-yfi
The Commoner
VOL. 16, NO. 4
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heat to provont tho salo of alcoholic liquor, wo
aro not to blarao if any In sold in splto of all wo
can do. If a man Btrlkes another down when I
am a block away, I am not responsible, especial
ly .if I try to reach tho victim and protect him.
Qut, supposo I furnish the club and stand by
aiid, without protest, see the murder committed
how can I plead not guilty?.
And, now, a word to democrats. I am inter
ested in tho democratic party. I want to see it
tho defender of tho masses tho champion of
tho right. I want it to draw into its ranks the
strong young men who como out of our schools
and colleges with energy, purposo and hopa.
They will not como to us so long as tho liquor
interests aro In control. Wc must, therefore,
rid tho party of this sordid, mercenary group, if
our party in Nebraska in to do its duty to Ne
braska and the nation. I take it for granted
that republicans who love their party aro just
as anxious to drive the liquor interests out of
that party. And if ono party makes tho at
tempt tho other party must do so also, as it is
a matrer of self protection.
Tho situation recalls a story which I heard
many years ago, but which I had not thought
of for a long timo until this contest suggested
its application. A farmer went to a veterinary
surgeon for medicine for a horse that had a sore
throat. Tho doctor gavo him some powder and
a long tin tube, with instructions to put tho
powder in tho tubo and blow it on tho diseased
part. Tho farmer came back soon and asked for
Bomo moro, explaining that tho horso having
coughed just as ho was about to blow, ho had
takon that dose himself. It makes a difference
which party blows first. If wo drive tho liquor
interests out of tho democratic party, and tho
republicans welcome them, tho republican party
will got all of our bad men, and Heaven knows
that party has enough bad mon now.
But what if tho republican party blows first?
Then we'll got all their bad men if wo let them
come and, confidentially, wo haven't room for
any moro bad men. Fortunately, tho primaries
como on tho same day, and tho two parties can
blow at tho same time and, having rid them
selves of theso mon who have no principle or
patriotism, but only a desiro to profit by tho
salo of alcohol regardless of the harm it does,
can enter into competition for tho advancement
of tho welfare of flio stato.
I am proud of Nebraska; the state has been a
pioneer in all tho reforms which havo been se
cured during the past twonty years. Nebraska
has been on tho firing lino; no Btato has mado
a hotter record. But wo can not live on the
past; wo must meet the issues of the present
and tho future. The lines are being formed for
a now contest and tho Issue is moral as well as
economic a greater issue than any wo have yet
had to meet. Nebraska must be on the right
Bide. I hope it will bo a democratic Nebraska,
but whether it is a democratic Nebraska or a
republican Nebraska, it must be a "Dry Nebras
ka." Nebraska must bo on the side of the home,
not on tho side of tho outlaw.
Beware of "Obligations"
Tho climax of tho Baltimore convention was
reachod in the passage of tho following resolution:
n
. As proof of our fldfiUfv tn tiiQ Q
plo wo hereby declare ourselves opposed to the
nomination of any candidate for president who
is tho representative of or under any obligation'
to J. Pierpont Morgan, Thomas F. Ryan, August
Belmont, or any other member of tho privilege
hunting and favor-seeking class."
It was not sufficient that the candidate for
president should not "represent" Morgan, Ryan
and Belmont; tho convention declared that he
must not be "under any obligation" to these fi
nanciers. That resolution was passed by a vote
of SS9 to 196-4 to 1, and tho doctrine laid
down in the resolution is of universal applica
tion. Public officials must neither represent nor
BE UNDER OBLIGATION TO tho special inter
ests, and of all tho special interests the most
tyrannical aro the liquor interests.
In Nebraska tho liquor question is tho para
mount state issue. A prohibition amendment
will be voted upon at tho November election,
and, if tho amendment is carried, as now seems
scutum, tuu umei. wonc or the governor to bo
elected will be tho carrying out of the will of
tho people as expressed in tho adoption of the
Amendment. Tho liquor interests understand
this, and they aro making a desperate effort to
control tho nomination of governor in both of
tho political parties. In tho democratic party
Mr. Charles W. Bryan, at present mayor of tho
city of Lincoln, is a candidate for tho demo
cratic nomination. In his platform ho declares:
"I havo entered tho gubernatorial contest to
help tho people to secure legislation which has
been denied them on account of tho special in
terests working together under the leadership
of tho organized boozo interests to protect each
other."
Mr. Keith Neville, of North Platte, has an
nounced his candidacy upon a platform which
says: "I favor regulation of the liquor traffic
rather than the prohibition of it." "I intend to
vote against tho prohibitory amendment."
"Nevertheless, if elected governor and the pro
hibitory amendment carries, I will enforce to the
lettor its provisions. I will enforce tho laws of
tho stato and in so far as the power of the offic.e
will permit, will carry out that provision of the
state constitution which says: 'The supreme
oxecutivo power shall bo vested in the governor
who shall take care that all the laws shall be
faithfully executed.' "
It will bo noticed, first, that he is against the
prohibition amendment and will so vote; sec
ond, that ho promises to enforce the PRO
VISIONS of the amendment and the laws of the
stato. The second promise is merely a re-state-mont
of the oath of office, for the oath pledges
tho governor to enforce the laws.
