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The Commoner
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 27
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JT fcfee People Mule Why Don't
They Get What They Want?
In his groat speech, delivered In the United
States senate, Senator Owen of Oklahoma asked,
"If tho people really rule why don't the people
got what they want?"
Tho Commoner has received many replies to
this question and some of these are hereinafter
printed:
Loronzo G. Warfleld, Editor National Dem
ocrat, Washington, D. C. Tho reason the people
do not rulo is because they lack organization.
That can ho remedied by co-operation with tho
National Democratic Association, whoso war cry
is agitation, education, organization. This as
sociation aims to form Its membership in every
voting precinct of tho United States, and
through them agitate, educate, organize; then,
and only then, will tho peoplo rulo by this and
kindred organizations.
Qeorgo Hall, Newport, It. I. How can tho
pooplo rule when those who vote identify them
selves with a party, thereby leaving tho party
to think for them, when a man places tho issuo
beforo tho party and reasons for himself then
tho pooplo will rulo and not until then. Wo
may then look for popular vote for tho presi
dent and senators, initiative and referendum,
and what is
singlo tax.
better than all, Henry George's
E. S. .Smith, Fairfiold, Fla. This nation is
afflicted with an aggravated case of deplorable
I's, to-wlt: Indifference, Ignorance and Infer
nal Iniquity. I trust tho foregoing is sufficient
ly brief.
Arthur E. Carr, Seattlo, Wash. Because tho
peoplo do not stand united, upon the great ques
tions of the day, and rulo, as is thoir privilege
and thoir duty, with a spirit of eternal vigilance
In too many cases tho spirit of vigilance has
beon supplanted by a spirit of indifference to
ward the great problems of government -which
are before tho pooplo for solution. The people
are continually selling their birthright for a
mess of pottage.
Daniel Lamb, Chesaw, Wash. Tho people
rulo and do get what tho people want because
P. T. Barnum once had said "that tho American
peoplo like to be humbugged." Now to insist
on what the people want is merely to continue
what they are getting, viz., humbug; they
really want it.
T. L. Singleton, Colusa, Calif. Do the peoplo
rulo? "Nay, Pauline." Do they get what they
want? Yes, in the neck. Reason: why, indif
ference; they are hugging tho old delusive phan
tom of hope.
F. W. Phelps, Editor American Labor Journal,
Seattle, Wash. Because .a large majority of the
peoples' trusted representatives are of thin stuff
and immediately offer their political birthright
to be slaughtered on tho bargain counter; tho
honest people aro in tho majority though tho
dishonest representatives manage to, in some
way, deceive them.
A. M. Frick, Portsmouth, O. Because those
to act for us in public life aro chosen from
among those aspiring for tho positions, whereas
our duties should bo to decide on tho ones want
ed to so act, thus secure their placo on tho
ticket, and later tho service of one receiving
the greatest popular demand. No person who
aspires to a public office should receive the sup
port of the people, tho ones who are regarded
oompetont, should be petitioned by tho citizens
to become candidates to act for them in public
affairs.
J. H. Haughawout, Fairmont, Nebr. Tho
pooplo do not get what they want because they
aro not "tho effective voters." Many are con
trolled more by party prejudice than principle.
While the interests have no party, they elect
the man they want and see that ho does what
they want done; the people elect their party
candidate and think because he Is of their party
all will be well and look no farther to his ac
tions, and in many instances ho is bought or
otherwise influenced to do tho bidding of tho
Interests. This suggests as a remedy the mak
ing binding of platform pledges, questioning of
candidates and the recall. Tho initiative and
referendum seems tho most effective means in
sight of getting what peoplo want in state affairs,
which should bo backed by tho recall in state
officers and should extend to congressmen and
United States senators. Then when we have
an official that does what tho people want he
should be kept and not turned down on some
side issuo trumped up by the interests.
D. L. Braucher, Lincoln, 111. Well, to my
mind, that is comparatively easy. Of course
"tho peoplo rulo." It would humiliate our dig
nity to "fess up" to tho contrary. When younger
I was something of a- player of checkers. It fre
quently occurred that I found myself pitted
against a novice who could never get a game
except I gave it away, and in order to make it
interesting it was proposed to play "a give-away
game," and I could nearly always beat at that.
You see tho point without further elucidation.
All these years wo have been playing "a' give
away game" with the trusts, and they accept
tho honor. Wo have the least sense for a nation
of intelligent (?) people of any on earth. When
we play in earnest we can win every game, but
to do so we must sidetrack traitors.
L. A. Francis, Belolt, Wis. The answer is
found in tho action of tho insurgents. They
have completely dismantled tho secret. Party
not principle secures the votes. Every insur
gent voted in 1908 against that for which he is
now clamoring. The democratic party under the
leadership of Mr. Bryan offered them all they
aro now demanding but the offer was rejected
and thus the people rule and though they do
not get what they want they get what they vote
for. We reap what we sow.
William H. Dech, Ithaca, Neb. Because the
class is organized and tho mass is not a dis
ciplined army pitted against a mob. But we
must not fail to" take cognizance of tho fact that
while the masses are seemingly organized, in
church, political parties, and other organizations,
these organizations are made the whippers in for
tho parent capitalistic organization. This with
few exceptions, king craft, money craft and
church craft, is the trio that has dictated the
policies of the nations; they are the crutches on
which hamestringed humanity leans.
