The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-08

/ self-sustaining, society is interested IN
+ having every citizen secure enough u
this worlds goods not only 10 Supply
( his own wants but educate his chlloIeh
] and leave him something Tor ms 0e-
! Ginning days But while society IS N
Z tereSted in this, society IS also inter-
Z ested in having laws that will prevent
ahlm from destroying more Inen ne -
! worth while he is securing his own IN
ment is the best form of government
/ known among men, not pecau
every law is good, not Pc pc.
/ cause we have upon the
/ statute books every law needed TO pro
! teet each citizen in the enjoyment OF
/ his rights. Our government Is the best
1 form Of government known among
/ men, because it is possible under our
form of government to have just as
good a government as the people de-
serve Ours is the best form Of gov
people to make it reflect the best intel
hgence, the highest virtue and the
| broadest patriotism Of all the people
Let me warn you against confusing
government with the abuses of govern
ment- Andrew Jackson said that there
were no necessary evils in government;
that its evils existed only in its abuses.
he was right my friends Inere are
no necessary evils in government and
no man who understands the advan-
t2ge of government will ever raise his
voice or hand against government It
self. 1t is the abuses of government
against which we have the right TO
complain. There are some who would
silence every criticism of existing law
There are those who would denounce
every one who advocates q change as
a disturber Of the public peace. There
are those who would call him a distur-
Der, one who breeds discomfort. l want
to say to you that discomfort lies at the
foundation Of all progress (Applause)
So long as you are satisfied you never
go forward. It is only when you are
dissatisfied with your conditions that
you try to improve those conditions. |
Why, my friends. had our forefathers |
been satisfied with English political |
supremacy, we never would have had |
declaration of independence. Gap |
plauSe.) They were not content with |
the conditions under which they lived, |
and they put that expression of dfscon- !
tent in the form of a declaration of in |
dependence, and they maintained that |
declaration with their blood, and it |
gives us this form of government.
There is this difference between our |
form Of government and the monarch |
ical form: If you are discontinued IN |
der a monarchy, how can you get re-
lief? You can petition, but your petit |
tons may be dtsregarded. Discomfort |
under a monarchy may end IN despair, |
or it may end in revolution. Discomfort |
under our form Of government ends in
reformation through the peaceful
means Of the ballot CApplause)
am not going to violate the pro-
pr1eties Of this occasion by entering in
to a discussion of partisan occasions
but 7 desire to call your attention to
certain broad questions which cannot
be cOnnned bE party lines The ballot
is the means by which the people of
this country must right every wrong, |
and If the people have not the indie
pendence, if they have not the intelli-
gence to right their wrongs, at the |
ballot box, they have not the courage |
to secure their rights in any other way. |
(Applause.) But my friends, condi-
tons arose in this country which made
it impossible for the people to use the
ballot which they had "a voice: that's
rightly There were certain influences
so strong, so powerful that men were
afraid to exercise freely and upon
their own convictions the political
rights given them under our institu-
tons. What did they do? honor the
laboring men of this country and or
ganized labor, standing at the head of
the labor1ng men, (Applause) be-
cause they secured to the people
of this country as Australian ballot "a
voice: That ballot will put you in,
too,D CRenewed appIause) that ballot
did not come down to you from above;
that ballot is the result of your own
demands 1t is the result of your own
influence The laboring man today en-
joys the advantage of an Australian
ballot because the laboring men of this
compelled the adoption of Aus
tralian ballot laws. CApplause.)
My friends, among all the agencies
which for the last few years have been
at work lettering the condition and
protecting the rights of the labOring
men Of this country I believe that the
labOring organizations stand first
among them. It has brought them to-
gether where they could compare
their views. where they could unite
their strength, where they could make
their intelligence effective, and the Ia
boring man has his organization and
his own efforts to thank for such bless
Ings as he has secured.
Now my friends some have criticized
labor organizations "a voice, Han
ma applause.) There are some who
have believed that banking organiza-
tons are joint associations; that man
ayers of railroads should Join aSSOc1a- ,
tons; every body was entitled to join
an association except the laboring ,
nan. CApplause.) The Iaboring mans
which he has protected his welfare
against other organizations among
people. Now my friends the labor or
yanizatiOn has done much good and yet ,
there is good that society will do and |
will add and supplement the work of
the labOring men themselves 1 want ,
70 speak Of it here-the principle OF ar
oitration between corporate employers !
and their employees. The principle has
been forced upon the attention of the
American people. I believe in arbitra-
Arbitration is simply the extention
IF the idea Of the court Of justice Gap
Dlause) 1t is merely instituted as
an impartial tribunal before
which men go and settle their differ
anceS.
You say the 1aboring men are inter
aSlSQ IN aTDlIfal1On 1 eS Luey nave 50
expressed themselves, but I want TO
say to you my friends that society has
Z higher interest even than the labor
ng man in the principle of arbitration. ]
Society has a right to protect itself ,
against these contests between labor
and capital. Society has a right to
say to both employer and employee in
stead of asserting a right or q claim :
and defending it by force you shall in ]
he interest Of society submit that to ;
an impartial tribunal and let justice
oe done by these. (Applause.)
My friends, new conditions make