Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1900-09-13
1eainst those charged with violation

against those charged with violation
of the laws, and, third, to sit in judg-
ment upon the case. Government by
Injunction is so indefensible that the
anti-injunction bill, indorsed by the
Chicago platform, passed the senate
without yea and nay vote being de-
manded, and since that time no party
platform has specifically indorsed gov
ernment by injunction and no promi-
nent member of any party has entered
upon a defense of the system; and yet
corporate influence is so strong that 1t
has thus far been impossible to secure
any remedial legislation.
The fact that United States senators
are elected by legislatures, rather than
by the people directly. lessons the Ia
boring mans influence in securing ia
vorable federal legislation. When the
action of a political convention must
be submitted to the voters for ratifl-
cation at the polls, the convention is
constrained to nominate a candidate
acceptable to the people; but when
senator is chosen by a legislature the
individual voter is far less considered.
Even when direct bribery is not en-
ployed, the indirect influence which
corporations can exert is resorted to.
and more frequently still money is Sc
cretly used to aid legislative candidates
in close districts. Such obligations are
usually repaid in the caucus and, as a
rule, the majority in the caucus con-
trolls the party which has the selection
Of the senator. If this question were
submitted to the voters, the majority
in favor Of the election of senators by
direct vote of the people would be over
whelming, and yet partisanship has de-
layed the adoption of this amendment
The people submit to policies which
they do not like rather than secure i'm
prOvement by a change in party affili-
ations.
DIRECT LEGISLATION.
The laboring man favors direct legis-
lation wherever practicable for the
same reason that he favors the election
of senators by popular vote. Direct
legislation brings the government
nearer to the voter. There is more
virtue in the people than ever finds ex-
preston through their representatives
To hold that a representative can act
for the people better than they can
act for themselves, is to assert that he
is as much interested in the people as
they are in themselves, and that his
wisdom is greater than the combined
wisdom of a majority of the people.
Neither proposition is sound Most, if
not all, of the evils complained of in
government are traceable to the fact
that the representative of the people
has personal interests at variance with
the interests of his constituency. Cor
ruption in municipal, state and feder
al governments is due to the misrepre-
sentation of the people by public SER
wants, who use their positions for pTi-
Vate advantage. The people should
have an opportunity to vote on public
questions when those questions can be
submitted without too great incOnVen-
ience or expense.
But the labOrirg man is even more
interested in the proposition to estab-
lish a labor bureau with cabinet
officer at its head. Such a bureau
would keep the executive in constant
touch with the wage-earners of the
country, and open the way to the re-
dress of their present and future griev-
ances. If labor is given place in the
presidents official household, the man
selected will necessarily be a worthy
and trusted representative of the peo-
pie for whom he speaks, and his pres
ence at cabinet meetings will give to
those who toll for their daily bread as
surance that their interests will be
properly guarded.
Mr.. GoTnpeTs, the chief executive of
the Federation of Labor has, IN his
correspondence with the secretary of
the treasury, SO ably presented the Ia
boring mems reasons for opposing
gold standard and a national bank cur
rency that it is not necessary to discuss
those questions at this time.
REASON TO FEAR TRUSTS.
The Iaboring man has abundant rea-
son to fear the trusts. Mr.. Charles r.
Flint, in a speech delivered in Boston
more than year ago in defense of the
trusts, frankly asserts that one of the
of these combinations is
that ''in case of local strikes or fires
the work goes on elsewhere, thus pre-
venting serious loss" Is it possible
that any Wage-earner can fail to see
how completely the trust places en-
ployes at the mercy Of the employer?
LABOR BEARS THE BURDEN.
The resolutions adopted by various
labor organizations in condemnation
of miIitarism and imperialism justify
me in making a brief reference to those
questions. No class contributes more
than the labor class in proportion to
it's members to the rank and file of
the army; no class contributes more in
to its numbers to the eX-
pense of the army, and no class is
more menaced by the existence Of a
Europe which maintain large military
collect an income tax
which adjusts the burden of the gov
ernment to the income of the citizen.
Here our federal taxes are largely col
lected upon consumption, and while
they are income taxes in the sense that
they must be paid out of the income of
the people, yet the eXactions are not
to the incomes. The
taxes upon consumption bear heaviest
upon the poor and lightest upon the
rich, and are, in fact, graded income
tayes, the per cent collected decreaS-
ing as the income increases.
If this nation adheres to the doctrine
that governments derive their just
powers from the consent of the gov
erned and the people have an easy
and ready means of correcting all
abuses. the government will not need
to be supported by large permanent
army for every citizen will be ready to
defend such a government from attack.
The only domestic use for a large
standing army is to suppress by force
by legislation.
To support permanent army Of
100 900 men require approximately one
half as much money as is annually ex-
pended for education in the United
States. How much cheaper it is to
uplift people by the gentle and peace
full process of intellectual development
than to blow them up with powder
and dynamite!
A RADICAL DEPARTURE.