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MARCH 22, 1912' '-"- " . -
under which longer hours may bo compelled.
If It Is said that such legislation robs tho em
ploye of independence In the matter of contract,
it may bo replied that there is as little indepen
dence in such matters, as there is In tho fixing
of the rate of interest. Solomon's declaration
that tho "borrower is servant unto the lender,"
stands good today and justifies usury laws. The
employe of a great corporation is no less a ser
vant unto the employer In the matter of hours,
and it is for his protection that tho maximum
hours aro fixed, as usury laws are fixed for tho
protection of the borrower. The home has
claims which legislation must recognize. The
home is the unit, the center of moral strength
and health. Society can not tolerate a condi
tion under which the husband and father is de
nied the strength which home life imparts, nor
can tho home be robbed, with impunity, of his
presence and influence.
Citizenship, too, has claims that can not bo
ignored. Jf the laboring man is to be a voter,
ho must be allowed time to prepare himself for
the discharge of the responsible duties that come
with citizenship. The state needs both nis judg
ment and his conscience, and it can hardly ex
pect either if he is driven from his bed to his
work and from his work back to his bed again,
with no time for study, for reflection and for
conference with his fellows.
WOMAN AND CHILD LABOR
If legislation is necessary to protect the adult
man, it is much more necessary to protect wo
men and children. Investigations have some
times disclosed conditions which can not be
described in parliamentary language can not
be recited without emotion. You will be sus
tained by your constituents if you authorize
legislation which will make it impossible for
women to be employed under conditions hurtful
to health or that menace their social and moral
welfare. You will be sustained, also, if you
authorize legislation which will protect children
from labor in factory or mine during the period
when they ought to be in school, and from all
kinds of employment that will stunt their de
velopment. There is no darker page in our in
dustrial history than that which records indif
ference to the welfare of children the coining
of dividends out of child-blood, the darkening of
the prospects of a rising generation and the im
poverishment of posterity.
I offer apologies for having trespassed so long
upon your time, although I have, by no means-,
covered all the subjects with which you will be
called upon to deal. I can only offer in my de
fense an intense interest in the work in which
you are engaged and a sincere desire to ac
knowledge the compliment implied in your invi
tation by presenting such observations as I hope
may be useful to you in framing an organic law
for your commonwealth. I indulge in the hope
that your conclusions will be so satisfactory to
your constituents that your names will be
cherished by a grateful people and that this law,
which the people write through you, will be
worthy to endure until changed conditions com
pel new interpretations of the popular will.
The Commoner
nn"011 bVfc hs' on th0 contrary, elevated to
t2 m,? b,on,ch Goveor Hughes who asked
the New York legislature to refuse to ratify.
What progresslveness did ho show here?
liiese three great reforms will characterize
?? administration one already secured and
fy r taught but ho will have no part in
them. What a record! It is without a parallel.
Mo spends so much time qualifying, explaining
and Hair splitting on the capacity of tho people
. for self-government that ho has no time left
nor dispositionto assist tho people to secure
a larger and more effective control over tho
instrumentalities of government.
If. neeatives always made an affirmative,
Mr. Taft ought by this time to be able td reach
several affirmatives but they do not and ho
does not.
"PROGRESSIVENBSS" WITHOUT PROGRESS
President Taft claims to be a progressive r
it is a confession that" progresslveness is popu
lar and launches this paraphrase: "Progres
sive is as progressive does." Is he willing to bo
measured by that standard? Does he doubt that
the people of the United States demand the elec
tion of senators by direct vote? Why has he
been so late in recognizing the demand? In
1908 he said that PERSONALLY he was IN
CLINED to favor it that was after congress
had declared for it five times, after nearly two
thirds of the states had indorsed it and after
it had been included in three national platforms
of the democratic party? What has he done
since to help the people secure this great re
form? Nothing. If "progressive does" how old
will Ann be before Mr. Taft progresses as far
on this question as the democratic party was
nineteen years ago.
