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The Commoner
14
VOL. 16, no. i2
"piK' ""-''inas'Cr""
Bryan and Roosevelt for tlio nominations for
President. Penus Grove (N. J.) Record.
"WILSON AND MARSHALL ELECTED
For throo days and" nights tho people of tho
United States have been greatly wrought up over
tho presidential election, one conflicting report
after another coming In that completely upset all
calculations.
But the end came last night, when tho news
over tho Associated Press wires announced that
Wilson had been elected beyond tho question of
doubt.
Tho Clarion-Ledger kept open house last night,
as it has for tho three past nights, giving out all
election news as fast as it came over tho wires.
At ton o'clock last night a bulletin was re
ceived verifying tho report that Wilson had won,
that California, North Dakota and Now Mexico
wore firmly fixed in tho democratic column, and
that Wilson had 269 votes certain, with some
doubtful states to draw from.
In a short while tho news was out on the
streets in the shape of a Clarion-Ledger extra,
this paper being tho first in Mississippi to an
nounce Wilson's election beyond doubt.
It is a great victory, and one that will gratify
all true and loyal democrats a victory that
should please the whole country, not only a
great victory for the democracy, but for Wilson,
who has shown in all tho close states that he is
stronger than his party, and worthy of the honor
that has been bestowed upon him.
Tho story of tho result appears in the news
columns, and from it will be seen that the south
and west havo stood together, most of tho agri
cultural and mining states of the west having
gono democratic, while the states of the east and
middle west', New York, Massachusetts, New Jer
sey Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, Illinois,
Iowa and Indiana, all having large trust inter
ests, have given Hughes large majorities.
This will show to Now York, Now Jersey, In
"dlana and other states that have until this elec
tion been regarded as essential to democratic
'success, that the democracy can get along with
out them, win a presidential election without
their assistance.
A now alliance has beon created by this elec
tion between tho west and tho south, states de
voted to agriculture, mining, stock raising and
manufacturing, and which are free of the dom
ination of tho trusts and combines.
They havo elected Wilson, rejected by his own
and by his associate's state, and will havo the
strength to elect a successor to Wilson in 1920,
as tho President will not succeed himself a sec
ond time.
But thore is a sturdy westerner living In -Nebraska
who is eligible, worthy and well qualified,
tried and true, and tho country need not bo sur
prised if W. J. Bryan becomes the successor of
Woodrow Wilson. Jackson (Miss.) Daily Clarion-
Ledger.
WHERE BRYAN WAS DURING THE CAM
PAIGN '
Tho people of this eastern country did not
hear much of William Jennings Bryan during
.the presidential campaign. We suggest to those
who said ho was sulking that they take an in
ventory of the American states of the west whose
republican majorities were either greatly re
duced or sufficiently overturned to give Pres
ident Wilson the electoral votes ho needed, and
that they get a copy of Bryan's speaking dates.
Tho Cupel, Corona, N. Y.
MR. BRYAN AND THE ELECTION
p
Perhaps tit was only a coincidence that those
states in which Bryan refused to speak during
tho late campaign went hell-bent for Hughes. I
do not know. It is enough for me to know that
Bryan gave a week to Ohio, and then Ohio re
pudiated Wall street. It, is enough for mo to
know that Bryan refused to speak for Tom Tag-
, gart and General Corruption in Indiana, and that
Indiana gave a black eye to Wilson and all other
democrats. It is enough for me to know that
Bryan refused to help the democratlc-booze co.ni
bination in South Dakota, and that South Dakota
went for tho New England candidate for pres-
i idont. It is enough for me to know that Bryan
'did make a big campaign in North Dakota, which
everybody said was hopelessly for Hughes, and
yetwhety the ballots woro counted they showed
tho electoral vote of North Dakota for Wilson
and western sentiment. I could write a lot more
along this line, but this is enough to make mo
happy for a day.
Tho general opinion is that after a man has
been dead and buried several times ho ought to
begin to look and act like a corpse. At least ho
should not smile. But just take a look at that
buried Bryan! Edgar Howard, editor Columbus
(Neb.) Telegram.
WEST FACTORS IN THE RESULT
No man in this country, aside from President
Wilson himself, is entitled to more credit for the
democratic victory on November 7 -han William
Jennings Bryan. When he tendered his services
to tho democratic campaign committee ho was
assigned to the west. For some reason the party
leaders appeared to think it best to keep tho
great commoner and tribune of the common peo
ple out of the effete cast, and so he was assigned
to the west. But little was said in the news
papers of the north, east and south about Mr.
Bryan's speeches during the campaign, but tho
results of his work are to be seen in the election
returns from the west. Although he has been
three times defeated as the democratic nominee
for the presidency, William Jennings Bryan is
still, when measured and estimated by the true
essentials and real greatness, the greatest Amer
ican of his generation, rightly says the Albany
Herald. Macon (Ga.) News.
i
AN ENDORSEMENT FOR WILSON AND
BRYAN
The Roswell Daily Record, of Roswell, New
Mexico, contained the following editorial in a
recent issue:
"There is one thought about the results of the
election just passed that keeps coming up before
us. If the Mexican policy of President Wilson
was all'wrong, as our republican friends told us,
why was it that President Wilson carried every
stato along the border; and still more that, Mr.
