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The Commoner.
AUGUST. 12, X10
15
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the People Rule Why Don't
They Get What They Want?
Highland Park College
School All Year
De Moines, Iowa
Enter Any lime
2,060 Sts&eU AaMaKj
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In his great speech, delivered in
the United States senate, Senator
. Owen of Oklahoma asked, "If the
people really rule why don't the peo
ple get what they want?"
The Commoner has received many
replies to this question and some of
these are hereinafter printed:
K. C.-Oldat, Seattle, Wash. Yes,
the people do rule, after a fashion.
"Why, then, do they not get what they
want? There are just two reasons:
The first is that a large minority of
the people enough to hold the bal
ance of power mistake a party
name for party principles. Too
many republicans "vote 'er straight"
and with eyes shut imagine they are
following right In Lincoln's foot
steps. Too many democrats would
rather win than be right, and there
fore" are prone to listen to the siren
voice of certain eastern plutocrats,
who- make rosy promises of success
at the polls. The second reason is
that the machinery of our govern
ment with which the people are sup
posed to rule is too old and antiquat
ed for present day usage by all the
people. We have outgrown it. There
is room for only a few at the helm,
and the plutcs are there, too firmly
established to be easily dislodged by
the common people. The supreme
court, intended by the founders of
;the republic to be co-ordinate with
the legislative and. executive branches
Jof . the government, has arrogantly
f assumed the authority to over-ride
jthe expressed will of the people. And.
'moreover the court has grown to be
regarded as. asort of fetich, "n oth
- er words the old-time "divine right
of kings0 bobs up here in free Amer
, ica as the "divine right of the
' courts," with the legal fraternity tak
ing the place of the titled aristocracy
:as" its worshippers and champions.
Even the last democratic national
-platform makers got down on their
knees, kissed the ground on which
'the court stands, and profess-d all
'sorts of faith in it, before they dared
formulate and express their position
?on a question which involved that
"court's former decisions. Too many
'lawyers in that convention. Our
government is lawyer-cursed. Less
than one-tenth of one per cent of
our people are lawyers. More than
ninety per cent of our public ser
vants (exclusive of merely clerical
-appointees) are lawyers and the rest
are bankers and capitalists. Who,
then, represent the farmers, mer
chants, laborers, teachers, artisans,
doctors? And with our cumbersome
political machinery, the people can't
help it. Not that lawyers are dis
honest, but that their legal training
and practice unfits them for seeing
but one side of a question that of
their client. Let's have a constitu
tional cqnvention, which shall deal
with modern conditions in an up-to-now
plain, straightforward, manner.
are opposed to the above and in
order to get what they want vote the
democratic ticket, but they are not
a majority. Then comes along three
million voters who want $2.50, "that
and nothing more." Now it is not
necessary to say where they vote.
Who has the money to give them?
Who can get it back? Five and
three are eight eight millions are
a majority. Do not they get what
they want? If a man wants to got
drunk and has an opportunity ho
gets drunk of course.
J. D. Writsman, Los Angeles, Cal.
Because: First, some of the peo
ple vote for what they want, but be
ing in a minority do not get what
they vote for. Second, some of the
people get what they vote for, but
through intimidation and the power
of capital are afraid to vote for what
they want. Third, Borne of the peo
ple vote for what they want and get
what they vote for.' The second and
third vote the same . ticket, which
makes a majority. If the influence
of capital and intimidation were elim
inated the first and second would
vote the same ticket, making a large
majority, and would get what they
want. Until the people are educated
to this fact and put it into practice
government by the people will bo a
dismal failure.
Frank Boalen. Miltonvale. Kan.
The people lost the chance to rule
in 189G. when the great commoner
strucK. the, vital chord of fc bimetal
lism, when' the money power of the
world was arrayed against him. The
people took their choice at that time,
voting for the single standard of
money. Give us the double standard
and as Andrew Jackson said: "By
the eternal we'll see who rules," the
money power or the people.
