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The Commoner
: 'VOL. 21, NO. 0
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The Commoner
ISSUED MONTHLY
Entered nt the Postofllco at Lincoln, NouraskU,
no Bcoond-class matter.
: . ,
. WILLTAM J. BUY AN, . CHARLES W. BRYAN,
.Editor and Proprietor AsBoc'lato toil, and PubllRhcr
Edit. ItniB and BqBlncaa Oflleo, Suite 207 Press Bide.
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Address all communications to , .
THE COMMONER, LINCOLN, NEI1.
OUR CHRIST
By Harry Webb Farrington
I know not how that Bethlehem '"a Babe,. -,
gould in the God-haad he; - . .
I only know tho manger child
,, . Has brought God's life to me.
.' v. II
..; ,Xdo not know how. that Calvary's cross,
, rf. . A world from sin, could free;
A ,I only know its Matchless Love
Has brought God's love to me.
. Ill
V I know not how that Joseph's Tomb
, ,. Could solve death's mystery-; . ,
,. . J. know there is n. Living Christ
' Our immortality. 1 "
-'
.The man who is inclined to think there is
something in this talk about prices getting back
to war level finds speedy disillusionment when
he tries to purchase a suit of clothing.
Governor McKelvio of Nebraska has been
under fire so long because' he travels about the
country flo much that the average citizen who
wants to havoVa few minutes with him saves a
lot of time by haunting the railroad" depot at
Lincoln. l
The watermelon crop was so large in manv
.of the i westorn states that it is reported a con
siderable part of it rotted in tho fields. This
ought to be passed along o the man who is
hunting for arguments to prove his claim that
tho world is getting better.
Railroad men attempt to explain the ability
of Henry Ford to pay his railroad men more
money, charge less for freight and still make
a neat surplus by saying that . it is because he
is doing more business than the road did before '
ho bought it. The real reason is that he if 32
voting his energies to running a railroad whlio
most of the other railroad managers are de.
voting theirs to running the government.
tt uhVra?t7 b VZ?C? between Germany and the
Soflf StaitGS, Whi?h Sectary Hughes nego
tiated now lacks only the approval, of the United
States Senate to become effective. As about
the main difference between that and the one
the Senate rejected is that the new one has bean
trfnS?d ly a ,?ePublican administration and '
the other by a Democratic administration it is"
not expected that the Republican majority will
tarry very long about ratifying it. -
Due. to the insistence of Commissioner Charles
W. Bryan the Lincoln city council has reluctant
ly consented to operate a municipal coal yard
for the ensuing year Every coa profiteer in
tho town opposed this as an invasion n? m
private right to make as much as h conld
Before the coal yard was established coal Seat
era were trying to induce the purchase nf SL
winter's supply, but since then it appears th
b to be no cdal famine this white? because the
tadustrles are not demanding theiTuwSrt Soto "
Letters From Interested Readers I
MONEY QUESTION AND HOMES FOR PEOPLE
Bellevue, Wash, August 23, 1921. The
Commoner, Lincoln, Neb.; I have read every is
sue of The Commoner since its first publication. I -have
worked for every reform advocated by W.
J. Bryan and have rejoiced to see the good ac
complished. I knew Mr. Bryan as a fellow member of the
53rd congress; his ability and position on all
important questions inspired my confidence and
admiration. His opportunity for the study of
public questions since then, always coupled with
right motives in party leadership, has been such
as to eminently fit him' for leadership in the re
organization of tho Democratic party, and I con
sider him tho most capable and the safest man
in America today, to trust with such reorganiza
tion. I think the leading issues now should be the
MONEY QUESTION and HOMES FOR THE
PEOPLE. Every 'organization, .government,
state or municipal; every corporation, transpor
tation, commercial or industrial; every company
and individual, wants and NEEDS more money.
We have GREATER population and production,
MORE DEBTS, INSURANCE and TAXATION
than ever before, yet at this very time the
Federal Reserve Bank is RETIRING CUR
RENCY, HOARDING MONEY, FINANCING
FOREIGN LOANS, DEPRESSING BUSINESS,
INCREASING FAILURES and MULTIPLYING
UNEMPLOYMENT. They are ROBBING basic
industries of values by the billions through
doubling the value of the dollar.
It is plain the banks are determined to RUN
5JLCIPNTR0L BUSINESS and VALUES for
THEIR own PROFIT. They have secured from
congress a complete monopoly of money control.
They have all the currency they require, in their
own name, without any charge for interest, with
the privilege of retiring as much as they choose,
whenever they choose. They have practically
all the money of the people in deposits, which
they use, hoard or loan as they please, at high
fatrfJ-nterest- Thev moke a11 loans payable
in GOLD COIN of the United States, thenin
pound all the qoin in their own vaults.
