VOL. 21, NO. 6
6
The Commoner
r
r
nnd I am neither willing to violate the spirit of
the law or willing to tell the public that this
is not their government. As a public servant, I
am not willing to tell the people that we do not
have to respect their wishes or be guided by
their command as expressed at the polls.
"The people have declared that they want the
(Tost of living reduced, have stated in what man
nor we should proceed to reduce it, and have di
rected who they want to bo the leader of tho
movement as mayor to carry out their wishes.
Tho people voted for me with the distinct under
standing on their part that if I received a higher
voto than the other candidates who were under
stood to be candidates for mayor, 1 would be tho
mayor. I did receivo about 400 more than a ma
jority of all the votes cast. The people, there
fore, support'ng me, won tho fight, and if we do
not carry out their instructions, they have prac
tically been disfranchised. If we do not carry
out tho peoples' will, it is for them to determine
what they want to do about it. Iam willing to
abide by the people's decision. I am ready to
nerve in tho place to which they selected me,
namoly, the position of mayor, Each member
of the council has his own responsibility. I have
expressed my position and my duty as I under
stand it to be. It is for the public to determine
whether I have done my duty to them. It is
for tho public to determine what their future
course is to be if their will is not respected. I
have not believed that the members of this coun
cil would disregard the instructions of the peo
pl) as to their choice for mayor. I cannot con
ceive of a public official desiring to do other
than what the public has directed him to do and
I am not willing to believe that the numbers of
this council will do other than to carry out tho
people's instruction at thh time."
Petition Mr. Bryan
to Run Again
The action of the city commissioners in over
riding the will of the people by the election of
Mr. Zehrung for mayor in place of Mr. Bryan,
although the latter was endorsed by the voters
for the place by a substantial majority, has
aroused a very general protest throughout the
c!ty. Numerous mass meetings of protest have
been held at which the sentiment seemed to be
unanimous that recall should be undertaken
at once against Mr. Zehrung for mayor and at
least one other of the commissioners.
The committee of five selected by the pro
testants to take action, petitioned Mr. Charles
W. Bryan to stand as a candidau for re-election
against Mr. Zehrung.
There are two things that the voters of Lin
coln are insisting on: first, tliat their will be
carried out, and second, that they be given re
lief from profiteering through the legislative
remedies suggested by Mr. Bryan, namely, a
municipal coal yard, a municipal ice plant and
a municipal publ'c market.
While the re-election of Mr. Bryan in the
place of Mr. Zehrung would rebuke the com
missioners and punish Mr. Zehrung for usurping
a position to which he was rejected by the peo
ple, it would not give the people the legislation
they wanted to curb the profiteers." Mr. Bryan
therefore suggested that if the people would
initiate tho necessary ordinances under the
initiative and referendum provision of tho Lin
coln charter to establish the municipal owner
ship projects which he had advocated and which
had been endorsed by the people at the polls
and select other candidates to run against Mr.
Zehrung and at least one other member of the
council, he would remain on the council in the
position to which he ha'1 been assigned and help
install and carry into effect the initiated ordi
nances that are to. be voted on at the special
recall election, and that his vote, plus the other
two votes that the people hope to secure at the
recall election, will give the progressives a ma
jority in the council and enabb them not only
to restore people's rule but to carry into effect
tho municipal ownership undertakings that
would reduce the cost of the essential neces
saries of life.
The rocall petitions are now in circulation
also petitions to initiate the ordinances su"
gested by Mr. C. W. Bryan and the special elec
tion for the recall and for the adoption of the
ordinances by the people will probably be held
the latter part of August, which is about as soon
as it can be called under the law.
The committees letter to Mr. Bryan petition
ing him to stand as the candidate and Mr
Bryan's reply suggesting what he believes is
the better course, appear below l
THE COMMITTEE'S LETTER TO MR. BRYAN
Lincoln, Neb., May 20, l!)21.-Mr. Charles W.
Bryan, City. Dear Sir: In he recent city e flec
tion an unquestionable majority pf the voters
voted for you as the l.ader of the movement
to reduce the cost of living in Lincoln by the
establishment of a municipal coal yard, a mu
nicipal ice plant and a municipal public market,
as has been been done in some other cities m the
interest of the general welfare of the community.
"The people feel that the action of the coun
cil in selecting Mr. Zehrung in place of you for
mayor was a vote against the establishment of
a municipal ice plant, a municipal coal yard and
a municipal public market. The action of the
council in overriding the expressed will of the
people after these issues were discussed in a
campaign "extending over several weeks has so
aroused the people that public mass meetings
havo been held which have been largely at
'tended, at which the people have expressed their
indignation and protest that public officials have
thwarted the will of the people.
"The voters so keenly feel the importance
of preserving their right to direct the action
of their public servants and the necessity for re
versing the action of the council in refusing to
elect you as the leader of the municipal owner
ship movements as resired by the people that
they have directed the undersigned committee,
selected by a large mass convention of voters,
to institute recall proceedings against Zehrung
and Wright and to prepare ordinances under the
initiative provision of our charter providing for
tho establishment of a municipal coal yard, a
municipal ice plant and a municipal public mar
ket and for amending the charter so as to vote
direct on the selection of a mayor.
"The suggested change in the charter is to
prevent the possibility of the public wish again
being overridden by the city officials.
