The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-09
GET 70 THE PRIMARIES
FOR EXISTING EVILS IN AMER
ICAN POLITICS
PUT VOTER ON THE DEFENSIVE
m AT
Compel Him ITO Participate I'm the
Primaries AZ He Wishes to
Vote at the EIec-
,ar.,-r, ton.

President Henry Wade Rogers, of the
Northwestern university, spoke last
evening at the Peoples church on Good
Citizenship. 'on He dealt with his subject
from a material standpoint. contending
that the conditions which threatened
the American republic, and the rule OF
meneyed and corporate interests, could
only be suppressed by judicious- ex-
erctse of the right of elective franchise
at the ballot box The vision of the
American flag always inspired love and
fealty yet the flag was not loved for
what 1t was. but for what it represented.
AS the emblem of government that
respected the rights of all men and be-
heyed that all were born equal, 1t was
loved and respected on land and sea.
The speaker believed that the Golden
Age lay not in the past, but in the flu
ture, and that just now we were In the
twilight of a historical period. The more
educated classes were imposed with
greater responsibilities as citizens. They
were looked upon as the upper house of
the worlds politics. who are the lead
ers in politics, If not the educated menu"
asked the speaker. 1T Is said that the
education of public sentiment is the
scholars estate in Office. Carlyle has said
that one man out of ten is wise man;
that being the case, how are we to eK-
pect the ballot box to grind out wisdom
from those ten votes 1t is the duty OF
the wise man to educate his fellows, and
the student or professional man who
shuts himself up In his study or office
is recreant in duty. The nation was es-
tabhShed by men of education and cul-
ture. OF all the useless men, the man
+ of education, who does nothing further
,INfF HI oh
life, or spends his time in constantly
restless foreign travel, is the aggravated
type. You can't put silk stockings In
one class and the laborfng man in an
other. We are all part Of a great hui
mainly, entitled to the same constdera-
ton in life. Lincoln trusted the common
people. Generally the common people
sustain measures OF reform, while the
upper classes make war
THE governor OF a state at a
banquet Of the Twentieth Cen
fury club. in New York, after
he had been elected mayor found that
the city railways paid less than their
just proportion OF the public tax. He dis
covered that gas rates were excessively
high; that bankers speculated with the
cItys funds. Every time he corrected
an abuse he lost the support of some
strong and powerful class. He was three
times elected mayor Of New York, and
the same constituency gave him a major
ity of $4,000 votes when later he ran for
governor. It was the vote Of the people
that elected him:
'The charge is frequently made that po-
litical parties are controlled by gigantic
trusts and y monopolies. Contributions
are made under the guise OF campaign
funds, that are used in securing the cleo
ton of men ito 1.-THE Legislature who in
turn give protection to- the corporations
from aptagonistic legislation. One, of our
greatest American cities has been turned
oyer to a litical boss who is an ignorant
man hardly, able 70 write his own name
He has become rich and powerfuI out OF
the spoiIs of politics. The bosses Of
politics must be put down, and machines
destroyed before we can have clean and
honest administration of our municipal
and national affairs. Mr. Hayemeyer
president of the sugar trust testified
that the sugar trust, in common with
other trusts, made great contributions to
campaign funds, and L have been told
by prominent lawyer that two large
corporations pay $4,000 annually to a po-
Iitieal party boss as the price Of protec-
ton. A law should be made preventing
corporations from contributing one cent
to the campaign fund of any party.
Gin the early years Of this nation men of
the highest ability were attracted to pub
Tic ONCE, out 1t IS, we must ADMIT, not
so now"
Concluding. President Rogers cited a
number OF evils which he believed could
be easily corrected by the people. Pr1-
marily. he believed that every man should
vote, and he considered attendance at the
primaries equally important. Indeed, he
favored the passage of a. law that would
make his a requisite for voting on cleo
ton day. Regarding the tax laws, the
speaker regarded the inheritance tax in
many states as a great evil. Jay Gould's
estate of $4,000, 900 was appraised at $780,
900. A recent investigation of the records
In New York disclosed that a great deal
of property escaped taxation In this
way. In another city an investigation
showed that the moderate property hold
er paid taxes on one-third to one-half of
his property while the big concerns were
taxed for less than one-tenth of their
holdings He favored the passage of a
law that would prohibit requests of all
property that was not listed on the tax
rolls the year before.