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The Commoner.
JULY 29, 19iO
We are advancing In governmental education
'swiftly or slowly as the individual views it. I
say rapidly, considering the advancement in the
last fifty years. In Florida wo nominate United
States senators in the primary election. In sub
stance as good as a direct election. Last month
wo defeated one of the present incumbents who
voted 'for "Cannonism and high tariff," and
nominated an ex-steamboat captain of the
"Three Friends" fame. Not a lawyer, but a man
of courage and back-bone, who saw to it that
millions of acres in the everglades would not
go to corporations without an equivalent. All
democrats voting with standpatters should be
so blacklisted, and will too if the people so de
sire it, nothing to hinder. We yet hold the
reins, but some are not conscious of the fact.
Let education come; after its arrival, but not
before, will good government be permanent.
O. F. L. Amoreaux, Omaha, Neb. The lovo
of money is the root of every evil. The money
power in this and every country Is so organized
that its power is absolute and invisible, and it
has no conscience, nor care for the life and hap
piness of men. Care for the good of men is not
"business" and business is the principal thing.
How can the people get what they want when
they know nothing of the power and nature of
money? They have been taught by their Bible
the newspaper that only bankers and money
manipulators know anything about finance. God
says, "My people have gone into captivity because
they have no knowledge." The condition of
the people is like what would be that of a com
munity of horse traders who trusted to jockeys
for their knowledge of their trade. The Amer
ican congress and legislative bodies as a rule
are made up of bankers and those interested in
banks and their attorneys. The great knowl
edge of bankers generally consists in knowing
how to pile up colossal fortunes out of other
people's earnings by means of an instrument
whose chief design was to effect exchanges, and
which gets all its power from the fact of com
munity. Never, while the money changer has
his feet in the stirrups will the people get what
they want. He who nineteen hundred years ago
overturned the tables of money changers and
poured out their money in the streets, calling
their place of business a den of thieves said he
would come again in the end of the world,
original' age, which is now at hand, when he
will do what that type signified, which is the
only hope of the people ever getting what they
want or even what they greatly need..
George H. Phelps, FIndlay, Ohio They soon
will. The people don't rule, and don't get what
they want for this reason. After the near-socialists
passed anti-trust laws In congress, and about
twenty states, the system went into politics to
prevent the enforcement of these laws. Ever
since, they have succeeded in obstructing the en
forcement of these laws through their control of
the executive, administrative and judicial func
tions of government. The system and judiciary
are now up the same stump In the supreme court
of the United States in the Standard Oil and
tobacco, trust cases, where they will hang till
after the November election. The storm center
of reaction and insurgency will be fought out in
Ohio in November. Garfield will stampede the
Ohio republican state convention, and be nom
inated for governor on a near-socialist platform,
and the standpat anarchists will line up behind
Harmon, who is the first choice of the system
for president in 1912. Garfield will defeat Har
mon and that will be the end of system rule.
It will then be only a question as to the nature
of the remedy to restore the rule of the people.
The progressive medical, or socialist surgical.
Arthur W. Clerao, Detroit, Mich. In reading
last week's Commoner, I have noted each article
very carefully, and there is truth in every one
of them, but I have especially noted the question
of Senator Owen, to which I would reply that:
The people do not rule at all, or else they would
have what they wanted; we do not elect the
proper men to office, and those that should have
office have not the nerve to run for office, they
are afraid of the corporations, and the corpora
tions are hindering the people from get
ting what they want. Then another trouble is,
the party leaders get off together in some club
room and discuss party issues, without the ma
jority of voters knowing their ideas, nor what
they wish to do. It is the same with the demo
cratic party as with the other parties; I know
it is so here In Detroit; I do not know, for the
life of me, who the democratic leaders here are,
and every one I have asked does not seem to
know, so there it is; there 1b only a certain clique
that have all matters In hand, and the roBt of
us who want to have a hand In the game, havo
to keep mum and let things go as they will, and
that Is tho main reason why the democratic party
does not Bucceed as it ought to, because it has
the true principles, and if onco brought into
action, they will hold good for all time. So for
that reason wo should work moro in harmony
together, and agreed on one thing and elect good
solid democrats to congress who are not afraid
to stir up things there and get things dono In
the right way. So hoping tho democratic party
will make a good showing this fall, and elect a
majority of representatives.
, J. H. Mankins, Orosi, Cal. Your question
should have read: What part, and what class
of the peoplo rule? The minority, tho monied
interests. Certainly they do rule. Do they get
what they want? They get about everything,
and tho majority get left. It might bo added,
why is this so. First, because tho peoplo do not
think enough for themselves. Second, because
wo turn down those who try to, and are able to
help us. Third, because too many have gotten
into tho habit of voting the republican ticket.
Wake up brothers! The republican party of to
day is not the republican party of Lincoln and
of Grant. The time has dome for a reckoning.
Good men, stand together. Quit your quarreling
about small matters. Put your shoulders to tho
wheel, and we can turn the tables on them.
J. G. FInloy, Farmlngton, Ky. In (he first
place there are many men elected to office who
do not represent the people by whom they wore
elected, and the question is how shall they be
made to represent their constituents. Now I
believe that there should be a law enacted mak
ing it a penitentiary offense of not less than one
year, nor more than twenty-one, for an officer
to discard the platform or declaration of prin
ciples upon which he was elected to office. Now
this is a borrowed thought and I can not afford
to give it as my own. But I do believe a law to
that effect would be of great value to the Amer
ican people for it certainly would make our rep
resentatives more responsive to- the wishes of
their constituents. And, too, I believe our
United States senators should be elected directly
by the peoplo and also I believe that our su
preme judges should be elected the same way
for it does seem to me that the final destiny of
our laws is too far from the people.
