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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1911)
The Commoner. WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR VOL. Uf NO. 41 Lincoln, Nebraska, October 20, 1911 Whole Number 561 Who Recommended Them? President Taft You appointed to the chief justiceship of th supreme court, Justice White, who, thirteen years ago, took tha trusts' side of the trust question; you appointed Wm over the head of Justice Harlan who had served longer and with more distinction and who had taken the people's side on trust and other questions. Who asked you to give a trust democrat the preference over an anti-trust republican? Make public the recommendations, written and verbal, and let the neople know the influences that dictate your appointments. You appointed Governor Hughes to the supreme bench after he had interpreted your platform to suit the trusts and he proceeded to join Chief Justice White and carry out your platform promise to amend the anti-trust law by weakening it. Make public the written and verbal recommendations upon which you appointed Justice Hughes and let the people see how many trust magnates united to secure his appointment All the other supreme justices, appointed by you, took the fidt of the trusts in those decisions. Make public the written and verbal recommendations on which you appointed them and let the publit see how completely you have turned our highest court over to the trusts. You now say that the trusts, having secured what they wnt there shall bo no change in the law. Having aided the trusts to make the law to suit them, you now propose to keep the people from amending the law in their interest. Please tell the people why anybody but a trust magnate should indorse your position on the trust question. A VOTE TO APPROVE PRESIDENT TAPT'S POLICIES IS A VOTE FOR THE TRUSTS. The President Dodges The Associated Press report of Mr. Taft'a meeting at Tacoma, Wash., October 11th, says: - "The president referred sarcastically to hla challenge to publicists and jurists and 'others -who don't deserve the name' to And a loophole for Illegal trusts In tho Sherman anti-trust law under the supreme court's Standard Oil and tobacco decisions. "Tho only answer to that challenge, ho said, was tho Yankeo one tho question, TTell mo your motives in your appointments to tho supremo court.' " 'That answer, said Mr. Taft, 'reminds mo of the story of tho Irishman who inquired: 'Toll me, was your grandmother a monkey?' " But The Commoner has not asked Mr. Taft for his "motives" in his appointments to the eupreme court. It has asked Mr. Taft to make public the written and verbal recommendations upon which he appointed Justice White to the position of chief justice over Justice Harlan and the recommendations, written and verbal, on which ho appointed Justice Hughes, now famous as "the rule of reason" originator. Did Mr. Taft know how these justices stood on the trust question or was it purely acci dental that all his appointees took the trust side of the question? If Mr. Taft will make public these recom mendations the people will be in a position to pass accurate judgment as to his "motives." . In the meantime Mr. Taft need not be sur prised if his refusal to give the people publi city as to the Influences behind the successful , candidates for justices of the supreme court is CONTENTS WHO RECOMMENDED THEM? THE PRESIDENT DODGES WALL STREET FAVORITES 'A LITTLE LESSON IN TRUSTS "WITH EXACTNESS GRINDS HE ALL" COURAGE AND INSPIRATION FROM CALIFORNIA ELECTION RELIGION AND EDUCATION WHAT PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRACY WANTS MR. BRYAN'S SPEECH AT THE CON SERVATION CONGRESS HOME DEPARTMENT ' " : WHETHER COMMON OR NOT"" NEWS OF THE WEltfJS. t WASHINGTON NEWS i CALIFORNIA'S WELCOME PRESIDENT TAFT TO Dear Mr. President; Welcome to our 'state. We have appointed our three youngest sons, Initiative, Referendum axid Recall to accompany you through tho state They will protect you from tho mob. CALIFORNIA. 0 interpreted to mean that tho men who per suaded Mr. Taft to appoint these gentlemen were tho beneficiaries of tho decision whereby the Sherman anti-trust law was destroyed. JOHN M. HARLAN John M. Harlan, the veteran associate justice of the United States supreme court, died October 14, at his home in Washington city. He had served on the supreme bench for thirty-three years and was seventy-eight years old last June. Justice Harlan was frequently referred to as the greatest constitutional authority of his day. Ho was one of the world's great figures and as a public servant he had tho confidence of the people. His ambition to become chief Justice of the supreme court was not realized but ho had something better than the highest of offices, and that is the love and respect of the people in whose name he had been called to the public service. The members of the supreme court of the United States exercise vast authority and Justice Harlan lacked but a few months of having ex ceeded all former members in length of service. Ho possessed a rare ability, coupled with un wearied industry, stern integrity and moral courage of the highest order. He has emerged from many contests a hero. His dissenting opinions will fill a volume and they will make him the supreme Judicial figure of his genera tion. He was a friend of tho common people and they will mourn his death. His place will not easily be filled. OAWFORNIA SPEAKS California adopts the initiative, referendum and recall and to the surprise of all gives the recall a little larger majority than the initiative and referendum. This was probably due to the fact that a special fight was made on the re call and the vote on that was larger than on the other amendment This ought to suggest to the aristocratio element that they are out of harmony with the democratic spirit of the country. Wall Street Favorites I. B. Wyatt, Huntsvillo, Ala., writes to Th Commoner this letter: "I oncloso you a' stock market letter which I clipped from tho Memphis Commercial Appeal today. I was improssod with what tho writer has to say in roforonca to tho presidential tickets. It bears out your contention that Wall street wants either Taft or Harmon. I am for Woodrow Wilson and bolieve ho will bo tho next president." Tho stock letter from the Memphis Com merclal Appeal Is by1 Thomas C. Shotwpll and 'is dated New York, September 18th. Tho clos ing paragraph of that letter follows: "Money was firmer and this was hailed as a sign of coming improvement in business. If Taft could get the country to adopt his federal Incorporation plan there would bo no doubt of a speedy resumption of trade. For this reason his series of speeches will be watched with great Interest by Wall street. IN WALL STREET, BY THE WAY, THE NEXT PRESI DENTIAL TICKETS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE UP. TAFT HEADS THE REPUBLICAN TICKET AND HARMON OF OHIO LEADS THE DEMOCRATS. GOVERNOR WILSON DOES NOT EVEN GET A VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION." A LITTLE LESSON IN TRUSTS Herbert Knox Smith, commissioner of corporations has been delving Into the history of the tobacco trust. Hero are some of his findings: In 1890 the trust had $25,000,000 "capital." In 1908 this "capital" had grown to $316, 000,000. A part of this "capital" Is listed under tho head of "good will" $148,000,900. Whose "good wJll'r Is not stated, but certainly not that of tobacco growers or tobacco users. In 1885 one part of the trust, tho Duke Sons company, was worth the modest sum of $250,000. By tho mere process of Joining the trust it swelled to $7,500,000 and, later, was treated to a further doBe of $22,000,000 in "securities." Yes, and "earns" 19 per cent on that. Now, what profits do you think this little measly Duke proposition of $250,000 has "earned" In 23 years? Oh, a matter of $39,000,000, or 15,500 per cent! Really, gentlemen of high finance, how long do you expect the American public to stand this game of watered stock, industrial monopoly, rising cost of living, and com mercialized politics? Don't you imagine the worm will turn, sometime? Wichita (Kan.) Beacon. A