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SEPTEMBER 13, 1907
The Commoner.
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an elaborate argument In favor of the Injunc
tion, but ho does not meet the issue Involved.
The purpose of government by Injunction Is to
enable the corporate employer to deny the labor
ing man trial by jury. The secretary says that
trial by jury is not guaranteed in equity pro
ceedings, but that is the very thing for which
the constitution of Oklahoma provides. It is
true that in other states and in the United
States courts the judges have sometimes used
the equity side of the court In order to deprive
the laboring man of his constitutional guaran
tees. According to the criminal law, a labor
ing man Is liable to purishment If he destroys
property; according to the common law, he is
liable to 'damages if he injures property, but
the corporations have fallen into the habit of
depriving the laboring man of the protection
thrown about him when charged with a crime,
or when prosecuted under the common law, and
it ia to restore to him the protection of trial
by jury that this provision of the constitution
was inserted, and I submit that, as long as a
convioted criminal, when charged with another
crime, is entitled to a trial by jury, a laboring
man ought not be denied a trial by jury when
he has never been convicted of a crime. Before
leaving this subject I may add that the president
in his last message referred to the abuses that
have grown up in the use of the writ of injunc
tion, and suggested that it would be necessary to
take some action to restrain the use of the writ
if the abuses continue. It Is to be regretted
that these abuses have not impressed Secretary
Taft as they have the president, for he sees
nothing but good in the writ. Additional proof
of his prejudice against the laboring man is
found in his objection to the provision compel
ling corporations to consent to arbitration.
The secretary complains that the railway
commission can fine a railroad for disobeying
an order and that trial by jury is not provided
In such a case. I think I can guarantee that a
democratic legislature will provide for trial by
jury in such cases, it the railroads want It, but
trial by jury is the one thing that the railroads
do not want.
Another objection upon which Secretary
Taft places great stress is that the state has
been so districted that the republicans might
have a majority of 30,000 in the state without -electing
the legislature. I do not know how
accurate the secretary's statement is, but I know
that there is scarcely a state of the size of
Oklahoma in which it might not be possible
for one party to carry the state by 30,000 and
the other party control the legislature. I know
that in the republican states of Connecticut and -Rhode
Island it Is practically Impossible for the
democrats to elect the legislature even though j
they have a large majority in the state. In
Rhode Island, for instance, we have elected the .
governor several times within recent years but :
can not get the legislature, the reason being i
that their legislative districts are arranged on
the basis of area rather than population. Little i
towns of a few hundred population elect asi
many representatives as great cities with many
thousands of papulation. The legislative dis-
tricts of Connecticut and Rhode Island are fan
more unfair than the legislative districts of
Oklahoma, and yet Secretary Taft has not raised
his voice-in favor of justice in these republican
states. The congressional districts of Ohio are
more Unfair than the legislative i districts, of
Oklahoma, and tlie districts from which the"
delegates to the constitutional convention were"'
elected in Oklahoma -were more unfair and part
isan than the legislative districts'. ' Unfairness
in districting a state can not be defended, no
matter what party is guilty of It, but it( Is in
consistent in Secretary Taft to ma'ke the objec
tion in Oklahoma when he does not make it in
other states and when he did not make objection
to the partisan districting that preceded the con-,
stltutlonal election. As a matter of fact, the
constitution compels justice in districting. when
the population is ascertained. v
. I can not speak as, to your school taxation,
but I am. sure that your people are so much in
terested in the education of their children that
they will correct any. mistake that the conven
tion has made. It is not necessary that state
hood should be delayed In order to secure 'edu
cational facilities, for these can be easily pro
vided by an amendment to the constitution, if,
the constitution does tnot already make adequate,
provision.
But Secretary Taft says that, if you insist
on having, statehood and .are determined to
adopt heconsttution, ', you ougfyt to have a r.e
pubjllcim government, .to amend the constitution.
