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The Commoner
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The Commoner
ISSUED MONTHLY
IQnlored at tho PonLofllco ftt Lincoln, Nobraaku,
iiH Hocond'CliiBH matter. t
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, CHARLES W. BRYAN,
Kdltor and Proprietor AhbocIuIo I3d. and Publisher
MUlt. Jims, and BuslnoBH Ofllon, Sulto 207 Press Bldg.
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Address nil communications to
Tim coMMONum, Lincoln, neh.
Thoro Is a very deep-seated suspicion that the
small fraction of eastern laborers who have
taken for their motto, "No beer, no work," are
much hotter acquainted with beer than they are
with work.
About tho most striding cng that has been
flovolopod at the various "reconstruction meet
ings" hold was tho evident desire on tho part
of. a .number of big business men to get tho
contract for tho job at their own price.
Tho Dos Moines Register says .that "Mr. Bryan
adds to his collection of loving cups while the
other follows gather up the jobs with fat salaries
attached." And it : "jht have added that Mr.
Bryan is getting much tho "bettor of the bargain.
After Juno 30 th it will again bo possible to
send a sealed letter anywhere in tho United
States for two cents, Congress has so decided,
but this should not bo construed as the expres
sion of a dosiro on the part of members to hear
more frequently from their constituents.
There is a .strong suspicion that one of the
reasons why tho republican senators suddenly
concluded that Senator LaFollette wasn't such
a bad follow after all and decidod not to voto
to toss him out-may be that they found out his
voto is noodod to organize tho next sonato to
make it republican.
' Tho guarantee given by tho government that
whatever wheat was planted last September
should bo sold at a stipulated price was the best
insurance policy that tho people Invested In to
guard against broad troubles bocauso of the war
then in progress. The premium paid is worth
the protection given.
The now chairman of tho republican national
committee is of tho opinion, if ho is correctly
quoted in tho papers, of bol.ng sanguine of being
able to break up tho solid south next year. This
is fairly good evidence that he really is new at
tho business of running presidential campaigns
in tho United States.
We compare the curse of '
jcourgd ll .liquor. We remember verv 2 u?
the struggle we' had to make to oZVmij
evils of oplum.in our country, and 2ft
can appreciate the efforts that Zl ?lalnly
about.the downfall of the liquor SlVlX
country.. Now the United States of W
or will virtually be free from the evils oMi? ,8(
but I am very sorry to fell you that th r ?'
fornia brewery interests have been estabLS
themselves in China by planning to inY ft
much,as six million dollars in the manufa u
andTMe of beer throughout China, W UJ S
stand very well that according to tho prS
Btatus-of China in relation to other nations I
cannot stop any traffic that other nations w
to push through In China. We also know S
you will not allow this prohibited traffic to ,
out of existence in this country only to becmX
alive in China. Strong protests Urn Xn
Chinese students-in this country have called iS
attention to this matter, and many more l
qulrles are continuing to come in. Their sent!
ment against this unlawful traffic hag become
very intense and strong. I feel that somethlne
could be done and ought to be done against
suoh action on the part of the American people
Will you kindly use your influence in bringi
ing about such legislation for international
treaties between China and America as may be
necessary to prevent the liquor traffic from
being established in China? I can assure you
that your effort will give all of the Chinese
students, numbering" about, fourteen hundred,
great encpuragement and will strengthen their
faith in the good will and genuine friendship
of the American, people. Furthermore, it will
help them Id distinguish between good American
people and selfish ones. W. J. WEN,
General Secretary,
Tho Gormans in Nebraska have been almost
a unit, whenever a woman suffrage campaign
was on, in declaring that the place for women
was in tho homo. They probably won't believe
it when they road In tho papers that in the
Gorman assembly that is to frame the new con
stitution there aro thirty-four German women.
