' "?'
' .
iZS&r
r
t
tWT1w' -5
OCTOBR5;l$20
s
irrigation; then one thing that you must know
whether y.ou ,know anything, else.' of not, is that
water runa$own hilL
o miulTcalb Construct an irrigation system un
til he understands that, When he understands
that, then all e has to do is to dig a ditch with
a slope to it and he can carry water anywhere
There is arlnoiple as fundamental as that in the
discussion of this question, as fundamental as
that water" runs down frill, and that is that a pri
vate mbnppoiy is indefensible and intolerable;
that Go'dnever made a -human 'being good
enough to, bo put at the head of a private mo
nopoly and decide, without appeal how much he.
would charge lor a thing that he alone could
sell and everyone else bad to buy, We do not
trust a judge to decide his own case. No Judge
In Christendom is allowed to decide his own case
because we know the unconscious bias of a man
Jn favor of himself, We have as good men in
this country as anywhere in the' world, but we
haven't a man good enough to .act as a juror
and be one Of twelve men to decide a case in
which he 1ms 'a pecuniary interest. We do not
reflect on any man when we tell himi to stand
aside, that he cannot serve on a jury because he
has an interest, and yet if we believe in a private
monopoly we' allow a man, not a judge, but just
a man selected by stockholders of a corporation
which Is organized solely to make money, and for
no other .purpose we let him -decide a question
where the4ntcrests pf the people are on one side
and his interest on : another side, Wherever
there must-bef a monopoly, It should be a gov
ernment monopoly administered for all the
people.
I have been for many years of the belief that
whenever a "franchise is given by a city, a state,
or a nation, for the control of anything that is
in the nafurtoJLa monopoly it .should be limited
to a ew'years and that there ought to betn
every such franchise a clause allowing the power
that granted' It to resume It at will on reason
able tejrms.
And noiny fronds', how do you secure your'
self againat injustice? If we are to talk about
these grtatproposltiftris, if we are to ask people
to put up. hundreds of millions of money in order -to
buildVvgreat' dams, to reclaim greafrtracts of
land ige.rauet understand all the question that
enter 4nt'oft ,yhen welcome to a great -proposition,"
especially if this proposition Involves de
mands on the .part of combined capital to take
advantage of these great forces of nature, I
think there is just one protection and that Is
the greatest "invention. In the art of government
in a hundred years, known as the initiative and
the referendum. That' put into the hands of the
people the power to make their own laws.
It Is not a new idea. We have applied that
Idea for a loiig while, but we are extending the
applications., We have known for a long while
that an amendment to a state constitution is
submitted to "the people. They select agents to
write it, hut the people themselves must sit in
final judgment upon it. Could we pay a higher
tribute'to the Intelligence of the. people? Could
we give a clearer endorsement to the idea that
the people -are the source of power? As far back
as I can remember;, whenever a city wanted to
issue tfonjjs, the question had to he submitted to
the people,' Why? Because that was a very im
portant thfcg and the more important the action,
the more necessary that the people should speak.
Within the last "generation, we 'have been put
ting into -the charters of cities clauses providing
that no franchise can be granted .until, the peo
pie of 'tlie city express themselves at the ballot
box. It has been a great safeguard and now
many states have adopted the initiative and
referendum. Sometimes an effort is made tore
peal the initiative and referendum but It can not
succeed when the people understand the influence
back of the attempt to take this poVer away. A
power once deposited in the hands of the people,
Will never he taken away when the people under
stand .what is being done. We have n great con
troversy in thig country and it is to bo found
in overstate. It is between the people and
great consolidations of capital that want to take
advantage of the people They ure controlled
by those who do not trust the people, but tne
people haye "confidence In themselves. No mat
ter whether the people vote the democratic
ticket, or the repuhlican ticket, they are willing
to trusrthe people with government the confi
dence V :the people in thdlr -owii capacity does
not depend on, party lines. I used to think that
all the good was in my patty and all the had was
m the republican party. 1 am wie """ ,.
