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"DMMOUKATS WILL NOT SUITOKT A
IIRAOTIONAKV"
The following editorial appeared in the Cin
cinnati Enquirer: The democratic party upon
many occasions in the past has demonstrated
its devotion to Its principles by refusing to im
pair them, though temporary success should bo
the reward for ho doing.
Instance after ins'-inre could be cited in which
with it faith that was sublime the party accepted
inevitable defeat rather than forsake the ideas
that carried with them the everlasting truths
and eternal rights of humanity.
The party has witnessed the fall of the feder
alists, the decay and death of the whigs, the
arrival and departure of the know-nothings, the
fading away of the populists and the conver
sions of tho republicans, who are now under
going baptism from the font of democracy and
publicly proclaiming their apostacy from the
errors of their old faith and practice.
Tho democratic party in 1912 can proudly
stand by its record of the past and without devi
ating from a single one of its cardinal prin
ciples can bo successful throughout the nation,
and only successful because it has not diverged
or conceded on vitol points.
In this moment when tho triumph of our party
and its principles seems to be assured if we
make no mistakes is it not the supreme act of
effrontery, the acme of folly, for some democrats
to urge upon the party as a candidate for presi
dent ono who voted against the party in 1896,
and who lifted neither hand nor voice for it
in 1900?
Even while he bore the official commission
of a high and mighty office, which ho held by
virtuo of a democratic victory at the polls, he
voted against the candidates and worked against
the principles approved by 6,000,000 democrats
of the union.
If ho was right then those 6,000,000 demo
crats wore wrong, but the faithful men of 1896
and 1900 believe he was wrong then and they
have no faith that he is right now upon the
living Issues of the times and of this genera
tion. He is a tariff reformer who by his opposition
to democracy in 1896 helped to give the coun
try to tho republican party and bv so doing
was an aid and assistant to the passage of tho
Dingley bill. Tariff reform was as a feather in
political wolght in 1X96 in his estimation.
nio trusts wore all on one side, and he was
with them.
Tho corporations wore a unit against the
democratic party, and his voice and his vote
wero also against the party.
nnTnr P,lfttf mm at CnicaSo that year cut the
lino of definition between the combines and tho
peoplo clear and distinct, and he was on the
combines' side of tho lino.
i MrlE rof!rim"8 a barron ideality in 1896
In his thought, for ho lined up with the princes
of protection and aided them to defeat hedemo!
cratic party and to place in their hands the
power to pass the Dingley bill.
As attorney general his objection to (ipmno
racy should have been no barrier to the en?or?e
mont of tho anti-trust law. eniorce
Tho hated and despised platform of 1896 was
no obstacle to the prosecution of the trusts The
combines, the corporations, who hated and
despised that platform equally with himself.
Hn ? can,?idacy of Mr. Bryan and the declara
nt i for, s"vcr QTC no reaaons r staving the
hand of the attorney general of the United
States in the courts as against violitor Writl
statutes of the United States. Vl0lators of the
"He who comes from the kitchen mioiia
LSm0k0,;',and thoao o serve tneTorora
tions, combines and trusts most fa thfulT!
ritePSS8setSaStesh0 "" f " o? &
office in tho land, especially when it i, Hi f 7
connection with a 'lifetime7 record in avo? 5
Torw "r, ?TeJ in h,s Passional cmer
To win the democratic nartv mncf !?
candidate for president whoTolds a record as a
progressive, not a3 a reaction ., a! a
of the trusts and the combines y supPrt
ROOSEVETT AND THE MONEY TRUST
An Oyster Bay dispatch tn th t!t ,,
World says: Col! TheoTore Roo even ZJ
return here common t seelt uPn his
the statement of A. P Mooro nf pi ,ngth, Upon
certain banks are bringing pressuS11' htbat
upon men solop.tnrt no b.,J?p ,essure fco bear
county and state convention? tnr (llstrIct'
voting for Roosevelt Prevent their
muuiB UKl lou "e that there is appar-
The Commoner.
ently a Money trust at work to. attempt to
Frighten men from expressing W preference for
a presidential candidate other than Mr. Taft,
said the colonel.
"I was given some extraordinary data in
which definite cases were cited, and all of this is
being carefully preserved. I am unwilling at
present to discuss the details of this report,
but Mr. Moore assured me that he knew just
what he was talking about when he said that the
Monev trust was working for President Taft.
The details arc most interesting."
SIX OHIO REASONS
Following is a special dispatch to the Colum
bus (Ohio) Citizen: Kenton, O., Feb. 2. The
attack of organized anti-Harmon men of Ohio
against the presidential boom of Governor Jud
son Harmon was renewed today by the an
nouncement of "six reasons" by William W.
Durbin, chief organizer of the Ohio Democratic
Progressive league, as to "why Harmon should
not bo nominated and why he could not be
elected president," according to the wording
of the statement.
Durbin, who is a Kenton manufacturer and
well known fn the state as a politician, is secre
tary of the Progressive league, was former chair
man of the state central committee, and four
years ago was a candidate for state auditor.
"First," said Durbin in his statement, "the
democratic party, to be successful, must nomi
nate a progressive, and Governor Harmon's
whole life has been that of a reactionary. His
claim to be a progressive has been made only
under tho whip and spur of political ambition.
"Second: His service under J. Pierpont Mor
gan and the fact that Wall street interests are
championing his cause is enough to drive any
progressive away from him. The democratic
party is in no mood to follow any suspect of the
present or deserter in the past, nor do they want
one who pleads the cause of the common people
on the hustings while representing the privi
leged interests in the courts.
"Third: The fact that Governor Harmon
bolted the nomination of Bryan and stabbed him
he back in 189G Detrayed him in Ohio in
1908 in his ovn home county, and since his
election as governor has appointed to office
practically all the leaders of the gold democrat
movement, shows where his sympathies are how
and foreshadows what will happen should he
be elected president.
