Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1907-12-26

the national committee met at Wash
ington recently the country heard from
the White House again definitely that
a nomination would not be accepted.
The message to congress DEC. was
stand pat valedictory. #
The staying power Of the Twice De-
feated and his hold on the affections
Of the Democratic rank and file in the
face of a concerted effort to discredit
him by clique of the rich and power
full conservatives still In control Of the
party machinery made one Of the po-
litical wonders Of the year. After his
open espousal of the national and state
ownership Of railroads last year the
current ran very strong against Mr..
Bryan in the party. This situation
he met last April by frankly saying
that he had come to the conclusion
that the people were not ready for the
ownership idea yet and that regulation
must be tried out on Democratic lines.
This did not prevent him from cham
pioning the initiative and referendum
programme. Not until the middle Of
November did he definitely announce
his willingness again to accept the
nomination. No opposition appeared.
At least one course Of legislation
was grist to the Bryan mill. While
the overshadowing bulk Of federal
power was fumbling over rate bill
in 1906 and the reorganized interstate
commerce commission in 1907 was
struggling with the vast problem Of
keeping tab on the railroad manage
ments the idea that the humble state
governments could impose lower rates
by legislative enactment took root and
made remarkable growth. Missouri
joined the procession by March, and
the courts arranged with the railroad
men to give the two cent rate trial
for ninety days, after which opinions
still differed. Other states to pass rate
bills were Pennsylvania and Michigan
in April and New York, Illinois and
Minnesota in May. But the New York
bill never became law owing to the
veto Of Governor Hughes on the
ground Of being not carefully weigh
ed. In all the states where these laws
were passed litigation against them
has been begun by the railroads affect
ed.
The drift toward public ownership
took the shape Of state commissions
with new powers and was felt In the
elections of Busse in Chicago, Johnson
in Cleveland and in the fifty year trac-
ton transfer ordinance in Philadel-
phta.
The American people are "sobering
up" This expression applies to one
of the most significant political move
ments in which the conscience vote
appears. When the returns Of the No
vember elections were in, no one result
attracted more general attention than
the fact that the wave Of "dryness"
which had been sweeping over the
south had made itself felt in Della
ware, Kentucky and Illinois and was
gathering impetus sufficient to carry it
far into the north and west. Georgia
has gone into the strict prohibition
COluulu uuuci law Ill eUeCC Oh new
Years day, and the new state of Okla
bona came into the Union with a
prohibitory clause in that radical con-
stitution of hers, making five prohibi-
ton states. But many others are vir-
tually so on local option lines, the dry
sections increasing until it is now es-
timated that half the population Of the
nation are living in communities free
from the public saloon. Other features
Of the November elections were the
capture Of Salt Lake City from the
Mormons, the election of DR.. Taylor as
the reform mayor Of San Francisco
over the powers Of graft, the Republic
an sweep Of Kentucky by $4,000, Dem
ocratic retention of Rhode Island and
the cutting down Of the Republican
lead in New Jersey and the defeat of
the Hearst-Republican fusion by Tam
many in New York city, besides the
victory Of johnson in Cleveland, al
ready referred to.