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The Commoner
VOLUME' ilWNUMBER f
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
Entered at tho Pofltofllco at Lincoln, Nebraoka,
4s sccond-claHfl matter.
Wii.t.um j. Ukvah
Kditor and TroprJotor
Hictiaud I Mktcai.fh
Awoclntc Editor
CIIAHI.E3 W. BllYAM
rubllBhcr
Editorial ItoomH nnd Business!
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
ts)
SOME DON'TS FOR REFORMERS
Speaking of tho initiative and roferondum
reformers like tho Oregon plant Thoy
should over keep in mind the fact that
opponents of tho initiative and referendum
will attack it at various points. There are
throo things that opponents may bo ex
pected to do. Thoy will not attack tho
principle tho tlmo Is past for that, but they
will want to make tho por cent for tho peti
tion as largo as possibl.o; thoy will want to
limit tho numhnr nf nrrmnnlf Inna n . nn
mlttcrt at nno tlmn nnd tlmu 11111 inaict
ahat a majority of all tho votos cast at tho
uiuuLiuu uu required ror adoption.
Tho first oblno.tlnn in thn loncf imnnt-r.
for whilo tho nercontnern rxnnlrmi n ri.nrn'
is good It is not a vital matter just what
percentage is required. Tho second objec
tfon is moro serious for if a limit Is fixed
tllO RnfP.lnl Intnrnnfn nnn ncl. .
unimportant propositions to exclude thoso
that thoy object to. Tho third is most
serious of nil. n rrivna tii, " i
roforms tho benefit of all tho Ignorant, tho
careless and tho Indifferent. Why should
tho opponents of reform bo' given this legal
plurality elects when we select a jrov
emor and mombors of tho legislature to act
for us; why should not a plurality pass a
law bV dlroet ImHnlnH1 tV iL?a?S..a
2i 2L U" Pi:W"i?" outnumber0 thoso
....v, "himiDi it mat is enoucrh. L.ff
OUtthlv advorHV.nfl. ?u ""J'V" r-
that thoso who do not vote are wlliw for
tho mattnr tn m. iintn.mu.ji... wining ipr
do vote. That In i,,mT ,1 "i.5"??0 .Who
is ss-s-ssss- viti- '
XniS 18 thn monf lmnn. x .. . .
guarded: Insist that only a majorltv o?
r5Suired?UnEr n th P'opwfttoTffi be
000(i)00
THE LITTLE FAULTS
Bo many little faults we And
In those we love; we see them, but If you and T
Would soon pass on to bye and bye
They would not be faults, then--grave fault
to you and me, h ve raults
But Just odd ways, mistakes, or even less
Remembrances to bless less
Bttrs&m"a -ss .to.
5;n, w? J" the forget, since wo all know
At best there's such a little way to go?
"San Francisco Star.
A "
Champ Clark's Presidential Boom V-
Champ Clark's presidential boom is growing.
It is already nearly as big as that of any other
democrat mentioned in connection with tho 1912
presidential nomination. The more the demo
crats think tho matter over, the more convinced
they are that Clark is the most available com
promise candidate. On the day of the big dem
ocratic banquet In Baltimore a straw ballot was
taken among the passengers of the special train
which conveyed the members of congress from
Washington to Baltimore. All of tho leading
aspirants for the 1912 presidential nomination
were named on the ballots save Champ Clark.
Notwithstanding, when the ballots were counted,
Champ Clark's name had been written into a
sufficient number of them to make him run a
close second to Judson Harmon.
At Baltimore the big Missourian had the hon
ors over the entire democratic field as a presi
dential possibility. Clark's star rose still a
little higher when he was nominated for the
speakership without opposition. The same har
monious sentiment which named Clark for
speaker may grow and make him a' presidential
candidate a year hence.
Clark is not behind his own boom. While
he was no doubt naturally pleased at the first
connection of his name with so high a place, he
has recently asked some of his friends who were
intent upon urging his fitness for the position
of democratic standard bearer in 1912 to de-i
sist, at least until he shall have made' good ,as
speaker, which is his one great ambition at this
time.
Here are some of the reasons advanced by the
friends of the speaker-to-be why they are urg
ing him as a presidential possibility:
He will soon occupy the most important posi
tion, of any democrat in public office.
He has demonstrated, that he can. work in
harmony with the party In congress. . That was
McKinley's great strength. It was largely due
to his long experience on the floor of the house
that McKinley was able to get legislation.
Clark found the democrats disorganized and
fighting and formed them into a solid phalanx.
With the minority welded solidly, Clark whipped
the republicans and reformed the committee on
rules. He is the only democratic leader in
congress who ever did it".
There is no reason why any democrat should
fail to support ClaTk, for his loyalty to the
party and Its nominees has never faltered. No
republican has ever gotten any comfort out of
anything Clark has said of any fellow democrat.
Clark would not be opposed either by the Bryan
or Parker factions of the party.
No one can question Champ Clark's honesty,
ability, democracy or patriotism. "We must
never forget," said Mr. Clark in accepting the
nomination for speaker, "that the best way to
serve the party is to serve the people." This
illustrates his high standard of politics.
