The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 13
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
Entered at Dip Pontofllcc at Lincoln, Nebraska,
an noconrl-claHH matter.
William J. HllVAN
Ktlltiimml Pioprlotor
niciiAlU) 1 MncAi.rr.
An-ocliitc JCdltor
ClIAIU.KH W. HltYAN
Publisher
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Address all communications to
THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nob.
COUNT II IM NOT POOIt
Count liim not poor;
Altho' ho countH
No thousands by tho score;
If ho It as o'er
.An open door
Thro' which tho su minor sun may shine,
And fall upon the lloor,
And bring tho hope back to his heart
It brought in days of yore.
Count him not poor;
Altho' ho counts
No acres by tho score,
If when ho sees
Besldo tho door,
Tho rod rose bloom as onco it bloomed
In Ju.ics long gone boforo,
Ho dreams tho dreams ho usod to dream
In those Juno days of yore.
Count him not poor,
Altho' ho counts
No houses by tho score,
If when ho hears
Above the door
Tho morning song of soaring bird
Itise to the Maker's door,
Ho fools high yoarnings swell his soul,
High yearnings as of yore.
Mabel "Wiltons Brewer.
KIND WORDS
Editorial in Kansas City Timos (ind.): Tho
older Mr. William J. Bryan becomes and his
birthday rocontly marks him still a compara
tively young man the more ho stamps himself
upon tho country as a remarkable personage An
accident might give a man temporary promi
nence. But for ono to hold tho conspicuous placo
Mr. Bryan has hold is not accidental.
Mr Bryan's placo in politics is tho more
notablo sinco ho has not hold offlco in twenty
years and in that time has beon three times de
feated for tho presidency. To bo still the most
potent figure in his party and ono of tho most
potent political loaders in tho country is proof
that ho possesses qualities which tho people in
stinctively liko.
That Mr. Bryan is tho most powerful demo
crat in America today is attostod by such inci
dents as his rocoiving tho highest voto cast for
a democrat in tho Weekly Star's presidential
poll-tho next highest voto to that given Mr
Roosevelt. Liko Mr. Roosevelt, ho received th s
voto while not a candidate. And there wow
two avowed candidates for tho democratic nomi-
Jitory1 In th Star'S immGdlato ter-
Aside from Mr. Bryan's ability as a speaker
h te fearlessness as a fighter probably commends
him most to his followers. Even those whodo
not accept his doctrine admit tho courage with
wlUch he declares his conviction on any quo
Indirectly and directly ho has had a big in
fluence in the progressive tendency of this
tSi F?W mon l th0 Pineal history of the
United States have had a larger and more oval
following than Mr. Bryan has had and has now
Mr. Bryan and Harmon Instructions
Editorial in Johnstown (Pa.) Democrat:
Apparently Senator Hitchcock's newspaper,
tho Omaha World-Heraiu, is wiums v "
i fniort nn Hrm hetore tno COUUll. ii-
Bryan in a raise iiubiuuu uw " - -- -,
in endeavoring with all its might and with all
false position before tho country.
is endeavoring wuu un ito iUito"
......... i.i.i .. f nintnfn iHm ncs a Moss ana
us unuoumuo mi. -" i"1""" "" v; . ,-
as determined to rulo or ruin. Referring to Mr.
Bryan's statement that if ho is elected a dele
gate to the Baltimore convention and is in-
. !i .. TT,nn lin will rnqlrm hin POmmlS-
BlrUULOU IUI llrtniiuii v. ia 0.. - -
sion and go to the convention as a private citizen
to oppose tho nomination of the Ohio governor,
tho World-Herald says:
"It is difficult to believe that it is Mr. Bryan
who says this. Ho has always pleaded for and
demanded tho rulo by tho people. Ho has
favored the primary system as against the con
vention system, because under the primary
system tho people are the bosses and under tho
convention system the leaders are the bosses.
Ho has pointed out that tho weakness in repre
sentative government lies in the refusal of the
people's chosen representatives to carry out their
instructions.
"Is Mr. Bryan now ready to declare that he
will not help the people to rule unless they rule
as ho instructs them to rule? That he will re
fuse to represent the democracy of Nebraska in
tho national convention unless they ins.truct him
as ho instructs them to instruct him?"
This is utterly unfair to Mr. 'Bryan. There
would be an embezzlement of power on the part
of Mr. Bryan were he to go to Baltimore as a
delegate instructed for Harmon only to be found
working in violation of the instructions. He
declares that ho is bound by his conscience to
oppose tho Ohio governor. He believes Mr. Har
mon is tied up with Wall street interests and
that his nomination would bo fatal to democratic
prospects. He may not bo right in this estimate
of Governor Harmon. Tho Ohio man may bo as
progressive and as free from dubious alliances
as any democrat who has been mentioned. But
this is not the point. Tho point is that Mr.
Bryan honestly holds a certain view of the Buck
eyo governor which binds him by every dictate
ot conscience to oppose his nomination. And he
is fair enough with his constituents to warn
them in advance that should they wish to send
delegates to Baltimore in the interest of Gover
nor Harmon, they should choose men known to
bo conscientiously attached to the fortunes of
that candidate.
Mr. Bryan would be false to himself and false
to his party were ho to take any other stand
than tho ono he has assumed. It is open and
frank. It is utterly unequivocal and it is con
sistent with a similar stand which he took in
1900 at the Kansas City convention. "You
have the right, gentlemen," he told the com
mittee sent to wait upon him, "to adopt any sort
of platform you choose. I can not dictate your
platform. But if you propose to nominate me,
you must givo me a platform upon which I can
stand without discrediting me in tho eyes of
my countrymen."
