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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1912)
i J DECEMBER 27, 1912 The Commoner. 4 'S Cheers for President-elect Wil nson Nashville Tennessean: -Those progressive democrats who have stood with Goverrfor Wilson in his fight for progressive laws, clean govern ment, and good men in office will applaud and approve the bold stand he has taken to adhere to his record in resisting the efforts of objec tionable elements to get into power. Boston Herald: It is already apparent the sort of president that Woodrow Wilson will be. He will rule his party. And the country will incline, in the main, to support him in this attitude. Experiences prove that it likes a dominating character, even if he is sometimes called a "boss," or may in this instance be twitted as a- "school master." Pittsburgh Dispatch: Those who have been anxiously awaiting some expression from the president-elect by which they could figure his probable course will probably find it in his re marks at Trenton recently. Referring to the attempt of the Smith-Nugent faction, which has fought his administration in New Jersey, to come back into power when he removes to Washington, he served warning that whether at the state or national capital he regarded it as his "duty to stand back, of the progressive forces in the democratic, party everywhere and. at every juncture." The party, he moreover declared, had "now arrived, at a point where it must de cide whether it will be progressive or not." This is in line with his pre-election utterances, which some of the party organs have since affected to believe were to be soft-pedaled in tho Whito House. Omaha World-Herald: And his speech be fore the Southern society in New York was such as to make democrats feel like jumping up and knocking their heels together three times be fore alighting. It showed the qualities of an Andrew Jackson democrat; it was flavored strongly of the memory of the way "Old Hickory" talked when he talked to Nick Biddle. In his history of the United States Woodrow Wilson has shown that he thinks especially highly of two great democrats Jackson, and Grover Cleveland. His Southern society speech smacks quite a3 much of Cleveland's sturdy resolution as it does of Jackson's directness and democratic simplicity. That the machinery for the creation of arti ficial panics exists Mr. Wilson admitted. It is conceivable that it may be used to intimidate the government and punish the people for mov ing against special privilege. What has he to say about it? Listen: "Frankly, I don't think there is any man liv ing who dares use the machinery for that pur pose. If he does, I promise him, not for mysolf but for my fellow countrymen, a gibbet as high as Hainan's." Mr. Wilson explained that he meant, not a literal gibbet, cut a gibbet of public disgrace, "which will live as long as the members of that man's family survive." A democratic congressional committee has been eliciting the information to justify the assumption on which Mr. Wilson flung down his defiance. The experience the republic was com pelled to undergo during the Roosevelt adminis tration has proved there are men ready to preci pitate a panic to further their own ends. At that time they were not gibbeted. They were honored instead, as public saviors, and given permission to violate the law and gratify their rapacity if only they would restore peace and confidence. The 'progressives of Woodrow Wilson, we aro emboldened to believe, will be of a different quality from that of Theodore Roosevelt. His courage will be of a finer texture. His Ameri canism will be more like that of Andrew Jack son. St. Louis Times: There will bo cheers in both political camps for the declaration of woodrow Wilson in his speech before the South ern society of New York, the gist of which was the means to keep his eyes upon all or sundry individuals or organizations who attempt arbi trarily to create a panic in the United States during his administration. The president-elect realizes fully that there s such a thing as an inevitable panic or at 'east a panic based upon conditions from which stringencies in tho world of trade may be ex pected to follow. But he knows also that there is the wholly arbitrary panic, brought about by unscrupulous wen for their private gain, or for the purpose or discrediting those who disagree with them In matters of publio policy. fet. Louis Republic: There is little to choose Between the criminals of organized labor and the criminals of organized capital. Tho bomb tnrower and the panic manipulator aro morally in the same class. Both wantonly destroy property to serve their ends. The destruction m me is an incident to their plans. Everybody understands how vitally important it is for organized labor to renounce tho mur derous violence which has been done in its name. But it is just as vitally important for organized capital to renounce its evil doings. The Stand ard Oil's certificates of deposits to representa tives and senators aro as vicious and loathsome as the bombs of tho McNamaras are terrifying. Dynamite and bribery are equally venomous enemies of good government. Tho man who would wreck a nation's prosperity with a panic is the big brother of the bomb-thrower. There should be "gibbets" for both of them. CHEEKS AND SNHNRS Special dispatch to the Denver News: New York, Dec. 18. Warm praise and some icicles is the editorial reply of tho Now York news papers to President-elect Wilson's warning to panic makers. Of tho four Now York news papers, the Herald, Press, Times and Tribune, which comment on Wilson's "gibbet" speech, the Press is warm in admiration, while the Herald asks: "Have we in President-elect Wilson a new Jackson?" "His threat to hang 'as high as Haman any man or men who may be discovered plotting to cause a panic has a familiar ring. "Governor Wilson ia wholly right in his statement that 'honor and integrity breed pros perity.' His dictum that 'panic is merely a state of mind,' has found frequent, if not continuous, verification. "There may be no need for hanging anybody, but it is just as wcM to have the country know how squarely Governor Wilson stands for pros peritv. aYso that he 'has his feet on tho ground.' " "The Woodrow Wilson who has stood up to shake his fist in the face of stock market ma nipulators is not