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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1915)
it The Commoner 14 VOL. 15, NO, 9 EWMR mms " Another Insidious Lobby From tho Johnstown, Pa.f Dem ocrat. In 1913, soon after taking office, Prqgidont Wilson electrified tho coun try and started a stampedo out of Washington, when ho charged that tho capital was infested by an "in sidious lobby," which ho was de termined to smoke out. The hegira which followed this presidential warning left Washington hotel men to mourn tho good old times. There was never before such a hustling to get out of tho City of Magnificent Distances. But tho "insidious lobby" of 1913 was a negligible force in comparison with tho more insidious lobby which now infests tho capital. Tho lobby which challenged presidential atten tion in 1913 and which fled before the scourge which the White house brought into view was frankly sel fish. It made few if any pretensions of patriotism. It was not saving the country. It was not buttressing our shores against a threatened invasion. It was not particularly anxious about the flag. It was troubling itself lit tle with the Yellow Peril or the Ger man bogey. It was there merely to get all that was to bo had for the railroads, for steel, for sugar, or glass, for ship yards, for powder mills, for gun factories, for lumber I and for all the other pets of privilege which republicanism had been nur turing for so many years. The word from the White house gave this lobby a great shock ana occasioned unconcealed alarm in many quarters, but it was highly ef fective. The hotel business In Wasn ington was never as poor as it was in 1913 and 1914. But it must be improving now. For there is another and an infin itely more dangerous lobby infesting the capital of tho nation today. It is a purely "patriotic" lobby, a lobby which has wtaptfed the flag about it, a lobby profpundly concerned over tlfe welfare of the nation and the perpetuity of our sacred institutions, a lobby which is. in deadly fear of some imaginary foe,, a lobby, that thinks In terms of air ships, sub marines, dreadnaughts, 16-inch guns, torpedoes, shells, a huge standing army and a navy greater than a Hob son ever dared to propose. Even the railroads when carrying forward their successful campaign to force the government to permit an increase of freight rates flooded the mails with no such a deluge of liter ature as that which tho prepared ness lobby is today disseminating. Never before in the history of the country has an equal activity in any behalf been witnessed. Evidently this lobby is richly endowed. It is magnificently organized. It is splen didly equipped. And it is carrying forward its work with a thoroughness and with an indifference to the cost which may well challenge the curious interest of the American people who are being asked to approve of vast expenditures on the "national de fenses," the implication being that our shores are menaced by some pow erful oppressor. The ramifications of this lobby are widespread. Scores of leaguesi so cieties, clubs and associations have been formed to push particular phases of the general campaign. There are national security leagues, national rifle associations, national aereo clubs and national orgariiza tions of various sorts designed to4 aryouse the country to some impend ing peril and to bring it to a realiz ing sense of what is expected pf it in the -vay of fund? lor b.uyirig battle shins, cruisers, dreadnaughts", sub: marines,, destroyers, air craft, pow der, war material, arid equipment and for the increase of army and navy to a war footing in atime of profound peace. Schools, Ainurches, political organizations, the magazine and newspaper press, chautauquas, the lyceum, every thing which con tributeo to the molding of public opinion, is being utilized by this lob by as far as possible in spreading the gospel of preparedness and in dra gooning popular sentiment into an acceptance of the fantastic notion that preparation for war is a guar anty of peace. The preside . might well turn his attention to this lobby. The one driven by him from Washington two years ago was praiseworthy by com parison. There was little false pre tense in that "insidious" aggregation which haunted the halls of congress and beseiged the departments of gov ernment in pursuit of favors. But the lobby of which tho Army