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The Commoner
APRIL, 1917
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A Beautiful Ending
Tho fight for the eight-hour-a-day law had a
beautiful termination. The threat of a strike
gave all tho enemies of labor the opportunity
to criticize tho working men and im
peach their patriotism. The acquiescence by the
employers to the demands of the brotherhoods
gave the jingo press a chance to eulogize the
railroad magnates. Then a few hours after
wards a very few hours the supreme court
rendered a sweepingdecision sustaining tho con
tentions of the working men and declared the
eight-hour-a-day law constitutional and all
aro happy. All' is well that ends well.
Tho eight-hour-a-day law ' has been declared
constitutional by the supreme Court of the
United States the court standing six to three
in favor of the law. The court, in the decision
read by tho chief justice, swept away all tech
nicality and temporization anil planted itsetf
upon tho substantial ground that tho public
must have protection and that the parties in tho
controversy having been unable to agree, con
gress discharged only its duty in stepping in and
protecting the public's interest. The decision
marks a decisive advance on the road to na
tional peaco and prosperity.
The recognition of the public's interest is not,
only timely, but necessary. The idea that the
employer and employee, who together consti
tute not more than one-tenth of the total pop
ulation, should be allowed to fight out a con
troversy to the injury of the public which fur
nishes both the profit of the employer and the
wages of the employee, has ceased to be a ten
able position, The largest party in interest id
the public whose business furnishes to the rail
roads and their working men both the oppor
tunity and tho emolument. The way is Tiow
clear for economic progress; employer and em
ployee are at liberty to confer and to agree
but the people will not be hopeless nor help
less.' -'
The 'tiecisioh' wnis a great victory a victory
for the working men, riot ilia": it gives them the
shorter hours which they deserved, and tli& in
creased pay which present conditions makes
necessary, but it helps the legislators by bring
ing to an end a long drawn out controversy
rind helps tho public. Tho decision is thus a
three-fold blessing to the nation. '
W.J.BRYAN. '
Below is an extract from Mr Bryan's speech'
during the last presidential campaign. Follow
ing a reference to the part played by President
Wilson in bringing about a peaceful solution of
the controversy between the railroads and the
brotherhoods in the summer of 1916, and secur
ing tho enactment; ot an eight-hour day law,
Mr. Bryan said:
"The greatest effect was the support it gave
to the eight hour day in the United Statqs.
While the immediate beneficiaries of this law
number only between three hundred and four
hundred thousand, every wage earner in
the nation is a participant in the benefits of this
law, for it has brought that struggle to a suc
cessful issue. It has been a long struggle. If
you will read the platforms of the parties you
will find that as far back as eight years ago
both of the great parties declared in favor of an
eight-hour day. I put myself on record as in
favor of an eight-hour day years ago. I be
lieve in it. These laboring men aro a part of
our community; they are a part of our business
life; they are" a part of our political life, and:
they have a right to live up to all the possibil
ities of American citizenship. If you drive the
laboring man from his hed to his work and from
his work back to his bed again, how is he to
know the comforts' of home life, "And how is
he to prepare himself for the discharge of the
duties of citizenship? It is a farce to say to the
laboring man that he is a citizen and then al
low him to be prevented from preparing him
self to enjoy the things you give him. The eight
hour day is now a fact, and it has been estab
lished under the leadership of a President who
wisely used .theapportunity presented."
There seems to be a dearth of candidates for
the job of .king-' in several European countries.
There also -seems to be a reason r'
A NKV RUSSIA
The basis of tho now government established
in Ruia shows that democracy has won a com
plete victory. It reads a$ follows:
"1. An immediate general amncBty for all
political and religious offenses, including ter-
roo ?Mts and mI1Itary nd agrarian offenses. ,
2. Liberty of speech and tho press; freedom
for alliances, unions and strikes with tho ex
tension of these liberties to military officials
within the limits admitted by military require
ments. m
"3. Abolition of all social, religious and na
tional restrictions.
"4. Proceed forthwith to tho preparation and
convocation of a constitutional assembly based
on universal suffrage, which will establish a
governmental regime.
"5. The substitution of the police by a na
tional militia, with chiefs to be elected and re
sponsible to tho government.
"6. Communial elections, to bo based on uni
versal suffrage.
"7. The troops which participated in the rev
olutionary movement will not be disarmed, but
.will remain in Petrograd. m
l78, While maintaining strict military disci
pline for troops in active service, it is desirable
to adopt for soldiers all restrictions in the en
joyment of social rights accorded other citizens.
"Tihp provisional government desires to add
that Jt' has no intention to profit by tho circum
stances of the war to delay tho realization of
tho measures of reform abovo mentioned."
Freedom of speech and of the press these
are not only fundamental but they furnish tho
broad base upon which to erect popular gov
ernment. If tho czar had permitted freedom
of speech he might have known something of
public sentiment and saved himself by yielding.
The ruler who silences his critics and tries to
run his government according to tho flattery
of his cburtiers Invites revolution.
"Universal suffrage" at one step. How dif
ferent from the" experience of tho countries
where the extension of suffrage has been grad
ual eacli step won after a Btruggle. "The abol
ition of ali sdciai, rellgidus and national re"
strictions," and "amnesty for all political and
religious offenses!" They have torn despotism
out by the roots and planted In Its place the
tree of liberty. The people are king "long
live the king.". ' W. J. BRYAN.
y ' ; oino's dry democracy:
?,Tho dry democrats of "Ohio have just held a.',
st'aie , eppventioa and adopted Jfa qeof resolu
tions which will boiound on another pa'ge.,
This is the first state convention the , dry
democrats have ever held Ohio leads tho way.
