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The Commoner
VOL. 16, NO. 8
railroads of the United States and ho expects to
pay thom back by aiding them to escape state
legislation, and find a haven of security in "ex
clusive federal control" over the railroads; ho
Is boing supported by tho shipping trust and cx
pocts to pay them back by helping them to pre
vent government competition; ho is supported
by tho tariff barons and expects to pay them back
by enabling them to collect tributo from tho
consumers, through high tariff rates; ho is sup
ported by tho trust magnates and oxpects to pay
thom back by shielding them from punishment
for tho extortion which they desiro to practise;
ho is supported by Wall street and oxpects to
pay thom back by turning over to them our
financial systom; ho is supported by those who
aro exploiting Mexico and he expects to pay them
back by spending American blood and squander
ing monoy raised by taxation, in order to guar
antee profits on speculative investments. And
yot, with tho record which ho has mado In pay
ing his political obligations at tho oxponso of tho
public and with tho pledges his speeches contain
to thoso who aro now aiding his ambitions, he
has tho impudonco to hold up for criticism a
legitimato effort to reward competent men for
tho service which they havo rendered to tho
causo of roform.
For twonty years tho people havo been en
gaged in a lifo and death struggle to save tho
nation from tho big exploiters, tho big "graft
ers" and tho big "pork" hunters from tho
plunder bund, to which Mr. Hughes is indebted
for all tho polltlcnl honors ho has enjoyed and
which is now sooiung to put him in a position to
safeguard plutocracy from furthor attacks. Mr.
Hughes is porfectly familiar with tho contest,
because ho has been conspicuous among tho
champions of that plunderbund. In tho cam
paign of 1908 ho was put forth as tho chief rep
resentative of the trusts, and his eloquent ad
vocacy of thoir causo won him a placo on tho
supremo bench, whore ho was quick to show his
bias in their favor. But while ho has been win
ning valuablo rewards as a republican, who is
"deserving" from tho standpoint of tho pre
datory interests, tho plain, common people havo
beon waging a bravo and continuous struggle for
tho rescue of thoir government from tho hands
of Mr. Hughes's political friends and supporters,
and they havo won battle after battle.
They havo securod, without Mr. Hughes's aid,
tho olection of senators by tho people, thus put
ting tho senate in touch with tho voters. Thoy
havo won, in spito of Mr. Hughes's opposition,
an income tax amendment to tho constitution,
which haB made it possible to transfer a consid
erable part of tho burden of taxation from con
sumption to incomes. They have secured a re
duction of tho tariff and a measure of relief
Jmi1 OVPCtlR of the trusts. They have se-
Uhni w0noJ r,orm' a runU crott law, a child
lauor law, ana othor moauuroo xit justice to ag
riculture, labor and commerce, and they have
mado thoir fight at great sacrifice to themselves,
and in tho faco of intimidation, coercion, and
ostracism. Thoy have shown a moral courage
and a devotion worthy of tho great cause in
which they havo enlisted.
I received tho support of nearly six millions
and a half of these voters in three campaigns. I
would bo unworthy of the affection they havo
shown and tho confidence thoy havo manifested,
as well as of tho support they havo given, if I
wore willing to admit that a republican is neces
sarily superior to them either in patriotism or
capacity. I would bo unworthy of their loyal
friendship if I did not welcome every opportun
ity to reward them by aiding them to secure any
appointive offices, outside of the civil service, for
which they were competent.
As an official, I onforcod tho civil service law
to the letter, and upon my resignation, received
from the employes of tho state department,
more than 90. per cent of whom woro under the
civil service, a watch which I prize as a priceless
treasure. But, while I observed, tho civil ser
vico law, whorever it was in force, I felt myself
free to aid in rewarding deserving democrats,
Wherever it could bo done without detriment to
tho sorvlce. My regrot is that I was able to re
ward so few of tho multitude who aro deserving,
measured by thoir political service, by their ca
pacity and by their fitness for the work tobe
done.
In a republic, where tho government is good
only when the people are willing to undertake
tho labor necessary to make it good, political
xeal and willingness to spend timo and monoy
in behalf of remedial legislation can never bo
a legitimate objection to political appointment.
Thoso who can raise campaign funds by mort
gaging the government in advance to the bene-
000
MT
"I am," "I shall," "I Intend," "I pro
pose" these aro tho phrases upon which
Candidate Hughes bases his campaign
speeches. Others havo done wrong, but
ho never will; others havo made mis
takes, but ho can not err; others havo
caused him to blush ho seemingly has
spent most of Ids time blushing. Ho has
blushed for Mexico, ho has blushed for
;tho diplomatic service, ho has blushed
for incompetency, he has blushed for ex-
travaganco, ho has blushed for log-roll
ing, ho has blushed for tho pork-barrel,
but in nil of his blushing, ho has blushed
most deeply because of tho "You kiss mo
and I'll kiss you" policy in congress. Ho
is going to stop it all! Ho has added to
tho republican platform two paramount
planks "I am tho only perfect One!"
and "God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men."
Tho above is a short epitome of Mr.
Hughes's appeal to tho voters "I am,"
"I shall," "I intend," "I propose."
IITIt
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flciaries of privilege may scorn the labors of the
unselfish, the unpurchasable, and the unfright
enejl. political workers, but thoso whose only
appeal is to the conscience and patriotism of tho
masses will not hang their heads in shame at
any legitimate effort that may bo made to in
troduce into government employment those who
combine a heart interest with the service ren
dered by brain and hand. The "deserving dem
ocrat" is not to be despised he is as much en
titled to recognition as a "deserving republican,"
and both democrats and republicans are de
serving in proportion as they honestly endeavor
to make our government a government "of the
people, by the people, and for the people," and
insure its administration, according to the max-
"u 4uui iijiULH io an ana special privileges to
none.
