The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-10-20
Whether People or Money Kings
Will Rule Country.
B0odIers Handled Without
Gloves; Own Case.
Delegates Bought at From $25
to 5000 Apiece.


years the story of democracy in this
country will be written and we have
either an oligarchy or a republican form
of government" said Governor La Fol
lette to a large audience in the Y. NJ.
c. A. auditorium
I'VE have not a representative form of
government today" said he. "The peo-
pie are losing their control and the foun-
dations of the government are being UNI
dermined and its strength sapped. /
want to be conservative and | am con-
sentative because / want to get the
business men with this cause. The cor
poratiOns of commerce, combined with
the political machines, control wherever
they seek to control.
Twenty seven per cent of all the
wealth of the country is in the control
of few corporations. They need en-
larged franchises and enlarged powers
and maintain trained Hobbies at every
state capitol to secure their desires.
Before every legislature meets, ev-
cry man is listed. His associations, his
| weaknesses, his vices and his debts are
all known to these lobbyists, and the
| moment he arrives at the state capitol
he is taken in charge by someone detail
ed to minister to these weaknesses or
vices and gain power over him."
Governor La Toilette went back to
revolutionary times and compared taxa
| ton without representation to the pres
ent system whereby, he declared, the
people are compelled to pay taxes which
corporations dodge. 1t is as oppressive,
he asserted, to permit monopoly of the
natural resources, such as oil, coal and
iron, now as it was to quarter the sol
diers of King George on the people of
| the days of our forefathers.
He read this statement by the French
writer, Alex de Tocqueville:
'In the United States / never heard
of man spending his wealth to COR
rupt the people"
chat was seventy-four years ago."
said the speaker, and the audience
laughed
Governor La Toilette paid particular
/ l.. IL h.
| depicted the conditions of the country
/ in strong language When he declared
| that from 1873 the state of Wisconsin
| had been under the control of the rail
| roads until recently (referring to his
! own election), the audience gave him an
ovation lasting several minutes.
"Our forefathers recognized the fact
that transportation is a function of gov
ernment," he said. 81 do not mean gov
eminent ownership. Do not hurry me.
We may come to that later, but first l
| want to see thorough system of rate
regulation adopted by every state and
by the federal government. If that
fails, there is no available government
ownership"
Governor La Toilette praised Presi-
dent Roosevelt, saying that he had never
been known to dodge crisis, and that
all the railroads were against his nomi-
| nation.
"In 1904 | was here at the conven
tion," said he, ''but l did not get in,
because every railroad influence in the
country was against me-"
Governor La Toilette advocated the
amendment of the interstate commerce
law so that the commission will have
power to put the rates down to the rea-
sonable limit.
In closing Governor La Toilette had
this to say of booders:
"The first time | was up for nomina-
ton for governor of Wisconsin, L had
enough delegates pledged to give me the
nomination on the first ballot. In a room
of a United States senator delegates
were brought over night at from $25 to
5000 apiece. / said bought, and
wouldn't say that if / couldn't prove it.
After that boss came to me and said:
If you won't squeal we'll take care of
you when the time comes | told him
had always taken care of myself.
eff you are fighting for reform you
can't carry the white flag of compro-
mise.
eve think our government starts with
the election. That's only little part
Back of the casting of the ballot is
the making.
81 learned recently that it cost GER
tain man $500 to buy off my second
nomination.
81 believe that the greatest peril that
ever menaced this government is under
mining it beneath the very foundations