'APRIL 22, 1910
3
The Commoner.
Editor Munseys Honest Confession
Editorial in the Washington, D. C. Times:
When William Jennings Bryan expressed his
opinion of the Chicago platform, and declared
that the republican convention had not promised
"downward" fevision and that the republican
party would not give the country downward re
vision, we hooted him. Wo thought it was ab
surd to mako such a claim. Wo set it down to
blind, partisan bias. We told ourselves that
surely, after all the agitation and discussion of
the necessity for reducing the tariff, no party
and no leaders of any party would havo the
hardihood to attempt a stationary or upward re-
vision.
No, indeed! This time the people were
aroused! After years of procrastination and de
ceit the republican congressional dictators had
finally been forced to an actual reduction "of the
taTiff schedules! Thero was no mistake about
'it; that was what the Chicago platform provid
ed! Bryan was crazy!
We all know what happened, and wo must
"admit today that Mr. Bryan was right and the
rest of tho country wrong, as unusual. The taTiff
session had hardly gotten under way when tho
standpat republican leaders began to tell us that
tho party had never promised "downward" re
vision, and that tho Chicago platform did not
promise downward revision. They kept it up
throughout tho session and havo beon at it ever
since.
It is not our purpose at tills time to discuss
whether such a promise was mado or not made;
whether, if made, it has been kept or shattered.
What we would bring to your attention is tho
weird mental attitude of tho defenders of tho
tariff law. Had you observed, in studying their
speeches, that they all say, "Wo did not promiso
downward revision," and that they then proceed
to devote all tho intellectual energy at their
command to prove that this was exactly tho kind
of revision which they did accomplish.
If, as they contend, they did not promiso
downward revision, and if, as they declare, tho
country did not demand or expect downward re
vision, why, in tho name of everything sane and
sensible, are Mr. Aldrich, Mr. Cannon, and their
friends so determined to convince us that tho
tariff was actually revised downward? If they
'made no promises if they did not deceive tho
country what difference does it mako whether
tho revision was up or down or sideways?
LAFOLLETTE ATTACKS THE ADMINISTRA
TION Soon after Mr. Taft was nominated to the
presidency in 1908, Senator Robert M. La
Follette sent to Mr. Taft this dispatch: "While
the platform is disappointing in some funda
mental provisions and omissions, and I shall
claim the right to say so, I congratulate you
-most sincerely, and in the faith that you aro
more nearly in accord with the great body of
republican voters than the platform, I shall do
all in my power to insure your election."
Plainly, Senator LaFollette has changed his
opinion. On April 12th ho delivered a speech
in the senate and that speech fairly bristled
With denunciations of the Taft administration,
Following are extracts from the report made
by the Washington correspondent for the Den
ver News:
Painting J. P. Morgan as a "beefy, rod-faced,
thick-necked financial bully, whose operations
in the commerce of the nation are a ruination
to tho people's rights," characterizing Attorney
General Wickersham as a former chief trickster
of monopolistic interests, and condemning in
fiery language the merger of the Boston and
Maine railroad with the New York, Now Haven
and Hartford, Senator LaFollette today delivered
his long-promised arraignment of Taft's rail
road administration bill.
At the bottom of the attempt to place moro
power in the hands of the railroads, the Wis
consin senator declared there was a force fresh
from the White Houso willing and anxious to
add to tho already great pile of corruptness
which is fast infesting every branch of transport
ation in the United States.
Few times did the vitriolic denunciation use
the name of the president, but behind every
argument was the well-founded intimation that
it was through tho efforts of the chief executive
that the big men of the financial world were
going to be allowed to gobble up everything in
Bight, regardless of the rights of the people who,
after all, LaFollette shouted, aro supposed to
be the beneficiaries, of the corporations.
The particular part of the railroad bill LaFol
lette picked out as bad was the provision allow
ing railroads to take over the holdings of other
concerns. He charged openly that the Massa
chusetts legislation allowing the consolidation of
the Boston and Maine was consummated at the
dictation of President Mellen of tho New Haven
road, and for this he held the attorney general
and tho president of the United States directly
responsible.
Mellen, he said, was simply tho tool of Mor
gan, "a hireling," the westerner emphasized by
pounding his fist upon his table until the crowd
ed galleries sat motionless in preparation of the
denunciation they knew was to follow.
"This bill, Mr. President," he -said, "is tho
boldest raid upon public right, in the form of
legislation upon this great subject, that tho
highbinders of big business have ever succeeded
In having forced upon the serious consideration
of congress. Never before has any one under
taken seriously to ask congress for a charter for
the monopolization and oppression of tho com
merce of this country, such as is carried in tho
devious language and hidden purposes of this
measure.
"Never before has it beon attempted to fore
close the people of this country of their rights
and to fasten Irrevocably upon the commerce
of the country the public burden of transporta
tion charges, to pay interest and dividends upon
all the watered stocks and bonds, which unre
strained corporate greed has set afloat in tho
financial channels of this country."
Mr. LaFollette asserted that at the behest of
the New Haven company the Massachusetts legis
lature had undertaken to repeal a federal law
and license an act which congress had declared
to be a crime against the people.
"And," he said, "the attorney general, tho
highest law officer of tho federal government
sworn to preserve, protect and defend tho con
stitution and enforce the laws of congress, giveB
his official approval of this legislative compact
between tho New Haven company and the Massa
chusetts legislature to nullify the laws of con
gress and declares that it expressly authorizes
what congress has expressly forbidden.
