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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
. VOL. 12, NO. 14,
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 12, 1912
Whole Number 586
A Question of Honesty
Senator Hitchcock questions Mr. Bryan's
democracy because the latter frankly announces
that not being able to carry out the spirit of
Harmon instructions, he will resign his position
as a delegate if ttie state instructs for Harmon
and at the same time elects Mr. Bryan as a dele
gate. Senator Hitchcock, looking down from
his position of assumed superiority, declares that
while ho favors Governor Harmon, he will obey
instructions and vote for either Governor Wilson
or Speaker Clark if the state instructs for either.
Let us examine the difference between the two
positions and see which is democratic, which is
in harmony with the idea of the primary, and
which, if you please, is honest.
If the primary law means anything, it moans
that the delegate shall bo in sympathy with the
voters; he can not represent them with fidelity
unless he is. Mr. Bryan, recognizing his inability
to carry out the spirit of Harmon instructions,
Will therefore resign and allow them to be car
ried out by those in sympathy with them. This
insures not only the formal but the actual will
of the voters. Senator Hitchcock on the other
hand, in-order to secure the distinction of being
a delegate, is willing to agree to cast a formal
vote as instructed, but can anyone doubt that
his known advocacy of Governor Harmon will
nullify whatever influence he might have as an
instructed delegate? What the people in Ne
braska nejed is not merely" one to vote on roll
call as they direct but one who will give ex
pression to the sentiment of the people and
seek to give their will effect.
Mr. Hitchcock can only be instructed on tho
matter of candidate. He can not bo instructed
on platform, and a man who is for Harmon at
heart would not favor a progressive platform,
neither is he bound to represent the people after
the one man for whom he is instructed is out
of jthe race. The .fight in Nebraska is between
the progressives on the one side and the re
actionaries on the other; the progressives are
. divided between Governor Wilson and Speaker
Clark while the reactionaries are united on
Governor Harmon. Senator Hitchcock knows
.-this as well as anyone else. If the reactionaries
can, through division of the progressives, secure
a plurality for Governor Harmon, Mr. Hitchcock
will be at liberty to use his position as a dele
gate to override the progressive majority and
place the influence of Nebraska on the side of a
reactionary minority.
When the voters have had a chance to com
pare the position taken by Mr. Bryan with that
taken by Mr. Hitchcock, there can be no doubt
as to which position will be indorsed as tho
democratic position and as the honest position.
CONTENTS
A QUESTION OF HONESTY
HARMON'S POPULARITY
A BITTER EXPERIENCE
A RAILROAD ATTORNEY AT WORK
ADVANTAGES OF THE DUAL SYSTEM
OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR HITCHCOCK
WHOSE MONEY
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
GOVERNOR HARMON IN NEBRASKA
THE FIGHT AGAINST BRYAN IN
NEBRASKA
IMMORTALITY
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK '
WASHINGTON NEWS
REMEMBER THE AMENDMENT
Don't fail to voto for the amendment provid
ing for the initiative and referendum nt tho
primaries to bo hold in Nebraska, Friday, April
10th. If the amendment carries at the primaries
it then goes on tho straight ticket. This gives
it a decided advantage at the election. Do not
fail to vote for tho amendment! Tho Commoner
calls upon tho democrats in each precinct to
organize and have at least one man at the polls
ALL DAY calling attention to tho amendment.
It is worth giving time for. And don't forget
to vote for progressive delegates to tho national
convention.
Representative government ought to represent,
and the delegate ought to be an actual repre
sentative, not merely a nominal representative
of the people. Mr. Hitchcock can safely repre
sent the reactionary sentiment in the democratic
party but he can not represent the progressive
sentiment. Instead of criticising Mr. Bryan for
announcing his intention to resign in case Mr.
Harmon receives the instructions, Ilr. Hitch
cock should recognize his inability to speak for
progressive democracy and announce his inten
tion to resign if Mr. Harmon is not instructed for.
UNDERWOOD AND THE INTERESTS
When Mr. Bryan first pointed out that Mr.
Underwood was not in harmony with the pro
gressive sentiment of the party, ho was harshly
criticised by all of the reactionary members, and
some progressives expressed tho fpar that he
was mistaken in the man. Events since that
time have left little doubt among fair-minded
people that Mr. Underwood by constitutional
bias and by sympathy as well as by environment
is a reactionary. But a last year's Associated
Press dispatch from Savannah, Ga., dated Sept. 3,
ought to remove any doubt if any doubt has
lingered in the mind of any. This press dispatch
reported William Rockefeller, a brother of John
D. and his intimate associate in business", as say
ing that his first choice for president was Mr.
