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The Commoner
VOL. 20, No. 3 '
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The Commoner
X38UED MONTHLY
Entered at tho Postofllco at Lincoln, Nebraska,
as aecond-clasfl matter.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, CHARLES W. BRYAN,
Editor and Proprietor Aosoclato Ed. ana Publishor
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i THE COMMONER," LINCOLN, NEI1.
STATE PRIDE AT A MINIMUM
Senator Hitchcock's appeal to state prido in
support of his candidacy would havo been strong
er If he had over shown any pride in his state,
but his rocord is sufficient answer to any state
pride argument. Alter tho state wont dry by a
29,000 majority, he had so little state pride that
ho voted with champions of tho liquor interests
against tho submission 6t a national prohibition
amendment. Tho sonato voted flvo moro than
threo to one for the amondment, and tho Demo
crats voted just three to one. Mr. Hitchcock was
-one of tho twelve Democrats who voted" NO
against thirty-six Democrats who voted YES.
Not much state pride thoro.
Then on tho subject of Woman Suffrage, he
voted with a minority of the Democrats, and a'
minority of tho senate, against suffrage at a1
time .when his vote would havo given to the
Democrats tho prestige of having submitted tho
amendment when the Democratic party was in
control. And ho voted against suffrage in spite
of tho request made by tho legislature of Ne
braska that ho vote to submit the amondment.
Ho did not show much pride in his stato then.
He did not show much pride in his state when
ho joined tho Republican members of the sen
ators currency committee, and tried to forco
Wall Street's financial views on the country. Ne
braska was nulto unanimously on the side of tho
currency bill, as the Democrats prepared and
adopted it.
If there is any man Si Nebraska, who has no
right and ought to be" aBhamed to appeal to
state prido to boost him, it is Senator Hitchcock.
W. J. BRYAN.
Why Not Help Latin
America? On another page will be found an extract from
a speech which? I made before tho Latin-American
Scientific Congress, September 3rd, 1J1.6;
The plan therein proposed of UNDERWRITING
THE BONDS OF LATIN-AMERICAN COUN
TRIES DESIRING MONEY FOR DEVELOP
MENT WORK had never been tried; it was
presented as a plan worthy of trial for reasons
that will be found In tho extract quoted. Since
that time our nation has loaned, tho European
allies some tpn billions of dollars. When, there
fore, we now speak of our country giving
pecuniary aid to other governments, we can. in
voke precedent. If we can loan enormous sums
to European nations, how can wo refuse to lend
.our assistance to tho Republics of our own
"Hemisphere? They are solvent and will grow
in wealth as their resources are developed.
There is moro reason NOW for aiding them
than there was four years ago, because Europe
is powerless to supply their needs.
At a recent session of the Latin-American
Financial Congress held in Washington, atten
tion was called to tho fact that tho United
States could help Europe by taking over Euro
pean loans in Central and South Americas,
that the money invested by European; countries
"could be withdrawn and used at homo. Here
is a chance for us to convert our European
loans into better securities and, at the' same
timG, manifest our friendly interest in such a
way as to .compel tho gratitude of our sister re
publics. Why not announce that we will ac
cept from the nations to which we have loaned
money, the bonds of any of tho Latin-American
Republics? We can afford to go even further
and offer our credit to back up these countries
in tho development of their resources, in the
building of railroads and in the extension of
their educational systems. Being geographical
neighbors to theso republics we shall naturally
profit moro than European nations by their
progress and advance in wealth.
All motives, therefore, that can influence us,
combine to induce us to go to the relief to Cen
tral and South America at once. There should
be no hesitation; the situation calls for im
mediate action. W. J. BRYAN:
MR HOOVER LOCATED
Mr. Hoover says he is not Mr. Bryan's kind of
a Democrat (The World so quotes him). Well,
Mr. Bryan has suspected it for several reasons
first, because tho World offered him at auction
to any party that would take him: second, he
does not know to which party he belongs; third,
ho is not willing to help any party write its plat
form; fourth, ho has been out of tho country so
long that ho' is out of touch with Jho American
people; fifth, ho has made a big fortune in a
short time and has lived among rich people ever
since.
When ho says he is not Mr, Bryan's kind of a
Democrat we may take it for granted that he is
not in tho same class with the moro than six
millions of Democrats who voted for Mr. Bryan
three times, and that he is not in sympathy with
tho reforms which Mr. Bryan helped to securo.
The people are acquainted with Mr. Bryan's kind
of Democracy thoy gave him a million moro
Votes in 1896 than any previous Democratic
candidate had ever received, and they made his
vote the record Democratic vote for twenty
years. Wo now ham Mr. Hoover located and
know what tQJMMpt of him. We also know
Why he does tfStrttute the,, Democrats into his
confidence and state his position on public questions.
A' DANGEROUS BIAS
A correspondent has sent in an extract from a
speech made by Dr. Nicholas M.urry Butler' be
fore the chamber of commerce of Philadelphia
and by ox-Bresldent Taft before a banker's con
vention at Seattle. Those extracts indicate that
both of .these men have a constitutional blazon
the side of big corporations a bias so .strong
that-they condemn as dangerous the legislation
which the masses deem necessary for the protec-
tion. of tho public. Of course, Mr. Taft and Mr.
