The Commoner.
WILLIAM J, BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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VOL. II, NO. 52
Lincoln, Nebraska, January 5, 1912
Whole Number 572
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A Bit of History
' In an interview recently published in the New
York Herald, President Taft gave the public a
bit of history. In discussing the submission of
the income tax amendment to the constitution
he said:
"There was strong pressure from the demo
crats and some of the republicans, including all
the insurgents, for the revival of the old incomo
tax, on the plea that the personnel of the su
preme court had changed since its decision that
the act of 1894 was unconstitutional, and hence
.we might hope for a different decision.
"I have always been in favor of an inconvo
tax laying power in the general government, be
cause it may some time be needed to save the
nation; but I did not think this the proper way
to secure it, having a due regard for the prestige
of the supreme court.
"Presently, in fear of the income tax law's
passing, Mr. Aldrich ceased laughing at my plan
for a corporation tax and came down to see me
about it. 'Can you induce enough doubtful
senators, if we put the corporation tax in the
bill and adopt a constitutional amendment per
mitting an income tax, to defeat the general in
come tax law proposed by the democrats and
insurgents?' he inquired. I expressed my belief
that I could, and the sequel showed I was right.
I am proud of having taken such a part in
obtaining tho corporation tax."
It will be remembered that in 1908 he
, opposed the democratic plan of securing an in
' come tax amendment; he said that an income
tax could be secured by statute whenever the
country needed it. Now he tells us that the
democrats and progressive republicans com- -bined
to secure an income tax by statute his
plan and that AT THE SUGGESTION OF MR.
ALDRICH who did not want any income tax
at all he brought forward the constitutional
amendment to defeat a statutory income tax.
This is a confession that he does not deserve any
credit for this great reform for the income
tax amendment, when adopted, will be a great
economic advance. While this reform will come
under his administration the democrats and pro
gressive republicans will deserve credit for
compelling the submission of the amendment.
A QUESTION OP BIAS
Congressman Littleton takes offense at an
editorial in The Commoner suggesting his re
tirement from the Stanley committee. He
should not be so sensitive. He is right in saying
that his personal relations with Mr. Bryan are
friendly and the criticism ought not to make
them less. Mr. Littleton's bias is toward the
trusts, at least Mr. Bryan thinks so, and as an
CONTENTS
A BIT OP HISTORY
ANOTHER PLANK VINDICATED
"THE OLD SHIP IS LEAKING"
A DEFENDER OF CRIME.
THE STATE AND NATION
MR. ROOSEVELT ON TRUSTS
SAMUEL UNTERMYER ON MONEY
TRUST MR HARMON'S RECORD ABATEMENT
OF SMOKE NUISANCE AND OTHER BILLS
W. H. THOMPSON'S ADDRESS ON INITIA
TIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL
WATTERSON ON CHRISTIANITY
HOME DEPARTMENT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
editor Mr. Bryan must deal with situations as
he sees them. Mr. Littleton's bias is none tho
less harmful because unconscious, Mr. Bryan's
criticism did not rest on the charges made by
Mr. Martin; it rested on tho action of Mr.
Littleton as a menibor of tho committee. But
since Mr. Littleton's speech it is not nocessary
to rely on the conduct as a member of tho
Stanley committee. His speech shows him to be
a reactionary and the party can not afford to
lot reactionaries speak for it on the trust ques
tion no matter how honest they may bo.
THE McNAMARA. LESSON
As might have been expected tho McNamara
confessions have given tho enemies of labor a
chance to libel all who are connected with
organized efforts to protect the wago earnorB.
Men who are indignant whenever the sins of
sweatshop owners are charged against all manu
facturers, when tho crimes of the trust magnates
are imputed to all who are engaged in big busi
ness and when the vices of the "Napoleons of
finance" laid at the door of bankers generally
these hasten to hurl broadsides at all who earn
their bread in the sweat of the brow. This is
unfair in the extreme. The McNamaras have
been guilty of an awful crime and all law-abiding
citizens rejoice that punishment has been meted
out to them. They have not only sinned out
rageously against society, but they have sinned
even more grievously against their associates
who trusted them and, who, believing in their
innocence, contributed liberally to their defense
fund. Organized labor Is not to blame for them,
however;- on the contrary, it is stronger for their
elimination, and only those who encouraged
them or defend their conduct ought to share
their Condemnation.
Organized labor has learned a lesson it will
be more careful in the selection of its leaders;
and society may well pause and inquire if there
is anything wrong in the conditions which led
these men to enter into so dastardly a conspir
acy against life and property.
