The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
"VtoblX
E
YOL. 11, NO. 21
Lincoln, Nebraska, June 2, 1911
Whole Number 541
Meet the Issue
T On Monday, May 29th, Mr. Bryan gave to the
prcfg tko following statement:
The democratic members of congress win, on
Juno 1st, caucus on the free wool question, and
It is only fair to ask that they shall fairly
and homestly meet the issuo.
It is possible that some of the democrats be
Here in the principle of protection. The larceny
the "robsery under the form of law" em
bodied in the protective system is endorsed by
many good republicans who have not yet learned
to apply to legislation the rules that they apply
in every day life; and some democrats may have
become pupils in this school especially those
who have among their constituents influential
beneficiaries of the system. But the democratic
voters have a right to insist that the protec
tionist democrats shall be as honest as the pro
tectionist republicans. The republicans want
protection on wool because they believe in the
principle of protection; let no democratic advo
cate of a tax on wool masquerade behind the
pretense, that he is voting for a revenue tariff;
let him not add hypocrisy to the sin which he
commits against his party.
Differences of opinion are to be expected
within the party as well as without but ex
pediency as well as honor requires that the
differences shall be frankly stated, courageously
fought out and fairly settled. If protection is
to be accepted as a democratic doctrine, let it
be accepted openly and lot it be applied to
everything and to all sections. There is no
reason why a few sheep raisers should be shown
favoritism at the expense of all who wear
woolen clothing.
The republicans have been able to delude a
great many people for a long time by advocating
protection as a policy, but they have succeeded
because they consistently applied the principle
in favor of every industry which was willing
. to subscribe liberally to the campaign fund.
The democratic party can not hope to fool any
body very long by a one-sided application of the
doctrine to a few districts which happen to con
tain protectionist democrats who insist on keep
ing their hands in their neighbor's pockets. If
the democratic party is to be Aldrichized let
the change of policy be made with audacity, at
least. The man who does wrong boldly may
mislead a few, but the man who does wrong by
stealth and then tries to conceal it by equivoca
tion confesses his consciousness of guilt and
can not hope for a following.
However, before the democratic party is
finally committed to the doctrine of protection
it will be necessary to ponsult the voters of the
party, and it may be well to remember that the
CONTENTS
MEET THE ISSUE
THAT CENTRAL BANK
SENATOR POMERENE AND CRIMINAL
PROSECUTION
THE HENRY RESOLUTION
THEY KNEW WELL THEIR MAN
GENESIS OF TAFT'S NATIONAL INCOR
PORATION BILL
ONE TARIFF ITEM TO WHICH THEY
OBJECT
REPUBLICAN VIEW OF A REPUBLICAN
LEADER
PRACTICAL TARIFF TALKS
COMPETENT TO CHOOSE BUT NOT TO
RECALL
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
WASHINGTON NEWS
NEWS OF THE WEEK
0
APPRECIATED OT INDIANA 0
0 0
The following letter is self-explana-
tory:
6 Anderson, Ind., May 15, 1811 The
Commoner, Lincoln, Nob. I am pleased
6 to hand yon herewith thirty subBcrip-
0 tions to The Commoner under your two
years for ono dollar plan, and enclose my
check for $30.00 as payment for tho
0 same.
It has taken very little effort to place
these subscriptions. The rank and file of
0 the party Beem to understand democracy
' as declared and discussed in Tho Com-
0 moner.
All the democratic party has to do to
keep in favor with tho people is to oxe-
cute into law the promises and pledges
contained in tho national platform
0 adopted in Denver in 1908.
0 With best wishes for an extended in-
0 fluence for The Commoner, I am, yours
very truly, H. CLARENCE AUSTILL,
'
voters of all parties are braver than tho poli
ticians. The republican voters were brave
enough to turn out a lot of republican Aldrlches;
what reason have our democratic congressmen
to think that democratic voters are loss
courageous?
The democratic voters know that all needed
-revenue can be raised' in less oppressive ways
and they know that the argument that the
tariff on wool is proposed as a revenue tariff
is merely a Bubterfuge employed because those
who employ it aro ashamed to say that thoy
favor protection.
The democratic congress has made a splendid
record; let us hope it will not blot that record
and impair tho party's chances in 1912 by a
cowardly surrender to the relatively insignifi
cent number of democratic protectionists who
clamor for a tariff on wool in order to win the
Bupport of those wool growers who go Into poll
tics as a matter of business.
