The Commoner
APRIL, 1916
15
f
ferred by the constitution the suspensive veto
by the executive and with further supervision
In the people alone, "who can be trusted with
their own government else republican form of
government Is a failure.
Under our plan of government the people
alone are sovereign. Judges, governors, pres
idents, members of legislatures and members of
congress are all alike servants of the people.
No right is given in any constitution to either
department to supervise the action of the oth
ers. The sole supervlsloual authority is in the
people. It has nowhere been given to the
courts.
Suppose congress and the state legislatures
were restricted to lawyers and that they should
be appointed for life. "Would the people toler
ate for twenty-four hours legislation by such a
body, even though expressly authorized by the
constitution? But we have a super-congress in
a body of nine appointive lawyers, of whom five
can set at defiance the will of 100,Q00,000 peo
ple, as expressed by their duly elected represen
tatives and approved by their elected executive.
Legislation by these latter can be reviewed and
set aside at tho next election. But when five men
out of nine legislate by construction or by re
jection of legislation the people are powerless,
It is true the five men claim to apply against tho
will of the people of todav the testamentary will
of 39 dead men who signed a paper writing over
a century and a quarter ago. But they may err
in their internretatfon of that instrument as the
decision Is, often 5 to 4. "When they claim to
apply "due process of law" and "equal protec
tion of the; laws" they can not define and have
never attempted to define those words. Their
autocratic rule Is simply "the size of the chan
cellor's thumb"; that is, whatever the majority
of tho nine men think should be done to the
statute. Can such a system wholly unwritten In
the constitution be looked upon as more than a
claim of "divine right" to govern?
The love of us lawyers for precedent, and a
feeling of professional pride that five lawyers on
the supreme court can say to the other depart
ments of the government, nay, to tho peonle
themselves1, as lias1 been asserted, "Thus far
shalt thou go, 'arid ho farther," apneal to usi
But this Is the defiance of the servant to the
master, the challenge of the creature to its cre
ator. There Is no room in a republican form of gov
ernment for "judicial hegemony."
MTTLTON8 OF MEN LOST TN T3UROPP,'S WA.R
An associated. Press dispatch, dated Wash
ington, D. C, March 27, says: Official informa
tion of the general staff of the United States as
to European war losses up to January 1, 1916,
was transmitted t6 'Senator McCumber by Gen
eral Hugh L. Scott. Senator McCumber ob
tained the figures for use in an anti-preparedness
speech. -The estimates follow:
Losses in men
France (estimated 800,000 killed) .. .2,000,000
Germany (estimated 580,000 killed) 2,500,000
Austria-Hungary 2,000,000
Russia (estimated 1,000,000 killed) 5,000,000
Great Britain . -r. ": '. . "620,000
Italy . ,..,.- .-. 175,000
Servia . 228,000
Belgium . . .Vl . ;. - 160,000
Turkey . ... ;7::k 350,000
' Total J ....'? 13,033,000
General Scott ,points out that since last Au
gust the war college has received no official list
of casualties from any government except the
British. ' " -
ESTIMATE' OF EXPENDITURES
England ; . $14,000,000;000
France . .:.?.....' 7,500,000,000
Germany . . -. ..V;. 8,000,000,000
Austria 1..r 5,00,000,000
Italy . .....:., ;.:-...: 4,500,000,000
' j -i:
Total . ......... $39,500,000,000
LOSS IN. NAVAL VESSELS
' No. Allies No. Centra
Powers
Ton Ton
Battleships . . ..,9 121,858 3 '33,260
Cruisers . .....17 136,604 29 150,889
Gunboats 5 4,430 17. 6,631
Submarines . ...13 8,17T 15 ' 2,945
Destroyers . ..-. 8 4,283 10, 4,560
Torpedo boats . . ,7 1,622 14
.Minelayers . . . . 1 .... , ,',10,758
Armed liners . . . Y7 53,033 . 13 106;686
Mr. Bryan's Birthday Party
,
H
Totals 67 330,002 103 315,756
From The Columbus, Neb., Telegram, March
23, 1916.
Thousands of democrats from every section
of the state attended the great democratic mass
meeting at Lincoln last Monday night in honor
of William J. Bryan's birth anniversary, and
many more thousands would have been there but
for tho well-founded fear that no building In tho
stato was large enough to contain the multi
tude. Many who went to Lincoln for the meet
ing were unable to gain admission to tho great
auditorium, but the fortunate ones who did gain
admission enjoyed a rare treat. Their greatest
joy was in beholding the loved leader of tho Ne
braska democracy in perfect health, and In a
fighting mood which recalled the old days of his
splendid fightings in behalf of democratic prin
ciples which have been enacted Into law by many
states, and many of them by the national gov
ernment. Always at his birthday parties Mr. Bryan
brings from other states the great leaders of
progressive thought, and on th's occasion ho
brought two of them, each a brilliant star. With
out effort to minimize the accomplishments of
others, we instantly say that the address deliv
ered at the birthday party by Dr. Hardin, pictur
ing the evils, and opposing the claims of mili
tarism, was the most masterful speech on that
sublect ever uttered by any man. If that speech
could be heard by all the people of the agricul
tural states not a single congressman in favor
of preparedness would bo sent to Washington
from any stato between the Alleghanies, and the
Rocky mountains.
