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NOVEMBER 17, 111
The Commoner.
"Shall tho People
Rule? is tho Over
whelming Issue."
Dem. Nat. Plat
form, 1008
Federation of Democratic Precinct Club
By United States Senator Robert L. Owen, Chairman Oiganizing Committee
TUB PRESIDENCY
IN 1012
LET US
ORGANIZH
Tho Commoner urges democrats everywhere
to organize Democratic Precinct clubs. Litera
ture and club constitutions for distributing
among your neighbors will be mailed upon re
quest to tho national headquarters, Washington,
D. O. Ten or more members can make a start.
The president of the club is its representative
on the city council (committee) and county
council of tho city federation and county federa
tion. Each member is entitled to use tho postal
vote on issues within tho entire federation.
Write a postal card and ask for tho supplies.
Do it now, and your name will be reported in
The Commoner and a democratic state paper.
The Federation of Democratic Precinct clubs
of the United States of America is an organi
zation chartered under the District of Colum
bia, so framed as to be self-governing by tho
members, self-sustaining and incapable of being
diverted to the uses of machine politics.
Its purpose is to enable the members of the
party to control the party organization from
the precinct to the national convention and to.
promote .the legitimate organization of the de
mocracy and to overthrow corrupt machine poli
tics within the party lines; to establish the
rule of the people by providing the mechanism
necessary to its establishment as a fact; to
enable the people to rule honestly by putting
an end to corrupt practices in primaries and
elections; to enable the "people to rule intelli
gently, by a system of complete publicity; to
nominate and. elect .only those candidates to
party position and for public office who are
absolutely known to believe in the wisdom,
honesty and the benevolence of tho people, and
who aTe known to be democratic from prin
ciple, who are identified with tho progressive
movement, and courageous enough to lead the
fight in the endeavor to bring the government
closer to the people and make it more respon
sive to the peoples' will; to question candidates
in the precinct, in the city, in the county, in
the state and in tho nation, ascertain their
views, records, affiliations and environment of
candidates for party place or public office, and
by this system of questioning candidates and
getting publicity, to nominate and elect men
who are in sympathy with the people and
pledged to their interest.
The Federation of Democratic Precinct clubs
will be in the control of the members of the
party and will not be in the control of tho
leaders, excepting so far as they really repre
sent the wishes of the body of the party. The
control of the organization by tho membership
Is provided by the initiative, the referendum,
the recall, the postal ballot, an economical,
quick and democratic method of governing the
prganization.
' We propose, to organize an army of a million
men at the pfecijict, pledged to make effective
the rule of the people through the party In city,
county, state and nation.
We thoroughly understand the crafty char
acter and insidious processes by which privilege
lias governed the United States through the
connivance of the republican machine politi
cians. We also thoroughly understand that
these commercial, selfish, privilege-seeking
classes are just as willing and anxious to us
the democratic party as they have been to use
the republican party. We are aware that in
eome of the states, because of tho defective
character of tho democratic organization, the
democrats have been betrayed by leaders carry
ing the democratic flags, who In reality were
not democrats in principle, but merely self
peeking mercenaries, using the organization
toid the party machinery and the powers of the
party for private profit.
We call upon good democrats, democrats from
principle, democrats who want nothing except
good government to organize precinct clubs
and join the federation, so that we may co
operate In establishing purity In politics, in
tegrity of government, equality of right and
tho overthrow of privilege. Tho timo has como
for this new development In tho American re
public when tho peoplo shall go.into tho govern
ing business and first by taking control of the
democratic party from tho precinct to the na
tional convention. We propose to nominate a
democrat who believes in tho peoples' rulo, who
is a progressive at heart, and who has tho
courage to stand firmly for tho principles of
fundamental democracy and who will not con
nlvo with tho agents of privilege.
Tho Federation of tho Democratic Precinct
clubs invites all good democrats into this
organization. Its doctrines aro purely demo
cratic. Tho real political contest In this coun
try is between the people and tho holders of
privilege, tho special interests, the system, the
beneficiaries of privilege existing In ten thous
and forms.
This country has been governed through party
organizations, and prlvilego has for years con
trolled the rogular national republican organi
zation, and through It have controlled tho na
tional government and many of tho state gov
ernments. This regular republican organization
the stand-pat machine Is about to be driven
out of power by the people who have olected a
progressive democratic house in congress and
who now partially control tho senate through
tho democratic senators and the revolting pro
gressive republican senators. It is obvious that
the democratic party is about to come In con
trol of the government in 1913 and tho great
danger of the democracy is that the advocates
and holders of privilege will rush into the
bosom of democracy for shelter, with protesta
tions of party loyalty and zeal and urgent advice
as to the party policy and choice of presidential
and other candidates.
