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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1912)
M r,, V7T--7 ' - , MMM TTl'i i' fit - 1 ii - - : Ml ll i The Commoner. VOLUME 12, NUMBER 14 ornor Wilson, Champ Clark, or somo othor presidential eandldato who Is pleasing to progressives, thon ho should vote for Bryan, Dunn, Loomia and Wcstovor for delegates-at-largo, because thoso four men are com mitted to tho progressive cause, and if thoy shall bo elected as delegates, and if thoy should accept a commis sion as delegates, thoy would do all in their power to secure tho nomina tion of Governor Wilson, Champ Clark, or somo other progressive democrat as tho candidate for presi dent. If our St. Edward friend de Biros to help William .1. Bryan in his great batllo with the giant criminal wealth, and doslros to oeo a demo cratic national platform which will ring true to tone of the great bell of liberty, then he will cast his pri mary vote for delegates who are jvwuwii iu uu uuiiuvura m progressive principles. Those who go as delegates to the national convention will bo in honor bound to support tho candidate who shall receive a majority of preferen tial votes at the primary. Condi tions may arise under which a man might be electod as a delegate, and then feel in honor bound to decline the election. Suppose tho majority voico of tho April primary might say that Governor Wilson is the choice of Nobraska democrats for president, and suppose that G. M. Hitchcock might at tho same primary bo elected as a delegatc-at-largo to the national convention. Under such circum stances G. M. Hitchcock would be in honor bound to decline tho election as delegate, because ho, being op posed tO all nrOirrPKHil'n nrlnnlnlnc could not in honor take part in nomi nating a progressive candidate for president, and ho could not in honor assist in tho making of a progressive domocratlc platform. Under such circumstances, even such a man as Mr. Hitchcock would decline an elec tion as delegate, and he would ask that some othor porson one in har mony with progressive principles, be selected to roprosont tho progressive sentiment expressed at tho Nebraska primary. On tho othor hand, suppose tho No braska preference vote should be favorable to Harmon, or some other stand-pat candidate, and suppose that at the same primary Mr. Bryan should bo olected as a delegate to the national convention to represent the stand-pat sentlmont expressed at the primary. In such case Mr. Bryan would bo in honor bound to decline an election as delegate, and to ask that some person who believes in stand-pat principles for tho reason that Mr. Bryan could no more in 7"u - pari in nominating a stand-pat candidate or in writing a stand-pat platform than Mr. Hitch cock could in aiding the romination of a progressive candidate, or in writ ing a progressive platform. We trust this explanation will make the situation very clear to our St. Edward correspondent. Wo be lieve he should have no difficulty in discovering just bow to vote his own principles at the primary, if ue is i i ,, uavme the corporation element dictate the affairs of the democratic party in Nobraska, then he ought to vote for Harmon for president, and for Hitchcock, Volnn and Smith as dolegates, bocause all tho corporation Influences in Nebras ka are voting that way this year. The Telegram does not say that every Nebraska democrat now supporting Harmon is a corporation democrat but we do say, and we emphasize the saying, that every paid political worker for all the railroads and other public service corporations in Nebraska is supporting tho Harmon movement, and also supporting Hitchcock, Smith and Vlopp for dele-gates-at-largo. And so wo advise our St. Edward friend to vote for the Harmon program if ho wants to please tho stand-pat and corporation element In the state and in the na tion. But if ho believes in progres sive principles; if he believes that tho democracy of Nebraska ought to bo kept away from tho control of stand-pat and corporation influences, thon he Bhould vote for either Wilson or Clark for tho presidential choice, and vote for Bryan, Dunn, Loomis and Westovcr as delegates. CAN NOT CHANGE THE RECORD Crete (Neb.) Democrat: As to Harmon's position upon every im portant question at issue in this cam paign, it is well known. It is history. Mr. Hitchcock's handyman can not make over that record. Mr. Hitch cock, who was landed in the senate on the crest of the wet wave started at Grand Island by Mr. Bryan, should not now tr.v to turn Nebraska demo crats into the stand-pat field, where tho trusts, big business, money changers and Taft supporters are congregated and secretly