The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-11-05

themselves, a110 YET we are supposed
to govern ourselves. ,.:'<' %~ :: j.. Z
That is the Town Council. Let u.s.
take the state. Does the state govern
itself? I hope the great state Of H.
linois does, but can answer for the.
State. Of Georgia. and :scruple that she
does not. In the State of Georgia
tonight combination OF the Louisvil-
lie & Nashville Railroad and the South
ern Railroad, the one hossed by Pier
pont Morgan and the other by August
Belmont, one Of whom is supporting
Mr.. Roosevelt and the other of whom
IS supporting Mr.. Parker-that COM
bination has absolutely trainpled oul
state constitution under foot by buying
UP competitive lines, which the consti-
tuition says they shall not do. They
are throttling the state. with exorbitant
discriminating freight rates, and the
City of Atlanta, the great city Of the
Empire State Of the South, is gasping
for the breath of life within the python
folds of this Morgan-Belmont cobina-
tion
Wisconsin in. Same Condition.
1.-The great State of Wisconsin Is In
the same condition, struggling for life
and the fact that two states so far
apart are showing the same symptoms
only proves the prevalence OF the
disease.
I'VE fought King George for a small
amount of money involved in tax
which was laid upon us without our
consent, and we said that taxation
without representation was tyranny,
and tonight we allow to the railroad
corporations the power and the pri-
vflege to tax US without representa-
ton every time that, we travel and
every time that we transport our
goods.
mo people on the face of this globe
submits to so much high-handed rasal-
ity as we do. (Applause.)
Talk about ; the trusts. What
builds up trusts except the discriminate
ing freight rate on railroad?
What built. up the power Of Rookie
Teller except special favor granted him
by the railroads?
What is 1t that destroys COMPETE
ton in the interest Of the trust, ex-
cept railroad?
What Is It that can tax the life out
of one industry In favor of another,
except the railroads? What Is it that
can build one city up at the expense
of another, except the railroads? And
we allow these big public utilities to
rob US In every field Of industry. Eve
ry town, village and state in the
union, and we, the sovereigns, we, the
potentates, we, the rulers, seem to be
absolutely powerless and don't know
urhQ fn tn
plause.)
Senate Worse. Than Star Chamber.
Lets talk about the United. States
upper house. the Senate. Does any,
body on earth doubt that the United
States Senate is the worst star cllamb-
err we have got in America?' Do you
ever instruct Senator? Do you ever
put an imperative command on, Sc
nator?* Are ou9iever ;consulteds by "a
You smay% know liz is4GiVio lating your
sacred rights and voting away your
property and your liberty, and you
submit to 1t without a word. The
United States >Senate is the worst star
chamber in this union.
Just after the war we had an in
come tax which made the millionaries
In the corporations pay something to-
ward the support of the government
out Of which they had grown rich dur
ing the war. The Senate repealed the
taxes on the milllonaries and upon the
corporations, and increased the taxes
on the farmer, the merchant and the
laborer. You had a tax upon the ex-
press companies They repealed that.
You had a tax upon the manufacturers.
They repealed that You had a tax
upon the National banks. They re-
pealed that. According to my recol-
lection there was a tax upon the In
surance companies. They repealed
that
Corporate Wealth Pays No Tax.
1.-THE fact is tonight that corporate
wealth In this land pays no. taxes
whatever, contributes nothing to the
support of the government The great
railroad corporations not only pay no
tax, but they enjoy the power and the
profits of taxing you. The: express
companies and the insurance companies
and the telegraph and the telephone
companies pay no federal tax"
Yet throughout the land from lakes
to gulf, and from sea to sea. they tax
every man, woman and child, rich and
poor, black and white, that has to
patronize them:
did you do that? You, my fellow
sovereigns, did you do that? Caught
err Were you so blind to your own
interests that you took the taxes of
those most able to pay it and doubled
it upon those who are least able te
pay it? Did you take it off those
poor, downtrodden corporations, and
increase the. taxes on the laborers
tools and his clothing and his food anG
the lumber that built his house? Die
you do that? No.. you didn't do that
The star: chamber did 1T. The secret
Darkroom conference, where the heads
| of the :beneficiaries OF. class legislation
| came together and talked in low. tone.
Of what they wanted, not what 70,
wanted: -. Nobody cared :; what 20,
| wanted, and nobody, OF course; knew
u.aughter) i !: =: ::.;a:i
1.-The laInerta BILE fact has been thai