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The Commoner.
3
MAY 2, 191 ' .
firm of Morgan was just beginning to dominate
the financial affairs of the country. The recent
investigation by the Pujo committee more than
confirmed the fears ho expressed and justified
the assertions ho made in the early nineties.
RESPONSIBILITIES OP IMPERIALISM
Of great importance today is the uncompro
mising opposition Mr. Bryan has always mani
fested to anything- that savored of imperialism.
He believes that its fruits, are deadly to the
spirit of American institutions. As seoretary of
state he will not lack for opportunity to put
into practice the- virtue of fair dealing with
weaker nations which he has so often and so
eloquently preached in hi3 famous speech on
"Naboth's Vineyard," in which he says:
"The Biblfr tells us that Ahab, the king,
wanted the vineyard, of Naboth and; was sorely
grieved becausa tho owner thereof refused to
part with the inheritance of his fathers. Then
followed a plot, and false charges were preferred
against Naboth to furnish an excuse for getting
rid of him. 'Thou' sbalt not covet!' 'Thou shalt
not bear false witness!' 'Thou shalt not kill!'
Three commandments. broken, and still a fourth,
'Thou shalt not steal! ' to be broken In order to
get a little piece of. ground! And what was the
result? When the king went forth to take pos
session Elijah, that brave old prophet of the
bygone days, met him and pronounced against
him the sentence of the Almighty. Neither his
own exalted position nor the lowly station of
his victim could save him from the avenging
hand of outraged justice His case was tried- in
a court where neither wealth, nor rank, nor
power could shield tho aggressor.."
Mr. Bryan believes that the question is not
what the United States can do but what it
ought to do; that this nation can do whatever
It desires to do, but must accept responsibility
for what it does.
NOT A TROUBLE BREEDER
The charge that Mr. Bryan has been a dis
turber of peace in the democratic party is no
longer made, because peace has at last come by
the general acceptance of the reforms which the
progressives have been demanding. Mr. Bryan's
contention has been that the rank and file of
the democratic party has been progressive be
yond all question' and that there can never bo
peace in a party unless its whole policy and
organization are in harmony with the will of
the majority. His fight has been to keep a
minority of the party, powerful in wealth and
supported by special privilege, from dominating
the mass of the party. Although frequently
charged with making assaults upon democratic
leaders, there are really but very few men whom
he has personally attacked during a quarter of
a century of public life, and then only when
they were attempting something that ho re
garded as inimical to the reforms which he as
the leader of the party and the spokesman of
the rank and file was urging.
Harmony now reigns within tho democratic
party, and if the day of heart-burning is not
altogether past there is at least a sincere and
businesslike co-operation among all tho leaders.
No two executives of any great corporation in
this country pull together better than the presi
dent and his secretary of state. As Mr. Wilson
said the other night, "Dere ain't a-goin' to be
no friction."
BRYAN AS A BUSINESS MAN
Not only is tho president keenly alive to Mr.
Bryan's sterling worth, but .he realizes fully
that the charge that Mr. Bryan is unfriendly to
the business interests of the country is untrue.
This charge has always been resented by Mr.
Bryan, who has insisted year in and year out
that the term "business man" was too honorable
a term to be monopolized by the comparatively
few engaged in big business; too respectable
a term to be dragged into disgrace by the preda
tory interests that would fain hide behind the
men at the head of legitimate if smaller enter
prises. Nothing In Mr. Bryan's life or environment
would tend to prejudice him against the success
ful man in business or in the professions. Mr.
Bryan's father was lawyer, a judge, a state
senator, a member of the constitutional conven
tion of Illinois of 1870 and a candidate for con
gress In the unfortunate Greeley campaign. Mr.
Bryan spent his boyhood on a fivo-hundred-acre
farm and was sept to academy, college and law
school. His social life albeit society has no
special attraction for him has been spent
among the educated and the well-to-do, and ne
himself has succeeded as a business man beln
the proprietor as well as the editor of Tho Com
moner, which for somo twelvo years has had a
circulation of more than one hundred thous
and copies.
Whllo devoting but a part of his time to re
munerative work, he has accumulated a fortune
that approximates $200,000. Not a large for
tune as fortunes go In New York, but a life com
petency that makes him financially Independent;
not a largo fortune, but considerably more than
the average of those known as successful busi
ness men outside of the great financial centers.
As a further evidence of his lack of prejudice
against honest business it may not bo amiss to
recall that ho chose for his life companion tho
daughter of a successful business man.
When Mr. Bryan fifst went to congress ho
was next to tho smooth-faced, boyish Bailoy
tho youngest member of tho house; when ho
first secured the nomination for. president ho
was' the youngest man over named as a candi
date for that office. His youth haB flown. Ex
perience has taught him caution. Ho has found,
as have others, that advancing years bring con
servatism of language; still, ho is yet young,
enough to fight and to fight vigorously for the
right as ho sees. it.
Mr. Bryan has mado more speeches and ad
dressed more people than any othor man in the
Unltod States. Contrary to tho goneral bollef,
ho is not an emotional orator, except as Demos
thenes and Cicero wero emotional orators and
curiously enough In profllo Mr. Bryan boars a
romarkablo rosomblauce to a bust of Cicero In
the British museum. Both In public speaking
and in private conversation ho Is essentially
argumentative. It Is true that, hero and there,
among the solid rows of argument ho strews a
fow flowers of rhetoric, a touch of humor, or
mora rarely an appeal to sentiment.
