T"S"TW",V .k i " 1919 pECBMBBB, r iho oeople. We should have fcr direct vote o l"J Jdum and recall. We Je initiative, refei eno united.,: States h old elect a0UdiS of th0Be United States. - esJX privilege of. making law Se should hajo u de by our.repre- priy ora;de recalling any, of. our officiate scntatives, and roc dQ go j m f Qp DTHnP fan for presidential candidate. . t, m Nebraska. -I would suggest W B o ?he candidate for. president, One Sksn he platform should be against ififfSSiSrJ training. . thef i See heretofore, and say, to you W'lftl ihttil living I expect to have in all pincenrin iU 1920. That you will .bo thc plSJ and Vm he elected to the presi tbe Dwthlargest popular vote ever cassis m' II foregone" conclusion. The people, t0Ja Period of sixteen years, have at. last a(ler a perjou worth .and wakened o the fact o i y ou the fiKSS IS, 5? unrest into a land of peaceful Vil S nd happin s They have been- asleep fn. while but take my word for it, they a ?,L a valce now and not only waiting an "I hl2,J to nut you where by all ' means T ri S S ? betonW the presidential chair. iC find rant it and richly bless you and -prefer toltt and splendid' mental faculties to m for many years to come. My Voicejsonly Se o maw in this city. You' have plenty of staunch friends in this city who will pull and push for you in 1920. , ,,.. '. . A. R. Moss, Virginia. I voted for .Samuel J. Tilden at twenty-one years of age. , I have -voted, every time for the nominee, but have had my doubts some times of their real democracy. I am for William Jennings Bryan, a man whose heart is close to the people, for president Mr. Bryan is a real democrat of the Jefferson and Lincoln type. He is strong with the prohibition ists, the Chautauqua or church people and the suffragists. He was with the boys and for the boys during the war and was all American. He is opposed to militarism in peace times, and he believes in just compensation for labor with the right to organize and bargain collectively. He is right on the league of nations; he be lieves in government ownership and control of railroads, telegraphs and telephones. His many bills laughed out of court by the republican millionaires have become the law of the land today. This will be a campaign of big business and money by the republicans, the democrats must have a real man and not. a millionaire i or their leader. Mr. Bryan is the only one that I know of that can win. The Commoner t Robert P. Coll, Oklahoma. If w are going into next year's election with no other thought but capturing the election and the spoils thereof we deserve defeat. To my mind there are clear cut issues that call for an unequivocal declara tion on the part of the. democratic party. The dual plan of ownership as a solution- of the railroad question meets with my approval. To my mind there has not been enough said about immigration. With the great foreign born population which we have unassimilated and Undigested it is high time that we take steps to shut out all aliens who cannot speak, read and write the English language. Politicians who fjo angling for the foreign vote will not commit nemselves outright to any drastic policy along 21 vl0' but Delieve such a platform will meet Jn the approval of the majority of thinking Americans. We need candidates therefore who .nS trim. I only know of one public man ill it whose record is entirely free of this I! i Ivotea fr Mr. Bryan in 1896 and every umehe was a candidate thereafter. We met aI eac time but there was no sting because e Knew that we and our le'ader were right. We us !fc n ith defeat next year but even so let knniJi 1 means meet the issues fearlessly not o?! r?m past history that the truth can has ?it r ?efeat The question of prohibition thn ? yet been settled. We must beware of be o , SeiM? of the liquor interests who will take n loi 3ob 0f course the party, cannot see tn w ?ward sten on suffrage and we must Pered Mii our nnaicIal system is not tam- Ihavi a,8 was done after -the civil war. PresitW ad (1 exPress as my first choice for taowtoi fte.Hon- William .Jennings Bryan. I respond I wi t ? cal1 is loud enough that he will hetoflw i favor Josephus Daniels, a cab WLr who has made good and I would -also support A. Mitchell Palmer if tho Judgment of the party favored him. The signs of tho times pbrtend a republcan victory but with a lender and a campaign like 1896 I believe wo can tri umphs for tho people are ready to listen to tho forward looking men regardloss of party. ' E. T. McGehee, West Virginia. In calling a leader for 1920, tho American people should unhositatingly choose the man who has proven his worth and whose career has been absolutely clean from every viewpoint, giving his life and service to establish and maintain tho principles of right and justice above all special and prod atory interest. When such problems as world peace, prohibition and industrial settlements call for prompt and resolute methods, I have faith in the American people to believe that tho largo majority of them fully realize and appreciate tho ability and great virtues which lie within the soul of William Jennings Bryan. . Above all things wo need a man at the holm who has ahws and still stands for poace with honor, as it is very evident to all clear-minded people that the vicious forces of militarism aro striking with might and main to fasten their bloody and deadly fangs in this great govern mental machinery of ours. Is it not plain that we must have a leader who has always stood and stands for the best interests of tho common people under all circumstances, and who has been known to fight militarism, special interests and all evil influences with all tho power at his command. At. this critical period of our national life. I do not believe that anything could more strengthen the courage and faith of our Ameri can people in the principles that are so dear to their hearts than the nomination and election pf Mr. Bryan, which would bo a complete vindi cation of civic righteousness and Godliness, and America would honor horBolf infinitely more than she would honor Mr. Bryan, for she would thereby prove to the world and herself that she held the principles of right and justice far above any