"Fourth: Harmon was elected by the liciuor
nterests in 1908 and in 1910 also received
their support. He promised to modify the Rose
county local option law, but then threw his
pledges to the winds by defeating the Dean bill
to amend the law, with the result that the German-American
alliance of over 100,000 liberal
voters denounced his duplicity and hypocrisy
and swore vengeance. Thereupon the governor
l,il wral raeasure named the Fulton bill in-
res ted inthrPfeaSe thG li(IUOr d this
resulted in the temperance peop e's getting busv
n?d d? e,?t,ns lt By PS both S against
Theisnisd(1no UnYT bth "te
into. I8 Mcitapfi 5SJSJJ
iTHtui?115 Gvernor Harmon is opposed to th
initiative and referendum, also the S t!
for enforcing the f She rij an St l CJ?Jm
legislation " Was a plece o worthless
lose more .lito.. dtawita ,mtl ,pa?T would
and precincts than It ha 'eve? lost IFF
tory ot excepting 1904 We want ita h,s-
Tlf" Buch Wi in iTo?
it is a well known fact tint tt,i -r 4'
Stetson, who drew J PWnmit ManCi8,Lynde
tract with the government B ? Morgan's con
deal in 1804 whn MnUS helnfftmoi,Bbond
over night off of this wSSmeS'i n0'000'000
most ardent supported ofThl VS ne of the
throughout the S ie L! nHraon booin
not afford to havej Piernont m? party c
of the issues in the c'imin Mtor& as one
Si jem -; ah
VOLUME 12, NUMBER
T
vice, and that la why Morgan and Wall street
are for him.
"Personally, I feel like tho Irishman who
was driving a mule hitched to a buggy, and who
when the mule kicked over the dashboard and
stuck his hoof alongside the Irishman's head
exclaimed: 'Be jabers! If you are a-going to
get in I am going to get out.' "
"BROTHERS"
Visalia, Cal., Jan. 29; 1912. Editor Com
moner: In The Commoner of Dec. 22nd, I find
the following: "A California reader of The
Commoner asks for the author of the poem
describing a scene in the civil war where one
soldier thrust his bayonet through a soldier of
the opposing line and when he stooped to draw
it out found that he had killed his own brother."
This brings to mind something that was re
ported to us immediately after our taking up a
position along the breastworks which protected
the city of Vicksburg, May 18, 1863.
The day previous, after a hard battle to pro
tect the bridge over Big Black river, we were
forced to cross to the Vicksburg side and im
mediately occupied the banks of the river as a
temporary defense. The enemy's skirmishers
advanced to within a reasonable distance on the
other side and both lines began operations.
It was during this desultory fighting that what
is written below was in substance reported to
have occurred:
A federal officer galloped through their
skirmish line and, after reaching the bank of the
river opposite to us, deliberately dismounted,
took out his field glasses and began to examine
the position of the confederate commands. His
daring excited the admiration of the southern
soldiers and for a short time they beheld the
spectacle almost in amazement. Then, an
occasional shot was fired but without apparent
effect. Finally, a southern officer, whose name
was mentioned at the time this occurrence was
reported, and who was a noted pistol shot, said,
"Boys, hold on a minute and I'll show you a
fancy shot." At the first fire the union officer
staggered and fell. The confederate was rowed
across the river in a small boat and at the first
sight of the dead body threw up his hands in
horror and cried, "My God! I've killed my own
brother."
A long time after the war some one, illustrat
ing the fratricidal nature of the struggle men
tion this incident and added that the officer who
killed his brother was utterly reckless in battle
during the remainder of the war, and, when
this civil strife was ended, became a "wanderer
upon the face of the earth," terminating what he
considered a wasted life in dissipation in the
. Sdora' D- s- LIPSCOMB.
First Missouri Brigade, C. S. A.
HOKE SMITH FOR WILSON
Following is a special dispatch to the St.
Louis Republic: Washington, D. C, Feb. 15.
Although he served with Judson Harmon in
Smm deiJtri CIeveland's cabinet, Senator Hoke
smith of Georgia is of the opinion that Governor
Tt dOW ,Wilstm Is by far the strongest candi
dency democratf can nominate for the presi-
nnHnnneXPJeS.linB.himself in behalf of the nomi-
imU0hsadtthoeday?W ' V' Senatr
rea'son' w ?overnor Wison for no personal
and pikoH bec;aufe T believe his nomination
SSr?;ctl? wil1 best 8erve tte people of the
rsau.r?nitryi ?e 8tands for sane progress, for
same Hmr1' for justlce to all, and at tho
consutuuon'0" & Bovernint of law under the
of th hMn m0,St profound student in America
Sconomlo iSSi0f Ur C0Untry and of tne Sreat
ern bSv IfhSSST D0W to be 8olved- A south"
tffoueh hi ? h.Went to a northern state and
abUlty roi? ?n1(did character and exceptional
versity. tbe PresIdoncy of a great uni-
BtadT'nHW 5fopmaon gathered by a life of
he was ?SS f1?, Decuarly for public service,
There 1,p J the Governorship of New Jersey.
hami? fL emonf tratGd unsurpassed capacity to
handle the practical affairs of government."
"ASK STUBBS"
Representetwf JSWf to Mr- Roosevelt that
managed ? rtJfn, C?inloy' Mr' Tafts P1ItIcal
So firat hnn "?? 7t? votes for Mr- Taft on
nor sSbbi It r Roo,SQVolt said, "Ask Gover
o? KanJn aL k" and.. Governor Stubbs
awayaSSRooseri? Uiat !t W0Uld be a Walk"
ingAcontestV.entS tt Wl" cortalnly b a intereit-