tho Woodrow Wilson wo thought he was in tho campaign. "He is a bigger and better Woodrow Wilson than the American people knew in the contest for the presidency. Ho may even bo a bigger and a bettor Woodrow Wilson than he imagined himself to be. A man's courage suddenly demonstrated in trying emergencies, often as tonishes himself. "In carrying out progressive measures Wilson needs the sentiment of the whole country solidly behind him, for he will have to fight tho big powers of his own party on some issues. He is going about getting the people behind him in a way that will help him to win. Yet win or lose, if he follows the line indicated by his address to the panic makers ho wil leave a record of which tho American people will be ThoNow York Tribune asks: "A gibbet for a man who would start a panic? No, Governor w son A gibbet, literal or metaphorica is Stlre inadequate. If the president-elect is a statesman; ho will do something better than tie hangman's nooses. The country requires not mmfshment of the starter of panics eo much as the preeStloQ of tho starting of panics. Bryan a problem to the president-elect. But he can lint nolo that prohlem with any credit to h ra se! f or any advantage to the country by trying Tr YTimsrys, reprovingly: Sle? Uo,H m?Yh suppositious gentleman referred TrPAmAl mind of tho pro.- dent elect." A GREAT DEMOCRAT ,. niP Cox of Ohio is a great demo-Governor-elect Cox oi statement, crat. There are m any , Pr ory energy but one wHl suffice Qho legIs atUre and for an effor t0 v, t tne executive depart bis own administration or t ment carry out the P'eu? Tn0 measures to during tho cent campaign. q a IrVX what ho designates his administration program tIon during my people of the state, and I shall Iittint that this program bo carried out, cvon to the minutest detail," ho wild. "One of tho thing 1 regard of ttupromo Im portance," he continued, "in tho organization of tho general assembly In a way that will obviate many of tho dllficultlos wo would other wise encounter in carrying our contemplated program Into effect. "It will not bo possible- in fact for uh to ac complish what is our wish unions wo got tho right aort of an organization." Tho Cincinnati Enquirer says: Among tho nuMiHurcH to which ho will attach chief impor tance and which ho will uhq every means to havo placed upon tho statuto books during tho early days of the session of tho legislature aro tho statewide primary law, recall of all public offi cials who aro found dorclict in tho dlschargo of tho duties coming within their respoctlvo pro vinces, physical valuation of all publio utilities, income lax, improved highways, antllobbylnt laws, a now penitentiary located on a sultablo tract of land with appropriate surroundings, a liquor license law, a "bluo sky" law to protect investors, judicial reform legislation, inheri tance tax, short ballot, homo rulo legislation and a number of othors that will dovolop as a natural sequence to these. "It is my desire that tho atatc-wldo primary law shall provldo for tho direct nomination of all state, county and municipal officers, direct nomination of United States senators and presi dential preference primaries," added tho governor-elect. Referring to tho proposed recall of public officials who' are found guilty of malfeasanco or misfeasance In office, or who neglect to por form properly tho functions that como within range of their official Jurisdiction, Governor-elect Cox stated that ho expected to find a substan tial support, in Attornoy General Hogan. In this connection ho expocted that ho had asked the attorney general to havo incorporated in the recall measure a provision that would enable him to removo from ofllco Ihoso proso cutlng attorneys who had not tho moral stamina to removo ofllcials In their respective counties regardless of how grievous may bo tho dffonso with which they aro charged unless they aro practically forced to do so. To Judge Dennis Dwyer, of this city, who was one of the most commanding figures in the ro cent state constitutional convention, will bo largely entrusted the duty of drafting a moasuro embodying tho recall provisions. Tho removal of ofllcials who fail to perform tho duties of their respective offices In an effective way and neglect to give to their constituents what may reasonably be expected Is one of tho most effec tive means of obtaining an efficient government in the opinion of the incoming executive, and he will co-operate with the venerable Dayton jurist to the end that this measure may bo what he believes will best produce the desired results. UKST WIS1IKS TO IIELKN GOULD It is truo that "all tho world loves a lover," but this Is particularly truo in the case of Miss Helen Gould, daughter of tho late Jay Gould. Miss Gould's engagement to a St Louis railroad man was recently announced, and Americans generally, will give their best wishes to this American woman who has devoted her efforts and her money to tho sorvlco of society. A New York dispatch to tho Denver News says: Miss Helen Gould Is not a genius. She is not a beauty. She is not a society sensation. But you would not havo her any of theso. For she is more than all of them. She is the reincarna tion of an old ideal that made womanhood akin to Godhood in Its simple creed of service. Other women may bo great; she is content to be kind. Sho bears a name that men spoke with a curse when they mentioned tho worst-hated financier of his time. Now they breathe It with benedlo tlon for his daughter Helen, whoso perpetual philanthropy would make atonement, if It might, for a vast fortune rolled up too rapidly to be right. If you turn the pages of "Who's Who" today, you will find entered Helen Miller Gould, philan thropist, the daughter of Jay and Helen Day Miller Gould, born in New York, Juno 20, 1868, distinguished for her services to her country. Two older brothers, George and Edwin Gould, and two younger brothers, Howard and Prank Gould, are all recorded as capitalists with a enumeration of railroads, telegraph lines, steam ship lines, banks and corporations In which they are officers and directors. The younger slater. Anna, now "Mme. Gould," as the Countese of Castellane, has had her name enrolled anion tho list of international marriages. The fortune of ?100,000,000 that Jay Gould q 1 yfl ,-, f k .m MA '3 1 n m l '1 K (,1 In I ! f v ' 1 Ll-l,