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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.
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