partisan or special interest. - h Harry Baxter, Delaware. I hope that you are nominated for next president. If you are I will surely vote for you and do all in my power to get others to vote for you. I would rather see you elected than any man on tho earth. W. W. Woodfill, Ohio. The nominee must be a real man. After looking over the field and taking an inventory of their stock (they must be up to the times on all issues.) I rind only one man to fill the bill complete that is W. J. Bryan. -ff P Briggs, District of Columbia. The let tors from Commoner readers which you have lately published please me immensely, and they show for Mr. Bryan as the next democratic nominee. Justice and wisdom both dictate that he shall again be our standard bearer. Havinc done more than any other man to place the democratic party on the right side of all important questions now before the country, such as prohibition, woman suffrage government ownership, capital and labor, world peace, etc., hi is ent tied to lead tho fight for complete victory on those questions. He could draw more heavily than anyone else on the Ijdepend S.f Sn 1 Progressive republican voters. He would LtomMttoMM support of the pro f ? f?iK Vm I very large share of the woman hibiiion st anda7rVhe churches would throw vor ft is perfectly logical to expect the acces- i ii L forces I have enumerated. Mr. sion of Vie f ctcy hi8 ideal public and B7alS iffand Ms ardent championship of all prlVaitorin;m .have attracted to him the ele ments ha? mke1 good citizenship and moral adThneChundreds of thousands ol RChautauqua pa trons who have "iaetlc per, Bryan's 1M sonality will be like ytosn democrat for for him at the polls, we ' f possibilities whom opportunity -now waits, i i tUQ for good have "Sigbtfully as the best years, and he now stands g Jvng Snd the surest winner his party can pic fir the rixt election. , f nhin Mr. Bryan's plan is R. B. Brehant, pWo. M fl Wm at pe good, very good. x d0 ; n save us from going head of this government to sa .to pieces. It lokB fd6 be answered and the .when our fnVr Bryan to make this nation .way opened to Mr. uryuu in truth a Christian country. I hope tho read ers of Th Commoner and all friends will do their bast to oloct tho only man strong artough to do tho job. i D. L. DaVano, Arteomu I think MoAdoo is the mun. W. A. Hodgwi, Arkansas. In answor to quo tions in Issua for October, will say: i. Prohibi tion. 2. Lot the poople rule. 3. Froo upoooh and freo press. 4. W. J. Bryan for president. Bos wishes for The Commoner. K. 13. Hunt, Mississippi. I think ono of tho most important dutlos we havo to perform is tho guarding of our financial system so that tho money sharks do not get control and contract tho currency as they did soon after tho closo of the civil war. Let all money bo Issuod and con trolled by the government, and tho postal sav ings and fedoral loan banks bo mndo to do bettor service. If tho prohibition and woman nuffrago questions aro not sottlod beforo that time they should bo promlnont. I am In favor of public owuership of railroads, tolograph and telephones, coal mlnos and all othor natural products. All disputes betweon capital and la bor should bo settled by arbitration. As to a candidate, my first choice is W. J. Bryan, and my second would probably be Joseph W. Polk. (Contlnuod on Pago 14) fe. HKYAN ADDHISS.SRS IIOTAIHANS (From Hot Springs, Ark., New Era., Nov. 20.) Colonel William Jennings Bryan came In lato to the regular meeting of the Rotary Club Wed nesday and was callod on by President Reynolds to explain the reason for his tardiness. In ex plaining, Mr. Bryan said to the Rotarians: "I am too much perplexed by tho news of Iho day. The morning papers announce that tho bullion In a silver dollar Is now worth five cents more than tho bullion in a gold dollar. The shock upsets mo. I am not able to speak with composure. My thoughts insist on running back to 1896, when the self appointed cham pions of an honest dollar vociferously declared that their consciences would not allow them to pay their debts In any but the best money. I am patiently waiting for tho afternoon papers to learn whether these men are paying their debts today In silver dollars at a premium or whether they are using the cheap gold dollar for liquidation purposes. If I find that they are using gold coin, now five cents below tho silver equivalent, I shall suggest the appoint ment of a congressional committee on conscience to ascertain why these men who used to pro fess so high si standard of patriotism and honor, have fallen from grace. "What will the youth of our land think if those men who havo claimed a monopoly of financial virtues become itopudiators. If I wore a cartoonist I would represent tho Wall street financier standing by an open grave marked 'Cheap Money' and holding in his hand a skull inscribed 'A 95c gold dollar.' In tho distance I would represent a silver dollar splitting its sides with laughter while the Wall street man, looking at the skull, soliloquised 'Alas poor Yorrick, I know him well.' " TUB MESSAGE FROM EDVAIU)S (From The Austin, Texas, Statesman.). President Wilson also sent a congratulatory message to Governor-elect Edwards of New Jersey. Edwards was the demoeratic candidate, but his platform declared the league of nations covenant "should not be approved without giv ing recognition to the Irish republic." That part of the platform Mr. Wilson probably did not approve. The big Issue, however, was pro hibition, and tho big plank In the Edwards plat form was the following: We pledge ourselves to oppose by all law ful means the ratification or enforcement of the so-called prohibition amendment to tho federal constitution, and to lead tho movement which will eventually result in its repeal. That was the plan which elected Edwards, In a state normally republican. Whether Mr. Wil son agrees with it or not we do not know. May be he congratulated Edwards merely because the latter was a democratic candidate. But this is what Edwards said in one of bis speeches: If I am elected governor I will make New Jersey as wet as the Atlantic ocean. And the president said in his telegram: Please accept my hearty congratulations upon your election. M ? -i u