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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1912)
m . r (i 'OJ'i"- -4" MARCH- 8, 1912 r religion admonishes him of his stewardship and of his obligation to use his greater strength, his larger ability, and his richer reward in the spirit of brotherhood. Under individualism wo have seen a constant increase of altruism. Tho fact that the individual can select the objects of his benevolence and devote his means to tho causes that appeal to him has given an added stimulus to his endeavors; would this stimulus be as great under socialism? Probably the nearest approach that we have to the socialistic state today iz to be found in the civil service. If the civil - orvico develops more unselfishness and more alt uistic devotion to the general welfare than private employment does, the fact is yet to be discovered. This is not offered as a criticism of civil service so far as civil service may require examinations to ascer tain fitness for office, but it is simply a reference to a well known fact, viz., that a life position in the government service, which separates one from the lot of the average producer of wealth, has given no extraordinary stimulus to higher development. It Is not necessary to excuse or to defend a competition carried to a point where it creates a submerged fifth or even 'a submerged tenth to recognize the beneficial effect of struggle and discipline upon the men and women who have earned the highest places in industry, society and government. There should-be no unfriendliness between the honest individualist and tho honest socialist; both seek that which they believe to be best for society. The socialist, by pointing out the abuses of individualism, will assist in their correction. At present, private monopoly is putting upon individualism an undeserved odium and it be hooves the individualist to address himself energetically to this prohlem in order that the advantages of competition may be restored to industry. And the duty of immediate action is made more imperative by the fact that the socialist is inclined to supoprt the monopoly, in the belief that it will be easier to induce the government to take over an industry after it has passed into the hands of a few men. The trust magnates and the socialists unite in de claring monopoly to bo an economic develop ment, the former hoping to retain the fruits of monopoly In private hands, the latter expecting the ultimate appropriation of the benefits of monopoly by the government. The individualist, on the contrary, contends that the consolida tion of industries ceases to be an economic ad vantage when competition is eliminated, and h helieves, further, that no economic advantage which could come from the monopolization of all the industries in the hands of the government could compensate for the stifling of individual initiative and Independence. And tho individ ualists who thus believe stand for a morality and for a system of ethics which they are will ing to measure against the ethics and morality of socialism. DOES NOT REPRESENT DEMOCRATS St. Clairsville (Ohio) Gazette: Harmon, measured by his record and especially by his late deliverance before the constitutional con vention, does not come up to the standard of progressive democracy. It is clear to everyone, "Who will give the matter a little consideration, that Harmon is not in sympathy with the masses nor does he believe in the people, but he is with the interests and the monopolies a reactionary i a favorite of Wall street. His chances for tho nomination and election to the presidency, ho believes, depends upon the trusts, the monopo lies, Wall street and the liquor interests of the country. This is plainly shown by his opposi tion to the initiative and referendum and by his support of tho license proposition. As a stand patter and reactionary he out-Tafts Taft. The Gazette stands for tho people and believes In the people, hence It is for the initiative and referendum and tho recall. It is opposed to licensing the saloon. It is for the election of United .States senators hy direct vote of the people. It la In favor of an Income tax, and for a tariff for revenue only. In short it ia for progressive democracy, not Bimply to get the offices and spoils of office, but for tho greatest good to tho greatest number. The Gazette does not believe Harmon to bo J3ie logical, consistent, or the available demo cratic candidate for the presidency of the United States. Harmon ia to "be given credit with being honest in his views and that his actions are con sistent, as he .sees them. But thiB Is not entirety fc question of honesty of views and opinions, it is jpbrst a matter of fundamental principles, all cen tring at this time around the. fact of whether The Commoner. tho platform shall be progressive and whether the candidate for tho presidency shall believe in the people and bo in sympathy with their efforts to obtain relief from iniquitous laws that havo built up manufacturing trusts, transportation trusts, and worst of all, money trusts. The Gazette is for a progressive candidate and can not allow state pride, desire for party success and the spoils of offlce to induce it to forsake the principles it believes, stands for, and has stood for. We havo no personal pique or grouch against Governor Harmon, but think hodoes not represent the principles of true, progressive democracy and hence is not for him for the nomination. Harmon's Record UNRESPONSIVE CANDIDATE New Orleans Item: Governor Judson Har mon, of Ohio, one of tho candidates for tho democratic presidential nomination, Is showing an unwillingness to discuss vital public ques tions and open issues. Ho has said that he does not approve of the initiative, the referendum and the recall; but this has no bearing on the presidential fight, though it does reveal the governor's mental character to some extent. He is a thorough con servative, and docs not take kindly to recent theories of popular government. But on most questions which are likely to be issues in the presidential campaign ho is silent. This Is unfortunate for Mr. Harmon. It is still more unfortunate that he has now positively refused a direct invitation to tell the country how he stands on the great national issues before the democratic convention. This is what Alton B. Parker did in 1904. Judge Parker refused positively to commit himself upon any national issue before the con vention of that year. He got tho nomination, but the delegates who did not enjoy his confi