The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 12, NO. 16,
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 26, 1912
Whole Number 588
Mr. Bryan's Ohio Text
At each of bis twenty Ohio meetings, Mr.
Bryan read the following:
The issue this year is exactly the same that
it was in 1896 namely, the people versus Wall
street.. The money question was merely an
incident of the campaign of '96, just as tho
tariff question is merely an Incident of the
present campaign.
THE REAL. QUESTION IS WHETHER THE
GOVERNMENT IS TO BE RUN BY THE
PEOPLE, IN THE INTEREST OF THE
PEOPLE, OR BY WALL STREET, IN THE IN
TEREST OF WALL STREET.
The fight made by the democratic party in
1896 was tho first great protest against tho
control of the government by tho predatory in
terests. The Wall street democrats then joined
the republican tfarty and, with the aid of the
largest campaign fund ever used, and by means
of coercion, such as was never practiced before,
defeated the democratic ticket.
Governor Harmon, who was then 50 years
old, and a member of President Cleveland's
cabinet, joined with President Cloveland and
the rest of the cabinet in opposing the demo
cratic party and in electing as the republican
president, William McKinley, the high priest of
protection.
I affirm that Governor Harmon has not
changed in heart since that time. I affirm that
his sympathies are with Wall street today, as
they were then, and that his nomination would
put the control of the party v in the hands of
Wall street.
If Governor Harmon denies this let him show
where he has ever publicly admitted that he and
President Cleveland were wrong in assisting
the republican party in 1896.
If ho was right in '96, then tho nearly half
million democrats of Ohio who voted for me
that year were wrong. If he and the democrats
of Ohio are together now, either he bas changed
or they have changed, and I am here to show,
you that he has not changed.
The vote at the primaries, May 21, will show
whether the democrats of this state, after the
gallant fight they have made for the protection
of the people against the Wall street plunder
bund, are ready to put their necks under the
yoke and surrender tho government into the
hands of those who have, for a generation, re
sorted to every means of deception, corrup
tion, and intimidation to exploit the masses.
This is the issue in Ohio as it is all over the
country.
I wish it were possible for you to vote directly
for presidential candidates in the districts, as
CONTENTS
MR. BRYAN'S OHIO TEXT "
MORGAN'S PERSONAL CHOICE
. "A DICTATOR"
SENATOR KERN'S GREAT SPEECH
OWEN ANSWERS JONES
"BIG BUSINESS" WANTS THE COURT
GOVERNOR HARMON'S CONFESSION
HOME RULE FOR IRELAND
MR. BRYAN'S NEW YORK INTERVIEW
PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCES
A TERRIBLE DISASTER
HOME DEPARTMENT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
WASHINGTON NEWS
0
MORGAN'S PERSONAL CHOICE
New York, Feb. 24, 1010. Special to
the Cincinnati Enquirer. A Washing
ton dispatch to tho Newark Evening
News is as follows:
"Believing that Theodore Roosevelt
will bo tho republican nominee for presi
dent in 19113 and that it will bo impos
sible for the standpatters and reaction
aries to retain control of congress and
the federal government through the re
publican organization, Wall street in
terests arc preparing to dominate tho
democratic national convention in that
. year and nominate a man of their selec
tion on the democratic ticket.
"J. Pierpont Morgan has taken a di
recting hand in the program and Francis
Lynde Stetson, a prominent corporation
lawyer, closely identified with big finan
cial interests, is in charge of the work
of capturing tho democratic organiza
tion. Governor Judson Harmon, of
Ohio, is Mr. Morgan's personal choice
for the presidency."
Two years ago last February J. Pier
pont Morgan picked out Governor Har
mon as his PERSONAL' CHOICE. How
do the plain democrats like to have
Morgan pick our candidate?
0
well as in th,o state at largo. But in tho dis
tricts you nmst vote for delegates committed
to candidjitiejnjnstead of for tho candidates
themselves.-:" '
In this state your choice is limited to Har
mon and Wilson and I urge you to vote for
Wilson and for Wilson delegates.
If the issue were between Harmon and Clark,
I would urge you to vote for Clark and for
Clark delegates.
If the issue were between Harmon and any
other progressive, I would urgo you to vote for
the progressive whoever ho might be and for
progressive delegates.
In other words, I am for any progressive
against any reactionary for tho people and
against Wall street all tho timo.
