now adopted by tho republicans
another democratic policy will bo elevated into
respectability.
MAINE, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS
On September 12 Maine elected a democratic
governor and two democratic congressmen. Arizona-elected
a democratic constitutional conven
tion, and Arkansas endorsed the initiative and
'referendum. This Is good enough for ono day.
Tho Commoner congratulates tho three states
upon tho splendid showing made and rejoices at
the'so signs of growth in democratic sentiment.
BETTER TAKE THE VETERAN
Because Senator Beverldgo is now advocating
a few of the many reforms that Candidato John
W. Kern has been advocating for many years,
ho asks for re-election. Isn't that almost in
subordination? To think that a recruit should
attempt to out-rank a veteran!
Mr. Roosevelt is still harping on his former
theoVy, namely, that we can scare the world
into peace by building a big navy. Roosevelt
is a great man, but even ho is not largo enough
to overturn tho moral law. "Thought la
stronger than artillery parks," and "back of
thought is love."
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