'jyvr?Wfmlmf''IJFf7'ftF'
4
The Commoner.
yjoL-trkE 7,. number at
l28
i;w
5t?( 1
?SvS- 1
!KJ
i .v a
Ml
yf the Interlocked Directorate
L
'A speech dclivorcd in Oklahoma territory dur
ing tho lato campaign by Hon. Patrick S. Nagle,
of Kingfisher, Okla., has attracted considerable
attention throughout tlio country. Mr. Nagle tooic
for his subject "The Interlocked Directorate."
Extracts from his speech follow:
" 'There arc three great spirits creating the
" world that is and is to be. The spirit of scientific
Investigation that will accept nothing but tho
.. truth; tho spirit of democratic revolution that will
rust no one but the people; and the spirit of so
cial evolution that will call no man common or
unclean.'
"Tho forces in control today arc not In accord
.with this sentiment. Tho forces that will ulti
mately control the destinies of the human race
will ho In accord with tills sentiment. Political
..systems and economic theories not in consonance
with tills sentiment must pass away. This con
flict between tho old and the now is no longer
imperiling, the fight is on.
"In niy remarks tonight I wish to lay down,
one proposition that I assert to be true. I say
that tho proposition I lay down tonight is true
. today; it was true yesterday; it will be time to
morrow. It was true at the dawn of history and
it will bo truo to the end of time. The proposition
I lay down tonight Is a law an inexorable law
flint has controlled tho destinies of the race from
tho beginning, and it will control the destinies of
tho raco until the end. If is a law as relentless
as fate.' It Is a law which cannot be changed or
modified by the parliaments' of men or the man
dates of kings. Man is powerless to change or
modify this law as he Is powerless to change or
modify tho laws that govern "the tides of the ret-
less sen.
Tills Is tho proposition: " Those who own tho
wealth of a nation control Its government. The
law, however, is narrower than tills. Those who
own the 'predominating form of wealth' control
tho government. 1 1 will try und illustrate what I
mean by the 'pro'dominating form of wealth.' A,
B and 0 are candidates for sheriff of Kingfisher
county before tho democratic primaries; each has
jLiCompiement of candidates for tiie aitlcront
bounty officQa on nis ticket witn mm. Tiie pri
maries are held A and his ticket receive 700
votes, B COO votes and O 300 votes. Notwithstand
ing the fact that A did not even receive a majority
of the votes, he is the predominating influence in
democratic politics in the county. B, for self
protection, Is compelled to fall in behind A, and G
for tho same reason falls in behind B. If the op
posing party on election day polls but 1,500 votes
and A polls 1,000, he iB not only the predominat
ing influence in democratic politics, but he is the
predominating influence in the politics of the
county. As it is in politics so it is in wealth.
The 'predominating form of wealth' is the domi
nant factor. If you wish to ..ascertain what in
iltfonce controls Ihe government of a country you
must ascertain the 'predominating form of wealth'
of that country. When you have ascertained the
predominating form of wealth' and ascertaine'd
who .controls that wealth yon have discovered who
controls the government of the country,
-"In tho ancient oriental empires the predom
inating form of wealth was the chattel , slave.
Those who owucd the chattel slaves controlled
tho government ot those ancient empires. In the
ancient republics the predominating form of wealth
was the chattel slave those .who owned the chat
tel slave controlled the government of those an
cient republics- In feudal times the predominat
ing form of wealth was tho land and the serfs on
tho landthose who owned the land and the serfs
on the land controlled the .government during the
- feudal ages. In the United States before the civil
war the predominating lorm of wealth was tho
chattel slave those who owned the chattel slave
controlled the government and controlled it abso
lutely. Three hundred years ago, Sir Walter
Raleigh, speaking to the English people, said:
vxfco nation that controls the high seas controls
the highways of commerce of tho world, Tho
nation that controls the highways of the commerce
of the world controls the commerce of the world;
tho nation that controls the commerce of the world
controls tho wealth of the world; 'the natlonJthat
' controls the wealth of tho world controls tho
world.' The countrymen of Raleigh followed his
' ridvlce, and the world knows the result ,
"Tho highways of commerce, the arteries of
eqmmerco in tho United States, are the railway
systems. Those who control tho railway systems
In the United States control the highways of com
merce in the United States. Those who control
tho highways of commerce in the United States
control the commerce of tho United States. Those
who control the commerce of the United Statci .
