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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1920)
TV -.? '? ty? n The Commoner 3 VOL. feO, NO. 6 i. F IB- xriiro 'insistent, strpnghtohs the opposition, Jto the . expenditure of sovon hundred "millions a year in,; preparations fbr wai, whllo tho peaco sentiment of'tho country revolts agalnsti system baspd. on tli'6' theory that war Is a necessary part ot civil-, ization, Fifth Tho profiteer will recoiYO particular ttttentlon, especially if tho issue Is accentuated by failure of tho Republicans to deal with tho question satisfactorily. Some party must take th6 pooplo's side against the middlemen, and tho -Democratic party is in a hotter position than thq Republican party to do so, because tho latter cdhtains most of tho profiteers. The following romed,ies have "been suggested, increasing In severity: First, A trade commis sion in oach state and in each community em powered to investigate; second, tho disclosure of profit on ea'eh article sold, and, third a' limita tion of profits, as in tho ' case of interest on loans. ' ' Tho convention is likely to d.eal'wltlrtho prof iteer also in dealing with tho soldiers'' bonus, which can bo most easily collected by a tax on war profits. ' Sixth Tho convention will have 'to deal with1 the' subject of private niondpoly. Xtlis the" most pormanerit 'domestic issue rind" the beneficiaries of all tho favor-seeking cor porations are massing under Republican leader-" ship to opposo government ownership in rtny and very form. Tho Democratic party must ulti mately become tho champion of government ownership of all1 NATURAL MONOPOLIES but tho corporation contrelled press" has so grossly' misrepresented the experience of the government under war control that the opponents o"f private monopoly may have to content themselves with holding the ground already occupied, leaving tho advanco to bo made by future conventions. But tho Democratic convention will at least reiter ato tho doctrine already ombodied in four, na--tional platforms; namely, that a private mono poly is indofonsiblo and intolerable. J Sovonth Tho labor' question will recoive tho1 .attention due it. The Democratic party Will in sist upon tho toilers right to equal treatment. He is not only a citijfon but he is an indispen sable part of our industrial machine. Ho should bo a WILLING WORKER if ho is to give to so ciety his maximum offoft. He must feel that ho is receiving justice He must be welcomed as. a co-worker and doalfc with as a brother in tho matter of wages, terms and rights. Eighth Tho farmer also has grievances; his interests can not bo made subordinate to the claims of the commercial classes. ' Ninth Tho Democratic party has already' en tered upon a good roads program and will ex tend it; I hope it will extend it sufficiently to endorse a National Peaceway connecting all the statos. Tonth I am hoping for a plank pledging the party to the advocacy of a government bulletin. not a newspaper, but a bulletin under bi partisan control, which will give tho voters, for a nominal subscription price, information as to issues before the country with the reasons ad vanced on both sides of oach issue. Eleventh Woman suffrage will be indorsed, with congratulations if the amendment is rati fied before tho convention with a pledge ot supjport if ratification is not then complete. Twelfth Prohibition cannot bo ignored. The wots want a plank condemning the prohibition amendment, but it is quite cortain that beforo tho convention assembles, they will find their case hopeless. ' They will then try to prevent any declaration on the subject, plodging for the 'harmony" to which they would bo indifferent if. they could secure a wet plank. But they will not deceive any one. Tho drys will insist Upon a declaration in fa vor of the prohibition amendment which has been ratified by every Democratic state and by all' but throe of the Republican states. They will also insist upon an indorsement of tho en forcement law, supported by more than two thirds of congress. The convention fights are likely to be over the treaty, the profiteer and the liquor traffic, with the chances in favor of ratification with reservations, and against the profiteer and tho saloon. W. J. BRYAN. Mr. Bryan on the Mandate Any mandate is impossible. The one proposed for Armenia, if accepted, would involve us in an enormous expenditure in a time when war taxa tion is still so grievous a burden that Congress has difficutly in finding the money necessary to do justice to the men who served in tho world war. It would involve us in the politics of Europe, and would compel us to deal with implacable race hatreds. It would Involve us in the fierce commercial rivalry of the big nations. But, worst of all, it Would compel us to sur render a vital principle of democracy namely, that all people are capable of self-government. Nearly ono hundred years ago Henry Clay 'set forth the American view on this subjects in dealing with aspirations of South American republiqs. Referring to the old contention of monarchists that subject peo ples ' were ' incapable of 'self-government, Clay declared it to b'e a reflection on the Almighty to assume that Ho would create peoples incapablo of self-government and leave them to be tho victims of kings and emporers. All the colonial exploitation of helpless peo ples is defended on tho theory of their Incapac ity for self-government. Wo cannot indorse this theory. It would bo injurious to tho Armen ians, instead of a kindness, to affirm or admit them incapable of self-government. If" it were once admitted, they would never be permitted to outgrow the presumption of incapacity, be cause consent-to their independence would en courage other, subject peoples to ask for inde pendence. Christlunty does not require us to abandon our ideas of government or to adopt monarchial forms in rendering- aid to suffering peoples. American idea? are entirely consistent with Christianity. Wo can recognize the independence of the Armenian republic and send as minister to .Armenia a man who has faith in democracy and who believes that governments should rest upon consent of the governed. He can advise with Armenian officials when they desire advice and help them as a friend. Wo can be of much moro sorvico to them in this way than we can by exercising authority over them. Then, if wo will ratify :the treaty, and enter the league of na tions as tho friend of all the little countries and insist on universal disarmament, we may be able to make tho world safe for democracy even for democracy in Armenia. RATrFY AND DISARM ABE MARTIN SASt X wuz just tblnkin' about tho old Bryan ban quets wild lettuce an try-coiorod ice-cream.