"jft "4 '
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The Commoner.
Btatos which aro contributing armed force on
behalf of tho league.
The council Is to recommend what amount of
iorco, If any, should bo supplied by tho sevoral
governments concerned, BUT THE APPROVAL
OF THE LATTER IS NECESSARY. (States not
membora of the lbaguo will bo invited to accept
tho obligations of tho leaguo for tho purpose of
particular disputes, and if they fail to comply
may bo forced.)
(P) Not to consldor any treaty binding till it
has boon communicated to the leaguo, which will
then proceed to publish it, to admit the right of
tho assembly to advise tho reconsideration of
troatios and international conditions which do
not accord with prosent needs, and to be bound
by no obligations Inconsistent with tho covenant.
A stuto which breaks Its agreement may bo
oxpollod from tho leaguo by tho council.
4. Tho covenant does not affect Iho validity
of international engagements, such as treaties of
arbitration or regional understandings like tho
MONROE DOCTRINE, for securing tho main
tenance of peace.
(I. Tho former German colonies and the terri
tories of tho Ottoman empire are to be adminis
tered in tho intorost of civilization by STATES
WHICH ARE WILLING TO BE MANDATORIES
of tho league, which will exercise a general
Buporvision.
6. Tho raomber states accept certain respon
sibilities with regard to labor conditions, the
treatment of natives, tho white slave trafilc, the
opium traffic, the arms traffic with uncivilized
and somi-civllized countries, transit and trade
conditions, public health and Red Cross societies.
7. Tho leaguo is recognized as tho central
body interested in co-ordinating and assisting
international, activities generally.
8 Amendments to the covenant require the
approval of all tho states in the council and a
simple majority of those in the assembly. States
which signify thoir dissent from amendments
thus approved aro not bound by them, but, in
this case,' cease to be members of tho league.
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMER
Question i Will ex-President Taft be the re
,. publican presidential candidate in 1920?
' Answor No.
Question Why?
Answer There are sevoral reasons, any one
of which is sufllciont.
Question Can you name one?
Answor Ho vetoed the Webb-Kenyon bill.
It became a law over his veto.
Question Will you name another?
Answer He opposed prohibition until tho
amondment was ratified.
Question Can you name a third reason?
Answer He opposed woman suffrage, giving
na one reason that tho women would vote for
prohibition.
Question What domestic reforms did he
ever advocate?
Answer None,
Question But is ho not a' dolightful gentlo
man? ..
Answer -Yes, one of the most pleasing per
sonalities In tho Country.
A REASON
If tho post-office department had recognized
tho right of each community to own and operate
its.local telephone exchange tho federal govern
ment owning and operating the long distance
lines government ownership would have made
more progress.
WHY NOT LEASE THEM?
Chairman Hurley, of the shipping board re
commends tho sale of government ships to pri-
?iKnn5nPSnntl0nat l08S f somotB like
$150,000,000 to tho government.
Why not lease them, instead of soiling if the
government does not want to operate shipping
lines? Leasing would have several advantages
ovor selling. b
First Tho government could better control
the companies operating them.
Second- Tho govormout,ould, if it over
needed them, take them back without payinc an
enormous profit for tho privilege.
- T1)11?."" A8 t tako leBS apltal to OPERATE
a snip ino than to OWN it there would be more
competitors in leasing than in buying, and more
Aqmpetmon between the lines SELLING woSld
probably be tho republican plan, but dLSts
ought to prefer leasing, " w. J. BnvSr
Providing for the
; Soldiers
The following editorial from tho Pittshurg
Dispatch, under the caption "Unpatriotic New
York," challenges attention:
"The members of the New York legislature
who aro About to start out to get the facts about
bolshovism in their state and largest city might
have gatherel some information by attending
the first session in somo years of a bread line
Tuesday. According to reports of tho pitiful,
procosslon, the legislators could have gained use
ful elementary facts from tho remarks of the
men in lino, 800 all told, about their experiences
in not getting jobs. According to the records of
the crowd's registration, 10 per cent of the 800
were returned soldiers, and 80 per cent former
war workers representing a wide range of oc
cupations, and tho general statement of experi
ences was strikingly similar. Among tho soldiers
the words were somewhat terse and to the broad
effect that they do not want bread lines, or
charity, but a man's chance to do a man's work
without asking odds. Supplementary to the re
appearance of the bread line, from which even
New York has been free for some years, is the
announcement of Dr. Kirchwey, in charge of
what official effort is still In action to reinstate
soldiers in civil jobs, that there are almost'4,000
soldiers of the Twenty-seventh division, just
givon a public welcome, still hunting work with
ni prospects. In a few days more another divi
sion, the Seventy-seventh, will be home and
contribute more thousands, and" Dr. Kirchwey
candidly admits that the outlook is not cheerful.
