- 'T.,,,, ,
v
The Commoner
'AXJGtJST, 1916
wiiqriwrtrrxirT!ii
Mexican and foreign, who put their pecuniary
interests above all questions of morals and of.
representative government.
As an illustration of the unfairness of Ms
criticism of the President's policy in Mexico, ho
charges the President with interference la the
politics of Mexico, because the President was not
willing to have Huerta re-elect himself by fores
while execislng arbitrary and despotic power,
and yet he has no words of condemnation for
the republican ambassador to Mexico, who al
lowed Huerta and Felix Diaz to use the Amer
ican embassy as a meeting place, when they
plotted the overthrow of President Madera.
Surely, this is partisanship of the most extreme
kind.
All the way through the speech, Mr. Hughea
criticises and scolds, without setting forth the
alternative course which he would have fol
lowed. Mr. Hughes assails the removal of so-called
experienced diplomats in Latin-America.. He
forgets to say that they were experienced In tht
dollar diplomacy that President Wilson over
threw. It was in Latin-America, more than
anywhere else, that the diplomatic service had
been commercialized; and it was hardly to be
expected that the President would use repub
licans of this type and experience to carry out
a new policy built on the theory of friendship
and fair dealing.
Plutocracy is in full cry. The plunderbund,
angered by the reform measures put on the
statute books by a democratic President and a
democratic congress, are now out for revenge.
The. predatory interests are following Mr.
Hughes, checkbook in hand. If the republican
party regains control of the federal government,
there will bo a return to the wallow in the
mire of special privilege, and another national
awakening will be needssary to rescue the gov
ernment from those who have, under republican
rule, used the Instrumentalities of government
for the enrichment of the few at the expense of
the many.
In so far as the campaign turns on domestic
issues, the real question is whether the country
shall hold the reforms secured, and press for
ward for other remedial legislation, or sound
a retreat all along the lin,e.
W. J. BRYAN.
If Mr. Hughes wants to add a few degrees of
refrigeration to the amount now on hand let him
go into a town that has sent some state militia
boys to the Rio Grande and advocate intervention
in Mexico.
THE CAMPAIGN
The campaign progresses. Candidate Hughes
is "swinging around the circle" once thought
a very undignified thing for a presidential
candidate to do. President Wilson is at Wash
ington, co-operating with congress in completing
the splendid legislative record of this adminis
tration. The drift is toward the democratic po
sition. Fusion between the republicans and
progressives failed and many progressives will
vote for Wilson and Marshall.
Mr. Hughes has proven a disappointment as a
candidate. His violent, partisan abuse does not
please; he is losing . ground with the thinking
public. -
Never before having nominated a supreme
Judge for president the country had no idea of
the amount of vitriol a justice could store up
for campaign purposes.
TAFT A CHAUTAUQUA IjEOTURER
Ex-President Taft, realizing that the Chau
tauqua platform furnishes the best opportunity
offered in the United States for the delivery of
a message worth delivering to an audience worth
talking to, is now one of the star attraction
under the Chautauqua tent. But what will the
Pulitzer and Hearst papers say? Will they as
sail him as they did Mr. Bryan?
FIFTY-TWO TO TWELVE
The Child-Labor bill passed the senate by a
vote of 52 to 12, and yet, but for the President's
urgent insistence it would have been postponed.
Under the undemocratic rule of the senate al
lowing UNLIMITED DEBATE these twelve sen
ators could have prevented consideration by
threatening a prolonged discussion but for the
President's determination to have a vote this
session. The bill is a meritorious one it adds
another to the long list of remedial measures
secured by this administration.
W. J. BRYAN. .
Deeds
versus
1 ctiJrk
In the fall of 1915 proposed women's suffrage amendments to the Constitution
of New York and New Jersey were submitted to the voters of those states.
President Wilson made a special trip from Washington to Princeton to register
and another trip to vote for Vote for Women.
The records of the Board of Elections of New York County fail to disclose that
Mr. Hughes either registered or voted on this occasion.
Furthermore the records show that since 1910 Mr. Hughes has neglected to ex
ercise at all the right of suffrage the highest duty of a citizen.
f
ROOSEVELT'S LOST OPPORTUNITY
Colonel Roosevelt presents a sad case of un
preparedness. For more than three years the
conditions in Mexico have been unsatisfactory to
him and yet he made no effort to raise a "di
vision" of soldiers. While the war bridegroom
(aa It were) tarried he slumbered and slept.
