The Commoner.
5
JUNE 10, it it
lativ bodies Is undermining tho confidence of
the people in representative government." It is
promoting radical socialism and developing ele
ments of criminal anarchy.
The people desire many things which th,oy are
entitled to receive, which have been promised to
them, and which have been withheld or at least
not delivered by their public servants, who in
reality make themselves tho masters of the peo
ple when trusted with power.
Tho people want lower prices and the reduc
tion of tho tariff. Why don't they get it? They
were promised reduction, but they got a higher
tariff and higher prices than before.
The people want the control of monopoly and
the reduction of the high prices of monopoly.
Why don't they get it? All parties promise It,
yet Moody's Manual shows that tho gigantic
monopolies have rapidly grown until their stocks
and bonds comprise a third of tho national
wealth. They aggregate over thirty thousand
millions of dollars. Moody's Manual for 1907,
page 2330, gives over 1,000 companies absorbed
or merged by or into other companies for 1907,
and these conditions grow worse each year. Or
ganized monopoly controls the meat market;
controls the selling price of beef, mutton, pork,
fowls and every variety of meat.
Organized monopoly controls the prices of all
bakery products and candies and preserves; con
trols the prices of all canned goods and tropical
fruits; controls tho price of sugar and salt and
spices. Monopolies control everything that goes
on the table, as food, as tableware, china and
glassware, and the price of the table itself;
controls the price of everything that enters the
house, the furniture, the carpets, the draperies;
controls the price of everything worn upon the
back of man, of woolen goods, of linen goods, of
silk goods, of cotton goods, of leather goods.
They control the price of all materials of which
buildings are constructed lumber, iron and
steel, cement, brick, plaster, marble, granite,
stone, tile, slate, and asphalt. They control
paper and stationery goods, iron, copper and
steel and metals and goods made of these ma
terials. They control dairy products; they con
trol railways and steamship lines, telegraph,
telephone and express companies. They control
everything needed by man from the cradle
which! receives "the baby, and the., toys with
which a child plays, to the casket and the cere
ments of tho grave.
They have raised prices 50 per cent higher
than the markets of the world, and their apolo
gists, the political allies of commercial monopoly
and their intellectual mercenaries, All the public
press with solemn argument about the quantita
tive theory of money and the increase of gold
as explaining and justifying high prices.
The whole world is staggering under the high
prices of monopoly, and the people of the United
States are afflicted with prices 50 per cent higher
than those paid by the balance of mankind. The
people ask for bread and they get a stone. They
ask for lower prices and they get a senatorial
investigation as to the cause of high prices, and
the cause of high prices when ascertained by
this unnecessary and absurd research will un
questionably be used as a special plea and as
an apology and pretext for denying the reason
able demand of the American people for the
restraint of monopoly and the lowering of prices.
The people demand a fair price for their crude
products, for their cattle and hogs and sheep
and the corn and hay and grass fed into these
domestic animals and marketed. The beef trust
artificially fixes the price of what they produce,
without competition, at an unfair price, and no
remedy is afforded. The tobacco trust fixes the
price of their tobacco, and is stirring up the
night riders' rebellion with its Ignorant, crimi
nal, and pitiful protests, by stealing the value
of the labor of the tobacco "raiser by artificial
prices and no relief is given. Gamblers in the
market places undertake to force prices of
wheat, corn, oats and cotton back and forth for
gambling purposes and no relief.
Is It any wonder the people abandon the farm
and find a worse condition in the grinding com
petition of labor in our great cities, where mon
opoly again fixes the price of labor? Is it any
wonder labor makes violent efforts to protect
itself and to protect the wives and children, who
look to them for protection?
The people have been promised the control of
monopoly. Why do they not get it? Are the
people in control of government, or are the
trusts in control? Do the people really rule?
The people desire an employers' liability act
eight hours of labor and one day of rest in
seven and sanitary housing for labor. Why
do they not get it? Is the demand unreason
able? Has not the condition at Pittsburg, the
center of the. great system of American protec-
tlon, been fully set forth by tho highest au
thority, by tho trained exports of tho Russell
Sage foundation?
Did they not point out twolvo hours of labor
seven days in tho week as the usual rule, im
pure water, impure food, unsanitary housing,
Bick women and children? Does not tho recent
report of tho department of commerce and labor
of tho Bethlehem company confirm it? Why is
there no relief from these hideous conditions of
American life?
The part which tho United States steel cor
poration has played in promoting political cam
paigns Is an open secret and furnishes one of
tho obvious reasons why relief Is not afforded.
. The people would like publicity of campaign
contributions, and a thorough-going corrupt
practices act. Why do they not got it?
Who Is interested in maintaining tho corrupt
practices? Do not the people desire It stopped?
Who opposes publicity of campaign contribu
tions? Do not the people wish publicity of cam
paign contributions and effective control of tho
use of money in campaigns?
The people desire, to control gambling In agri
cultural products. Who is concerned In main
taining this evil system of gambling In wheat
and corn and oats and rye and cotton? Do tho
people desire this gambling to continue, and
would it continue under the rule of the people?
Oh, It Is said, Mr. President, that tho people
do not know what they want nor how to govern
themselves directly, but only by representatives.
I emphatically deny It. Tho demonstration In
Oregon is a final answer to such shallow pro
tenses. I confess for the most part they are an
unorganized mob in politics; that for many
years they have trusted political parties man
aged by machine methods; that they do not
select candidates or issues; but Oregon and
Oklahoma point a new and safe way to correct
this deficiency.