We have a law compelling the publication, be
fore the election, of the names of contributors
to the national campaign fund. The principle
had no opposition in the senate or house. This
is a progressive measure. What was the presi
dent's part? He never said, a word in be
half of the measure and when he signed the
bill ho was awaro that if he did not sign the bill
it would be passed over his veto. What evi
dence of progresslveness did he give in this
matter? And where does he stand on the in
come tax? He urged the submission of the
amendment in order to defeat a statutory in
come tax he did it at the solicitation of Sena
tor Aldrlch and he has not in his travels urged
Roosevelt's Candidacy
Yes, Mr. Roosevelt is a candidate we have
suspected it for some time but he promised to
speak when he thought the time proper for
speaking, so we waited. That third cup of
coffeo which the Outlook discussed so sagely
made it quite certain that the announcement
was coming and now we have it. He will ac
cept it, If the people want him and of course
he would not have anything to accept if they
do not.
The Commoner has already recorded its oppo
sition to a third term but that is not tho only
objection tho democrats will find to his candi
dacy. He is wrong on soveral questions and
-where right is only following where democrats
have led. He is years behind progressive demo
crats why should the people violate the pre
cedent of a century and give him a third term
to reward him for advocating reforms which
democrats advocated not only before him but
against his opposition. But it is a great gain
to our party to have Mr. Roosevelt bring such
an indictment against President Taft as he does
when he becomes a candidate against him. To
say that Mr. Taft who came in with a popu
lar majority of more than a million can not bo
re-elected is to confess the failure of his ad
ministration. Mr. Roosevelt guaranteed Mr. Taft
in the last campaign. As a guarantor can not
be called upon except when the. principal is
insolvent Mr. Roosevelt's offer to take Mr. Taft's
place is virtually a declaration that the presi
dent is politically bankrupt. No matter which
way the contest between the president and ex
president goes the democrats ought to win
and they will if they nominate a candidate in
whom the progressives of the country have con
fidence and run him upon a platform really
democratic.
WHO IS FOOLED?
When you see good men supporting a candi
date whom Wall street is urging, you know
that SOMEBODY is making a mistake; and you
may wonder who it is, but really there is no
need for wonder or uncertainty. You ought to
know that Wall street makes no such mistakes.
It is Wall street's business to know whom it
can trust. It can not afford to take any
chances and does not take any. When, for in
stance, the stock exchange records its demo
cratic members as overwhelmingly for Harmon,
why should any progressive democrat be for
him? When Jim Hill, who has fought the
democratic party whenever it has been progres
sive and has stood ready to finance the cam
paign if the party would only accept reactionary
leadership when Jim Hill urges the nomina
tion of Governor Harmon why should any pro
gressive support him? A man may be deceived
by others but why should he deceive himself?
A progressive democrat must close his eyes and
ears and chloroform his mind before he can
excuse himself for supporting Governor Harmon.
Congressman Campbell of Kansas has at least
formed a conclusive (?) opinion against the re
call namely, the demand of the mob for the
crucifixion of Christ. Kansas must be proud of
an Intellect that can not distinguish between an
orderly election and a mob. He should read his
Bible more closely and he will find that it was
"the common people" who heard Christ gladly.
Ex-Senator Foraker opposes the initiative and
referendum because of the expense. Too bad;
but why not consider the cause of the demand
for the initiative and referendum? It was be
cause the people found that boss rule costs them
more in one year than the initiate and refer
endum would In ten. It is wise economy.
An Incomplete Platform
Below will bo" found an nbstract of tho Mis
souri democratic platform, adopted a few days
ago by tho convention that presented Speaker
Clark's name to the democrats of tho nation.
The abstract is taken from the Brookfiold (Mo.)
Argus:
"Tho history of tho republican party Is a talo of
broken promises.
"It destroyed popular government In tho Houso
of representatives by a system of rules whioh
vested arbitrary power In the speaker.
