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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1912)
t -wvyfu (j; Ji -- The Commoner,, WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR i mi VOL. 12, NO. 38 Lincoln, Nebraska, September 27, 1912 Whole Number 610 What Will the New York Democrats Do? What will the democrats of Now York do in beginning a campaign for the votes of men who want government placed upon the substan tial basis of "equal rights to all and special privileges to none?" Will they surrender the control over their party to Charles T. Murphy who, repudiated at Baltimore, must be repudiated by the New York democracy, if that democracy would keep step with the spirit of 1912? The New York World is making a gallant fight against Murphy and Murphyism and is pleading with democrats to defeat the renomination of John A. Dix. There are many honored and capable men whom the democrats might nominate for governor of New York. They will meet with the sorriest disappointment if they undertake to pit a John A. Dix against an Oscar Strauss. Pro pects for democratic success in New York are bright but they will grow brighter with the defeat of Dix and the repudiation of Murphy. New York democrats will do well to remember that the democratic party in the nation is not engaged in a sham battle. The fight for good government is a genuine light so far as the democrats of the nation are concerned and it remains to be seen whether the New York democ racy is willing to lend real aid in this patriotic effort. Murphy and Murphyism can have no part or concern in a real battle for popular government. THE TAFT-ROOSEVELT FEUD That there is a natural and inevitable division In the republican party is evident to all. It is in its essentials like the division which took place in the democratic party sixteen years ago, and is, in fact, a result of the stubborn fight made by .the democratic party against the predatory Interests. In the beginning, the de mocracy lost- permanently the aristocratic plutocratic elements of the party, and it lost temporarily many who did not understand the real character of the struggle. In the course of sixteen years those have returned who wero misled those whose mistake was of the head rather than of the heart and the party is now practically united. A few representatives of the favor-seeking class still call themselves demo crats, but among the rank and file of the party there Is entire harmony they are militantly progressive. The republican party, even before 1896, had a "much larger percentage than the democratic party had of those who profited by privilege or were in .sympathy with those who were the beneficiaries of governmental favoritism. After 1896 the percentage was still greater because the worst of the democratic party went over to the opposition. The same great wave of reform, however, that created the populist party and thus aroused the democratic party to resistance to the plunder bund's program-has now stirred the republican party to its very depths. But here the parallel ends. The progressives won their fight in the democratic party and though once since then the organization has fallen into the hands of Wall street the mass of, the party has left no doubt as CONTENTS THE TAFT ROOSEVELT FEUD HITTING HARD MARSHALL SHOWS HIS STRENGTH STRIKING SENTENCES FROM WOODROW WILSON'S SPEECH OF ACCEPTANCE THE NEXT PRESIDENT'S WESTERN TOUR GOVERNOR WILSON AND "JIM" SMITH MR. BRYAN'S WESTERN TRIP HOME DEPARTMENT BULL MOOSE PERKINS AND LABOR WHETHER COMMON OR NOT NEWS OF THE WEEK WASHINGTON NEWS to its fidelity to the people's side of the ques tions at issue. But in the republican party the result was different; the Wall street element re-., tained cpntrol of the party machinery! and nomi nated the ticket. It is true that the' methods employed wero indefensible but Mr. Roosevelt could not well complain;. because tie had -era- nJnrjtha enmrt tyiefhrtria fnnr vosro hrtfnro in 'VXtfilSSTtolftlfc mnry nf Tifa'-'tWnlna The'isecond difference between the democratic situation sixteen years ago and the republican situation now is that the fight in the democratic party was waged entirely on principle, while per sonalities have played a large part in the re . publican contest. In 1896 the gold democrats, after being defeated In the convention, put up a separate ticket, but there was no charge of "fraud" or "theft," and thero was no personal feeling between the gold ticket and the regular democratic ticket. In the republican party, how ever, the contest over principles is almost lost sight of in the, feud which has developed between President Taft and ex-President Roosevelt. Noth ing like it