W. J. BRYAN.
MR. HUGHES' CAMPAIGN TOUR
Tho republican papers regarded campaign
tours by a presidential candidate as very undig
nified twenty years ago when Mr. Dryan went
before the people, it is, however, a per
fectly ajsinea thing now when an ex-supreme
court justice does it. Why this change? Pos
sibly, it is due to the fact that passes have been
abolished so that the railroads can not take ex
cursions to the "front porch" as they did in
loUb,
How mild and dignified Mr. Bryan's cam
paign speeches sound when compared with the
ravings of Candidate Hughes! It really shocks
one to see how the level of political discussion
has been lowered since it has taken on a ju
dicial tone. J
The republican papers announce in big head
1,no..thS ues has come out against
graIM, 1fow' lf the President comes out FOR
graft the issue will have to be fought out.
AVIHOH PARTY LEADS?
At Butte Mr. Hughes said: "The democratic
party has always been a party of opposition to
progress. There has not been a greit national
movement in response to a national demand that
has not had to run over the prostrate form of
tho democratic party."
What do you think of that from a roactionarv
leader of a reactionary party? Where was M?
Hughes when tho democratic party, led I the flSt
for popu ar election of senators? Where was
Mr. Hughes when the democrats led the flght
for an income tax? Where was he when the
democrats led tho fight for currency reform
and for anti-trust legislation? For twontv vSS
tho democratic party has led the Xm
of the nation, and tho republican leaSSs hav
done their best to prevent reforms. MrHuehlS
as not beon in a Rip Van Winkle siin ili ghes
HE HAS BEEN ON THE SIDE OP Wm
STREET ALL THE TIME. WALL
" 'W.J.BRYAN.
Hughes's Speeches
Mr. Hughes's speech of acceptance and his firat
campaign speech aro now before tho public.
As no justice of tho supreme court was ever
nominated for president before, Mr. Hughes is
setting a precedent. He is showing us how in
his opinion, experience on the supreme bench
should fit one for the political arena. Ho baa
answered one of tho democratic arguments
tho only one ho has attempted to. The demo
crats protested against a nominee being taken
from tho supremo court. After reading Mr
Hughes's speeches, tho country will be convinced
that his partisan bias is better suited to a polit
ical campaign than to a position which requires
a judicial temperament.
It will be a surprise to the country that a
justice of tho supreme court should be able to
accum.ulate so much vitriol in so short a term
of service. A comparison of his speeches with
the speeches made by other men who have been
candidates will show that none of them, not
even Roosevelt, have been more partisan or un
fair in their attacks on an , occupant of tho
Whlto house.
Candidate Hughes is as .unca'ndid in the de
fining of his own position as ho is' lacking in
frankness in the assaults he makes on the Pres
ident's position.
Ho indorses the platform of his party, which
demands congressional legislation (and a fed
eral amendment if necessary) taking from the
states all authority over railroads, and vesting
this authority exclusively in the federal govern
ment. This is revolutionary, and means noth
ing less than depriving the states of all the
power they now have to protect the people from
railroad extortion. Mr. Hughes deals with the
railroad question in a few carefully chosen
words, which can be construed as an indorse
ment of the platform by the railroad magnates,
who put that plank in, but his language gives
the general public no intimation of the railroad
plot which ho indorses. ,
Likewise, in discussing tho merchant marine,
he takes the side of the shipping trust against
the shipping bill, and yet he does not explain
the republican plan which not only protects the
shipping trust from government competition,
but contemplates subsidies paid from the public
treasury.
He takes the side of tho tariff barons against
the consumers, and gives no assurance that he
will favor retention of the income taxes, which
impose on those possessing largo incomes a part
of the burden that the republican party collected
from consumption, through tariff duties.
Mr. Hughes seemingly demands the expendi
ture of more money on preparedness than the
democratic administration recommends, and yet
he does not explain where tho money is to come
from, or what method is to bo employed in
raising the larger sum. which his policy would
require.
The fact that, as governor, ho sent a message
to tho legislature, protesting against the ratifi
cation of the income tax amendment shows his
position on this subject. The fact that he joined
the rest of the court in hplding the law constitu
tional did not indicate any change in opinion as
to the policy of the income tax. He could not
deny the constitutionality of the law, however
much he might oppose Jt as a fiscal policy,
s, n his speech of acceptance, he intimates that
tho trust question bas been settled, and yet he
not only did nothing to secure 'relief from the
trusts, but ho fails to concede -tho 'merit of the
Jaws passed without his aid; and he will have,
in this campaign, the support of all the trust
Magnates. It was Perkins, for instance, who is
connected with both the Steel trust and the Har
vester trust, who secured 'for Mr. Hughes the
indorsement of tho progressive committee.
In the Mexican matter, Mr. Hughes has been
grossly unfair, as well as lacking in straight
forwardness. As he has taken the part of the
exploiters in dealing with the tariff question,
the trust question, tho railroad question and the
shipping question, so he is taking the part of
tho exploiters in dealing with Mexico.
He would have had this nation recognize
Huerta, who secured his position by an act of
high treason, took the former president captive
by forge and then allowed, if he did not cause,
him to be put to death. 'Ho ruled Mexico with
an iron hand, absorbing by arbitrary decree the
legislative power of tho congress which he over
threw. To have recognized Huerta would have
been to et a premium on treason and assassin
ation, and to do-so in the interest of exploiters,
hi
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