The resolutions refer to the approaching an
niversary of Jefferson's birth an anniversary
made the more interesting by the adoption of
Jeffersonian ideas In Russia and by the growth
of theso ideas in Germany.
Tho two points emphasized in the resolutions
are, first, the need of prohibition to raise the
standard of military efficiency and, second, the
need of prohibition to conserve the nationrs
food supply. These two arguments will aid
powerfully in securing legislation against the
saloon, and the Ohio democrats were quick to
make use of them.
The dry democrats pledge themselves to aid
in the adoption of the prohibition amendment.
Good for Ohio. The Commoner Is at their ser
vice Its columns are theirs until the fight is
won. W. J. BRYAN.
Liuetenant Governor Howard, a stauch dem
ocrat, declared that the wet democratic ma
jority in the Nebraska senate, when it passed a
bill that if made into law would make prohi
bition impossible of enforcement in tho state,
"had crucified the democratic, party on a beer
keg." Mr.. Howard has tho splendid virtue of
being -able to state a fact in a striking manner.
With nineteen states dry and six others in
process-of drying up It Is not difficult, when the
chief executives meet, to recall just what it was
that-tlie governor of North Carolina said to the
governor, of South Carolina.
The pacifists are patriotic enough to hope that
their fears may not be realized patriotic
enough to hope that events may vindicate the
wisdom otthose who wanted wan . , , . ,,
... - . :. .
Two Important
Decisions
The decision on tho Webb-Konyon- law and
tho decision on tho olght-hour-a-day law'nm
dored within a fow hours of each other,, have
givon tho supromo court additional credit, of
popular confidence All tho power of tho liquor
lobbies had boon brought to boar to defeat tho
passage of the Wobb-Kenyon law, and tho jneti '
with millions invested in tho liquor Inferosts
employed their ablest counselors to urgo upon
tho court tho unconstitutionality of tho laty,
Whon seven Judges out of nlno voted to sustain
tho law, a complete answer was given to any
who might question tho partiality of tho court
on this long disputed question.
Tho decision on tho olght-hour-a-day law is
even moro convincing proof of tho Impartiality
of! tho court. Tho law passed by congress wan
made an Ibbuo In the, campaign and one of tho
candidates boldly chargod that congress had
been coerced Into tho passago of tho law. It
was" made ono of tho leading Issues In tho cam
paign, and tho railroads hoped to bo able to
nullify tho law by Judicial decision. Tho court
met tho issue fairly and squarely and stated Its
position In unequivocal Ian uago. Tho law
stands; the authority of cr -css Is vindicated;
tho' power of the people triumphs; the country
moves forward and tho highest court in tho
land enjoys the completo confidence of its cit
izens, W. J. BRYAN.
TQf
AS USUAL
The people of Nebraska havo been givon
proof of the futility of expecting a political
leopard to change its spots. During tho 19 1C
campaign Mr. Bryan told tho voters of his homo
state that ho Intended to vote only for those
candidates for the legislature who were sup
porters of tho dry amendment, regardless of
their pplitica.1 affiliations, and advised voters to
do likewise. The house elected was three
fourths dry, tho senate three-fifths wet. Tho
house passed a bill putting tooth Into prohibi
tion. Save Jp the respect that it was necessarily
influenced by tho Reed aniondmont to tho Webb
Konyon law, It was responslvo to tho wishes of
tho people who had supported tho prohibitory
amendment in 1910. It provided a law that
raado bootlegging almost Impossible. Tho sen
ate took the house measure, changed it into a
bill' 'that sought to permit the manufacture of
beer that contains a low percentage 6f alcohol
and whloh furnished a market for tho brewers
and distillers by throwing the mantle of pro
tection around illegal alo by Jointists and
bootleggers. Wh.erevor thd liouso bill was
strong, the senate bill made it weak. Moro
than a hundred amendments, nearly all of them
deliberately and' purposely drawn for tho pur
pose of making prohibition impossible were
attached to the bill by tho nineteen wot sen
ators seventeen democrats and two repub
licans and put through. At this writing tho
bill is in the hands pi conference committee;.
Six of -tho eighteen senators who supported the
bill had pledged the people that they would sup
port, if elected, any bill that the drys in the
legislature would agree upon. They broke this
pledge. It may or may not be that they Jjad
another pledgo or promise out that they did
not break. It was not tho pledgo tho demo
cratic party made in state convention either.
Legislative assaults upon tho direct primary
were as numerous as ever at the recent sessions
of state law-making bodies, but so far as ob
served none of the states took a backward step
in the matter. The politicians, who arc the
principal critics of. the primary method of mak
ing nominations, for obvious reaspns, seldom,
have the courage of their convictions when tjiei
people have their eye upon them. '" " ' '"'
There are a good many loyal citizens of' the
United States who had bond that tho tinid
would never return when tl people 6f any- one
section would arrogate to themselves sole-olalm
upon the possession of the virtue of patriotism.
To read an eastern newspaper one 'would .Sup
pose that patriotism was still nr. mutter --1
geography
.
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