The Commoner.
VQLUMJJ 12, NUMBER ft
?
Mil. imVAN'S SI'KKOH ON GUFFKY
Spoaklng boforo tho national committee In
tho Ouffoy contoot Mr. Bryan said, in substance:
"I did not know until I roachcd Washington that
Dr. IIn.ll (tho Nebraska committeeman) had
Hont mo bin proxy and I would not have used
it but for the fuel that I regard tho Pennsylvania
contoBt as ono of great Importance Its decision
will affoct not merely tho contestants and their
Btntos, but the standing of tho national com
mittee boforo tho country. Mr. Guffey is not
an unknown man. Ilo lo the man whose case
was tried and whoso claims woro repudiated by
tho last national convention. Ilo comes from
a state notorious for its corruption. I am not
roBponslblo for his dofoat at Donvor. When
my advice was asked I told them that thoy need
not bothor about him; that I would attend to
him myself. Ilo dollborately stlflod tho voice
of tho party In his state aftor it had spoken at
tho primaries and I would not have permitted
him to take part In the campaign. Tho con
vention, of its own accord, put him off tho com
mittco by unseating his fraudulently elected
dologates. When Mr. Kerr died tho state com
mlttoo of Pennsylvania, controlled by Mr.
Guffey, put him back on tho national committee
In contompt of tho national convention. It was
an attempt on his part to rebuke tho conven
tion. You, tho representatives of tho national
organization ought to resont tho insult. If you
do not, I, In tho name of six and a half million
democrats, do rosont it.
"After his soloctlon by tho state committee
his conduct become so repulsive to tho party
in tho state that tho vory commltteo that
eolected him olghty per cent of the personnel
of tho committee being tho Bamo rescinded Its
action and soloctod anothor man, Mr. Palmer,
for national committeeman. Mr. Palmer's selec
tion has been lndorsod by moro than two-thirds
of tho stato commlttoo, by all the democratic
mombors of congress from Pennsylvania and by
thirty-seven of tho forty-five democratic legis
lators of Pennsylvania. At tho stato election
in 1910 moro than two-thirds of tho democratic
votors of Pennsylvania revolted against Mr.
Gu Key's loadorBhlp thoy being convinced that
ho was using his position and lnfluonco to aid tho
republican machine Ho reduced tho democratic
vote from over four hundred thousand to less
than ono hundred and thirty thousand.
"Now, this national committee Is asked to
ignore tho wishes of tho domocrats of tho stato
and allow this man to continue to misrepresent
Pennsylvania democracy. His attornoy has not
attemptod to deny that tho domocrats of his
stato want him removed ho represents nothing
but tho predatory Interests of Pennsylvania and
tho republican machine of Ills state., Wo can
not afford to weigh a technicality against tho
known wishes of tho votors of our party in that
state. To uso tho language of Burke, 'You can
not draw an Indictment against a wholo people;
neither can wo disregard the successful revolu
tion which Is resisting political dishonesty in
Pennsylvania. Wo have as brave and true a lot
of domocrats in tho Keystone state as can be
found in tho union and wo can not afford to
enter a national campaign with tho odium that
will rest upon us If we turn a deaf ear to the
just demand of tho Pennsylvania democracy and
retain on tho committee a man who is a burden
to his party at homo and a disgrace abroad."
SENATOR HITCHCOCK'S SPEECH
The Irish World, published in Now York
Patrick Ford, editor, publisher and proprietor!
is making a great fight against the peace
troatles and In its issue of January 13th, says
Tho Commoner, which is tho property and
tho personal organ of Mr. William Jennings
Bryan, 1b very desirous that tho unlimited arbi
tration treaty with England should bo rushed
through the senate in short order. In its issue
of January 5 it states that there is not much
difference between tho view Mr. Taft takes of
it and that held by Mr. Roosevelt! It declares
k is a question of tweedledum and tweodledee.
2?Hfvn l imFor thInS 1b that the senate
ratify tho Anglo-American treaty off hand
Here is how The Commoner puts it: 'The
treaty ought to bo ratified at once as it is
if possible, with the Roosevelt change if neces
sary ; but let it be ratified at once.' Wo com
mend to The Commoner the reading of Senator
Hitchcock's speech on the treaty Mr. Bryan's
newspaper organ would have the senate dispose
of in so cavalier a manner." appose
Wo have read Senator Hitchcock's speech In
that speech Mr. Hitchcock did not discus thl
merits of the treaty. In fact in ?J f i
which we find printed Mtii?IrtS Torlt
ho said: "I have purposely avoided tho dis
cussion of both of theso treaties for the reason
that I feel that tho initiative in this matter is
in Great Britain."
Tho wholo point, therefore, in Mr. Hitch
cock's speech was that tho ratification of tho
peace treaty with Groat Britain would place us
in "an entangling alliance" with that country.
This point was well answered by a simple
question submitted to Mr. Hitchcock by Senator
Ilayner of Maryland. Senator Rayner asked,
"Will tho ratification of these treaties place us
in an entangling alliance with Prance?"
That question remains unanswered and tho
senator from Nebraska made no effort to
answer it.
Senator Rayner's question shows tho absur
dity of the contention that tho ratification of
those arbitration treaties means an alliance such
as Washington warned us against. If the
treaty made with Great Britain means an
entangling alliance with that country then tho
treaty with Franco will mean an entangling
allianco with France. Then when Germany and
Japan and other nations come in for similar
treaties that will be an alliance with those coun
tries, and soon America will have an "allianco"
with all the civilized world an alliance for the
promotion of peace and for tho abolition of
war.
God speed the day when such alliances as
theso shall be made.