dence had to take him on faith. Ho was a 'gift passed in the dark. The convention picked him very much as you would take a blind chanco for a prize in a grab bag. The party, in slang phrase, got a "lemon." The Bryan supporters refused to support Parker in the election. Many democrats deserted. Roosevelt beat him by a majority which showed that'more than 1,000,000 democrats thought less of Parker than they did of Bryan. Parker's mystery contributed as much as any thing to his defeat. Mystery will defeat Harmon. Silence, in both cases, probably meant that each knew that many of his opinions would bo unpopular with a majority of his party. The democratic party does not want a mys terious candidate. It will accept no man on faith, especially if it has a suspicion that it would not want him If it knew his opinions thoroughly. No party would indorse a candidate on these terms today. Even if the convention of either party were to nominate such a man the people would defeat him. The man who is to bo the next president will not pass on the indorsement of a few delegates who know all about him; he will have to lay his stock of qualifications openly before the people. LOSING GROUND Bucyrus (Ohio) Daily Forum: Some timo ago, becoming convinced that the reactionary surroundings and views of Governor Harmon made his nomination and election to the presi dency a difficult task, the Daily Forum frankly said so and abandoned the support which it had before loyally given to the Harmon cause. Many who at that time ould not see just grounds for our opinion have been convinced by Governor Harmon himself, chiefly through the medium of his speech to the constitutional con vention. The Marion Mirror has come out in opposition, and has been followed by a host of other democratic papers of long standing, and without any axes-to grind other than a desire for the success of democratic principles and democratic candidates. The latest recruit to the number whom the governor has forced into opposition is the St. Clairsville Gazette, for more than a hundred years the leading democratic paper of Belmont county. In all the papers which have taken this step we have seen no personal attacks on the governor. All havo regretted that such a step Should be necessary, but all have felt that in Justice to themselves and loyalty to democratic principles they could not do otherwise. Tho vetoes of Governor Harmon glvo an in teresting little view into tho old-fashioned aort of democratic mind. The governor did not veto many bills. When ho did not particularly llko one ho simply allowed It to become a law with out his signature, not caring to excite any con troversy. Especially doos this seem to be true during his second' siege with tho legislature, which was last year. It is difficult to get a lino upon his policy by looking over theso vetoes, which number but thirty-seven, a third less than tho number of bills which he allowed to become laws without approval. A number of those vetoes were of bills which ho believed or suspected meant tho expenditure of additional sums of public money. Apparently ho was not in favor of tho state extending its activities along tho line of guard ing against the spread of tho white plague. His second veto was of a bill to compel the disinfec tion of a house and contents in which a person had had pulmonary tuberculosis. Tho governor vetoed it because tho bill paid a foe for the work done. Another bill of similar character which he disapproved authorized county commissioners to employ nurses to visit the homes of persons afflicted with tuberculosis, to instruct them how to conduct themselves so that othors of tho family might not be infected and to perform other necessary work. This was not a manda tory bill; it simply gave commissioners power to act in such cases. Twice aB governor he has vetoed a bill autho rizing the state dairy and food commissioner and assistants authority to give public instructions pertaining to tho dairy industry, sanitary Inspec tion, the food and drug laws and their enforce ment, an effort to assist in spreading knowledgo regarding it. Governor Harmon also vetoed a bill which has been highly esteemed in many quarters. It re quired the supreme court to report all of the opinions it handed down, to state the facts upon which it baaed these opinions, and to decide each question submitted to it. This bill was in tho interest of the Utgant, in that, if the decision of the lower court was affirmed, the reason for the decision was known, and if reversed, then the parties to the action, in a retrial, would havo their controversy vastly simplified. It mado courts go on record. In Its wisdom the state legislature passed and sent to the governor acts intended to put an end to the trading stamp and to guessing contests and advertisements. Both of these were vetoed by the governor. The trading stamp has been tho subject of litigation in a number of- states, being regarded as an excrescence upon trade and a source of profit somewhat illegitimate. In vetoing tho anti-guessing contest bill, the gover nor said it was of a similar character to tho trading stamp, and that where there is no ele ment of chance or gambling and tho offer is made in good faith, tho law has no business to try to forbid. He concluded with this remark able statement: "The state has too much to do to act as guardian for credulous persons who, in the absence of fraud, rely on the puffing state ments of those with whom they deal." In other words, that it is no concern of the state if Its citizens be bilked through believing what was promised, if no legal fraud was committed. Another bill which the governor vetoed sought to include urban and interurban railways along with steam railroads as corporations which could be compelled by law to eliminato grade cross ings. Still another which he disapproved ex empted from the prohibition against the raising or lowering of salaries during official terms per sons in the classified service of the merit system. None of these bills Is of grave Importance, but a survey of them Is interesting to show tho cautious character of the executive mind, its ex clusion of innovations, its dislike for trying any experiments, its faithful adherence to tho an cient doctrine that- all that a state government should do is to watch expenditures and act as a policeman. c. Q. D. l; 0 0 0 WILIj YOU JOIN IN THE EFFORT 0 TO INCREASE THE COMMONER'S OUR- CUIiATION FOR 1012? TAKE IT UP AT ONCE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR. 0 . . V rll - ilA ,'.