Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-09-14
GOV. LA TOILETTE
ON THE GROWING EVIL OF COR
PORATlON DOMINATION.
The Chicago Chronicle Condemns Governor
La Toilette Because Being Asked to Speak
on the Subject OF Good Government"
he Condemned Corporation Domination.

~ So'NSHuSu SV'PoS0tbOu DOuttiiutbou
Robert NJ. La Toilette, the republican
governor OF Wisconsin, is being severely
criticised these days by corporation news
papers. We are told that Governor La
Toilette is not a good republican and all
this criticism comes because the republic
can governor of Wisconsin has dared, re-
peatedly and in a very forcible way, to
direct attention to the growing evil Of
corporation domination.
The Chicago Chronicle, owned bv John
II. Walsh, the we'll known Chicago tiran-
cler, prints under date OF Kenosha, Wis.
August 20, very instructive report con-
corning a speech delivered on that occa-
sion by the Wisconsin governor.
In the beginning this Chronicle CORE
spondent says: "Goyernor Robert M.
La Toilette surprised and angered thou
sands Of citizens Of this county today by
launching political speech at the an.
nual meeting Of the Old Settlers associa-
ton of the county" This correspondent
adds:
SIT had been known that he would
speak on Good Government, but the
supposition was that he would confine
himself to generally accepted principles.
Instead Of this, he sprung his own theo-
ries, wi ich were regarded by the vast
majority as approaching socialism; at
tackled corporations as bribers and legis.
latures as their victims detailed his own
Efforts to effect reforms in Wisconsin and
concluded with an exodium construed as
an appeal to the voters to further his own
political ambition to become governor
again and ultimately United States
senator"
Now, inasmuch as it was known that
Governor La Toilette would speak on the
subject OF "Good Government" it is
difficult to understand how any one could
take ofense because the governor made
political speech. 1t is not charged that
the governor made a partisan republican
address. His offense seems to be that in
speaking on the subject Of "Good Gov.
ernment," he did not confine himself to
generally accepted principles" Per-
haps by this is meant principles accepta-
BILE to men like Mr.. John r. Walsh.
proprietor Of the Chicago Chronicle. But
instead Of speaking upon principles that
are acceptable to the John r. Washes.
the governor seems to have "sprung his
own theories which were regarded by the
vast majority as approaching socialism,"
1t will not do to accept the Chronicles
general statement that Governor La Fol-
lette's theories approached socialism, al
though we may be quite willing to accept,
for the purpose OF passing judgment, the
report made by the Chronicle CORE
spondent himself concerning the things
which Governor La Toilette actually did
say on this occasion.
The following extracts from Governor
La Follette's speech are taken from the
Chronicles report:
ave are becoming the servants of cor
porations. We have lost our personal
responsibility to good government which
came to this younger generation as a
blessed heritage frem their forebears.
Once it was the will OF the people that
formed the basic principle OF govern
ment; it was not the will Of corporation.
Have we such government today, either
in the nation or in the state? No despot
ever lorded over race Of serfs more i'm
periously than these corporations lord it
over this present generation.
"Political liberty has given place to in.
dustrial slavery. Government by cor
porations is as destructive to political
liberty as an early frost is to the flowers
Of summer. Divest the people OF their
representative rights and you subvert the
basic principles OF government.
"When artificial laws, passed by cor.
rupting influence, restrict the transporta-
ton OF products Of labor the people have
right to demand an investigation into
the conduct Of their representatives in
the legislature.
zone of the causes OF the revolution
was the imposing Of taxes on us without
representation. Today corporations buy
from our legislatures immunity from
taxation and what they fail to pay must
be contributed by the private taxpayer.
The men chosen to represent the people
become representatives Of the corpora.
tons. The people are unrepresented, al
though they bear the brunt Of taxation.
Csc, maintain, that taxation without
representation is as prevalent in 1908 as
it was in l777 and needs vigorous action
to combat it successfully.
Combinations and consultations Of
moneyed interests demand that legisla.
lures should be watchiul CT the liberty OF
the people, but are they? Are they SO