Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1916)
The Commoner MAT, 1916 Against War Interview given out by Mr. Bryan at St. Louis, JltprU 19, 191.l "I belUve it would bo a crime against civil ization for this country to go into this war, and therefore unwise for this country to do anything that would Increase the chances of going into it," said William Jennings Bryan today, be fore leaving St. Louis for Washington, where he said he was going to do what he could to pre vent the United States from entering the war, Ho gave out the following statement: "I know nothing of the controversy with Germany excepting what I have read in the newspapers. If the dispute has reached a point where diplomacy is unable to deal with it, there are still two roads open before there is any necessity for war. First, the dispute can be submitted to a tribunal for investigation and re port. This is the plan now embodied in thirty treaties with governments representing three fourths of the population of the world. These treaties require us to take this course with Great Britain, France, Russia and Italy in case of dispute with any of these nations. Germany has formally approved this plan, although no treaty has yet been negotiated with Germany, but as the plan was offered to all the world, I take it for granted it will at least be proposed before we go to war with any country. "If for any reason, this treaty plan is not employed, there is still another alternative be fore going to war: Namely, the postponement of the settlement of the dispute until the pres ent war is over. "There are two reasons why this course is preferable to going into this war: "First Postponement would in all probabil ity enable us to reach a settlement after the war, the fear of the effect of the settlement on this war being now the greatest obstacle in the way of settlement. . , , . "Second If we must have war, it is better to postpone it until this war is over. Then it will be OUR war with the nation with which we have our dispute, and we can decide when to go in and when to come out. "But if we go into THIS war we must stay in until the others come out and, while in it, fight for the things they fight for. In other words, we will become entangled in the disputes of Eu Tpe and put an American army and navy at the command of an European monarch, to be used to fight out his quarrels with other European monarchs. This war has already cost the lives of some 3,000,000 men and filled the old world with widows, orphans and cripples. It has cre ated new war debts, nearly, if not-qutte, equal to all the accumulated war debts existing when this war began. "It is inconceivable that our people desire to pnter into this war and spend hundreds of thou sands of lives and billions of dollars to vindi cate the right of an American citizen to put his convenience above his nation's welfare. It is as much a citizen's duty to consider his country's welfare as it is the duty of the country to pro tect his rights. Instead of surrendering our right to act as mediator, as we would if we went into this war, we should endeavor to persuade -lie. nations at war to come to honorable terms o' peace. "There is no honor that we can gain or pre serve by going into this war that is comparable with the honor we can win if we can lift Europe out of the mire of blood and up from the brute force level to-a plane upon which the nations can deal with each other as brothers and build a permanent peace on love and the spirit of co operation. "The old world has tried to preserve peace by force and fear. Each nation has tried to ter rorize the other. We can not afford to adopt this false philosophy that has made Europe a slaughter house. We can not afford to encour pge militarism on one side or navalism on the "Our duty is to plead with both sides to turn like prodigal sons from the husks on which they have been feeding and cultivate friendship in stead of hatred. It is a supreme opportunity to erve humanity." PROHIBITION SPREADS Th Dallas News reports the following: "The express companies have 'washed their hands of c. o. d. liquor traffic into prohibited territory because this class of business seems to b outlawed, G. B. Simpson of St. Louis, gen eral superintendent of Wells-Fargo & Co., said last night, as he was boarding Frisco train No. 4 for St. Louis. "Mr. Simpson spent yesterday in Dallas with G. A. Taft of Houston, superintendent of the Texas line, and Clarence Simpson of Houston, industrial agent. The visitors were entertained by W. J. Cotterell, general agent, with head quarters in Dallas. "The reason tho express companies do not want to handle liquor consigned c. o. d. to dry territories is because the voters in so many dis tricts have indicated by the ballot that they do not want whisky afld beer, and it Is the policy of the express companies to give the people what they want. " 'Another reason why we do not care to transport liquor into dry territory is because such operations are nothing more than conduct ing saloons' said Mr. Simpson., 'It docs not seem fair to vote out the operations of legiti mate saloon men and permit express companies to come right along and conduct the same traffic. " 'Yes, it Is true that c. o. d. business in handling intoxicating liquor was a source of revenue not to be sneezed at, so Is carrying a sack of dynamite on a bucking mule, but there is a broad principle involved.' " Prohibition is spreading. The express com panies find it to their advantage to consider the wishes of the communities which they serve. The drys are better customers than the wets. METHODIST CHURCH FOR PEACE Bishop Earl Cranston in opening the 27th Methodist general conference said: "I would assure the president of the United States that whatever temporary backsliding may happen when a few Methodists here or