It will be noticed, however, that HE SAYS
NOTHING ABOUT ASSISTING TN THE EN
ACTMENT OF THE LAWS NECESSARY FOR
THE CARRYING OUT OF THE AMENDMENT;
ho does not even say that ho will not veto laws
proposed for tho carrying out of the amend
ment. THE AMENDMENT IS NOT SELF-ENFORCING.
The people might adopt the amend
ment unanimously and they would still be in ex
actly the same position they are now until laws
were enacted putting the amendment into ef
fect. A governor, through the control of pat
ronage, can exert a powerful influence against
tho passage of laws and, by his veto, he can de-.
feat any-proposed legislation unless it is sup
ported by two-thirds of both houses of the legis
lature. The liauor interests are now busy trying to'
secure control of tho legislature, especially the
senate. They are attempting to secure the nom
ination of anti-prohibition candidates for the
legislature in both partes. If the Honor Inter
ests can succeed in controlling EITHER branch
of the legislature, no laws can b passed en
forcing tho amendment, and the will of the peo
ple will be thwarted.
But the liquor interests take no chances;
they will not only try to defeat legislation bv
the control of the legislature, but, knowing that
a governor in sympathy with them, could and in
all probability would veto any legislation in
tended to carry out the prohibitory amendment,
they are bending their energies toward the nom
ination of an anti-prohibition onndidate fn loth
Parties- W. J. BRYAN.
DIVISION MEANS DEFEAT
Don't allow the liquor interests to divide the
dry vote. In some senatorial and legislative dis
tricts the liquor interests are trying to divide
the dry votes bv encouraging several dry candi
dates to run. Be not deceived by their tactics.
Tho drv candidates should get together, find out
which is strongest, and the rest should withdraw
in his favor. Personal ambition must not he M
lowod to stand in tho way of the success of the
prohibition amendment. Drv candidates who,
bv running, aid the nomination of wet candi
dates, can not escape condemnation.
t
THE ATTORNEY GENKRAT,
The attorney general is the state's prosecuting
attorney; it is his duty to enforce the law.
ir the prohibition amendment carries, as now
seems quite certain, it should be enforced bv an
ttwiy gneral 1? Pathy with the 'law.
Both the democratic and republican partes
should therefore nominate men for this portion
who believe in prohibition. No attorney genera"
obligated to the liquor interests for mSS
JM01V,0 iu mo jjeopie. vote ror Berge.
A Progressive Demo
cratic Ticket
Below will be found the names of a number
of prominent democrats and the positions to
which they aspire. They all favor the renom
ination and election of President Wilson. The
paramount stato issue in Nebraska this year is
the adoption of the "dry" constitutional amend
ment and tho election of men on the state and
legislative tickets who are in favor of driving
tho liquor interests out of Nebraska politics by
the only feasible plan, namely, by putting them
out of business in Nebraska. The democratic
candidates on the stato ticket listed below are
in favor of the "dry" constitutional amend
ment and their influence will be used to secure
the passage of laws for its strict enforcement
and for preventing any further interference in
politics by- the liquor interests or any other
special interests of the state. Those listed be
low who are candidates for national positions
aro opposed to special interest domination in
politics in Nebraska, and favor the progressive
principles of the democratic party. Some men
claiming to be democrats, who have recently
served the special interests as lobbyists during
sessions of the Nebraska legislature, are aspir
ing to positions of trust in the democratic partv:
but the candidates recommended below contain
the names of no such men among them, and
democratic voters in Nebraska who are opposed
to special interest domination in politics and
who desire to vote for men who pan be depend
ed upon to represent the interests of the masses
and who are pledged to carry out the will of
the people expressed at the ballot box, should
cut out and take ths list of names to the polls
on April 18 and mark their ballot to correspond
with this list. Tho list follows:
Delegates-at-Large to National Convention:
WILLIAM J. BRYAN ,-;
W. H. THOMPSON' .''-,. .
J. J. THOMAS
LOUIS J. PIATTI
i'irst.xistrict Delegates: Giuvkojbi .it,
FRANK D. EAGER- , - .itit.
L. F. LANGHORST .
Presidential Elector, First District:
E. ARTHUR OARR
Third District Delegates:
W. H. GREEN " ' "
F. H. MORROW
Fourth District Delegates:
C. M. SKILES
C. E. BOWLBY
Fifth District Delegates:
P. W. SHEA
FRANK T. SWANSON.
Sixth District Delegates: - :
FRANK J. TAYLOR
FRANK W. BROWN-'
National Committeeman:
JAMES C. DAPILMAN''
United States Senator: ' rS'
I. J. -DUNN
Goyernor:
CHARLES W. BRYAN
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Lieutenant Governor:
EDGAR HOWARD .
Attorney General:
GEORGE W. BERGE
Railway Commissioner:
ANDREW CLUTE ' -
Commissioner of Publin T,onR mi Buildings
GRANT L. SHUMWAY
THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Nebraska must have a lieutenant; governor in
sympathy with the prohibition amendment. The
lieutenant governor presides over the senate,
ana his influence should be cast in favor of laws
giving force and effect to the amendment. Then,
too, under the constitution, he becomes govern
or in case of resignation or disability of the gov
ernor. Therefore, the reason given for the elec
tion of a man opposed to the saloon to the gov
ernorship apply to the lieutenant governor as
wen. Put none but the faithful on guard in
., iJUbiLiuns.- vote ror .Edgar Howard.
Nominate Democrats Wha.-gtwflJfa Moral Eri
aeifdes
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