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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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rOL. 11, NO. 2
Lincoln, Nebraska, January 20, 1911
Whole Number 522
The
Religion of
democracy is more than a name, It is a Te
rn, the religion of brotherhood among men.
h religion of equal opportunity for all man-
It is the religion that demands more or
golden rule and less of the rule of gold in
jrnment. This is the kind of democracy
ft should be fought for, and this is the kind
democracy that special privilege does not
lire. It is an open secret that the agents
rivilege are now endeavoring to secure con-
of the democratic party. As the chances'
democratic success have become brighter,
ir efforts to dominate the party have pro-
tionately increased. They would use the
jry of democracy for their purposes, and it is
duty of democrats to see that these inter
do not capture the party name, thereby rob-
ig the people of the benefits flowing from a
lumph of democratic principles.
l1ho record of every candidate should bo care
ly examined to see whether ho is so situated
w - .
t.to be able to servo the public without bias
r;iavor or any interest antagonistic to the puu-
"No man can servo two masters," and those
lose environment are such as not to leave
iem free for the service of the people should
It be supported by the people. Is a candidate
bporteU or opposed W the enemies of ,the
sople? 'TJUat should bo tho inquiry, ahd those
ho stand for the conWiiflfl iTJfoffi't W fir
fcrong when they get on tliet other side, and
yn, an address, ab'putf three years 'ago, therlat,
pilaus iarewer 01 tne supreme court or tn
lilted States said: "Many senators and ren-
sentatives owe their places to corporate" in-
tence, ana mat -lnuuence is exerted under an
cpectation, if not an understanding, that as
matters tne corporate interests shall be sub-
frved. The danger arises in the fact that the'y.
so powerful, and . that the pressure of so
iich power on the, individual law maker, tempts
pin to target the nation and remember "the cor
ration. And the danger is the greater be-r
luse it is so insidious." ' .
The need of the hour is to have men who
rill not forget the people after they get into
Iffice, and who are under obligations only to the
eoplo for tho places they hold. If special in
vests are as much benefited by a democratic
rjctory as by a republican victory, then the
lemocratic party would not represent the prin
ciples that it should. If democratic victories
ire to become as much or more useful to priv
ilege than a continuance of republican control,
then that kind of democracy is not worth fight
ing for. Those are not real democrats who
favor turning over the party, organization . to
rivilege in return for large campaign contribu
tions, on the theory that is the way to wn.
inder such leadership tho democratic party
would lose even if successful at the polls, for
CONTENTS
THE RELIGION OP DEMOCRACY, BY
JOSEPH W. FOLK
CONGRESSMAN SMITH'S BIG TARIFF
SPEECH
THE MONTANA SITUATION
SELECTION OF COMMITTEES
DENVER PLATFORM AGAIN
SENATOR OWEN'S GOOD FIGHT
AN OKLAHOMA FAKE
GOOD FOR GOVERNOR WILSON
WORK FOR DEMOCRATS
WASHINGTON NEWS.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Democracy
w
BY JOSEPH W. FOLK
it would bo untrue to Its own principles, and to
the people it is supposed to "serve.
." There has beeir'too much shouting of party
names and too little teaching of the principles
that political parties are supposed to stand for.
When a man says what principles of government
he believes in, it is not always easy to tell from
that what party he belongs to, and when a man
says what party he belongs to it Is not always
easy to know what principles of government
he believes in.
Tho democratic party should make an aggres
sive fight for progressive democratic principles.
It is not essential that we always win, but it is
essential that wo bo true to democratic ideals.
It is not necessary that we succeed, but it is
necessary that wo keep the faith if democracy
is to live. More was gained for tho people in
tho Bryan campaigns that ended in apparent
defeat than would have been accomplished by
the barren victory of leaders controlled by tho
powers that prey. Those campaigns wrought a
revolution in the public conscience, and aroused
tho -people to the need of reform. Underlying
those campaigns, and greater than any special
issue, was the struggle of humanity against the
oppression of plutocracy, of men against dollars
and of conscience against greeVI. Through' these
campaigns uie people, irrrr Mlwpm.WL'fiin. Tno
from the sowing of thVgefcds of truth, . WhUe
if itf'triiftr'tf lifee-wiili tlibrigUt thai to win
with the wrong, we, can be right and win alsoi
, ,. Under-, the. pipgexli aroused state of public
opinion democracy will triumph, unless it for
sordid 'reasons deserts the people and enters
,: Jhttf awaritoh alliance wtlpjjvilege.. That
yr& have, representatives of prilgeih pur, patty
no; one can deny and the 'effort stioutd be to
lessen their influence as much as possible. We
'cannot prevent some of them being in the party,
but we shpuld keep them from running the
party. We ought4 not to permit the party to
be prostituted to the service of selfish interests',
or to bo made, the tail to the kite of monopoly.
