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The Commoner.
5
JULY 8, 1910
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If the People Mule Why IPon't
They Get IVIiat They Want?
TRY YOUR HAND AT TUIS
In his great speech delivered in the United
States senate Senator Owen of Oklahoma asked,
"If the people really rule why don't the people
got what they want?"
The Commoner will be glad to print brief an
swers to this question.
Make your answer brief and to the point.
This question is in reality the most important
question that may be considered by the American
people. Plainly something is wrong with the
American government; plainly the people do not
get what they want although they are presumed
to. rule. What is the matter? The Commoner
readers have the opportunity of contributing to
the solution of this problem. (From The Com
moner of June 17.)
J. E. Keverline, President, Pa. My answer to
Senator Owen's question is: Because most .of
the people do not try hard enough. This holds
good in more than politics, but always ends in
the nation's welfare.
'Sterling T. Bond, St. Louis, Mo. My answer
to tho question is because the people are led
astray by that fundamental fallacy, "principles,
not men." "Principles and men" should be the
battle cry and pole star of all our actions. Prin
ciples of government never were and never will
be 'stronger or better than the strongest and
wisest public men and servants of the nation.
Claudo L. Cloger, Editor Sharp County
Record, Evening Shade, Ark. Senator Owen's
question is a very pertinent one. No one can
attempt to answer this query without becoming
entangled in the fact that the people do not
rule. If the people did rule, the people would
have what they want. However, if recent events
are not deceptive, machine rule is on tottering
ground and in line for a rebuke long overdue.
J. Q. Robins, Tupelo, Miss. Because the rep
resentatives of special interests in public and
seini-publlc positions deceive many people as
to the true conditions. The people do not get'
what they want because they do not know the
facts, and they do not know the facts because
they allow the agents and representatives of
special interests to fill the public offices, and
allow the means of information, the metropoli
tan press, to be controlled by the special Interests.
Rev. S. T. Davis, Argentine, Kan. First, they
do not vote for what they want. The ballot
rules. They vote party instead of "want."
Second, they read only one side. They ought
to read The Commoner and other papers and
get posted. Oh, men! will you think? Third,
too many have lost tho spirit of piety and
patriotism, instead of "give me liberty or give
me death." Fourth, too many put the dollar
above the man dollars above liberty. Fifth,
the liquor men hold the balance of power and
use it. They elect too many men, a majority.
Sixth, but truth will prevail, 'sure as God is God.
m J. S. Wailes, M. D., Mystic, la. If the people
really rule why don't they get what they want?
First, the people don't rule. Second, the rea
son they don't get what they want is because
they don't rule, and the reason they don't rule
is because they have not evoluted out of ignor
ance into a stage of common horse sense. To
begin with, we declared all men were born free
and equal, etc., and fought seven years to main
tain that idea and then at once we enslaved
a whole race. We declared taxation without
representation was unjust and fought seven
years to prove our sincerity in that doctrine and
then disfranchised one-half of our own race.
But let no one be discouraged, for necessity
has ever been the mother of invention, and it
will be so to the end of time. We now allow
thousands of idiots, paupers and moral de
generates to vote and disfranchise millions of
intelligent, virtuous taxpayers, and our great
statesmen, politicians, and public orators (I here
include W. J. Bryan) either approve of it or say
nothing at all. When we get the initiative and
referendum and recall and elect all officers b;-.
direct ballot of the people, not only senators
but all court judges, and make a national con
stitution that favors the masse? and not the
grafters,, then e will get what we want, not
before. Just as long as candidates for office
can promise ono thing in the campaign and
do just the opposite after they are in office and
draw their pay and serve their time out the
people won't get what they want, neither will
they rule. The initiative, referendum and recall
is absolutely the only thing that will put the
people in the saddle. The initiative, referen
dum and recall should apply from president,
and supremo court down to road boss. Let the
people rule, or come off the dump let them
shoot or give up the gun, and annoint a king.
Roosevelt would bo a good one; he loves to
strut before tho kings so woll. Cannon or
Aldrlch would bo better for the special inter
ests. Wo have been fiddling for self govern
ment for 135 years, have we made any progress?
Charles Cottrell, Pensacola, Florida. How
are we to know what the people want? A ma
jority, as shown by the result of the last national
election, were In favor of the program of tho
g. o. p. a more or less hazy promise as to tariff
revision against the guarantee of bank depos
its, etc. It seems almost impossible to get an
expression of the real thoughts and desires of
tho people at the ballot box. So many counter
influences are at work misinformation, intimi
dation, threats of those who wield power In the
business world to produce "bad times" if times
are good, or to make "times worse" if "times
are bad." The average voter not being any too
well informed, therefore, not sure of his own
conclusions, falls an easy victim to the persua
sion and eloquent tone of those who have a great
deal at stake, and they are very persistent in
their advocacy of the policies that will work to
their profit. If the people don't got what they
want, I fear it is because they don't tell what
they want. They at least get what they vote
for legislation by the republican party.
S. H. Record, Worcester, Mass. The people
do not really rule. The people do not make the
laws. They never did. The most they can do
is to vote for somebody else to make tho lav.d
for them. The representatives (?) elected by
the people to enact laws, make such laws as
the monied interests make It for the representa
tive's personal interest to , enact. Our revolu
tionary fathers rebelled because they were taxed
without representation. We are taxed still
more severely than they and to an alarming
extent under misrepresentation. Count Tolstoy
is quoted as saying that "The only salvation of
a democratic form of government is more democ
racy." It is safe to predict that the people will
never get what they want unless they take Into
their own hands the veto power of bad laws,
and the initiation of righteous laws, by the
initiative and referendum, and the power to
recall their representatives when they fail to
discharge faithfully the duties for which they
were elected. But the people can not expect
to "get what they want" so long as a large
minority of our chosen law makers are "bought
and sold like fish In the market."
