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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1915)
"w:" ) The Commoner 2. VOL. 15, No. n " jrvyfK-fTWWi $ I B. M ft u: m President Wilson on "Preparedness" In Bpoaking to the Naval Advisory board at tho White house on October 6, the President faid, "I think tho whole nation Is convinced that wb ought to be prepared, not for war, but for defense, and very adequately prepared." This is tho keynote of tho President's position. He is trying to carry out the wishes of the people as ho understands those wishes, and ho has been convinced by tho information which he has re ceived that the people desire to bo very "ad equately prepared." The real question, how ever, is not what tho President THINKS the peoplo want, but WHAT THE PEOPLE ACT UALLY WANT. This is a government which de rives its just powers from tho consent of tho governed, and tho democratic idea of repre sentative government is not that tljo represent atives shall think for the people,- but that tho peoplo shall think for themselves, and then apeak their minds through their representa tives. No official who understands the genius of our institutions would for a moment think of putting his judgment against tho KNOWN judg ment of tho people and no ono( would bo less likely to bo guilty of such an abuse' of power than President Wilson. Tho President has given expression to his un derstanding of the people's wishes and it re mains to bo seen whether ho has correctly in terpreted tho wishes of tho people, or" is mis taken in this respect. If ho finds thai; ho is' mis taken, ho will still bo anxious to carry out their wishes, no matter what diminution in the pro gramme of preparedness is required to conform toi tho wishes of tho people. Our government is not a one man government; the constitution carefully divides official respon sibility. In the matter of appropriations the presumption lies with the houso of representa tives; it is most immediately responsible to the people because its representatives are most re cently from tho people. Wo elect our members of congress for two years while we elect tho President for four years and senators for six years.' Tho presumption in favtir of tho houso ia well founded; its members 'come from all parts of their respective states artd'because each representative speaks for a small, number, and is more recently, chosen, it is reasonable to sup pose that he knows the wishes ,of his constitu ents and is responsive to .them. Tho President can recommend; a policy and he can sign a bill when it reaches ,him,but that is all that lie has tho constitutional authority to do. He can not coerce congress J.nto accepting hjs views, and no democratic president would desire to do so, no matter how thoroughly con vinced ho, was that ho knew the amount the people desired to spend for preparedness The President must necessarily bow to the will of congress, and tho president who new occupies the Whito house will do so not merely from ne cessity, but with ontiro willingness. Tho thing to do, therefore, is to secure as cor rect an expression of the public will, as is pos sible, remembering that tho PUBLIC includes ALL OP THE VOTERS, not merely a FEW. The preparers of preparedness and, the manufactur ers of j munitions are tied up with the- big finan ciers and this group controls a largo number of metropolitan papers. These papers will, of course, shout for preparedness as 'they have shouted for everything elso that. , tho plunder bund .desired, and those who liavo no other means of reading the public mind except as they read tho editorials of these metropolitan papers, may easily bo deceived as to public opinion. It .must be remembered hat tho Qditor of a paper speaks for no ono exec t tho owner, and he may .speak for no one except tho financial magnate who carries his loans; and the. financial mag nate xpay be nothing but tho epokesman of an ijiterejited group of men who aro as expert in tho Manufacturing of explosive, patriotism as Jhey are In tho manufacturing ,oft oth.er explo- It is the duty of the rank and file of the peo ple to make their will known to their members ' jtt, congress, .tbeir senators and their President, in order that the decision, when made, may rep resent tho real sentiment of tho country and thus become a permanent policy. REMEMBER THAT WE ARE NOW SPEND ING TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLIONS A YEAR GETTING READY FOR WAR TEN TIMES AS MUCH AS WE SPEND ON THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT W. J. BRYAN. CHOOSE YE THIS DAY The issue between the jingoes and the oppo nents of frenzied preparedness is one upon which tho peace of tho country may hang and, there fore, an issuo upon which tho permanent suc cess of tho party may depend. If the country decides to reverse its policy, confess its error and imitato tho European nations in a course which necessarily includes the setting up of false standards of honor, tho inspiring, of a military spirit and tho cultivation of international hat reds if this is the decision of tho country, the democratic party might as well retiro from busi ness and turn tho government over to the re publicans, because that is the only party which can be relied upon to favor tho expenditures necessary for such a policy, and to acquiesce in tho overthrow of tho ideals to which our govern ment has been wedded by tradition and history. It has so long been the servile tool of predatory wealth that it has not tho moral strength that the dembcratic party has to resist the new prop aganda which the representatives of special privilege aro conducting. The democratic party is the representative of tho common peoplo and it can not desert them without forfeiting its reasons for existence. The common people, so the Bible assures us, heard Christ gladly when ho was preaching his gospel of "peace on earth, good will toward men." Only the common people today can be relied upon to hear gladly those who preach this doctrine. The common people will protest against the adoption of a swaggering, bullying policy that' speaks through threats and relies for security upon the fear which it can incite. