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The Commoner.
VOIiUMB 13 NUMBER 18
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
Entorcd nt tho Postofllco at Lincoln, Nebraska,
IB Hocond-cliiHB matter.
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Nob.
macy." It promises to become popular during
ft part of the present administration at least. It
lfl mado as follows:
Take half a glass of grape juice, pour over
cracked Ice, add a dash of lemon juice and
gomo carbonated water.
Secretary Bryan's supporters who have tasted
tho now drink say It is excellent.
UNITED STATES LEADS IN PEACE
Cleveland (Ohio) Plain-Dealer: If any dan-
fcoroLi'wfa' between the United States and Japan
over oxlBtod, it has probably passed. There is
a very -widespread notion that tho danger never
existed.
On tho evo of Secretary Bryan's departure for
California with tho president's commission to
Book a hotter understanding upon tho land
tenure question ho makes public at Washington
a universal peace proposal which indicates tho
administration's attitude toward international
problems as clearly as its policy in reference to
tho California issue. Tho statement is admir
able, whatever bo said of its practicability as an
immediate project.
Secretary Bryan's plan of an international
commission of Inquiry is well conceived, and is
certainly a movo in tho right direction. When
two nations consider thoir mutual wrongs of
sufficient gravity to require settlement by war
it is probable that a forced delay of six months
or a year might bring a cooling of passion and
a betterment of judgment. It is possible, too,
that an impartial inquiry might show that ques
tions at first holtl serious enough for war be
cause affecting "national honor or vital in
terests" were still properly arbitrable.
Any objection that questions of "national
honor" can not bo submitted even to inquiry is
jingoistic.
On the wholo the Bryan suggestion indicates
I that this nation is to retain the leadership of
' the forces of world peace, and that the presont
administration will make earnest efforts to suc-
! coed whore Mr. Taft failed through no fault of
his own.
SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE
J. Ii. O'Connor, Milwaukee, Wis: Enclosed
please find my check for renewal "of subscrip
tion during the coming year. The Commoner
has rendered great service to tho people's
cause in tho past, but it 1b oven now In a posi
tion to render groater service in creating sound,
intelligent public sentiment In favor of tho poli
tics of tho present administration. It is entitled
to tho loyal support of every progressive demo
crat in this country, Tho battle for progressive
politics has not yet been completely won. Pro
gressive policies and progressive officials re
quire tho united support of progressive demo
crats as much today as in the midst of the last
great national campaign, and progressive citi
zens can equip themselves for such service by
faithfully reading and absorbing the facts pub
lished In Tho Commoner.
A Heart-to-Heart with the Secretary of State
Col. J. C. Hemphill, Washington correspon
dent for the Philadelphia Public Ledger, sent
to his newspaper the following report of a heart-to-heart
talk ho had with the new secretary of
state:
Washington, April 17. William Jennings
Bryan is winning golden opinions. He is tho
premier of Woodrow Wilson's cabinet. He likes
the job and he is playing the game straight. He
has an utter detestation of gambling in any of
its forms, and it must bo understood, therefore,
that this is merely a figure of speech and is
employed here only for the purpose of emphasiz
ing the fact that Wilson is president and Bryan
is his chief of staff, and that, in spite of all that
has been said to the contrary by sensation mon
ger and muckraker, there is a perfect under
standing between them. Otherwise their asso
ciation in any relation would be impossible.
Speaking yesterday in reply to somewhat lead
ing but wholly proper questions, Mr. Bryan said:
"When the president said to the Gridiron
club last Saturday night, ''There ain't no fric
tion, and there ain't going to be no .friction,' he
expressed in homely but effective phrase exactly
the relations existing between him and the men
he has honored by inviting them to become mem
bers of his official family. You may say for me
that I have taken a house in Washington, and
that I shall bo here every day, and constantly
engage in the service to which I have been
called, except when duty shall compel my tem
porary absence from Washington until the end
of my present commission; that I have no other
wish or purpose than to be of the largest possible
service to the president in working out the diffi
cult problems of his administration, and of help
ing all I can to bring the government back to tho
control of tho people whose government it is,
and in whose benefit it must work if it would
fulfill tho high purpose for which it was estab
lished. I like tho work to which I have been
assigned. I trust that I shall bo able to assist
the president in promoting friendly relations
with all other nations, and that in our corres
pondence and agreements with these nations
there shall obtain that perfect understanding of
our aims and desires which will make the United
States respected for the integrity of its conduct
and the fairness of its dealings in all matters of
commerce and statesmanship.
"There should be no short cuts in diplomacy.
Wo must be scrupulously fair in our dealings
toward other peoples and lands if wo would
havo them scrupulously fair in their dealings
with us. When questions of arbitration shall
arise these questions must be settled, not by par
ties interested in the matters at issue, but by
arbitrators chosen for their ability to see the
Tight without regard to how the consequences
may affect our material interests, and with the
same sense of security we should feel in sub
mitting any of our individual affairs to the
judgment of jurors chosen under all tho solemn
sanctions of the law and to judges appointed to
administer the laws In justice and equity.
