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Commoner.
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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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-VOLi 11, NO. 1
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Lincoln, Nebraska, January 13, 1911
Whole Number 52!
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The Commoner Enters Its Eleventh Year
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From The Commoner's first issue, January 23,
1901
Webster defines a commoner as "one of .the
common people." The name has been selected
for .this paper because The Commoner will en
deavor to aid the common people in the pro
tection of their rights, the advancement of their
interests and the realization of their aspirations.
It is not necessary to apologize for the use of
a' term which distinguishes the great body of
the population from the comparatively few, who,
for one reason or another, withdraw themselves
from sympathetic connection with their fellows.
Among the Greeks "Hoi polloi" was used to
describe the many, while among the Romans
the word "plebs" was employed for the same
purpose. These appellations, like "the common
people," have been assumed with pride by those
to whom they were applied, while they have
been used as terms' of reproach . by those who
counted themselves among the aristocratic
classes. "Within ' recent years there has been a
growing tendency in some quarters to denounce
'as demagogic any reference to, or praise- of,
the common people.
V One editor in a late issue of his paper takes
exception to the phxaso -inrt -oays: .
"This expression is an ill-chosen one and
should have no lodgment in the vocabulary of
.an American patriot and statesman. If we
sought its origin, wo would look for t in that
specious demagogy which has evolved the pro-
j&Ffk town the farmer and his sons and daughters
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against the business and professional .men and
their sons and daughters capital against labor,
and built up against- noighbors the impregnable
barriers of prejudice and hate."
This quotation is reproduced because it fairly
represents the views of those who criticize the
expression. It has, however, an eminently re
spectable origin. In the same chapter in which
Christ condensed man's duty to his fellows into
the commandment: Thou shalt love thy neigh
bor as thyself; in the same chapter in which
he denounced those who devour widows' houses
and for a pretense make long prayers in this
same chapter it is said of Him: The common
people heard Him gladly.
No higher compliment was ever paid to any
class.
The term, the common people, is properly
used to describe the large majority of the peo
ple those who earn their living and give to
society a fair return for the benefits bestowed
by society those who in their daily lives recog
nize the ties which bind together the mass of
the people who have a common lot and a com
mon hope. Sometimes they are called "the
middle classes" because paupers and criminals
are excluded on the one hand, while on the
other hand some exclude themselves because
of wealth or position or pride of birth. The
common people form the industrious, intelli
gent and patriotic element of our population;.,
they produce the nation's wealth in time of
peace and fight the nation's battles in time
,war. They are self-reliant and independent;
they ask of government nothing but justice and
wjll.not be satisfied with less. They are not
seeking to -get .their hands into other people's ,-
pockets, but .are content-lf-thoy can keep otner
people's hands out or tneir pocKets.
The common people do not constitute an ex
clusive society they are not of the four hun
dred; any one can become a member if he Is
willing to contribute by brain or muscle to the
nation's strength and greatness. Only those
are barred and they are barred by their owm
choice who imagine themselves made of a su
perlor kind of clay and who deny the equality
of all before the law.
A rich man, who has honestly acquired hi
wealth and is not afraid to intrust its care to
laws made by his follows, can count himself
among the common people, while a poor man
is not really one of them if ho fawns before a
plutocrat and has no higher ambition than to
bo a courtier or a sycophant.
The Commoner will bo satisfied if, by fidelity
to the common people, it proves its right to tho
name which has been chosen.
Tho Commoner enters its eleventh year with
the most important work before it. Its duty
cannot be successfully discharged without the
faithful co-operation of tho rank and file of
democrats. Now, more than at any other time
in the party's history, there is need for earnest
'work In the advancement of democratic prin
ciples and In protest against plutocratic policies.
It is for tho faithful readers of Tho Commoner
to say whether this paper has discharged its
..duty; una the kind Trordo and generous co-oper-ation
of which The Commoner has been the
grateful beneficiary have greatly encouraged The
Commoner's editor and all tho members of its
working force. For 1911 it can be promised,
as was promised of former years, that the efforts
.Qf , thfojmjfilcatjbn vwlll.be ever exerted In sup
port of that doctrine wherein the people are
recognized as tho source of power, where tho
government is required to respond to tho de
sires and conform to tho character of its people
and where "tho greatest good to the greatest
number" is the end ever to be kept in view by
the public servant.