"It Inaugurated a system of wasteful extrava
gances unparalleled in history.
"It created a tariff law which imposes a tax
upon the nocossltioH of Ufa for tho benoilt of
favored Institutions.
"It not only permitted tho establishment of
monopoly, but gave exccutlvo sanction to tho
destruction by tho greatest trust on earth of its
last potential rival.
"It is responsible for tho oxistenco of that vast
system of combination which bus raised tho pricc.i
of living to a point where tho cost of tho vary
necessities of life Is almost beyond reach of tho
great industrial classes.
"Tho republican party camo before tho pooplo at
tho last national election promising to roform ItB
own iniquities. In violation of tho pledge it on
acted tho Payne-AldrlchTninuity.
"Declaring tho most important schedule of thin
bill to be utterly indefensible, tho president, never
theless, signed tho measure and gavo it tho forco
of law.
"The democratic party, under tho splendid
leadership of Champ Clark, overthrow 'Cannonlsm'
and restored tho representative goverment of tho
popular branch of congress.
"A bill was passed reducing tho tariff tax upon
woolen goods. ' "
"In response to tho demands of tho monopolies
and other great protected industries, President
Taft vetoed all these measures of reform.
"We commend and indorse tho splendid work
done by the democrats of tho houso and senate
"Wo particularly express our admiration for tho
leadership of Speaker Clark.
"We congratulate tho democrats of Missouri
upon the splendid record and faithful services of
our democratic state officials.
"Tho interests of our state demand that our great
waterways should bo improved so that commerce
may be restored to our rivers. We insist that these
improvements should be so as to protect tho rich
bottom lands contiguous to those navigable floods.
"We arc opposed to any system which brings Into
competition with honest labor the products manu
factured by convicts. We favor homo rule for tho
cities and communities of tho state.
"Wo therefore, in presenting the name of tho
great progressive democrat, Ciiamp Clark, hereby
direct and specifically Instruct tho delegatea
elected by this convention to the national demo
cratic convention, to bo held In Baltimore, Md.,
Juno 25, 1912, to work and vote for Champ Clark
as a unit, continuously, to tho end, that ho may
bo made tho nominee of said democratic national
convention for president of tho United States."
Progressive democrats will read tho above
with disappointment it does not cover the
ground. It is painfully incomplete. Speaker
Clark owes it to the democrats of the nation to
supplement it and bring it up to date. Denunci-"
ation of the republican party is not sufficient.
We must stand affirmatively for what tho people
need. "Viewing with alarm" and "pointing
with pride" used to do, but something moro
specific is demanded now. The Missouri plat
form does not indorse the Denver platform
has it been abandoned?
The platform says nothing about tho trust
question unless inaction on the subject is com
mended as a part of the "splendid work" in
dorsed in the platform. The trust question can
not bo ignored so easily it must have attention
and our democratic congress should hasten to
redeem the party pledge on that subject. There
are some other subjects that deserve considera
tion. Mr. Clark's appeal is to progressives
none of his literature is Intended for the reac
tionaries. He should hasten to announce his
views on the subjects ignored by tho platform
of his state.
So ex-Congressman Caldwell wants to bo
governor of Illinois, does he? And he thinks
he can win a nomination in a democratic pri
mary? How little ho knows of the progressive
movement now sweeping over the country. Ho
ought to have run when Wall street was in con
trol and before the people discovered tho menace
and the methods of the Money trust. If tho
democrats of Illinois really want a plutocrat for
governor why not get Rockefeller, Morgan or
Carnegie? Why take a small imitation?
Ex-President Roosevelt has brought Presi
dent Taft face to face with an embarrassing
choice. The president must favor a primary
and risk being defeated for tho nomination, or
he must refuse it and risk being defeated for
election because he was afraid to trust tho
voters of his own party. Bad either way.
When Mr. Roosevelt goes out to plead for a
third term the people will understand " his
willingness to ACCEPT if the people DEMAND
his nomination.
Mi
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