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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 12, NO. 46
Lincoln, Nebraska, November 22, 1912
Whole Number 615
An Epoch-Making Speech
Address of President Taft at tlio opening ses-
felon of convention of the United Daughters of
the Confederacy, at Continental Memorial hall,
.Washington, D. C, November 12, 1912:
Ladies of the United Daughters of the Con
federacy I beg to welcome you to Washington.
You have captured this city beautiful and made
it more lovely by your presence. As its tem
porary head, I give you the freedom of the city,
and recognize that in what you have done, you
have founded a shrine and an altar here which
will be viBited in the future by many a faithful
pilgrim.
If the occasion which brings you here were
the mourning at the bier of a lost cause, I
know that the nice sense of propriety of a fine
old social school would have prevented you from
inviting me, as the president of the United
States, to bo present. You are not hero to
mourn or support a cause. You are here to
celebrate, and justly to celebrate, the heroism,
the courage and the sacrifices to the uttermost
of your fathers and your brothers and your
mothers and your sisters, and of all your kin,
in1 a cause which they believed in their hearts
to be right, and for which they were willing to
lay down their lives. That cause ceased to be,
except in history, now more than half a century.
ago. It was one which could elicit from half
a nation, and a brave and warlike race, a four
years' struggle in which lives, property, and
everything save honor were willingly parted
with for its sake. So great was the genius for
military leadership of many of your generals, so
adaptable was the Individual of your race to
effective warlike training, so full of patriotic
sacrifice were your people that now when oil"
the bitterness of the struggle on our part of the
' north has passed away, we are able to share
with you of the south your just pride in your
men and women who carried on the unexampled
contest to an exhaustion that few countries ever
Buffered. The calm observer and historian,
whatever his origin, may now rejoice in his
heart that the Lord ordained it as it is. But
no son of the south and no son of the north,
with any spark in him of pride of race, can
fail to rejoice in that common heritage of
courage and glorious sacrifice that we have in
the story of the civil war and of both sides in
tho civil war.
It has naturally taken a long time for the
spirit of hostility that such an internecine
struggle develops completely to die away. Of
course it lasted a less time with those who were
the victors and into whose homes and domestic
laves the horrors of war were no; directly
thrust. The physical evidences of war were
traceable in the south for decades after they
had utterly disappeared in the north in the
few places in which they existed. Thon there are
conditions in the south which are a constant
CONTENTS
AN EPOCH-MAKING SPEECH
WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
THE SPECIAL SESSION
THANKSGIVING DAY
CHAMP CLARK
"HOW FATHER VOTED"
USING OUR EX-PRESIDENTS
PENNSYLVANIA
THE NOBEL PRICES
BRITISH INSURANCE ACT
HOME DEPARTMENT
WHETHER COMMON OR NOT
NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE WHITE HOUSE FAMILY
WASHINGTON NEWS
reminder of tho history of the past. Until
within recont decades, prosperity has not shod
her boon of comfort upon tho south with as
generous a hand as upon the north. Hence
those of us at' tho north who havo been some
times impatient at a little flash now and thon
of the old sectional antagonism nro unreason
able in our failure to allow for these marked
differences.
For years after tho war, tho republican party,
which had carried tho nation through tho war
to its successful conclusion, was in control of
the administration of tho government, and it
was impossible for tho southerner to escape tho
feeling that he was linked in his allegiance to
an alien nation and one with whoso destiny ho
found it difficult to identify himself. Time,
however, cures much, and after a while there
came a democratic adminlLtratlon of four years,
and thon another one of four year-. Southern
ers were called to federal office, they came to
have more influence in the halls of congress and
in tho senate, and the responsibility of tho gov
ernment brought with it a senso of closer ro
lationship to it and to all tho people for whom
the government was carried on.
I speak for my immediate republican pre
decessors In office when I say that they all
labored to bring the sections more closely to
gether. I am sure I can say that, so far as in
mo has lain, I have left nothing undone to re
duce tho sectional feeling and to make tho
divisions of this our country geographical only.
But I am free to admit that circumstances have
rendered it more difficult for a republican ad
ministration than for a democratic administra
tion to. give to our southern" fathers
and sisters the 'feeling of close relationship and
ownership in tho government of tho United
States. Therefore, in solving tho mystery of
that providential dispensation which now brings
on a democratic administration to succeed this,
we must admit tho good hat will coi 10 to tho
whole country in a more confirmed sense of
partnership in this government which our
brothers and sisters of tho southland will enjoy
in an administration, In which southern opinion
will naturally have greater influence, and tho
south greater proportionate representation in
tho cabinet, in congresB, and in other high
official station. While I rejoice in tho steps that
I havo been able to tako to heal the wounds
of sectionalism and to convey to tho southern
people, as far as I could, my earnest desire to
make this country one. I can not deny that my
worthy and distinguished successor has a
greater opportunity, and I doubt not he will uso
it for the benefit of the nation at largo.
