The Penn's Grove record., 1901-01-25
THE CONIMONER
VIM. j. Bryan Editor.

The first issue Of William ]. Bryan's
paper, the Commone appeared on We'd
nesday. In the first editorial he explains
why he chose that name, a name which
will make all feel interested in it, except
the privileged classes. lie says:
webster defines a commoner as cone
of the common people" The name has
been selected for this paper because The
Commoner will endeavor to aid the COM
mon people in the protection of their
interests and the realization Of their as
pirations.
1T is not necessary to apologize for the
use OF a term which distinguishes the
great body of the population from the
comparatively few, who, for one reason
or another, withdraw themselves from
sympathetic connection with. their fell
lows. Among the Greeks "Iiorpolloi'
was used to describe the many, while
among the Romans the word 'plebs''
was employed for the same purpose.
These applications, like 'the common
people" have been assumed with pride
by those to whom they were applied,
while they have been used as terms OF
reproach by those who counted themsel-
YES among the aristocratic classes. With
in recent years there has been a growing
tendency in some quarters to denounce as
demagogic any reference to, or praise OF,
the common people.
zone editor in a late issue OF his paper
takes exception to the praise and says:
".This expression is IN ill-chOsen one and
should have no lodgment in the vocabulary oil
an American patriot and statesman. If we
sought its origin, we would look for it in That
s]pecious dcmagogy which has evolved the pro
fessional politician, arrayed country against
town-the farmer and his sons and daughters
against the business and professional men and
their sons and dau~ghters-capital against lab
or. and built up against neighbors the impreg-
nable barriers of prejudice and hate"
"This quotation is reproduced because
it fairly represents the views Of those who
criticize the expression. 1t has, however,
an em%inentlv respectable origin. In the
same chapter in which Christ condensed
mans duty to his fellows into the com
mandment: Thou shalt love thy neigh
Dor as thyself; in the same chapter in
which he denounced those who devour
widows houses and for a pretense make
long prayers-in this same chapter it is
said OF Him; The common people heart
Him gladly.
w higher compliment was ever paid
to any class.
'"The term, the common people, is
properly used to describe the large ma
jority OF the people-thosc who earn their
! living and give to society a fair return for
the benefits bestowed by society-those
who in their daily lives recognize the ties
! which bind together the mass OF the peo-
| ple who have Il common lot and a com
mon hope. Sometimes they are called
s.tbe middle classes because paupers and
criminals are excluded on the II hand,
| while on the other hand some exclude
themselves because OF wealth or position
or pride of birth. The common people
form the industrious, intelligent and pa
triotic element OF our population; they
| produce the nations wealth in time OF
peace and fight the nations battles in
time OF war. They are self-reliant and
independent; they ask OF government
nothing but justice and will not be salts
fed with less. They are not seeking to
get their hands into other peoples peck
cts, but are content if they can keep 9TH
er peoples hands out OF their pockets,
"The common people do not constitute
an exclusive society-they are not OF the
four hundred; any n can become a
member if he is willing to contribute by
brain or muscle to the nations strength
and greatness. Only those are barred
and they are barred by their own choice
who imagine themselves made of a
superior kind OF clay and who deny the
equality of all before the law.
"a rich man, who has honestly ac-
duired his wealth and is not afraid to in
trust its care to laws made by his fellows,
can count himself among the aommon
people, while a poor man is not really
II Of them if he fawns before aplutocrat
and has no higher ambition than to be a
courtier or a sycophant.
''The Commoner will be satisfied, by
fidelity to the common people, it proves
its right to the name which has been
chosen.N