The North Dakota legislature has nnnri
bills submitting to a vote of tho peopfo 10
question of issuing seventeen millions in bonds
for the purpose of financing the various state
ownership propositions the non-partisan Wim
has fathered The big dallies Sro ve?y much
worried over tho matter, but as it happens to
bo tho people who want these things who ar In
yoto the bonds and pay them it ?! dimwit to
III A out8ido shoul(1 " 8
Rights of Inhabitants Kg.!S;H:?
lit boundary disputes the one difficult problem ' tf"Ltiiln tSSf n f mr
in to (inni iiiRtlv with the richts of inhabitants. - ITr gue:
It has been customary to consider tho resident
as a part of the land and his rights have usu
ally at least, formerly been considered of
loss importance than tho title, to the land. And,
yet, whilo nations havo taken land for THE
SAKE OF THE LAND, regardless of the rights
of tho people living thereon, tho rights of those
pooplo have often been an excuse, if not a just
ification, for war. The doctrine of "self-determi-nation"
upon which tho President has laid em
phasis brings this question Into the limelight
and, as the peace conference will havo to deal
with tho subject in a number of cases, the fol
lowing plan is submitted for consideration:
Whenever, in the settlement of any boundary
dispute which takes land from ono sovereignty
and puts it under another, any people living on
tho land object to the transfer, provision should,
bo made whereby they may remove from the
land without pecuniary loss to themsdlves. Take
for instance Alsace-Lorraine: It will be restored
to France. What about the rights of Germans
who havo taken up their residence in that ter
ritory and own property there? It may be said
with some justice that they should have known
better than to have taken" advantage of their
country's wrong. And yet this case furnishes an
opportunity for the establishment of a just prin
ciple at a time and under circumstances that
will give to the precedent a far reaching in
fluence. Let the treaty provide that any Ger
man who, during. German occupancy, became a
resident of Alsace-Lorraine may, upon applica
tion and a statement of his desire to return to
Germany, collect from tho French government
the ACTUAL VALUE OF HIS PROPERTY at
the time the Tvar began, or at afiy other time
which may bo selected as the proper date. This
would make it possible for any German to with
draw from the ceded territory without pecuniary
loss and the property purchased by the French
Government could bo re-sold to those desiring
to live in Alsace-Lorraine under French sover
eignty. It is fair to assume that property will
be worth as much under French rule as under
German rule so that the plan, while protecting
tho rights of German residents, and- relieving
France from criticism, would really be no burden
to France.
Alsace-Lorraine Is used as an illustration but
the principle is of universal application and will,
it would seem, make it much easier to settle
boundary disputes and adjust transfers of ter
ritory. In the Balkan states the races are badly
mixed. A statement made by the Greek repre
sentative shows the percentage of Greeks in
different areas to which they lay claims on the
theory of self-determination. If 'these countries
were inhabited wholly by one race the doctrine
of self-determination would be an easy one, but
there are very few such countries and this mix
ture of populations is the most difficult problem
with which the commission will have to deal in
tho adjustment of boundaries-.
Of course, not all of the residents of a dif
ferent nationality would want to move. Some
would remain because of business connections
others because of inter-marriage. But the offer
to buy out anybody DESIRING to leave would
silence criticism and take away from tho who
might otherwise complain an excuse which ccSd
be used to stir up discord. W. J. BRYAN
CHINA DESERVES PROTECTION
The letter. from the Chinese Student Christian
association, reproduced below nrelX or,
peal that deserves ympatheUc attention VP"
ing abolished tho liquor traffic to thi ?V
for the protection of our Zi 8 country
not allow this oltlLTa ZVeLTl gftE
attacks on tho morals of China If ifJ?
are to bo carried into China let JL ?!cantB
Plied by tho nations that have not ve? ll SUp;
to the menace of alcohol. 6ur nation is awn
from Miami to Puget Sound Si iJ awakened
Diego, and cannoclose JS ' eyes to thT San
of any crime producing Agency thS JS8m?B
use the American flag to shfeid u , eekB to
wrath of our neighbor! across ?he PadflT a?
tho same logic will lead ur S i m And
neighbors to the wuth north mi con?dw our
This is a matter Bthat'shoum recvoaU.nT?11
as soon as tho new comrrcsR , ,attention
letter follows: coness assembles. The
What is needed in most Of the state executive
offices is a governor who has the vision to plan
a system of legislation that will open the
markets to Che producers and put out of busi
ness the host of unnecessary middlemen who
have fastened themselves upon distribution and
are supported by the consumers. It is not very
complimentary to the political acumen of those
republican legislatures and executives, who were
put into power because democrats had failed, to
notice that they have passed up the opportunity.
A close inspection of the price list of most of
the commodities offered for sale would, seem to
indicate that manufacturers and dealers haven't
yet heard that the war is over. Or maybe they
are too busy thinking up some reason for still
keeping up prices to note that now is the time
to drop them.
NOT IP THEY CAN HELP IT
V.
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-From' Now York Tribune.
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