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The Commoner.
BEPTEMBER 2$, 1811 "
Article IV. Memberflhlp. Tho membership
fjhall consist of those who approve tills constitu
tion, and contribute at least twenty-five (25)'
cents per annum for use in the state and na
tional campaigns within tho party.
Article V. Officers. The officers of tho club
phall consist of a president, one or more vice
presidents, a secretary and a treasurer.
Articlo VI. The executive council quorum-
recall. The work of the club shall be directed
by an executive council, consisting of tho presi
dent, the secretary, the treasurer, and two
others to be chosen by tho members. Three
shall constitute a quorum. The executive coun
cil and officers may bo recalled and their suc
cessors elected at any meeting by a majority
vote of members present, after due notice of tho
business to come before the meeting.
Article VII. Annual meeting special meet
ings initiative in five members. The annual
election of officers shall be held the first week in
November of each year after l&ll, at a time
and place to be specified by the executive coun
cil. Notice of each meeting shall be trans
mitted or mailed to each member.
A special meeting may be called by the exe
cutive council, and one shall bo called upon re
quest of any five members addressed to the
president, and should he default, then tho five
members may call a special meeting on seven
days' notice to members: Provided, that not
more than one special club meeting shall be
called in any seven days, and no member shall
be authorized to join in calling more than one
special, meeting in any thirty days.
Article VIII. Amendment. This constitution
may be amended at any meeting, providing
notice of the proposed change shall have been
communicated to the members one week In ad
vance. Note. Each member of the club will become
a member of the federations with which the club
will affiliate, the state federation and the na
tional federation, and each member can then
actively participate in the proceedings of each
federation by voting through the mails using
the postal vote. Thus distance and expense will
be annihilated, and the federation's constitu
tion places in the individual members the final
power within the organization by means of the
initiative, the referendum and the recall,
operated through the postal vote.
You are cordially Invited to join the club and
the federation and thus help to defend .yourself.
At present you are being ruled by the special
interests, who each day are picking your pockets
and otherwise injuring you and yours. The only
men and women who are deserving of self
government, freedom and citizenship are those
who will help to defend themselves.
As there are vast differences in ability to con
tribute funds, and as the largest possible funds
for the federation's work national, state and
local aTe needed, the members who contribute:
Twenty-five cents to a dollar a year to the
state and national treasuries are known as as
sociate members;
A dollar or more a year up to eleven dollars,
aTe contributing members;
Five dollars a year, are sustaining members;
One to four dollars a month, are fellows;
Five dollars a month, are distinguished mem
bers; Ten dollars a month for ten months, or $100
cash, are life members;
One thousand dollars, are founders.
Bach member possesses equal voting power.
(Names.) (Postoffice address.)
Fellow Democrat: Why not personally or
ganize the several voting precincts in your dis
trict or state? The above program will be
heartily approved by the people, for the plan
is to increase their power and completely free
them from their present-day political and com
mercial masters the special interests and their
secret army of big and little allies.
It follows that not alone the rank and file of
the democratic party, but also hosts of men who
have heretofore for various reasons affiliated
with the republican and other paTties, will be
attracted to the liberty-giving clubs and federa
tions. Under this general program you and the other
leaders who participate in the work can produce
highly satisfactory results. Yours faithfully,
ROBERT L. OWEN.
Chairman Organization Committee,
Washington, D. C.
"I Have Done With Compromise,"
Says Frank P. Walsh of Missouri
I greatly fear It would grieve somo exccllont
gentlemen If I, u tho candldato for governor,
would scratch tho candldato for president as I
cortainly would do If ho happened to bo Mr. Oscar
Underwood, let us say, or Mr. Judson Harmon, or
any other worker for tho special Interests who
wears tho democratic button.
I am a democrat because I bellovo tho pooplo of
that party havo tho best Idea of what thoy want
and how to get It, but Jf tho democratic party gots
betrayed Into wrong hands, I'm going to bo frco to
voto and work for tho right hands whorovcr thoy
show themsolves.
Tho public scrvlco of this time calls for public
servants In ofllco, and It calls for moro public ser
vants out of office. What wo need for thin timo
moro than lawmakers and law governors Is agi
tators. An agitator is a man who won't stand for
lies because thoy aro old.
Tho question of govornmont of this day, then, Is
tho question of who controls tho courts.
It Is ridiculous to say that judges declaro tho
law as thoy And It. Thoy declaro It tho way they
bellovo It to be, and they bellovo it to bo tho way
they want it to be.
It Is a shame to think that tho mon who mako
laws aro running this country, or that any servants
of tho people aro running It, much less tho people
themselves. They'ro not. This Is a government of
tho pooplo, by tho federal judges, for tho special
Interests.
"Wo must havo people's men inoido tho organi
zation of govornmont and wo must havo a larger
body of field men. The people do undoubtedly want
progressive, popular leadership. Thoy'ro hungry
for it. Frank P. Walsh.
Following is an interview with Frank P. Walsh
the famouB Missouri democrat and lawyer, as
the same Is printed in the Kansas City Star:
Frank P. Walsh will not run for the demo
cratic nomination for governor of Missouri. Mr.
Walsh made that definite statement recently.
The refusal to get into the race had heen made
before, many times, since the Star of a week
ago told of the efforts to get Mr. Walsh to run.
It had been made to friends and oftentimes to
men ho hardly knew who had called to say
they were "for him."
