West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-09-03
In his speech at chautnuqua on July is
he said:

II
he said:
Today great asgregations OF corporate
wealth buy immunity from taxation In
our legislatures and throw tho burden
which they should bear upon the indi-
vidual taxpayer OF overy municipality and
state. Betrayed by his representative
the individual taxpayer IL oVcrtaxod for
the benefit OF the corporation.
Taxation without representation is as
much crimo against Just and equal gov
ernment In 1898 az IL was In iT7d Govern
mont by corporation is as Destructive OF
the liberties OF tho people OF this country
AZ the exercise OF the name power by a
foreign monarch. sss
Lot us see II the time be not ripo for a
new declaration Of American independ-
encc. We are building up colossal for
tunes granting unlimited power TO cor
porate organizations and consolidating
and massing together business interests
az never before In the commercial his
tory OF tho world. but tho people are los
Ing control OF their own government It's
foundations are being sapped and it's In
tcgrity destroyed. The gravest danger
menacing republican Institutions today Ia
the overbalancing control OF city, state
and national legislatures by the wealth
ana power OF public service corpora
tions sss
i would not be misunderstood an charg.
Ing general individual corruption There
are thousands OF honest, fearless men in
u.
cry executive wanting In honesty or cour-
age, every legislator who is weak or cor
rupt is sure TO he controlled by tho lobby
agents OF tho great corporations. Occa-
slonaily by straight. simple bribe. moro
often by inaidious indirect means they
arc enBnarcd and captured by alurInR
deals and promises OF political preferment
or frightened and intimidated by threats
TO ruin them In business and bring about
political humiliation. IL Is the close as
ISOLATION OF political and corporate power
that defrauds the public of Its rights, do
foats legislation for the general good and
passes laws to promote private inter-
ests. -
The railroad prefers to deal with largo
shlppcrs. and II saueozes out tho small
ones IL encourages Capitalization In
business IL creates and nourishes monop-
oily. Every great trust and combination
IN this country is either tho direct on
spring or foster child OF the railroad. .ss
The plan developed and consummated I'm
building up the Standard OH monopoly
the anthracite coal trust, the elevator
combination and the beef trust is in
dicative OF the power OF tho railroads In
combination. There n not an important
trust I'm tho United States which does not
have the assistance OF the rnIlronds !n
dtftroying iss competitors In business. IL
Us manifest that any trust Iegislation 10
DO effective must go hand in hand with a
control over railway rnto8 by tho fed
erai government on interstate commerce
through an enlargement OF the powers OF
tho Interstate commerce commission and
like control OF railroad rates on state
commerce by each OF the states through
n state railway commission.
IL Governor La Toilette means what
he says he Is out OF place I'm the Re-
publican party. He is being denounced
as a Democrat and socialist I'm edI-
torials I'm leading Republican papers.
II he Is wise man he will soon recog-
nlzc that It IL as hopeless 10 reform
the Republican party as to cultivate
fish on dry land and will join the party
that Is not sustained by protection pap
and that is fighting the battles of tho
common people against the trusts. II
he Is not wise man and does not mean
what he says he Will continue TO call
himself a Republican and TO talk anti
Republican theories or he will. when no
gets what he is after, stop such talk
and be called "a quitter." as IL Gov
ernDr Cummlna
BYRON w. HOLT.