conniving with well known eastern stand-pat democrats, to secure the nomination of a democrat who will be as reliable as Taft. Then thoy can rest easily, for it would make little difference to them which candidate was elected. We were always aware that Mr. Hitchcock was made of good republi can stuff, but did not believe he had tho nerve to try to discredit the de mocracy, tho integrity and the mo tives of Mr. Bryan through the columns of tho World-Herald, which U3 euuor-in-cnlef advorHfiPn nc nn independent paper. Mr. Hitchcock should husband his democratic re sources and confine himself to his duties as senator representing pro gressive Nebraska, and not try to make a fool of Chris by inducing him to try to convince Nebraska demo crats that Harmon is a progressive. It is a bold piece of effrontery, one would hardly expect from any west ern democrat, so soon after the offi cial acts, of this man, as a member of Grover's cabinet. If the senator keeps up the new pace it won't be long till he is placed in the column of near-republicans or still worse in tho Bailey-Fitzgerald class. Have a care senator. The wet wave has dashed itself to foam on the rocks of democracy, and you can't fool 'em again with the prohibition wolf cry. CLAIMS FOR HARMON Lincoln (Neb.) Journal: Judson Harmon is bitterly assailed and the sincerity of the Omaha World-Herald is attacked in a lettor made public by M. F. Harrington of O'Neill last nVenwS'Th0 lotter is addressed to !. nuuu-neruiu ana is in reply to an editorial which accused Mr. Har rington of misstatements and of noli- "You are not fooling many in your declaration that your reason for not wanting to publish attacks on demo cratic candidates is to preserve har mony," says Mr. Harrington in his opening paragraph. "You have pub lished every insinuation and charse against Woodrow Wilson that vou ?XLn!laisL a pT """"'i' lo " anu lucky it is for progressive democracy that he is the man who needs protection by silenc- "b ui'i'uauiuii wuere possible Mr. Harrington then details his own record as a democrat in Ne braska, and demands of the World Herald proof of its charge that he has misstated facts or has been reek ess He admits what he calls a trifling error in his statement of Mr Harmon's connection with the so called Morgan bond issue of the early nineties. Continuing, he says in part: And now about Judson Harmon You seem to want to know why we call him wall street's candidate. I don't mind tolling you. At tho present time Jjm Hill, the associate of Pierpont Morgan in tho control of tho Great Northern, tho Northern Pacific and tho Burlington, Is lined up for tho nomination of Harmon. Hill and Morgan know their man. He entered Cleveland's cabinet with full knowledge that tho sugar trust con tributed money to Cleveland's cam paign upon tho understanding that tho sugar trust should bo protected in any tariff legislation. "In tho next place, ho used his position to defeat Mr. Bryan, the democratic candidate in 1896. "Another reason is that for years ho was a general attorney, political manipulator and pass peddler for one of the Morgan railroads in Ohio. Does that help fasten him to Wall street? On tho fourth day of De cember, 1905, tho Morgan interests were desirous of cleaning out the smaller investors and gathering in tho Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad and thereupon they filed a bill to have it placed in the hands of a receiver. The man whom the Mor gan interests asked to have put in as receiver was Judson Harmon. What salary ho received I do not know. The court records do not show. Will the World-Herald kindly publish the checks he got from tho Morgan in terests while he served them, and in such publication don't overlook the checks he received during the period that he was governor of Ohio. "Another reason for believing that he is with Wall street is this: The legislature of Ohio passed a splendid puoiic utilities bill. Governor Har mon did not approve the bill, al though some of his backers in Ne braska are claiming he did. The session laws show this fact. Why didn't he veto it? There were enough votes to pass it over the veto. For once he couldn't help the Morgan interests, for which he has been at torney, receiver, political manipu lator anu pass distributor. "Mr. Harmon was not one of the men who ever urged tax reform. In 1910 both parties in Ohio declared for railroad tax reform. An amended bill was passed, creating a tax com mission, without regard to party lines. Governor Harmon appointed the commissioners, although his pro gressive democratic league says he appointed reactionaries. It was the legislature and not the governor that did tho