I know "that ihe spirit, of democracy In the
TJnlted' Stas ii? bigger than any Pw; ww"
bfgWdugjo cohtrol all .parties and that When
The Commoner
the line Is drawn between the demanda of it
SStv it in i l3 la4. undertood, no matte? what
4lvC9 La I7r' thc peopl wm trU8t them-
lovernment 8Urrender thls final Power over
hnLhhnl0IJly && on some of the issues that
? beenTbroueht in suggestion and by in
ference. I am out here becauso 1 am interested
in this great southwest. I came out here first
more than a quarter of a century ago. I have
been returning from time to tlmo throughout
tnese years. Your people have not boon more
proud than I have bceu of the wonderful pros
perity. Your people are not more interested
iwm In your 80il and fn the conservation
of all the waters of your rivers. I expect to seo
this go on until you will store all the flood
waters in the mountains and not a drop of wasto
water find its way into the ocean. All the water
that God pours on your mountains throughout
the year will bo saved in order that it may con
tribute to the productiveness of the fields and
furnish food and other necessities for man. I
am hero to bid you God-speed in this great un
dertaking. These men who gather here and give of their
time and of their enthusiasm are like people who
live upon the higher ground and catch the light
of the sun's rays; while thoso in the valley aro
still in darkness; but the sun will ascend, aud in
formation will spread, and as these subjects are
better known you will find tht militant hosts of
all the western country standing behind these
leaders. As the information spreads, all the
people of this nation will catch up the spirit,
and as you join them in reclaiming the swamps
" in their sections, they will join you inreclaiming
the arid lands of the west. Understand one an
other, we will go forward in the spirit of brother
hood and lift our nation to the highest possible
achievements here, and then I believe we Avill
stand together and lead the world. I am hop
ing and praying that this nation may soon enter
the league of nations.
I think from your applause that you feel as I
do, thatjthe reservation's are insignificant com
pared with the moral forces of the league. Be
fore there were any reservations I hoped it
' would be ratified without reservations and such
changes as were thought necessary might be
made afterwards in! the league of nations. But
after I found we could not have ratification wlth
out.reservations, then I was willing to accept any
changes a majority desired until we could change
them In the league ojf nations.
When we have great issues in this country,
why should be divide our people over the phrase
ology of contingent reservations that will, never
be needed until all the moral force of that treaty
had been exhausted? Even if I were willing that
ray nation should turn aside from pressing do
mestic problems, and deal with this issue as the
permanent issue of the campaign, J would not
be willing to take upon myself the responsibility
of what might happen abroad while we quarreled
at home. I believe that this league of nations
will present to our nation the greatest opportun
ity that any nation ever had, and that we ought
to enter that league and as the greatest moral
force in the world, throw our power and great
prestige on the side of justice as between na;
tions large and small and speak peace, to a trou
bled world. Ours is the only nation that can
There are great world problems. The people
oi' the southwest while struggling with local
questions great to them and great to tho na
tion but small in comparison with the prob
lems of the human race will join with the Peo
ple ot the whole nation in doing thejr duty to
all the world; they will make this nation an ex
ample Z the world, solving here the problems
of this neneratloji in the Interest of humanity,
and I leading the world in its march to higher
ground, t thank you. -
THE NINETEENTH AMENDIVIENT
vhP promulgation of the nineteenth amend
ment "totfe constitution of thtf United L ffiatai
must be reckoned another great landmark in the
Sstory of American democracy. A hundred ana
thirtyone years ago, when the constitution went
(So effect it was considered to be a fairly revo
Stmnary document. The men who made it were
generally looked upon as being considerably in
Idvance of their time dangerously so, some
Yerthole' men with air their adventuring
proceeded, of necessity, very cautiously. They
were more concerned for .the foundation than
TJr the superstructure. Their -plan was a com-
V
j
&
..w
j
. tti
H s
i :
Tfc
"
'K
5
promise, worked out to reconcile many opposite
opinions aftd theories, and it left much to future
adjustment. If the convention could have looked
forward seventy years and foroseen the crisis
over slavery it might have Tcen more specific
about that institution. As it was the question
was sidestepped. Tho word "slave" does not
occur In, the constitution, but it provided for the
enumeration pf some persons held to service in -fixing
the basis of representation.