. There is an independent spirit now in evi
dence over tho country and it is to this spirit
we must appeal. The party must convince the
people not what it proposes to do for itself,
but what it can do for them.
. The vote In the last election was an expres
sion of lack of confidence on the part of the
people in the republican party. It was a nega
tive vote Insofar as the republican party is
concerned rather than a positive vote in favor
of the democratic party. The democratic party
must now make good and if it does, the chances
.are very bright for an overwhelming victory
in 1912.
A crisis has been reached In tho affairs of
the nation. Pick up a paper any day and one
will find accounts of thievery and graft. What
does it mean? Is corruption becoming a na
tional disease? Is there something in our sys
tem of government that encourages men to
violate the commandment, "Thou shalt not
steal?" Is not the government itself in a sense
to blame for this seeming general disposition?
Ha:3 not the example which the government sets
of enriching the few by taking from all by
means of the protective tariff been an influence
for corruption? With the national government
giving the privilege of protection to a class at
the expense of tho rest of tho people, there is
encouragement afforded all forms of graft. All
graft is based upon privilege. Officials are not
bribed to give equal rights to all, but to con
fer upon the few some privilege denied the
many. All political parties ostensibly oppose
the privilege of lawlessness, but when it comes
to privilege conferred by law, there Is a dis
tinct issue between the parties. The republican
party stands irrevocably for the privilege of a
high protective tariff. The democratic party
If truo to itself and its teachings must stand
squarely against this privilege. A man may call
himself a democrat and bo in favor of a high
protective tariff, and ho may oven represent his
constituents, but In fact ho Is not a democrat.
The congressman who votes for protection on
articles produced in his own state cannot deny
the justice of tho demand of Senator Aldrlch
for a larger share of tho tariff plunder for his
state. A tariff for revenue only is for the
benefit of tho public, but a tariff for tho protec
tion of a class is for the benefit of that class at
the expense of the public. Tho chief purpose
of a high protective tariff Is to stifle competition,
and to that extent givo monopoly. Tho repub
lican Idea is to protect monopoly from tho peo
ple; the democratic idea is to protect tho people
from monopoly. When a government by means
of a monopoly tariff attempts to take from on
class and givo to another, a moral question Is
presented. Wealth created by legislation must
in the nature of things bo drawn from tho pub
lic, and it' is unjust for all the people to be
taxed in order that a few may profit. A tariff
other than for revenue is merely a legalized
graft. Let tho democratic party take an unmis
takable, s'tand on this question and invito every
oho of all parties opposed to this unjust system
to tinit With it in tha . fife-lit, Tha fhr nmm,.h
'Vfrjtniietwii privilege and aqua;
MVi"? ulhu vjpt ii;iu scneauies, ciMmiif
that some are too' high and other should re
main as they are, does not Involve any principle
amLca'nuonly result in a sham fight.
The. tariff question.;canjrot be settled by a
tarlffi . board, v!o,r it -Met simply a matter e
.increasing or r decreasing the tariff on certain
articles, . It is a question of principle as' to
, whether tlio tariff should bo used for the pur
pose of creating monopoly. Before a commis
sion could do any getod tho American popte
must, decide whether .the tariff shall be. tot
revenue merely 'or 'fdfc the purpose of proiec
tion. If tho people decide in favor of prbtec-'
tlon a commission would not be necessary to
enable the special Interests to grab all they, can
get. , If the people, decldo in favor of a revenue
tariff then a commission could carry out the
instructions of the people by adjusting the tariff
schedules to that basis, In such a way as Co
cause no shock to fair business by reason of too
sudden changes from the unnatural and artifi
cial conditions that have grown up under a
monopoly building tariff.
. THE DOCTRINE OF EQUAL RIGHTS
SHOULD BE MADE A LIVING, VITAL, CON
TROLLING FORCE IN GOVERNMENT. This
doctrine opposes the privilege of subsidies, boun
ties and all forms of governmental favors to a
few at the burden of all. The government has
no more right to take from one man indirectly
to add to the wealth of another than it has to
compel one man directly to contribute to the
fortunes of another. When such governmental
favors are conferred they go to those of wealth
and influence enough to secure them and are
beyond tho reach of the average man. If such
favors benefited all alike, no ono would want
them. It is because they give a class privileges
denied to others that these few clamor for them,
and it is for this reason that tho rest of tho
pedple should not submit to such discrimina
tions. As privilege increases opportunity must
diminish, and as opportunity diminishes the
rights of the individual are destroyed. That is
the reason why, under the republican system,
the classes are becoming more opulent and the
masses are finding the opportunity for Individ
ual effort growing less as the years go by.
Under this system in the large cities one end
of society is rolling in abnormal wealth, while
tho other end of society is begging for bread.
The, multi-millionaire and the pauper are alike
dangerous in a republic, and they are related
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