The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-10-13

we'll received. and this means that the
audience was enthused to the point
Of rising as one man to sweep from
power in this state 2 gang OF pollticai
bunco steerers, who upon the speclous
nlea of redeming this state have folsted
upon the good people OF this common
wealth as poor an outfit OF redeem
ers, as ever infested a stricken peo-
ME. The following is fair synopsis
Of Mr.. Berge's telling points:
Corrupt officials encourage disrespeet
for law. What we need TO-DAY hioi7
than anything else is respect lof law.
And the way to get this respect y
through incorruptible public onicialS
administering just laws.
our public officials must play less
politics and keep better faith with Tue
people.
when We undertake to correct
abuse RIt HBssd~ sat he construed e
% aicEi yln. Corruption anu e SleS 81.
erne, lIture Of the peoples money Is
~ INST kind Of radicalism. Econ
n ~ Ia the correction Of abuses Win
! III n hand is conservatism. When
- aEist that public officials shall n
factSSe public servants and Keep Iallh
49, +heir constituency-that is con-
sersStism not radicalism.
IN NOT here to defend or condemn
Min Fusion party when 1t was IN pow
III where it deserves credit am
II glye credit. Where it came
am going to say so. What we
81. i +he truth about these matters.
S2ib the whole. the record that the
&I1inn marty made is an honorable
and one that any party may ~
droud OF.
ITt Is not question what the fusion
jlSrfv has done or what the republican
M rty has done. / am not bound 70
eIk1low III the footsteps OF either Inc
i I7lII4y lamp that shall light my pathway
the one that will give the people 9
\ h,st and economical administrator.
The people see that before they can
ket their state government back again
fhe free pass system must be DESTROYED
land the death knell sounded 20 the
professional lobby. ],
No. my friends, the evidence ls az
against the free pass officials, and II
mistake not the judgment Of the
Il neople. every free pass official Will De
sweDt out Of Office on the 9Th OF NO
N..s:o.a her:
me win trouble about this rev
enue law ana the Hiaf.s q bases %
which the taxpayers complain IS tna
the people. who pay the taxes AM
freight rates, are not represented II
the government that exists at the stat
house.
What is the record? 1t is that thes
pass holders on every measure af1ect
inc the people and the corporation
gave their influence to the corpor alton
and withheld it from the people.
1he free pass octopus has its ten
tacles reaching out into every tow
and village. 1t has grown to be
monster of tremendous power. 1t ca
nut a man up here and pull ma
down there. 1t can turn the screws Q
local influence upon member OF tn
legislature and squeeze him into sui
mission. It can set the death watc
over the ambitions of every aspirin
politician.
You must kill the free pass octf
pus before you can get back self-go1
eminent again. And you can neve
destroy the free pass system by cleo
ing to the highest offices in the stat
the men who refuse to see, or els
openly deny the corrupting inauens
that it exerts.
Since my speech in Lincoln a fe
weeks ago the searchlight OF publ
scrutiny has been turned upon Il
management of our state government
The people are looking at it and thin
ing about it. And the mores they loo
at it and the more they think abo
it, the more odious and offensive
appears. What said in that speet
about the management of our sta
government, the people say is tru
Even the republican press of the sta
admits that conditions are as | stat
they were.
The record that the fusion par
made is an honorable one, and O
that any party might be proud
When it went into power in 1896 t
state house was rotten from dome
basement. There was corruption
every branch of the state governmel
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