Mexico Missouri message., 1902-11-13
The EC|i pSe Of Democracy.
Not Hopeless Situation But Evil Is Upon Us
and 1t Must Be Met.

clined, was instantly obeyed. He is
instantly recognized rs Il more pow
erful man than Caesar or Napoleon.
He commands more men and can
shake two continents with more
ease than Napoleon shook one.
This is of course Il tribute to
our country 5 respect for property
rights. The President cannot in
terfere with any farmer in the con-
duet of his farm. And any farm
er's command is greater tn an the
Presidents wish in such matters.
But when the interests are so great.
when the whole nation is involved.
the tribute evidently proves too
much. For while every man is
his own master in free country,
if this doctrine is interpreted TO
read that every man is master Of
all he owns or controls, we shall
soon work out Il kingdom whose
monarch will not be the fttest
man but the shrewdest and greed
lest. This is just what our doe
trine Of property rights is
bringing us TO.
Those who have hidden their
fellows to wait can do so no long
er. We have waited until we have
Il financial monarch who not only
controls millions of employees,
but who can cut off our transpor
tatiOn, sour communication, our
light, our fuel, our supply of mon
ey, our supply Of bread or our OPP
portunity to work-Mr. Picrpont
Morgan. He controls the money
Of the country. He can tax cv-
cry citizen with never Il jot of
repre- Scntation with il tax incom-
parably greater than that that
called the Revolution forth. so
far as we know he is not bad
man. But he might be. This,
however, is not the point. The
point is that our country is in his
handS-at his mercy. 1t is the
eclipse OF democracy, the suspen-
sion of free government.
Our country has lost liberty rap
idly. Its highest task now is to re-
gain it. 1t has lost liberty by Civ
ing too much. 1t has given libcr-
ty away. 1t has given it to mil
lions who are unfit for it. They
hrvc promptly lost it or sold it.
We still believe in democracy; but
even democracy must have Il stong
sceptrc. Democracy without gov
ernment is all but anarchy. We
want democracy with government,
democracy that controls itself; de
mocracy that will make aIienable
rights inalienablc; democracy that
will survive as democracy. Our
present democracy has run to seed
in plutocracy. This word has
been much abused. But what
other describes that economic GOV
ermental system that is controlled
by money and whose money is
controlled either by one man or
set Of men? Mr.. Morgam's power
is the power of the fabled Plutus
the porsoniiration Of wealth.
The remedy for this condition is,
restraint. 1t may ale
viate matters to reduce the tariff.
Bat it will by no means clear the
air. IT would certainly i'm
prove matters to apply the Shrr-
man Antitrust law. That is one
step in the direction of restraint.
That it has not been attained i.
painful evidence of the impotence
of our democracy or the law, That
our President relies not at all up
on it and the financial kings do
not fear it, points clearly to its
weakness. 1t is insufficient. But
democracy is not insufficient. If
one law fails, another NAV be de-
Vised. If statutes are not sulli-
we incline to think
they are not-then the fUndamcn-
al law must be appealed to. That