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The Denver Platform
The victory won by the democrats in 1910
was largely due to the splendid platform of
1908 and to the fight made in defense of that
lnfnrni Tt roaiiltprl in n lnr$ro rrnin In n.nn-
(J'tvrlVr gress a gain so large that the democrats, with
the aid of the progressive republicans, were able
to make some headway. That the readers of
The Commoner may have a chance to refresh
' their memories on the various planks the more
important ones will be reproduced from time
to time.
Today attention is called to the plank on Can
non Ism. It reads as follows:
"The house of representatives was designed.
- by the fathers of the constitution to be the pop
. ular branch of our government responsive to
the public will.
"Th,e house of representatives, as controlled
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CONTENTS
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DENVER PLATFORM
CHAMP CLARK, SPEAKER
ANOTHER VINDICATION
POMERENE OF OHIO
TEXAS IN LINE
"THE PEOPLE'S RULE"
THE ROLL OF HONOR
A DREAM COME TRUE EDGAR HOWARD
GUARANTEED DEPOSITS IN THE CAM
PAIGN OF 1909 MR. BRYAN'S SPEECH
THE GREAT FIGHT IN NEW JERSEY
NEBRASKA'S, GUARANTEED DEPOSITS
LAW
. WASHINGTON NEWS
NEWJ3 OF THE WEEK
in recent years by the republican party ,has
ceased to be a deliberative and legislative body,
responsive to the will of a majority of its mem
bers, but has come under the absolute domina
tion of the speaker who has entire control of
its deliberations and powers of legislation.
"Wo have observed with amazement the pop
ular branch of our federal government helpless
to obtain either the consideration or enactment
of measures desired by a majority of its
members.
"Legislative, government becomes a failure
when one member in the person of the, speaker
is more powerful than the entire body.
"We demand that the house of representa
tives shall again become a deliberative body,
controlled by a majority of the peoples' repre
sentatives and not by the speaker and we pledge
ourselves to adopt such rules and regulations
to 'govern the house of representatives as will
enable a majority of its members to direct its
deliberations and control legislation."
What would the voters think if, after making
a national campaign on that declaration and
after acting upon it In the congress elected in
1908 the party should repudiate it when it se
cures a majority in the new congress?
But it will not repudiate it. Under Champ
Clark's leadership the promise will be kept and
the party will be strengthened thereby.
ANOTHER VINDICATION
The decision rendered by the United States
supreme court JanuaTy 4, sustaining the
constitutionality of the bank guaranty laws of
Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas is another vin
dication for progressive democracy. The policy
of protecting depositors is now established; tho
highest court In the land has refused to support
the financiers in their effort to prevent the se?
.curing of depositors. The last democratic na
tional platform has triumphed again , Let the
democracy of the nation rejoice; and let the-'
democratic legislatures follow the example of
Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas and Kansas.
Champ Clark, Speaker
It Is now practically settled that Hon. Champ
Clark of Missouri will be tho speaker 6f the
next congress, and it is a happy selection. He
has been an admirable leader of the minority
and will doubtless prove a successful leader of
tho majority.
He starts out well by announcing himself
in favor of the selection of the committees by
the house itself, rather than by the speaker.
This one act the surrender of the autocratic
power that has heretofore attached to the
speakership will distinguish his term as
speaker, and it will enable him to win moro
universal applause from the members than
would have been possible had he been burdened
with the responsibility of selecting tho com
mittees. Ho will go down to history as a great
reformer, for what more Important reform than
tho return of the house to a recognition of the
principles of representative government?
The plan seems to be to select a committee,
the democrats choosing their members in caucus
and tho republicans theirs. This committee
will make up the committees tho democratic
list to be subject to ratification by tho demo
cratic caucus, and the republican list to be ap
proved by the republican caucus. This makes
the committeemen servants of the house In
stead of slaves of the speaker, and insures to
each party a satisfactory representation on the
committees.
In the same interview in which Mr. Clark
announced his advocacy of reform In the matter
of naming the committees he' declared himself
in favor of reforming the tariff by separate
bills. This is not a new suggestion; the Fifty
second congress confronted a situation similar
to tho one which has to be met now. The demo
cratic house sent then several separate tariff
bills to the republican senate and when tho
senate Ignored them the democrats went out
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