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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 12, 1912)
yeonytisraTO, a. fv m ft HI III ftu c i .rc r v, V A' 'H r A' ! i. 6 The Fight Against I. J. Dunn, of Omaha, Hie gentleman who placed Mr. Bryan In nomination at the Denver convention, has Issued the following open letter: Omaha, Neb., April 1. To tho Democrat of Nobraska: C. M. Oruenlher, manager of Gover nor Harmon's cani)aign in tills state, has re cently had published in tho newspapers, state ments attacking Mr. Bryan and other progres sive democrats. In an address published March 12, lie com plainod that attacks on Harmon and on himself wore founded on an anonymous pamphlet sent out by a Progressive Democratic league of Ohio. Democrats of Nebraska know who is at tho head of tho Ohio Progressive league as well as they know who is really' responsible for tho charges and vituperation of Mr. Gruenther. Wo can not assume that Mr. Gruenther would volun tarily engage In a campaign of falsehood against Mr. Bryan unless wo boliovo that his profes sions of friendship for Mr. Bryan in the past were more buncombe. Ho says that some demo crats have charged that ho is actuated by sordid motives in taking up tho light for Harmon. I have not heard that charge, and do not assume that it 1b true. If lie will niako public, however, the size of" tho campaign fund, which has been or is to be placed at his disposal, and by whom contributed, democrats will be able to judge for themselves Just how unselfish and patriotic he is in this contest. Mr. Gruonther complains that false charges have been made against his candidate; and he shudders to think that any one would stoop to such methods. Tho charge that Harmon is the choice of Wall strcot, that ho is not progres sive, and that big business is supporting him, ho denounces as false. In a statement published March 2G, Gruen ther said that Bryan is in tho habit of de nouncing democrats who do not take orders from him as reactionary and tools of Wall strcot. Ho quoted Hitchcock as stating that when Bryan is opposed to a man "Ho first assumes and then asserts that Wall street is for that man." 1 suppose Hitchcock had Par kor, Undorwood, Harmon and a few others in mind. Gruonther denounces Bryan's statement regarding Hitchcock as a characteristic bit of Bryan character assassination. Well, it has boon fashionable for many yoars for thoso who seek political notoriety beyond tho confines of their own county, to bo hurling mud and abuse at Bryan. Such persons are usually recognized at once in certain quarters as self-sacrificing patriots. For sixteen yoars the interests that rob and plunder tho people havo kept the door loading to their gilded halls of questionable fame wido open, and a hearty welcomo over ready for thoso willing to join that sacred communion, whose chief purpose in life has boon tho political destruction, death and burial of ono William Jennings Bryan. But ho has withstood tho assaults of the paid hire lings of tho predatory interests, backed by all tho power of corrupt millions; and he has grown In the confidence and respect of his follow men; and ho will survive tho efforts of thoso in Ne braska who imagino that their personal sple6n will do that which the combined efforts of plu tocracy failed to accomplish. Now let us see how much truth there 's in the charge that Bryan denounces persons who disagree with him as reactionary and tools of Wall street. In tho Grand Island convention two years ago Hitchcock was not only opposed an ,ou "10 issue of county option, but in fnVIl?n J! "turned mo and published an interview in Ills paper praising tho speeches that had been made at that convention, a majority of which wore little- more than bitter poraomrt attacks upon Bryan; and tho World-Herald pub lished the next morning in its account of that convention an attack upon Bryan in which it gloated over what it chose to describe as tho tearing of tho mantle of leadership from Bryan's shoulders and trampling it in the dust. Did Bryan denounce Hitchcock as a Wall street tool, and as a reactionary? Did ho not at his own expense travel over this state ml porting Hitchcock for senator? Did Bryan SSt support ovory