Thomas Tally, Burlington, Kan. The peoplo
of the United States do not rule under the pres
ent administration because we have voted it so.
The republican party has used flattery and in
centive to force us into a political slavery, and
wo are under political task masters that whip us
into obedience with the injunction and bayonet,
as the white man whipped his African slave into
obedience with the cat-'o-nine tails before the
civil war. That is the reason we do not get
what we want.
Thomas J. Parsons, Lents, Oregon I will an
swer the question in this way: The peoplo do
not rule. The supreme court and the United
States senate are the ruling power and they aro
not elected by the people. They rule by the
system for the benefit of tho big monied Interests
and not the people. A government of the people,
by the people, for the people has become a failure
and there is no relief in either of the old parties.
The leading democrats stand for the money sys
tem the same as the republicans. The only
relief for the people is to vote the socialist ticket.
But Tho Commoner won't print this because I
speak a word in favor of the socialist party, and
The Commoner stands for the money Interest.
It's a pity the people don't wake up before their
hands are tied. Any party Is better than the
republican or democratic; they have out-lived
their usefulness.
W. Floyd Cochran, Stettler, Alta. It is an
almost universally accepted statement, the peoplo
don't rule. Which Is why they "don't get what
they want." A lack of democracy In our govern
ment. It is almost an impossibility to get a
measure through congress favorable to the
masses. The "big business" of the country have
representatives to take care of their interests.
The peoples' servants (?) represent some ono
else. They are traitors. The senate Is often
referred to as the millionaire club. Now don't
blame the "interests" for this; every one, more
or less, works for or protects his own interests
first (self preservation). The fault lies in pri
vate ownership of public utilities. Also our
monetary and judicial systems are wrong. No
tice the difficulty getting convictions of grafters
and bribers. Also tho repeated failures of tho
noted trust bustora. Wo want government by
enacted law and not by judicial acrobats that
can and will twist a decision over or around
justice to bring it down directly in front of a
technicality. Judges elected by tho poople.
Monoy that doesn't rest on a precious motal
which expands and contracts with each discovery
and panic. Take power to issuo monoy from
banks; increase tho amount in circulation. Now
why montlon Industries, monoy, etc., becauso
men voto according to their economic eyesight.
The dollar Is too Important, mako it so tho
earning of a dollar Isn't a nerve-racking chaso
of a Iifotimo and men will pay moro attontlon to
their political libertlos. Direct legislation,
meaning tho mandato of initiative and referen
dum and tho recall, sexless suffrage and other
things not at present thought of will holp to
solve tho problem of government of tho peoplo,
by tho people and for tho people. Tho poor, poor
peoplo, betrayed by their political servants,
robbed by their economic servants, thoy aro
as far from an ideal government as daylight is
from dark. But thoro will bo a day of reckon
ing as sure as there haB been a tlmo of sin.
Soon lot us hope, "tho peoplo will rulo," thon
lot us pray "thoy will get what thoy want."
Hoping this solves, nt least partially, tho prob
lem, I remain yours for good government.
Samuel H. Smith, Joplln, Mo. Tho question
Involves a contradiction. "If tho peoplo really
rule," they do "got what they want." If thoy
do not get what they want thon, by tho simplest
principles of logic, thoy do not rule othors rulo.
Assuming it to bo true that the people do not
got what they want, and answering tho "Why?"
it may be said in a broad and general way that
the people do not get what they want becauso:
First, there is not unity and clearness and fixity
of purpose and effort among and by tho people.
Second, they do not "go after it" in earnest.
Prejudice, ignoranco, fickleness, deception, coor
cion (fear of losing employment; fear that credi
tors may call for payment of debt, that bankor
may call in loan; fear, yea threat, of the "busi
ness interests") all these destroy unity among
tho peoplo; and this lack of unity of purpose and
of effort "spells" defeat for tho people divided
they fall, and "tho interests" smile and wax
fat. If and when tho peoplo, speaking through
majorities having clearly defined and firmly pur
posed objects, "go after" those objects in earn
est, they will get what they want; they will then
rule! Education, development of wide, prudent
thought and action by the citizen, close watch
upon and rigid accounting from those put Into
office and prompt political annihilation to the un
faithful, will bo found most helpful means to
that end and the moro lightly and loosely party
ties are held the more quickly will that end como.
F. M. Somers, Beulah, Colo. The peoplo do
not rule, partly by reason of their own indiffer
ence to the function; partly because their repre
sentatives are Indifferent, or actively opposed, to
their wishes. Tho indifference of the peoplo and
their passive submission to tho treachery of
their representatives gives the government to
those who form It for gain tho corporations.
Because franchises and othor public crops yield
abundantly' only when cultivated through tho
exertions of the hired men we call representa
tives, tho corporations, with a serpent's wisdom
"tip" the hired men more than the people pay
them in wages and the result Is that the peoplo
do not rule and corporations haul oft the crops.
For long years this abdication of rule by the
people, through indifference, and usurpation of
rule by the corporations through "tips" and for
tho crops, has been going on until a habit has
been formed and "habit is twice nature." What
we now need is a moral awakening and it Is
coming that will arouse the people from their
sleep of indifference and cause the hired men to
sign a pledge to be honest and refuse "tips."
Milton Mays, San Angelo, Texas My answer
to Senator Owen's question is: Simply becauso
they can not agree as to what they want.
The American Homestead, a monthly
farm journal of national scope, will bo
sent to all Commoner subscribers, with
out additional cost, who renew their sub
scriptions during the month of August.
Take advantage of thitf offer at once and
send in your renewal.
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