Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-09
OFFERS PLAN TO
FIGHT SYSTEM
LAWSON DELIVERS ADDRESS
IN KANSAS
PRESIDENTS HANDS TIED
Speaker Says Mr.. Roosevelt Reeog-
nizes Necessity for curblng the
Evil, but Declares He Is
Utterly Helpless
PRESIDENTS HANDS TIED
BY Associated Press,

BY Associated Press.
OTTAWA, Kas, July S,-Thomas w.
Lawson Of Boston addressed a great
crowd at the Chautauqua assembly
here this afternoon. He spoke of "the
system" Mr.. Lawson arrived at noon
from Kansas city.
Mr.. Lawson said In part:
IT have come to Kansas on a simple
mission--to point out to you that the
American people are being robbed, by
whom, how and what the consequences
will be If the robbery is not stayed and
an example made of the robbers"
Mr.. Lawson discussed at length the
evils of the system" and continued:
what are you going to do about it p?
You know that the economic condition
which allows the few to possess all and
the many are left with nothing must
be ended. If it is not slavery is the
alternative. How shall it be ended?
BY your ballots? What are ballots
against dollars, and the system has
unlimited dollars. With $5,000,OOO saw
Rogers rob the able, fearless, honest,
but all wrong on the money question
William Jennings Bryan out of the
presidency of the United States in 1895.
Do you imagine he would shrink from
repeating the operation in 1908 if he
feared that the man you nominated
would upset his control?
To-day at the helm Of your affairs
is an able and fearless American, bold
to conceive and strong to execute. To
all of you he is a hero and you are
behind him, ready to back up his
course wherever he sees fit to go.
President Roosevelt knows it, and to-
day no man in the country is moro
keenly aware of the necessity of curb
ing the corporate despotism under
which we live-but what can President
Roosevelt do? I hate to say 1t but he
is as helpless in the SYSTEMS net as
bull in a balloon. Like Gulliver in
Lilliputia, he is bound by 1000 threads
congress, the senate, the partys in
terests and gratitude, and all the in
tangible influences which the great
money power can weave around any
individual. How brave and quick the
president is to do! A wrong is called
to his attention, law must needs be
passed-the rebate evil must be curbed
and he sends messages to congress de-
manding instant action. What hap
pens? Congress temporizes; the SEN
ate snubs him, and the system snick-
ers.''
Relief was not looked for from the
courts Mr.. Lawson said, because the
great corporations "do not hesitate to
suborn perjury, bribe juries and pay
judges for favorable decisions"
Municipal ownership Mr.. Lawson
classed as will o. the wisp, and he
then said:
''The surest, safest and most natural
process of restitution is the application
Of the SYSTEMS own methods to the
SYSTEM The first step is for the Amer
lean people to divorce themselves from
the system, and sell every share of
stock and every bond they hold back
to the frenzied financiers at present in
flated prices. Take the money thus
realized and place it in banks and trust
companies, or, better still, in govern
ment state and municipal bonds"
This, Mr.. Lawson said. would cause
a collapse of the System" which would
be obliged to throw over the stocks and
bonds it carried. These stocks and
bonds the people could purchase. and,
having only to pay interest on their
real value. could reduce rates of fare
and freight and prices generally and
the revolution would then be complete.
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