The representative., 1900-11-15
A STATEMENT
FROM MR. TOWNE

Personally, l confess to have misread
grievously the signs of the times. This
was an easy error, because my premises
were wrong. l trusted too much to the
theory that wide diffusion of education
and long Inheritance of the worlds
experience must have qualified the
American people to solve a problem new
Ell hitherto solved by a nation. Under
similar circumstances everything pre-
ceding democracy in history has done
exactly the same thing. From the time
when Esau sold his birthright for a
mess Of pOttage, men, at recurring inter-
walls, have trafhced liberty for bread
In a personal letter received by me dur
ing the campaign of 1896. from one Of
the greatest contemporary historians,
he said: II hope the fight may be won,
of history has convinced me that the
power Of concentrated wealth, when at
harmony with itself, is IRRESISTIBLE
Against this judgment my optimism
then rebelled. am not so sure now,
however, but my friend is right Ger
tainly wealth was never SO concentrat-
ed, never so unified, as now. Certainly
1t never before SO plainly exhibited it's
program. The power of the few was
never so openly and defiantly asserted
The great speculative banks have not
disguised their intention to obtain con-
troll Of the money system. The trust
monopolies have brazenly paraded their
partnership with the government The
very rich have been almost as bold in
declaring their refusal to bear their pro
portionate burden of the public expenses
as were the mobiles of France In the last
quarter of the Eighteenth century Wit
ness their opposition to the graduated
income tax; their systematic evasion OF
fair assessment of personal property;
their conscienceless facility in accom-
plishing instantaneous changes of resi-
dence to dodge the tax-gatherers, OF
which the vice-president himself gave
SO memorable an exhibition couple
OF years ago. In the campaign Just
closed the substitution of force for con-
sent for the basis of government was
avowedly the theory OF the proposed
colonial system. and right of conquest,
plus power OF purchase, was pleaded as
one peoples excuse for making a bloody
war of subjugation upon another.
The elimination of all real popular
participation in government still sup
posed to be "of, for and by the people"
could not be more absolute and COM
plete. The voters were told plainly
from nearly every Republican stump and
by most Republican newspapers, that
the money question should be left to the
bankers, the trust question to the CAPT
talists, the taxation question to the rich,
the question Of abandoning the consti-
tuition and establishing colonies to the
administration. What remains for the
people? Nothing. On all these sub
jects as to which policies have not been
declared. no definite proposition has
been submitted to the people; they are
merely asked to vote blind confidence
and absolute power Mr.. Hanna saws
In one breath there are no trusts; in
the next that there are good ones and
bad ones; and in the next that the way
to get rid Of them, If there are any, is to
trust to the organization to which prac-
tically all of them belong. The Re-
publican platform declares that the par
" proposes to give the newly-acquired
colonies such measures of self-goyern-
ment as suits their welfare and our duty.
What Is that measure? No definition
OF It is made or attempted. The presi-
dents estimate Is to control. This
makes liberty about as elastic as that
equity which Selden said depended upon
the length Of the chancellor's foot. What
the president regards as welfare or duty
we are not told. On so new and pro-
digious question the people must ac-
tually abdicate their function and clothe
their master with plenary discretion. A
king could ask no more unconditional
power. 1t is Hike plebiscite establish
ing dictatorship.
Under these circumstances it is easy
to see that the leaders of the victorious
party will construe the election as a
blank Endorsement of the full program
of special privilege. The banks will
confederate. The trusts will hold high
carnival. The clerk will become a serv-
ant, the employer patron, the small
business man a Renaissance. The tedi-
GUS process of trial by jury will be grad
ually superseded by the more prompt
and manageable operation of the in
junction. A permanent increase in the
standing army will be made this winter.
The bill to do 1t will doubtless be intro
duced by the Republican congressman
from Iowa who is at once chairman oe
the committee on military affairs and
president Of the Philippine Lumber and
Development company. Thrift, thrift.
Horatio." More and more thousands of
American youth will be fed to bolos and
to fever in tropical jungles. Taxes will
multiply. The pension list VIII wax
more fat. The English alliance will
throw of it, mssk We shall dip ,neo