THE KANSAS VICTORY
At a special election held in the Seventh
Kansas congressional district January 9th,
George Neeloy, democrat, defeated his republi
can opponent by a majority pt about 1,500.
This is the district represented by the late
Edmond H. Madison, insurgent republican. Two
years ago Mr. Neeley was defeated by Madison
by 5,000.
This gives the second democrat to the house
of representatives from Kansas. Joseph J. Tag
gort having recently been elected to succeed the
late Representative Mitchell.
Surely Kansas has turned its face toward the
light.
, CONGRATULATIONS TO VARDAMAN
Former Governor and United States Senator
Elect James K. Vardaman was exonerated of
all blame in alleged irregularities concerning
the handling of state funds. This was the re
port of Mississippi's joint legislative investigat
ing committee and both houses of the legisla
ture adopted tho report.
Friends of Governor Vardaman in other
states had Implicit confidence that he would be
exonerated and they will be glad to see their
judgment vindicated. Mr. Vardaman is a
faithful friend of the public interests and he
will be a power for good in the United States
sonato.
SENATOR JAMES
A Kentucky legislature, by a vote of 105 to
28, selected Ollie M. James to succeed Senator
Thomas H. Paynter. Mr. James' term in the
senate will begin March 5, 1913.
Ollie James is now serving his fifth term in
J fAA0Wer house of congress. He has been a
faithful worker for democratic principles and
he will faithfully represent Kentucky in the
senate. Democrats in every state in the union
will join Tho Commoner in congratulations to
Senator Ollio James and congratulations to the
great state of Kentucky.
"BIRDS OP A FEATHER"
If the readers of Tho Commoner will run over
the names of those voting to retain Mr. Guffey
on the committee against the protests of tho
democrats of the stato they will find ALL the
members who are closely affiliated with the in
terests and a few who ought to have known bet
ter than to take his side. A few VighT plead
coercion by conditions. P a
OHIO DEMOCRATS
The Democratic Progressive league
which was organized at Columbus
January 2nd, has opened headquarters at
bus nL511 HarrlBOn Gilding, Colum
bus, Ohio, secretary of the league, W.
S ,et ln cmmunication with the
Ohio democrats who approve of the work
that the league has 'undertaken
THE THIRD TERM
Now that Mr. Roosevelt's attitude as to
third term is known "he does not desire it and
will make no effort to secure it but will accept
it if it comes to him" the country may well
consider the third term precedent which he
stands ready to disregard. It is not worth whilo
to quibble as to whether it would be a third
term. Mr. Roosevelt set that question to rest
by his own clear and emphatic interpretation
of the case just after his -election in 1904. The
only question presented is, Are the people
ready- to overthrow the precedent set by Wash
ington, Jefferson, Jackson and o'thers and open
the executive office to the ambitions of. those
who may want to hold the position permanently?
When the two-term precedent is violated who
will set us a new and more binding precedent?
If Mr. Roosevelt can bring' himself to accept a
third term will -he refuse a fourth and a fifth?
And why should he be asked to run again? la
ho more deserving than Washington and those
who have refused to rush where Washington
was afraid to tread? Are we confronting any
crisis which he alone has the ability and
courage to meet? " ,
The issue between plutocracy and democracy
is clear. His election is not necessary for the
protection of plutocracy predatory wealth can
be safely entrusted to President Taft or to a
Wall street democrat. Neither is his election
necessary for tho advancement of democracy,
Mr. La Follette goes farther ' in that direction
than Mr. Roosevelt (if the people demand a
republican) and progressive democrats go
farther still.
What emergency coerces the country into ex
tending an invitation to some future "man on
horse back." Is Mr. Roosevelt the only man whQ
can save the republican party from defeat? And
if so, is a party worth saving that has but one
man fit for the presidency? And again why
reward Mr. Roosevelt for forcing Mr. Taft on
the country? That is a queer way of making
good the guaranty he gave the president. .
Who will give a gooa reason for a third
term? -
:
BALTIMORE, JUNE TWENTY-FIFTH
The democratic national committee in session
at the national capital, selected Baltimore as
the place and June 25th as the date for holding
the democratic national convention for 1912.
The committee also adopted a presidential
primaries resolution. The resolution adopted
was a modification of one proposed by Senator
Chamberlain of Oregon. It was framed by a
sub-committee, headed by Clark Howell of
Georgia, and was as follows: ?
"That in the choice of delegates and alter
nates to the national democratic convention of
1912 the democratic state or territorial com
mittees may, if not otherwise directed by law
of such states or territories, provide for the
direct election of such delegates or alternates
f in the opinion of the respective committees
it is deemed desirable and possible to do so
!5roper and sufflcient safeguards.
Where such provision is not made by the
respective committees for the choice of delegates
and alternates and where the state laws do not
provide specifically the manner of such choice
then the delegates and alternates to the said
national convention shall be chosen in the man
ner that governed the choice of delegates from
the respective states and territories to the last
national democratic convention."
A sub-committee on arrangements for the
convention at Baltimore is to be appointed b?
the chairman of the national committee tn on!
sist of the chairman, Vice ChairnZ P L Haff
Secretary Urey Woodson and seven other inem-
Lthe cmmittee. Chairman Mack wHl
name the seven additional members m?rm 5l
return to his home In Buffalo D n WS
Democratic conventions and nominees IipM
and made in Baltimore were as follows?
1 1ll' ay 2nl Jackson and Van Buren '
lilt-, j BBuUr R- M- ''
1844, May 27 Polk and Dallas.
1848, May 22 Cass and Butler. .
1852, June V-Pierce and King. . J '
i7J, July 9 Greeley and Brown
democrats as the nlar in ?, i sen by &
0
1
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