SEPTEMBER 2, 1S10
15
The Commoner.
could, prohibition or local option in
cluded. May we have more Bryans
como to the front.
0. B. McFall, Lakeside, Neb.
My answer to the question would be
because the people do not think in
dependently and for themselves.
They allow others to do their think
ing for them and thus the party who
does the thinking governs the voters'
actions in casting his vote. I would
suggest that the voters take such
papers as The Commoner and keep
posted on the issues that are before
the people and think and act for
themselves. And thus when the
voter goes to the polls to express his
convictions of right or wrong wo
will have a ballot which will not be
trammeled by the dictations of any
man.
E. Eubanks, Cambridge, Neb. As
the question of Senator Owen is, do
the people rule? I would say no, and
would say they don't get what a large
majority of them want, but I must
say that they surely get what a large
majority of them deserve. The great
trouble is that so many people that
don't seem to have an opinion of
their own or don't seem to know
what is their real interest, but are
always ready to vote the other man's
opinion. Well, I think I know my
interest better than any other knows
it, so will risk my own opinion. Old
R. G. Ingersoll once said that every
man was following the fife and drum
of some party, but he said never
follow the fife and drum of any party
that isn't going your way, and that
is the reason that the people are not
getting what they want. There are
too many people that haven't a mind
of their own or are too easily led
astray.
R. B. Allen, Denver, Colo. First,
because they rule in theory only, not
in fact. They do not rule in fact
because, for years past two power
ful and corrupting agencies in this
country, to-wit: The professional
grafting politicians, directing their
shrewdness and energies, first to the
plundering of the municipalities of
the country big and little; and, sec
ond, this same factor, together with
the great trusts and corporations,
that with one purpose in view, that
of gaining great pecuniary advan
tages in the enactment of laws guar
anteeing high tariffs to the trusts,
and enormously valuable franchises,
rebates and other privileges in the
.interests of the corporations, have
been allowed to manage and control
the political primaries arid conven
tions, nominate and elect candidates
tor all offices, and ara thus enabled
to enact laws favorable to their in
terests, and regardless, to a large
extent, of the interests of the people.
This is the political pandora box, the
Iniquitous combination, out of which
so much inimical to the people, as
distinguished from the privileged
classes has sprung. The utter dis
regard of the wishes of the people
by those elected to office to do their
bidding, makes it absolutely neces
sary that we enact into law the ini
tiative, referendum, recall, direct pri
maries, headless ballot and election
of United States senators by direct
vote of the people. If these reforms
were put in operation It would put
a leverage in the hands of the peo
ple that would enable them to con
trol .the legislation of the country,
and "get what they want."
presidential election tho money pow
er will give notice that shops are to
bo closed if their Candida to Is not
elected. When a man or company
makes a threat to closo shop if the
trust candidate is not elected ho
should be considered guilty of trea
son and dealt with accordingly. Al
most all of our newspapers are man
aged in tho interest of the money
power or trusts. A few men calling
themselves democrats own largo in
terests in trustB, go to tho election
and vote tho republican ticket. How
many trust democrats voted for W.
J. Bryan? Such democrats should
not be allowed to say a word as to
what should make up a democratic
platform. When a candidate is elect
ed to congress, and fails to do his
duty by selling out to the trusts, ho
should be held guilty of treason and
dealt with accordingly. I hope tho
party in power will enact a law that
a man or company making a threat
to close shop if trust candidates be
not elected, shall be put to death.
" J. J. C, Ashland, O. The people
do not rule. The 'money power of
this country have ruled for many
years. They hire as many members
of each branch of congress as they
need to give them control, and the
presidents, with very few exceptions,
are very willing to do their bidding.
Taft, Aldrich and Cannon are in com
plete control, A short time prior to a
W. J. Wimer, Waldo, Oregon.
The people do not rule; if they did
It would not be so hard to get good
laws passed by congress and the
state legislatures; nor would the
prices of living be at the war scale.
