The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN. EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 11, NO. 13
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 7, 1911
Whole Number 533
Eternal Vigilance Necessary
It behooves democrats to be on their guard. The friends of predatory interests the beneficiaries of special
privilege and governmental favoritism are always at work. They never sleep. With them politics is a business because
they make the government a business asset. They are able to bring pressure to bear upon their class of papers. When
they want to nominate a man for office, he at once becomes a man of distinction, a man of ability just the man for
whom the people are looking. And they have somebody for office whenever there is a place to be filled. They have
their candidates for congress and for the senate. They have their candidates for all the judgeships, for the cabinet and
for the presidency. They are just now laying their plans to capture the democratic national convention and nominate
a candidate who will be satisfactory to the Wall Street interests. If they find that the progressive sentiment is too
strong to be entirely ignored, they will take someone who has been progressive enough to furnish them something to
talk about but not progressive enough to frighten the interests.
The democratic party seems ready to come into its own. After a long fight the progressive policies which aroused
the opposition of all the predatory interests in 1896 are becoming the accepted policies of the country, but the interests
will do their best to nominate a candidate who is not in sympathy with them and who tried to retard their progress.
Let not the democrats be deceived. The work of a democratic president will be no easy work. The cleaning out of
the stables will be a Herculean task. It will require strength of body, strength of mind and unflinching moral purpose.
It is no time for compromise. The times require a stalwart, fearless, progressive leader The time is not ripe yet for
the selection of a candidate. Congress will largely shape the issues and may develop the man but whether he comes
from the senate or the house or from a state position, he must measure up to the requirements of the occasion and be
able to summon the progressive hosts to his banner. He must be positive and progressive if he is to win the confidence
of those who are seeking remedial legislation.
!-
REORGANIZATION IN PENNSYLVANIA
The democratic state committee of Pennsylva
nia has "reorganized" itself by the expulsion
of its chairman and the removal of its na
tional committeeman. Ex-Mayor Guthrie, of
Pittsburg, has been elected chairman of the
state committee in place of A. G. DeWalt, and
Congressman A. Mitchell Palmer, the Pennsyl
vania member of the ways and means com
mittee, was given the position of national com
mitteeman, James M. Guffey, removed. It is
reported that the present incumbents will resist
removal, but it is not so important that the
change shall be accomplished at once; it is
enough that the beginning should be made. The
democratic state campaign last fall seemed to
be conducted in the interest of the republican
party and it is a healthy sign that there is
enough virtue in the committee to enable it to
reform itself
As to Mr. Guffey, little need be said. He was re
moved from the national committee by the
democratic national convention in 1908 and his
selection by the state committee to succeed
James Kerr, deceased, was an insult to the party
in the nation. After his repudiation by the con
vention the party polled more than one hundred
thousand votes in excess of the vote polled in
Pennsylvania in 1904, under his leadership.
If the action- of the state committee presages
the retirement of the assistant republicans who
have paralyzed democratic prospects in Pennsyl
vania for years the democratic party in the na
tion has reason to rejoice.
all reports, a man of high character and ability,
and is, in addition, possessed of rare talent as
a public speaker. His declaration of principles
shows him to be a progressive democrat.
Good for Now York.
CONTENTS
ETERNAL VIGILANCE NECESSARY
REORGANIZATION IN PENNSYLVANIA
WHEN SILENCE IS GOLDEN
WILSON SCORES AGAIN
THE NEW YORK SENATOR
CONGRATULATIONS, GOVERNOR
PLAISTED
MR. BRYAN'S SPEECH ON THE LIQUOR
QUESTION IN LINCOLN
LOOKING BACKWARDS
WHEN J. PIERPONT MORGAN WENT
TO WASHINGTON
PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
HOME DEPARTMEA'V
' WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
WHY NOT?
Resolution proposing an amendment to the
constitution of the state of Rhode Island:
"Resolved that a majority of all members
elected to each house of the general assembly
voting therefor, that the following amendment
to the constitution of the state be proposed to
the qualified electors of the state, in accordance
with the. provisions of article XII of the consti
tution, as follows, to wit:
"Section 1. Every male citizen of the United
States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has
had his residence and home in this state for
one year, and in the town or city in which he
may offer to vote for six months next preceding
the time of his voting, and whose name shall be
registered In the town or city where he resides
on or before the last day of June in the year dur
ing which he offers to vote, shall have a right
to vote in the election of all civil officers and
on all questions in all legally organized town
or ward meetings.
"Section 2. This amendment shall take, in
the constitution of the state, the place of section
1 of article VII of articles of amendment, which
said section is hereby annulled." ,
WHEN SILENCE IS GOLDEN
The efforts of the sensational press to convert
the mobilizing of twenty thousand troops at
San Antonio Into big head lines is not likely
to raise tho level of journalism. Whether the
president was justified in sending so many troops
to tho Mexican border is a question upon which
one can not well form an opinion without know
ing all the facts. Until these facts are known
it is only fair to give the president tho benefit of
the doubt. He must bo deficient in considera
tion for the public welare who would spend the
time In looking for ulterior motives or in specu
lations which tend to create prejudice between
the two countries. If the president makes any
mistakes in dealing with the situation he will
be the one to suffer for them. Democrats can
not afford to embarrass him by expressing a
lack of confidence unless ho abuses the discre
tion vested in him by the constitution. This
would seem to bo a time when silence is golden.
Words of censure will have more weight when
they are used if they are later found to b
necessary because of silence now.
CONGRATULATIONS, GOVERNOR PLAISTED
The press dispatches report that Governor
Plaisted has persuaded the legislature to reverse
its action and ratify the income tax amendment.
This puts Maine in line with the democratic
party and the country, Congratulations, Gover
nor Plaisted. You have done well. You have
justified the confidence of your friends.
THE NEW YORK SENATOR
The Now York democracy has surprised the
natio by the wisdom shown in the selection of
a senator. Justice O'Gormon is, according to
WILSON SCORES AGAIN
Governor Wilson has hit the mark again in
urging the ratification of the income tax amend
ment. It was a courageous thing to do. The
Now Jersey legislature has divided on the ques
tion, the house has ratified while the senate has
rejected.
Now if the governor can follow Governor
Plaisted's example and secure a reversal of the
senate's action he will give to his state a still
higher place in the patty's councils.
MISSOURI AND LORIMER
Tho Missouri senate has unanimously en
dorsed the senators from that state for voting
against Lorimer. As both of the Missouri
senators voted no, it was easy to be unanimous,
but what will those states do that were so un
fortunate as to have senators voting on both
sides; which senator will they indorse?
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