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TKe Commoner
FEBRUARY, 1921
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f 'Deserve to Win" Program Attract
ing National Attention-
The plan that The Commoner and the pro- ,
rftssfvft Dfimocratfl throughout the country have
S5iid or wav. of makiner the Democratic party de-
feerve to win and then organize, is attracting con-
liderable attention from some of the lnemoers 01
Sfhe Democratic Natlonar committee and others
jrho seem to think that the party could be organ
ised from the top down. Tne plan tnat une uom
mner is working on recognizes the privates in
Rhe ranks aB the source from which all power in
the party comes.
Ik Thfc -nrfiRont Democratic National committee
Bras selected to conduct the recent presi4ential
Rampaign. The national committee and tho na
Iflonal chairman chosen to conduct the presi
fjlential campaign of 1924 will be selected by the
wbters who write the platform and nominate the
rtndidates of that year. National committees
in not-, determine the issues upon which a cam-
fciign should be made but a committee can ren
wer great service to the party and to the people
Jy helping to rally tho Democratic hosts of the
Stjountry around the legislative program tnat rep
resents the ideals and aspirations of the masses
fgf tho people.
f Wo ronroduco below some interviews, press
Rispatches, editorial comment, etc., which have
llfeen called out by the "deserve to win" move
Knnf hi Tho nnmmnnar and the nrogressive
foprces throughout the country have under way.
n. i
MR. BRYAN EXPLAINS PARTY NEEDS
Below is an interview given by Wm. J. Bryan
Miami. Fla.. andVcarried by tlie United Press,
ider date of January 30.
F.'t nm nrivlflim? tho election of nrogressive
Btnmitteemen as the terms of reactionary mem
iSm fixnire. I mean those who are in sympathy
Rritii progressive sentiment.
"Prohibition must be accepted as tne perma-
iftnt nolicv of the country. No one can be
counted as progressive who is reactionary on the
liquor question. Progressives must aiso oppose
rail street schemes for tne exploitation or tne
lasses. Policy as wen as principle compels our
mrtv toonnose Wall street. The Democratic
ifferty cannot hope to compete with the Repub
lican party ior tne aujipun ui- mo jjieuuMjijr w-
srests.
"If we win recruits it must be from the pro-
Bfressive element of the Republican party. If
Rhe Democratic party is not willing to champion
tho interests of tne plain people it nas np rea
ffirm for existence, so ions as tne leaaersmp
mt the party in the Senate, House and national
Kommittee is in the hands of those who are re
actionary on any of the great issues we cannot
tope to have the confidence of tne voters.
"I do not emphasize international questions
Iliecause I expect them to be disposed of in a
hort time. Permanent party alignments will
depend upon the way "domestic questions are
treated by the party leaders, as tne leaders
mfiak for the narty.it is important that they re
elect the real sentiment of the patty."
PARTY TO BE REORGANIZED
(The following interview was sent out by the
ITTnited Press, under a Lincoln date of Jan. 20.)
Reorganization of the Democratic party, as
contemplated by the Bryan wing, will be carried
lout through intensive work in every political
ivicinity of the country, from the county upward,
tccording to Charles W. Bryan, brother of Wii-
jliam X. Bryan, and associate editor of the Com
moner.
! Bryan declared that an educational campaign
would be launched shortly in conjunction with
a series of national and state legislative pro
grams, which would be embodied if possible in
th nlatforms of county, state and national con
ventions, to bo called later. He said no date or
place had been fixed for the-first national meet-
ling.
c Regarding the report that the proposed reor
ganization was intended largely to eliminate the
lFtimman'v filament" from the nartv. Brvan said
fthat elimination of any faction would depend
solely upon tne attitude oi us memoers.
"We have been developing plans for the last
thirty days to haye the Democratic party deserve
to win tho support of the progressive forces of
Ithe country," Bryan said. xvir. Aryan's interview
i in full follows:
"While I have not had an onnortunitv to toad
i the New York story referred to, it probably grew
out of the plans that wo have been developing
during the past thirty days to have the Demo
cratic party deserve to win before organization
of tho progressive forces of the country was
commenced.
"The plan under way, which is developing
with enthusiasm and dispatch, includes the
drafting of a national constructive legislative
program, a state legislative program and a mu
nicipal legislative program representing tho con
sensus of opinion of the progressive students of
government throughout the country embodying
the necessary plans for bringing about perma
nent peace, curb the piracy of the profiteers,
eliminate the extravagance of governmental ad
ministration and restoro people's rule.
"The legislative programs outlined are now
being developed with the advice and through
the suggestions of students of governmental
needs and will shortly be presented for the con
sideration of the peoplo. Tho thinking men and
women of the country will be organized around
these legislative programs, and those participat
ing in this work of rehabilitating the party will
be pledged to carry on the work of education
in support of these programs; they will pledge
themselves to embody if possible these legisla
tive programs in the platforms to be adopted in
county, state and national conventions; they will
pledge themselves to select as delegates to coun
ty, state and national conventions men and
women who believe in the principles enunciated
in these legislative programs and will pledge
to nominate for state and national offices men
and women who will vote and work- to carry into
effect these constructive legislative programs.
"State meetings will be held to discuss and
extend the educational and organization plans
outlined above. The work now is already under
way n every state in the union and will shortly
be extended to every county in each state The
matter of eliminating any particular element or
faction will be largely a matter of the attitude
of such men. The national meetings will be held
to complete the physical organization of the pro
gressive forces after the educational work is
well under way. The selection of leaders of
state organizations and the national chairman
to have charge of the physical organization of
the progressive . forces throughout the country
will be determined at the state and national
meetings called for that purpose. The exact
time and place 6f these meetings have not been
determined and will depend upon the organized
opposition, if any, to people's rule In the Demo
cratic party and of making the party platforms
and party organizations represent ,the aspira
tions and needs of the people of this country."