Hughes would have to travel fifteen hundred
miles front the border before he would reach a
stato he carried? Why?
"A republican friend tells us that he voted for
Wilson in 1912 and at the last election. Ho says
ho regards Wilson as the greatest American since
Abraham Lincoln., adding that he hoped some
time to havo the oppprtunity to vote for Bryan,
something ho has never done. There are lots of
other republicans just like him."
MR. BRYAN
Mr. Bryan's voice still counts in. all parts of
the country, but probably it counts more largely
in his own great section beyond the Mississippi.
And it was no small service he rendered the dem
ocratic party in the west, while" democratic
leaders in another section, who have tried to
drive him from the party, were knifing the
party's candidate for President. No public man
in the country's history has been so much abused
and villified as William Jennings Bryan, but he
has borne it all with a patience and forbearance
that long since should have won the admiration
even of his enemies.
Incidentally, the prohibition victory in Ne
braska doubtless is very gratifying to Mr. Bryan.
He is a fearless and forceful foe of the liquor
traffic, and that the traffic has been' driven out
of his state is largely due to his labors to that
end. Bristol (Tenn-Va.) Herald Courier.
THE REAL SUFFRAGE TRHJMPH "
Tho national woman's party is trying to con
vince itself that there is a partisan victory for
it concealed somewhere in the results of the
election.
"When we entered tho p.nTrmnffn t-hn i.n
if AuEUSt." declares MIrh aiw Pnui
chairman of tho congressional union, "we found
tho voting women lined up for Mr. Wilson be
cause ho 'kept us out of war.' We opposed that
cry with the counter plea that he 'kept us out
of suffrage,' and found that wherever we were
able to reach the women voters they responded
to this appeal."
When Miss Paul says "reach" doesn't she
mean "persuade"? vw
-If women voters can be easily "reached" anv
where it surely ought to be in the western states
where full suffrage is an old story. Yet wlol
ming, which has had woman suffrage since 1869;
Colo.
went for Wilson. n 4f ,it,i ,-.
rado. where suffrage in twAnfv..-.. 2 c
did the same. And Utah, Idaho, WashZ'
Arizona, Kansas, Nevada, Montana lBtD
ifornia are all iri the Wilson column t ?,al
nols, which with two exceptions has iron I11U
lican in every presidential eTcUon XcVS
the women, with their newly acquired vnfl '
erted little or no influence on the result ' X
On the whole it seems impossible not in 0
with the New York State Association Opoaed
Woman Suffrage at least in the conclusion i
future candidates for political ofllc ?'Zt
be terrorized by the threat that the woln
vote can be delivered against them unless S
indorse woman suffrage." ney
In this election the women voters of the com.
try have shown themselves capable of J
thinking and independent voting on national!
sues quite without regard to the special political
affinities or animosities of the suffrage move
ment itself. h move"
Which, if the leaders of the Woman's nartv
would only realize it, is one of the strongest ar
guments for their cause and by all odds tho
biggest victory they can claim for what woman
voters did last Tuesday. New York World.
MR. BRYAN GIVES VIEWS OF RAILWAY
PROBLEM
From the Washington Star, Dec. 7.
' William J. Bryan appeared today before tho
joint congressional Committee investigating
transportation problems and opposed centraliza
tion of power in the federal government in con
nection with railroad suggestions for federal in
corporation and the proposal to lessen the pow
er of state railroad commissions by lodging
greater power of regulation in the interstate
commerce commission.
Mr. Bryan declared his opposition was based
on the belief that to transfer regulatory power
to Washington would impose an impossible bur
den on the authorities here, inject a tremendous
political force into national affairs which would
enter into elections to congress and would be a
most decided step in' centralization of govern
ment. As a counter proposal Mr. Bryan suggested the
existing law be amended to give the national
government full power tp regulate railroads and
still permit the states to exercise their regula
tory powers.
Speaking of government ownership, Mr. Bryan
said he had for a number of years believed it
inevitable and "only because the railroads will
never consent to effective regulation."
He spoke for federal supervision of security
issues, and believed there should be legislation
to ins.ure dividends sufficient to keep stocks at
par and provide a surplus fund for lean years.
Before such a measure was passed, however, he
said, capitalization should be reduced "to an
honest basis where it represents the actual phy
sical property." In some financial operations,
Mr. Bryan said, tho railroads had been guilty
of things "discreditable to an ordinary highway
robber."
Mr. Bryan was cross-examined briefly by mem
bers of the committee, and will return later for
further examination.
Mr. Bryan's testimony, as given before tho
Newlands' committee for investigating trans
portation problems, will be published in the Jan
uary Commoner. Ed. ' ,
TO MR. AND MRS. W. J. BRYAN
A hand across the board, American;
Who comes to us a century too soon,
To urge our lagging feet in quicker tune,
And give us visions of the needs of man.
Thy only sword thy silver pointed tongue;
Who dares to follow if thy conscience lead;
Who cares not if thy name be loudly sung,
If only through thy voice the Master plead.
And unto her who shared thy humbler days,
Who bore with 'thee the noontide and the heai,
Whose heart with thine in full accordance beat,
We give full measure of thy meed of praise.
Within our hearts be sure of royal place,
Thou seer with prophet's light upon thy race.
- -Mable J. Bourquin, Fostoria, 0.
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