Like the foolish virgins, he took no oil with him,
and so, when the opportunity came the state
militia went to the Rio Grande "and the door
was shut." Yes, it was shut In his face, and
now he must languish in peace. Let this be a
warning to all would-be military heroes to keep
at least one army division on hand.
"SHAMING HUGHES"
"Shaming Hughes" seems to have been the
chief business of the present administration, ac
cording to the republican candidate. He has
been kept so busy blushing for the mistakes of
democratic officials that he has not had time to
properly study supreme court cases or was it
bias rather than lack of time that led him to
decide FOR the railroads and AGAINST labor?
Candidate Hughes says that for three years
the President's Mexican policy has '"shamed"
him; possibly it was his own decision in the
Minnesota case that caused the feeling of shame.
0
CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEMOCRATIC
CAMPAIGN FUND
In the campaign of 1912 President
Wilson (then governor of New Jersey)
announced that no campaign contribu-
tions would be received from corpora-
tions. This act of the democratic candl-
date for the presidency was approved by
demderats who wanted the party to be
free from the control of the special in-
terests, and it established a precedent
that should guide the action of all polifc-
0 ical parties.
In that memorable campaign the dem-
ocratic national committee appealed to
the people for funds with which to con-
duct its campaign, and received a gener-
ous response from all sections of the
country. Funds will be needed this year,
and the committee will again depend
upon the people for financial support
The Commoner will assist in the collec-
tlon of this fund and It will receive con-
tributlons, acknowledging the same in
its columns and delivering the fund to
the democratic national committee.
Every democrat ought to have some
part In this work. Do not be ashamed of
a small contribution. Give what you can
afford and every penny will be accept-
a Here is a suggestion to Commoner
readers: Circulate a subscription list at
once among the democrats of your pre-
cinct and send the proceeds to The Com-
moner office without delay. The demo-
cratlc national committee must be
supplied with funds immediately.
00000000000 tlon of the church.
Leaving It to the Ex-
perts
Some Now York ministers have signed a pro
test against an anti-preparedness appeal, and,
In the course of their protest, say: "Perhaps
our fellow ministers who have signed the ap
peal will pardon us for believing that the de
cision as to what form our preparedness shall
take may best bo left to the responsible officers
of our government and to thoso whoso own lives
in caso of war will be first involved, and that
the rest of us will best fulfil our duty as min
isters by earnest prayer and spiritual counsel,
and our duty as patriots by abstaining from!
profitless addresses to the government."
What an exalted idea of the minister's duty!;
With this country at a crisis and undecided, as
to whether to join Europe in relying upon
Pilate's philosophy of force or put Christ's teach
ings to the test at such a crisis, these ministers
refuse to advise. They leavo manufacturers of
munitions and jingo editors to give expressioa
to a manufactured public opinion; they leave
professional soldiers to set up sham standards
of honor. Did we leave the men who carried
rovolvers to decide whether we should prohibit
the carrying of concealed weapons? No, the
ministers took part in the dlsqussion and yet
it was the ones who carried the weapons "whose
own lives" wero "first Involved" in shooting
scrapes. What a pity that any of the clergy
should fear to take their stand with "the Prince
of Peace" at such a time. It was the soldiers
who wero employed by the elders to spread th
report that Christ was stolen away.
W. J. BRYAN.
FAKE WAR NEWS
The following dispatch comes from San An
tonio: .
"San Antonio, Tex., Aug. 1. General Funsto
tonight sent to the war department at Wash
ington a telegram announcing his intention t
rid the various national guard camps of news
paper correspondents who send out false ac
counts of conditions in the camps. He referre4
to such correspondents as 'pests' and said hs
had endured them as long as he proposed to.'
Good for Funston. The "Fake Factories" om
the border ought to be wiped out. They ai
more of a menace to the nation than Mexicaat
bandits. The country has no more dangeros
enemies than the conscienceless representatives
of a sensationalist press who daily sell their somw
for pay. They are responsible for much of tks
hatred existing across the border.
MR. HUGHES IS EXPLAINING
Mr. Hughes began explaining as soon as h
struck the west. He Is now trying to explalm
his message to the legislature opposing the in
come tax but the explanation won't work. He
says he favored the principle but opposed the
language in which it was expressed -. but ths
rest of the country DID NOT OPPOSE THB
LANGUAGE. He Is like the stingy business mam
who subscribed to all proposed churches, but
saved nimseu irom imius u "6""ub j-"