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The Commoner.
' WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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VOL. 10, NO. 51
THE BALTIMORE CELEBRATION
The following correspondence explains itself:
, Baltimore, Md December 14, 1910. Hoa.
William Jennings Bryan, Lincoln, Neb. You are
earnestly requested to be one of the speakers
at the Jackson Day celebration to be held in
Baltimore on January 17th in honor of the re
cent democratic victory throughout the country.
This celebration is being made a national affair
and there will be a large afternoon meeting and
a banquet at night, at both of which gatherings
a great many representative democrats from all
pans of the country have expressed a determin
ation to be present. An early and favorablo
reply is urged. Wire Albert J. Almoney, Secre
tary, Eutaw House, Baltimore, Maryland.
GOVERNOR A. L. CROTHERS,
TJ. S. SENATOR JOHN WALTER SMITH,
U. S. SENATOR ISADOR RAYNER,
HON. J. HARRY COVINGTON,
HON. J. F. C. TALBOTT,
HON. MURRAY VAN DIVER,
". . FRANK FURST, Executive Committee.
. Mission, Texas, December 21. Mr. Albert J.
Almoney, Eutaw House, Baltimore, Md. Pleaso
express to Governor Crothers and other mem
bers of the executive committee my appreciation
of invitation, just received via Lincoln. It will
be impossible to be present and I hesitate to
- send a letter to be read at the celebration, lest
It might prove a discordant note, if, as I would
infer from the preliminary arrangement, those
who originated the meeting are dissatisfied with
the last democratic national platform. That
platform was satisfactory to the party two years
ago and Is satisfactory to the rank and file now.
The victory of last month was, in my judgment,
largely due to the fact" tbaf "several "planks of
that pjatform had already been vindicated by
events" and events have since the election vin
dicated other planks. W. J. BRYAN.
THE ROLL OP HONOR
Oklahoma.
Georgia.
Alabama. Maryland.
South Carolina. Kentucky.
Illinois. Mississippi.
These states have ratified the income tax.
What state will be number nine? New York and
Massachusetts, which refused to ratify last year,
are likely to act fayorably now. Can't Virginia
and Louisiana join Alabama, South Carolina,
Mississippi and Georgia?
THE RECALL IN COLORADO
Governor Shafroth of Colorado is urging the
adoption of the recall in the law of his state,
,aad the Denver News well says: "Contact with
'the nation's sentiment has merely confirmed
Governor Shafroth in his progressive policy. He
is now pushing for the recall; thereby giving
an opportunity for those who are afraid of it to
oppose it and this is a part of progress, to
expose the reactionaries."
CONTENTS
THE BALTIMORE CELEBRATION.
THE "NEW DEMOCRACY"
THEY DTD IT IN 1904
ANOTHER REFORM AT HAND
THE CORPORATION'S RIGHTS
THE ONLY POLITICAL BOSS IN SWITZER-
LAND
CHAMP CLARK
PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPERS ON PLUTO
CRATIC ORGANIZATION
DEMOCRATIC OPINION FREELY EX
PRESSED HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
WASHINGTON NEWS
NEWS OF THE WEEK v x
Lincoln, Nebraska, December 30, 1910
Wholt Number 519
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TO EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE-AND FOREVER J
The "New Democracy"
The editor of The Commoner begs pardon of its
readers for devoting so much space to the Now
York World but that paper may be taken as
fairly representative of the plutocratic press,
has a large circulation and is one of the most
persistent o'f the exponents of Wall Street.
When it is answered all are answered. The
unfairness of the World is manifested in the
way it replies to an editorial which recently
appeared In The Commoner. It says (speaking
of certain men mentioned in connection with
the presidency): "Ostensibly Mr. Bryan dis
trusts these because the World looks toward
them hopefully for sane, progressive leader
ship; but the true reason for his suspicion Is that
they have been elected to office. Mr. Bryan
knows one infallible test of democracy. A true
democrat isone who cannot be elected a false
democrat Is one who has been elected. The
more any democrat appeals to popular confi
dence the less he appeals to Mr. Bryan's confi
dence. Mr. Bryan's notion of a democratic party
Is a small, exclusive club whose affairs are con
trolled by him personally. The smaller It is the
easier he can control it. For fourteen years
he has been actively engaged in driving demo
crats out of the party and with a new democ
racy his domination ends."
' This Is a sample of the World's honesty and
truthfulness. What are the facts? Mr. Bryan
was nominated in 1896, at a time when the
financial policy, supported by the World, had
rent the party in twain; when congress was
overwhelmingly republican as a result of that
policy, and when no one thought the party had
any chanco to win. Yet in spite of the desertion
of a democratic president, his cabinet, all the
office holders, ho could control and the pluto
cratic press, Mr, Bryan came so near election
that twenty thousand votes, changed, from one
side to the other in the close states, would have
made him president. He polled about a mil
lion more votes than the democratic candidate
polled four years beforo, and more democratic
congressmen were elected in 1896 than in 1894.
In 1900 Mr. Bryan was renominated notwith
standing the violent opposition of such papers
as the World, and ho received practically tho
same vote as before, although tho republican
party had the prestige of a successful war,
claimed credit for returning prosperity and took
advantage of an insurrection in tho Philippines.
In 1904 Mr. Bryan announced that ho would
not bo a candidate and the World joined with
other Wall Street organs demanding that the
organization be turned over to the men who
had defeated the party In two campaigns. It
had Its way; the candidate advocated by it was
nominated; it then impudently took charge of
the campaign, issuing daily Instructions to the
candidate and congratulating the party that it
had converted itself into a "now democracy"
without "Isms" a party free from the taint
of Bryanism. And what was tho result? A
popular vote of A MILLION AND A QUARTER
LESS THAN MR. BRYAN POLLED IN 1896
AND 1900, and less democratic congressmen
than were elected In 1896 and 1900. If Mr.
Bryan really wanted a small party he could not
do better than adopt the World's plan, for It Is
warranted to shrink any party that adopts It.
In 1908 Mr. Bryan was nominated for a third
time in spite or tho World's protest and he
polled a million and a quartor more votes than
the World's candidate had polled in 1904 and
tho party made such gains in congress that, with
tho aid of the insurgents, the party has been
able to secure some good legislation and to de
feat some bad measures.
For fourteen years tho democratic party has
been the dominating force in this country and it
has forced tho republican party to recognize
the necessity for reforms tho plutocratic press
all the while biting at the party's heels. This Is
the record of tho fourteen years during which
according to the World Mr. Bryan has been
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