.,F-
-p?';
r
4
x
v
The Commoner
sv
XQft 15 NO.
V"3fc tsi''5"iV'.'.
i
v,
r
V
?
w-v.
r' h
mi
(a.
.
U16.3
; ' What .do you think Will bo the is
sues in tho coming presidential cam
paign?" Mr. Bryan was asked.
"Well, you must distinguish be
tween permanent and temporary is
sues in' considering that sort of a
question," ho said. "Economic issues
are permanent in character, and Up
on them wo can calculato with, some
accuracy.
"For instance, we know that the
tariff 13 likely, to be an issue, also
the currency atidtrust Issues are' like
ly to bo up again.
'. "These are " a prominent part o
. tho record of achievement of the
present', ad.inlnlstratldn. Under or
dinary conditions and times, the
campaign Would turn upon them. The
country would either indorse or con
demn tho action of. the present ad
ministration. Believing in tho wis
dom of measures that have been en
acted, by . tho democratic party, I
would expect them to bo approved
by. the general pUblic. s
. "But ,war questions that are tem
porary in. character may even over
shadow for a timo tho more perma
nent issues Unexpected crises may
arise;, no o.no can- mako prediction
with any accuracy in regard to tho
relative importance of issues that
may bo raised, or their effect upon
the campaign."
Win1 Preparedness "Frenzy"
"Does the subject of national pre
paredness, come in this category?"
"Yds, it does," Mr. Bryan respond
ed. "The iiues.tion i3 receiving spe
cial attention just npW. Some peo
ple have been frightened into' tho be
lief that wo should get ready for
.,war: a smaller, number And necunl-
,w''ary. profit In furnishing tho prepar-
, "But my observation is that the
'" frqnzy for preparedness is spmewha't
Mike the rabies ' in, two respects; first,
it .is a; serious 'disease for.. th6se wlifo
, .' lidVe it, and second, very, fortunately,
; -few Kfcvo it " " - -.'"'.
. "Do. you, consider that Colonel
: . R.oosevolt may ha.vo some: of these'
) symptoms?-"' ho ; Was queriod. ,rOh,:
,w.ell,' how,u Mr. ,i Bryan responded,'
smiling broadly, "I'd far rather in-
"dtilgo in general definitions than.
- , specify, illustrations of what I mean
.;, in this matter." '
v"' Taking 'up prohibition 'and wo-,
'man's suffrage', on direct, questions
Cas.tc his attitude, in view .01! tho ex
perience of Washington 'state, Mr.
, Bryan said: ' ; " ' ' . "
, - Prphibltiqn. Pleases, Him
- ; "I am very much gratified with, the
- progress that prohibition is making
in '; states like Washington. Aside
.'from ..tho .baheflts, which como ,froin
;tho 'removal of the saloon there is a
' groat advantage to bo derived pblit-?
ically from the fact, that party or
ganizations are freed from tho de-
moralizing influence-of groups of
men who, so long as saloons exist,
have a pecuniary interest in control
ling conventions and public officials.
.. "We have long been, hampered in
tho discussions pf economic and sp
jclal reforms by the fact that this
sordid element has constantly ob-
"(trudqd itself, and diverted attention
jfrora needed remedial measures.
'i "I believe and hopo that a nation
al constitutional prohibition amend
ment will not bo submitted at the
.coming session of congress. Such
: Un nmnnrlmonf nf flila tlmn nnnlil nnt-
;ecure tho support of tho necessary
three-quarters of the states, and it
jwould divert attention from the
questions upon which the country as
'a wliolo is united. I am in favor of a
rilsCti6nal amendment" when enough M
The Issues for 1916
' Interview given by Mr. Bryan to; the states havo expressed themselves
Spokane, Wash'., Chronicle, Aug. 3, ' favorably upon it to mako its adop
tion probaole. In the meantlmo my
sympathies are with the prohibition
ists in states wherever the question is
submitted to tbe people.
Suffrage in Samo Category
"What I have said about prohibi
tion applies to woman's suffrage. I
rfavor it, and shall be glad to support
tho cause in states where it is raised.
I believe that the war in Europe and
tho peace movement in this country
will strengthen it. But I would not
llko to see a national constitutional
amendment submitted now, for the
reasons that I havo explained in dis
cussing prohibition, because it would
divert attention from those issues on
which the whole people are ready to
act,' without bringing any prospect
of Immedate favorable action on suf
frage itself.
