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The Commoner.
SEPTEMBER 30, 1910
13
"If the People Rule Why Don't
They Get What They Want ?"
C. ID. Tobey, Nocona, Texas.
Ignorance; that one word tells it all.
Ignorance begets Indifference, ao
that crafty, cunning men easily ap
propriate tho earnings of the mil
lions. Ignorance is the cause of near
ly all our suffering, physical and
mental. One of tho greatest prob
lems of our times is how to educate
the masses. What time has the man
or woman who has to labor with
hands and brain for food, clothes,
shelter, every day in the week to
study, economic questions so compli
cated that great statesmen disagree
over? The generous space given by
Tho Commoner to its readers is edu
cational and will help open the eyes
of many but still the vexed problem
is how to teach -the common people
how to use their latent sleeping pow
ers. Thine for the "cause that needs
assistance."
must put out prohibition and all pro
hibition preachers. Have God's word
preached in its purity; temperance
as far as God's word' goes, hut no
farther; temperance in all things;
and if tho church, gets right free
government will bo purified and peo
ple will be satisfied and there will
bo a great party that can not bo
overcome until the people thereof
will become corrupt. When that
reformation takes place then the peo
ple will get what they want. I am
not a prophet nor the son of a'
prophet, but one thing it appears to
mo that I can see clearly, that you
can not advance morality by your
anti-biblical laws. Wo had intem
perance from the beginning and will
have it to the end of tho world. The
remedy is found in God's word and
there only.
B. P. JBush, Greenford," O. The
people do not get what they want,
because they do not know what their
real wants are. The almighty dollar
has a great deal to do with it, but
there is a greater cause that has been
at work for more than seventy years,
to my personal knowledge. The
great idol of the present day Is pro
hibition, worshiped in nearly all the
churches. How do you suppose the
devil laughed when he, after many
different trials and inventions, which
"he tried that wore out? Why, he
finally invented the anti-saloon
league and says to the sanctimonious
preachers to walk in and pledge
themselves to serve the hydrabeaded
serpent, the old devil, and preacn
against God's word, diametrically
against it. A few years ago the
ohiurch had abolition in it instead of
the gospel; you could scarcely go in
to a church but what you would hear
a lecture on slayery instead of a
gospel sermon; today it is prohibi
tion ungodly prohibition which has
demoralized the church. You can
not worship God and the devil at the
same time and unless there is a re
formation in the church thoy, the
people, need not look for what they
want. Prohibition has undertaken
to moralize the world, at present
with local option, which is one of
the devil's plans. Local option gives
the people the right to determine by
ballot whether the people have a
right to use intoxicating liquors or
not. If there is one of a majority
In favor of prohibiting it is a sin and
against the law and you dare not
sell or give away. Now suppose we
ask a legislature to pass a. law to
prohibit church-going and public
worship where the people were op
posed to it entirely; now apply local
option, take a vote on it and the re
sult would be that the church oppo
nents would have a majority of one;
then the churches are stopped. Now
if any preacher will undertake to
preach then prosecute him; put on
$1,000 license, treat him in the same
manner as the saloon man; and if ho.
gives any ..religious instruction put
the law upon him; if he is a respec
table man put on tho $200. You
may think this is foolish. Well it is;
but the one is no more so than the
other; they are both gifts of God to
man. Christ has established the
Christian church, and God had His
church from the beginning and no
man or devil has any right to de
stroy it. So He has given man
strong drink as a blessing and no
man or set of men or devils have any
right, "with or .without local option,
to take it from him. There is but
one remedy that will givB the people
what tuey want and that is reforma
tion, and that must come through
the church. In the first place she
A. C. Wright, Germantown,, Pa.
My answer would bo as follows: The
ills which tho people suffer, in tho
main, are brought about by the fol
lowing causes: Corporations entering
into election contests with candidates
and contributions; controlling tho
making of our laws by lobbying;
delegating their duties as public ser
vants to others; and entering into
conspiracies of monopoly with oth
ers, all of which are acts exceeding
tho powers granted in their chaTtcrs.
