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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1911)
The Commonero WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR VOL. 11, NO. 39 Lincoln, Nebraska, October 6, 1911 Whole Number 559 Speaking of Challenges At Cherryvale, Kan., the president repeated the challenge he issued at Detroit to Mr. Bryan to produce an example of restraint of trade that would not come within the scope of the supreme court decisions in the Standard Oil and tobacco trust cases. He spoke of the criticisms as "glib." It would be a reflection on the president's intelligence to assume that he expects his remarks on the trust question to be taken seriously. He knows that Mr. Bryan has only reiterated the criticisms contained in the dissenting opinion of Justice Harlan and in the report of the senate judiciary committee filed by Senator Nelson three years ago. Justice Harlan and Sena tor Nelson pointed out that the amendment written into the law by the supreme court PRACTICALLY NULLIFIES THE CRIMINAL CLAUSE OF THE ANTI-TRUST LAW. Relying on the authori ties cited by Justice Harlan and Senator Nelson Mr. Bryan has asserted, and asserts again, that it will be found practically impos sible to convict a trust magnate in a criminal court. Does the president believe a criminal conviction possible? If so, why does he hesitate to prosecute the officials of the Standard Oil and tobacco companies? How long would it take to secure a final decision in a criminal prosecution against a trust official? It required four years and a half to secure a judgment against the Standard Oil company and we do not know yet whether the "reorganization" will be any improve ment ovor the original company. The president is "bluffing." He knows that the question which he raises can not be settled until after the next presidential election and then it does not make any difference to him how it if settled. By the aid of the trusts he won the last presidential election without proposing any remedy for the trusts, and he hopes by the aid of the trusts to win another election by indorsing the retrograde policy of the supreme court. Ho may tickle the trust magnates, who elected him and who give him tho only hope he has of succeed ing himself but he ought not be able to deceive those who are really opposed to the trusts. But, speaking of challenges, here's one for the president: Mr. Bryan challenges him to make public the written and verbal recom mendations upon which he appointed Justice White to the position of chief justice over Justice Harlan and the recommendations, written and verbal, on which he appointed tho justices whom ho has placed on the supreme bench. Did he know how they stood on the trust question or was it PURELY ACCIDENTAL that ALL of his appointees took the trust side of the question? He signed a publicity bill that requires publicity as to campaign contributions. Why not have a little publicity as to the influences that control the appointment of United States judges? Deceived Not Coddled Tho New York World says: " 'The judge must be exceedingly dull who does not realize a growing impatience with the courts remarks the Saturday Evening Post. "The congressman must be exceedingly dull who does not realize a growing impatience with congress. "The governor must be exceedingly dull who does not realize a' growing impatience with governors. "The legislator must be exceedingly dull who does not realize a growing impatience with legislatures. "The editor must be exceedingly dull who does not realize a growing impatience with newspapers. "The great American public is impatient with everybody except its smug, complacent self. "Wo agree with Ed Howe that the public is coddled too much. Somebody or another is forever telling it about its hardships and its wrongs, but nobody ever tells it about its own stupidity and indifference and neglect and pas sion and prejudico and folly, which are respon sible for much of its trouble. "Just at present the public has seized upon the courts as one source of its political woes. A year or two later it will have found another victim. The public is ready to blame anybody except itself." This is quite candid of the World. It honestly believes that the public is "coddled;" too much attention is paid to public opinion, according to tho World's philosophy. Tho World not only believes that too much attention is being given to the public but it acts up to its belief. It practices the opposite policy of deceiving the public. Papers like tho New York Sun and Times are more frank in their support of the predatory interests but not more "effective. The public, however, can vote, and there are indica tions of a" growing resentment against tho deceivers. MAKING PROGRESS CONTENTS SPEAKING OF CHALLENGES DECEIVED NOT CODDLED BUT WHY A REED? MAKING PROGRESS MR. BRYAN'S NEBRASKA TOUR IN THE THIRD NEBRASKA DISTRICT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD WAIT FOR THE REPORT OF THE TARIFF BOARD? POWER OF CONGRESS OVER THE SUPREME COURT REPUBLICAN PANIC FALLACY EXPLODED CLEVER FALSEHOODS ABOUT PUBLIC SERVANTS HOME DEPARTMENT WHETHER COMMON OR NOT " NEWS OF THE WEEK WASHINGTON NEWS President Taft said at St. Louis: "Impeach ment of a' judge would be a very healthy thing in these times. I have known instances in con gress where there were grounds for impeach ment that ought to have been carried through, but on inquiry I found that the difficulties be tween the members of congress and tho judge had been settled by compromise, tho thing had been passed away. It is not necessary that wo should have an impeachment by the legislature if that is a clumsy method, as it Is. Wo can have some other method of investigating the qualifications of judges, and if they don't fill the measure, to remove them. Have somo sort of judicial hearing in which tho facts shall bo considered." He is making some progress. He recognizes that the judiciary may be TOO independent. Ho wants impeachment made EASIER. He Is mov ing. After while he may be ready to admit that the recall provides a safe, as well as EASY way to try a judge. The people aTe not so danger ous, after all. They elected Mr. Taft that ought to give him some confidence in them. He ought to have even more if he expects them to elect him again. But Why a Reed? Governor Mann of Virginia protesting, in an interview with the Now York Evening Post, against the initiative and referendum and re call said: "I should decline to hold ofilco under such a system. It would reduce the officeholder to tho level of a puppet. It would make him a reed swayed in the wind by every breath of public prejudice. Such a position would bo unsupportable, and If It over comes to pass hi my state I shall retire from politics. 1 deBlro to have nothing to do with such a system." But why should tho officeholder "be a reed swayed in tho wind?" Governor Mann's many admirers will now say that he Is a bravo and fearless public official. But is that really, under existing conditions, a high compliment? Would it not be much more of a compliment if, with the rocall in force Governor Mann were referrod to as a brave and fearless official? Then thcro would be something for the governor to be "fear less" of. And if ho were fOarless he would not bo "a reed swayed In the wind by every breath of public prejudice." The chances are he would be so brave, so fearless, and with it all so well meaning, that oven though the people did not agree with him in many of his public acts they would not re call him. Instead of the recall "reducing the offlco holder to the level of a puppet" it puts him on perpetual trial thus giving him the opportunity of proving his fearlessness and courage in every one of his official acts. A NEEDED REFORM AVOID THE .RUSH The clever paragrapher for the Houston (Tex.) Post says: "All those newspaper para graphers who believe that Mr. Bryan has made $25,000 on his Texas onion farm this year can be bored for the hollow-horn free of charge by applying at this office on tho flr3t Monday of each month." Is there any reason why a democratic con gress should hesitate to compel tho railroads to sell inter-stato tickets at the same rate that they sell tickets within tho state? A republi can house of representatives Included such a provision in the last railroad bill, but a republi can senate rejected it. The house is now demo cratic can It do less than the republican house did? The senate as now composed ought to join in the passage of such a law. It is an outrage upon tho public to make passengers get out at the state lino and purchase new tickets in order to get the benefit of tho two cent rate. Are tho railroads able to prevent the Introduc tion and passage of such a bill? o fctl-wagy'-;;.