The Commoner
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
NO. 4 Lincoln, Nebraska, April, 1923 Whole Number 768
A Word of Farewell
The breaking of the ties that have *grown up
between the readers of The Commoner and my
self is a painful task, The paper has furnished
me with a means of reaching political friends
scattered throughout the United^States and I am
inclined to be reminiscent as I say farewell to
them.
The paper was established in 1901, just after
my second presidential campaign. When I re
tired from congress in March, 1895, I expected to
return to my law practice which had been sus
pended for four years. But the silver question
was then forging to the front and I soon found
that I must either continue the discussion of pub
lic questions or disappoint a host of friends with
whom I had become a co-laborer. I decided,
therefore, to continue my political work until
after the presidential campaign. The nomina
tion c^me to me in July, 189 6, and when the
election was over it was apparent that I would
be re-nominated in 1900. During the four
years between 1896 and 1900 I devoted myself
entirely to public questions. By the end of the
second campaign I was so deeply involved in na
tional politics that I did not feel justified in re
turning to the trial of law suits, so the paper
was established in order to give me constant
and certain access to the progressive element of
the Democratic party.
I need not recount the many events that have
followed during the publication of The Com
moner, but it may not be out of place to call at
tention to some of the things which it has cham
pioned.
It was an advocate of popular election of
United States Senators from the day of the first
issue until the amendment became a part of the
Constitution in 1918.
It advocated an income tax from the day it
was founded until the income tax became a part
of the Constitution in February, 1913.
Beginning in 1910 The Commoner increasingly
discussed legislation aimed at the liquor traffic
—first county option, which became an issue in
Nebraska in 1910, and later prohibition as it be
came an issue in Nebraska and the nation.
In 1914 The Commoner began the advocacy
of Woman Suffrage, it being a state i6sue in Ne
braska that year.
The paper also supported the Currency Law,
Tariff reform, Anti-Trust Legislation, the Child
Labor Law, the Farm Banking Law, the law that
forbids gambling in farm products, the regula
tion of the meat packing industry, the regulation
of the railroads, the changing of the rules of the
House so as to put an end to the despotic power
of the speaker, legislation requiring publicity as
to newspaper ownership, publication of campaign
contributions before the election, and all tho
other remedial measures that have come before
the public.
The Commoner has been the supporter of four
great Constitutional Amendments and the cham
pion of every reform measure proposed during
its existence. It is proud of its record and proud
of the friends who have supported it. Its circu
lation has been dependent upon the active in
terest of its readers and they have put me under
an obligation that I shall rrot be able to fully dis
charge during my lifetime—an obligation which
I shall pay in installments whenever opportun
ity offers.
I am not retiring from politics, nor shall I
lose interest in public measures. Through inter
views and articles published in various maga
zines and papers, as well as in my speeches, I
■shall discuss public issues from the Democratic
standpoint. In this way I hope to keep in touch
with the American people.
During the last few years I have given con
siderable space in The Commoner to the discus
sion of religious questions. I have felt it my
duty to do this in order that my readers might
be fully informed as to the subjects which I was
discussing. My Bible Talks now reach a ’very
considerable percentage of the American people,
being published in papers with a combined cir
culation of some four millions.
I shall continue to follow all the lines of work
in which I have been engaged—I cannot in good
conscience abandon any of the movements with
which I am connected because I believe them all
vitally important to the country.
During the publication of. The Commoner, I
*• have been constantly meeting people who in
formed me that they were readers and have been
grateful for their expressions of appreciation of
The Commoner’s attitude and arguments on pub
lic questions. As my travelling will continue,
although the length and number of my trips v'ill
probably decrease with advancing years, I hope
to st'll have the pleasure of meeting those who
have been subscribers of my paper. In bidding
them adieu, I beg to express for my brother, as
well as for myself, heartfelt appreciation of their
loyalty and cordial good will. May they all live
long and prosper.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
ANOTHER DRED SCOTT DECISION
The recent 5 to 3 decision of the Supreme
Court (Justice Brandies took no part) declaring
the minimum wage law unconstitutional is an
other Dred Scott decision. It will—or should—
awaken the country to the heartlessness of pluto
cracy. The “sacredness of contract” becomes a
cruel farce when the employee can be forced into
labor that is devitalizing. Chief Justice Taft is
to be congratulated on his dissenting opinion.
Humanity will react against the policy which the
court has endorsed, as it will against the doc
trine recently announced by President Vauclain
of the Baldwin Locomotive works. He says his
day men work ten hours and his night men four
teen hours and can work more if they want to.
It is a return to barbarism in both cases.
« __
Senator Brookhart of Iowa, in supporting th<;
filibuster to prevent consideration of the ship
subsidy bill, talked for thirteen hours. The
senator has thus early fulfilled the predictions
that were made before his election by both his
enemies and his friends.
To the Readers of
The Commoner
It is with genuine regret that f announce to the
readers of The Commoner that the publication of
the paper will be discontinued with this, t^o
April issue. The paper was established in Jan
uary 1901 as a means of reaching the public in
the discussion of political, economic and socio
logical questions. It 1^ served its purpose well;
for nearly a quarter of a century it has enabled
me to lay before the progressive Democrats of
the nation the problems under consideration and
the arguments employed in the support of the
Democratic side of public questions. It has been
a source of great pleasure to me and, from the
assurances I have received, I am sure it has
strengthened our cause and gratified the active
exponents of Democracy in their several com
munities throughout the United States.
When 1 entered the Cabinet, I found it neces
sary to change the paper from a-weekly to a
monthly because I could not spare the time re
quired by a weekly and the paper was so per
sonal in its character that I was not willing to
entrust it entirely to he direction of others.
With advancing years the field of my activ
ity has broadened instead of narrowing until I
now find it impossible to continue The Commoin
er without withdrawing from lines of work into
which circumstances have led me. The new de
mands, while lessening my time for editorial
work, have given me new' means of reaching the
public which bring me into contact with more
readers than I was able to reach through The
Commoner. My Bible Talks, for instance, are
published weekly in papers having a circulation
of about four millions, and a reading public of
ten to twelve millions.
In addition to these limitations upon my own
time, my brother, who, as publisher, has from
the beginning relieved me of all the work con
nected with the paper except the writing of edi
torials, has been drawn into increasing political
activity. Being now Governor of the State of
Nebraska he finds it impossible to give to the
paper the time which he has devoted to it from
its establishment. These two reasons, one af
fecting him, ard the ether affect:ng myself,
coerce us into taking the action here announced.
We have arranged for The Household, a
monthly family magazine, and Capper’s Farmer,
a monthly farm paper, published at Topeka,
Kansas, to take over our subscription list and,
in order to do full justice to those who subscrip
tions extend beyond the month of June, 192?., I
shall write a monthly article on the political sit
uation for the period of about one year.
I cannot bring to a close the cordial relation
ship that has existed between The Commoner
and its readers without expressing for my broth
er. as well as for myself, profound appreciation
of the generous cooperation of the readers to
whose active interest The Commoner has been
largely indebted for its circulation and influence.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.