The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-31

creased, but the cost of food and cloth
ing has decreased said Mr. Root, follow
ing at considerable length with statistics
in support of his statement and summing
up his review by saying that every dollar
of the wage earner's pay would in 19e2
buy more food and clothing than 1t would
thirty years before.
THE result of this process said the
speaker, is diffusion of wealth among
the people, the contemplation of when
makes the comparatively few large for
tunes seem OF trifiing Importance
This steady increase in the earnings
of labor as compared with the earnings
of capital this wonderful diffusion Of
wealth among the men who work with
their hands has been accomplished in
spite of the fact that We have been con-
tinually adding to our population by the
immigration of the poor of other countries
without means ard with the lowest ca
pacity, to the extent of 7.249, S77 since the
year 1850 and these continual additions
at the bottom of the scale of prosperity
and earning power have continually kept
down the averages of earnings and OF
popular wealth.
Let us not in fixing our gaze upon
small evils, forget the greater good. The
automobiles are of little account Who
owns the farm wagons? is the important
question. Let us keep our faith n Amer
lean institutions and deal with the eNhs
that are before US now and arc TO como
hereafter. along the lines of the same
beneflcent system which was dealt sue
cessfully with every phase of the great
struggle for the distribution of wealth in
our past.
1.-The Republican party proposes 10 foi-
low this course to regulate and cdrp and
suppress the bad trusts rather than to
destroy the good and bad together ind
with them the prosperity which brings
such benefcenr results to all our coun-
try"
Mr.. Root referred to the proposal of the
Democratic party contained in the plank
of the New York platform adopted while
the anthracite coal strike was at its height
and now famous as the coal plank and
said:
TT is a serious thing that a great party
which hopes to secure majority of the
votes in the greatest state OF the union
should put such a. declaration in its plat
form. The proposition itself does not need
to be seriously considered now, but it is
a serious thing that the Democratic party
should adopt such a proposition The least
of the offenSes involved in the declaration
is that it is unconstitutional Il Is plain
ly without success. 1t is plainly. without
room for argument, unconstitutional. Mr.
Hfl's parade of pretended argume Mt in the
neignborhood of the question, but not on
the question. is an insult 10 the lntelli-
too good a lawyer not to know it
If the principle embodied in this PROPOSE
ton said the speaker, were adopted the
American system of local self-government
would be at an end and the states would
become countries and geosra phical divis-
ions of great centralized power. For, Ii
the national government has power TO en-
ter the state of Pennsylvania and take the
anthracite coal field into its possessions
and ownership and mine the coal to sup.
ply the wants of the people of the United
States. it can take the bitumnous Goa
fields of Ohio and Illinois; it can take the
grain fields of the west TO furnish food and
the cotton fields Of the south to furnish
clothing 1t car take the railroads and
ships that transport the necessary. sup
plies and the mills and furnaces which fiji
the raw material for use of human life
/ because of ana in the presence of that al
pervading and direct relation. the distri-
button of powers between national ara
state governments and the sovereign states
themselves would disappear.