other man on the state ticko that year except Dahlman, and only refused to support Dahlman after he had (repudiated 'a nor tion of theutatWTilatrormt. .BMiBryan denm Judge Oldham who -opposed him TthGvl Island convention? Did ho' denounce ni? The Commoner iryan in . Nebraska tool of Wall street? Did he not put In a month campaigning for Judge Oldham, and the rest of the ticket, when Oldham was a candidate for the supreme bench? Did ho denounce C. J. Smyth, chairman of the Grand Island conven tion, as a tool of Wall strcot, because Smyth differed with him on tho question of county option? Did ho denounca Hitchcock in 1904 . when he lined up with tho re-organizers and supported Parker for tho democratic nomina tion and gave all tho assistance ho could in placing the democratic party in the nation under tho control of Parker's New York supporters? Has Bryan been denouncing Hitchcock and the World-Herald during tho last two years as tools of Wall street, while tho World-Herald has been opening its columns to attacks upon him, and in denunciation of the principles ho has advo cated. Gruenther speaks of the amount of time and energy he has given to the democratic cause, and of his support of Bryan in 1908. Let me suggest that during tho sixteen years, from 189G to 1908 that Gruenther and other demo crats in Nebraska, who have held office, state and county, have been the beneficiaries of Bryan's leadership and have received more from the party and from Bryan's labors than he has. His leadership has been the means of securing more offices for democrats in Nebraska than he has either sought or held. Had it not been for Bryan's leadership in Nebraska and in the na tion, Mr. Hitchcock instead of having boon threo times elected to congress and finally to the United States senate, as a Bryan democrat, would probably be still wandering in the politi cal wilderness. As I now remember it Mr. Gruonther was secretary of the democratic state central committeo in 1908, and of the Bryan volunteers. I am informed that ho had charge of tho expenditure of about $12,000, contributed by tho Bryan volunteers, and in addition that he had charge of a campaign fund of several thousand dollars contributed by tho brewers of Nebraska to be used in tho interest of certain candidates, of which Bryan was not one. That ono of tho purposes was to elect certain demo cratic candidates to tho state senate, who had been agreed upon by the brewers as their men Ono of tho features of the campaign in 1908 is worth mentioning, in view of Gruenther's superb services to tho stato and national ticket while secretary of the central committee and of tho Bryan volunteers. Although Bryan polled approximately from one to three thousand votes moro in the state than any democratic candidate on tho stato ticket, with one exception, in Platte county, Gruenth,er's county, a strong democratic county Bryan ran behind every democrat on the stato ticket with ono lone exception. Everv candidate on tho stato ticket but one received more votes in Platte county than tho majority of Bryan presidential electors. uuiuy During tho years that Mr. Bryan has been tho loader of the democratic party, he has held offlcS but four years and then by carrying a strmiS republican congressional district He 4 p? n- at "naZVr Ul nLance between aSmS ciats and populists in Nebraska, which nlnopri gany democrats in state 'and 'county offlc08 Resident1, dThCrat haS Tried tho atatoTor ?vhS. h 7 n camPaiSn in sixteen years BrwH 1udSSJ?ratl0, Party "Plated &! hni? Judgment and accepted tho advice of a SliThingPQ0d wltn Hitehcock as to who should bo chosen as tho standard bearer of !, ?VVnN?Sa8ka WGnt "PWiSn 80?000 st Jong" ) Ff.this yoar as in 1904 i Bll0S; ock3Ua?honaUGmBni;yan T thS o? H ch Ihill' n i aUmpt on tho part of Hitchcock tr shift tho issue from that of a vindicative t faro against Bryan, in tho inter? S rr ar" and big business to' the cry thalTrn to trying to destroy the primary and defy 'the Vlll of tho people, won't succeed. Tho conLT w is whether democrats favor annS e tho representatives of big business Iilnn o at VOLUME 12, NUMBER 14 inspired by a personal dislike of Mr. Bryan on tho part of Senator Hitchcock. The democrats, of