and Navy league, the National Security league, the National Rifle associa tion, - the National Aereo club of America and scores of similar organ izations are the visible expressions, is of the very essence of false pretense. It is greed masquerading in the vest ments of patriotism. It is militarism cloaked in the garb of peace. It is selfish ambition posing as disinter ested public spirit. It is imperialism of the sordid sort Whose democratic habilsments do not conceal the iron hand or the two-edged sword. That it should indefinitely pursue its sinis ter work unchallenged seems un thinkable. The president and con gress shoufd both call it to account and force a revelation of the secret springs of action and the secret sources of supply. And the country will bo much disappointed should the president and congress fail to turn on the light. ACT NOW, TIME FOR TALK PAST, COLONEL AVERS lations. The time for words on the part of this nation has long passed. It is inconceivable to American citi zens who claim to be inheritors of the traditions of Washington and Lincoln that our governmental represent atives shall not seo that the time for deeds has come. What has just oc curred is a fresh and lamentable proof of the unwisdom of our people in not having insisted upon tho be ginning of activo military prepared ness thirteen months ago." A special dispatch to tho Chicago Tribune, dated New York, Aug. 21, says: Col. Theodoro Roosevelt today broke tho silence he has maintained about this country's international re lations with Germany since the sink ing of thb Lusitania. Referring to the destruction of the Arabic, Col. Roosevelt said it would bo a fresh sacrifico of American hono'r'and in terests for tho administration merely to dismiss Count von Bernstorff, the German ambassador, and sever dip lomatic relations with Germany. The colonel's statement reiterates moro forcibly his previous utterances on the subject, maintaining that the time for words passed long ago. Hopes Administration Will Act. "I see it suggested In tho papers," Col. Roosevelt sacfd, "that tho Ger man answer to our last note, which is tho sinking cf the Arabic by a Ger man submar'i.o ar.d tho consemiMnt. murder of American citizens, will be adequately met by tho administra tion dismissing Von Bernstorff and severing diplomatic relations with Germany. I earnestly hopo tho ad ministration will not talto this view, for to do so womd. be a fresh sacri fico of American honor and interests. "Tho president's note to Germany in February was an excellent note if only it had been lived up to. But every subsequent noto has represent ed nothing but weakness and timM- Ity on our part, and tho sinking of the. Lusitania Tnd of-the Arabic, the attacks 'on tho .Giilflight.and the FaU aba, and nil the similar incidents that nave occurred -Tepresent arrogant answers which this weakness has in spired, Timo.for Words -Is Past "Germany will caro nothing for the meroBever,nce- of diplomatic re GARRISON RAPS COLONEL A press dispatch from Washington, D. C, dated Aug. 27, says: Secre tary of War Garrison made public today Maj. Gen. Wood's reply to the secretary's telegram of yesterday di recting that no repetition be permit ted of tho incident at tho Plattsburg camp precipitated by former Presi dent Rgosevelt's speech to tho men in training there. , "Your telegram received and policy laid down will be rigidly adhered to," Gen. Wood telegraphed. "I.havo just read Mr. Roosevelt's statement," Secretary Garrison said today. "I see he blames the whole thing on me. He takes the position that it is notorious that he has the habit of makiner indisnrpp onaanimn and that it therefore was my duty lu imu out lr no intended to go to Plattsburg and, if so, to head him off and save him from himself. "Well, maybe that's so, but it is a rather large order. He is a very active man. and I am a. vprv hnov nna and its going to be a pretty hard jou ior me to keep an eye on him all the time. The colonel's attitude about himself reminds mo t 1,0 story otJthe Maine farmer who was uix ma way to tne railroad station onemorning when he met a friend. 