The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-09-03

! to sit in Judgment upon the ease. Govern
ment by injunction is so indefensibie that
the injunction BILL endorsed by the
Chicago platform, passed the Senate with
out a yea and nay vote being demanded
and since that time no party platform has
specifically endorsed government by in
junction, and no prominent member Of any
party has entered upon P defence of the
system; and yet corpores Influence is so
strong that it has thus fa1 been impossible
TO secure any remedial legislation.
Senators by Direct Vote.
The fact that United States Senators
are elected by Legislatures rather than by
the people directly lessons the Iaboring
mans influence in securing favorable Fed
eral legislation. When the action of a po-
Htical convention must be submitted to the
voters for ratification at the polls the con-
venuon Is constrained TO nominate can
didate acceptable TO the people; but when
a Senator is chosen by a Legislature the
individual voter is far less considered.
Even when direct bribery is not employed,
the Indirect influence which corporations
can exert is resoTted TO, and, more fire.
quently still, money is secretly used to aid
Legislative candidates in close districts.
Such obligations are usually repaid in the
caucus controls the party which has the
election OF the Senator. If this question
were submitted, TO the voters the majority
in favor OF the election of Senators by di-
rect vote of the people would be over
whelming; and yet partisanship has delay
ed the adoption of this amendment. The
people submit 10 policies which they do
net like rather than secure improvement by
a change in party affiliations.
The laboring man favors direct legis-
lation wherever practicable for the same
reason that he faV0rs the election of Sen
atoTS by popular vote. Direct legislation
brings the government nearer to the voter.
There is more virtue in the people than
ever finds expression through their repre-
sentatives. To hold that a representative
can act for the people better than they
can act for themselves is 10 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 the
majority of the people. Neither PROPOSE
ton 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.
Corruption in municipal, State, and Fed
eraI governments is due 10 the misrepre
sentation of the people by public servants,
who use their positions for private advan-
tage The people should have an opportu-
nifty 10 vote public questions when those
questions can be submitted without too
great inconvenience or expense.
But the laboring man is even more in
terested III the proposition TO establish
Labor Bureau with Cabinet officer at Its
head. such a bureau would keep the EX-
ecutiye in constant touch with the wage
earEeTs OF the country. and open the way
TO the redress of their present and future
grievances. If labor is given a place in
the Presidents official household, the man
selected Will necessarily be d worthy ana
trusted representative Of the people for
whom he speaks, and his presence al Cabi-
net meetings Will give TO these who toll for
their daily bread assurance that their III
teTests viii be properly guarded
Mr.. Gompers. the chief executive of the
Federation Of Labor has, in his CORE
spo1dsnce with the Secretary of The Treas
ury, so ably presented the IaboTing mans
reasons for opposing the gold standard
and a national bank currency that it is not
necessary TO discuss those questions at
this time
Reason to Fear the Trusts.
The Iaboring man has abundant reason
to fear the trusts. Charles r. Flint, IL a
speech delivered in Boston more than
year ago in defence of the trusts frankly
= mat one u Inc advantages OF THESE
combinations is that in case of local
strikes or fires, the work goes on else
where. thus preventing serious loss Is il
possible that any wage-earneT can fail to
see how completely the trust places the
empIOye at the mercy OF the employer?
The resolutions adopted by various la
Dor organizations in condemnation OF mill
tarism and Imperialism justify me in max
ing a brief reference to those questions.
No class contributes more than the labor
ing class, in proportion TO its numbers to
the rank and file OF the army; no class
contributes more in proportion to its num-
hers 10 the expense OF the army, and no
class IS more menaced by the existence of
a large army. Most OF the countries in
Europe which maintain large military es-
adjustments collect an income tax which
adjusts the burden Of the government to
( the income Of the citizen. Here our Fed
( eral taxes are largely collected upon con-
sumption and while they are income taxes
in the sense that they must be paid out of
the incomes of the people, yet the exac-
tons are not pTopoTtionate to the incomes
The taxes upon consumption bear heaviest
upon the poor and Ightest upon the rich,
and are, in fact, graded income taxes. the
per cent collected decreasing as the in
come increases-
II this nation adhere TO the doctrine
that governments derive their just powers
iIOLl iLe consent the governed 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 d large
standing army is to suppress by force that
{ discomfort which should be cured by leg
! islation
To support a permanent army of 100 GOO
men requires approximately one-haf as
! much money as is annually expended for
/ education in the United States How much
/ cheaper it is to uplift people by the gen
! tie and peaceful process of intellectual
/ development than to blow them up with
| powder and dynamite,
The Evil of Imperia1Isrn.
| Imperialism involves a departure from
principles which were universally accept
| ed in this country until within two years.
| To know that all men are created equal
one needs not the wisdom of a sage or the