Nebraska expect better things of the World-Herald. They do not like to seo it devote its splendid energies venting tho spleen of Mr. Hitchcock upon Mr. Bryan The latter made a serious mistake, in the judgment of many democrats, in his attitude on the matter of county option in 1910, but ho is still the greatest living democrat and nearer to tho hearts of tho American people than any other man. ,, The World-Herald and Senator Hitchcock are for Harmon for president, not because they love Harmon more but because they love Bryan less. Senator Hitchcock was elected in 1910, defying the Bryan wing of the party. Let him not suppose, however, that it was be cause his strength in tho party is greater than Bryan's. It was because he was on the right side of tho county option issue and Mr. Bryan on the wrong side. This year Mr. Hitchcock is on the wrong side. Whether it is proven or not does not matter, his candidate, Governor Harmon, is accepted as the candidate of the reactionary wing of the party. If' Senator Hitchcock thinks ho can lead the democratic party up to the reactionary trough and make it drink, in Ne braska, we kindly refer him to the Parker vote in this stato in 1904, for facts and figures to dispel his illusion. ' All of the above will also apply to the Hon. Chris Gruenther, in whom we always hoped there was. a higher purpose than engaging m a campaign, the sole moving spirit of which is a desire to humiliate Mr. Bryan. DIFFERENT Norfolk (Neb.) Press: Had Htchcock at tempted his assault on Bryan a year earlier, Nebraska senatorial history would read dif ferently "today. It is not forgotten that Hitch cock, si, was a republican; that the World Herald today is not democratic, but "indepen dent;" that 'Hitchcock, while an able man, is not a Bryan and never can be. BRYAN NOT A BOSS Lincoln (Neb.) News: Soriator Hitchcock and his followers are prejudicial when they cry out that Bryan is now opposed to letting the peoplo rale. That is their interpretation of his statement, but they are hardly looking from tho point of view which gives a proper perspec tive. Bryan has simply said that if a plurality of tho democrats instruct tho delegates for Har mon he will, if elected delegate to the conven tion, resign and attend only as a prfvate citizui. Surely that is within his rights. That is not an attempt to block the will of the people. It is simply refusing to stultify himself when he can not conscientiously do what tho plurality of tho party desires done. It is also difficult to understand just how the epithet "boss" applies to Bryan because of this attitude he has taken. Jie is not wielding any club or exercising any 01 the prerogatives of the boss when he an nounces that ho can not support 'this or that candidate. And no pressure is brought to bear on anyone to force him to change his views in the matter of candidates. It is true that many voters are influenced by tho position Juryan takes, but that is a legitimate influence, SS n I as differet from the influence wielded by tho boss as is day from night. BOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH pnm!?1?111011 (Nob- Liberal : Chris Gruenther, mJJE?;gnman?fep for Governor Harmon is a 2 o Political detail and figures in Ne- wi ,W1Aen' however, he gets himself sharp SSnf c 1 attempts- to enter the racing lists of hi! scholal's and statesmen on national affairs ?hn? rj?ach?,8.and calks h'mself and we fancy wni 1, m1"6 ,.thlB camPftien closed that he L?f e2? !n,B In al1 of his Political fetlocks, benatop Hitchcock is .not an object of charity. rttwr VaS l two larg0 fortunes and his hnVtn8! Gat ?amo waB a fort"ne in itself. He cation nrtlMa?Van,tage of an international edu nron i fw 1?Sb.ra8Jka visitors to the oapltol feel to SiotiniV1 dllnior Benator llaB the polish nherl n? w!Bhi .hlm in any sooiet- Th0 atlos FnV erai,afhingt0.n llowever, is a poor breed mchcook Jr r1adl?1,8Dl. and to say that Mr. the tvZ nf1S b,y lnstinct, tuition or self-interest of tho n 1 a leader that thQ outraged populace dav pvm producinS states are asking for to If 5n?nidnco 0f nepverslty or provincialism, namo n niS a baml of stand-patters better named a band of crooks just because they call A (Continued on Page 10.)