Mr. Bryan's speech on "Dreamors" must rank
among tho finest productions of Amorlcan
, humorists. After Boverldge and Cannon and
Cummins and others had called him a dreamer
he reminded them with inimitable skill that the
Blblo tells of dreamers and that among tho most
conspicuous was Josoph. How his brothors saw
him coming from afar and saidr "Behold, the
dreamer coraoth!" How thoy plotted to kill him,
but sold him to tho merchants who carried him
into Egypt, and when time went on and a famine
came and tho .brethren had to go down to Egypt
to buy corn they found tho dreamer there
and tho dreamer had tho corn.
California, Japan and the Administration
After the telegram sent by. Secretary of State
Bryan to Governor Johnson of California, which
telegram was published in last week's Issue of
Tho Commoner, President Wilson held a con
ference with tho California congressmen and
then sent tho following telegram to Governor
Johnson and to tho presiding officers in tho
California legislature:
"I speak upon the assumption, which I am
sure is well founded, that tho people of Cali
fornia do not desire their representatives and
that their representatives do not wish or In
tend in any circumstances to embarrass the
government of the United States in its dealings
with a nation with whom It has most earnestly
' and cordially sought to maintain relations of
genuine friendship and good will, and that
least of all do they desire to do anything that
might Impair treaty obligations or cast a doubt
upon tho honor and good faith of the nation
and its government.
"I therefore appeal with tho utmost confidence
to the people, tho governor and tho legislature
of California to act in tho matter now under
consideration In a manner that can not from
any point of view be fairly challenged or called
in question.
"If they deem it necessary to exclude all
aliens who have not declared their intentions
to become citizens from the privileges of land
ownership, they can do so along lines already
followed In tho laws of many of the other
states and of many foreign countries, Including
Japan herself.
"Insidious discrimination will inevitably draw
in question tho treaty obligations of the govern
ment of tho United States. I register my very
earnest and respectful protest against discrimi
nation in this case, not only because I deem it
my duty to do so as the chief executive of the
nation, but also, and the more readily, because
I believe the people and tho legislative authori
ties of California will generously respond tho
moment the matter is frankly presented to them
as a question of national policy and of national
honor. If they have ignored this point of view,
it Is, I am sure, because they did not realize
what and how much was involved."
Governor Johnson sent the following reply to
President Wilson's message:
Mr. President, Washington, D. C: Immedi
ately on receipt of your telegram of this date,
it was transmittd to both houses of our legisla
ture. I think I may assure you that it is tho
desire of the majority of members of the legisla-,
ture to do nothing in the matter of alien land
bills that will be embarrassing to our own gov
ernment or offensive to anyone. It is the de
sire of these legislators specifically to provide
in any act that nothing therein shall be con
strued as affecting or impairing any rights
covered by" treaty, although from the legal stand
point this Is deemed unnecessary. If any act be
- passed it will be general in .character, relating
to those who are ineligible to citizenship, and
the language employed will be that which has
Its precedent and sanction in statutes which
now exist on the subject. I speak, I think, for
the majority of the senate of California; cer
tainly I do for the voting power of the state
when I convey to you our purpose to cooperate
fully and heartily with the national government
and do only that which admittodly Is within onr
province, without Intended orJVidious discrimi
nation. HIRAM W. JOHNSON.
On April 23rd President Wilson sent to
Governor Johnson tho following telegram:
"Thank you for your patriotic telegram. We
find it so difficult from this distance to under
stand fully tho situation with regaTd to the senti
ment and circumstances lying back of the pend
ing proposition concerning the ownership of
land in the state that I venturo to inquire
whether It would be agreeable to you and the
legislature to havo tho secretary of state visit
Sacramento for tho purpose of counseling with
you and tho members of the legislature aud co
operating with you and them in tho framing of
a law which would meet tho views of tho people
of the state and yet leave untouched Interna
tional obligations of tho United States."
Tho president's second telegram was ad
dressed to tho president of tho senate and the
speaker of the house of assembly at Sacramento,
and was Identical with that sent to Governor
Johnson, with tho exception of the first sen
tence. Governor Johnson replied to the president as
follows: "I shall bo pleased at all times to
consult with tho secretary of state, and it will
be entirely agreeable to mo to have the secre
tary visit Sacramento as suggested in your tele
gram." Mr. Bryan also received a personal messago
Inviting him to bo the guest of tho governor and
Mrs. Johnson, which hoaccepted In the follow
ing dispatch:
Hon. Hiram W. Johnson, Sacramento, Cal.:
Your kind invitation received and appreciated.
It will give me pleasure to be your guest. Please
convey to the legislature my thanks for the
resolutions adopted. Will leave Washington via
Pennsylvania railroad C:45 Thursday evening.
Leave Chicagd via Northwestern railroad 8:30
Friday evening, and arrive at Sacramento 4:45
Monday afternoon. W. J. BRYAN.
Mr. Bryan left Washington at 6:45 o'clock oa
the evening of April 25th. The following is
from tho Washington report made by tho As
sociated Press: "I go hopefully, yet with a
realization of the responsibility involved," said
tho secretary as he left the White House after
a final conferenco with President Wilson. The
president had explained earlier in tho day dur
ing his conference with the newspaper men that
the purpose of Mr. Bryan's visit was to take
counsel with tho California authorities as to the
best way to avoid International difficulty. The
president let it be known that ho considered the ,
attitude of the Japanese government proper
and friendly and that there had been no note
of .antagonism, despite reports to the contrary,
the position of tho Tokio government having
been one of respectful urgency that no dis
crimination bo mado against their people.
Inquiries, as to just what Japan would coa
sider a discrimination brought forth the intima
tion from the president that with the eligibility
of the Japanese to citizenship still a debatable
question, it would be difficult to define just what
would be construed as a discrimination.
Mr. Bryan himself declared later that he west
with no specific Instructions, but simply with the
general Idea that discrimination aimed directly
t i
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