Butler are honest men and state their conscien
tious convictions, but neither honesty nor con
scientiousness can excuse them for taking' the
position they do. In a country like this public
men can not hope to win the plaudits of tho
voters if they misunderstand fundamental po
litical principles. Mr. Butler and Mr Taft seem
to think that society is suspended from the top
and that the rich will take care of the poor if the
government will take care of tho rich. They aro
mistaken. Economic blessings do not come down
from the so called Captains of Industry; they
come up from the people. Society is built from
the bottom. When the people are prosperous
their prosperity finds its way up through all tho
classes that rest upon the masses. The two
prominent Republicans above quoted, Dr. Butler
arid ex-President Taft, are very delightful men
but the election of either one to the presidency
would be an invitation to the predatory interests
to help themselves.
The quotations above referred to, are as fol
lows: ''
Dr. Butler: "The cheaply won applause which is
sure to follow the violent denunciation of some
body or something for an alleged wrong has been
preferred to the much more solid and lastintr
approval of an intelligent people that would fol
low upon constructive acts which would indicate
how. the business of the country might be bet
ter and moro wisely developed." Again "it i
little short of pathetic after some Sf the blJJ
brains of the nation have organized and set on
toot a great industrial undertaking which en
gages tho co-operation of thousands of men and
women, reduces the cost, of production of bom
otaplo. articles and begins to extend America
trade into now lands, to find them summarily
brought to book as criminals by the attorns
general of tho United States or the district at
torney in some judicial district."
Mr. Taft: "The hostilities of legislatures and
of congress, consciously or unconsciously have
come to bo directed against all successful invest
ment of capital without discrimination. The in
quisltorial and nagging character of the powers
-of commissions for the close supervision of cor
porate activities have so frightened capital as
to shrink Investments and stop normal expan
sion in the business of the country. Nothing Is
so timid as capital and nothing is so easily ablo
to take care of what it has. A hostllo spirit
manifested in legislation buttons up tho pockets
of those "Who control wealth that would other
wise be invested."
NEW "DRED SCOTT" CASE
Mr. Bryan made tho following statement at
Miami,. Florida, February 27, regarding tho de
mand of the New York Democrats for tho re
peal of prohibition:
"The New York. Democrats have given the
country a new Dred Scott decision and made
prohibition the paramount issue until tho liquor
traffic ceases to menace the homes of the land
The demand' made by the liquor interests,
through the New York state convention, for leg
islation nullifying tho Federal Constitution, is
an attempt to reopen the question of state
sovereignity versus national supremacy which
was settled by the Civil War.
"For a quarter of a century tho leaders of
the Democratic party fn New York have as a rule,
represented Wall Street's predatory schemes.
The national party for this Reason found it neces
sary to repudiate New York leadership in order
to save the party. It is impossible to bellevo
that these leaders can regain control of the
party by the service and "unblushing champion
ship of a crime-creating business-that has been
outlawed by thirty-four- states' action and final
ly exterminated by a national amendment which
has been ratified by forty-five States."
WHAT MAY HAPPEN
, The Chicago Tribune says of the recent 4 to 3
decision . Jn. favor of the steel trust:
' " " 'The Constitution follows the flag,' said
Mr. Dboley in ono of his most celebrated
- epigrams, 'an the Supreme Court follows
the election returns.' '
"If tho opinion of the majority of the
court in the suit against the United States
steel corporation does not reflect actual elec
tion results it does express what is probably
the prevailing public opinion respecting
. large combinations. For some years this
opinion has tended to reject the theories of
the earlier trust bustdrs, that we can or
.ought to return to the period of unlimited
competition and comparatively small corpor
ations. It has tended to accept the theory
that combination if regulated for the public
Protection may bo beneficial up to a certain
point."
If a Republican victory at-a. congressional
election can change a. steel trust into a blessing,
what reactionary decisions ! may be expected if
the Republicans win a presidential campaign.
LET THE RELATIVES DECIDE
x Quite a controversy has sprung up as to the
disposition of the bodies Of the soldiers who d ea
in Europe. As the relatives of some agree wtn
Mr. and Mrs. Roosevelt and prefer to havo the
bodies of their kin sleep where they fell, ana
others desire the bodies of relatives returned,
tho Government will, doubtless, decide "W
question by following the wishes of the relatives.
At any rate that would seem to be the fairest
solution, No ono in authority would care io
take the responsibility of refusing to bring Dae
a body if the relative desired it or of leaving w
body in Europe if the relatives wanted v
brought back. W. J. BRYAN.
The Democrats in the several states should
instruct on platform and on the kind of a cana
date tb,ey want even if they are, not sure auoin
the nam. of iho man.
Two wet candidates havo withdrawn from the
raco-. for the Democratic nomination for rrea
dent. 'Wis men. Next!
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