Tho responses to the suggestion of his candi
dacy were more than a tribute to Mr. Walsh's
popularity. The people of Missouri evidently
want something different from the old cut and
dried "issues" and the leadership which leads
nowhere. There weren't many politicians who
welcomed the Walsh boom. But there were
many business mon and lawyers and there wore
representatives of labor unions and there were
more of the men whose names aro not very
familiar to the public just tho plain people,
tho kind that Walsh believes in.
"Thank you, but I can't run," said Mr. Walsh
when J. M. Lowe came over to his table in a
restaurant one day last week. "You must get
in the race, Frank," Judge Lowe had said.
"Thank you, but I can't run," replied Walsh.
"You see," he added jocularly, "I might get
the nomination."
In reality there was nothing jocular about the
remark. Frank Walsh does not think he could
get the nomination; but he knows he does not
want it. If he got it ho would not know what
to do with it. If he was elected he would be
still more at sea.
No, it is not that he can not afford tho finan
cial sacrifice. Maybe he could not afford it. But
that Is not the determining factor with him.
See, from what follows, if you can get the
Walsh philosophy. If you do get it you will
see why Frank Walsh believes he ought not to
run for governor. Also you will see why so
many people think he would set Missouri afire
If he did run.
Mr. Walsh's talk was to a representative of
the Star following the brief exchange with Mr.
Lowe. Its publication has been withheld until
now because of the death of Mr. Walsh's mother.
Three hundred officers and men of the French
battleship Libertie lost their lives when the ship
was destroyed by an explosion in the harbor at
ffoulon, France.
"The public service of this time calls for
public servants in office, and It calls for more
public servants out of office. What we need for
this time more than lawmakers and law gover
nors is agitators. An agitator is a man who
won't Btand for lies because they are old. The
danger to an agitator is that he may get an
office. Office holding and the itch for office have
spoiled more good men than all other things
combined."
- Mr. Walsh had been urged to say why he
would not run when his party evidently de
manded that its progressives tako tho front.
HIb words camo in oxploBivo roply. Ho took a
too hold of tho Intervlowcr boforo his opponent
on tho nomination mat had sot himsolf. Ills
ideas had had years of training and growth, as
it devolopcd.
"Ofllco seeking nnd offlco holding," Mr. Walah
went on, "spoil many mon; and yet wo must
havo officors. Wo must develop tho right kind.
Wo must havo pooplo's mon Insldo tho organi
zation of government and wo must havo a larger
body of field mon. Tho pooplo do undoubtedly
want progressive, popular leadership. Thoy'ro
hungry for it. Why, it's pathotic. Look at tho
way tho people grabbed at Hughes of Now York
because he did one piece of good public soryico.
Thoy thought ho was tho right stuff. It was
simply another disappointment.
"Tho best work doing for tho peoplo today Is
by tho field men. Put a man in ofllco as things
are now, and tho interests know how to got him',
or tie his hands or mufflo his volco, or undo his
work. But they can't got tho field mon, tho
agitators.
"Think of mo "
Havo you over been on ono Bide of a door
when Frank Walsh breezed in from tho other
side? Havo you had that experience? If you
havo and havo been a friend of Walsh you re
member how you Immediately felt cheerful.
Somo fresh air camo in with him. You rubbed
your hands and expected something Interesting.
That contagious good humor lightened Mr.
Walsh's face, tho agitator's face with which ho
had begun his interview.
"Think of mo," ho said, "with other party
candidates writing tho party pledges. And think
of them tho other candidates!" ho added with
a chuckle.
"Why," said this man who would not be
governor, "I believe It Is party etiquette for a
candidate to support tho party ticket from top
to bottom, especially tho top. And I greatly fear
it would grJevo some excellent gentlemen if I,
as tho candidate for governor, would scratch tho
candidate for president as I certainly would do
If ho happened to ho Mr. Oscar Underwood, lot
us say, or Mr. Judson Harmon, or any other
worker for tho special Interests who wears tho
democratic button."
To get a bettor grip of comprehension on tho
idealism and passionate fervor that Frank Walsh
carries along with his good cheer, consider
briefly here his record.
You probably think that tho first man to
break the wall of machine politics In Missouri
was Joseph W. Folk. But it wasnt. Folk did
fine service there. But ho did not do It first.
Frank P. Walsh did.
In the democratic convention of 1902 at St.
Joseph, Walsh forced through a denunciation of
corporation contributions to campaign funds.
Ho had just gotton through with the Card well
case as attorney for Cardwell. Ho had proved
in court the corruption of his own party ma
chine by corruption contributions. He went to
tho convention with his resolution of protest.
"Aim it at tho republicans and we will put it
in," begged tho old guard. "No," said Walsh.
"I'm more interested in purifying ray party than
tho other fellow's party. The trust in democ
racy has been betrayed." Men who know will
toll you that tho machine leaders would have
made Walsh chairman of the convention if ho
had held back his resolution. He wouldn't, and
thoy said they would run over him. Walsh hired
a hall and made a red hot speech for the people
against the machine bosses. Tho leaders did
run over Walsh and his following in the con
vention; but they put his resolution into tho
platform. They denounced their own record!
That was the first declaration of tho kind in
Missouri politics. If anywhere in American
politics there was an earlier platform condem
nation of corporation contributions to party
campaigns it is not now recalled.
Walsh's fight broke up machine politics In Mis
souri. It paved the way for Folk's nomination and
election in 1904. Since that fight not a straight
party ticket has been elected in Missouri. Be
fore that there had been no other than straight
tickets elected for thirty years, and all except
one of them were democratic.
That Is one fact in the record. Always active
in politics, Mr. Walsh never held an office except
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