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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1912)
-TfjniwfiEFjpp7 $ NOVEMBER ,29, 1912 dWWUu The Commoner. 15 Looking Backward "Well, hero we are again!" as the clown says in the Christmas panto mine. The exegencies of a wonderful political campaign have demanded more than usual space and time and attention and the results certainly have justified it all. And now that the day we long have sought has at last arrived the day when we have "at last elected a really democratic president we can "back to our mut tons," as our English friends would say. The Architect of this department wants it. distinctly understood that ho is a young man yet, but he has participated in eight presidential campaigns as a voter, and can vivid ly remember three others. Ho can recall many incidents of the Grant- Seymour and Grant-Greeley cam paigns; he carried a torch in the Hayes-Tilden campaign, sang with a glee club during the Garfield-Haii-cock campaign, and cast his first vote at tho election of 1884. But this 1912 presidential campaign was the most peculiar, the most interesting and the most satisfactory of the lot. It was 'peculiar in that there was no parading, no torch-lighting, no ex citement; it was interesting in that it . presented moro new political angles, saw the breaking up of a great, political party and new and totally unexpected political align ments. And you have one guess as to why .the. Architect calls it the most, satisfactory. Did you ever stop to recall some of the politcal arguments of other campaigns. During the campaign of 96 and that was some campaign, believe me I heard an old friend of mine arguing for the gold standard. He hadn't fceen outside the limits of his own village for twenty-five years, hadn't possessed a hundred dollars at any one time during that quarter of a century, yet his favorite 'argu ment in favor of the gold standard was that "we must have money good in Europe." During the campaign just closed a near neighbor, who has no trade and works by day's labor when he can get it, argued long and loud for Taft because he wanted a high, tariff r and he wanted a high tariff "because it protects American labor." And a quarter of a century ago most of us carried torches and spilled smelly kerosene all over our selves to prove that we were good party men. It really was a whole lot easier to carry torches than to think for ourselves and a lot more satis factory to the party bosses. Because he took a healthy Ameri can boy's interest in politics the Architect used to take greatest de light in listening while his mother told stories of some of the political campaigns of her earlier days. Mother never would have qualified for an operatic role, but she could sing all tho old songs that she helped her vrfiig brothers and other rela tives sing in the famous Tippecanoe campaign. He can even now close his eyes and see that sweet-faced mother swinging to and fro in her favorite rocking chair, and with the ears of memory hear her singing "Wait for thq Wagon," and "Keep the Ball a-Rolling On." . The Archi tect greatly, fears, that the electorate of that day. was much given to tarry ing too long ut the hard cider barrel, and argufying more enthusiastically with bare knuckles than with logic. This impression wan gained from hearing his mother's stories of Inci dents of the Tippecanoe campaign that caino within her ken. Twelve and eight years ago the lithograph printers had a snap. They printed huge portraits of the presi dential candidates, and we voters got them from political headquarters hung em up in our front windows. You could get a pretty fair poll of a community by just going around and spotting the pictures in the windows. You couldn't do it in tho campaign just closed. CaranaiKn lithos and campaign buttons were a drug on the market. People wouldn't use 'em. They just wouldn't stand on the corners and arguo and quarrel about politics. They persisted in going about their business, thinking it all out for themselves. It was a mighty famous orator that could muster a corporal's guard for a poli tical address. And the result proves what we've been maintaining all along. And that is, that once tho people got to thinking it out for themselves we'd win. And didn't we? A few years ago nine out of ten voters would throw back their shoulders, thrust out their chests and piously exclaim: "I never scratch my ticket! I never bolt! I vote 'er straight!" How many times -did you hear that during the 1912 campaign? Not often, but about that proportion would just as proudly exclaim: "I scratch my ticket, and vote for the best men, regardless of party." Good! That's another reason why wo won, isn't it? gether for something more than twenty years, and this Is tho first time wo'vo had a chanro to celebrate a national victory. Heretofore wo'vo done all our shouting bofore election day. After election day we'd ach try to bo tho first to tell tho other the old chestnut which is UiIb: Pedestrians upon a busy stroot In a largo city were startled one after noon by the sound of crashing glass and the dull thud of a man's body falling from a second story window to the pavement. Hushing to the man's sido they exclaimed: "Are you hurt? What's tho mat ter?" Tho victim of tho accident arose, carefully brush d tho dirt from his garments and replied: "No, I ain't hurt. You see up there's the headquarters of the Cmlth campaign club and I'm a Jones man. I went up there and they throw me out of tho window. But you just wait I'm goli g back up, and you count them Smith men as I throw 'em out." Darting back into the building tho man disappeared. In a fow moments there was a sound of crashing glass, and with a dull thud a man landed on tho pavement. "That's one!" shouted tho crowd. Tho fallen man