Already tho agents of privilege aro making
secret efforts throughout the nation to control
tho regular democratic organization and will
endeavor to guide the choice of democratic nomi
nees. For this reason the peoplo must control
the precinct, the primaries, tho convention, tho
nominations, the elections, and the men elected,
and In their own interests. In this contest tho
advocates of privilege have unlimited funds, an
army of skilled workers and strikers, a powerful
press, a- host of beneficiaries, and will under
cover contest the field from end to end, whilo
tho people aro comparatively unorganized. The
present regular democratic organization, con
sisting of national, state, county, city, town
ship, ward 'and precinct committees and office
holders, has no right and no duty as an organi
zation to take sides to determine the nomination
and the election of their successors in office.
This work of nominating party committeemen,
party delegates and officials and public office
holders, and electing them, must be done by
tie people. The work of the rogular demo
cratic party committees begins after thoy have
been selected by the members of tho demo
cratic party and after the democratic candi
dates for public office shall have been nomi
nated by tho people. Where the primary system
does not exist the nomination of candidates for
publje office are made by caucuses and conven
tions, beginning at tho precinct, which makes
all the more Important tho control of tho pre
cinct by the members of the party.
It clearly follows' that the need of the hour
is tho organization of the people themselves for
self defense in the governing business, and first
of all in the governing business Is the selection
of the regular party organization, city, county
and state committees and delegates from the
precinct up to tho national convention. The
democratic party should be safeguarded in
every precinct, and from the precinct to the na
tional convention, so that the party may nomi
nate a progressive democrat for the presidency
and nominate an absolutely trustworthy man
for every party and public place. We should
have an organized army of a million precinct
men able, willing and anxious to elect a demo
crat president In 1912.
Let every progressive democrat organize a
club in his own precinct and send for litera
ture to distribute to democrats of- like mind
who will co-operate with him In" establishing a
precinct club and Joining the federation. There
is much to be done and said before the dele
gates to tho democratic national convention am
chosen.
The time for action Is at hand and we ap
peal to progressive domocrats to immediately
wrlto for copies of tho constitution, by-laws,
organization blanks, and Utorature for use in
organizing local clubs that will afflllato with
tho stato and national fodoration of precinct
clubs in an effort and determination to have the
democratic platforms doclaro for progressive
principles and to nominate candidates who are
in sympathy with and who will wage a fight In
behalf of tho principles sot forth in tho plat
form. Address
FEDERATION OF DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT
CLUBS, Gcorgo H. Shlbloy, Sec, Bliss Bldg.,
Washington, D. C.
OPERA BOUFFE
Portland, Mo., Oct. 24, 1911. Some gigantis
monopoly which has been pormlttod to grow
up unopposed, in tho very shadow of tho law,
by thrpttllng its competitors and making them
walk the plank to destruction, is now declared
to exist In "unreasonable" restraint of trado,
whereupon It proceeds to broak up into fractions
which for all Intents and purposes aro yot parts
of one great whole.
The wholo thing reminds mo of a king who
In order to destroy tho swine, docreod that all
the sows should havo pigs.
Each great trust is another swine, and the
supremo court plays tho part of the king by
whoso decree each trust found to bo "unreason
able" is made to glvo birth to a numerous litter,
each one of which knows its mother's voice
and has an inborn instinct to act In harmony
with tho idoals emanating from tho paternal
pigpon.
Tho same court seoms inclined to tho belief
that it would bo ''unreasonable" to Impound
the old sow, and that the ends of justlco and
the Intent of tho law ore satisfied and tho
public welfare conserved by letting her remain
at largo, with tho admonition that she must
forthwith multiply and replenish tho broed.
Is this enforcing tho law made for tho pro
tection of tho public? Is this tho acme of
statesmanship and of Judicial wisdom? Or Is
it simply opera bouffo? F. D. CUMMINGS.
THE REAL DEMOCRATIC LEADER
IN CONGRESS
From Colliers' Weekly: These words were
spoken some months ago by the leader of the
republicans in congress, Hon. James R. Mann:
"Oscar W. Underwood is not only tho leader
of the democratic majority; ho is tho majority.
He is not only the chairman of tho ways and
means committee; he is the ways and means
committee. Tho speaker used to be high mogul
in the house. Today the speaker is tho servant,
not tho master'
This expression looks interesting from several
angles. For one, Mr. Mann, one year ago,
together with every other republican congress
man except nineteen insurgents, was solemnly
assuring tho country that the speaker must be
a boss, that no practicable change in the rules
was possible whereby the speaker could be made
the mere umpire that he ought to be. Again,
this expression from Mr. Mann is Interesting at
information to those who are supporting Champ
Clark for the presidency because they think he
is the. democratic leader in congress. Champ
Clark has many excellent qualities, but he
doesn't bear the same relation to his party 1a
congress that Cannon used to.
AN OPEN LETTER
State Line, Miss., October 18, 1911. To the
Attorney General of tho United States, Washing
ton, D. C, Sir: If press reports be correct,
then the acts of the supreme court of a great
nation, and those of your department in. enter?
ing the commercial field and showing tho "bbi
interests" how to organize in order to dodge
an act of congress, constitutes such a travesty
on Jurisprudence as makes the thinking, man
blush. Yours, otc, D. B. BALLARD.
A Retired Lawyer.
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