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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 24, 1911)
"wiv ww1! f rfjamilrtf tMinmariinwMWi-fgiH- tMWWMMllJ"''Jr WWWBHH v4 h M,4 r v; ( I fO ki !, i I ! l'O li fil ii! ,, I 1' j .' i r! iv i "IV 1 WV," Mr; .1 .c I a i; i t The Commoner. ISSUED WEEKLY Entorcd at tho Pontofllco at Lincoln, Nebraska, an second-clans matter. WJMJAM J. HllYAK CltAM.VS W. lillYAN Ktlltor nml 1'roprlctor Publlalior RiciiAHi) I Min-OAi.Fjs FdltorJnl HooniH nnd Business Associate JCdltor OfTlco &24-330 South 12th Slrcot One Vcnr fi.00 Three Monflm 28 Six Month 00 Single Copy........ .05 In Clubs of Flvo or Saniplo Copies Frco. moro, per year... .7K Foreign Post. 6c Extra. 8UUSGIUPTIONS can bo sent direct to Tho Com monor. Thoy can also bo sent thr ue'' nowspapcrs which havo advertised a clubbing rate, or through local agonts, whero nub-agents havo been appoint ed. All rcmlttuncos should bo sent by postofflco money order, oxpress order, or by bank draft on Now York or Chicago. Do not sond Individual chcckB, stamps or money. 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Address all communications to THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb, JABS AT THE COjMMONER EDITOR Sioux City (Iowa) Journal, (rep.): "Mr. Bryan (loos not expect to be a candidate for office, but ho reserves tho right to be forced." New York Tribune (rep.): "Tho Commoner pays that it will bo easy to reorganize tho demo cratic party in Pennsylvania. Mr. Bryan tried it himself in 1908 when he catapulted Colonel 'Jim' Guttey out of the democratic national committee. But Guffey 'came back a year later. It is as hard to 'reorganize' the colonel out of Pennsylvania politics as it is to foreclose on any one of a cat's nlno lives." Sioux City (Iowa) Journal, (rep.): "Colonel Bryan has broken bread with Governor Wilson. This is what the colonel declined to do with Governor Harmon. As a consequence Governor Wilson's presidential stock goes up twenty points, although at tho close of the dinner both the colonel and tho governor declared they had not talked politics. Dubuque (Iowa) Telegraph-Herald: "Who have a fondness for oratory regret the opportunity was not given them to hear O'Connell, Phillips, Webster, Calhoun, Doug las, Lincoln or Gladstone. They wero the ora tors of a day that is forever gone. There will be born millions whoso wish will be that they might have heard Bryan, and for the boys and girls of today to have memory of his eloquence will bo to enjoy it through all their days." New York Tribune: "There is no reason for pessimism and every reason for optimism," said William J. Bryan to the members of the Twi light Club, of this city. That is a sentiment highly creditable to a statesman who has thrice been an unsuccessful candidate for the presi dency. If Mr. Bryan can bo optimistic no other American politician can afford to bo downcast even the Hon. Joseph W. Bailey or the Hon Jonathan Bourne. NaBhvlllo (Tennessee) Banner: "Mr. Bryan seems to havo had difficulty In getting pcoplo to understand his attitude concerning tho matter of candidacy for office. In Boston he was moved to explain hiB position with some caro Said ho: 'I havo stated that I am not a candi date and do not expect to bo a candidate I am not a candld&to for any office. But lest the simple statement that I am not a candidate The Commoner. for any office may bo misconstrued I may ex plain that I do not intend to say that I .have given any pledge not to become a candidate, for offlco. I say that I am not a candidate, that I have no intention of being a candidate for any political office and that I do not forsee now any circumstance or condition that would make mo a candidate. I take great interest in every political and economic question before the American people. I shall always retain that interest and when I say I am not a candi date for office I do not mean that I shall re linquish my interest or activity. " BRYAN BIRTHDAY DINNER The democrats of Nebraska, assembling under tho auspices of tho Lincoln-Bryan Club, gave a Bryan birthday dinner on the evening of March. 20, at the big auditorium in the city of Lincoln. Mr. Bryan waB fifty-one years of age Sunday, March 19 th. The dinner was in every way a great suc cess. An enormous crowd gathered and the toast list was perhaps the most notable ever offered in the history of Nebraska politics. Extracts from the speeches delivered will be printed in the next issue of The Commoner. Dr. P. L. Hall, national committeeeman for Nebraska', acted as toastmaster. The toast list was as follows: Hon. E. B. Quackenbush, "Progressive Legis lation in the Nebraska House of Representa tives." Hon. Charles M. Skiles, "Progressive De mocracy in the Nebraska State Senate." Hon. John A. Maguire, "Mr. Bryan at Home." Hon. W. H. Thompson, "Mr. Bryan's Connec tion with Nebraska Politics." Hon. A. C. Shallenberger, "The Guarantee of Bank Deposits." Senator G. M. Hitchcock, "The Election of United States Senators by Popular Vote." - Mr. Richard L. Metcalfe, "Mr. Bryan vs. Special Interests." Governor John Shafroth, Colorado, "The Initiative nnd Referendum." Senator John W. Kern, Indiana, "The Tariff." Senator Robert L. Owen, Oklahoma, "Ari zona." Hon. Champ Clark, Missouri, "The Overthrow of Cannonism." William J. Bryan, Address. MR. BRYAN IN BOSTON Boston, March 10. To The Editor of Tho Commoner: I have been a supporter and ad mirer of William J. Bryan since 1896, when I won the only delegation pledged to him in Boston, and still believe in him. I was present at tho meeting he addressed in Ford Hall hero and at the lunch given in his honor by Gover nor Foss, and he has grown in my eyes. Think ing tho enclosed clipping from the Globe, a con servative paper here in Boston, may make a good item In your next issue as my letter may, I send It to you. The clipping is from tho Boston Globe, March 