has ever been seen In American poli tics and, for the sake of the nation's reputation abroad, let us hope that nothing like it may ever be seen again. Mr. Ro.osevelt, when president, took up Mr. Taft and made him the nominee of his party, using the patronage of tils high office to accomp lish his purpose. Ho then violated precedent by the extraordinary activity which he manifested in behalf of his candidate. MrvTaft won, and from subsequent developments it is quite certain that ho understood that he was to have the office for two terms, and that Mr. Roosevelt was then to bo a candidate again. Mr. Roosevelt's son-in-law inadvertently intimated as much during the campaign of 1908. But it seems that, for some reason some think because of pride and in gratitude, others believe as a result of promises made for him during the campaign but for some reason, Mr. Taft cast Mr. Roosevelt off and failed to consult him about the formation of his cabinet. Such conduct upon the part jof one so obligated as Mr. Taft was Is hard to ac count for, and Mr. Roosevelt is not the man to bear such a slight In silence. He evidently felt that Mr. Taft's violation of the implied agree ment released him, and since his return from Africa his chief ambition seems to be to prevent the president's re-election. Whatever may have been the cause of Mr, Taft's change of front it Is natural that his anger should be aroused by Mr. Roosevelt's biting accusations. He has. however, gone far beyond what might have been expected from one of his disposition. The speeches made by him and Mr. Roosevelt In the contest for delegates pained the friends of both so lacking were they in the dignity that Is supposed to attach to the highest office in the land. The newspapers In foreign lands have used the speeches made by the president and by the former occupant of the White House aa a basis for tlio comparisons, unfavorable to re publics. . At the convention the interests of the party were lost sight of and each sido seemed, more anxious to win out again&t. the other than for the-HiiccesM of the -party or for the triumph f anyiot of principles. Usually when feeling ii excited between two. candidates the party. puU them both aside and lakes some one "who has not aroused antagonisms, but Mr. Taft was not will ing to stand asido and Mr. Roosevelt was not willing to compromise on any other progressive, So wo have this pot and kettle campaign. While Mr. Roosevelt's friends condemn Mr. Taft for ignoring the ox-president and his close fricnda, tho supporiors of Mr. Taft point out that Mr. Roosovelt, instead of seeking to make tho presi dent's administration a success, laid in wait for sins of omission and commission. Thus the situ ation went from bad to worse and tho two men, once bosom friends, have become implacable 'enemies, and tho voters of a great party are unable to consider campaign Issues on their merits. "Did Mr. Taft treat Mr. Roosevelt fairly?" and "Did Mr. Roosevelt act Justly toward Mr. Taft?" These questions absorb attention to the overshadowing of principles and policies. Had some pioneer reformer like Senator LaFollette been pitted against Mr. Taft the line could have been drawn with clearness and tho contest could have been conducted without resort to personali ties, but it is difficult to make a definite issue between Mr. Taft and Mr. Roosevelt when Mr. Taft is now what Mr. Roosevelt was until very recently, and Mr. Roosevelt is .now what Mr. Taft, as the progressive republicans insist, promised to bo! It wjould bo unfortunate for the republican party for either Mr Taft or Mr. Roosevelt to be elected; it would simply con- ' tinuo the feud as bitter as any blood feud among mountaineers. If both are defeated the party can bo reorganized and made useful aa one of the great parties of the country. If both are defeated each side will be satisfied it will have .won half a victory and reconciliation will be possible along reform lines. The republican party can not hope to rival the democratic party as a reform party It will remain, relatively speaking, the conservativie party, but one defeat will make it progressive enough to draw back most of those who now follow Mr. Roosevelt's standard. The republi can party is not going to fall to pieces, as the more sanguine members of the new party seem to think. There is little difference between Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Taft except as to leadership, and leaders can be changed more easily when we secure presidential primaries. On essentials Mr. Taft and Mr. Roosevelt are not far apart. They agree on the tariff; if either one will write out his views on tho subject the other will have i i -j 1 I