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PIBBP'IWIlH
AUGUST 28, 1908
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The Commoner.
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robbed by the trusts to the extent of hundreds of millions a year,
and if Mr. Taft is not yet conscious of what is going on, and not
yet aroused to the iniquity of these trusts, liow can the country
hope for relief through his election?
The democratic party is the defender of competition and the
only great party which is seeking to restore competition. Mr.
Taft has, in the discussion of this question, employed harsh words
instead of argument. The word "socialistic" is hurled at the
democratic party and the democratic platform. Now, as a matter
of fact, it is Mr. Taft's party and not the democratic party which
has given encouragement to socialism. While professing to abhor
socialism, the republican party has gone half way toward socialism
in endorsing its fundamental principle The socialist bases his
contention on the theory that competition is bad, and that an
economic advance is to be found in monopoly. The socialist, how
ever, wants the public to have the benefit of the monopoly and,
therefore, favors government ownership and operation of all the
means of production and distribution.
The republican party lias gone almost as far as the socialist
party in 'the economic defense of the monopoly, but it permits the
benefits of monopoly to be enjoyed by a comparatively few men,
who have secured a dominant influence in the government. I beg
to call Mr. Taft's attention to the fact that the republican party
has stimulated the growth of socialism in two ways: First, by the
endorsement that it has given to the theory that trusts are a
natural and necessary outgrowth of our economic conditions, and,
second, by permitting the development . of abuses which have been
charged against individualism. If he will examine the vote pub
lished in the World Almanac, he will find that in 1900 the repub
licans polled 7,208,244 votes and that the socialists polled but
85,991; in the same almanac, he will find that in 1904 the repub
licans cast 7,625,489 votes and the socialists 402,286. Notwith
standing the fact that the republicans have boasted of their last
national victory, their party polled but 417,000 more votes that
year than four years before. This scarcely mdre than covered the
natural increase in the republican portion of the population, while
the socialist vote increased more than three hundred per cent, and
the increase in votes was almost as great as the increase in republi
can votes.
The republican leaders have been in the habit of sneering at
the socialists, while blindly indifferent to the causes that have
contributed to the growth of socialism. The democrats recognize
that socialists are honestly seeking a remedy for the "known
abuses" admitted by Secretary Taft. Democrats disseni from the
remedy proposed by the socialists, believing that socialists are
mistaken and that the democratic remedy is better, but it is time
for thoughtful people to recognize that individualism can only be
retained and defended by remedial legislation which will remove
the abuses which have been allowed to fasten themselves upon the
u
country. The democratic party, bolieving in individualism, ad
dresses itself earnestly to these abuses, and instead of ridiculing'
and maligning the socialists, invites them, as it does republicans, to
examine the democratic platform and the remedies proposed therein.
It submits its plans to tho honest citizenship of the country, without
regard to section or party.
In my notification speech I called attention to threo demands
made by our party. It asks, first, that the government shall be
taken out of the hands of special interests, and restored to the
people as a whole; it asks, second, for honesty in elections and
publicity in regard to campaign funds, that the people may frtly
choose representatives in sympathy with them and pledged to
guard their interests ; it asks, third, for such a modification of our
governmental methods as will make tho senate an elective body,
and place the control of the house of representatives in the handi
of a majority of its members. A few days ago, in discussing th
tariff question, I dwelt upon the fourth demand made by our
party, namely, that taxation be just, that the revenue laws be mad
for the purpose of raising revenue and not for tho enrichment of a
few at the expense of the many, and that the tariff law be supple
mented by an income tax which will more nearly equalize the for
ernment's burdens. Today I present another demand mad in our
party platform the demand that tho grip of the trusts be broken,
that competition be restored and that the door of opportunity bt
opened to the business men and the toilers of the land.
Industrial independence is necessary to political independence
The free exercise of the rights of citizenship is impossible when a
few men control the industries in which millions are employed.
God forbid that we should compel the wage-earners of the nation to
address their petitions to trust magnates, and ask for their daily
bread. Already we have seen how prone the monopolist is to make
employment depend upon the willingness of the employe to prosti
tute his ballot to the service of his corporato master.
This question should be settled now; we can not afford to
bequeath it as a legacy of woe to a succeeding generation. The
conscience of the people is already awakened, and the conscience
is the most potent force of which man has knowledge. Where law
makes one righteous, conscience controls .an hundred; where one
is kept from wrong-doing by fear of prison doors, a thousand are
restrained by those invisible walls which conscience rears about us
barriers which are stronger than walls of granite. It is upon the
conscience that human institutions rest, and without a stirring- of tht
conscience no great reform is possible. To a national conscience
already aroused we appeal, with the pledge that a democratic
victory will mean the ringing out of industrial despotism and
the ringing -in of a new era in which business will be built upon its
merits, and in which men will succeed, not in proportion to tht
coercion they may be able to practice, but in proportion to their
industry, their ability and their fidelity.
