The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 11, NO. 40
Lincoln, Nebraska, October 13, 1911
Whole Number 560
MV
Progressives vs. Reactionaries
The fight for the control of the next democratic convention is
the old fight between the progressives and the reactionaries. The
subsidized newspapers, republican and democratic, will be advising
the democratic party how to win, and they will unerringly agree
upon the man whom Wall street wants. They will have with them
the trust magnates who secured, at the hands of the supreme court,
the repeal of the criminal clause of the anti-trust law; they will have
all the railroad magnates who want to control the appointment of
interstate commerce commissioners and United States judges, and
they will have the big financiers who want to organize a money :
trust to increase the profits of all the other trusts.
Progressive democrats must stand togethor; they should in each "
state unite upon the progressive candidate who is strongest in that
state and then present a united front against the reactionaries. Can
didates are being weighed; opinions are being formed. Before the
primaries and conventions the progressives in each state should find
some way of getting together. The ambitions of candidates should
not bo considered; men are important only as they stand for prin-.
ciples and as they can advance policies that are good. Tho Com
moner will lend any assistance it can.
Plain People
The Baltimore Evening Sun says: "It would
be interesting to know what demagogues mean
when they talk about 'plain' people. Is there
some lesser breed in our midst? Do their men
wear jeans pants and their women calico
dresses? Are they one-eyed, or are they bino
cular, ljke the rest of us? Would the dema
gogues aforesaid dare tell the people they refer
to their faces that they were 'plain?' We wot
not! There are no classes in the United States,
and the statesman who tries to travel on that
kind of humbug is going to wake up to find
himself a dead politician."
If the Baltimore Evening Sun really believes
that there are no classes in the United States
it would learn something to its advantage if it
would undertake to withdraw the special privi
leges enjoyed by a coterie of men in this coun
try, putting those men on the same level with
the men otherwise known as "the plain people"
i who do not enjoy those privileges.
If there are no classes in the United States,
what about those people who give their
daughters in marriage to titled foreigners as
an incidental to a fortune settlement at the
very time when ordinary men and women are
wrestling with the problem of living?
"The plain people" are thoso who aTe willing
that the government shall be operated for the
public benefit and who ask of government noth
ing more than equality before the law.
. 0
A MORAL ISSUE
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
If tho supreme court was not packed in the
interest of the trusts will President Taft explain
CONTENTS
. PROGRESSIVES VS. REACTIONARIES
PLAIN PEOPLE
THE SECRET OUT
MR. BRYAN AND THE PEACE
MOVEMENT
FORTY-FIVE YEARS OF SCHEDULE K-
A STORY OF DODGE AND DELAY
CARDINAL GIBBONS' PHILOSOPHY
WHAT THE INSURGENTS ARE DOING
MR. BRYAN AND PRESIDENT TAFT
ADMIRAL SCHLEY AND THE FLAG
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
Protection is essentially and intrinsi
cally unjust. At tho vory threshold of
the discussion of protection just men
should insist that government has no
right through a statute to enable a few
men to increase their wealth at tho ex
pense of the whole bbdy of consumers.
Right and justico are opposed to such a
The Secret Out
Those who want to know why Governor
Hughes was appointed to tho supromo bench
can find it in the speech rnado last week by Mr.
Perkins, until recently a partner of J. Plorpont
Morgan. Mr, Perkins says that Governor
Hughes was he man put forward in 19 JO to
g3StoW&J tho republican party's position on th
tcr reason on the beneficent results of in-
justice. Injustice in the long run al-
ways brings evil, and men may bo over
so wise in determining tho good results
of an unjust law, yet they overlook Jtho
fact that the results must in the very na-
ture of things eventually bring destruc-
tion. Franklin Pierce, member of New
York bar.
how he just happened to appoint Justico Hughes,
who, in his campaign speeches, promised that
the republican party would adopt "the rule of
reason" asked for by the trusts?
THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Sept. 29, 1911. The Denver Post, Denver,
Colo. Gentlemen: Answering your question, I
beg to say that I am not in favor of selling tho
Philippine Islands to any country. I do not
agree with those who believe that people can
be rightfully bought or sold the sale of tho
Philippine Islands would be virtually a' sale of
the people. The question of price is not to be
considered in a matter of this kind. The demo
cratic party in three national campaigns has
declared in favor of promising independence, tho
promise to be fulfilled as soon as a stable govern
ment is established. The last platform added a
suggestion in regard to the securing of neutrali
zation by treaty. I believe that these platforms
set forth the proper method of dealing with tho
Philippine question, and hopo to see these plat
forms carried out.
I am in full sympathy with those who desire
the reclamation of all the arid lands of our own
country, such reclamation to be secured by the
proper use of the streams and by the storage of
surplus waters, but it is not necessary that wo
shall adopt the imperialistic idea of negotiating
for the salo of people in order to secure the
money necessary for the development of our
own country. Very truly yours, W. J. BRYAN.
PUBLICITY! PUBLICITY!! PUBLICITY!!!
Now, that Mr. Perkins discloses the REASON
for Governor Hughes' appointment to the su
premo bench, will President Taft tell us upon
whose recommendation Governor Hughes was
appointed?
trust question and that Governor IIughc3, in
his speech at Youngstown, Ohio, construed tho
republican promise to amend tho anti-trust law
as follows: "In our progress wo must avoid
falso steps. Ours must be THE RULE OF
REASON," etc.
Mr. Perkins says: "Tho only vestige of keep
ing faith with tho people on anything Involved
in this campaign, and as discussed In tho cam
paign, Is found in the supremo court's recent
trust decisions, wherein tho 'rule of reason' is
applied, and- in connection with this significant
fact are the following sentiments of tho Youngs
town speech of Governor Hughes, for tho past
year a member of tho supremo court:
" ' But in our progress wo must
seek to avoid falso steps. Ours must be tho rulo
of reason, clear eyed, calm, patient and stead-,
fast; defeating the conspiracies of intrigue and
escaping the pitfalls of folly. Supreme must bo
the sense of justice, with its recognition of our
mutual dependence.' "
Here wo have it. Governor Hughes was put
forward to represent the republican party; ho
assured the trusts that "the rule of reason" for
which they had been waiting for more than ten
years would be adopted. Congress refused to
keep the promise, so Governor Hughes was put
on the supremo bench and helped to AMEND
tho LAW IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RE
PUBLICAN PROMISE and now President Taft,
in whoso interest the promise was made and
who appointed Governor Hughes, says that tho
anti-trust law as amended by tho court must
not bo disturbed.
Here is a chain of circumstantial evidenco
sufficient to convict In a criminal court, and yet'
some of our democratic leaders are willing to
allow this gigantic conspiracy to be carried out!
Can they be trusted to represent the democratic
sentiment of the country?
THE BURDEN OF PROOF
Indications point to the expulsion of Senatoi
Stephenson of Wisconsin. After his manager
had, testified that no account had been kept of
expenditures and that he did not know for what
purpose the money was'used Chairman Heyburn.
a stand-pat republican, announced that fraud
would be assumed when no account was ronr
dered. This comes very near being an an
nouncement that the senator must go. The
purification of politics goes on; the senate will,
in a few years, be a peoples' forum.
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