Mr. Bryan tells the democrats of Nebraska
where ho is to be found. He is guilty of no
false pretense. They are at perfect liberty to
instruct for Governor Harmon. But he insists
that they shall in that case choose delegates who
can accept such instructions without self-stultification.
He declines in advance to receive in
structions which he could follow only by violat-
seff tnlTln?iT lGnC0 and,by Ping him
self to tho world as a moral pervert. For that
man is a moral pervert who will undertake to
So TirTn5 what he would not d0
Possibly tho position of Mr. Bryan U qnm
what different from that of the Sary nTan
who seoks delegate honors. It may matter ery
little one way or the other to John Smith what
Sf,PhUCn 0Mf t, ma,y b0 sivon- N one knows
much about John Smith. He may have few if
any scruples regarding this or tliat Were i
m0, ?,d n Way or the otllr would male
nl dif'ereT' " would n nothing more
than that John Smith had received certain
structlons. No ono would ever think agate Sf
tho matter save n the event that tAi, 3! ?I
violate his instructions in 'he ?on JnuSnBut
dVo?ST?f FV the situation is 'vastly
This party HethR0fl??TiSCOn8?icuous
IC Is ,pany- Ho Is still tho acknowledged nn
the beloved leader of millions of men He ta
therefore in a position where he can not aft f o?
himself alone without reference to those millions
who look to him for light and leading Ho SX
no more sink himself and abdicate hia leader-
ship than the president of the United States can
no so; ana no io uuuuu uj mo ui&udu uuueauuub
to act In every emergency, not as a mere private
citizen, not simply as a single individual demo
crat living near the capital of Nebraska, but as
the head of a great army marching toward a
clear objective, moved by a common purpose,
animated by the same spirit, upheld by the same
lofty determination.
In our judgment Mr. Bryan is absolutely right
in this matter and Senator Hitchcock singularly
wrong. Mr. Bryan is not questioning the right
of the people to rule. He is not trying to dictate
what they shall or shall not do. He is not seek
ing to impose his will upon them. He is simply
standing out as a big and honest man who is
also a leader of men with a plain definition of
his own position and with a clear warning that
if the people want certain things done they must
choose some other servant than himself to do it.
RIGHTS OP REPRESENTATIVES
Editorial in Lincoln (Neb.) Journal: An
interesting question is raised by the attack
on Mr. Bryan for his refusal to go to the national
convention as a Harmon delegate. The people
of his party are to dictate to the delegates whom
they shall support at the convention. Mr. Bryan
is a candidate for delegate. Governor Harmon
is a candidate for president. Mr. Bryan says
that if he is elected delegate, and his party in
structs for Harmon, he will resign and go to
Baltimore in a private capacity to oppose the
candidate who would, in that case, have the
indorsement of his party in his own- state. Is
such conduct, as Mr. Bryan's enemies declare,
contrary to the principle of people's rule?
The simple way to get an answer is to ask
whether this attitude of Mr. Bryan's will keep
the people of his state from having their verdict
registered at Baltimore. The people instruct
for Harmon. Mr. Bryan then refuses to act as
a delegate. Somebody else, willing to go, is
then substituted. He will, of course, cast his
vote for the popular choice. Harmon gets the
vote. The people have ruled. Mr. Bryan's con
duct has not interfered with the support by
Nebraska's delegation of the people's choice. In
truth, such action facilitates the rule of the
majority. Mr. Bryan, feeling as he does about
Harmon, could not be a whole hearted represen
tative of the people's will. In resigning he
makes way for one in a mood more effectively
to carry out his instructions.
What Mr. Bryan proposes to do represents, in
fact, the ideal attitude of the popular repre
sentative. It is now hardly disputed that a
representative should reflect the wishes of. his
constituents. We do not employ representatives
to rule us, but to rule for us. At the same time,
we do not want mere rubber stamp representa
tives. We want representatives of such ability
and character that they will not only represent,
but will also lead. Now when such a represen
tative finds his constituents favoring a policy he
teels to be wrong, what is he to do? He has no
right to act against their wishes. He has no
right to violate his own convictions. ' His only
course is to make an effort to bring his consti
tuents to his way of thinking, and failing in this,
Je VS nis ?lace t0 a representative in har
mony with their views. The people still rulo
He saves his own self respect.
irnvilSJ-i8 Whai actually happens in parliament
SSJtv niCSntp,0f SUch as Great Britain. A
Sfnlfw y, rulGS, tm thero arG rtain evi
onnnfrv aUfc ls n lonser in harmony with tho
fl??qniSk a cfb,2et reBisns- Parliament is
?n??vll J n elGCtion hold. Tho represen
i?i ?main0 rotiro according to the popu
nomZH GlVGn ,th0 mainery for really
Shft ? th lnS' ,SUch a system rnishes prob
;Sparornonl0t f "
OPPOSITION TO HARMON
Editorial in Cincinnati Enquirer: The En-
SSaSB?? biH?? any "date should bo
nT rnrL Bait more convention who does
maioX n? fV th PrinciPles supported by "the
majority of the voters of the democratic party.
date whLohi0pG for the taction of any candi
teusted hi thl1611?100 thelr Principles is dis-
n&Jt y tho rank and filG the party,
of Th IS Cer,tai.n fences wMc the massea
inimical T? tbf ?nited StatQs believe to bo
Btrone a? ?eIr J68- This belief te io
strong and so powerful that any candidate sua-
mmm '