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The Commoner
APRIL, 1916
sSjjiSP
NEBRASKA'S POSITION ON THE LIQUOR
QUESTION
During his present tour, Mr. Bryan, in speak
In of Nebraska's position on the li
quor question, repeated what he hai
said on several occasions, namely, that in the
matter of liquor legislation Nebraska stood in
the front rank 26 years ago, but that today
other states have gone forward while she has
stood still, thus leaving her now in tho rear rank
on this subject.
He then called attention to a recent editorial
in tho World-Herald which left out tho refer
ence to liquor legislation and charged Mr. Bryan
with reflecting on tho state generally.
Mr. Bryan said:
"You need not be surprised at anything you
see in the World-Herald about me. It's owner,
Senator Hitchcock, and his editor, Mr.
Newbranch, have deliberately misrepre
sented mo ever sinco I learned of and ex
posed, the effort of the liquor interests to con
trol democratic nominations for the state senate
with n view to controlling that body.
"The only interest Mr. Hitchcock manifested
when I informed him of what I had learned was
to ask, 'Haven't they been doing that all the
time?' Mr. Newbranch even warned me against
the men representing the liquor interests. He
asked, 'Do you know that they will resort to
anything, even physical violence?'
"Mr. Hitchcock knew of their political methods
and Mr. Newbranch knew of their criminal
methods and yet these men are using this so
called democratic paper to misrepresent and
abuse any democrat who refuses to worship a
beerkeg and accept his opinions ready made
from the brewers and distillers. And the demo
crats of Nebraska are asked to renominate Sen
ator Hitchcock and to accept the advice of Mr.
Newbranch."
AMEND THE PRIMARY LAW
The present primary, perfect as it is In
principle, gives the city voters an advantage
over the country voters. The voters in the city
'- are near to the polling place and can vote with
out inconvenience or loss or time, regaruiess or
weather. -Not so with voters in the country;
they have to travel long distances which, in the
busy season, means a considerable pecuniary
loss, and in bad weather It may be very difficult
to get to the polling place.
Why not put the voters in the country upon
an equal footing with the voters in the cities
by collecting the ballots as we distribute mail?
If 'the government can afford to carry a postal
card out to the farmer's house it ought to be
able to collect the VOTE, the basis of popular
rule. If it can afford to deliver mail every day
it ought to be able to collect the votes at pri
mary and general elections. Until this or some
other amendment is secured, the farmers must
Wf o1r tlta tltno nnr) Tlllf lin With thft ITinnTlVOTIinTIP.f.
or suffer the consequences. This is especially
true at the coming primary when the dry votes
of the country are necessary to overcome the
wet votes in the cities. DON'T FAIL TO VOTE.
W. J. BRYAN.
MULLEN'S FORMER FRIENDSHIP
Mr. Arthur Mullen is fortifying his appeal to
democratic voters" by referring to former sup
port of me. He was once a friend, and is now
unfriendly, but I do not know when the change
took place, or why. I can. not even say whether it
took place before the election in 1908 or after
wards, I do not know whether it waswhen he
became attorney for the Harvester trust or be
fore or after; or when the liquor issue arose.
All that I know is that for reasons which I have
never learned he changed from friend to foe.
It is not fair that he should claim credit for
former support unless he explains the cause
that has changed an enthusiastic supporter in
to an implacable enemy. W. J. BRYAN.
WHO'LL BLOW FIRST?
A farmer once prepared to blow some powder
down a horse's throat. He got the tube all
ready, but the horse coughed and the farmer
took the powder himself.
So with the saloon element: if one party ex
pels them they will go to tho other party, and
neither party has room for. any more bad men
than it now has. The democratic party should
blow first and rid itself of this sordidjttnercen
ary element. ' LflVf
The democratic voters will prefer Dunn to
Hitchcock where they know both. If they only
know Hitchcock, they will still prefer Dunn.
J
MAYOR CHARLES W. BRYAN
0
Democratic Candidate for Governor of Nebraska
Primaries April 18
Hmp" '''Mi
A CONSTRUCTIVE PROGRAM
Mayor Bryan favors re-election of Presi
dent Wilson.
Indorses business administration of Gov
ernor Morehead.