Slates' rights wore supposed to he strongly
buttressed by the provision requiring lh suc
tion of senators by tho legislatures of the states,
wlilie members of tho lower house wero to he
elected by tho people upon a basis of populaV
tion. This was a direct recognition that thV'
states had a peculiar and equal relation to tho
federal government asldo from that sustained to
ward it by their people. The convention could
not look ahead to a time when it would be
recognized that it was more Important that the
people should b o represented In the senate than
that the states should be.
These things illustrate how caution anfl com
promise snapo tne structure of tho constitution,' rj
una wnst louowea illustrates bow the growth ot
democracy mado necessary Its reshaping by
amondrnent. The convention while it could not
foresee wherein the constitution might fall to fit
future conditions, realized the probablo neces
sity of changes as the superstructure grow, and
provided the means. The flrat trm amArwlmr.niir,
indeed, followed ao closely upon the adoption of Mf
mo constitution as, to maKe thorn virtually parts , a
of tho original. . ,
The constitution and democracy thus grew .
together and their progress Is now marked y '
four or five great national landmarks. Any one (
of them would have amazed tho most radical
member of tho constitutional convention of 1787,
The proposal of any one of tho measures thus
marked would have broken tho convention p, ,
The adoption of any one of thein at the tlmo prob
ably would have prevented tho formation of tn ,
union. These landmarks aro tho abolltloa of i
slavery and negro suffrage, tho election of sen- . j
tors by the people, the prohibition of the liquor
traffic and women's suffrage. AH of these great i
changes came within a period of slightly niore
than half a century. Only ono proved a severe ,
shock to tho constitution, yet any one of thent -
would have wrecked it at tho start, ,
That shows both the wisdom of conservation
in its place and tho constitutional convention
in Philadelphia was such a place and the neces- '
sity of change with progress. Slavery had to
be recognized, if only over tho left shouldor,to
cet tho eovernment coiner. Then with tho com
ing of a new industrial, political and moral era
it had to go. The ambassadors of the states
had to go when the states as sovereigns de
clined and -the people as sovereigns carno up.
What Is true of thoso changes is true of the
latest ones. "' They became Inevitable with the
a. r a Y t. (Lin , n . ..
neceaBiiy ipr mem. xroujouion ana woraena z
suffrage aredcvelopments of a democracy that
goes in these days more and more to the com
mon welfare, rlcht. back to the verv kernel and
preamble of the constitution. They wdre' not1'
ureameu ui uy fc umnvia ui intxv uucunieui; vt
rtrwl irn Him nra nt tic naanrtftA nlnil aniflf WUrtvt . M
twiu jci iuv; mv ui ka tiputuvu uu oyu u ,jiv'j, ,
1- 111 1 A.. -At A t - i U,
expouna lis muruiuy uim juuuvv as iruiy a
Marshall and Webster expounded Its politics. ,
Kansas City Star.
I n
- tJL
f"K
.i
''.&
Gl
j
. . nl
r: i"
3a
OUT WHERE TIIE WEST BEGINS
Out where the handclasp's a little stronger,
Out where the smile dwells a little longer.
That's where tho West begins;
"i..- .lm.si 4ti- Htt la rt Httln lirtrrlitat
Where thc snows that fall are a trifle whiter,, if
Wnere tne oonus oi nome are a wee m, uEiuer,.-
That's where the west begins. tt
Out where the skies are a trifle bluer.
Out where friendship's a little truer,
Thflt'tt vhnra the West begins:
--""------"-"-'.,-.' -v
-.. nrTiora n frflfltlPH MTP.fiZR IK DIOWIUK. , f
Where there's laughter In every fltreamleTff
. nowmg, ,i,m
Where there's more of reaping and less o?
1SUW1UK. "!
That's where the West begins. h
Out where the world Is In the making,
Where fewer hearts with despair are aching,
Where there's more of singing and less of -Jj
nlnhlttO' ''
Where here's more oi' giving and less of buying
And a man makes friends without half trying,
That's wnere xne west ucbiud.
-- - - Arthur Chapman.
&AJt.iiLa& ''- i '