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The Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
HMaBnneVIKMMeBVeMSeMeW0BBne9e9MaeEBHiBH9BBeftieM "-"
VOL. 15, NO. 12
Lincoln, Nebraska, December, 1915
Whole Number 680
WRITE, WRITE NOW, WRITE OFTEN
The tide in favor of a big army and a big navy has passed its flood; the ebb has begun.
As senators and congressmen assemble in Washington they bring reports from the several states and congressional district! to
the effect that the masses are opposed to frenzied preparedness. The scare that has been worked up by the representatives of muni
tion factories has exhausted itself, and even the metropolitan papers are beginning to select the things that they will INSIST upon
in view of the impossibility of getting all that they demanded. The newspaper estimates as to the strength of tho opposition ar
increasing, but tho danger is not past. The retreat has commenced, but tho opposition must not bo over confident.
Every American citizen who is opposed to the proposed increase in the appropriations for the army and navy ought to writo to
his congressman, both of his senators and to tho President. Individual letters are better than petitions because they indicate a,
personal interest, and a personal interest expresseS by a constituent has its influence with a public servant,
It will only require four letters, one to your congressman, one to each of your senators and one to the President only eight
cents worth of postage to give to those at Washington the benefit of your views,
rite, ymto now, and if one letter is not sufficient, write often, ' ''
By acting promptly you may save yourself many dollars in taxation, and what is more you may save your country fromC the
menace of militarism and from the danger of wars which will be provoked by a policy copied from Europe, and based upon the ide
that peace can be built only upon fear and threats of force. Do not delay. ' W. J.' BRYAN.
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President's Message
Analyzed
I have carefully read the President's mes
sage. "We are- committed to legislation which
will give to the Filipinos the promise of ultimate
independence with steady progress in that direc
tion. I am sure, too, that congress will support
the President in the effort to secure justice for
Porto Rico. Recent events have strengthened
the arguments in favor of the establishment of a
government-controlled fleet of merchantmen, and
events have also increased the demand for a rural
credits measure written in the interest of the
farmers.
But when the President touches on prepared
ness and suggests a scheme of taxation for carry
ing out the plan he enters a new field, and his
revolutionary recommendations will find increas
ing opposition in both parties. The reasons
which he gives do not support the appropriations
for which he asks. Pan-Americanism, if it differs
at all from the Monroe Doctrine, ought to lessen
rather than increase tho necessity for prepared
ness. If a small army and navy were sufficient
to enforce the Monroe Doctrine when the Latin
American countries were suspicious of the United
States, why do we need an increase now when
that suspicion Js removed and when the republics
of Central and South America are willing to co
operate with ua in the support of tho Monroe
Doctrine? Then, too, the enormous destruction
of life in Europe will reduce the pressure over
there and make It less probable that any nation
In the near future will desire to colonize Latin
America. The President Is unfortunate, also, in his sug
gestions in regard to taxes. The democrats will
not take kindly to the idea of taxing gasoline and
automobiles. A few years ago only the rich
owned automobiles; now they are becoming the
farmers' carry-all, and with the increased use
of gasoline for agricultural purposes, tho farmer
would feel that he was being singled out and
made to bear new burdens for the benefit of mu
nition factories to get ready for imaginary wars.
If an additional income tax is resorted to,
the democrats will, I think, insist that the bur-
CONTENTS
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE ANALYZED
TIME FOR MEDIATION
THE PEACE MISSION
A NATIONAL BULLETIN NEEDED
AMERICA'S INTEREST IN PEACE
THREE COMING ISSUES
TWO LAWS NEEDED
THE "INTEREST" BACK OF PREPARED
NESS LaFOLLETTE SCORES INTERESTED
"PATRIOTS"
CONGRESSMAN "CYCLONE" DAVIS
WRITES'THE NEW YORK WORLD
CLAOTB KITCHIN'S STATEMENT ON
THE PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL MESSAGE
Xf IJUINUXUIOO
den be placed on largo incomes and Inheritance,
rather than on the incomes of those who will
have to do the fighting If there Is any fighting to
be done.
The President's plan of taxation Is quite sure
to arouse opposition among the republican
whose support Is solicited, as well as among the
democrats. Tho republicans are not likely to
favor the new income taxes, and they will prob
ably demand as a condition to their support an
increase in the tariff to which the democrats will
not consent.
While the President's plan to largely Increast
the appropriations for the army and navy ought
to fail because there is no necessity for such in
crease, its defeat will be made more certain by
the dissensions sure to ariso over the different
kinds of taxation. W. J. BRYAN.
1014-1015
Tho first Sunday in October, 1014, was set
apart as a day of prayer for .peace in Europe
and now, after fourteen months more of carnage,
many have become so calloused by war report
or so interested in war loans or the sale of war
material that big newspapers make fun of those
who talk of peace. A big change since 1914!
It is a little discouraging to work hard to re
move "suspicion" and establish "confidence" i
Latin-America, and then be told by the President
that we must make an increase of over one hun
dred millions per year in the appropriations for
nrrny and navybecauso of Pan-Americanism. Wc
ought to be able to reduce.
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