Mayor Bryan favors the reduction of tele
phone rates to a reasonable basis.
He prevented tho Are insurance combine
from putting through the last legislature a
bill that would have robbed the people of the
state of upwards of a million dollars, and he
is now warning the people against electing
insurance men to the legislature.
He favors a uniform system of scientific
good roads building under the direction of the
state and county engineers by use of all pub
lic labor possible.
Ho favors rural credit legislation that will
enable the farmers to secure cheaper money
to protect their crops against a low market.
He favors state hail insurance to protect
the farmers against loss of crops and imposi
tions by unreliable companies.
He favors the use of the flood waters of
the Platte river to supplement tho rainfall
in -tie semi-arid counties in western Nebraska.
He favors legislation that will permit the
farmers to. vote by mall at primary and gen
eral elections with ballots distributed by
rural mail carriers.
He favors giving to Omaha the right to
construct and operate a municipal light plant
the same as Lincoln has, and it would save
the users of electric light and power one
quarter million dollars annually.
Mayor Bryan favors the development of the
water power of the state by municipal, county,
district or state development so that cheap
electric current may be furnished to light the
homes in the towns and on the farms, and in
the factory, to furnish heat in place of high
priced coal and to- operate interurban railways
throughout Nebraska.
Mayor Bryan is not an experimental re
former. The progressive measures he is ad
vocating are practical and in the interest of
the entire people of the state.
These practical constructive measures are
in operation in other parts of the country.
Why not give them to Nebraska people?
Mayor Bryan is a. successful business man,
and is also a successful farmer, owning and
operating a one-hundred and sixty acre stock
farm near Lincoln.
His executive and constructive ability havo
been demonstrated ns mayor in Lincoln.
Tho "special interests" of tho entire state
aro opposing his candidacy on account of his
practical and successful flghts to protect tho
people's Interests.
Advertise Nebraska by giving her people
legislation that will protect them from the
greed of tho special Interests and permit tho
people to develop tho natural resources of the
stato for thoir own benefit.
Ho has dovoted tho past twenty years of
his life in an effort to secure progressive legis
lation for the public municipal, state and
national.
Ho has entered tho guberatorlal contost to
help tho people to secure legislation which
has been denied them on account of the
special Interests working together under tho
leadership of the organized booze interests to
protect each other. Will you help eliminate
them?
The fight Mayor Bryan is making is your
fight. If you favor the measures he stands
for, help him to secure thera for you.
MAYOR CHARLES W. IIRYAN HAS AC
COMPLISHED MANY GOOD THINGS
FOR THE PEOPLE OF LINCOLN
Led successful fight for commission form
of government and thereby enabled Lincoln
citizens to buy electric current from municipal
light plant, saving In light and power bills
about $75,000 annually to tho people.
Led successful fight against giving gas
company fifty-nine year franchise, which also
defeated compromise of refund due Lincoln
people, saving to public $100,000
Led fight that defeated the so-called home
rule charter, and preserved tho right to the
city of Lincoln. to havo municipal ownership
of public utilities.
Required Lincoln Gas Company to reduce
price of gas from $1.20 to $1.00 per thousand
cubic feet, saving to gas consumers $56,000
annually.
Successfully resisted a raise in street car
rates to school children, saving to children
about $3,000 per year.
Secured from the express companies of Lin
coln an extension of the freo delivery zone to
include practically the entire city.
Established a free legal aid department,
which has settled one hundred and thirty
nine cases for wage-workers who were unable
to employ an attorney.
Established a free municipal employment
bureau to assist the laboring classes to find
employment.
Led successful contest to vote $50,000
bonds to extend city park to within walking
distance of laboring people of the city.
Led successful contest to vote $50,000
bonds to build garbage disposal plant to im
prove sanitary conditions in labor section of
tho city.
Many reforms and reorganizations in city
government in the Interest of efficiency and
economy have been enacted under the leader
ship or upon recommendation of Mayor Bryan,
as the files of Lincoln's daily newspapers will
verify.
Vote for Charles W. Bryan for Governor,
; At the Primaries; a Friend of the Masses, who can
Lead a Successful Campaign for the Election of the
democratic County, State and National Tickets in
Nebraska This Year.
jf'
Hrf'u.