"In saying this, I do not criticize
those who give their entire thought
to either question,, and I am sure
they will understand the position of
thoso of us, who, favoring both, are
trying to assist in tho securing ot
several reforms. Parents with one
child aro not to bo blamed for giv
ing air their attention to -it, but pa
rents who aro raising several can not
neglect all of tho others for tho ben
efit of one, or even two."
THE CAUSE OF WAR
"The first fifteen years of the pres
ent century exhibit an unwonted stir
among many millions of men," wrote
Tolstoy, in War r id Peace. "They
are" seen to quit their avocations; to
rush from one side of Europe to the
other, to, plunder and kill each oth
er; to triumph for a while, and theri,
in their turn, be beaten, During this
period the course of daily life under
goes a coiriplete change, until sud
denly this ferment, which at . one
jtime seemed as if it must go on in
creasing, utterly subsides. What was
tiie cause of this phenomenon? What
laws did it .follow? By way of reply,
historians narrate the deeds 'or re
port the speeches c; a few score men
in a building in Paris, to which they
give tue name of the Revolution.
They next give us an elaborate bi
ography of Napoleon Bonaparte, and
of certain other persons who became
his friends or his! foes. They tell
us pf the' J .lfluenc these persons ex
ercised on one another; and they
say: .'These were .the causes of 'the
phenomenon; these were its laws.'
But reason refuses to accept such an
explanation, because the cause is
clearly inadequate to the effect. It is
the sum of human energy which pro
duced the Revolution and Nappleori,
and it was that which maintained
and overthrew them."
So, to tell what . the Kaiser did,
pr. what a few persons in Vienna,
Petrograd, London and Paris did or
to take the entire contents af all the
white, green, blue, yellow, gray and
green books goes only a little way
in explaining the causes of this war.
The war is a product of the sum of.
human energy in Europe. This little
particular act or that one may have
applied tho Lpark to the powder; but
uu iiiurip naci ueen Industriously
rnanuf? -tnring the powder for many
years. All Europe had thought war
Tho competitive arming with the
ridiculous pretext, which really de
ceived nobody, that thereby peace
was to be mainlined the continual
stirring of international jealousy
and suspicion, made war not only
possible but eminently probable.
The. war was' a-: output of Eu
rope's mind. If i is followed by en
during peace it will be .because Eu
rope, gets a. different mind. That wo
havo maintained peace tho last
eighteen months is a reflection of 'the
national mind. Saturday Evening
Post.
LOGANBERRY HAS A DAY
Tho following is special corres
pondenco by Aline Shannon Monron
from Oregon Exposition building,
San Francisco, under date of July
29:
Logannerry day at tho exposition
was a tremendous success. Fifteen
hundred gallons were served, and
also jam and biscuits. Thousands of
packages were given away and more
were ordered.
Judge James Logan, of Oakland,
originator of the berry 35 years ago,
made a speech in which he paid trib
ute to Oregon as the perfect climate
for the loganberry. Ho is 75 and
hale and hearty and. has a 3-year-old
baby, who was with him.
John F. Logan nlde a speech, In
which he said that, since lie had
married tnto the Berry family, it was
proper that he should introduce the
berry that William Jennings Bryan
already had made famous.
Ed. J. Rainey, secretary to Mayor
Rolph, blessed loganberry juice as a
drink that one doesn't need to find
the excuse of a mean liver or a scold
ing wife to make one partake of it.
He quoted Sam Blythe as saying that
the rlngrtg need of the ago is a drink
which a man can guzzle all night, if
he wants to, and still stand in the
morning: and this, he declared,
was it.
LISTEN TO BRYAN AND PROFIT
MUCH TJIEREBY
LSacraoit.nto; Cal., Bee, July 27,
19:,5.
William Jennings Bryan will, speak
to the citizens of Sacramento and vl.
cinity this evening.' . . .
That h'.s address wUKv.be well
worth hearing 'goes -without i saying.
Tnat it, will create thought and dis
cussion also is .beyond dispute. :
For Bryan always has something
to say, and says it well probably
better, than any other ; could say it. .
But Dack of ' the felicity of
thought, and the facility of speech
of the man lie his sincerity, his
e?. nestneas, . hie unselfishness, his
coirage, his lumanity and his soul.
Who sneers at Bryan no matter
h;w, much he may .differ with iiis
principles is either , shallow-minded
or blinde'l by prejudice.
The world has grown to estimate
William Jennings Bryan as one of
her greatest, and the shafts of
cheap wit and jaundiced satio
hulled at. Mm but return, boomerang-like,
to plague their inventors.