"The rule In the settlement of international
differences and agreements must be the Golden
Pwiilo, which was made as well for the conduct
and guidance of nations as of individuals.
Questions may arise between the United States
and the nations with which we are in diplomatic
relations and in adjustment of these questions
we ought to take nothing that we would not
give."
When Mr. Bryan was reminded that many
stories had been told about how he had been
disregarded by the president in several instances,
notably in the case of the Chinese loan matter,
in tho announcement of tho policy of tho ad
ministration, he said that these reports were all
without foundation, in fact, that thero had been
the fullest discussion of these questions at the
cabinet meeings and that ho had been in entire
sympathy with the views of the president and
with the method the president had adopted of
declaring the policy of the administration. Thero
had not been the slightest misunderstanding as
to any -of these maters nor any difference as to
how tho conclusions of the president should
be announced. It did not matter in any material
sense whether the president should speak direct
ly or by the mouth of one of his official advisers
in these cases as well ob In all others it was tho
message and not tho messenger.
"I have found the president," said Mr. Bryan,
"altogether fair in his consideration of all
matters that have been submitted to him and I
have never known a man with a more open mind
nor one who tried more sincerely to get at tho
meat of any question requiring his attention. I
first met Mr. Wilson about a year before he was
nominated for president, and tho more I see of
him and the more" intimate my relations with
him the larger he grows."
Many stories have been published about Mr.
Bryan's attitude toward other members of the
president's cabinet. One of these stories pub
lished the day before inauguration was that Mr.
McAdoo was persona non grata to Mr. Bryan
and that he would not serve in the cabinet if
Mr. McAdoo should, be appointed secretary of
the treasury and that he had attempted to dic
tate to the president whom he should take into
his official family. When he was asked about
these stories, all of which seemed to be false
on their face, by the way, as any one would
have seen upon a little reflection, Mr. Bryan
answered:
"You must not "believe everything you see
printed in the papers. Instead of being opposed
to Mr. McAdoo, I regard him as one of the most
competent and trustworthy men in the cabinet,
a man of conspicuous ability, of high integrity,
a progressive of progressives and in every way
well equipped for the important duties of his
office. It is the same thing with the other
stories that have been told ahout my wish to
influence the president in his selection of his
advisers. I am simply a member of his cabinet
and, with my associates, have only the one pur
pose in view, of contributing so far as we may
to the success of the president in the adminis
tration of his great trust.
"There are many important Issues to bo
settled. The first of these is the tariff question.
It is well on its way to an adjustment which
will be in complete harmony with the declara
tions of the democratic party, and which will
promote the general welfare of the country.
After the tariff has been settled there will bo
the currency question. The very wise policy has
been pursued of taking care of one of these great
issues without embrassing it with consideration
of the other. The president has avoided the
mistake made by Mr. Cleveland .when ho per
mitted or encouraged the discussion of the cur
rency issue before tie tariff was out of tho
way, and with the result that neither was
settled in substantial and durable form. After
the tariff bill is out of the way it will be tirao
to take up the currency question."
Just now Mr. Bryan is devoting all his wak
ing hours to the department of state. A groat
deal of his time has been given to the crowds
of very worthy men who would like to serve the
country in the foreign field, and while he would
like to reward all of them as their very evident
merits deserve, he has found that there are not
enough offices to go around. In the midst of
all the confusion of the charging squadrons he
has kept his temper wonderfully and looks out
upon the foreign lands with a serene confidence
that when all the places of high distinction are
filled, and all the lower places as well, the
people in "other worlds than ours" will marvel
at the amazing fecundity of the United States.
The main point that Mr. Bryan made today
in our heart-to-heart talk about our foreign re
lations was that in our dealings with other na
tions wo must be on the square; that we must
be fair to them if we would impress them with
the duty and obligation of being fair to us.
When we make treaties we should keep them.
There has been a great deal of discussion
about what is to be the fate of "dollar diplo
macy." Mr. Bryan expressed himself upon this
subject only to tho extent of saying that, while
he would encourage by every legitimate means
the increase of our commerce with foreign na
tions, he would not make the dollar mark the
sole test of our good intentions toward them.
He desires peace with all the world and would
extend our trade into all lands, but he would
give as well as take.
When Mr. Bryan was told that a prominent
financier from New York reported that "big busi
ness" was resting on its oars waiting for the
clouds to roll by and uncertain exactly what was
going to happen, and that many of the members
of the larger interests were very blue, he did not
show any symptoms of great mental distress, but
said: "That was to be. expected, but it does not
count for a great deal. That is the way 'big
business has always behaved in such circum
stances as distinguish the present time. When
the tariff is to be revised 'big business' Invari
ably shows signs of dissolution. This Is its
habit. It has succeeded in destroying the re
publican party, which yielded to its sorrows or
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