Mr. Bryan proceeded to furnish proof show
ing Governor Harmon's constant and continu
ing devotion to Wall street and Wall street's
confidence in him.
PATENT LEGISLATION
It seems likely that congress will at last take
some action on the subject of patents. On an
other page will be found an outline of a bill now
under consideration. It should be so amended
as to fix a money limit as well as a time limit
to patents. Why not provide for the termina
tion of a patent when it has earned a reason
able amount the amount to bo fixed arbitrarily
in the law? A patent is intended to stimulate
invention and to reward the Inventor; when Jt
has served that purpose the monopoly which it
confers should end. A value limit is more
defensible than a time limit but there is no
reason why we should not have both.
KERN'S GREAT SPEECH
On another page will be found Senator Kern's
great speech on pensions. Read it. It shows
his power as an orator, and more than that,
it shows his sense uof justice1 and breadth of
sympathy. Senator Kern is justifying the
hopes of his friends; he is one of the growing
democrats watch him grow.
"A Dictator'
Editorial In Tho Commoner of Fobruary 19,
19 01: Tho reorganizes aro with one voico
accusing Mr. Bryan of trying to "dictate" to the
democratic party. What has Mr. Bryan dono to
justify the charge? Ho has expressed it as his
opinion that tho Kansas City platform should bo
reaffirmed, and for this ho is now beijig cen
sured by tho bolters and by those who are try
ing to put tho bolters in control of tho organi
zation. If Mr. Bryan had declared himself in
favor of abandoning tho Kansas City platform
would they have accused him of dictating? Not
at all, Ho would have been praised by tho gold
organs and they would havo abused any ono
who dissented from him. "Dictating," it would
seem, Is defined, not as the offering of sugges
tions, but as tho offering of suggestions objec
tionable to tho men and newspapers to whoso
opposition tho party owes its recent defeats.
Mr. Bryan has a right to agreo with them, but
no right, they think, to diffor from them.
Mr. Cleveland has been offering advice: ho
has declared that the party ought to return to
what ho calls "sanity" and yet nono of theso
organs1 have denounced Mr. Cleveland aB a dic
tator. They havo not oven questioned tho
propriety of his expressing an opinion on party
policy. Tho fact that Mr. Bryan has twice been
tho candidate of his party would, according to
their logic, compel him to keep silent, while tho
fact that Mr. Cleveland has twice thrown hia
influence to the republican party givcB him a
right to speak. Even republican papers can
seriously counsel the democratic party with
out arousing a protest from those editors who
mask their plutocratic designs under a demo
cratic name, but it is regarded as utterly repre
hensible that a former candidate should confer
with those who voted for him.
What is tho explanation of this bitter and
unreasonable criticism? Simply that the re
organizers are attempting to deceive tho public
and it makes them angry to havo their plans
exposed. Mr. Bryan has not sought to forco
his opinion on any one. Ho has expressed him
self, as every citizen has a right to do, and ho
has no desire to influence his co-workers except
insofar as his arguments are found to bo sound.
It is not Mr. Bryan that they havo to meet, but
tho honest conviction of the millions of demo
crats who havo maintained their integrity in
spite of threats and bribes. A little child can,
by quoting tho commandment, "Thou shalt not
steal," throw a crowd of would-be burglars into
confusion. They would fear not tho child, but
tho doctrine he proclaims. And it would seem,
that Mr. Bryan's suggestion of an honest plat
form has brought similar consternation among
tho men who aro plotting a betrayal of tho
people. If theirs was an open and an honest
work they would not abuse Mr. Bryan they
would be content to announce their platform,
give their reasons for it and appeal to the voters
of the party, but instead of that, they fly into
a passion and deny the right of any one to
differ from them. They may as well know that
their scheme will be opposed and that they will
bo. compelled to come from under cover.
For seven years the corporation newspapers
and tho leaders of the reorganization move
ment have been working for the most part
under ground they havo lauded every tool of
organized wealth and attempted to assassinato
the character of every one who would not join
them. They have made a constant assault on
democratic principles and were expecting to
complete their plans at St. Louis, but they now
realize that they must face tho indignation
which their repeated perfidy has aroused.
Their chief argument is that they can point
tho way to victory and they have impressed a
few who havo forgotten the disastrous defeat
of 1894 when the reorganizers last led and tho
rout of the Palmer and Buckner ticket which
they supported. They havo won over a few whoso
hunger for spoils is stronger than desire for re-
.
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