The reason they don't rule is first, the
graft which has spread all over our
country like the Itch or codling
moth; second, the combinations of
capital by unscrupulous men. The
graft started during the civil war.
When tho writer was a small boy in
Iowa he sat on the floor by the fire
place and heard Charles O. Lockard
of the clothing firm of Lockard, Ire
land & Co., of Cincinnati, tell his
father how their business had gone.
Mr. Lockard was a very honest, con
scientious man and was known in the
then west as such; and at first he
resisted the terms laid down to him
by the army contractors; but finally
had to yield or go out of business.
He said: "An army contractor will
enter our store and ask us for prices
on so many, thousand blouses, pairs
of pants, caps, shoes, etc. Wo give
him our regular wholesale prices; he
looks it over and says: 'Now you
double these pricea-and I will divide
the double with you. " He added,
"this is very dishonest, Jacob, but
every deal we rejected was bought
of our next door neighbor on these
terms." The graft has been spread
ing ever since. The combination of
capital, called trusts, was fathered
by able but corrupt lawyers, some of
whom at first traveled about the
country charging big fees to teach
business men the art of organizing a
trust and how to make a success of
it; the result being that hundreds of
honest men who would not enter in
to such a villanous scheme were ulti
mately crushed beneath the cloven
foot of greed and gain. The Ameri
can people are very strong on imita
tion; hence the idea of combina
tions have spread from high finance
down to every country town to a
greater or less degree; the retail
merchants have taken it up quietly,
of course, but surely; they get to
gether and agree to charge certain
prices which are very much above
competitive figures, they fix the prices
at which they will sell and the prices
at which they will buy of the pro
ducer; and right here we have one
of the main reasons for the high cost
of living. Thus the trusts and com
binations, including the railroads
with their unlimited wealth, aided
by the unscrupulous element of the
ablest legal talent in the United
States have the busy and helpless
masses at their mercy; and they have
been known to down our presidents
whenever they have made a deter
mined effort to bring them Inside of
the lines of a government by and
for the people. This they have ac
complished by withdrawing their
money from circulation on tho threat
of it and thereby paralyzing every
avenue of business. How can "tho
peoplo" do tho vast work of this great
nation and at tho same time cope
with such vicious humanity en
trenched as they are behind all tho
wiles of tho devil and the whole un
worthy mess hell bent on tho mad
dest rush for greed and gain that tho
world ever saw. Such men as
Bryan, Roosevelt, Folk and LaFol
lette have pointed the way and now
let all honest men got in lino for tho
final struggle which shall force tho
recognition of the Jefferson and Lin
coln principles of government.
WHAT THE CAMERA SAW
Dr. Francis Clark tells an interest
ing story of a youth living In Malno
who was out in tho woods that day
during his vacation with a camera,
taking photographs of attractive bits
of scenery. Ho came upon tho mouth
of a little cavern between tho rocks,
and he said to himself: "I will seo
what sort of a picture I can get out
of that cave," and as It was a dark
day ho decided to take a "timo ex
posure" instead of a "snap shot."
Steadying tho camera upon his kneo
aB well as ho could at tho edgo of thc
cavo, ho gave the sensitive plato a
long, doliborato look at tho floml
darknoss within. Then ho contin
ued his tramp through tho woods,
and after a few hours returned to his
camp.
Sovoral weeks afterward, when de
veloping his plate, you can Imagine
his astonishment to see in tho plc
turo, in tho vory center of tho cavern,
with arched back and bristling fur,
and within springing distance of tho
spot whero ho had balanced his
camera, a hugo Canada lynx, that
might easily have torn his eyes out
or destroyed his lifo. And yet ho
camo and went and saw no signs of
danger. Christian Herald.
ENCOURAGEMENT
Tattered Timothy "I'vo been
trampin' four years, ma'am, an' it'
all 'cause I hoard that tho doctors
recommended walkln' as tho best ex
ercise "
Mrs. Prim "Well, tho doctors are
right. Walk along." Tit-Bits.
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