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WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 22, NO. 3
Lincoln, Nebraska, March, 1922
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Treaties Should Be
Ratified
Tho Democrats have a great opportunity in
the coming congressional campaign, assuming,
of course, that the candidates will be worthy
of the confidence and in harmony with the party
attitude. They have a splendid prospect of
gaining the next Congress an& this would enable
them to lay the foundations, for a winning cam
paign in 1924.
As might have been expected, the weakest
paint in this administration is its economic policy.
This is because the Republican party is made up
of two distinct groups; the reactionaries, who
control the leadership, and the progressives, who
furnish the bulk of the votes. Reactionary lead
ership could not possibly be satisfactory to the
rank and file of theRepublican party, but no
Democrat imagined that the Republican leaders
would defy tho masses as arrogantly as they
have. ,
The Revenue bill framed by the Republican
leaders was so bad that a Republican caucus re-'
fused to endorse it until fhe retroactive clause'
was stricken out. - This one clause gave to the
profiteers and the people with big incomes a do
nation for the year estimated at five hundred and
forty millions. Even after this retroactive clause
was stricken out tho bill was still so bad that
the Republican leaders did npt dare to let even a
single Republican offer an amendment The
rules only permitted one amendment and fhat
was to be offered by the opposition so that it
could be voted down as a party matter.
Then tho bill went over to the Senate and the
Democrats were able to secure enough progres
sive Republicans to raise the maximum tax on
incomes from thirty-two-to fifty per cent. When
the bill came back to the House the Republican
leadors tried to make a compromise of forty
por cent but tho Democrats secured the support
of ninety-three Republicans more than one
third of the Republican irfembers and kept the
rate at fifty per cent.
The Revenue bUl ought to be the leading is
sue in the west because it was the western Re
Publicans who revolted against Republican lead
ership. Because our fight must be made largely upon
economic issues it is unwise for the Democrats
J Prolong the debate over the peace treaties.
Every day's debate will tend to divert attention
from the economic issues and the Democrats
will not only suffer by this diverting of atten
tion but they will suffer still more if they allow
themselves to be put in the attitude of opposition
to any steps toward peace. There is no reason
why the Democrats should not endorse every
good thing connected with tho treaties and then
claim, as they rightfully can, that such progress
5 bas been made, has been made along
democratic lines rather than along Repub
lican lines. The Democratic party has
son the leader in the peace movement
Ma it can consistently su'pportany steps taken
Whole Number 755
New Jersey Ratifies
A Trenton, dispatch dated March 9,
says: The New Jersey Legislative As
sembly today voted 33 to 24 in favor
of a resolution, already adopted by tho
Senate, ratifying "a proposed amendment
to the Federal Constitution," tiio Eigh
teenth (Prohibition) Amendment. It di
rects the Governor to forward the "rati
fication to the Secretary of State at Wash
ington, New Jersey is the forty-sixth of the
forty-eight states to assent to Prohibition.
toward peace by the Republicans because they
are taken along Democratic lines. Take, for
instance, the Four Power Treaty. It is based
upon the Thirty Treaties negotiated by the last
administration.. Those who framed the Four
Power treaty claimed that it implied a reserva
tion of independence but the Senate has insisted
that that reservation be made specific. In doing
this it has simply added tho one provision of the
Thirty Treaties that was left, out of tho -Four
Power treaty. .Why should the Democrats object
toare'aty that carries out the ideas of tho
Democratic treaties? Eighteen of the Thirty
Treaties were ratified in one day; after the first
three were ratified there was not a dissenting
vote. When the Democrats vpte for tho Four
Power Treaty they are simply approving of their
own policy which the Republicans have adopted.
Is it possible that a Republican endorsement
can destroy the value of Democratic treaties?
The sooner these treaties are disposed of the
better.
This does not' mean that no reservations
should be adopted. Any reservations that any
Democrat wants to propose should be proposed
arid acted upon but there should bo no unnec
essary delay. We denounced the Republicans
for delaying the action on the Treaty of Ver
sailles. Why should we bring condemnation up
on ourselves by delaying action upon these
treaties, especially when by doing so we divert
attention from the eeonomic questions, which
must be the paramount issue in our fall cam
paign. The Domocrats can take away leadership from
the Republicans on the peace issue because the
Democrats are willing to go farther than the Re
publican leaders are in reducing the army and
navy in harmony with the Arms Conference. In
other words, the Democrats can, by prompt ac
tion and by assertion of the right of leadership,
prevent the Republicans from gaining any party
advantage from the Arms Conference.
W. J. BRYAN.
A Queer Combination
It is peculiar, to say tho least, to see tho Ir
reconcilables opposing tho Four Power Treaty
because it goes too far and friends of Article
Ten opposing it because it docs not go far
enough. Queer? Not so queer after all, because
it was just such a combination that prevented
the United States from going into tho League
of Nations with the reservations proposed by tho
Republicans. The senators who wanted tho Ver
sailles Treaty JUST AS IT WAS and those who
did not want it AT ALL joined hands to prevent
ratification with reservations and thus kept tho
United States out of tho League of Nations.
The Irreconcilables are consistent in opposing
everything, but how can those who favored a
large League of Nations object to a small league
especially when the' amendment proposed by tho
Foreign Affairs committee reserves to tho United
States independence of action and explicitly ex
cludes the idea of an alliance or obligation.
W. J. BRYAN.
UNTERMEYER'S PUBLIC SERVICE
Honorable Samuel Untermoyer is a national as
set. He is a great lawyer, but, unlike many
other lawyers of prominence, his work is done
on the side of tho people at great sacrifice' of
time and strength and money. He has been
championing the side of tho people againat all
forms of exploitation. Ho took the side of the
tenants against the landlords, and the side of
the people against the building combine. Moro
recently he has been exposing the extortion prac
ticed by tho Insurance companies and seems like
ly to save the insured many millions of dol
lars. The nation is fortunate in having on the side
of the unorganized masses at least one great
lawyer who is a match for anyone whom big
business can put against him. Strength and
length of days to this champion of the people.
W. J. BRYAN.
DISGRACING THE CHURCH
Senator Spencer speaks of Senator Newberry's
"high Christian and patriotic character." If
Senator Spencer had more interest in the church
and less in Senator Newberry he would see what
an injustice Newberry does the church in hiding
his political corruption under the mantle of re
ligion Senator Newberry has brought disgrace
on the church as well as the Senate.
HERE'S THEIR CHANCE
News comes from . Patagonia that some one
repofls seeing a plesiosaures In a Patagonia lake
and the scientific world Is duly excited. It Is
estimated that forty millions of years have
elapsed since the last animal of this species dis.
ported himself in the waters of this globe. If ft
can be found that tho breed has continued un
changed until this day It will be a terrible blow
to the evolutionists. Why would this obstinate
creature refuse to change Into something else
and thus furnish ONE Instance of a Variation o
tho Mosiac doctrine of reproduction according to
kind. Possibly tho professors who went to,
Africa to look for tho missing link could be in
duced to extend their journey to South America. '
Enthusiasm for an hypothesis (a guess) Is a
great thing. We have a splendid illustration of
it in the evolutionist who will travel round tho
globe to find a fossil but will not cross the street
to save a soul.
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