THE PLOT THICKENS
A meeting was recently held in Chicago to
organize a movement to push the Aldrich cur
rency scheme. Tho name, "The National Citi
zens League" does not Indicate the purpose of
the organization a national citizens league can
work for anything. Neither does it describe its
purpose to call it a currency reform movement,
for there are many ways of reforming the cur
rency some good and some bad. Its real pur
pose is to bring pressure to bear upon congress
to force the passage of the ALDRICH currency
scheme. It will not be urged at the regular ses
sion it will probably be left to the "job ses
sion" which convenes after the election. Let
democrats be on their guard and fight it always
and everywhere.
HOW THE LAW STANDS NOW
The National CiYic Federation submitted a
list of questions to a number of business men.
Mr. Fenton Lawson of F. H. Lawson & Co., at
Cincinnati, manufacturers of sheet metal goods,
answered the first question in this way:
"Question 1. Do you believe that the Sher
man law, as now interpreted, is made clear and
workable?"
"Answer. No. The only thing about the re
cent supreme court decisions is that any concern
charged with violation of the law will be con
demned or cleared as the personal opinion,
whim, prejudice or financial interest of the
judge' on the bench may dictate."
The New York Herald is urging as ITS plan
a uniform price for trusts. The democratic
national platform of 1908 urged this Plan as
a part of the license system proposed. Tho
Commoner is glad to welcome tho Herald to the
support of the plan and sorry that it did not
support it in 1908,
Now would be a good time for a democrat to
begin the fight for free ships.
Another Vindication
Tho Now York Horald Is making much of a
suggestion that as a means for tho suppression
of a trust monopoly the law requiro uniform
prices In commodities changed only by transpor
tation charges in different sections of the coun
try. Tho Herald prints Interviews from a num
ber of public men from various sections of tho
country, in which Interviews tho uniform price
plan is enthusiastically upheld.
Tho Horald Is to bo congratulated upon ita
good efforts and tho democracy in to bo con
gratulated In that ono of tho planks of Its
1908 national platform has been vindicated.
Tho truBt plank In 1908 was as follows:
"A private monopoly is indofcnHlblo and In
tolerable. Wo thoreforo, favor tho vigorous re
form of tho criminal law against guilty trust
magnates and officials, and demand tho enact
ment of such additional legislation as may bo
necessary to make It Impossible for a private
monopoly to exist in tho United States. Among
tho additional romodios, wo specify three: First,
a law preventing a duplication of directors
among competing corporations; second, a
license system which will, without abridging tho
right of each state to create corporations, or Its
right to regulate as It will foreign corporations
doing business within its limits, make it noces
sary for a manufacturing or trading corporation
engaged in interstate commerce to tako out a
federal license before It shall bo permitted to
control as much as twenty-flvo per cont of tho
product in which it dealfl, tho license to protect
tho public from watered stock and to prohibit
tho control of such corporation of more than
fifty per cent of the total amount of any pro
duct consumed In tho United States; and, third,
a law compelling such licensed corporations to
sell t6 all purchasers In all parts of the country
on the same terms, after making duo allowanco
for cost of transportation."
Speaking at Indianapolis in August, 1908, and
referring to this trust plank, Mr. Bryan said:
"The license, however, would not prevent tho
growth of tho corporations licensed. It would
simply bring them under the eye of tho federal
government and compel them to deal with tho
public in such a way as to afford the public tho
protection necessary. One of the restrictions
suggested Is that such licensed corporations be
compelled to sell to all purchasers In all parts
of the country on the same terms, after making
due allowance for cost of transportation Mr.
Taft attacks this restriction as 'utterly imprac
ticable.' He says: 'If it can be shown that in
order to drive out competition, a corporation
owning a large part of the plant producing an
article is selling In one part of the country,
where It has competitors, at a low and un
profitable price, and In another part 'of tho
country where It has none, at an exorbitant
price, this Is evidence that It is attempting an
unlawful monopoly and justifies conviction
under tho anti-trust law.'
"If such an act Is now unlawful, why is ho
so frightened at a plan which gives to tho-small
competitor this very protection? Tho trouble
with the present law Is that it doesnot restrain
the evils at which it is aimed. The plan pro
posed In the democratic platform brings the
corporation under the surveillance of the gov
ernment when It has reached tho danger point,
and thereafter subjects It to federal scrutiny.
The present law simply prohibits It In an indefi
nite sort of way, and then leaves the officers of
the law to scour the country and hunt up viola
tions of tho law's provisions. Mr. Taft is un
duly alarmed at this proposal, or else he en
tirely fails to comprehend the details of the
plan. Ho says:
" 'To supervise the business of corporations in
such a way as to fix the price of commodities and
compel the sale at such price Is as absurd and
socialistic a plank as was ever inserted In a
democratic political platform.'
"And yet this sentence Is found In the same
paragraph with the sentence above quoted in
which ho declares that It Is even now a violation
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