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The Commoner.
.VOLUME 11, NUMBER 33
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
Entered at tho Postofllce at Lincoln, Nebraska,
as second-class matter.
WlMJAM J. llllYAN
Utlltor nnd Proprietor
ItlCllAJlU X Wr.TCAI,K
A ticcinlc Editor
Ciiaiujcs W. JinYAN
Ptibllnhcr
Fdltorlnl Uoomn nnd Uuslnesa
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Address all communications to
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nob,
Tho democrats ought to seo now what it has
coat them to put a tariff on wool.
""Senator Heed, of Missouri, is winning his
spurs. His amendments to the publicity bill aro
all right they ought to bo accepted by the
house.
President Taft says that tho majority is not
always right and yet ho draws his salary as if
ho felt quite certain that the majority was right
in 1908.
If all the bills are to show as much conces
sion to protection aB the wool bill does it is
easy to understand why Mr. Underwood prefers
to delay their' introduction.
No, the majority is not always right be
lievers in popular government admit that; but
tho opponents of the recall seem to believe that
tho majority is always wrong.
Well, Brother Watterson has been turned
down by tho "drys." Will ho rejoice over it as
much as he did over tho turning down of Mr.
Bryan by the "wets" last year?
The president had a splendid opportunity to
repeat in his veto message the arguments he
made four years ago agalnBt the initiative and
referendum in Oklahoma's constitution BUT
HE DID NOT.
Do the independent steel companies undersell
the trust, or do thoy allow the steel trust to
fix prices? If the independent companies take
advantage of the trust scale of prices are they not
as much interested in the tariff as the steel trust?
Tho people in the gallery do not pay as much
as the people in tho parquet, but they pay some
thing and that which they do pay swells the
receipts. Why should they be ignored? They
are in tho same class with the small tax payer
thoy can not get tho attention of the parquet
statesmen.
Mr. Underwood quoted a telegram sent to Mr.
James congratulating him (Mr. Underwood) on
an Interview ho gave out when the steel trust
closed down one of its factories, but he did not
explain why ho failed to use the incident to
secure tho passage of admeasure making it un
lawful for corporations to close down for tho
purpose of coercing congress.
"ASK THE CANDIDATE"
Commoner readers everywhere aro advised
to submit to tho various presidential candidates
questions something liko the following:
1 Question Do you favor tariff for revenue
only?
1 Answer
2 q Do you favor freo raw material and the
placing of a revenue duty only on manu
factured goods?
2 A.
Q Do you believe that in the revision of tho
tariff the elemont of protection should bo
given consideration?
3 A.
Q Do you believe that the three branches of
government aro co-ordinate and that each
one should keep within its constitutional
sphere?
4 A.
5 Q Do youapprove the recent Standard Oil
decision wherein the United States supreme
court legislated the word ''unreasonable"
into the Sherman anti-trust act?
5 A.
Q Do you favor the repeal of the criminal
clause of tho anti-trust law or do you be
lieve that in view of supreme court legis
lation congress Bhould make it clear that
all restraint of trade is unreasonable?
G A.
7 Q Do you favor the' election of senators by
the people?
7 A.
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8 Q Do you favor ' the income tax? - "
8 A -. . .,
9 Q Do you believe that it is the duty of the
American people to promise independence
to the Filipinos immediately and to give
it in tho same way in which they gave
independence to the Cubans?
9 A.
10 Q Do you believe In the publicity of cam
paign contributions and expenditures both
before and after election day in order that
the people may know in advance the
GOOD, BUT NOT ENOUGH
Senator Pomerene is insisting that the offi
cials of the Standard Oil and tobacco companies
should be prosecuted criminally. That is all
right, they Bhould be, but that is not enough.
It will take years to settle that question and
it is probable that the court will hold that, as
the law has not yet defined "unreasonable" re
straint, the defendants could not entertain a
criminal intent to violate the law. While tho
defendants are being prosecuted and the law is
being tested, the democrats Bhould push tho
remedy outlined in the last national platform,
and they should also enact legislation making
it impossible for the court to read the word
"unreasonable" Into the law. This is no time
for long-drawn-out discussions over nice dis
tinctions j the country is suffering suffering
badly, and the democrats should not stop until
it is made impossible for a private monopoly
to exist.
MISSOURI AND FOLK
William Marion Reedy, editor of the St. Louis
Mirror, has this to say of the Folk-for-president
movement:
"A Folk-for-president organization has been
formed in Missouri. There is not much It can
do but this: send to the editors of the non
machine politicians of the democracy of tho na
tion a simple statement of what Mr. Folk has
done as circuit attorney of St. Louis and gover
nor of Missouri. There is a record against
which nothing to be urged by Harmon or Wilson
character of support each party and candi
date receives?
10 A.
11 Q Are you willing that the source o". every
dollar of contribution made to your cam
paign fund either after your nomination or
during the contest for the nomination shall
be made public prior to election day?
11 A.
12 Q Do you believe in the support of the
state governments in all their rights?
12 A,
13 Q Do you indorse the labor planks of tho
1908 platform?
13 A.
14 Q Do you believe in the strict regulation of
railroads?
14 A.
15 Q Do you indorse the democratic platform
of 1908 respecting trusts wherein it de
clares that "a private monopoly is indefen
sible and intolerable" and presents a
remedy?
15 A.
16 Q Do you approve the plan known as the
Aldrich currency scheme?
16 A.
17 Q Do you favor asset currency in any form?
17 A.
18 Q Do "you believe in the establishment of
what is known as a central bank?
18 A.
19 Q Do you favor legislation compelling
banks to insure depositors?
19 A
Let democrats everywhere ask questions and
secure answers, thus finding out just what every
candidate stands for. In this way democrats
may be able to determine with some degree of
intelligence as to the available candidate.
The Commoner will be glad to print the re
plies made to these questions by gentlemen
whose names have been mentioned in connec
tion with the democratic presidential nomination.
or any other possibility can prevail. It is demo
cratic every entry upon the docket. It is pro
gressively democratic. It is in absolute accord
with popular government and ringingly anti
monopolistic. It is a record that will glvo all
the gangsters tho colly-wobbles. And when
"they" say the record is all right but Folk is
not an expedient candidate, there's this answer:
Missouri is a doubtful state. Folk was tho last
democrat to carry it for governor and he did it
when Roosevelt carried it for president. He
was beaten for the United States senate, but
his name on the ticket saved the state to tho
party. Tho last elected senator from Missouri
won because he declared for Folk. And Folk
is not alone a local celebrity. He is nationally
known as a democrat of democrats at all points.
Folk has more than a show in the running. Ho
will be nominated if hiB friends go with his
Tecord to the people and not to the politicians."
ARISTOCRACY CRUMBLING
The house of lords has bowed to the inevit
able: it has passed the bill shearing itself of its
power. Henceforth it can delay a measure for
two years but it can not longer obstruct the will
of the people. It is a great victory for democ
racy a victory which is likely to havo far
reaching consequences. Other European coun
tries havo their hereditary bodies and the de
gradation of tho British house of lords is sura
to arouse public sentiment In favor of curtail
ing their powers. Aristocracy is crumbling-
democracy grows.
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