CALL FOR ORGANIZATION OF DEMOCRATIC CLUBS
A Chicago dispatch carried by tho Asso
ciated Press, under date of August 14, follows:
A .call for the organization of democratic
clubs in every voting precinct in the United
States to aid in Mr. Bryan's campaign was issued
today by the democratic national committee.
Mr Bryan, It is understood, informed Mr. Mack
and other members of the committee that he
believed the democratic party would derive its
greatest impetus from the formation of clubs
throughout the country. The appeal for club
organization was signed by Chairman Mack and
John W. Tomlinson, head of the committee on
club organizations. Asserting that the xepubli
can party Intends to rely on favor-seeking inter
ests, the call for club organization says:
"All patriotic citizens, Irrespective of party,
who stand for the rule of the people are against
the corrupt Influence of money in elections and
to that end favor publicity of the larger cam
paign contributions before election, as demand
ed hy the democratic platform, are urged to
organize themselves immediately into campaign
clubs for the presidential election.
"All organizations in sympathy are expect
ed to assist actively In this work. The chair
man of the democratic state committee in each
state is requested to have each county and pre
cinct committeeman organize a campaign -lub
in each precinct on or before the 15th day of
September. , . .
"All existing organizations should meet at
once and appoint campaign committees. The
names and addresses of all campaign organizations-
their officers aad committeemen should
be stent to John E. Tomlinson, chairman of the
committee on club organizations, national head
quarters, Chicago, 111., so that certificate of en
rollments, literature, etc, may he sent. No
special form of organization or by-laws is neces
sary. "Former Chairman Thomas Taggart called
at democratic headquarters today and con
ferred with Chairman Mack and other members
of the committee regarding the campaign plans.
Speaking of the situation in Ohio and in Indiana
Mr. Taggart said:
"The situation in Indiana, so far as the
democrats are concerned, is better than it has
been for twenty years, and there is absolute
harmony in the party ranks. Indiana is in tho
democratic column without a doubt. Tho re-,
ports that I receive from Ohio are also encour
aging, and I shall not be surprised to see tho
democrats In that state elect their candidate
for governor and give a majority for the demo
cratic national ticket."
With the organization of the speakers'
bureau of the democratic national committee
practically completed, John U. Atwood, head of
the bureau, today sent out nearly thirty speakers
in response to requests from democratic organi
zations in various parts of the country. This
vanguard of speakers will be for owed by others
in greater numbers, and Mr. Atwood said that
they would be seat to every part of tho United
States wherever their services were needed. The
chairman of the speakers' bureau declared that
the Issues of the campaign would not lack for
expression because of any inadequacy in his
bureau.
"Speakers are volunteering their services
in large numbers," said Mr. Atwood, "and no
less than twelve United States senators have
written me statist that they are ready U go on
the stump. Every speaker that has heen sent
out has been a volunteer la the -cause and Teady
to pay his own campaign expenses. We will
send out speakers wherever they are requialtlon
,cd for awhile, but later the national committee
will prepare a detailed plan of speaking cam
paign and then we will send out speakers on.
our own initiative. I expect Judge Alton B
Parker of New York to take an active part in
the campaign."
REPUBLICAN DEFICIT $130,081,883.
The republican members of congress, hav
ing evidently realized that Mr. Bryan and a.
democratic congress will be elected next fall,
have attempted by fabulous appropriations for
tho support of the imperialistic p-ograra, and
so on, to place tho treasury in such a condition
as to, if possible, prevent a reduction of the
tariff, which grinds the masses but enriches the
trusts
And not content with that piece of rascality,
they are blaming the democrats for tho deleft.
Here Is what the Seattle Daily Times said ahoat
it editorially in its issue of Juno 3:
"In his effort to sidestep respoaslbility for
appropriating $13,681,$83 more than the tetat
estimated revenues of the government, Chalr
maa James A. Tawney of tke appropriates
committee, charges that 'the efforts of the re
publican majority to naaintaia a policy
.greater economy were frustrated by an obstruc
tive and recalcitrant minority.' Ha, ha, fee, fee,
he, he. With a brutal majority over all of fifty,
an autocratic speaker and a traiaed rules com
mittee, making It aosslble for Ike republicans
to do absolutely aaythlas; that pleased the,
Mr. Tawney's attempt to play tke fcafcy act m
absurdly silly. The republican feaye wiped t
the surplus and tkey will Juave to stand for it."
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