The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-09-08

ny LILO UI1SludI plVpOocTS, OF III one
should get reported back for action
for action not of the people, but of the
| 'house'-it will be found alternating
! power from the people, and .vesting it
in some secretary, or foreign syndicate
| to be exercised by that syndicate for
| its own benefit, and not for the benefit
of the people.
A notable instance of this procedure
OF alternating power from the people,
| and as final repository for same, vest
| ing it in a body as foreign and as far
away from the people as antipodals can
| possibly be, is that OF the circuitous
skullduggery where Mr. Carlisle, our
secretary of the treasury, made for
eign bond and banking syndicate the
keepers and beneficiaries of our gov
ernmental finance. So bold and un-
blushing has the idea come that, not
withstandfng God Almighty and the
constitution declare that "all power is
inherent in the people," yet in great
| national campaign the two great lead
ing parties of the country solemnly
declared in their platforms that the peo-
pie American people could do nothing
consent of a few European crowned
heads!
Another instance of alternating power
from the people is glaringly seen in
Hv~or 49, T.
Texas. The people wanted an "anti.
trust law" Strange to say, but for
once the legislative body gave heed to
the wish of the people, Such law was
passed; it ran the gauntlet of the gov
ernor's veto and of our state supreme
court. But 10, and behold! A little
United States district Judge, whom the
people never elected, and whom not one
in thousand knew Or ever heard Of,
this judge, with all Che power and vim
Of bull from the Vatican, brought this
law in judgment before him, made fun
Of it's authors, denied it, spit upon it,
c1ucified 1t and haughtily declared "that
it should be held null and void!"
One man in the case of the graduated
income tax overthrew the tax and de-
prived the government of a hundred
million dollars of revenue long un-
righteously Withheld from it.
But just at present we will confine
ourselves to our present system Of hav-
Ing middle men" to make our laws
What we say is to show that the people
cannot rely ON middle men, however
fair and specious may be the prom
ises of the middle men.
We cite a few actual facts of recent
occurrence right under our nose to show
that legislative channels as now con-
stituted, are not only obstructive of
actually in opposition to and violative
of the peoples will.
The present Texas legislature was
elected ON a platform pledging some
dozen distinct laws OF reform All Of
the people wanted reform. The candi-
dates running on this platform were
elected to the extent of about nine
tenths majority. These so-called rep
resentatives Of the people" met in leg
islative session Of unparalleled duration
and did not enact into practice scarcely
one of their promises. Even worse;
the people had voted down, by an over
whelming majority, proposition to in
vest our public state school money in
convict farm lands. Notwithstanding
this, these so-called representatives
of the people, deliberately disregarded
the voice of the people and deliberate-
ly passed a law to invest 100000 of the
state school funds in convict farms.
Such is history!
Again, this same legislature was elect
ed ON a pledge, which in distinct words
said:
1--WE favor such legislation as win
prevent for the future the demonetiza-
tion of any kind of legal tender money
by private contract"
This was intended to prevent making
notes and other contracts payable in
gold" Yet, at total variance with this
platform of I'VE demand and we prom
ise," this body with it's nine-tenths ma
jority, elected on this demand and
promise by large majority deliber-
ately voted down, "such legislation as
would prevent" such single gold stand
ard contracts. Elected on those who
favor" they vote when the pinch comes,
as those who oppose Similar bodies
in Mississippi, Georgia and other states
elected on the yea side voted on the
may" side. That "the ends" of gov
ernment of the people, by the people,
for the people are not reached through
our present legislative procedure, and
that our legislative agents do not carry
out the will of the people is evident
from the facts hereinl stated as well
as from ten thousand other facts that
might be gathered from the records Of
present legislatures
Hence, that the people are not re-
sponsible for the bad legislation is man
ifest. The legislators 'are responsible.
1t is true that people have all pow
er; but having all they do not directly
exercise any at all; for "all legislative
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