business. "Of all the reforms now proposed, the 'black beast' of Wall street is the initiative and the referendum. The platform on which Mr. Harmon was elected governor of Ohio declared for it. The people believed he stood for it. But quite recently ho went be fore the constitutional convention and urged the convention not to put it m the new constitution. There is nu auuon in nis whole career that shows more clearly his subserviency to Wall street." - Mr. Harrington declares that the nomination of Harmon means the complete loss of Nebraska by the democrats. mil mm Mfirmnn ara. inu Qf. our differences two years ago on the liquor question. That question is out of tho way in Nebraska poli tics. "All recognize that Harmon would be no stronger than Banqua's Ghost in Nebraska, except for the support of the liquor interest. And the liquor interests In Nebraska can make no greater mistake than to help Wall street carry this state and defeat progressive democracy by reason of "any hostility of the liquor interests to Mr. Bryan personally. When the crucial test will come two years from November as it will come under the initiatlvo and ref erendum the attitude of the liquor interests today, even, if they stay with Harmon, would not affect my personal judgm'ent or vote. But that will not be true with the great body of progressive democrats. If the liquor interests line up with Har mon and Wall street, then they can rest assured that when their day of trouble comes .the progressive demo crats of this state will let the liquor interests look to Wall Btreet for their votes. "The progressive democrats owe it to themselves to line up to the very last man behind Wilson. Champ Clark is a good man, and is making a good speaker. But if nominated for president ho certainly could get no such votej in the northwest at least, as Woodrow Wilson. The one man that insurgent republicans will support is Wilson. We must have this support to win. Any person who has been over the state to any con siderable extent knows that Champ Clark has no possible chance of carrying Nebraska in the primaries. A vote for Clark is a vote in the air. It is half a vote for Harmon. The Wilson men and the Wilson dele gates are all for Champ Clark for their second choice. .,' "The same is true all over the United States. Wilson is recognized as the most progressive of progres sive democrats. Champ Clark is re garded next. The ' Harmon-Wrall street crowd will try to nominate Underwood, if they can not nominate Harmon. Underwood is easily their second choice. They would even go to Marshall before Clark, for Mar shall is against the initiative and referendum. Champ Clark's friends ought not to endanger the progres sive movement in Nebraska. Being tremendously in the minority they ought to co-operate with a friendly majority, and help to fling back the defy of Wall street which it has made by making its only fight in the entire northwest in Bryan's home state." as much alike as the Siamese tna Ho says. "Big business would not care the toss of a copper which was elected. Tho one man that Wall street is directing its fire on at this time is Woodrow Wilson. Ho lathe one man with a chance to be nomi nated who has declared against the trZ icUMmonoy bm and tho mono? trust. No man can find where Jud- An wimcm standa on thl question Al Wall street asks is silence. Why has Wall street made thr fight in Nebraska? No effort wis made to get a delegation for Harmon n Oklahoma or Kansas. None is bP ing made in Iowa, South Dakota w Wyoming or Colorado. Why have they singled out Nebraska The the principles for which William J Bryan has been contending and lv think there is a chance to P S these principles in Nebraska because HARMON LOSES CASE United Press dispatch: Cincin nati, March 27.- A jury in United btates district court returned a ver dict for $300,000 today, in favor of Mrs. Jean McKell, of Chillicothe, O., against the Chesapeake & Ohio rail road. She charged the railroad broke an agreement to take coal from mines that her husband owned w PU? and Rale6h counties, West Virginia. Governor Harmon, as chief coun sel for tho railroad, was in Cincin nati for twenty-one days represent- ?tK7r0nrAailr?lld- Ml'8' McKell asked It'l 7?' ?, dama&es. The case has been in the state and federal courts for ton years. orrTCt fr tlle defenBe was S?i ed lree 'ears aS y United M?d?hwi?e Sat' bUfc thIs was set aside by the court of appeals. INFRINGING ON PATENTS effWnfYnrk 1Un: mat willthe ?hJ ? iihe patent- Vision be upon dorp 5SnUed i1!80 by the Hon- Thoo S?f ?00.B.ey?Jt 1 the paramount. 'Bryan? n' W111W-,J; r ,, ,-WtW'l Sii li I nwri- TT"llh 7Huii0-fl-j uiwHau Wrt-MT"m-yw. l, . ' MTM