The Nebraska Independent
0
JUNE 7, 1906
(?) thus extended. Butbe that as it
may, the more acute silver question
monopolized the field of politics- to the
exclusion, ra a large measure, of the
railroad issue for a number of years.
1 Now, that' the silver question has
passed off - the stage, the: railroad
question which has grown to an acute
stage is its legitimate successor in the
politics of the state, and from present
indications ft' is likely to occupy a
position near the center of the stage
in national politics.
' Every new issue is accompanied by
a new alignment of voters and the
railroad issue is not likely to be' an
exception to the rule. To illustrate
our meaning" it is only necessary to
call attention to the fact that among
the most iardent bimetallism were
found railroad presidents and manu
facturers who" profit by high tariffs
and even some of the lesser lights of
Standard Oil. Therefore, the
alignment of voters upon the railroad
question does not necessarily bear any
relation to the alignment in the con
test for bimetallism. ,
It remains to be seen whether or
not the leaders of the democratic
party in the state of Nebraska will
acknowledge the railroad question as
paramount in the politics of the state,
and will select its candidates with
special reference to dealing with that
question. When they do this in ab
solute good faith the need of an in
dependent organization to further
that issue-will have passed away, but
not until then.-
The fact that the party will make
loud proffessions of hostility to rail
road "control in politics in its platform
is not sufficient. The republicans
wUl undou But
the voter is very, young ana green
who" will accept the joint professions
of the two great political parties of
the state as' settling the question or
offering assurances of relief from rail
road extortion.'
It is true that the democrats in con
gress made a very much better show
ing that the republicans did upon the
rate bill. But it is also true that no
such bill would not have been before
congress were it not for President
Roosevelt. And, at this time there
would be little assurance that the sue-
cessor to President Roosevelt would
continue the work initiated by him
against railroad extortion and trust
control were it not for the great? and
growing popularity of William Ji Bry-
an, to whom alone among the great
national leaders have the people reas
on to look for genuine measures, of
relief.
But aside from what congress may
do or can do for the relief of the peo
ple there is yet a great work to be
done in Nebraska that must be done
by the citizens of our state to bring
relief to the producers any taxpayers
which makes it expedient for the peo
ple's independent party to maintain
an effective organization until the
alignment upon the railroad question
is completed, and the people have
evidence of good faith, in deeds done.
Again the fate that overtook the
democratic party in . the state two
years, ago must not be overlooked. In
that year when the railroads and cor
porations named the democratic can
didate for the presidency there were
but comparatively few instances in the
state where the democrats and popu
lists co-operated in the local , county
elections, resulting in the loss of the
legislative ticket generally as well as
county officers in that year. It should
also be recalled that last year fusions
were effected In a large number of
counties in the state resulting in the
court houses being recaptured by the
fusionists. Under the circumstances
it does not require a giant' Intellect
to comprehend the need, for the pres
ent at least of an Independent political
organization that will co-operate with
the democrats, in order to stand a
reasonable chance of electing state
officers and a legislature the present
year; " : -". '
When you visit Lincoln call upon
The Independent. Our latch string is
always out. V ' ;
Tillman did good work in the con
ference on the rate bill. He deserves
great credit.
It now l6oks as though the New
York democrats would have to nomi
nate William Randolph Hearst in self
defense. A good fellow is good in his proper
place. Bu":, a good fellow is not good
politically unless he stands for cor
rect rpinciples of government.
If you have friends to whom1 -you
wish to have1 sample copies of The
Independent sent, send in their names
and a copy of the paper will be mailed
to each of them.
; The state committee of the people's
independent party has been called to
meet in Lincoln on the iZth inst. The
call contains an invitation to mem
bers of the party generally to be
present.
If President Roosevelt only v pos
sessed genuine ' ability equal to bis
ambition he would accomplish--much
good, and make for himself a ;;reat
name. As it is he does some good by
making a great deal of noise. "
It is now reported that Hon. Wil
liam J. Bryan will arrive home about
August 1st. He will receive a con
tinual ovation from the time he lands
in New York Until he seeks refuge
in his beautiful home at Fairview. '
The exposures in connection with
packing house products is of the most
revolting nature. The muck rake Is
entitled to the thanks of the ha don
for uncovering a source of danger to
the public health which was not sus
pected. '
On account of throwing down his
friends and allies on the rate bill the
president is shorn of much of the
power he formerly possessed which
enabled him to do business. But he
has the power left to expose abuses
and attract attention to them, buf
in betraying his democratic allies and
losing their confidence he has parted
with the club that he held over the
members of his own party in con
gress, and is therefore helpless. -
The late Senator Arthur Pue Gor
man was one of the foremost polit-
ical manipulators and legislative com
promisers of his day. But, bis name
has never been linked with any meas
ure calculated to perpetuate or hallow
his memory.
Democrats must remember that the
party experienced considerable tribu
lation in its efforts to keep gold
democrats from monopolizing the of
fices. In selecting candidates for of
fice it will be well to investigate their
railroad connections until aftei the
railroad question is settled.
