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OCTOBER, 1917
The Commoner
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the ownership of automobiles that lags behind,
if we do, in; 'he matter of buying bonds to win
BOYHOOD MEMORIES
the war
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ADDRESSES YOUNG SOLDIERS
Tli j Nebraska State Journal, in its report of,
a public reception tendered to a large number
of the drafted young men of Nebrask.. on their
way to campt published the following concern
ing Mr. Bryan's part in -.he meeting held, at the
Lincoln auditorium, Sunday evening, Oct. 7:
"Mr. Bryan, in a ten-minute talk aroused fre
quei t applause by his hopeful assurance to his
young auditors. Among other things, Colonel
Bryan said that while he is a survivor of the
Spanish-American war, in which he was a com
manding officer, that that war lasted sp short
a time and its soldiers experienced so little of
the hardships of war as compared to those who
went forth and endured the civil war, that he
felt embarrassed when it was mentioned. He
referred feelingly to the old soldiers f '61 and
the valor that should be imitated by those now
going forth. In expressing how much the people
of Lincoln appreciated their visit while en
route to camp, he pointed to the packed gal
leries and standing room of the auditorium,
which in a small way marked the appreciation
of a natkn of their loyalty and sincerity. He
t! ought conditions had so changed in recent
years that their return .as morally strong as
when they left was practically assured; that
mothers could sleep without worry on this score;
that the nation had driven liquor and imnloral
ity from the camps, from the army and navy."
WHAT ARE ' rOTJ DOING NOW?
Colonel Roosevelt takes a fling every now and
then at Mr. Bryan. He can not or will not for
give that gentleman for his ante-bellum attitude.
Isn't it about time for all the genuine patriots
who are now working for the success of the na
tion in war to call a truce to recriminations
hased ch what has gone before to look only at
what is being done now?
The great, question today is not "What were
ypu doing, before the. war?", but ''What are you
doing now?" And there are very few people
who can give a better answer to this last ques
tion at this minute than William J. Bryan. There
isn't any foolish pacifism in what he is saying.
There isn't any direct or indirect effort to keep
the nation from doing its best. On the -contrary,
everything he is saying .mrt doing today is pat
riotically meant and cleaily calculated to forward
the great cause of America against its enemies.
After this war is over anybody who so desires
should feel at complete liberty to rake in the
past, even the recent past, and stir up all the old
embers of discord that he likes. Today the only
question-is, "Are you with us absolutely in this
war?" And where the answer is "Yes," there
is nothing to be said except "God bless you,
brother!" Chicago Herald.
s
The New York World recently sent a repre
sentative la investigate the warehouses of that
city. He found there great stacks of leather and
hides, and no unusual or pressing demand for
the raw material for shoes. In stores he found
the price of shoes as altitudinous as ever. In
the shoe jobbing and manufacturing houses he
found just a little' indication of a decrease. In
the face of conditions like these it is remarkable
that there can be found persons who insist that
we will close upthegreat industries if we insist
on taking more than 31 per cent of their excess
war profits.
After the food control bill became a law Sen
ator Hitchcock of Nebraska was quoted as hav
ing said in effect that few members of the sen
ate believed it would do any good or was ad
visable, but that it had been passed because the
President desired it. It has stopped speculation "
in wheat and in fuel and has definitely halted
the upward sweep of prices. Is it any wonder
that when the people must choose between the
President and the senate in a dispute that in
volves the wisdom of a policy proposed they
Pick Wilson?
ORATORS PREACH IjIBERTY LOAN
A Washington- dispatch, dated Oct. 7, says:
A country-wide sp facing campaign by well
known orators, including Former President Taft,
William J. Bryan, members of the cabinet and
scores of other men prominent in publi3 life will
feature the second week for the $5,000,000,000
drive for the Jibeity loan, beginning tomorrow.
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-From Boston Post.
RECALLING 1G TO 1
'The great advance in the price of silver from
an average price of around 5G cents beforo the
big war started to over $1 an ounce now brings
into view at least the possibility that the metal
may regain the historic, ratio of 16 to 1 for gold
whch back in the first Bryan campaign was the
great issue before the country. To attain this
ratio,, with gild, an ounce of silver would have
to sell at about $1.20; and oh account of the
continued heavy demand and the decreased pro
duction it is freely predicted that this price may
be reached.
It is not beyond the bounds of credibility that
bimetallsm may be again an active economic is
sue before the world. For centuries prior to
1873, and for some years thereafter, silver and
gold were acceptable as currency in the leading
countries of the world in the ratio of 16 ounces
of silver for one ounce of gold. Measured against
these centuries, the period since silver became
practically demonetized in international trade
is a comparatively short space of time.
In the past ten years or more the annual in
crease in the gold supply has been proportlon
allyless than it was in the previous decade; and,
a? is attested by the tremendous rise In commod
ity prices, it has probably not kept pace with
the world's demand for currency. The great
world war has caused tremendous emissions of
paper money for which gold alone is apparently
not available in sufficient amounts to provide a
proper base, and it is already reported that sev
eral of the European nations may attempt to re
monetize the white metal when the war Js ended.
To us it will probably make little difference.
If the post-bellum demand for silver keeps it at
parity with gold on a 16 to 1 basis by natural
market conditions, it will be worth as mucn as
cold If the price of silver again drops to the
level prevailing in the past generation, we are
still well secured with one-third of the world's
gold supply.
In any event, Europe will have to como to us
to arrange the basis, rather than that we shall
have to ask her aid in establishing tho ratio as
was suggested in the middle '90s. Boston Pose.
Tho Nebraska supreme court, in a docislon
rendered the other week, declined to permit a
brewer to use the judicial machinery of the
state to collect a liquor bllUfrom a former re
tailer. The testimony was.tb in order to evade
a state law that prohibitedosrewers from own
ing buildings in which saloons were located this
brewer organized a dummy real estate holding
company and then advanced the money to the
man to pay his license fee an excellent answer
to the claim sometimes made to the claim that
the saloon merely meets a public demand. The
court said that It was contrary to public policy
to permit recovery in a case where the testimony
showed fraudulent and direct violation of statu
tory law.
The next revenue bill that congress will bo
asked to pass in order to meet the extraordinary
expenses of the war will have to. take larger
slices of the excess war profits. This Is not only
simple justice, but sound sense. We can not
afford to build up industries in this country
that, in the future, would have the same rea
sons for becoming war propagandists that
Krupps had in Germany. Economists of stand
ing in this country are united in declaring that
there are two features of the present bill -which
are open for amendment and which should be
amended when tho next revenue law Is passed.
These are a tax which will take substantially
all of special war profits and a drastic increase
in tho rates of tho income tax, with a sharper
progression in rates as incomes oecome larger.
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