Now for all of these abuses there is
a law as old as the law of incorpora
tion, which is probably little under
stood by the lay mind, and hence the
people feel that our servants have
done their full duty when they have
appointed investigating committees,
or brought suit and recovered under
the Sherman act or some other. But
why do not the public servants re
dress our wrongs in the proper way,i
or is it because our so-called reform
ers are, the Worst of the fraud? Wo
saw in the insurance investigation in
New York plenty of evidence that
these pompanies had exceeded their
power. But we heard of no institu
tion of any suit to forfeit their char
ters. Let the people insist that their
servants act up to their free duty,
forfeit a few charters for violations
of power and it will not bo necessary
to haggle over the making of more
laws for the supervision of corporations.
T. A. Bradley, Danville, Ky.
Who are the people? As a close ob
server for the past eighteen years, I
have been able to gee two kinds of
people "the people" and the "com
mon people." "Tho people" are
those who first brought African
slaves and sold them to the southern
people, who then, through sentiment,
sought to set them free by war, in
order that "the people" might sell
their gold (three for pne) or charge
twenty per cent to carry on the war.
It was "the people" who demone
tized silver and brought declining
prices, but had the gold to take the
place of silver at a premium, and
draw semi-annual coupons in gold, all
free of any tax. "The people" have
selected the presidents for tho last
forty years from the states of the
north and middle-west, because they
were rich stockholders, or were iden
tified with large corporations or were
captains of industry. Did they not
also select Roosevelt, who could Tide
two horses at the same time, each go
ing in opposite directions, who bust
ed all the trusts and put iij prison
all the grafters with "my policies?"
Did they not inaugurate the high pro
tective and prohibitive tariff, and say
the tax was paid by the importer and
not the consumer? Did not they also
select Taft, who raised the tariff
downward, with their friends, . the
cnptains of industry fwnulri nni.
ovcry horso 'thief and embezzler pre-
iur 10 uo irieu uy their pals?) until
everything is out of sight? Do not
tho people" go tho Washington just
boforo every election, to confer with
tho president and to restore confi
dence for another four years?
What Is confidence? I understand
It to mean that when Morgan, Ilyan
and Harrimon put up two hundred,
and sixty thousand dollars for a cam-,
paign fund that thoy will bo permit
ted to skin "tho common peoplo" for
four yenrs more. Do not "tho peo
ple" teach a Sunday school class on
Sunday and tell "tho common peo
plo" sto bo good, and on Monday do
they not buy it all back for tho
memorable two dollars? When
Uncle Sam has a panic and is short
of funds don't "the people" como to
his rescue with the dough? Have
not "the people" controlled legisla
tion from state to nation, with gag
rule and ship subsidies, postolllce
irregularities, sugar bounties, lumber
trust, steel trust, cotton aud tobacco
trusts, rubber trust, railroad corpor
ations, and land grabs from time
immemorial? Is not every depart
ment of the government reeking with
filth and alive with graft furnished
by "tho people?" In fact was there
over a government run by "the peo
plo" so full of censuro and which so
completely used the stool of apology?
Havo not "the peoplo" attempted to
bury the only patriot aud statesman
mat nas appeared before the Ameri
can peoplo since Washington, Jeffer
son and Jackson? William Jennings
Bryan, who has ronresentfld "thn
common peoplo" has been extremely
philanthropic, in that he has been
tneir leader, and has written every
platform, inaugurated every move
ment and exposed every system of
graft. Ho has been trulv tho frivnrmi
one, for while representing "the com
mon people" ne has likewise saved
tho country through "the people."
Ho has been president for twelve
years although not permitted to oc
cupy tho chair. He has been callell
a dreamer, a theorist, a populist and
all kinds of pet names, and he has
passed away and been burled until
we seem to be living in tho age of
the resurrection, but each time he
comes forth with resplendent bright
ness and has only turned the other
cheek. Without him whore would
"the peoplo" be and where also
would "the common people" be. If
we havo been benefited in fact, is
it not through measures advocated
by him? Did not 'the people" say
that the national bank was the best
system ever, only to lately confess it
bad? The same national bank that
destroyed the legal tender treasury
notes issued by Lincoln, substituted
mack oacKs, which was not a legal
tender, for duties on imports and in
terest on the public debt. Tariff tax
and bounty, the mother of trusts, has
broken the solid south and caused
Rhode Island, so ably represented by
Senator Aldrich by which ho is much
benefited, with only an area of one
thousand and eighty-one square miles
and a population of 470,081, to make
more money by protected industries',
than five of the largest agricultural
states of America. "The peoplo" ad
vocate all kinds of tax except the
income tax and the corporation tax.