"As the leader of the movement to establish
a municipal coal yard, a municipal ice plant,
a municipal market and for good government,
and the one who made the campaign throughout
the city in favor of these measures and the one
who was selected by the people at the polls to
advocate these measures as mayor, we here
by petition you to permit the use of your name
as a candidate to run against Mr. Zehrung in
the recall proceedings to again lead the con
test for the adoption of the initiated ordinances
for the purpose of reducing the cost of living
and restoring the rule of the people in Lincoln.
"An early reply granting the request of the
people to the use of your name, as indicated
above, will be appreciated."
Very truly yours,
E. H. Schroder,
F. M. Coffey,
Mrs. R. E. Richardson,
G. J. Mauel,
Orville L. Jones.
Committee representing Voters' Mass Meeting.
MR. BRYAN'S REPLY
"Lincoln, Nebr., May 22, 1921. Mr. E. H.
Schroder and other members of the committee
representing the Voters Mass Meeting. Gentle
men: I am in receipt of your communication
expressing the indignation of the majority of
the voters of Lincoln at the action of the coun
cil in overriding the expressed will of the peo
ple at the polls and requesting the use of my
name in recall proceedings against Mr. Zehrung
and to lead a movement to initiate ordinances to
reduce the cost of living and amend the charter.
"I feel that the people have just grounds for
feeling that they have been as effectively dis
franchised and their expressed will overriden
at the recent city election as if the result had
been accomplished by the methods used in
Pennsylvania, New York and Indiana under the
old councilmanic system.
"It seems apparent that the overriding of the
public will as expressed at the election was for
the purpose of handicapping the people in their
efforts to secure relief from the profiteers in
the necessaries of life. The issue, then, is, should
they surrender their voting right to secure re
lief from the profiteer through the ballot or
should they demand another election, rebuke
those who overrode the people's expressed will
and the people again assume their right to be
supreme under a republican form of govern
ment. b vuu
"I agree with the decision of the people
whom you represent, that there should be recall
proceedings and that at the same time" ord
nances should be initiated that would restore
competition in the sale of coal, ice,' vegetabTes
and produce, and to amend the charter to pre
vent farce elections. I dfc not believe, however
that the use of my name in the recall proceed,
ings is the best way to make a campaign. I do
not feel that the people's right of self-determination
is dependent upon my candidacy. I f
not construe that the large majority I received
over my opponents in the recent election was a
personal victory for me, hut I do believe that it
was a victory for the people who are demand
ing a reduction in the cost of living and who
were opposing the narrow business policy of
playing a game of freeze out with the people
with a monopoly in the essential necessaries
of life.
"I had no personal interest to" serve in the
city election and have no personal interest now
other than a desire to be of service in giving the
people what they want and what they have de
clared for. I believe that you should now go
ahead with your recall proeedings and also
initiate the ordinances referred to above. I
believe that you should draft a candidate to lead
the fight to restore people's rule or representa
tive government. I believe tha,t you can find
a man of standing and reputation who sees
the importance of making a campaign at this
t'me, who feels sufficient obligation to the pub
lic to make the necessary sacrifice to permit
the use of his name and one who is in entire
accord with the people in the recent city elec
tion who won the contest for good government
and for establishing some .municipal enterprises
that would restore competition and thus dis
continue the practice that is destroying the peo
ple's good faith in the power of their govern
ment to protect them.
"In expressing an unwillingness to permit
the use of my name in the recall proceedings
;on the ground that I believe it is someone else's
duty, I want to assure you that I will support
more effectively than I could if I should be the
candidate myself, and I desire the opportunity
to devote whatever time it may be necessary
under someone else's leadership to reinstate
the people's right to seat a mayor of the people's
own choosing and to compel the carrying into
effect the policies that the people declared for at
the polls.
"If you will select a representative man or
woman to re-take your own government that
has slipped away from you, I do not believe
that there will be any trouble or delay in se
curing the necessary signers to the recall peti
tion and the necessary signers to the ordinances
creating a municipal coal yard, a municipal ice
plant, a municipal public market and amend
ing your charter and from the hundreds of ex
pressions that I have heard from the people.
I believe that they desire that this contest should
start at the earliest possible moment.
"By making the fight under the leadership
of another candidate, we can disprove the false
charge that the recent campaign was made to
promote any political interest of mine. We can
disprove the false statements vjnade that there
was any partisan politics involved in tho election;
we can expose the false charge made by the
financial interests back of the Traction company
that I attached myself to popular municipal is
sues rather than that I had suggested issues and
advocated issues that were in the interest of the
populace.
"If a candidate will come forth and lead this
fight in behalf of the people, the issues will 1)6
stripped of any subterfuges and the question
will be, have the people a right to direct their
own public servants, and will the profiteers
dare to strong-arm the people out of a victory
at the polls?
"If this campaign is made, and I believe the
people are ready to make it I will feel it mv
duty to remain in the council and join with tho
men whom you select at the special election in
an effort to reinstate popular government and
to assist in putting into effect the initiated
ordinances establishing a municipal coal yard, a
municipal ice plant and a municipal market that
are so badly needed in this city at this time."
Bryan Charles Bryan, who claims to have
been the choice of the people for mayor was not
so elected by the commissioners who were elect
ed to serve with him on the commission. They
elected Frank C. Zehrung, who was also a can
didate for the place; but in tho city election
Bryan received more than a majority of all the
votes cast while Zehrung was one of the low
men who got in on the commission. In the face
of the fact that Bryan was given 4,600 votes to
Zehrung but 3,900 and both were avowed can
didates for the office of mayor, it looks as though
the commission was not playing fair with the
people and shows also that politicians cannot
be trusted to do the will of the people as ex
pressed at an election unless they are forced
so to do. Wayne, Neb., Democrat.
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