The Commoner.
VOLUME 10, NUMBER W,
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WRITS FR OUR FREE lOOO PAGE ILLUSTRATED CATAVOQ No. L. H. H
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The Commoner wants everyone to
call the attention of their friends to
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Inducement will enable ycu to help
alcng thj work Vhe Commoner is
doing by adding to its list aa many-
new names as possible. Address
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
given by Gifford Pinchot in his re
cent speech at St. Paul: "Tho reali
ties of tho regular political game lie
far beneath the surface; many of the
issues advanced aro mere empty
sound; whilo tho issues really at
stake must be sought deep down in
tho politics of business in politics
for 'revenue only." This does sound
as though Mr. Pinchot believed the
people wero getting badly foolod.
Anyway, all of us know that the
democratic party in this country is
popularly symbolized by an ass. And
tho wise ones know that Demos
himself will be practically as help
less as the ass helpless to throw off
tho harness by which he is made to
haul heavy burdens for his drivers,
whether hitched to the republican,
democrat or socialist cart, until he
learns to make his own harness, put
it on to suit himself and be his own
driver. He must look to himself for
deliverance. So long as he builds
his hopes on parties, or party lead
ers, ho violates the democratic prin
ciple and will surely betray himself.
And those vociferous "democrats,"
self-styled, who teach hero-worship
instead of, self-reliance, blatantly de
nouncing tho "isms," tirelessly ex
horting to the strenuous life, cau
tiously avoiding an irrevocable step
when the time comes for decisive 'ac
tion, and straddling the issues when
loyalty to professions involves risk
of popularity such leaders will
never help Demos to solve his
problems of self-government. Their
answer to urgent questionings from
the people will continue to be, "God
knows" and "Don't go to extremes."
But a great light is dawning. The
people are rapidly learning that the
way to show what they want and get
what they want is direct legislation.
They are learning that the demo
cratic meaning of the initiative, ref
erendum and recall is thjs, that every
citizen and group of citizens shall
have a fair chance to express their
wish and their choice. This is the
ideal democracy that just organiza
tion of society that makes brotherly
provision for protest even from the
humblest member who is hampered
or offended by the existing status.
Certainly anything that falls short of
this should be challenged as perpet
ual occasion for revolt. For the
ideal democracy is vital to the prob
lem of knowing what the people
really want. And it is equally vital
to the problem of getting what they
want. For the emphatic and unmis
takable expression of the will of the
people (which is obtainable only
through genuine democracy) is it
self the best guaranty of democracy's
triumph, of doing what the people
want done. Its verdict commands
the respect of the world. Tyrants
fear -it and study to capture its seem
ing sanction. Its authority is august.
It stands for an axiomatic right to
decide public Issues. Thus the voice
of the people becomes the voice of
God. Lot rlftmnnrntn thmi 'hofHr nr
ouce the work of emancipation by
putting into practice the ideal democ
racy of the initiative, referendum
and recall in every field where it can
be applied the club, tho business
association, and citizens meeting. Tho
democratic function can not be too
often or too thoroughly exercised. Do
this, and the people will begin prog
ressively, to be their own masters
to know what they want and how to
get it.
tion tools. What aro our United
States courts? Four-flfths of them
have been .corporation lawyers, se
lected by corporations, endorsed by
corporation presidents and con
firmed by a corporation dominated
houso of lords, our United States
senate. I wonder at The Commoner
publishing tho doctor's letter. For
more than two and a half years I
havo advocated and asked The Com
moner to advocate and demand tho
initiative, referendum and power of
recall. I also demanded that United
States senators, United States judges
and postmasters be elected by tho
people, but The Commoner, didn't
take to it like a duck to water. Our
weekly or daily press give their read
ers little or no Insight into tho bills
pending before congress and this is
one reason that the people don't get
what theywant. Why was It that
congress didn't increase the postage
on second class mail matter? Be
cause our magazines raised a howl,
and their readers covered Weeks up
with their protests, and this bill or
proposition of Taft's never material
ized. If our press would expose ob
noxiousJjIlls they would go the same
way the postal increase proposition
went. Why doesn't our democratic
daily press expose obnoxious bills?
Because nine-tenths of them are en
gaged in some graft scheme of their
own. What I stand for: First, In
itiative and referendum platform.
Second, the election of United States
senators and judges by direct vote.
Judges to be elected for a limited
term not exceeding six years; minor
judges and postmasters to be elected
by tho community they serve. Third,
deprive the president or governor of
the appointive power, other than his
private secretary. Fourth, a consti
tutional convention to revise our con
stitution. Fifth, the elimination of
our United States senate, or house
of lord& (tho trusts' nest).- Sixths the
railroads holding charters from states
shall be controlled by states and not
by the general government.
J. H. Bally, Conway, Ark. In an
swer to the question. Theyreajly
get what they vote for and ought
to have it. They vote for a wage
system and reap slaves. Give us
socialism and the people will rule.
C. W. Staples, Osceola, Wis. I
have been a subscriber since volume
one, number one, and hence fail to
see the sense of "making so much
ado about nothing," as the two items
in your paper. No. 1. If the people
rule, why otcourse they do not rule
and consequently can not get what
they want. Neither the democrats or
republicans will give the people rule.
Both old parties are controlled by the
interests. No. 2. Of course not, but
the trusts are only a part of tho gov
ernment, and the part is never great
er than the whole. The -trust is a
good thing for those who own the
trust, as the socialists advise, all cf
us will be benefited by tho trust. The
government can control the trust, but
it must be by forming a trust large
enough to absorb the smaller one.
It appears to me that tho socialists
are the progressive people nowadays.
If the democrats would take up some
of their most progressive platforms,
with our present organization wo
could win the earth.
J. T. Ellis, Clarksville, Mo.I
agree with Dr. J. S. Wailes of Mystic,
Ga., in every word he writes on the
question. I quote his last sentence:
"We havo been fiddling for self-government
for 135 years, have we made
any progress?" Have we made any
progress? I answer, No, wo have
retrograded. One hundred and thirty-
five years ago our public men were
men of honor. What are they to
day? With rare exceptions, corpora-
Peter A. Cool, New York. First,
because tho people are slow on tho
matter ' of primaries and caucuses
where men are nominated for the
various offices. Second, because the
liquor dealers and brewers general
ly attend the primaries and caucuses
and are in at tho beginning where
candidates are discovered and nom
inated. The people become aroused
when it is too late to change the
candidates; Both party conventions
have been managed by represents
(Continued on Page. 14)
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