J. C. Padgett, Independence, Va. The people
really do not rule. The American ballot box
is intimidated and controlled by predatory
wealth. We have reached the commercial age;
our government is a monarchy and gold is king.
Dr. J. D. Reilly, Milton, N. D.- One of the
reasons why tho people do not get what they
want is the farmer vote. Farmers do not an
alyze tho situation, and are not organized and
despite the fact that as consumers they pay
most of tariff, encourage trust exactions, on
account of expansion of land values, and the
prices of farm products. They aro willing to
put off the day of reckoning. The remedy is,
organize the farmer.
Clarence Martinie, Palo Alto, Calif. Because
the people do not really rule; they appear to
rule, but underlying the surface the worm of
corporate greed is eating out the core of the
nation. The peoplo are not represented by hon
est, conscientious, upright men who dare to be
true to their government. Our congress Is con
trolled by the trusts of the country. The re
publican party hands out to tho people a crust
with a plum upon it and gives the pie to their
retainers in office. Direct legislation by tho
people in every form and a purely democratic
government will get for the people what they
want.
A. E. Merchant, Deer Creek, 111. On the vital
questions of government, such as tariff, trusts,
Income tax, postal savings, etc., the great mass
of tho people are a unit, and If their wishes
were exercised all of these questions which are
now settled wrong would be settled right. The
one thing that prevents this is the strong party
prejudice of the voter; when he goes to cast
his ballot, instead of looking for reasons why
ho should not vote the party ticket of his father
or grandfather, he at once commences to find
excuses as to why ho should vote the same ticket
they have and, like a drowning man, grasps the
first straw coming his way, using It as an ex
cuse for remaining with the old ship. Politi
cians understand this phase of human nature,
and proceed to make promises, apparently, fair
to the people, but with no intention of allowing
them to go any t artlier than tho stump of a cam
paign and tho voter in hla eagerness to remain
with the old party is tickled to death in flndlnir
some unreasonable excuse for casting the same
old ticket, whereas if he had looked for reasons
why he should not have voted the old ticket
ho would probably have discovered that that
same old party has always by its actions while
in power stood for just the opposite of what ho
now desires and that with each succeeding vic
tory has grown more arrogant with less regard
for the desires of the peoplo. This, in my opin
ion, is the main reason the people do not get
what they want.
W. H. Williams, Toronto, Kan. P. T. Bar
num said the American people liked to be hum
bugged; as evidence that they prefer to be look
at the thousands who would return Roosevelt
to tho head of affairs nationally again. It would
not bo surprising for an old standpatter, but
alas, when a bright intellect like LaFollette can
be fooled by him, what of the average citizen?
Daniel Klefer, Cincinnati, O. It is not quite
correct to say in answer that the people do not
rule, but it is very nearly so. Popular rule in
the United States is subjected to so many re
strictions and limitations that it can only be ex
ercised with great difficulty. That is one reason
why the people do not get wnat they want. An
other is that many of their desires are contra
dictory. They want the trusts abolished and cost
of living reduced; at tho same time they want
the protective tariff retained. Th'ey want trans
portation charges to be fair and reasonable, but
they also want railroads to remain in the hands
of private corporations. They want good times
and high wages, but they also want natural re
sources to remain private property, and they
furthermore favor the taxation of industry and
its products. They want freedom, but they also
want a lot of restrictive laws, arbitrarily regu
lating nearly everything under the sun. They
want graft eliminated from the government, but
at the same time want all kinds of opportuni
ties for graft to romain in official hands and
even demand the creation of new opportunities
of the same kind. To get what they want, the
people must not only discard all restrictions
from the free exercise of their will,, but. they
must also cease to harbor desires which can
not bo fulfilled without interfering with the
fulfillment of other desires.
Thomas A. Ames, Clinton, Wis. It reminds
me of the question, why is one political party
all right and another all wrong? When my
political opponent sprung this on me I thought
of no other way to enlighten him but to let him
answer it himself; so I asked him why an ox
was so much quicker than lightning? Quicklv
and thoughtlessly he said "it ain't." I said
your answer is correct for both. It was said
that one man could always get just exactly what
he wanted if he always exercised good judg
ment .and didn't want what he could not get.
If a man rules in hell he ought not to pretend
that he wants to serve in heaven. If the people
really rule they can not, they can not get both
graft and square deal.
William W. Carder, Green Spring, W. Va.
In answer to the first question, I can say con
scientiously that the people do not rule. Why
they do not rule and get what they want, be
cause the people do not read and study the
Bible enough irrespective of creed, so as to im
press upon their minds the greatness of God
and how to live the lives we should live, so as to
become good citizens, which will cause us to
take more Interest in our republic so as to make
It one of the best on earth. The people do not
take an interest in the question as to what is
the best for them and their government and
ask their representatives to do what they Bhould
have done in the way of making laws for tho
benefit and good of all the people, and ask each
candidate before he is nominated and elected
what he or they stand for, also ascertain if they
are doing their best to secure in the way of
legislation after they are elected what they
promised the people before they were elected.
Before election, some of the people get a little
Interested in their government, but after it is
all over, they become quiet, do not feel inter
ested, but leave it all to the politician to fix
things to suit themselves and not for the people.
The people are -money mad and wild, throw all
their Christianity and interest aside, that they
Bhould have in their government for the sake of
the dollar. If the people would interest them
selves in what they should have in the way of
legislation, they would get it, and we, would
have a Christian republic as it can not be a
good one for tto peopl MO3ss tfc be a Christian