II I
The Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL, 11, NO. 31
Lincoln, Nebraska, August 11, 1911
Whole Number 551
Why the Secret Caucus?
If the democratic members of the house did not submit to secret caucuses
on public affairs there would be no doubt concerning any of their proceedings.
Why should any democratic member submit to the secret caucus? Why
should not the public business which these men have to do be transacted in the
open so that their constituents may be able to fix responsibility for all that they
do and for all that they fail to do?
The secret caucus is one of the worst foes of popular government. If you
are opposed to it write your member of congress and urge him to protest
against it.
? THE UNDERWOOD INCIDENT
, Mr. Underwood chafrmari of tho ..ways' and
''means committee; rose to a question of privi
: lege, last -Wednesday and accused Mr. Bryan of
misrepresenting Tiitf attitude on the iron and
steel schedule. He quoted a Commoner editorial
(of last week) entitled, "Underwood Unmasked,"
and denounced the' charges contained in it as
false. The Commoner editorial was written hy
Mr. Bryan and was based on a Washington dis
patch which appeared in the Omaha World
Herald of July 26.
If the World-Herald report is not true Mr.
Bryan withdraws his criticism, apologizes for
the editorial and expresses regret that he
brought tho charge he did. If, however, the
World-Herald report is correct if Mr. Clark
offered or supported a resolution Instructing tho
committee to proceed to report other tariff re
duction bills, including a bill to reduce tho tariff
on iron and steel, and Mr. Underwood led the
. fight against it and defeated it, Mr. Bryan has
a right to draw his own conclusions as to WHY
Mr. Underwood opposed Mr. Clark's resolution.
It if is true, as the World-Herald says, that Mr.
Kitchin referred to Mr. Underwood's invest
ments in the steel business and expressed the
fear that delay in reducing the iron and steel
schedule might be attributed to that pecuniary
interest, Mr. Bryan has a right to refer to the
matter and to express his own opinion. The fact
that Mr. Underwood wanted the steel schedule
CONTENTS
THE UNDERWOOD INCIDENT
ANOTHER HEARST CRITICISM
VARDAMAN, REFORMER
ECHOES OF A SECRET CAUCUS
AN OPEN LETTER FROM MR. BRYAN"
SHYING AT FREE RAW MATERIAL
O'GORMAN ALL RIGHT
FARMERS' FREE LIST BILL
HON. JOHN W. TOMLINSON
WHY MAJOR STOFER WILL NOT
SUPPORT MARTIN
THE PEACE TREATIES
HOME DEPARTMENT
HON. ROBERT L. HENRY'S GREAT
SPEECH ON INTERNATIONAL
MARRIAGES
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
attacked first, as he declares he did, Is evidence
to bo considered, but it is not conclusive. A
tender made in court must be kept good: if he is
nowoppojejlijm
Iron and steel schedule tho public is not com
pelled to accept the reasons which he gives,
any more than it is compelled to accept tho
reasons which ho gavo for favoring a tariff on
wool.
ANOTHER HEARST CRITICISM
The Chicago Exmlner, of August 3rd, pub
lishes a Washington dispatch which begins as
follows: "Democracy tho only democracy that
has commanded the confidence of the people
sinco William Jennings Bryan assumed leader
ship of tho paTty fifteen years ago today
sounded the death knell of the Nebraska states
man's dictatorship."
Well, Mr.' Bryan can stand this; ho has long
since become accustomed to receiving such com
'pliments from the Examiner, but it pains him
to read so sweeping a criticism. If the Examiner
statement was that Mr. Bryan's brand of democ
racy had been recently repudiated, that paper
might exult, but what about the democracy that
Mr. Hearst supported in 1900 when he was
president of the National League of Democratic
clubs? And what about the Hearst democracy
of 1904? That was within fifteen years; lw It
possible that it did not command "the confidence
of the people?" Tho Examiner should be moro
discriminating it should confine its denuncia
tion, to those democracies with which its pub
lisher has not been identified.
TRANSFERRING THE TAX
Some of the advocates of a tax on wool insist
that it Is a tax on the manufacturers. They
should read Chairman Underwood's speech:
"Now, I will say a great many manufacturers
claim that you ought to carry 65 per cent of tho
tax you levy on raw wool into the ad valorem
rate on the finished product as a compensation
for the tax they pay, but after carefully esti
mating and working It out as far as the com
mittee and tho experts could, I think by carry
ing 50 per cent of the tax on raw wool into the
ad valorem rate on the finished product you
fully compensate the manufacturer."
He admits that his bill "fully compensates"
the manufacturer that is, ho gives protection
to the sheep owner and then transfers the burden
from the manufacturer to tho consumer. As we
produce but a small percentage of the woolen
goods consumed the larger part are imported,
the manufacturer gets a big advantage out of
the compensatory duty and the consumers pay it.
NO "GUMSHOE" CANDIDATE
Tho questions propounded by Mr. Bryan and
sent out to tho different aspirants for tho demo
crattonomination for tho presidency -next year
havo provoked considerable discussion. Gover
nor Marshall of Indiana was tho first ono to
respond to Mr. Bryan's list of questions. Ho
answered them to the satisfaction of most demo
crats. Tho reactionary element at Washington
ridiculed Mr. Bryan's move and denounced it as
tho method of a dictator. Tho truly democratic
contingent there applauded tho step. Ono of
this latter class Is Representative Robert Leo
Henry of Texas, whp Is chairman of tho houso
committee on rules. In discussing the move Mr.
Henry had this to say of the situation:
"This Is no time for pussy-footed, gumshoe
and adjustable candidates for president. If
they will speak out, tho voters will know their
positions, their pledges will bo sacred and there
will be no dodging, repudiating and bolting
platform decrees. For twenty years we have
been fighting to get up to these Issues, and now
let us not permit any smooth presidential artist
to fool and eludo tho people." South Bend
(Indiana) New Era.
VARDAMAN, REFORMER
The democrats of Mississippi have selected
a reformer for tho United States senate. Ex
Governor Vardaman carried the primary by ft
considerable majority over his two opponents.
The new senator is a strong character and a man
of ideals. He is positive and aggressive and
will be a valuable addition to the group of new
senators who aro trying to apply democratic
principles to present conditions. Next!
A few more days and Virginia will determine
whether she will send Congressman Jones to tho
senate to join the growing body of positive and
progressive democrats or return Senator Martin
to' lead the diminishing group of reactionary
democrats.
KERN TO THE RESCUE
Senator Kern stepped in with his amendment
just in time to save the farmers' free list, after
Senator Bailey's vote had defeated tho bill In
tho form in which it passed tho houso. Good
for Kern!
0 00 00
0
0 "Don't mistake the cheers of the poll-
ticians for the votes of the people."
William Archer, Jackson, Miss. See
Page 3.
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