There came to the birthday party from far
away Alabama a distinguished son of that state,
for many years a judge of the supremo court,
and he brought to Nebraskans a vivid picture of
the long struggle between the people of Ala
bama and the combined brewery and corpora
tion interests, and the happy ending of that
struggle. Judge Weakley Is the author of many
statutes in many states for tho loosing of the
steel claws of booze and corporation hands from
the throat of state government, and under the
workings of those new laws a common citizen
of Alabama now has as much influence in legis
lative affairs ao the combined influence of the
linuor interests and all the political corpora
tions. Particularly gratifying to all free democrats
was the appearance on the birthday platform of
that magnificent democrat, Ienatius J. Dunn,
who is a candidate for the democratic nomina
tion for United States senator. Many in the vast
audience had never seen the man. never heard
him speak. But throughout his fervid address
of fifteen minutes frequent bursts of applause
appeared, and at tho close of his defiant chal
lenge to the combined liquor and corporation In
terests the splendid 6rator was accorded a great
ovation. And that's the wav his. addresses will
be received wherever he shall apnear in this
campaign. He has a message for the people a.
message of hope. He has a. message for the cor
poration politicians a message of defiance. And
he -delivers his messages in a manner to instill
courage in the hearts of the masses, and fear in
the hearts of the corporation political ollgarchv
whioh has long claimed divine right to control
the legislatures of Nebraska.
Mr. Bryan's message of welcome to his birth
day partv was inspiring. He snoke but spar
inelv of his own great work for democratic
principles. He put the branding Iron upon the
cheeks of those democrats in Nebraska now de
nouncing him as a traitor to President Wilson,
nnd told how on his meeting with those same
Wilson friends at a town named Baltimore he
saw in the hand of each of them a blood-stained
dagger, and on the blade of each dagger was the
private mark of those same soecial evil Inter
ests, which are now backing the corporation Vil
las in Nebraska. His reference to the candidacy
oft hi$ brother, Charley W. Bryan, for the dem
ocratic nomination for governor was a beautiful
tribute to a brother's devotion to a brother's
cause. He told of the faithful efforts of Charles
W'Bryan in support of democratic principles in
state and nation for more than twenty years,
and challenged the hired servants of predatorv
.wealth to disclose upon the political record of
Charles W. Bryan one single stain which would
offend any democrat who is free from corpora
tion strings. 4
It was a great party, In honor of the greatest
private citizen in all tho world.
BRYAN FIGHTING LIQUOR CONTROL
From The Nebraska (Lincoln) State Journal!
William Jennings Bryan was welcomed back to
Lincoln Monday evening, Mar. 20, by a stato mass
meeting of democrats at the city auditorium.
While tho gathering was Intended at first to bo
a birthday celebration, the original purpose was
lost In tho excitement of politics and tho com
ing primary campaign.
Mr. Bryan, who appeared at the clone of tho
program, fired the first gun in tho primary cam
paign which ho cxpectn to make throughout tho
stato in tho next four weeks. National and lo
cal Issues wore discussed. Mr. Bryan announced
that tho state would Instruct for Woodrow Wil
son. 'iThere Is no other candidate," he sa'd. Ho
reiterated that he was tho president's staunch
cst friend, and stated that tho President had
more than repaid him by giving himself to the
nation as Its chief executive In place of Theo
doro Itoosovelt.
Mr. Bryan leaped on tho liquor Interests
rough shod. He claimed no responsibility for
tho wet and dry fight. v Ho would have rather
put It off a year or two, but now that the stato
was In the midst of tho struggle lie expected to
add his strength to tho conflict. Ho repeated that
the democratic party must elect men to the ex
ecutive offices and to the state legislature who
would enforce the law to aid the dry amend
ment. Tho hardest fight would necessarily come
against the tronches of tho saloon men who
sought to dominate tho party.
Mr. Bryan brought to Lincoln with him two
frionds who support tho politics wh'ch ho has
never ceased to advocate, Judge Weakley of Bir
mingham, Ala., and Rev. Martin Hardin, pastor
of tho Third Presbyterian church of Chicago.
Judge Weakley has had no end of experience In
Georgia, Mississippi, and his native state com
bating the liquor Interests. He is tho author of
a number of stringent anti-Hquor laws and his
talk was a narrative of what has been accom
plished iir the south toward enlarging dry ter
ritory. Other speakers in, the order of their appear
ance vere as follows: C. M. Skiles, David City;
J. S. McCartv, Lincoln J Edgar Howard. Colum
bus; I. J. Dunn, Omaha; Governor Mnrehead,
and Rev. M. Hardin. W. H. Thompson
of Grand Island presided over the meeting -and
introduced the sneakers.
Long before 8 o'clock democrats and their
friends began piling into the big auditorium to
secure choice seats. By the time the first speak
ers took their seats on the stage the auditorium
was packed and men were standing In the pass
age ways around the edge of the hall.
Mr. Bryan, accompanied by Governor More
head, Judge Weakley and other members of- the
speakers' party, arrived at the auditorium at
8:20. Mr.' Bryan was greeted with cheers and
hearty applause by an impatient crowd.
W. H. Thompson, chairman, opened the meet
ing with a tribute to W. J. Brvan and the demo
cratic officers In state and nation.
The audience was bv no means limited strictly
to democrats. Republicans flocked to hear the
famous Nebraskan just as much because It was
W. J. Bryan as for any other reason.
Speakers were limited to five minutes. State
speakers with the exception of I. J. Dunn care
fully avoided state issues. They indulged In
generalities, paid tributes to the guest of the
evening whose birthday they were celebrating,
and complimented the democratic party on re
cent achievements.
I. J. Dunn, however, took a few warm shots
at the liquor interests, and lauded Charles W.
Bryan as a candidate for governor. He called
attention to the kind of politics for which the
Bryans are known, and gave them credit for
much of the progressive legislation in the state.
The warmest reception accorded any of the
speakers was given to William Jennings Brvan
when he rose shortly after 11 o'clock. When
Mr. Bryan, first entered the auditorium early In
the evening, the crowd cheered and applauded
but it was mild compared with the ovation with
which thev greeted the announcement of hi
name by Chairman Thompson.
tX WJlfZl.r fUj-.