Hejpprtajnty ha. fprgotten the argument he
made-in Ohio recently, tha,t the tariff "ought to
it-
be reformed by Ita friends. If he applies his
logic to this constitution, he ought to insist that
tho constitution should bo reformed by ita
friends, rather than by its enemies, and surely
there is little to induce confidence in tho re
publican party when that party has delayed
statehood for so many years, and delayed It for
purely partisan reasons. The republican party
to secure partisan advantage admitted several
western states that Wore not nearly so well fit
ted for statehood as Oklahoma, but your people
have long suffered tho disadvantages of a ter
ritorial government merely because they did
not approve of tho policies of the republican
party. Now they are asked to reward tho re
publican party for the punishment It has lu
flicted upon them. But If this argument appeals
to republicans who oppose the constitution, the"
democrats and the many republicans who favor
the constitution will find in the president's
speech additional reasons for supporting tho
democratic ticket and thus rewarding the party
which has submitted a constitution so good that
even the republican convention of Oklahoma did
not dare to express disapproval of it. The sec
retary has 'shown a good deal of boldness in
asking you to repudiate a constitution that a
republican convention was not willing to con
demn. The secretary, after picking out everything
that seemed objectionable and ignoring every
provision of tho constitution that seemed good,
proceeded to make an argument in favor of re
publican policies in tho nation. He asked you
to cast your lot with the republican party rather
than with the democratic party. If he had been
frank with you, he would have told you that
the only popularity the republican party has Is
due to Its adoption of a part of the democratic
platform. But if he told you that, you would
have replied that it was better to join the demo
cratic party and lead a reform than to Join the
republican party and follow hesitatingly after
the democratic party has pointed out the way.
He appeals to you to stand by protection,
although he did not enter into any argument
on the subject. Have ydu read his Columbus
speech? If so you will find in it an arraign-'
ment of protection as we have it today an ap
peal for a revision of the tariff, but he paralyzes
tho force of his own speech by postponing the
tariff reform until after the election. Tariff re
form is never undertaken by the republicans
just after a republican victory because the vic
tory Is taken as an endorsement of the policy,
and is never undertaken before an election for
fear it will interfere with another republican
victory. The people of Oklahoma have no In
terest In the maintenance of a purely protective
system, for they sell In the open markets of tho
world and buy in the restricted markets of
America. The cotton raised in Oklahoma sells
for the same whether it is made up into cloth
in the United States or in Europe, for the foreign
price fixes, the price here, -and the same may be
said of the wheat, the corn and the cattle pro
duced by the farmers of Oklahoma. And yet,
when the farmers attempt to invest their in
come In the things which they need, they not
only find prices increased by the protective
tariff but still further increased by the combin
ations which manufacturers have formed to take
advantage of the tariff. The farmers of Okla
homa will find little consolation In the fact that,
"while American manufactures sell abroad cheap
er than at .home, republican leaders like Secre
tary 'Taft are insisting that no reform shall be
attempted except through the republican party
and with the consent of the tariff barons them
selves. Secretary Taft did not discuss the trust
question; he wisely avoided it because he favors
taking a backward step on that question.
Secretary Taft also .made a plea in favor
of imperialism. Well, the people of Oklahoma
have had enough experience with carpet-bag
government to know something about a colonial
policy. If officers appointed by the federal gov
ernment are so unsatisfactory, what must be
the feeling of the Filipinos against officials of
another race sent across the ocean to administer
a government? I am glad that Secretary Taft
has referred to the Philippine question, for his
discussion shows that he believes In a colonial
policy and that he disputes the doctrines set
forth In the Declaration of Jndependence. While
he himself, seems disposed to acquiesce In tho
suffrage amendments adopted In the south, he
overlooks the fact that the black man pf, the
south is jr.eated much better than the brown
man of the Philippines. Tlie black man of the
south has the protection of the constitutions,
state and national, -while the constitution Is
denied to the Filipino. The black man of tho
south hUn also tho protection of living under
laws which the white man makes for himsolf,
while tho Filipino lives under laws which tho
whito man makes for tho Filipino, laws undor
which tho whito man would not himsolf bo
willing to live.