yonder may fall under the spell of a magnetic political leader, th6 great body of our people are in full sympathy with all of his patriotic and Christian endeavors to keep this nation out of the Euro pean embroilment. "We Methodists do not believe that it is patri otic for a few Americans to insist upon their technical right to travel at sea in such a time as this, for personal reasons, at the risk of bringing the horrors and desolations of war up on millions of their fellow Americans." Commending the President for KEEPING OUT OF THE EUROPEAN WAR, and condemn ing as unpatriotic those Americans who en danger the welfare of the country by traveling on belligerent ships is a strong endorsement of peace. The American Spirit The moro Mr. Roosevelt talks, the more clearly the American people are able to distinguish botweon the real American spirit which porvados the nation, and the sham senti ment which he Is trying to arouse. Ho rovola in mock heroics and wants the nation to adopt the menacing manners of tho braggart and to employ tho threatening language of tho swash buckler. He deals only in units of physical power. There is no moral equivalent In his vocabulary for tho stronuostty upon which ho builds his philosophy of life. He has no conception of a nation with a soul ho would have tho United States known as tho country with a mighty fist. He would con duct tho nation's diplomacy In thunder tones; ho would have uo in war as much as possible, and on tho verge of war all tho time. Tho real American spirit, and It is abundant. Is to be found among the masses. They dofond their country when necessary, but instead of longing for bloodshed and looking for trouble they are producing wealth and cultivating the friendships that form the basis of peace and progress. When Mr. Roosevelt appears ho interests the public as one does who tiles to ride a bucking broncho down a crowded street, but they aro no moro tempted to accept his belligerent views than they would be to adopt broncho busting as a profession. PROHIBITION A SUCCESS IN COLORADO The Wichita Englo of May 2nd contains an In terview with H. H. Taramen, of the Denver Post, who was stopping over in that city. Mi, Tammen was opposed to the amendment, and thought It would ruin the state. Now ho saya of prohibition: "But the terrible things I pre dicted did not come with prohibition. It is do ing wonders out there. Colorado is happier, healthier, wealthier, wiser and more prosperous with prohibition. I am now glad that my pre dictions did not come true." This is in line with the confessions that com from Seattle, Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama. Reason ought to convince any one .that a state is better off without saloons, but it is gratifying to have reason supported by actual experience. The beet sugar men of Colorado declare that Senator Thomas "is an implacable enemy of the industry In which his state leads," because tho senator was in favor, as a member of the sen ate finance committee, of placing a consumption tax on refined sugar. The beet sugar men still have the republican idea that the chief duty of a senator is to protect the manufacturers of his state in their monopoly rather than the people of the state who pay the price of monopoly. HONORING BILLY SUNDAY On another page will be found a news item which recently appeared in the Kansas City Star, exposing the attack which the brewers are making on Billy Sunday. The great evangelist is 'fortunate in having aroused the opposition of the liquor interests. It is proof that he is do ng the Lord's work and doing it effectively. The liquor interests are establishing their claim as the Devil's chief representatives on earth, and theymay be expected to get busy whenever his Satanic majesty is being worsted. Go for them, Billy, you can't hit them a lick amiss. WHY NOT? The Papal representative at Washington has just presented to the President a message from Pope Benedict URGING the United States not to enter this war, and suggesting mediation. It is a timely suggestion. Why not heed it? The world is sick of war; the false standards of honor have been satisfied; let the world be in vited to turn from hatred to friendship from combat to co-operation. LET THE PEOPLE RULE On another page will be found a bill intro duced by Congressman Bailey of Pennsylvania providing for a referendum of the "question of preparedness now before congress. It Is an excellent idea. The resolution should bo adopted. Tho Omaha Bee says that the Payne-Aldrich tariff law was framed on a report made by a tariff commission and that it was violently as sailed by the democrats. The fact that there never has been a real tariff commission and that the makeshift which Mr. Taft created and which pretended to advise the democrats when they set about the task of revising the schedules will not, of course, interfere with the Bee's opinion. Without making any campaign, and being personally unaware that he was listed as a re publican candidate for tho presidency in the Nebraska primaries, Henry Ford came within a Jfow hundred votes of gettiftgthe delegation from that state instructed for him. It was a most emphatic method of expressing the peace sentiments of Nebraska republicans. South Dakota republicans who want Roose velt for president, have called a conference to form an organization that will have charge o a plan to write the colonel's name on the pri mary ballots. Tho Massachusetts plan of run ning him openly having failed, it is perfectly proper to try any other way open. r - Colonel Roosevelt lost the republican 'pri maries in New Jersey and Massachusetts by a vote that was really emphatic. The colorfel's friends made the campaign for delegates onrthe proposition that the nation needed him. Ap parently the need is not as great as the colonel' friends believed. H