10, 1911. Yours JAMES A. WATSON, Roxby,'Mass. House of representatives, 1900-'01. Dele gate Kansas City, 1900. No wonder Mr. Bryan marks the man. Every one can recall Bryan's appreciative references to George D. Prentiss of Louisville, his absorp tion of the spirits of Lincoln and Jefferson, and in a reverse order, his light touches on the figure at Oyster Bay. It is this closeness of touch with his own countrymen, past and present and their best thought, that constitutes one element of Mr Bryan's great power to speak and to sway And let not this bo forgotten: He knows his scripture from Genesis to Revelation and no man, woman or child who listens to Mr. Bryan for an hour, doubts his sincerity aa to that or will over accuse him of using that knowledge other than wisely and well. Boston Globe. SENATOR MYERS OF MONTANA Senator Henry L. Myers of Montana will bo a valuable addition to the United States Senate Senator Myers began tho practice of law fifteen years ago. He served the people faithfully ta the state senate and for the past four years Lid "ce 9f district judge, winning7 tt con Science and respect of all parties Senator Myers is a student of public questions and a thorough going democrat. A very modest man he is aa courageous as ho is consclentioii A His fine character will soon nSto tee ' fel it public life at Washington. If n1t vLi? - 5 Colorado would only do as well oJtSi f done the democratic party an? th? would have reason to rejofc eountly ' VOLUME 11, NUMBER If DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE The EI Paso Times says that the people of Arizona will yet learn that Senator Bailey rendered them a great service when he fought tho constitution they had adopted by a large majority. The Times says that Mr. Bailey's objection was. based largely to the recall as applied to tho judiciary. In support of Mr. Bailey's position the Times quotes a letter writ ten by Thomas Jefferson to Chancellor Wythe of Virginia, as follows: "The dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society, depended as much upon an upright and skillful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to bo distinct from both tho legislature and execu tive, and independent upon Doth, so that it may be a check upon both as both should be checks upon that. The judges, therefore, should al ways be men of learning and experience in th9 laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness and attention; their minds should not be distracted with jarring interests; they should not be dependent upon any man or body of men. To these ends they should hold estates for life in their offices, or, in other words, their com missions should be during good behavior, and their salaries ascertained and established by law. "For misbehavior, the grand inquest of tho colony, the house of representatives, should im peach them before the governor and council, when they should have time and opportunity to make their defense; but if convicted to such, other punishment as shall be thought proper." But the Times could have secured a Jefferson opinion more directly fitting the question under discussion had it gone a little deeper into Jefferson's writings. In the first place Jefferson believed in the inalienable right of the people to frame their own constitution. "The people themselves," said Jefferson, "are its (the government's) only, safe depositories." He would believe, as we aro warranted in thinking by innumerable letters, that it would have been better to adopt the Arizona consti tution with whatever defects it may have con tained trusting the people to cure those defects according to experience. He believed, too, that the people should keep a firm hold on the judi ciary for in a letter to Arnon, he said: "Wero I called upon to decide whether the people had best be omitted in the legislative or judiciary department, I would say it is better to leavo them out of tho legislative. The execution of the laws Is more important than the making of them. However, it is best to have the peoplo in all three departments where that is possible." At another time he said: "As for the safety of society we commit honest maniacs to Bed lam, so judges should be withdrawn from their bench, whose erroneous biases are leading us to dissolution. It may, indeed, injure them in fame or in fortune, but it saves the republio which is the first and supreme law." Now if judges were to be withdrawn by in dividual authority appointing them, why might they not be withdrawn by the peoplo electing them. He advocated tho appointment of federal judges 'for life, or, in other words, during good behavior," and the recall is not to be used during good behavior. In another letter, he said: "Do not bo frightened by the alarms of the timid or tho croakings of wealth against the ascendency of the people If experience be called for, appeal to that of our fifteen or twenty governments lor forty years, and show jne whero tho peoplo have done half the mischief In these forty years, that a single despot would have done in a single year; or show half the riots and re bel Ions, the crimes and the punishments, which vwi P aco any BinSl0 nation, under tS Lg?rraimnt' durInB tho same period.' In another letter he said: "Unless tho mass retains sufficient control over those Intrusted rJiG0PiT? lthQlr government, these will iL Pnlrf edito own oppression, and to ?Si Perpetuation of wealth and power In tho: TIdU a?d theIr famI1,efl sorted for fhm nJF1? our constitution has hit oa the exact degree of control necessary, is ye under experiment." ' nioJ11!0! ?mP moment that when Joffer S? to frame, a constitution for an European colony he declined on. tho ground wiXJ?3h W(T better judsea of nat ttwr 751. ? h0 J0' Certainly the peoplo o fSSZL taow they want and no student 2ft! JnTT6?.1 h8 ttny Tea8n to doubt thai they will, in tlmo, secure it. fiM m"" Jt V'Wfa.331