OAST TAMMANY OUT," IS SLOGAN OP
BRYAN MEN
(Prom the New York Times, Jan. 18.)
The followers of Colonel William J. Bryan
are organizing a large conference of progressive,
but regular Democrats to be held in Kansas"
City on May, 1, with the avowed object of re
organizing "the Democratic party and leaving
Tammany and similar elements out.
The slogan at the conference will be "Cast
Tammany out!" and by "Tammany" is meant to
include Charles F. Murphy, Jim Nugent, the New
Jersey boss; Tom Taggart, who just at present
is hobnobbing with Mr. Murphy at French Lick,
Ind.; Brennan, the Chicago boss; Judge Moore,
Who. organized the campaign for the nomination
of Governor Cox in Ohio and later at San Fran
cisco, and in fact all the more prominent and,
to Bryan, objectionable leaders of the machine
type.
In brief, the wets who dominated the San
Franqisco convention will have notice served on
them by the Kansas City conference that thoy
' Vill not be allowed to reorganize the party with
the wet element In control.
In confirmation -of the purpose of the Bryan
men in the organization to take the lead In
a dry reorganization, The Commoner last week
had an editorial entitled "Organize!" the burden
of wnich is advice to the rank and file of the
Democratic party to support a dry program and
relegate the old bosses to the rear.
Tho reorganization plan seems to be under
tho direction, of Charles Bryan, the publisher of
The Commoner and brpther of Colonel Bryan.
Charles Bryan always manages the mechanics
of the Bryan movements. Colonel Bryan out
lines tho policy, and to brother Charles falls tho
task of mobilizing the phalanxes behind tho
ColoneJ's ideas. In this movement the Bryan
will mako strenuous efforts to rally tho women
leaders of the Democratic party at tho Kansas
City conference.
Colonel Bryan used tho same sort of strategy
against Senator Hitchcock last summer, when
he beat him in the Nebraska primaries and elect
ed himself a delega&e-at-largo to the San Fran
cisco convention.
Colonel Bryan appealed to tho women of Ne
braska In behalf of prohibition and morals, and
with his victory over Hitchcock, tho Republicans
of the middle west knew that Bryan would con
tinue his opposition clear through tho San Fran
cisco convention, which he did.
Bryan, following the wet triumph at San
Francisco in the nomination of Cox, refused to
lend a hand in the Cox campaign.
It is understood that Colonol Bryan is not
going to take an active part in the Kansas City
conference. He has promised President-elect
Harding to assist In bringing about world peace,
apd whilo he will lend his counsel and moral
support to the now plan to read Murphy, Tag
gart, Brennan, Nugent and Moore out of the
party, he is not likely to appear as the leader
of the movement, according to tho Information
reaching New York last night.
WHITE SAYS HE WILL NOT QUIT CHAIR-
MANSHIP
(From Now York Tribune, Feb. 9.)
George White, chairman of the Democratic'
National Committee, says that he will not call
a meeting of the national committee, us re
quested by forty-nine members out of 106 of tho
committee. Chairman White was at the New
York headquarters of tho committee, 366 Madi
son 'Avenue, yesterday, and expressed the ut
most confidence in his ability to keep the com
mittee's business running prosperously, without
affording the McAdoo-Woolley-Love men in tho
committee an opportunity to make trouble.
"Any concerted factional movement at this
time to force a meeting of the national commit
tee, in my judgment is inopportune and unnecesr
sary," said Mr. White, "I shall put the request
of the forty-nine signers up to the executive
committee of tho national committee, and shall
abide by the decision. Personally I am lnclinod
to lot things run along in a natural way for
four or five months before calling a meeting
of the committee. Apparently the movement
for calling a meeting )s being engineered by
Robert Woolley and Thomas Love, but whether
Mr. McAdoo is aiding them is not at all clear.
"Two of the members of tho committee who
signed the call for a meeting sent me duplicates
of their response to the framers of the call, and
these two members have called my attention to
the fact that in their response they did not ask
for a specific date for tho holding of the meet
ing, and apparently they wore and are willing to
leave the setting of the date to bo fixed by the
executive committea.
"Mr. Love, of Dallas, Tex., seems to lay stress
on my statement of some time bak that I ex
pected to resign the chairmanship. My busi
ness affairs have changed considerably since last
fall. I am In the oil well digging business, and
when I made thd statement I was much driven
with work. Now the oil drilling business is dull
and I find I have plenty of time to attend to the
business of the national committee.
"I find myself quite fully in accord with the
views expressed by Mr. McAdoo in his Los
Angeles speech, when he remarked that, any na
tional committee chairman should hold office
through the campaign and for a long time after
ward, and that the choice of chairman should
bo left to those who wore likely to name the can-
didate In 1924. I find no sentiment among the
leaders in Washington for turning in my resigna
tion. I have talked with nearly all of them, and
there is a fairly unanimous wish that I shall
continue at the head of the committee."
It is estimated that Mr. McAdoo's personal
choice for chairman of the committee is Robert
Woolley, who sp'ends much of h?s time in New
York. The McAdoo men say that Mr. Love is a
candidate for chairman and that he has the
backing of the southwestern delegates, Bernard
M. Baruch, the New York broker and financial'
advisor to the Wilson administration, is under
stood to he backing Thomas L. Chadbourne,
Meanwhile Charles W. Bryan, of Lincoln,
Neb., brother of William Jennings 'Bryan, is
quietly circular zing progressive Democrats all
oyer the country fn the interest of thev reform
and prohibition element in the party, all with the
idea of retiring James M. Cox and Mr. White
from the control of the national committee.
Tho friends of Mr. Bryan say that while he.
rm
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