"It seems incredible that states ad the na
tion, which computed its funds by the billions,
should find themselves helpless bof e the prob
lem of at Jeast temporary assistance to return
ing soldiers. It is unfortunate that the men
who fought civilization's battles have begun to
make bitter comments upon the failure fo Have
provided in advance for a safe covering of their
rotroat to civilian employment. And the mis
fortune is not lessened by the contrasts the sol
diers draw, which makes their appearance in the
bread lino seem almost a calamity. Perhaps
Now York needs a prod." N
And yot this is tho city in which the soldiers
were given the greatest welcome ever accorded
a nation's soldier-heroes. How sopn they were
forgotten eighty in the bread line within a
week after tho applause died out upon the
street. It is an outrage on patriotism it is a
menace tg law and order that these men, taken
from thoir work by conscription (and it would
be the same if they had volunteered), should
find. their places closed to them on thoir return
The cities, the states and the nation -mould AT
ONCE not after while but IMMEDIATELY
compel employers to take back the men called
into the army. Any other course not only re
flects upon the nation's honor but may react
upon the government if soldiers are asain
needed. , b m
And what shall we say of the patriotism of
employers who close their doors to employes
honorably discharged from the service? And
what of civilians men and women who
take advantage of the absence of soldiers to
secure their places an." tur.. them out upon thl
street? It is time for adequate legislation
W. J. BRYAN.
PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE
On another page will be found a Washington
n Tnh in0iUncing the President's willingness
that the Filipinos shall have immediate indent
denco. Secretary Baker and Governor Harrison
concur in the recommendation. It will be a cr
day when this nation sets the world an examn
in honoring tho doctrine of selfVterminaS
and no one will be 'happier than Mr! Bryan.
PROHIBITION QROWS
ratification. Not so bad for New Yo2r aDHM on
tho wets of Chicago ilia SLi u And now
union poll only 46 000 Vor dt? ,n UlG
voies cast at the" election wUh Sn'"1 h.alf "e
position. Not so bad' Tr' Ch cage rgan'zed
-...f , ," VOL-, 19, NO, 4
A BEAL PROGRESSIVE REPUBLIC lv
Keep yourye on Governor Sproul of p
sylvania. It is not a promising so P,enn
which to expect a reformer. Quay, tonal rVS
Penrose, more recently, have given th i?and
BAD NAME. Then, too, th! oVwhaSni? a
power of gigantic corporations and thenarWng
ing Influence of a large foreign Itamen? E,Jr
combined with the corruption coS"i7vhtS0'
ployed by tho liquor interests have "nil f?"
Keystone state the last one to encouTate
But there are surprises in the political wnrw
as well as in nature sometimes the antidote
is found growing near the poison. So it sin
Pennsylvania today. A strong, brave If
minded .statesman has appeared, of whom
may hear more unless the reactionaries whS
control tho national organization are able Z
suppress him. l0
Gov. Sproul parted company with Senator Pen
rose on the question of prohibition. He catae out
squarely for ratification in his race for the noml
nation, made his own light and won. Then with
Kis party indorsement to back him, he declared
war on the wet candidate who won the democratic
nomination and, with tho .aid of the dry demo
crats, carried tho state by more than 250,000
He led the fight for ratification in the legis
lature and was instrumental in making his
state number forty-five. He recommended
woman suffrage, and has -recently secured from
his legislature a law which provides the machin
ery for enforcing prohibition but wisely leaves
to congress the fixing of the alcoholic content to
be permitted.
Governor Sproul marches forward manfully
meeting the issues as they arise. Tho Com
moner welcomes him to the political arena and
hopes that he may be the beginning of a new
epoch in republican politics? We need such poli
tical opponents to spur the democrats up to
doing their best. w j. BRYAN
THE BIG GRAVE
The contest between the home and the saloon
is not child's play; it is a real fight and the op
ponents of the saldon are in earnest. For. years
the liquor interests had a black-list and threw
their whole strength against any man who dared
to oppose them. Tho tables are turned. In a
short time there will be no liquor organization
tothreaten or reward. But the home still stands
and its defenders are keeping books. They are
finding out who can be trusted and who rep
resent the liquor interest, and this information
will be of value in the years to come. The grave
dug for John Barleycorn is large enough to
furnish a final resting place for all the wet poll
ticiaps who have accepted employment as his
bodyguard,
CHICAGO'S WET MAJORITY SMAI&
Six hundred amd ninety thousand votes were
past at the recent Chicago election 345,001
being necessary to make a majority. The wets
polled 391,000, or only 46,000 more than half,
with the" drys making no, contest. With war
prohibition coming July 1st, the drys knew they
could not arouse the people for a fight for only
TWO MONTHS OF CITY PROHIBITION and
wisely refused to contest the election. And, yet,
with NO ORGANIZED OPPOSITION, the wets
secured less than fifty thousand votes more than
half the votes past! The wets are welcome to
all the joy they can get out of it.
A GRAVE RESPONfTBILITY
The legislators wLo failed to provide road
building or some other form of public work re?
the unemplor d must accept responsibility for
what hungry men may do and it is a grave
responsibility for hunger is a hard thing to
reason with.
THERE IS A REASON
The plutocratic press is gloating over what
it calls .the failure of government ownership
railroads. They will not deceive the public iue
government took over the railroads wjj
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP HAD BROKEN DOWK.
It ran the" railroads when private owners couiu
not. It did the best it could, but it had to wotk
through the railroad officials who wAm
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP TO FAIL. ttJ
ernment ownership did : not have a fair w
under- such conditions,- buty government own
ship will come I hope U'will'be the dual plan.
W. J. BRYAN
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