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DECEMBER 20, 1912
A CHRISTMAS HYMN , -
No tramp of marching armies,
No banners flaming Car;
A lamp within a stable,
And in the sky a star.
Their hymns of peace and gladness
To earth tho angels brought;
Their "Gloria In Excelsis"
To earth tho angels taught.
When in the lowly manger
The holy mother maid
In tender adoration
Her Babe of Heaven laid.
Born lowly in tho darkness,
And none so poor as he,
The little children of the poor
His very own shall be.
No rush of hostile armies,
But just tho huddling sheep,
The angels singing of the Christ
And all tho world asleep.
No flame of conquering banners,
No legions sent afar;
A lamp within a stable,
And in the sky a star.
-Margaret E. Sangster in Collier's Weekly.
Itayner's bill giving a pension of $125 a month,
cut the amount of the pension to be allowed to
about a third of the sum proposed. Senator
Rayner took exception to the proposed cut, in
view of the distinguished services to his coun
try of Admiral Schley.
When the bill was to come up before tho son
ate Senator Rayner reviewed the career of Ad
miral Schley and pleaded for public recognition
of his services by the granting of pensions to
his widow of sufficient size to show thanks for
extraordinary public service. He carried his
point, for the senate voted with him to fix the
pension at $125 a month.
MR. BRYAN AND THE ADMINISTRATION
Editorial in the Cincinnati Enquirer: Tho
ambitions of William Jennings Bryan, his poli
cies, lis plans, his anticipated relations with
tho incoming administration, are being dis
cussed very freely in the public press and by
politicians of all parties at this time.
Mr. Bryan holds no office, as yet, and some
of his closest friends doubt if ho would accept
even the premiership of the next administration
if the place should be offered to him.
Ho has not in any public way, either before
or since the election, indicated that he ex
pected or desired to become a cabinet counselor
of the next president.
Persons inimical to the gentleman from Ne
braska are quite busy in assigning him to the
role of dictator of the policies of tho new ad
ministration. Some of those he hath offended
have marked him as one determined to rule or
ruin the democratic party, and still others of
the same class are charging him as already
planning to break down Wilson by 1916, in
order that he himself may become the nomi
nee of the democratic party in that campaign.
To analyze this charge is to refute it.
It carries its own denial, for the platform
upon which Mr. Wilson was elected expressly
declares for a single term of office for the presi
dent and fully commits the party to the nomina
tion of another person than the president-elect
as tho candidate in the next contest.
It is not, therefore, necessary for any ambi
tious democrat to strive to eliminate Mr. Wilson
In 1916, but there is powerful incentive for
every democrat aspiring to the presidency to
strengthen the incoming president's hands in
the execution of sound, safe and wise policies
of administration, to aid in preserving party
harmony, in promoting unity in the organization,
in order that it can. repeat its victory of the
present month.
Mr Bryan, we take it, is too discreet a man,
too experienced a politician, too careful in his
utterances, to have given any basis to these tales
of attempted-dictation as to the policies of the
new administration.
There are those experienced in political affairs
who see Mr. Bryan as a more influential and
Powerful factor in tho affairs of the party and
the republic as an independent American citi
zen during the, next four years than if he were
a mere dispenser of federal patronage, or
bound in speech and action to be the defender,
through loyalty to his chief, of policies that
The Commoner.
International Justice,
Fraternity and Good Will
to be Substituted for "Dollar Diplomacy"
Tho 'following timely and intoroaHmr ,.,..ni
appeared recently in tho St. Louia Republic:
ihere is a rhetorical trick which consists in
vv8 !ra.UerS Which Uro 8harPy in contro-
Snco Vml fSfl thoy oro byond dispute or
umLrenco and all sensiblo men were in nemo-
i?tnotbUoI,?onn,Je;n-nA flttBrant ta " S?
Ti fk rn , " lh0 opon,nB purt of President
said: message on foreign affairs. Ho
UnZ!f J7damontal foreisn l,ollcieH of tho
Pnnmn ral0B Am,st bo ra,He(1 hIBh avo tho
nic,Jf Partisanship and wholly dissociated
from differences as to domestic policy. In its
foreign affairs the United States should present
to the world a united front. Tho intellectual,
financial and industrial interests of tho country
and the publicist, tho wage-earner, tho farmer
and citizen of whatever occupation must co
operate in a spirit of high patriotism to pro
mote that national solidarity which is indis
pensable to national efficiency and to the attain
ment of national ideals."
Nothing could be falser. The "difference as
to domestic policy" now dividing democrats
from republicans are of such a character as
vitally to affect the policies of the United States
as a member of tho family of nations. Tho
conflict between tho champions of equal opportu
nity and those of a reign of special privilege and
centralized power at home is inextricably mixod
up with the question of "dollar diplomacy"
versus something better and more decent
abroad. This conflict between tho worship of
Mammon and the practice of real democratic
principles in our foreign policy is irrepressible.
There are few things more important in our na
tional lifo today.
Hero is the president's own statement of the
purposes of that diplomacy which should bo
"raised high above the conflict of partisanship
and wholly dissociated from differences as to
domestic policy:
"The diplomacy of the present administra
tion has sought to respond to modern Ideas of
commercial intercourse. This policy has been
characterized as substituting dollars for bullets.