"If the federal anti-trust Jaw can be repealed
by a state legislature if the department of jus
tice at Washington will hold conferences with
and countenance the agents of the law-breaking
corporations while they aro engaged in lobbying
through state legislatures a pretended sanction
of their violation of the criminal statutes of tho
federal government and then by official edict
make such statutes a shield and cover under
which the criminal corporations may go un
whipped of justice; if tho door of the federal
court may thus be closed in the face of a
wronged and outraged public by tho attorney
general of the United States, then the law be
comes a black art and justice a mere juggler's
pawn."
Speaking of President Mellen and Vice Presi
dent Byrnes of the New York, New Haven and
Hartford railroad, Senator LaFollette said:
"Tho mask is off. We have all of ug done In
justice to Mr. Mellen, gross injustice. Nor Is
Mr. Byrnes In his private capacity or in any
capacity, except as corporation employes, the
truculent braggart that he seems in the press
reports of railroad hearings.
"Both of these men and others of their kind
are but hired megaphones through which a
beefy, red-faced, thick-necked financial bully,
drunk with wealth and power, bawls his orders
to stock market, directors, courts, governments
and nations. ' We have been listening to Mr.
Morgan."
"COME INTO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY,"
SAYS FOSS
Eugene N. Foss, recently elected to the house
of representatives from the Boston district, visit
ed Rochester, New York, recently and gave to
tho Associated Press an interesting interview.
Tho Associated Press report of tho Interview
follows:
Mr. Foss declared that ho now "enjoyed in
his various business enterprises from 45 to 100
per cent protection."
"It is too much," he added. "I don't need
that protection, and I ought not to have it. All
that I have above a certain point represents
tariff graft. I am willing that protection should
bo cut right in half, and then I would havo all
I am entitled to or noed."
In regard to insurgency, ho said:
"My insurgent republican friends, if you want
to accomplish tho results you desire, you havo
got to stop aside and join tho opposition party
and forco legislation along lines that will bring
relief. You have beon 'Insurgents' long onough
and what practical results havo you secured?
"Senator Lodge read mo out of tho republican
party six years ago, but I clung to it, for I loved
it, until my self-respect and my judgment forced
mo into tho party of the opposition. I wont out
of the party last fall and in a thirty days' cam
paign on this same issue cut down a majority
of 96,000 to ono of less than 8,000. Senator
Lodge said that I could not mako tho tariff
an issue last fall. But beforo tho campaign
ended ho was defending and praising tho Aldrich
act whonever and wherever ho spoko. It was
the dominant issue. It was along tho same lines
when tho opportunity came this spring that J,
fought tho campaign in the Fourteenth district,
and tho district which defeated mo last fall for
lieutenant governor by 5,000 votes has just sent
me to congress by a majority of 5, GOO votes.
"Tho insurgent republicans hopo, as I hoped,
for eight long years to bring about reform with
in their own party. It's a miBtako, It can't bo
done.
"To my insurgent republican friends I say:
'Don't bo a' near-domocrat; be a real one. Como
over with me where you belong and where you
can do real service.' "
Party names mean little today, ho declared,
to tho average man who thinks seriously.
"It was not a party victory in tho Fourteenth
district. It was a protest by men of all shades
of political belief against an economic policy
which has mado and is still making it more diffi
cult for the average man to stretch his income
to meet his absolutely necessary living ex
penses. "Lifelong republicans sat on the platform side
by side with lifelong democrats when I dis
cussed tho tariff issue, and tho applause was as
hearty from the one as from the other."
Mr. Foss started off humorously by saying:
"We recently had an election in Massachusetts."
Ho spoke first of his campaign and of the issues
on which ho won it. His campaign, ho declared,
had been ono of publicity. The full strength of
the republican machine had been exerted in be
half of his opponent.
"Tho entire campaign was fought on tariff
lines," ho said. "Our platform was put into tho
hands of every voter. I discussed the tariff in
almost every village and town in the district
pointing out to tho voters what this outrageous
tariff was doing for them. I endeavored to
show them how tho tariff affected nearly every
article they wore, ate or drank, or that con
tributed to the comfort of their homes.
"While Senators Lodge and Aldrich claimed
that the Payne-Aldrich tariff was drawn In tho
interests of New England, and chuckled over
tho thought that they had given New England
more than It was entitled to, the people of this
most typical Now England district have repu
diated flatly the Aldrich act, and pronounced it
unfair, unjust and inequitable. They realize
that it would bo disastrous to permit It to re
main." Mr. Foss declared that his election means
that the people are tired of the Aldrich bill. "It
is a demand of Massachusetts and of all New
England for free ra"w material, untaxed food
pro.ducts and wider markets. It is a demand
that wo treat Canada decently, and that wo
take down our tariff wall against her.
- "I would go so far as to say," he continued,
"that we should do this whether Canada lowered
hers or not. Wo aro the sufferers. Wo need
her lumber, her coal and iron, her wheat, her
wood pulp, her other products.
"Tho remedy lies in the hands of tho people,"
he said in conclusion, "and they aro going to
supply it this fall, else I greatly misunderstand
tho signs of the times and the temper of tho
American people."
BE CAREFUL
Referring to Mr. Taft's "get together" speech
tho Philadelphia North American, republican,
says: "Out of his own mouth camo words that
more nearly convicted him of Insincerity and
false pretenses than anything ever said of him
by his severest critics." The editor of tho North
American should be careful; he may go so far
that ho may find it difficult to get into line in
time to give to the Taft party his customary
hysterical support.
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