The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-29
TURN ABOUT.

TURN ABOUT.
Mr.. Cleveland's speech at the COM
mercial club dinner in Providence on
Saturday was a strong presentation OF
one of the greatest evils that imperil
the stability Of popular government. He
showed how from general legislation for
the many the tendency had been strong
-uncontrollably s%o-toward private and
special legislation, until great comblna-
tions of individual interests have virtu-
ally usurped the functions of govern
ment to such a degree that u law
makers are little more than executors OF
the DEGREES of corporate and individual
will. Mr.. Cleveland was right in saying
that the people have a right to claim
from their representatives undivided at
tention to the great objects of legisla-
ton In which the entire country is in
terested. Unfortunately, however, the
people have been careless in exercising
that right, and they have consented to
send to congress men who ave been Sc
lected for them by corporations and
trusts and combines-men who have
other masters than the people, and to
whom the public veal is always second
airy. But the evil has not stopped there.
Constituencies themselves have become,
if not corrupt, at least thoroughly self
ish. They have come to take perverted
views Of the objects of government and
to look upon it as a means OF e%nriching
TIM 20 rNycl fnry who onn ipH1or,na 1oriS-
lation. A Boston steamship company
knocks at the doors of the capitol and
asks for a subsidy for carrying the mails
in order that it may pay fat dividends
to it's stockholders. Immediately other
companies in New York, Baltimore and
San Francisco, naturally jealous of their
own interests, make similar demands for
bouaties. The next step is a far
reaching all-powerful combination
which carries all before it and siezes and
divides millions Of the peoples money
among the interests in the pool.
A still more pointed illustration is
found in our tariff legislation. Look at
the Mckinley bill, for example. Is
there one intelligent person in the
United States to-day who believes that
to be an honest, fair or just measure?
We venture to say not one-least of all
Mckinley himself, who is a man OF
brains and sense and knows under what
stress and duress and threat many of
the schedules were adopted at the die
tation of protected" interests who would
ruin if they could not rule. How
the binding Irvine trust, and the steel
rail trust, and the white lead trust, and
a hundred other trusts, joined hands to
force up prices far beyond even the war
tariff, the whole world knows. The in
side facts Of this disgraceful piece Of
legislation are now matters of history.
Yet in spite of the remarkable uprising
OF last year we shall see the old familiar
lobby back in Washington next winter
clamoring for the extension of the
charmed circle, demanding on behalf of
other interests and individuals that
they too shall be enriched by the simple
process Of piling more taxes on the
people.
Mr.. Cleveland very properly and en-
phatically insists that this tendency
shall be checked, that selfish motives
shall be exposed, that our lawmakers
shall cease to give special interests I'M
due consideration. But the remedy
must go further than that. We must
bring ~ government back to it's old
moorings, restore its true functions
which the fathers of the republic sc
clearly outlined, and which many of us
of to-day seem to see through haze ant
fog that strangely distort them. Ava
rice and cupidity must be taught tina
they must not lay their ilnpious hands
on the ark of the covenant, that ouI
government was framed to enrich nc
man, but simply to give poor anc
rich, weak and strong, equal opportuni
ties under the law. 1t looks like ar
easy lesson, but, alas! how far short Thu
generation has fallen of learning it!
Suppose a new amendment were
proposed to u constitution providing
that henceforth no individual or class
interest should be enriched by specia
legislation? The suggestion woul,
seem revolut lonary. Yet the time i
coming when our lawmaking power
must be governed by that principle, O
our government will become the mos
extravagant and the most corrupt OF
earth. We must not only stop the oil
ship in her course, as Mr.. Clevelan,
suggests; we must tack.