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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1916)
The Commoner VOL. 16, NO. 6 I U, VI I V i ",.'(' w . pkv The Commoner ISHUIOI) MONTHLY ' Entered at tho PoHtofllco at Lincoln! Nobraska, ah Hccond-clnHH matter, t - WILLIAM J. BRYAN, CHAHL13S W. BRYAN Editor and Proprietor Asaoclato Ed. and Publisher Edit, Iltnfl. and Business Ofllco, Sulto 207 Press Bldg. One YcHr S1.00 HI Montlirt CO In Clubs of Five or moro, por year.. ,7rt Three MontliN 25 HIiiKlo Copy 10 Haniplo Copies Free. Foreign Post, 2Go Extra 8UU8CIUPTIONH can bo sent direct to Tjio Com moner. They can also bo sent through newspapers which have advertised a clubbing rate, or through local agents, whoro such agents havo been ap pointed. All remittances should bo sent by post ofllco money order, express ordor, or by bank draft on Now York or Chicago. Do not Bond Individual cheeks, stamps, or currency, IUCNKWAIjS Tho dato on your wrapper shows tho tlmo to which your subscription hi paid. Thus January IB means that paymont has been received to and Including tho Ihhuo of January, 1916. OUANfJ! of ADDUIOSS Subscribers requesting a chango of address must give old as well as new address, ADVifliiTlSiNG Rates will bo furnished upon application. Address all communications to TJIH COMMOM3H, LINCOLN, NIMI. It is still a mootod question which tho na tional convontion dolegato regards as most im portant tho selection or a candidate fof vice preBidcnt or catching tho next train home. -r - Perhaps if Justico Hughes wero discreetly pressed upon tho matter ho would concede that tho chap who first remarked that "silence is golden," split a littlo better than fifty-fifty on tho proposition. Sonator Cummins is probably convinced by this timo that geographical location counts more in a national convention than patient merit or boing oftonest on tho moral sido of great polit ical questions. Tho fact that Justice Hughes walked away with tho honor without suffering any such finan cial crimp as was experienced by each of his competitors, without in fact-expending a dollar, ought to prove cheering to tho Amorican Thrift society. Pho republican presidential candidates who can dismiss corsidcratlon of tluir campaign ex penses by charging it all up to "good advertis ing account, may not bo displaying very good business judgment, but they surely have adopted tho least painful method of bidding good-bye to hoir cash. Up to tho hour of going to press no financial tatomont of receipts and expenditures had been fllod anywhorby the Itepublica.. league to urge Itoosovolt's nomination on tho republican na tional convention. It spent large sums for ad vertising, but tho mystery of whoso money it was remains. If tho Colonel has practiced what ho preached about preparedness, the front porch of his res idence wouldn't have collapsed under tho weight of tho delegation that had como to urge him to fight on. His creed is that wo should prepare for anything that might happen, not for what is likoly to happen. Domoprats need not worry because tho repub licans and progressives found so much to con demn about tho administration, in thoir plat forms. A real cause for worry would havo been in thQir,flnciim; no fault at all, since that would bo strong evidence that tho democrats had not lived up to their opportunities. The general impression was that as George W Perkins' -had provided tho costumes and paid ali the salaries and other expenses ho had a right to control tho entrances and exits of the actors at the progressive gathering. Whatever may bo the opinion of tho Chicago appearance, it seems foredoomed to failure as a road show. b ' - Just remember this when some one sneorinjrlv refers to Wilson as "a note writer" president There aro but two ways of dealing with a man or a nation that doparts from tho letter and the interpretation of the law; li sist upon compliance with tUat law in a written communication or nd n"army or navy. len in tho ordinarv .affairs t . life don't send the sheriff until all other methods of conciliation havo failed Mr. Bryan's St. Louis Letters . (Following aro special reports of the demo cratic national convention at St. Louis, which wero furnished by Mr. Bryan to newspapers throughout the country.) 1 PRELIMINARY SCENES OP DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION St. Louis, Juno 13. The air is filled with tho usual number of rumors as to what is going to happen. What would a convention be without its prophets of evil, tho patriots who scent dan ger from afar and heroically announce their de termination to dio in the last ditch before they will permit some unthought of thing to happen? One of tho fears that rushed through the hotel corridors, wild-eyed and with streaming hair, was that an effort would bo made to insert a prohibition plank in the platform. Men who could not secure mention in any other way seized upon this pretext for getting their names into tho papers and tho country now knows how stubbornly they would resist the adoption of any plank which contained even a casual reflec tion upon the business of the benevolent brewer, tho philanthropic distiller, and the liberal hand ed vendor of intoxicating liquors. It was a false T alarm. Careful search has failed to reveal any one with such evil designs upon the harmony, of the convention. Peace reigns. There Is a possibility, however, of difference of opinion as to the insertion of a plank on equal suffrage. The delegates from the suffrage, states are quite anxious for such a declaration; it would help them in their respective commonwealths. There is also a strong sentiment in favor of such a plank outside of the suffrage states, because the suffrago movement has developed great strength in many states where it has not yet se cured a majority. In Iowa it was defeated by less than five thousand at the recent election; in Pennsylvania the vote for woman suffrage was larger than the normal democratic vote, and the cause has a multitude of active adherents in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska and many other northern states. The last democratic convention of Arkansas de clared in favor of submitting the question, and the vote in favor of the proposition in the legis latures of several states indicates growth in the sentiment. The