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The Commoner,
SEPTEMBER 30,1910
with it. I believe in my fellow-man. He may
not always agree with me: I'd feel sorry for
him if he did, because I myself, do not believe
some of the things that were absolutely suro
in my own mind a dozen years ago. May he
never lose faith in himself, because, if ho does,
he may lose faith in me, and that would hurt
him-more than the former, and it would really
Jiurt him more than it would hurt me. I be
lieve in "my country. I believe in it because it
is made up of my fellow-men and myself. I
can't go back on either of us and be true to
my creed. If it isn't the best country in the
world, it is partly becauso I am not the kind
of a man that I should be. I believe in my
home. It isn't a rich home. It wouldn't satisfy
some folks, but it contains jewels which can
not be purchased in the markets of the world.
When 1 enter its secret chambers and shut out
the world with its care, I am a lord. Its motto
is service, its reward is love. There is no other
place in all the world which fills its place, and
heaven can be only a larger homo, with a
Father who is alUwise and patient and tender.
I beliove in today. It is all that I possess. The
past is of valuo only as it can make the life
of today fuller and freer. There is no assurance
of tomorrow. -I want to make good today." '
, " IN THE THIOIC OF IT
That Ex-President Roosevelt is In the thick
of the fight which is raging in his party between
the insurgents and standpatters is now apparent
to all. The readers of The Commoner will
be kept posted as to the progress of the combat."
When the first round closed Mr. lioosevelt had
been turned down for temporary chairman of
the republican state convention of New York;
and'Vico President Sherman, the chief of stand
patters, had been chosen. Then Mr. Barnes,
the stahdpat leader in New York adds provoca
tion by saying that the recent addresses of Mr.
Roosevelt have "startled all thoughtful men
and impressed them with the frightful danger
which lies In his political ascendency." And
Mr. Roosevelt replies: "It is just delicious 'to
see Mr. Barnes rushing' to the support of tile'
supremo court and righteousness." '
In the meantime Mr. Roosevelt 1s haVtn'g ')x
few skirmishes oh the side--the most important-
with the New York Evening Post. That
paper questioned an 'editorial, which ha already
been referred to In The Commoner and which
is described by an editorial in another repub
' lican newspaper, the Chicago Inter-Ocean, in
this way:
" 'Intellectual hanger-on of wealthy people!'
'Liar!' 'Editor practiced every known form of
mendacity!' 'Every important statement false!'
'Writer who wrotG it knew it was false!' 'False
and malicious!' 'Stamps the writer with the
same moral brand that stamps the bribe taker!'
'Another Instance -of- the peculiar baseness, tho
peculiar moral Obliquity, of the Evening Post!'
. "Such were- the words that Colonel Roose
velt sent sizzling over the wires from Cheyenne
to New York last Saturday and which, under
the heading 'Mendacious Journalism,' adorn
today the formerly decorous pages of the Out
look. "That which so excited Colonel Roosevelt's
wrath was some comments on his recent
speeches made by the New York Evening Post
hitherto accepted as the chosen journalistic ves
sel Of the higher Ideals. Among these com
ments was the following:
" 'I will make the corporations come to time,'
shouted Roosevelt to the mob. But did he
not really mean that he would make them come
down with the cash to elect him, as he did
before? For a man with Mr. Roosevelt's proved
record it is simply disgusting "humbug to rant
about the corporations upon whose treasuries
-he fawned when he was president and wanted
their money, for his campaign.' -
"And as- if these cuts were not sufficiently
unkind,, the Evening Post added specifications
to the charges and filed this bill of particulars:
" 'Does he think that nobody has a memory
which goes back to the life insurance investiga
tions, and that everybody has forgotten the
$50,000 taken from widows and orphans and
added to Theodore Roosevelt's political corrup
tion fund? Did he not take a big check from
the beef trust; and glad to get it?'
"But the remarks which seem especially to
have perturbed Colonel Roosevelt, since he not
only quotes them at the head of his telegraphed
rejoinder but requotes them as a special illus
tration of 'peculiar baseness,' were these:
" 'This champion of purity, this roarer for
political virtue, Is the man who was for years
hand in glove w-ith the worst political corrup-
tionlsts o hid day; who toadied to Piatt, who
praised Quay, who paid court to lianua; under
him, as president, Aldrlch rose to tho highest
of his power, always on good terms with Roosov
- velt who, in 1906, wrote an open letter urging
the re-election of Speaker Cannon, against
whom muttering had then begun to rise; it
wasRoosovclt who asked llarrlman to come to
the 'White House secretly, who took his money
to buy votes in New York, and who aftorwards
wrote to 'My Dear Sherman yes, tho same,
Sherman reviling the capitalist to whQin ho
had previously written,, saying: 'You and I, are
practical men.' '
"With respect to the relations of Colonel
Roosevelt, when president .and boforo, with
Messrs. Piatt and Quay and Hanna they are
matters of record which we do not understand
Colonel Roosevelt to deny. That Sonator Aid
rich was apparently always on friendly terms
with Colonel RooBevolt as president, and that
during the Roosevelt administration Senator
Aldrlch did become a person- of very great in
fluence in the fedoral government are also mat
ters x)f record. So is the support given by
Colonel Roosevelt to Speaker Caimon in l'JOC.
But whether these relations and facts bo proofs
of anybody's political turpitude, wo must leave
T Colonel Roosevelt and tho Evening Post to set
tle between t,liom.
"With respect to Colonel Roosevelt's rela
tions as president with the late E. II. Harri
man," they havo been sufficiently disclosed by
their published correspondence, in the somewhat
judicious extracts therefrom made public by
Colonel Roosevelt as well as by the correspon
dence complete made public by Mr. llarrlman.