- On another page will be found avcomputation made by tho statistician of tho National City Bank of New York, showing that the world's issue of paper money has increased from 7 bil lions before the war to 40 billions during the war and to 56 billions since the armistice. The debts of the world have Increased from 40 bil lions in 1913 to 265 billions in 1920. The ratio between the gold coin of tho world and the paper currency has fallen from 70 per cent to 12 per cent, and yet there are those who would con tinue the old program of force and terrorism. The only hope of the world lies in, the success of the League of Nations, and delay in ratifica tion only decreases its powor to save the world from war. The Republican party may be will ing to wait, but tho Democratic party can not afford to share responsibility for the chaos that may engulf the world whijo senators wrangle over the phraseology of reservations that are insignificant in importance as compared with the remedies embodied in the undisputed provisions of the league. There are throo provisions which have been accepted by everyone. Tho first providos time for deliberation and machinery for investigation before a resort of war; the second abolishes se cret treaties; the third looks toward universal disarmament. Why not accept AT ONCE the .reservations favorod by the majority and make afterwards in the league any changes that may be thought necessary. Why not proceed to DIS ARM THE WORLD, reduce taxation and build universal peaco on the spirit of brotherhood0 Tho laborers of the world plead for peaco and brotherhood; they want tho burden of militarism lifted- from their shoulders. The farmers of th world groan beneath the weight of guns and bat tleships; they cry out for relief. Business suf ero, and the churches unite in the demand for Immediate ratification and disarmament. Only the politician wants delay. Shame on the man or party that would drag tho treaty into tho cam paign. Let the majority rule. W, J. BRYAN. MARSHALL MOURNING AT THE BEER Vibe-President's Marshall's bid for the wet vote is ludicrous. He seems to think that tho cause of the saloon needs RESPECTABILITY and he offers himself in a religious garb. Speak ing to the State Bar Association of Virginia re cently, ho declared himself "an old-fashioned dyed-in-the-wool, local self-government, pre destination Presbyterian Democrat, bottled in bond and guaranteed to be pure." He announced that ho was a teetotaller and added:. "So far as I am concerned I pray God that no man will ever again take a drink of in toxicating liquor but the states should handle this question rather than, for- Washington to legislate for the morals of tho nation. If a se cret vote had been taken on that amendment be hind closed doors, it would not have received twenty votes in the United States Senate." No wonder the Baptist convention, which he had recently welcomed to Washington, censured him forecasting reflections on the senators who voted for prohibition. How fortunate that his vote was not needed. The vice-president seems to' havo outlived his time. He harks back to a day that is gone. He seems to be willing to carry his religion into the bar-room to please the drinkers, but he can not carry the bar-room into the church; he can not even bring the bar-room back into the com munity. But what a spectacle! A vice-president attacking a prohibition amendment AL READY ADOPTED AND A PART OF THE CON STITUTION. For shame! W.J.BRYAN. BRYAN WELL BE A' BIG FACTOR r Whether people like it, or. not, William Jen- nings Bryan is going to be a big factor in the Democratic National convention , at San Fran- a cisco. It will not bo at all surprising if he. should duplicate his marvelous performance at I Baltimore in 1912. Linked with his own per-, sonal following, which like the soldiers of Na-1 poleon, would follow th.oir leader through hell the strength which "will rally around Mr. Bry an as the bearer of"the Prohibition standard, alone would "make Bryan . a man to be both feared and oourted in the proceedings at the Golden Gate. .That term "Golden Gate" will be, apt to make .Bryan smile. Away back in 1896, he cried out against crucifying mankind on A Gross of Gold' In 1920 he willcry with gleej as he nails his. enemies, at the Golden Gate. His wuuucuui ciuucuvju, uia iutta.aij yt jju,i.i.u"n psychology, his exhaustive knowledge of po litical precedents make him an almost invincible! antagonist In a national convention. All his na tural gifts are greatly enchanced by tho presents situation.. In his opposition to the League oi Nations without reservations he will have one A set of delegates supporting him, in his fight for t Prohibition he tvIH have another set of delegates; standing behind him so at about every minute of the convention Bryan is quite apt to be the. center of the contest. When Bryan laid him low: in Nebraska. Senator Hitchcock said Bryan a would "keep hell a-poppln at San Francisco, and' it rather looks as if Hitchcock were right. Roger; Sullivan is dead. Arthur Mullen has been de feated. And so Brvan's two most vitriolic enemies will not be in the ficht to harass and: annoy Bryan at Frisco, From the outset ct thO convention Bryan will have the moral issues. He has made them synonymous With himself, and; back to him stand the creat army of rigid church : people-a mighty host on election day, no matter how sports may sniff ar wets snort, wis nei"ii is in the ficht. and he has the flery zeal or a. crusader. Then, too, he has alwaysjieen in the forefront 'of tho womon'a imttle. and on a shoW-J down today we think that Bryan has rnorej shoutim fitrhtincr friends amonir- womn WhOj tnlro nn intovnof in -nnMiina fhnn hflR anV Olheri man in the country, Bryan may or may not bej n pn-nrllflnto Vilmoolf Wa don't IcnOW. If "0i really is, the other aspirants havo reason to tremble. If he is not, no man whom u""; openly assails, can in any likelihood, be om'"1 ated at Snn TTrnnfilseo. AlbariV. W. X., axiu ? Union. W i JftttuJhMiUMitx'I y