BRYAN'S RESIGNATION
To the' Editor of the s. Louis Post
Dispatch. I differ "radically "from the views
expressed by the majority of our
American editors about Mr. Bryan's
purpose in retiring from Mr. Wilson's
cabinet. I have never been a Bryan
partisan in the past but now I ac
knowledge that tftis is the greatest
act of his entire career.
Far from looking on it as prompt
ed by. selfish motives, I believe It te
?xrnnJCt,of suPrem self sacrifice.
With his long experience in public
life he could not fail to lenow the
storm of ridicule and criticism that
his action would provoke and that it
would entirely destroy his political
future and render impossible the re
a izatlon of his most cherished am
bition. Yet to sav 1 his country from
a course which might lead to war, he
deliberately, sacrificed himself in or
der to shock his fellow countrymen
and the citizens of 625
from their mentalttiWe S
war and peace. And' in jt meaimre
he has biio.mpAva n w rHaBre
ItinctreliorssuSr
the worn!' n0t nly hereWt al1 ov
Such an act requires the highest
kind of moral courage, unselfish de
votion to his own country and love nr
humanity. eoi;
. The fact that it has raised a hue
and cry against him rather confirm,
and strengthens me in this belief
The great unthinking majority are
always ready to crucify those who
try to save it from ,lts own follies.
In a world gone mad with war Mr
Bryan has sounded) the first strong
note of peace .and it has rung around
the world and I predict that his act
will be remembered in history long
after the present insanity will have
passed into oblivion.
Tho words of Lowell ar still true:
Once; to "every man and nation
Comesthe moment to. decide
In the strife of truth, and falsehood,
For the good or evil side. ,
Some great cause, God's new Messiah,
Bringing each the bloom or blight,
Parts the goats upon the left hand,
And the sheep upon the right,
And the choice goes by forever
,'TwJxt that darkness and that
light.
Count me o'er .earth's. chosen heroe3,
They are men. who stood alone,
While the crowd they agonized for
Hurled the contumelious stone;
Stood serene a,'pd dpwn the future
Saw the golden, beam incline
To the 'side of perfect justice,
- Mastered by their faith divine.
By the light of burning, martyrs,
Christ's bleeding feet I track,
Toiling ever up new Calvaries,
. ,Wlth the cross. upon his back.
But-these mounts of. anguish n.uinlier
How each gqner&tibi learned
Some, new wjprd qf ..thatand! credo,
. Wihjph , -im jPppheaFtg hayo
, burned., .,,.;, it,; .;.v . ..
For ; humanity, .gwe.eps onward;
Where today the martyr, stands
On . the, mprrow is ; acclaimed a saint
with, clapping hands; ' .,'
For in front the cross stands ready,
And. til crackling faggots buUr,
But the hoo,ting mob 'of yesterday
In silent aw return, ,, ' ,;; ...
, To glean up tho scattered-ashes
Into history's golden ,urn, , .
.': -Wm.'Preston Hill.
OF
COMMENTS ON "MYSTERY
BRYAN'S RESIGNATION"
Et tu Brute! Well could Mr. Sry,an
.exclaim as he read Richard L. Met
calfe's article in the Nebraskan last
week on "The Mystery of Bryan's
Resignation; No man iu. Nebraska
has more reason to stand for Mr. Bry
an, than, Richard L. Metqalfe., For
years they have been so closely asso
ciated in matters of politics,' business
and friendship that the possibility of
a severance of any of all 'of. these
relations was as far removed from
consideration as heaven from earth.
And we can not believe that this sev
erance today Is of Bryan's choosing.
If, and we say it in sadness, for we
have been a follower and an admirer
of this blrllliant v&riter for years,
there was ingratitude shown by any
man, It is here demonstrated In the
words, of Mr. Metcalfe when he says
In commenting on Mr. Bryan's resig
nation from President Wilson's cab
inet, "I, an not Mr. Bryan's partisan,
nor his confident, nor, indeed, ani 1
his follower.'.' Once before In tlie
long ago, wag there sUch a case as
this. The trusted disciple, Peter,
thrice denied that he Jcnew Him who
came to a sinful world to teach man
kind the truth and tho way. Peter
was afraid of the popular ieeling. in
a mpmnt. of weakness ,he feared it
he did np.t plead. ignorance pf knw!
edge pf tie 'inaii.yro had. proven WJ
lovo and saving power in a thousanu
1
if.
1
i
.,$
CF
Si
