The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-11-02
A GRAVE lSSlG.

question. less attention is being paid
another issue Of equal importance
which The Nebraskan has pressed
upon public attention. This selected
issue has 10 do with the service rem
dered corporations. ENJOYING or seek
ing privileges by men who are paid
to serve the people Mr. Bryan 5
hrst aim is n rid the machinery Of
the Democratic party Of men Of this
type In q resent number of The
CommoneF he states the issue thus
clearly
10 man who is financially con-
nc.ed With a corporation that is
seeking privileges ought TO act as a
mcmter Of a political organization,
because he cannot represent his cor
poratlon and the people at the same
time He cannot serve the party
while he is seeking to promote the
financial interest Of the corporation
with which he is connected "
The position thus assumed is
unassailable. and if we may apply
the rule justly to political organj,
%zatjon, we may apply it also to men
who are actually in the public ser
vice. II it is a good thing to free a
a political organization Of the in0u-
cnce and control Of men who are
dominated by the selfish and schem-
ing interest Of plundering corpora
tons, il would also be a good thing
TO free the machinery Of the govern
mcnt Of the same peTnicious innu-
encc. Writing a nations laws is a
more serious thing, and a thing Of
more intimate concern to the people,
than the business Of writing a par
ty's platform, the difference, broad
Iy stated, is between promise, in one
case, and performance, in the other.
The party platform merely an
nounccs the principle; the govern
ment whep it enacts the principle
into law applies it, construCtiyely at
least, to actual conditions, and it be
comes either a burden or a blessing,
according 10 the character Of the
men who framed the law. Thus,
we may readily see the importance
Of drawing the line sharply between
honest public service Swallowed
somewhat by the trickery and ter
glversation Of men secretly seeking
to protect and promote the interests
Of privileged corporations,
1.-THE Senate Of the United States
is responsible, in a very great meas
ure, for the feeling Of suspicion and
alarm which now burdens the Amer
lean people. There are too many in
the Senate, az now constituted, who
think more of their obligations to
corporations, because of pecuniary
or other personal interests, than they
think Of the oath which pledged
them to serve faithfully and honest
ly the interests of trusting constit-
uencies. The names Of these men
should be dropped from the SEN
ate's roster, They are a menace and
a dishonOr to the nation. These
men cannot serve the public, and
the enemies Of the public at the
same time, They cannot protect
the people and at the same time pro-
mote the interests OF corporations
organized to plumber the people.
There should be a reckoning on this
score before we are swung too far
from our wonted course Of national
sanity. The Senate'S roster should
be purged so that we may hear no
more OF the men who make fair
professions Of devotion to decent
principles in public, while in secret
they violate every rule Of right con-
e, duct in order to promote the inter
ests OF corporate piunderers. The
. private service of public men is one
of the gravest moral and political
issues Of the time"
The above editorial in the New
Orleans s-Democrat of a recent
date but emphasizes the doctrine of
Mr.. Bryan-thst a connection with
the great moneyed institutions, the
, corporations, will unfit a man to
serve the public in an official capac-
! ity, truthfully suggests a Mississippi
: exchange.