The people have placed their heads in the
mouths of lions and the fear of the bite has
?!! a ttrr,r that no one dares Protest or speak
banks VG a whisi)0Iln criticism of the
The. constitution gives congress the right to
coin money and regulate the value thereof Con-
SXdrq?arfp,enU?e th? PGOple' should Issue
united States com and currency directly to the
treasury of the United States available for an?
mib c SVY U may detmine for Zl
public good Such money so issued would eet
tIyISS"011 at its ful1 value" and SAVE gIN
TAXATION every dollar so issued,
Let the banks conduct a loan, deposit and dis
count business, but be required to Jnsure all da
pos tors against loss. Enact a national law
tTesf Th " P the maximum reof?
terest The banks -have had a fair trial TW
XfflSnNITND . WANTIN0 nS
aZttT PeToepiaeUsS?aStarteHTn? LAN '
while young and ra.se7am Hos ut the di'S
and uncertainty of procuring homos nt? Sp ?i7
momentous event in lifn S SJ ? off thla
est to encourage thrift and enable fa mfuil T
have homes of their own. NothhV , ie,8 1
more tor moral, social and indSS&i iUld, do
ment. Our homestead privileges ar nn?V-0lT
ing. Good lands are scarce S ?n,ot Xlt'
of the present day homestead Ib a VSlai on
deterrent. Nothing would do so ,w SSmg
courage thrift' as to authorise ion tf t0 ,en"
nterest loans to add toyJ&nl
the one purpose of providing homes fX iS8 r
Pie. Every citizen should have the Ln n?
home, with family love to soften thnlJL0. 0f a
make sacred the privilege of ri?i-iSeftJt and
United States. A good homo SfS!Wp in the
more of land owned by the head Sf T ,0r '
will make self support a possfbilitv ? ifam ly
to country a certainty p08SlblIItv and loyalty
put Ku'e?! but
form and I will do mutm0at fnlV0Ur W"
of the cause. 'WgT
DEPREDATION OP THE CLASSES
. Charlottesville, Va., Aug". 29, 1921 rv,,.,
W. Bryan, Lincoln, Nebr,, Dear Mr. Bryan- v
circular letter of August "24$h to hand t
in entire sympathy witH the subject of your S
ter. As to the possibility .of accomplishing nnv
thing, I am frank to say that i am pessimist
In a general way I have been a stronjr snn
-porter of Mr. Bryan. I .have not agreed
him in all details. Nor do I now agree I !
some. In a general way however, I have n!
hesitancy in saying that he has occupied anS
deserves to occupy a leading role among AmM
can publicists. Without going further into Sir
agreements and .disagreements, I am making
bold to say that I- should like for him and for
you to concentrate upon what I believe is thi
burning issue before the 'American people, with
out regard to any side-tracking of any desorin.
tion. What is this issue? llh
In my judgment it is the depredation of the
classes upon the masses. You say this has been
Mr. Bryan's contention all along. In a measure
thiB is absolutely correct. But hasn't he been to
some extent side-tracked? The country is in a
deplorable condition, not hecause there is not
milk- and honey in abundance, but because this
milk and honey are gathered in by these classes
and withheld from the masses. As the years go
by, conditions, instead of growing better, are
growing worse. There never was a time when
despotism was as rampant in America as at this
time. In order that you 'may not be in doubt
as to what I have injny mind," I refer to COM
BINES, which mean the Steel Trust, the Oil
Trust, the Paper Trust and'.every other Combine
of every description, including a Combine of un
scrupulous politicians, from, which source all
Combines receive ' their authority to exist and
nre perpetually protected .in 4heir lawless opera
tions, as well as operations -technically made law
ful. " - ". r -v"
'In this land which; as T Have already said, is
flowing with milk and honey it ought to be
easy for every one dis'posed-to do so to make a
living with a reasonable iiuiriber of hours of
work each day. Because of the vampires referred
to it is becoming harder and harder for an hon
est man to keep his head above water. What
is the remedy? In the writer's opinion there is'
one and only one, BREAK UP ALL COMBINES.
Can this remedy be applied? I do not know.
Unless it can be applied, then the situation is
absolutely, hopeless. If a sentiment cannot be
aroused, N perpetuated and made effective by
which one class or classes, can his prevented from
feeding on the masses, then" we 'have nothing to
look forward to except a contemplation of abso
lute gloom. There is not one particle of logic in
any system or condition which enables an idiot
and profligate who has his money invested in a
concern, which lives upon the tribute FORCED
from the people while sensible as well as good
men are ground to the earth. With all due def
erence to other peoples opinion, there is no
8"cha thing as a good TRUST or a good COM
ft ?; They are a11 Dad- -This was formerly
Mr. Bryan's, position. He -has been somewhat
less pronounced on it in' late years. Things
were bad enough up to the 12th day of August,
ui4, Since then, they have grown worse in
geometrical ratio. T agree with Mr. Bryan that
war ought to be stopped, if such a thing can be
done. Cetrainly, Mr. Sherman was right when
ne said, war was Hell. It Has surely made a
Hell for tho American peopje. I have never
understood why war should ' do tin excuse for
multiplying and giving freer-rein to thieves.
Neither can 1 now understand' It.' -
To conclude this long epistle,, for which 1
apologize, I again say.that if we can And a way
? b5fealc UP every Combine of .every description,
starting with the Capitalistic Combine and end
ing with the Labor Combineythe whole trouble
wm betsolvod. Restore competition, real com
petition, and oitf industrial troubles will be at
au,end- K this remedy cannot be applied, then
it is perfectly useless to waste our time, our
tnought or our money. I should like to see somo
expression, from either you or your brother
KnV &lB 1Ine' lf yu belieye It can he done,
;?2JGts.S0 straJght'at the mark and not allow
anything to divert us. The progress we have
H, In 5ecen.t years reminds me of the frog
tliTie .two feefc evry day and slipping back
three, feet eyery night. This -is just about the
way we have succeeded in r.ecent years, in curb;
ldni Parasites, and privileged classes of a"
,i"nus. , ,A , yqur,8 veryisjncerely,
J4BDWIN WOOD.
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