The people wish the gambling in stocks and
bonds to be terminated. Why does the senate
not act? Why does not the congress act and for
bid the mails to the most gigantic and wicked
gambling scheme tho world has ever known a
gigantic sponge, which absorbs by stealth and
craft hundreds of millions annually from foolish
gambling citizens, misled by" false appeals to
their avarice, cupidity, and speculative weak
nesses, derisively called "the lambs," who pass
in an unbroken stream to slaughter on the fas
cinating altars of mammon.
Why are the reserves of the national banks
not used exclusively for commerce, but used in
stead as an agency of stock gambling and over
certification of checks as a chief auxiliary?
Why is there no control of over-capitalization
of the overissue of stocks and bonds of corpora
tions, another means by which tho people aro
defrauded?
Why is there -no effective controL of railroad,
passenger, and freight rates after twem.y years
of agitation? Do the people want reasonable
railroad rates, or do the people conduct the
government of the United States?
The present discussion of railroad freight
rates on the floor of the senate and on tho floor
of the house is almost entirely in vain, because
the jury is not an impartial jury, but a jury
that, most unfortunately, under machine rule,
can not be free from the influence of the enor
mous power of the railroads in politics. The de
bate Is well-nigh useless, and for this reason
will amount to nothing in the way of substantial
relief to the American people.
Why is there no adequate control of the dis
crimination of railways against Individuals, or
discriminations in favor of one community
against another?
The people are opposed to these discrimina
tions, but their representatives who are in power
do not adequately represent the reasonable de
sires of the people.
Why is there no physical valuation of rail
ways as a basis of honest freight and passenger
rates?
Why is there no parcels post? Would it serve
the interest of the people and protect the deficit
of the postofllce department? Undoubtedly. But
the great express companies have such political
power with the dominant representatives of the
people that tho dominant representatives do not
justly represent the people, but represent in
stead those who contribute money secretly to
campaign funds.
Why do we not have a national development
of good roads, co-operating with every state and
county in the union?
The people undoubtedly want it and undoubt
edly need it.
Why do we not have a systematic develop
ment of our national waterways? The people
want that, but the recent rivers and harbors
bill, appropriating fifty-two millions, spent many
millions on local projects with political prestige,
but without a thoroughgoing national dcBign.
Tho pcoplo desired a puro food and drug act,
and it took a long time to got it, and Its admin
istration now is mado almost Impossible by tho
influences ovor government of solf-promottng
commercial interests.
Why Is equality of opportunity boing rapidly
destroyed and absorbed by 'corporate growth and
powor without any protection of tho young men
and pcoplo of tho land? Do tho people want
equality of opportunity?
Tho pcoplo univorsally desiro an Income tax.
It was defeated in the supremo court by a falla
cious argument, which I have hcrotoforo pointed
out, and will probably bo defeated as a consti
tutional amendment, because of machlno rule
and tho influence of private interest with ma
chine rule, which is inoro potential than tho
public welfare.
Why do tho people not get a progressive in
heritance tax on tho gigantic fortunes of Amer
ica? Tho people want it. Every nation in
Europo has it, even under monarchies.
Finally, Mr. President, why do wo not havo
olection of senators by direct vote of the people?
Nine-tenths of tho people want it, and tho senato
of tho United States defeats It. Do tho people
rule? Some of the republican leaders say, "Yes;
tho pcoplo rule through tho republican party."
My answer Is, Mr. President, that If the peoplo
ruled through tho republican party, they would
havo long since- answered their own prayers and
domands favorably and not denied themselves
their own petitions.
Mr. President, the evils which havo crept into
our government havo grown up naturally under
tho convention system, not through tho faults
of any particular man. Tho system of delegated
government affords too open and abundant op
portunity for commercialism and for mere self
peeking political ambition.
In some cases delagatod government, oven
under a machlno form, Is perfectly upright, per
fectly honest, and serves the cause of the peoplo
excellently well, but the mechanism of govern
ment by the delegate plan affords too gro ,
temptations for the alliance of commercialism
and political ambition. An ordinary state con
vention, under tho machine-rule plan, is com
posed of delegates delegated from county con
ventions; tho county conventions consist of dele
gates delegated from tho ward primary; tho
ward primary consists of a ward boss, a bouncer
or two, and a crowd of strikers who do not rep
resent the actual membership of the party
voters of that ward, so that when a senator is
nominated by a state convention he is often
three degrees removed from tho peoplo, and is
the choice of a machine and does not really feel
fully his duty to tho Inarticulate mass.
It will bo better for this country when sena
tors and members of congress and state legis
lators and municipal legislators are chosen by
the direct vote of ,the people and when the
people have the right of recall by the nomina
tion of a successor to their public servants. Tho
people will never abuse their power.
The great political need in tho United States
is the establishment of tho direct rule of the
people, tho overthrow of machlno politics, tho
overthrow of corrupt or unwise use of money,
intimidation, coercion, bribery; tho overthrow
of tho various crafty corporate and political de
vices which have heretofore succeeded in nulli
fying tho will of the people.
The great Issue is to restore the direct rule
of the people as members of parties and within
both parties, and to abate the malign influence
of-machine methods.
The great issue Is to enable the members of
the republican party to control It, to provide a
mechanism by which tho members of tho re
publican party, for example, can really nominate
their own candidates for public office and for
party office, and then require their elected rep
resentatives to represent the peoplo who elect
them and make effective the will of the party
members who havo nominated and elected them.
The great Issue Is to enable the members of
the democratic party to directly nominate their
own candidates, both in the party itself and for
public office, and then require such public ser
vants so nominated and elected to represent the
people who nominated and elected them under
penalty of the recall or under the safeguards
of the initiative and referendum.
All they have, all the people have, Is the
power to defeat on election day a bad candidate,
and thus they exercise some Influence over nom
inations. The people do not in reality rule.
The people appear to rule through the pres
ent machinery of party government, but they
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