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve" -the God of War or tho Prince of Peace. W. J. BRYAN. NOT "EVERYWHERE" "Force everywhere speaks out with a loud and imperious voice, in a titanic struggle of gov ernments," the President says, in his Manhattan club speech; but the conclusion which he draws is not the conclusion which our people have reached or will reach. Instead of being infected by force they are the more determined that this nation shall be saved from the horrors of a sys tem which rejects love and brotherhood as weak ness, and puts its"faith in violence. Not "every whero"at least, not here. W. J. BRYAN. UNDERMINED CIVILIZATION One, of the traveling , organizers of the -Na-. tional Security league, speaking in Memphisy-re-cently,, said "Bryan, Carnegie and Ford are do ing .jnore to undermine . American civilization than all other agencies' If you want to know what kind of qountry we will have if the friends of preparedness take oharge of our government just .imagine the criminal laws that will be necessary to keep advocates of peace from "un dermining American civilization" by preachintr Christianity. imub It is the manufacturers of munitions who get the pay out of patriotism and the swag out of swagger, '. THE 1MEASXHUG OF DUTY To Students: The student should ever keep in mind the Bible measure of duty much is required of those to whom much is given. The purpose of a college course is to enlarge one's capacity for Imw'i rd Th? that purp0se Is accSmp fsheS and tho. graduate goes fqrtb, equipped for lar tasks, he can offer no excuse if he fails to come up to- the requirements, of his generation ?,? now, tho civic demands upon a n a '? than, ever before, and the college-bred iJ5S ? 5 stead of attempting to ride unon thf ?' lnI others, should, out of gratUude for what8 ho has received, take his place in the rtZ J i inspired by a sense of kinshin with S aml' Put his .broader shoulders under iUvLT8' By diving largely he will IcauLatVlZ pada enjoy largely and learn tw . right to greatness.gisymeureda?y t&mbl' J-lke W. J. BRYAN. The New Cherubim Two new cherubim have appeared to gUaP(i the democratic Ark of the Covenant. They are John R. McLean, owner of the Washington Post and William Randolph Hearst, proprietor of the Hearst papers. They are not new to politics, hut they have taken upon themselves a new role which justifies a word of comment. If the readers of The Commoner will consult that portion of the Bible which gives a minute description of tho golden cherubim made of beaten work spreading their golden wings over the golden mercy seat, just above the Ark of the Covenant, they will be able to picture tho dem ocratic ark as it now is with these self-appointea guardians protecting its holy treasures. They are for preparedness with a big "P"; they want to get ready in italics. They are horrified that anyone, especially Mr. Bryan, should venture to express an opinion adverse to the plan outlined by the President at the Manhattan club. They are so conscious of their own disinterestedness that they can not help suspecting the motives oi those who differ from them on this question so vital to the welfare of the nation, and therefore so vital to the future of the democratic party. Mr McLean's paper, the Washington Post, in its issue of November 6th, says: "The division in the republican party having been mended, Mr. Bryan promptly does his hest to divide the democratic party. "Evidently Mr. Bryan does not want to see a democrat. in the White house. . "Why does Mr. Bryan make haste to create a split in the democratic party if .he is not try ing to smash it? Why did he have to attack President Wilson on the national defense ques tion? Does not friendship count, for anything? Doesn't gratitude count j " Does party loyalty mean nothing to him?" V . Mr. Hearst's paper, the New York American, on the same date says: "Mr. Wilson has finally announced that he favors proper preparation .for national defense. "Mr. Wilson's words were hardly out of his mouth when Mr. Bryan was in print with oppos ing declamation. We say declamation advisedly, because Mr. Bryan does not argue. He declaims. "Upon all questions Mr. Bryan is a fanatic. He always goes to extremes. In his peace prop aganda he goes to even more unreasonable ex tremes than he usually goes. "The American believes Mr. Bryan to be a real danger to the country. H is a wholly imprac ticable man, an unbalanced' man, but a plausible man. Because he is a plausible man, he is apt to influence an element Of the people that is swayed by plausible words, and that does not do much independent thinking of its own. In this matter of opposition to President Wilson over the question of preparedness for war. Mr. Bry an's sincerity is open to suspicion." What tender solicitude they manifest for the party and what an affectionate interest in the President! Mr. Bryan is willing to haVe his record as a democrat compared with the records of Mr. Mc Lean and Mr. Hearst, and he is also willing to have his record as a friend of the President compared with the records- ade by both Mr. McLean and Mr. Hearst. -' The responsibility1 of a citizen is measured by his opportunity. If Mr. McLean feels that it is his duty to speak for the readers of the Post, and if Mr. Hearst feels it his duty to speak for the readers of his paper, will they deny Mr. Bryant responsibility to his readers and to the considerable number of -democrats who have three times supported him' for tho presidency? Have they not given every ifassibls proof of their confidence? r If these distinguished journalists do not recognize Mr. Bryan's obligation to his readers, his friends, and to the country that has honored him, Mr. Bryan does recognize the op ligation and will live up to it. He will in the future -as in the past trove his loyalty to his country, his devotion to his' party and his sup port of those who represent the party's ideals and its interests. The President has asked that the 'issue bo con sidered as-ubn-partisan, and the President is too good a democrat to make - non-partisan issue party test. W. J. BRYAN. I - ii