Underwood and his second choice President Taft.
A democrat who can make himself more accept
able to the Standard Oil company than Mr. Taft
is can hardly be counted as a progressive. A
man is known by the company he keeps, and
Mr. Underwood's calling list was bad enough
before Mr. Rockefeller's name was put at the
head of it.
A BITTER EXPERIENCE
In 1904 Senator Hitchcock favored tho nomi
nation of Judge Parker, and Judgo Parker was
nominated. His campaign was managed by the
very element that will conduct Governor Har
mon's campaign if he is nominated and what
was tho result? Judge Parker ran a million
and a quarter of votes behind the democratic
vote of 1900 and 1908. Judgo Parker, lost Ne
braska by over EIGHTY THOUSAND. Why in
vite a repetition of this experience? Progres
siveness is not only right in principle but it
PAYS. VOTE FOR PROGRESSIVE DELEGATES.
UNITED STATES SENATE TAKE NOTICE
The house of Lords consents to minimum wage
bill passes it without a division. It does it not
because it favors the bill but because public
opinion can compel it. What a pity public
opinion can not coerce our senate into obedience
to the popular will. But bo patient, we shall
have popular election of senators'soon.
Governor Woodrow Wilson specifically denies
the charge that has been made against him to
the effect that he did not vote at tho national
elections of 1900 and 1908. Governor Wilson
says, "At both those elections I voted for Wil
liam Jennings Bryan (or rather for the demo
cratic electors), voting tho entire democratic
ticket."
Harmon's Popularity
Governor Harmon's friends aro urging hia
nomination on the ground that ho carried Ohio
twice tho last timo by an increased majority.
They ought to explain that his first victory was
duo to tho fact that tho national campaign
brought out a largo democratid voto and that tho
fight made by tho special interests for Taft and
Harmon gave him a majority in spite of tho
defeat of tho national ticket.
In 1910 Governor Harmon received seventy
fivo thousand less votes than ho received In
19.08; his majority was greater, however, be
causo tho revolt of progressive republicans
caused a slump in the republican voto. The total
voto was over two hundred thousand less in
1910 than in 1908.
But the friends of Governor Harmon not only
fail to explain the reasons for his victories but
they ignore one great fact that has destroyed
whatever popularity ho had. SInco 1910 ho has
repudiated the platform on which ho won his
victories. His platforms of both 1908 and 1910
pledged him to the Initiative and referendum but
in spite of his platforms he wont before the con
stitutional convention and tried to prevent tho
adoption of tho initiative and referendum; he
tried to defeat tho very men who elected him in
the effort to secure control of tho instrumen
talities of government. Can his friends doubt
that this has lessened his popularity?. Only
twenty-two out of the sixty-six democrats in the
constitutional convention favor his nomination.
The convention, by an overwhelming majority,
adopted the initiative and referendum thus re
fusing to follow his advice.
If a state treasurer embezzled tho money in
his keeping would ho bo a popular man to put
up for president? Why nominate a man who
has embezzled power a thing more valuable
than money? Pie has used against tho people
tho authority conferred upon him by those who
favor the initiative and referendum. Ho has
lost whatever popularity ho had before and his
former popularity was very much overestimated.
THE DELEGATE TICKET IN NEBRASKA
The Progressive Democratic League of Ne
braska and the Woodrow Wilson League of Ne
braska have indorsed tho following four candi
dates for the position of delegates to the demo
cratic national convention at Baltimore:
I. J. DUNN.
WILLIAM II. WESTOVER,
GEORGE L. LOOMIS,
WILLIAM J. BRYAN,
The other three candidates for delegates-at-large
are for Judson Harmon and would .favor
a platform satisfactory to Harmon and the in
terests that are supporting him. Champ Clark
was indorsed as second choice by the Progres
sive Democratic League of Nebraska and the
Woodrow Wilson League of Nebraska. Tho
Commoner has not expressed a preference be
tween Wilson and Clark. It would favor Clark
in any state where Clark is stronger than Wil
son. It would favor Wilson in any state where
Wilson is stronger than Clark. Its desire is to
prevent the nomination of a reactionary candi
date, the election of reactionary delegates or
tho adoption of a reactionary platform.
Cut these names out and take them to tho
polls with you.
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All persons who may have tho impres
sion that Governor Harmon has any claim
to tho democratic nomination on account
of being a progressive democrat, should
read the April issue of McClure's maga
zine and also study tho cartoon.
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