THE ARBITRATION TREATY
The arbitration treaty between tho United States
and England means the beginning of the end of
war. Tho people of tho whole civilized world are
to be congratulated that after having once re
jected it the men who had in charge the outline
of the proposed treaty inserted a clause provid
ing for the investigation of all questions, even
of those not submitted to arbitration. This is
plainly the most important provision in the
treaty. Other treaties have contained excep
tions which largely reduced their value as pre
ventives of war but now investigation is to be
made compulsory in every case, even tho so
called national honor is not made the basis of
exception and war becomes a remote possibility.
It will be remembered that at tho peace con
ference in London five years ago Mr. Bryan in
troduced a resolution demanding the Investiga
tion of all differences before the commence
ment of war. He had. at that time the support
of Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman and the con
gress then in session representing 256 nations
unanimously adopted the resolution. It was
later endorsed by peace congresses in New York
and in Scotland.
It Is understood that the United States has
announced its willingness to make a similar
treaty with France. It ought also make tho
offer to Germany, Japan, and other nations.
The world's peace is no longer a dream; it is
very nearly a glorious fact.
TIME FOR TEARS
The Denver News says: "The senate committee
of the Illinois legislature declares that William
E. Lorimer was elected to the senateby bribery
and corruption. Now is the time for Joe Bailey
to turn on a few more weeps."
That Central Bank
Tho readers of Tho Commoner are warned
again to bo on the lookout for the central bank.
While it seems impossible that tho financiers
should expect to got a central bank bill through
tho house of representatives, still tho men who
control our finances aro at work and thoy are
too shrewd to work as hard as thoy aro now
working without having somo prospect of suc
cess. The democratic party should bo united
in opposing tho central hank. Wo do not need
it, and we can not afford to build up such a
gigantic money trust in our midst. It Is hard
enough to control tho financiers when there is
somo little competition between them it will ho
a hopeless task when tho finances of tho govern
ment aro turned over to thom.
Wo do not need wo must not have any
asset currency. What wo need most is security
for depositors and until wo can have compulsory
guarantee all national banks should be given
their choice between joining a system under
which all tho banks guarantee each hank's de
positors against loss, or to give individual se
curity each bank making its depositors absolu
tely secure. A banker ought to be ashamed to
do business under conditions such as wo havo
now which allow him to make a big profit In
good times and yet compel his depositors to take
great risks in hard times.
Insofar as there is any need of an elastic cur
rency it can bo secured In two ways. First:
By allowing any ono (individual or bank) hold
ing a government bond td borrow its face value
(or near that) at any time by allowing tho in
terest to bo suspended and secured, then the
government can loan greenbacks to tho banks
or to a group of banks as an emergency cur
rency at an interest which would secure its
return when tho emergency is passed and on
terms which would compel the loaning of the
money at a reasonable rate. If congress will
look at the subject from the standpoint of the
whole people, instead of viewing It from the
standpoint of Wall street, it will not find it
difficult to devise remedies for all our financial
diseases. The trouble Is that tho financiers are
interested not In protecting tho public, but in
exploiting it, and the Aldrich measure, like all
other Wall street measures, is simply a new
kind of grand larceny.
If, instead of depositing government money In
favorite banks, tho treasurer was compelled to
loan tho money, on security prescribed by law,
to the banks offering the highest rate of in
terest (as is done in several states) tho money
would go where It Is most needed. That would
give some elasticity to the currency, but it would
not please Wall street.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT BOLTS
Republican papers aro telling about secret
caucuses between protectionist democrats and
the republican leaders, and we aro warned that
these protectionists threaten to bolt and act
with the republicans if tho special interests aro
not protected. Let them bolt. Tho democratic
party Is not responsible for what bolters do, but
it Is responsible for what the party as a party
does. The democratic party, as a party must
carry out the platform. If any democrats want
to join with the republicans to defeat the party,
let them do so and take the responsibility; tho
number of such will be few.
"THOUGH NOT OF THE ALDRICH TYPE'
Senator Martin is thus described by the New
York Times: "He Is a progressive democrat,
more of tho old school than of the new perhaps,
and, though not of the Aldrich type of protec
tionist, he is not the man to discard tried prin
ciples of statesmanship to follow the lure
of fads." -
In other words ho Is not so progressive that
he will not receive the enthusiastic support of
the newspapers that are regarded as spokesmen
for the special interests. Of course "he is not
as good as Aldrich" but nevertheless ho will do.
te4. iJu ;
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