arose, slowly and painfully, and remarked: "Don't begin countin' yet. This Is mo again!" And "Met" and tho Architect, for the first time in their newspaper relationships could really begin counting on tho morning after tho recent election. man and devotes much of hla time to tho ngrlcuUtirn! Interests of his dis trict. Ho has requests for many now kinds of Hcods, and a tlinu ago re ceived this letter: Dear Dud: Urn Yopp's been tollln' mo of a now Boed'oHs tomattcr tho Quvment Is growln'. I'm writ ing to you In hopos you will send mo Homo of tho Hoeds. Salurday Even ing Post. When tho Architect first began taking an active interest in politics it was quite the proper thing for tho orators of tho dominant party to wave tho old flag in one hand and the ensanguined garment in tho other, using his teeth to extract tail feath ers from tho proud bird of freedom and directing his eyes towards tho palladium of our liberties. The pal ladium of our liberties was a fa vorite weapon of tho campaign ora tors of the old days. But wouldn't such an orator get tho merry ha-ha if he orated today? Forty years ago tho favorite political orator was tho one who would muster up the harsh est epithets to hurl at the opposition, and often a number of his auditors would be enthused to the point of hurling bricks tho next time an op position torchlight procession went by. .The Architect remembers stop ping a brickbat with his head one night in '76; and ho remembers with what joy he waded into the supposed author and promoter of that brick bat's flight when they met up tho following day. Tho fact that tho Architect underestimated the prow ess of his antagonist doesn't detract any from the fun of recalling the in cident thirty-six years later. -i r.nma rtf thn frlnnrlB of this department wonder why the Architect hasn't been moved by tho splendid victory to imitate Silas Wegff and drop into rhyme. Per haps he will later. Just yet, how ever he hasn't fully recovered. He la vet a bit dazed by the victory. But he did manage to beat Mr. Metcalfe to that old "don't begin countin' yet; this is me again,", storyon tho morn ing after election. The Architect and Mr. Metcalfe have worked to- So "Hero we aro again!" And hero's hoping we'll moot regularly every week for many a long day to come. A LIGHT VOTE After all the campaigning done by tho most prominent men in the dif ferent parties including tho candi dates themselves, after all tho news paper and magazine space given to tho cause, the vote of Nov. 6 was light. Why? In tho nation Governor Wilson re ceived tho largest popular plurality ever given a candidate. Yet the vote was light. Tho total vote for tho three leading candidates Wilson, Roosevelt and Taft ran only about 500,000 more than that given the two leading ones Bryan and Taft four years ago, and since 1908 two states have been admitted and some 1,300,000 women enfranchised. In Wisconsin the vote was 100, 000 short, not counting tho natural increase; the vote in Milwaukee was behind that of last spring, 23,000 registered votes staying away from tho polls. What's the answer? Are the people growing tired of running their own government? Are they too busy with their personal affairs? Are they disgusted with the all year around sledge hammer campaigning? Are they surfeited with oratory and had so much heavy verbal ammuni tion used on them that they are fire proof? Something is the matter. And that something whatever It may be, is the greatest danger facing this nation today. Notwithstanding that the voters choso for their president the best man of the five; that they chose the best principles, the fact that so many of them have neglected their privilege and d'lty and shown no interest in its affairs, is a great and positive danger. Americans should regard this light vote with grave concern. There 'a no danger so great as that of neglect. Mil waukee Daily News. Women as Policyholders On November iHt, 1912, Tho Mltlwcin Life had 2,800 pollclnn In force rnrry InK 14,488.000 of Inminuico, Of tho total number limurcd 2fi0 wero womor, and tho amount of their liiHiiranco waf (315,000. Thin proportion nhowu that nno policyholder out of every eleven In u woman. Tho MldwcHt Life InnureH women at tho Hiune ratcH an men. Tho death rate ban been nllghtly higher, but on the whole the expcrlcnco of the com pany with women an Innurcrn ban been Suite natlnfactory. Many companlei Incriminate against women an rlnkH charging them a larger premium, and a few do not Inmiro them at all. Thlrt company will be pleaned to quote rateii on any of the ntandard formn of poll clen. Call or write The Midwest Life N. .. Hnrll, President A NKHItASKA COMPANY FIrat National I!uik I) I die Lincoln ECZEMA Alse called Tetter, Salt Rheum. Pruritus. Mllk-Cruat, Weeping Skin, Etc.) F.LZHMA CAN V.K CUUKDi CUKKll TO ST A Y,nnil when I nay mrod. f mean ul what I nay MJ-K K-l, ami not merely patched up for awlillo, to return worn than Ixiforr. HomemlMirl innko hid broad statement after iiuiihnr ton years of my 1 1 nit on thlN nno ill n-uam and haiulllu gin tho tho mcau-tlme nijunrtrT of a million csiwji oftlila drradlul dlMjutr. Now, 1 do not care what all you have ur-ed, nor how ninny riorfor have told you Hint you could not 1 cured all I tvk Is luxta clinncu to show you Hint 1 know what I am talking aliout. If von will wrltoto moTOlMY. I will wild yon a FKKIC Tit I A I., of my mild, oothluir, guar anteed cure Hint will convince you mure In aday tlinn I or anyone el could In a month' time. It you aro lljnit'1 and dlrourai'rd, I daro you to glvo me u chance lo prove my claim. Uy writing tnetoday you will onjoy mnrnnat com fort than you had ever tlioucut thin world hold for you. Just try It and you will ec I am telling you the truth. Or. J. E. 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