Everybody will admit that Colonel .-Roosevelt
doubtless tells the truth when he says: 'I took
no money from Mr. llarrlman.'
"But how Harriman came to got and give
$260,000 for the campaign in New York in 1904
and by whom and for whom the money waH
got, given and taken, has been made so ontlrely
plain by the correspondence referred to both
. as quoted by Colonel Roosevelt and as published
ungarbled by Mr. Harriman that a mere ref
erence thereto is sufficient at this Mine
"Nevertheless it must.be regretted that any
difference of opinion -among higher idealists
should lead any of them to use such language
about another as Colonel Roosevelt's, and should
cause the Evening Post to publish such an
analysis of Colonel Roosevelt's character as this:
" 'One can havo respect for a sincere radical,
for an honest fanatic, for an agitator or leveler
who believes he is doing God's will; but it is
hard to be patient with a man who talks big
but acts mean, whose eye is always to the main
chance politically, and who lets no friendship,
no principle, no moral scruple, stand for a mo
ment botweon himself and tho goal on whlck
ho has set his overmastering ambltlonU
"Without cortaln hopo of persuading Colonel -Rooscvolt
and tho Evoning Post to pence and
harmony, but merely n a possible explanation,
of a controversy much more interesting than'
odlfylng, wo vonturc this suggestion:
"Is it not possiblo .that tho Evening Post hna
a memory inconveuiontly long and so reproached
Colonel Roosevelt for forgetting that whioli may
havo eniitly., lapsed out of his memory during
his recent' strenuous oxerlions In other fields
than (hose of American politics and political
history? '
"Wo are moved to this suggestion by Colonel
Roosovolt's recent remarks at Kansas City and
olsowhero, to tho effect that whon ho was presi
dent he always enforced tho laws and that his
standing instructions to his attorney gonornt
were J.o enforce tho laws without respect of
persons.
"Of courso Colonol Roosevelt forgot about
the thefts of tho sugar trust, just as in telling
tho story of railway rebating, to show how he
enforced tho laws, ho forgot about Paul Morton.
"But we all know how crowded Colonel
Roosovolt's days and nights arc. Ho must bo
expected to forget some things. All humans
like to forget some things,- and with all duo
respect, we are obliged to regard Colonel Roose
velt as no more than human that Is, "for tho
presont at least."
Mr. Roosevelt has already replied to tho
Evening Post, using the "short and ugly word,"
and he will probably pay some attention in due
time to tho Chicago Inter-Ocean.
It Is getting interesting, especially to tho
democrats vho havo for years had to submit to
being calleu "demngogues," "disturbers of tho
peace," "dangerous men," etc. Possibly tho
democrats will get a llttlo rest now until tho
republicans agree upon a definition of statesmanship.
HERE'S TO HAUTMAKt
Hon. Charles S. Hartman of Bozcman, Mont.
has received tho democratic nomination for con
gress in that state. The convention has acted
wisely and Hartman renders a service to the
party in accepting tho nomination. He repre
sented Montana for several years back Jn tha
nineties. He is one of tho silver republicans
who came over to the party and ho was worth
a wagon load of tho men who deserted at that
time. He is an honest,- fearless advocate of
democratic principles, and his return to con
gress from Montana will be a blessing to tho
entire west. Horo'tf to Hartman! May his ma
jority be overwhelming! Strength to his arm,
for his blows are always aimed at the enemies
of the common people!
The Commoners Million Army
f"
In 'the campaign of 1908 Tho Commoner's
Million Army rendered distinguished service to
tho cause of democracy and it may well bo be
lieved that a similar organization will even bo
able to do better work in tho year of 1910 now
that men who were heretofore indifferent are
aroused to the importance of action.
If half of the readers of The Commoner would
take active interest in the organization of this
Million Army plan, the results would be imme
diately noticeable and the contribution to tho
welfare of popular government would b
enormous.
Many individuals are willing to help in a
patriotic movement but find it difficult to know
just what to do to make their efforts count. In
a struggle such as tho one wo are now engaging
in, the efforts of every man, woman and child
on the side of popular government will count
and in The Commoner's Million Army a practi
cal plan is presented whereby the efforts of many
individuals may be aggregate'd and used with
telling effect.
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APPLICATION BLANK
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So
The Commoner's Million Army
r hereby enlist in The Cswhwmw ' Million Army, and pledge my assistance to
secure the nomination of only worthy and incorruptible men as democratic can
didates that I trill attend democratic primaries and nominating convention, and
assist in promoting tho great democratic campaign of education by devoting trea
sonable share 0 my time to the distribution of literature, X mill recommend
worthy persons for membership In The t'ainmoner's Million Army, and in any -may
I can assist to increase the usefulness of this organisation.
jf HIII.WWW ..IIIIW .!.. p. m
Ad(ire88.
iww w wm w hi wmi wmm wwtti
With the understanding that Mr. "Bryan agreon to accept annual mihucrlpUonji to Tho Commoner from
aembw of thJ Ararat a ntral0ofG5ceeteacl., anil that each subscription to Tha Commoner aliall In
clude a subscription to The American. Homestead (a rtronfr homo ana farm paper) thua leaving Tho
Commoner freo to dovoto Its undivided efforts to political matters and current evcata 1 enclose herewith
bi cent for one annual subscription to The Commoner (includlufj The American Homestead).
If you aro already a subscriber to Tho Commoner and do not care to extend your expiration date at
this time, the last paragraph above may be disregarded.
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