Democrats are complaining that
Roosevelt stole the ideas upon which
his popularity was built out , of a
democratic platform. But nobody
ever heard them complain that their
party confiscated the whole platform
of the populist sin 1896, and in addi
tion to the platform scooped in a
couple of million populist votes.
Bryan has always spoken kindly
and respectfully of Roosevelt. Well
Roosevelt has made more votes for
Bryan In the last two years than it
was possible for any other fifty men
in the country to make. It wig be
cause he was. in the right position to
call attention to ' a ' few democratic
principles, and he did not neglect to
do so.
If Senator Tillman really knew how
many friends and admirers he has
throughout the county it might stim
ulate his vanity a little. Intelligence,
honesty and backbone count wheri the
opportunity is 1 presented, particularly
when . the possessor of these qualities
has in addition thereto courage and
aggressiveness. . Tillman possesses all
of these qualities and the country has
just received a benefit therefrom.
, ElkiDs realizes that Senator Till
man has the ear of the voters of
West Virginia, and that his word
would carry great weight among his
constituents, and being somewhat un
der suspicion as regards his attitude
on the rate bill he did not dare pro
voke the austere South Carolinian,
by insisting upon mutilating the rate
bill in conference. Tillman was the
right man in the. right place on the
conference5 committee.
Bryan is the only hope of the
democratic party. If the party can be
made attractive to genuine democrats
by dispensing the real article, every
state in the Union will become over
whelmingly democratic in the near
future. The popularity and power at
tained by President Roosevelt
through promising the country some
samples of good democracy proved
that the republican party is full of
good democrats. If the democratic
party had stood for democratic prin
ciples in the past both the party and
the country would have fared , better
than they did. -
The Eastern conservatives that
fought Bryan so vigorously in the
past and are now endorsing him on
the ground that he has modified his
radical . views 1 and has grown more
conservative, reminds us of the wom
an in the London fish market skinning
eels. A stranger gazing in wonder
at her deftness in stripping eels of
their hides and then dropping them
into a tray where, minus their epider
mus, they continued to squirm, ven
tured to inquire of her if the process
didn't hurt the eels, to which she re
i plied, "No;" explaining that it used
to hurt them when she first engaged
in that occupation, but that it did not
hurt them now as the eels had got
, ten used to it. -.... :;
Senator Gorman of Maryland whose
death has recently occurred, eujoyed
great fame In the South to which he
was not justly entitled. He was gen
erally credited with the defeat, in the
senate of the federal elections law,
commonlv known as the Lodee force
bill. While1 the senator was op
posed to , the ' measure and would
undoubtdedly have made any sac
rifice necessary . to secure its
defeat, yet the fact remains that the
defeat of the. bill was not due to the
efforts of Senator Gorman. When the
bill was before the senate it was vio
lently opposed by the Maryland sen
ator and his friends, but, they realized
that the bill was made a party meas
ure and that as the republicans had
a majority in the senate, there was
no hope of defeating the measure,
and therefore they decided to make a
i ...
vigorous opposition for a short per
iod for the purpose of affording an
opportunity for , southern senators to
enter their protest and perfect : their
individual records regarding the same,
when they would permit the bill to be
voted upon. Their purpose became
known to their colleagues in the sen-
ate whereupon Senator Gorman was
informed by a republican colleague
that if he would make a protracted
and. seemingly - determined fight
against the measure, and maintain a '
l.fi A li I i 1 .. 1 S I -
ueuaui aiuiuue snowing no signs ot
weakening, that after a 1 week or
two, or a sufficient time has elapsed
so that their action would not savor
of party disloyalty or attract especial
attention, a sufficient number of
silver senators would support a mo
tion to displace the force bill on the
calander and thus defeat it. The
proposition was made in good faith
and accepted and acted upon by Sen
ator Gorman with the result as prom
ised. Senators Stanford of California;
Stewart and Jones of Nevada, Teller
of Colorado, Cameron of Pennsylvania
and one or two others whose names
are not recalled voted with the demo
crats to sidetracks the force bill. It
is said that the suggestion leading to
this course of action by the repubii-'
cdn was originally made to Senator
Stanford by Hon. Joseph C. Sibley of
Pennsylvania. "
The publishers of The Independent
want agents everywhere to canvass
for subscriptions and sell Mr. Berge's
new book, "THE FREE PASS BRI
BERY, SYSTEM." See advertisement
of book elsewhere in this paper. We
receive hundreds of orders through
the mails. It is the only book writ
ten upon a subject in which the peo
ple , are just now vitally interested.
The people everywhere will want the
book. Ex-Governor Larabee of Iowa
ordered ten books before same were
off the press. We receive orders from
all parts "of the country. This book
is a seller. All you nave to do is to
tell about it. You can make $100 per
month. Write at once for terms.
THE INDEPENDENT, Lincoln, Neb.