The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-06-24

corporations who thWart the people by
the use of money and corrupt infu-
ence. Too little has been said about
the neglect of the common people of
this country who refuse to protect their
own interests; who refuse to examine
facts and who permit themselves to be
led about by politicians who presume to
deliver them hand and bound to what
ever interests they may wish.
If you will not protect your own in
terests, if you will not take the trouble
to examine into public matters and to
cast your vote in favor of honest gov
eminent, you cannot complain if the
laws of this country are overridden and
set aside.
The common people of this land have
an absolute majority of the votes. If
they would utilize them in behalf of
good government, corruption and mis-
government would be overturned within
a year. The people of this country are
generally right, but they rarely take
the trouble to protect or safeguard the
republican institutions of the land. In
the last analysis, the future of this re-
public and the future of democratic gov
eminent is dependent not upon corpora
tion or capitalists, but upon the plain or
binary people who have the legal vote.
1t is dependent upon the workingman
and upon the man who has children who
shall live in the future after he has
passed away.
The Republic an Experiment. "
In the slow progress of this world
toward its final destiny, the fate of any
one of us who gathers here tonight, Is
but matter of smallest moment when
weighed in the scales of illimitable time.
1t is matter of great moment, however,
that as citizens of this republic we hand
down to coming generations the inherit
ance of republican government and that
we should hold stanchly to the equal
rights of every man under the law.
Measured in the long life of nations, our
own republic is still an experiment Let
us see to it that it does not 60 the way
of all former republican governments
which have persisted through the neglect
of their citizens to perform their pro-
per duties toward the state.
If we are going to hand down an in
heritance of free government and free
institutions to our children and our chill |
dren's children, we are not going to do it |
by abusing the corporations, but we are
going to do it by casting our votes con-
stantly in favor of good government and
good candidates.
. If you do not do this, if you will not |
examine into the affairs of your own |
government, if you will not go to the
primaries and there cast your vote in
favor of what is right, you will always
have bad government and it will not
be many generations before you have no
republic at all.
Every voter in the state should ex-
anime the issues of this campaign and
cast his vote accordingly.
The Corporations.
do not intend to talk at length about,
The influences which are endeavoring to
control this campaign, noato abuse the
merger of the corporations.
have nothing to say against the cor
oorations as such. While we may regret
he consolidation of business enterprises
n place of the individual, the corpora
ion has come to stay, and may be made
20 perform a useful and desirable func
ion in handling our increasing COM
nerce. Nevertheless, the corporations and
he people are equal under the law. The
people should see to it that the corpora {