Do not "the people" vote for all of
this and also "the common people?"
"The common peoplo" through Wil
liam Jennings Bryan advocate the
election of the United States sena-
tors by direct vote of the people;
also tho initiative; referendum and
recall, but "the people" are opposed
to it and vote against it. Another
instance where "the peoplo" rule and
got what they want. Do hot "the
peoplo" support the floater, just be
fore each ejection, and do not "the
common people" support him tho re
mainder of the four years? Do not
"the people" select the candidates
and meet the negroes just before
election at every country school
House arior nignt and tell him how
and for whom to vote? Do not "tho
peoplo" and alao "tho common peo
ple" alike, vote for and eloct thoso
candidates? Don't "tho peoplo" fol
low tho oxamplo of William J. Bryan
In traveling over tho country and get
in touch with "tho common people?"
Havo not "the peoplo" adopted every
measuro incorporated In Bryan's
platform for "the common people"
for tho paBt fourteen years? And at
last in his own state when UIs own
"tho common peoplo," drunk with
wine, turned him down; did not tho
republicans swallow him hook and
line? Since "tho peoplo" havo ex
hausted every known method to de
stroy him, at last they have decided
to swallow 'him, but watch what a
Jonah ho will bo. Now according to
tho axiom, that lulngs that are equal
to the same thing, are equal to each
other, if "tho peoplo" select the can
didates, make the laws and voto for
them and also "tho common peoplo1'
vote for them, do not "tho pcoplo"
rulo and do thoy not got what they
want?
G. W. Darnell, BleMlng, Texas.
The reason that tho people don't get
what they want is thoy don't rule.
When they rulo their servants and
instruct them then they will get what
thoy want. Tho government Is' tho
people, not a few servants that servo
few masters. Tho tariff is a "blind to
cover up tho fool peoples' eyes to
keep them from seeing the rnnln issue
that confronts their interests. Tho
tariff is tho tabled duties that is im
posed upon tho masses for the in
terest of tho fow that grows rich on
theJr labor by laws for their benefit
created by our public blind leaders
which eats out tho llfo of our nation,
cancer-like. Spaco forbids me from
enumerating tho duties Imposed up
on the labor of the peoplo, but there '
Is a tax from birthplace to grave and
w1jo pays this great burden? The
producer of course. Without produc
tion there would bo nothing to tax,
consequently thero would bo no tax.
I read Tho Commoner and I don't
see any way that is suggested to con
trol this robbory. Tho initiative and
referendum would give the people a
chance to instruct and refer their
works to tho people. That's all right
for that much, but where is any form
of government under Heaven that
can be used that way for tho benefit
of tho whole people without chang
ing its whole system. What rot! -
Taft says God knows. Yes, and
William knows also. Tho tariff is a
profit system. William J. Bryan is
no fool, but is ho honest? Now
brother, let us see how you stand ,
for the laborer or producer. Suppose,
William, that we take all the profit of
tho manufactured article where
would the tariff go? Oh, that would
not do. Why? Because the poor
producer could then buy back what
ho produced, and that would be rob
bing capital. Who was it that cre
ated capital? Sure it was labor.
Then reasonably all this is labor's
own, all but the eaTth and wind and
water. Why that would kill tho
local option quarrel. Yes, and every
other quarrel on earth. Wouldn't it
William? Hush, I haven't any more
to say. Good by, William.
T, H. Baum, Wanchese, N. C,
The people do rule and get what they
vote for, but not what they want. I
could mention a lot of reasons why
they do not get what they want, but
must be brief, so will only mention
a few: First, ignorance is a great
hindrance with a large per cent of
the voting public; they do not read
as they should and do not know, and
a great many do not care how they
vote. Second, coercion and intimi
dation has vast influences with a
large per cent of the laboring class,
causing them to vote against their
will. Third, a lack of independent
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