control the wealth of the United States. Those
who control tho wealth of the United States con- '
trol tho government of the United States. How
do tho railway systems control the wealth and
tho government of the United States? The wealth
and government of tho United States is controlled
by what is known as 'tho interlocked directorate
When a railroad passes through a coal field the
president, officers and directors of tho railroad
company become the officers and directors of tho
coal company. The directorates are interlocked.
Tho Independent coal company Is discriminated
against by tho Interlocked directorate. The re
sult Is that the Independent company passes out
of business When a railroad passes through an
oil field companies are formed and the director
ates are interlocked. The independent oil com
panies cannot compete. At Cleveland, In this
territory, there are five or six hundred 'Oil produc
ing wells. They ore nil Idle. They cannot ship
their oil because tho Prairie Oil company, which
is a subsidiary corporation to the Standard, is
interlocked with the railway. The independent
producer is offered 87 cents per barrel for his oil.
We pay at Kingfisher 25 cents per gallon for. oil
and 30 cents a gallon for gasoline. The Independ
ent producer ca"hnot build refineries because he
would be crushed In a few months by the pow
erful Interlocked directorate. He cannot ship his,
oil for fuel because-he cannot get rates.
"What Is true of coal and oil is true of grain.
The result of an investigation conducted by tho
industrial commission discloses that the great
grain producing sections of tho country have been
divided into districts and allotted by the railroads
to certain "favored elevator companiesv The Rock
Island Railroad company is interlocked with
Ohas. Councilman & Co., and this favored eleva
tor company controls the grain buying throughout
the Rock Island states of America. I believe this
Is what they call the country through which this
lino of road and, its brandies extends. The North
western Railroad is interlocked with "Bartlett
Frazler company and the Peavey Elevator com
pany. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and.
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul are interlocked
with the Armour Elpvator company; the . Santa
Fo is interlocked-with the Richardson company,
and tie Union Pacific is interlocked with the
Peavoy Elevator company.
"In the days of the open market the farmer
drove to town with his load .of grain, and the
buyers gathered around his wagon, tested the
grain and bid for it one against the other. The
bidding was gennine and the grain was sold to
the highest bidder in a real competitive market .
Today the farmer mustrhunt the different buyei'3
in their office and ask the price. Each quotes him
the same price. They have, little concern as to
which one buys the grain, as the profits are
pooled. If any buyer purchases more than his
share, ho is subject to a penalty. If any buyer
refuses to comply with the rules of-the pool the
railroad companies order him to remove his eleva
tor off the right of way.
"What Is true of coal and oil and grain is truo
of lumber and every other commodity. ITh'e price
of anything you may have to sell is fixed by the
interlocked directorate. The price of anything
you are compelled to" buy is fixed by the inter
locked directorate. Your economic status today
is fixed by the Interlocked directorate, and this
regardless of your political affiliations. The
wealth represented by this interlocked directorate
is ithe predominating form of wealth' today in
tho United States of America, and under the law
I have cited the inexorable law this predom
inating form of wealth' controls the government,
and from this interlocked directorate proceeds the
trust The trust is a naked sword, forged by the
interlocked directorate; its hilt is in the senate
chamber at Washington; its point everywhere
bUried in the breast of every citizen in the land.
It demands and obtains tribute upon every article
required by our necessities or misfortunes, from
the cradle of the Infant to the coffin of the dead.