'Where are you going?' said the menuy The farmer replied: 'I'm go ing down to Bangor to get drunk and, great Lord, how I do dread it.' " Bryan Han Word to Say Kansas City, Mo Aug. 27. Wil liam J: Bryan had this to say today egardmg the developments growing out. of ex-President Roosevelt's speech at Plattsburg, N. Y military "I am glad to notion sWoo n :rison, is disposed to restrict the .camps I xJiT . r wmcn they wre es tablished. Durinir thn in, weeks they seem to hav6 served more as a nlatform fnr -nv. v .,,, from than for instruction in -the art . CONCERNING THE COLONEL Secretary Garrison is unfair; and the newspapers which- are "panning" Jv???8,1 for-his violent speech "" .;" " are lorgetting the un- luvw iw wnich makes T R a licensed libertine in language.' m V 1 arsan language at taste. Considering the semi-official character of that ,twi - -J Y?: wholly official position of GGTri a guesi Tof thoeVelt pract-cay was ?t 7 , ?f the government of the bos' with aanSand he berate "J colVmS.1110 S0UUd and WJiat of it? Roosevelt and good taste never have been on spealdnc terms with each other, and he is mf der the physical necessity of beraT ing something ti,0 t1. oerat- ln!foth tlon of PrSe &feyas no -common Z L"inl "f I' in by such petty :thggs "aR f,?50? if air- nlav. w - L luel a8 Xac and' ing show on earth, he is the man who UMUVft "" wnwBon, the ragintr roarer of the roundup, the dauntless daredevil who tied knots in the tail of the clawing catawampus and sent the frightful beast racing toward the far horizon, yelling at every jump What has such a hero to do with the rules of conduct that govern mere gentlemanly mollycoddles? Let him rave. Chicago Journal. MR. BRYAN The. presence, in the city of Wil liam Jennings Bryan on his first visit since his resignation from the cab inet brings to mind the numerous adverse commeuts which we have heard since tho rather startling an nouncement that the great Common er, had decided to leave the post at Washington. These comments have been as varied in form as aro the temperaments which conceived them, and it seems that in every case they can be traced to some motive far from the broad attitude which should be the foundation of everyone's pub lic utterances. We are all of us so human that most of our opinions, when we are startled, are made up from some selfish or unreasonable prejudice having its origin in the past, and wj are prone as humans to let these prejudices govern our present feelings. Going bac!: over the views heard in regard to the resignation of Mr. Bryan we can trace with undeniable suri ess the m-tive behind those v,iio appeared against him. Some say lie killed himself politically. This should be a fair indication then that those who have said in the past that he was seeking office were wrong, for he would not kill himself politically if he was seeking an office. The truth of the matter- is that Mr. Bryan is so absolutely governed by principle that for twenty years he has not given a thought to the political results of any stand he has taken, often caus ing his advisor3 much concern. Many of the other adverse comments are traceable to the efforts of the inter ests to discredit him. These ideas have been formed in the minds of his present critics wJien they did not know it by reading- newspaper ar ticles prepared im the press bureaus. of the interests. Since 1896 an- unfair, villifyms and desperate warfare has been waged, against Mr. Bryan. He has been a valiant soldier in the cause of the common people. Great men are always misunderstood. There will come a time, however, when the name of Bryan will .-be hailed with the glad acclaim of a united and con tented people who have learned final ly what he has meant to them. Kearney (Neb.) Times. WEAITH AND. BOOZE The liquor cranks are excited be cause the anti-booze agitation threat ens "properties valued in the aggre gate at perhaps $2,000,000,000. " may comfort them to reflect that tins "perhaps" total of theirs is almost exactly one-ninety-fourth of the es timated wealth of the United States. But it causes an altogether dispropor tionate part of the total crime, dis ease, suffering, and waste with wmcn our country is afflicted. The rest 01 us pay mighty heavy taxes in all these wnvd tr. Iroor nn tlmir "values. JiOOZfc! wealth is the most selfish, tyrannous. and wooden-headed form 01 PluCiVl known to our civilization, and h .,!. 1 tiA.,v CaiA its frac- tion lownaha out) -with perfe B9fntv.nn(l'"-tfrofl.)Tiin. Why SllOUJ" a Tninor iinterestrbe-a'major nuisance . Collier's submarinebutrJanahwvas the in LO 'OBCOTUGatlXniJlHI "Wit" v. lumbia State. m- M w a luc "Greatest -travel-