It is one that appeals alike to idealistic humani
tarian sentiments, to tho dictates of sound
policy and strategy, and to legitimate commer
cial alms. It is an effort frankly directed to
the increase of American trade upon the axio
matic principle that the government of tho
United States shall extend all proper support
to every legitimate and beneficial enterprise
abroad."
No need to charge the president with any
thing less than frankness in this latter utter
ance. "Substituting dollars for bullets" Is
peculiarly exact. For bullets, in tho Interna
tional relations, aro the instruments of force,
pure and simple: behind them Is tho good old
principle that might makes right. We wonder
whether President Taft realized how exactly he
was describing our diplomacy In Panama, in
Nicaragua, in Santo Domingo, In China, when
he wrote that the dollar was but substituted
for the bullet. A Daniel come to judgment
upon tho "now diplomacy!"
In Cuba and in Mexico President Taft has
stuck to the traditional American principle of
nonintervention and friendly help; to him be
the honor which Is his due therefor. But in the
other countries mentioned diplomacy has been
frankly used as an instrument to pull from the
fire of national disturbances the chestnuts of a
might not command his full and hearty ap-
PrNoncommissioned field marshal of the demo
cratic narty, as he is today, he wields an In
fluence the power of which would not be In
creased, the sphere of which would not be so
Side if he were a cabinet officer of even the
first 'rank, yielding that deference to the views
of the executive that the very nature of cabinet
PTnten dtaXfn' of Mr. Bryan's plans, aims
and ambitions, brought on by those In opposi
tion to him, seems keen recognition of his power
in past and present political affairs, and betrays
fea? of an increase in that power during the
future.
HOLIDAY GIFT BOOKS
rm, cjirms of the Times. To which is added
"Faith." wl address delivered before several
cllquo of Wall street investors.
Nor is this all. American money used to bo
Invested abroad with enro and prudence, sub
ject to tho knowlodgo on tho part of Investors
that wars and revolutions aro ns hard on loans
ns thpy aro traditionally on laws. Today, with
the resources of tho American army and navy
behind tho money-changers, no such scrupu
lousness Is nocessary.
Let us cons'.dor UiIb now policy of "protec
tion to American Investments" for a moment as
it relates Itself to tho political life of tho coun
tries affected on tho Caribbean and olsewhoro.
In many of these countries society Is yot un
stnble and the state bolls like a pot. Con
tending faction make tho government a play
thing. In the Spaniih-upcaklng part of South
America there aro two republics which have
a'hioved a true national life Argentina and
Chile. Each has developed a national typo and
republican institutions that work. And each of
these countries has como :o nationality as the
United States of America came to It by work
ing out Its own destiny, through wars, tumults
and revolutions, untyrannized by outsido
powers.
Suppose that In, say, 1850, when tho future
of Argentina hung in the halanco, certain capi
talists belonging to some foreign power had
made an investment there at tho moment of
the triumph of somo ono of tho shadowy ad
ministrations that came and wont.
Supposo that tho power In question had
followed this investment up by seizing and ad
ministering tho custom-houses at Buenos Aires
and elsewhere, and supporting by force an ad
ministration which would otherwiso havo col
lapsed by Its own wolght? This would un
doubtedly have conserved the dollars of tho said
"friendly power." But which would havo boon
the better for Argentina, such foreign inter
ference or fighting her way, ns she did, to na
tional consciousness and a truo national lifo?
But let us bring the thing closer: Our own
nation passed through a "twilight time" be
tween tho revolution and tho adoption of tho
constitution. Lucky for us, 4,000 miles of salt
water, unvexed by a steamer's keel, kept Europe
three months away from us and permitted ub
to work out our own destiny. Would tho In
tervention of a financial overlord who "substi
tuted dollars for bullets" havo been good for ub?
He might havo rendered unnecessary, then and
in the years that followed, tho amateur efforts
of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Webster, Mar
shall, Jackson and Benton to "form a moro per
fect union, establish justice, insuro domestic
tranquillity, provide for tho common defense,
promote tho general welfare and secure tho
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our pos
terity." Mr. Taft's new diplomacy has nothing to do
with such out-of-date matters as perfect na
tional union and tho blessings of liberty.
Prating of "Idealistic humanitarian senti
ments" It prostitutes all nobler things to "an
effort frankly directed to tho Increase of Ameri
can trade." It enthrones tho money-changer in
the temple of liberty and bids the patriot take
orders from the manipulator of syndicates and
tho promoter of speculative enterprises. Ono
of tho first concerns of tho democrats will be
to re-enthrone the old diplomacy, concerned
neither with bullets nor with dollars, but with
International justice, fraternity and good will.
colleges. Mr. Bryan has made several formal
and extended addresses, in different parts of the
world, since the issue of hia "Selected Speeches"
in two volumes. None of these were probably
prepared with more care, or were moro worthy
of preservation and study than "The Signs of
the Times." And "Faith" happily supplomenta
this, in this dainty book. lCnio., Flexible
Leather, Gilt Top. Sent prepaid to any address
on receipt of price, 75 cents.
Tho Fruits of the Tree. A notable address
delivered by Mr. Bryan at the World's Mission
ary Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland, June 17,
1910. A very dainty and acceptable gift book.
12mo., beautiful Art Board covers, illumined
with handsome design In full gilt Sent pre
paid to any address on receipt of price, 50
cents.
Address all orders to The Commoner, Lincoln,
Neb.
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