Then, too, the secrotary confuses two ques
tions that arc ontlroly distinct. Tho question
in tho south is not whether tho black man la
capablo of self government; It Is whothcr ho is
capablo of conducting a government under which
tho white man as well as tho black man must
live; in other words, whothor ho is capable of
governing tho whito man; while tho question
In the Philippines is whothor tho brown man Is
capablo of governing himsolf. For tho whito
man of tho south to Insist, as a matter of self
preservation, on administering tho government
under which both ho and tho black man must
live is ono thing; for tho whito man to cross
tho Pacific ocean and fasten a government on
an alien pcoplo is ontlroly another proposition,
and tho secretary is confused on fundamental
principles if he can not seo tho distinction. Im
perialism costs us more than ono hundred mil
lions a year, weakens us by exposing us to for
eign attack and lays us open to the suspicion
of having abandoned tho idea of self govern
ment. I am glad that you have had the benefit'
of Secretary Taft's advice, for if anything was
needed to convince the voters of Oklahoma that
tho constitution is a good ono, tho proof 'has
boon furnished by tho fact that Secretary Taft's
criticisms have been aimed at tho very parts
which protect tho people against predatory
wealth, and tho people of Oklahoma ought to
show their appreciation of the splendid consti
tution submitted to them by giving an over
whelming endorsement to Mr. Haskell and his
colleagues upon tho ticket Mr. Haskell nrtd
several of tho othor state candidates played an
Important part In the shaping of tho constitu
tion, and tho party which has placed them In
nomination can claim tho credit of Inaugurating
a government, republican in form, democratic
in spirit and in harmony with the scntlmonts
of tho people.
Speaking of the democratic candidates In
Oklahoma Mr. Bryan said:
"I find an especial pleasure In saying a
word In behalf of Mr. Haskell, your candidate
for governor. He was a friend in tho days when
I needed friends. Two years before tho Chicago
convention he was chairman of tho committee
on resolutions in his congressional district and
voted for the adoption of tho money plank that
afterward presented the paramount issue of tho
campaign of 189G, and when I wag a candidate
in 180C, his county, largely through his efforts,
gave mo 2,000 majority. That being one of tho
strongholds of tho democratic party the gold
democrats sought to divide our vote by selecting
two electors for the gold ticket from that coun
ty. But they succeeded in securing only eleven
votes In the whole county for the Palmer and
Buckner ticket.
"I am glad to be able to pay back In this
campaign a part of tho debt that I owe Mr. Has
kell for his services when I needed friends.
And, aside from my gratitude, I rejoice that
your state is to be launched upon its, career
under the guidance of so strong, so able, and
so faithful a democrat. .
"Surely those who have given you your
constitution and placed you among the foremost
of the reform states of this union are deserving
of your gratitude. Many states have constitu
tions satisfactory to the representatives of pre
datory wealth. Oklahoma's constitution ought
to bo satisfactory to tho producing masses. Tho
democrats have selected five members of tho
constitutional convention for places upon tho
state ticket, and the other candidates are all In
sympathy with the constitution and Its alms.
"As I have mentioned my personal appre
ciation of Mr. Haskell, I might add that I have
also been brought In contact with 'Mr. Williams,
one of the candidates for the supreme bench. He
Is a member of the democratic national commit
tee and my acquaintance with him has led me to
''admire more and more his intellect, his moral
courage and his broad sympathy with the people.
' Unless I am mistaken in measuring character
- he "will prove himself, entirely worthy of the
great responsibilities that will rest upon him.
"It is important that the senators from
Oklahoma shall represent the masses rather
than the great corporations. We surely need
such men in the senate. The democratic candl-
dates, Mr., Gore and Mr. Owens, measure up to
the requirements. In the house the five demo-
(Continued on Page 6
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