The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-10-05

| calls attention to the temper OF dis
satisfaction so observable on every
hand during late political ontests,
to thefact that states overwhelmingly
for one political party in one election
| will In the next go almost unanimous
| ly the o her way, and this without
! app aren't reason. He credits the
voter with nm honest desire, irrespec
tive OF party affiliat.on, 10 do II
right thing; but attributes his cha e
OF fealty to party to the repea ed
| iisappoint ments which he has met in
every party. He arrays facts al
fi!ures to justify the voter in his
views, and attributes much OF the
political evil of the day O the growing
influence OF corporations in our in
dustrjal life. He does not criticise
this new factor, except in SO far as
refuses to obey he laws of it's crea-
tion, or dlverts their beneficent pur
poses to unlawful and oppressive
ends; but his criticism is scathing of
their organized methods of evading
their just share of taxation and of
assuming absolute control of cert ain
lines OF industry. squeezing the very
lie out of their competitors, AS is the
history OF he Standard Oil Company
and the anthracite coal combine, and
then, after killing off competition, to
more than renumerate themselves
from the pockets OF the public by an
arbitrary advance OF the prices OF
their products. The fundamental
idea of the Fathers OF the Republic,
he says, was that the will Of the
people should be the supreme law
from which all power was to emanate.
With the growth Of corporate wealth,
individual wealth assisting, a silent
ch ange has stolen upon us, a long line
of caucus and election machinery has
interviewed between the voter and his
representative in the legislature or in
the executive chair, the links in this
chain are each closely watched by
those having private axes to grind,
aud the honest voter finds that the
men whom he voted Tor because he
supposed they agreed with him in his
political views, not only fail to carry
out these views, but that they fall in
with an ever watchfuI lobby and en-.
act legislation Numerically opposed
to his ideas Of political economy.
LaFollette does not advocate an
attack upon corporations, but he
does advocate return to a system
by which the will of the people VIII be
truly and faithfully reflected by their
chosen servants. To attain this end
he wants the caucus and convention
abolished, and primary election law
enacted in fact he stands practically
upon the ideas embraced iii the Lewis
Primary Election Bill which was SO
sbamefully sidetracked in the late
legislature of Wisconsin. He believes
that the railway and corporation
lobby, with a liberal use Of free passes
and other perquisites, SO if1ue need q
weak legislature as to accomplish the
defeat of the primary election bill, the
corrupt practices act, the Hall anti
free pass resolution, the Davidson
bills to tax sleeping cars, dining cars
and express companies, and other
measures introduced in the interest of
the common people of Wisconsin.
What would a primary election law
do towards removing these evils?
1t would relegate the powers ofgovern-
ment to the hands Of the voter: it
would reflect he twill of the people,
and the people would be enabled to
place the responsibility for any per-
fdy to their cause where it properly
belongs. A primary election law
would be practical extension OF he
present Australian ballot to he eau.
Gus and convent on. Candidates
would be called out by petition, as
before the spring elections. Any
person securing the requisite number
of gners to his petition would have
his name placed upon the official
ballot, and on q certain day an
election would be held, under ausplt es
similar to those governing our present
general elections. at which election the