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