It fell to my official lot, with universal popu
lar approval, to Issue the ord2r which made It
possible to erect, in tho national cemetery of
Arlington, tho beautiful monument of tho horolc
dead of 'he south that you founded today. Tho
event In Itself speaks .volumes as to the oblivion
of sectionalism. It gives mo not only great
pleasure and great honor, but it gives mo tho
greatest satisfaction as a lover of my country,
to be present, as president of the United States,
and pronounce upon this occasion tho benedic
tion of all true Americans.
THE SPECIAL SESSION
Governor Wilson has announced that Im
mediately after his inauguration as president
of the United States he will call an extraordi
nary session of congress to convene not later
than April 15th, for the purpose of revising the
tariff. Governor Wilson has acted well in this
matter and while he has the approval of demo
crats generally, men of all parties express the
opinion that he has taken a wise course. Gov
ernor Wilson has gone to Bermuda for a vaca
tion and he will return about December 16.
Every one will hope that he may 'njoy his rest
and return with new strength for the patriotic
task that is before him.
Nicholas Longworth, who married former
Alice Roosevelt, was defeated for congress In
the first Ohio district. It is too bad, hut Mr.
Longworth has the consolation of knowing that
he has distinguished company.
What of the Future?
The election fs ovor and wo turn from the
discussion of principles, policies and candidates
to a consideration of tho results. Tho past U
gone, never to return; what of tho future?
Tho three men who occupied tho center of the
stage have changed positions. Tho president re
tires from tho office with a fow doctoral votes
so fow that they only emphasize his dofoat. The
only consolation that Mr. Taft can draw from
tho result Is that, by sacrificing himself, ha
saved the country from a third term at least
ho made certain the defeat of Colonel Roosovolt.
History will deal with him more kindly than
the orators of tho third party havo. Even the
criticism of tho democrats will bo softonod by
an appreciation of his personal qualities and of
tho great service that he has rendered the
country by dividing tho republican party. It was
not his intention, of course, to divide his party,
but It was the natural result of his administra
tion, and the nation is the beneficiary.
He did some good things, but thoy wore over
shadowed by his sins of commission and omis
sion. Circumstances wero against him and he
was out of joint with tho times. Ho was recom
mended four years ago as an impossible char
acter a progressive in tho west, and a "stand
patter" in the east.
He could not havo fulfilled all tho expectations
that wore excited, and by attempting for a while
to follow a middle courso, ho alienated both sides
so that when he finally cast in his lot with tho
"standpatters" ho aroused no enthusiasm oven
among his followers.
Then, too, his popular vote, and henco his
electoral vote, was lessened by tho fact that
many who would havo voted .for him had ho had
any chanco, voted for Wilson In order to insuro
the dofoat of Roosevelt. Mr. Dooley hit off the
situation early in the campaign by saying that
Mr. Taft had a great many friends who would
vote for him If they did not havo to voto for
tho democratic candidate.
The republican party Is so weakened by its
overwhelming defeat that it will find it difficult
to recover. Tho chances are that the progres
sives will return and tako charge of tho party,
and adopt in the next campaign a platform which
will bo a compromise between tho two extremes,
but so far as can bo seen now Mr. Taft has
rounded out his political career. As an ox
president, and as a man of character, he will
carry to his retirement the esteem and good will
of the people, and will be useful In international
politics a growing field of honor and dignity.
Colonel Roosovolt has suffered a rebuke that
will be keenly folt by him and his friends. The
difference between his voto eight years ago and
his voto now will be noted in history, and, unless
the situation Is changed by future events, the
descent from his great popularity to his present
position will remain a melancholy one. t
Tho careful student, however, will bo com
pelled to credit him with having performed an
extraordinary feat in organizing so large a force
in bo short a time. There Is an Inertia in every
party that tends to hold- tho members In line,
no matter what tho party may do. To have
taken more than half of the voting strength away
from the old, organization Is an unparalleled
achievement in tho formation of a new party,
and it is the moro remarkable when it is re
membered that the third' party candidate was
handicapped by the objections to a third term,
and still further embarrassed by some of his
leading supporters.
Tho $5G 1,000 subscribed by Hanna, Perkins,
Munsey and Fllnn to secure his nomination may
have been necessary to enable him to make tho
showing he did at the Chicago convention, but
the contribution of so largo a sum by such men
was a great burden for him to carry during the
campaign, and the prominence given to Mr. Per
kins alienated a great many progressives who
might otherwise have been drawn to the colonel's
side.
After the showing made by the new party its
members ought to havo no difficulty in captur
ing the organization of the old party, if they
mu.rkem &-.g