"W. W.," Minneapolis, Minn. In answering
this question, it is not wide of the mark to say
that the people do not rule. Such a statement
is no dodge. If I were to assume that the peopl
rule, I should assume a political falsehood. The
common law, which is supposed to embody the
perfection of reason, places as a vested right all
public utilities in monarchlal governments In the
hands of the sovereign; in republics, in the
hands of tho people. Here the people have
divested themselves of these vested rights, and
conferred them upon private individuals creat
ing special privileges to the few, and disfran
chising the many. This fact raises the ques
tion, "Are the people capable of self-government?"
Look at it. Who .'ontrols our 125,000
miles of inter-state railways, representing thir
teen billions of dollars of capital, with nearly
2,000,000 employes; 8,000 national banks, con
trolling the people's money; nearly 1,000,000
government pensioners drawing $160,000,000
from tho treasury; 60,000 federal postmasters;
the patronage of thirty-seven states with no
limit 'to revenue, and 5,000 millionaires with
300 trusts capitalized at seven billions of dol
lars. Why, private, parties direct and control
this immense power, and more, there is not
a public man of prominence in congress who
dares to suggest that the people take control of
public utilities. And yet every man of common
sense knows that the use of this immense power
enables the private persons to form trusts and
to dictate laws for the government of the coun
try. Thirty-two states have asked congress to
let the people elect United States senators. The
senate can be controlled in the interest of mon
opolies; if a few republicans gig, a few dollars
can fill the gap with honuut democratic mem
bers. Tho question asked is too broad for 100
words to answer. But ono fact Ik certain in my
opinion, namely, that tho grip which monopolist!
have upon tho legislation of tho country, will
never be looscnod without bloody revolution.
Today the dominant party tiua moro than four
millions of veteran voters, who are subject to
tho orders of tho 100 men who control tho
thousands of millions of capital invested In
monopolies and trusts. Those aro let loose on
tho remaining twelve millions at a general elec
tion and tho result is certain for money and
numbers will toll. They naturally combine
against tho people and rob them while pretend
ing to advance their Interests. It must bo ad
mitted, however, that Its men who control our
vast public utilities have wonderfully brought
to flio surfaco tho vast wealth of tho earth
while pocketing by means of transportation
the profits arising therefrom. Let mo add with
public ownership of public utilities, lock-outa
and quarrels between unionists and non-unionists
would cease. But possibly greater ovilB
might develop. In the meantime, lot us wait
until our masters give us a chance to vote for
United States senators.
A. F. Allen, Vinland, Kan, The people do not
rule and any man who knows what our financial
system really is knows why the people do not
rule. The use of money Is by legal enactment
made a necessity. Government compels Its use
but refuses to make It available. The people
surrender all authority when they surrender
tho control of money to private parties while
leaving themselves under a legal obligation of
obtaining it for use, and that an obligation
which requires them to surrender all they pos
sess of other utilities if they fail to obtain mon
ey for use. A product rightfully belongs to tho
party who produces It. Government produces
money, gives It all the efficacy as a medium of,
exchange which it possessos and stands behind
it to make it good. Government is the only
party that should bo recognized as the absolute
owner of money. As tho government requires
the use of this government product government
should be held responsible for Its availability.
This most important tool of civilization is with
out a responsible source of supply. No party Is
hold responsible to the people for a supply and
still less is any party held responsible for it
availability. Let your readers study the rela
tion of this fact to the business and the politics
of tho country and they will know "what is tho
matter."
G. M. Alves, Henderson, Ky. Tho fact Is,
contrary to general belief, the people do not
really rule in our country. Aside from occa
sional matters, our people have no opportunity
to register their wishes on questions of govern
ment or public policy. We continuously boast
of a popular government, ignorant of the knowl
edge, that almost every constitutional govern
ment in Europe furnishes better opportunity for
its people to make their wishes felt. There,
when proposed measures do not meet with suc
cess in their legislatures, resignations tako
place, and the particular measures by new elec
tions aro submitted to the people. Here, such
methods are Impossible. Our forms of govern
ment are iron-clad and unyielding. About all
tbo average man can do is to take his choico
of certain candidates, which he probably had no
voice In setting up, and of whom he likely
knows nothing of how they will vote on partic
ular public measures. Clearly, If the people in
this country are ever to really rule, then some
means must be devised of submitting important
legislation to their direct votes. In the mean
time, not in any pessimistic spirit, but in a
spirit of candid truth let us acknowledge that
in our country the wishes of the people find
little effect that as a government ours Is weak
In the sense of. being by the people.
A. B. Choate, Minneapolis, Minn. It is said
of President Taft that he is an amiable, good
man, surrounded by men who know just what
they want. This description of Taft suggests
the answer to the question. Tho men who sur
round President Taft get what they want be
cause they know just what they want, unite in
demanding it and make it uncomfortable for
office holders If they don't get it. Tho people
don't get what they want, because they don't
know just what they want,, and are contending
among, themselves about what they ought to
have and thus give public officials an excuse
for giving them nothing
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