'Governmental power follows wealth. Wher
ever you find wealth you find governmental
power. Wherever you find poverty there is no
governmental power. One per cent of the fami
lies of tho United States own more than one-half
of tho wealth of the United States. Fifty per cent
of the families of the United States do not own
their homes. What shall we do for relief? We
cannot change the inexorable law cited. The only
thing we can do Is to Invoke that inexorable law
in our behalf. If it will protect others it will pro
tect us. If the people desire to have this govern,
ment administered In behalf of the people then
they must own that 'predominating form of
wealth' they mustat least own the railway sys
tems. The railway systems cannot 'be taken over
at once. It Is necessary that it be done gradually
Every time an electric light plant, a water works
a telephone system, a street car line, or any other
public utility is taken over it strengthens the peo
plo and weakens their enemies the predominat
ing form of weAlth, the trusts tho interlocked di
rectorate. xEvery time a franchise is granted bv
the people to build a street car line, water works
electric light plant or any other public utility, thy
strengthen their enemy and weaken themselves.
An income tax, an inheritance tax, would weaken
the interlocked directorate and strengthen the
people.
"You ask me is this a democratic speech you
ask me is this a democratic doctrine you ask mo
am I a democrat. I will say that I am a demo
crat When I come to die, if I could truthfully
say that I had served God as well as I have Uio
democratic party, my eternal salvation will be as
sured. Truth, however, impels me to say that tho
principles I how advocate have never been in
corporated Into a democratic platform. These
principles were first enunciated twenty years ago
by men who saw clearly and who saw the truth.
I was not one of those men. I opposed the partv
that advocated these principles to the extent of
my strength and ability. I believed then that the
principles I now advocate were wrong. I believe
now that the principles are right Had I been one
of those men who first advocated this, doctrine, I
would consider it an honor almost as great as 'to
have fought at Eutaw Springs or Yorktown. Tho
party that first advanced the doctrine of public
ownership no longer exists the populist party
has passed away Bunker Hill has passed awav;
but the spirit of the populist party and the spirit
of Bunker Hill will never pass away. The history
of the populist party is the most pathetic page in
American political historythey wrought in a sad
sincerity they builded better than they knew:
The democratic party must occupy the position'
held by the people's party twenty years ago. . The
democratic party must not only occupy this posi
tion, but we must organize by elimination. If the
democratic party is commanded by a trust captain
and the democratic ship )s manned by 'a pluto
cratic crew, it will go down to defeat and to death
and dishonor. The predominating form of wealth
does not require two parties to represent it in the
political "arena. We must organize by elimination.
Those amongst us who- represent that predominat
ing form of wealth that oppresses us mus bo
driven out of the democratic party, and until thov
are eliminated, those in other parties whose in
terests are opposed to the interests of the pre
OUmlzuitins fovxn of wealth will not come to us.
The fight that is now on is not a fight between
political parties. It is a fight for the control of
tills government. It is a fight between the pre
dominating form of wealth and the disinherited.
, f? ,a J?0, between the exploiter and the ex
ploited. It s a fight between the robbV imd tho
robbed. It is a fight between those who own the
predominating form of wealth and those who own
a different form of wealth allied with those who
own no wealth. It is a class fight
"Who Is to blame for existing qinditions? Do
you expect me to say the republican party? Tho
fcjist .does not proceed from the republican party.
The trust is not born of the republican party. Tho
trust is not the child of the republican party. The
trust does not exist because of the republican
party. The reverse is true. The-republican party
proceeds from the trust from this predominating
form of wealth The republican party is ihe child
of tho trust The republican party was born of
this predominating form of wealth. The republi
ca? pa lB3i3 eide o toe 'trust not at the other
side of the trust The republican party is simply
tiie representative of the trust m the political
fiQld The minute the republican party refuses to
do the bidding of tills predominating form of
wealth, its life will be taken from it, and the
trust would call to its service another party that
will obey orders. - -
"The trust cannot be controlled or regulated
by law. Why? Because under the inexorable
law cited, the predominating form ojf' wealth con
trols the government controls it in all its branches
the executive, the judicial, the legislative.
Those who exercise the functions of government
under existing circumsfanee.3 are the agents of
that predominating form of wealth, and an honest
and reputable agent will not act contrary to the
. . .
rr i if n rCTtiTiili i ffTT Turn iTrTinr f riAT r in i i i hi r TTTirTm rrmrt w iiiinii war TiBag Marm MM
,M..MWA
m
mmmmm
E - -1-1 -' Mummialt,mmmtmmtmmmumaitammtmttttutMaKttmaUtKtKtK