C. G. Jennings, Broadway, Va.
The .questipu is a hypothetical one
and since in a republican form of
government the privilege or oppor
tunity to rule is equivalent to ruling
this question is relieved of its hypo
thesis and becomes a simple state
ment, "The people do rule and nec
essarily do get what they want." To
illustrate sav. in round numbers, five
million voters are, or think they
'are, benefited in different degrees by
Itrusts, high protection, railroad mon
opolies, non-publicity, etc., they vote
the republican ticket to get what
fthey want but they are not a ma
jority. Now seven million voters
D. W. Summers, Milo, Iowa. I be
lieve the reason the people do not.
get what they want is that they do
not in the .first place take the inter
est that should be taken bv them in
the selection of party candidates, and
often their party candidates have
been selected by a few politicians in
their partv, being too prejudiced to
measure their own party candidates'
qualifications with the .qualifications
of candidates of other parties. They
go to the polls and vote their
straight party ticket regardless of
the kind of men they are voting for.
For this reason the people do not
elect men of their own choice, but
help to elect men who are shoved on
to them as candidates by the very
men whose principles we should be
fiehtinc. When we come to the point
where we have no party prejudices.
and can always vote for men ana
principles instead of for party, the
people will then get what they want.
J. L. McMinn. Ontario. Cal. Do
the people "rule? - Yes. Why cry out
against a usurpation or i)ower wnen
wo nurselves vested the offender with
the power .to do the things' we com
plain of? wutui negieci; to. prop
erly perform our political duties is
the cause of all our political ills.
We are not lacking in sufficient In
telligence, knowledge and informa
tion, if we desire to be informed, to
not intelligently In all. matters. affect
ing our political welfare. Being a
democrat, and for more than thirty
two years a resident of Nebraska, I
feel justified in saying a word, con
cerning the recent democratic state
convention which met at Grand
Island. The adoption of the clause
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Highland
Park Collese
comes nearer meet,
bast the demands of
modem education than
aay other Collctro in the
country. Exnentet of students
annually reduced manv thoutanila
ef dollars by the moderate charge for
board and room in Colleso BuIIdinsi. whera
living expenses are furnished practically at ceL
tl
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1CIIIIB
Open
fleotember
15. October 17,
Nov. 29. lOlO.
and Jan. 2. Febru-
ary21, April 3, May
lO and June 13, 1911.
COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS
Littoral Af BTANIJAim A CLA8B IoWA COL- QLnrfhsnrl As LarOB ANP COHPLICTK A COL-
iuerai nra leok. AlsoProparatoryandElo- uiwriflsum u(llor Biiouthaxi and Type
mentary Preparatory Courses In wlilch students writino or Is found In tbo country. Kvery ifrad
of all decrees of advancement nro admitted. uato sent to paying position. ISO for full course.
HA1M-. i Didactic, Btatb CKitTiricATE, Tlmo unlimited. ....
Normal COUNTY CErtTIPIOATB, 1'RIMAIIT nt:nptt '1 HR LAROWT AJfD BEAT EQUIPPED
TitAiNiNo-most complcto tralnlnir for teachers U1UCM llusrNKSS College iw tub wot.
in tho west. Graduates receive stato certificates. Not a department pf a literary collceo. but
T n CIVIL, ELECTRICAL, MKCHANI- "" ilynPTSinnM?flUBK0Cn Lined
Engineering 0al. Alnoono year Telephone lmlfnACaiml Comb,ncU
Electrical, Btcam. Machinist's and Automobile Huncss and M0"" .' t,t Equip.
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TITIONKH HL.OUIUJEANIlliiXTKNBIUMUUUBjmj'Ull ...- . A Vlfl T fnnflBV i Tl ait WIT
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f . fcSTANDAIl!) COURSES IN 1AW OIICrCQ in
littW resident and extension courses.
Mucio AComplktkColleorokMubic. Piano,
1UUSIC violin. Volco. Orchestra. Hand. Chorus.
Harmony, Mandolin, Oultar, and Supervisor's c. . C -T.l Tbo Bummer Bcbool opens
Course In Public School Music. A flno faculty OUmmer OCllOOI Juno 13. 1011. Hooclalwork
of teachers, each an artist In bin line. for all frradcH of teachers.
firifntv A Thoroughly Equipped Collrok V-ntinanm Hoard,l.75.2.23ondt2.7Bporweelc
vraiory OK ohatoky under tho dlroctlon of EAnensC5 Tuition In I'rcparatory.Collcge.Nor-
tho moat comnetcnt teachers. umf and Commercial Courses, 118 a quarter. All
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ren Ixtt school or Penmanship, Pen Art nine months, 1143.00. Bend for catalog. Bute
and Public Bchool Drawing. con no in which you aro :ntercitea.
O. H. LONGWELL, Pre., Highland Park College,
utj nijinm, iuvya f
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