federation of woman's clubs, representing a membership of two and a half million, is com mitted to vote for women, as is the woman's Christian temperance union and other national organizations. At Chicago tho progressive party declared for woman suffrage nationaly as well as in the state, while tho republican convention simply en dorsed the principle of equal suffrage, but rele gated the matter to the states for action. It Is not likely that the democratic convention will go beyond-the position taken by the republicans, hut there is quite a strong sentiment in favor of go ing this far. It all depends upon the President's wishes however. He is to be the candidate and the delegates are very properly disposed to con sult his wishes as to what the platform shall Include. Those in favor of following the course adopted by the regular republican convention defend their position on the ground that they really represent the President's attitude. He voted for woman suffrage in New Jersey, but re fused to endorse the proposal to submit it as a national amendment. There being no contest over first place; the speculators have to content themselves with predictions as to tho vice-presidency. Governor Major of Missouri has his own delegation and friends among the delegates of a number of states. Governor Morehead, of Nebraska, has the instruction of his state for this position his vote at the primary being practically the same as that cast for the President. His friends aro at work among the delegates. Roger Sullivan of Illinois, has a boom, but while he is ouito popular with those who like him, his caiul?dacv has not yet gathered enough force to ma le it a menace to the President's hope of reelection At this writing -there does not seem to be anv doubt as to Vice-President Marshall re nomS Senator Stone will be chairman of the p m Utee on platform. As chairman of the Som mittee on foreign affairs in the B-nate L vf been in close touch, with tho President in ni ternational matters, and being one'oJ Inmost experienced politicians in the party he is splen. didly fitted for the work that lies before him. Fortune favors the democrats in the fact that their convention, coming last, they are in posi tion to take advantage of the mistakes made at Chicago. The party in power usually holds its convention first, and the democratic national committee fixed June 14 as the day for the open ing of this convention. The republicans, how ever, thought it would be a manifestation of confidence to put their ticket in the field firs;.. It was the action of the enemy, therefore, that gave to the democrats an advantage that they would not have dared to claim. Thus do chance and circumstance play their part in the affairs of- men. If the republican committee had it to do over again with a knowledge of what has happened it would not attempt to forestall demo cratic action. W. J. B. 4 TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN GLYNN'S EPOCH MAKING SPEECH St. Louis, Mo., June 14.rThe convention is open; it was opened with a keynote speech which lifts Temporary Chairman Glynn into the ranks of the foremost orators "of the country. It had everything necessary to make it an historic ut terance. In thought it fitted into the needs of the hour; it presented the issues as they are now before the American people. The republican platform criticism of the President's foreign pol icy furnished the speaker a text, although the numerous cases with which he illustrated his line of thought showed extended research. Ho defended the President's course in the mainten ance of neutrality by an overwhelming array of facts and precedents. He called as witnesses all of the prominent republican officials and all the great presidents. He showed how, from Wash ington down, the nation's most, illustrious ex ecutives have dealt as President, vyilson has with violations of our nation's rights. lie' showed how nearly all of the great nations" of Europe have at times interfered with our shipping,, at tacked our war vessels, killed our officials and invaded our country and how, instead of settling our grievances by war wo had settled them bv negotiation, "just as the President of the United States Is trying to do today." He piled precedent upon precedent and cited the course pursued by president after president. The concluding phrase, "just as the President of the United States is doing today" appealed to the audience with increasing force, and it is sure to become one of the popular phrases of the campaign. Ho has spiked one of the big gutis of the en emy. When his speech is read throughout the country, as it will be, the democratic speakers will have all the authority they" need for the silencing of republican criticism. To make a republican orator ridiculous it will only be necessary to draw ex-Governor Glynn's speeca upon him and ask him how Grant settled the Virginius case when a Spanish commandant shot the captain, thirty-six of the crew and sixteen of the passengers; how Harrison settled the Ba1 timore case when a junior officer was killed and sixteen sailors wounded in the streets of Valpar aiso; howliincoln settled the burning of St. Al bans; how the Alabama claims were settled; how Van Buren settled the Carolina case; how John Adams treated the 2,300 violations of the neu trality law by France; how Washington dealt with the 400 cases where France and' England seized our ships. In all these cases, the answer is that the presidents then in office did not go to war to settle these cases; they settled them by negotia tion, just as the President of the United States is trying to do today. While the chief merit of Governor Glynn's speech lies in the unanswerable argument ad vanced in support of the President's position on neutrality, it covered all important issues in volved in this campaign. It enumerated the remedial measures enacted during the past three years including tariff legislation; anti-trust legislation and currency reform and it did not omit preparedness. It is a compendium of in iormation and argument and will in itself sup ply sufficient material for campaign speakers throughout the country. It began with Amer icanism and ended in a eulogy of the President. eoH l in l1 U was an epoch-making speech, and sausned the audience as convention audiences it -, 9MrtfftY4 1 ,.