Clark occupies a unique and advantageous
position, geographically speaking. He can hard
ly be classed as a northern man or as a southern
man. Neither can the east or tho west claim
him, for he votes in Missouri, which is practi-
iVithe center of th0 country.Johnstbwn
(Pa.) Democrat.
came "the candidate of one of tHe factions of tho
old republican party in 1824, wHile serving as
speaker. Several ex-speakers' iave received
nominations from national conventions, Clay
himself in 1844, James K, Polk in,.' that year,
John Bell in 18 60. and James G. Blaine in 1884.'
But no aspirant ior the" "presidency nas made
much headway whilo filling the speaker's office.
Speakers Samuel J. Randall, John "G-. Carlisle
and Thomas B. Reed all failed to develop sub
stantial strength as presidential candidates, al
though their distinction as party leaders was
unquestioned.
In recent years parties have also been ex-
ceedingly chary about selecting presidential
nominees from the roll of the house, or, for that
matter, from the roll of thesenate. The only
president nominated and elected while a mem
ber of the house was James A. Garfield, who was
also a member-elect of the senate. Of the re
publican party's other nominees Mr., Blaine was
an ex-representative and ex-senator, General
Harrison was an ex-senator and Major McKinley
was an ex-representative. The only democratic
presidential candidates since the war who had
previously served in congress were Horace Gree
ley and William J. Bryan. The house of repre
sentatives has, therefore, proved a poor training
school for presidential aspirants, and Mr. Clark
will upset tradition if, while representing his
party there, he is drafted for service as a presi
dential candidate. New York Tribune, (rep.)
STOOD -BY HIS GUNS
, Jud Welliver is the most authentic Uof tho
insurgent newspaper reporters at Washington,
and in an article in Hampton's magazine for
February he gives a new view of the fight
against Speaker Cannon last spring:.
He says while the Norris. .resolution was un
der consideratidn some of the Tory democrats
went to Champ Clark, leader of the democrats
in the house, not realizing that he was in earn
est, and suggested that they would "lose them
selves" by leaving Washington so that Clark
could get the glory of ostensibly fighting Can
non, and at the same time do him no tiarai.
Clark told these men that they must stay in
the house and vote on pain of exposure and
denunciation.
And then, after the fight had waged day ana
night for nearly three days and everybody was
suffering from loss of sleep, the insurgent re
publicans weakened. They 'came to Clark and
proposed a compromise by which the- commit-
ll? rU !?? W(ld be chosen by th house, but
which omitted the section excluding the speaker
from membership. And Clark told the insur
gents also that they must stay in line.
o TieJMult, was,that the resolution was adopt
ed in its original form. The thirty-odd Insur
gent republicans got all the glory at the time,
' ihn Hf Cham? Cla,rk and te 1U democrats
wliw.?0' ?ome ? the 174 were un
wUHng, but Champ Clark led them. QThey .voted
bu? laLk Ii" 50t ?i?V,e the aid of tue-bIS Papers,
rwihni11. bTVa great herafd, in itself!
urelghton (Neb.) Liberal. - ..
SPEAKER AND PRESDDENT
.J Hon Champ Clark is now an active can
tion ?n Tqi 9Q dmf &tll Presidential nomina-
hv n1?! ?as been put in tne field
by the logic of events rather than by his ner-
sonal initiative He has been the cMef benefi
ciary in a political sense of last year's demo
cratio victory The most striking esult of that
victory was the transfer of power in the house
of representatives from republican to at
cratic hands. The country LcideS to give
opposition party a chance to show what it could
do in congress, and Mr. Clark has lust S
to JSSSSS10 nominati0 In 191 WSJS
democratnatfona0! "convSn Mr Vht next
have triumphed over poUU?al n2aPS WiU
since the national MYmSnLte! 0r
duced no incumbent o? the speffihta S iptr"
been nominated for preridStHeXS-
HIS LONG SERVICE
ofT8hGpmwt?i,C party Is In the Portion now
man ci h fn,be,neaT to victory if the proper
2v TbT? ai a candIate for- the presi
dency. The Journal nominates Chamn Clark.
Mrknfr "F? Jar horsToTMissouri:
of rliSSStnTJlL?1? Bpeaker of the house
conereS ThJnf'6 ning of the next
f o?e thP nlnil Vl bl?ng him Prominently be
renosed in S?S? Sn.alB0 prove the confidence
More thin ol, b7his colleagues In congress,
more than any other man, at thia timS he
Hrstu'ld beL?r !CtlDe ioeSSo Sons!
of the eaat 1 n?fat0ry both to the' democracy
timitrti J f tbe west Weatherworn and
WSJ cand Mat01"? f poll,tIcal battles, he is the
States fr IJresIdeit of the United
Btahl8 l0Hf hle In ,conPess has been without
stain. He has proved himself a "friend- of the
SKa ever vig'ilanf enemy o?
5 m led iiH? m iet ?1 has not been a' dream-
has been I Snal JlBions or than he
neonintL standpatter, hesitating 'to give tho
? n Pi0weJ they rlehtfully poBieif.
Bpeokw fhro3S!l?y fitled V. intention, as
upeaicer throwing aside the old jrulea of ih
.,
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