Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-06-19

at the present time addressing itself:
How shall We reconcile the interests
of the common citizens of this coun-
try, of the men who work with hand
and brain, the men engaged in trade
and commerce. with the great corpOr-
ate interests which at times seem to
threaten the welfare, if not the very
existence of the republic.
l believe the Republican party is
now developing policy which will
ultimately result in a satisfactory So
luton Of all these questions, but we
have got to re-adjust our ideas some
what Now. | suppose we are all pret-
ty well settled in our minds that the
man who enters his neighbor's house
and abstracts his property, the man
who commits an assault, the man who
commits murder. Is criminal.
There is no difference of opinion on
subjects of that kind among rational,
well behaved citizens. But we have
got to educate ourselves to realize
that there are other crimes against
the public welfare farther reaching,
far more destructive of liberty. far
more injurious and fraught with
threats to our future welfare, than
these common, vulgar crimes | men
tion. The man who steals a ten dol
lar calf or colt in this county is very
likely to go to the state penitentiary;
the man who assaults another is likely
to receive the punishment appropr-
ate to his crime; the man who murders
another is likely to end his days in
the state penitentiary, if. indeed, he es-
fact and is now the fact, that great
combinations of capital can illegally
and arbitrarily raise the price of the
necessaries of life, thereby commit
ting larceny infinitely greater than any
individual has been guilty of or is able
to accomplish single-handed, and yet
escape punishment for it. I believe
that we, as good citizens and good Re-
publicans, ought to educate ourselves
to see and believe that larceny COM
mitted in this manner Is infinitely
worse than the larceny of man who
steals our purses or our live stock.
Without there being some adequate
reason in the conditions of trade for
such an advance in price. the act is
| Gin nj, 10 nd
dignity it by any other name or change
its nature. 1t doesn't make any diff
ference what you call an act of this
kind, it is essentially and in it's true
nature larceny. We need a new con-
seriousness of right and wrong.
Now, when we all educate ourselves
to see this plainly, when we are able
to believe it in our hearts, and when
the mass of the American people be
lieve it, such acts will simply be i'm
possible; because no trust or corpora
ton can withstand the real public
sentiment of the people.
do not believe in railing against
the corporations. Really the fault is
in ourselves We must remember that
no people ever have held their liber
5 ty or have even achieved 1t. unless
: they were willing to make sacrifice;
, and willing to fight for their rights
and to maintain them. When tn,
4 American people really understan,
e and believe these ideas, when they Sc,
= that such An act as have mentione'
l. is larceny. when they realize the enor
!. nifty of crimes against the electiv
n franchise, when they see that it i
4 just as wrong to bribe a member o
l., the legislature or a citizen on cleo
I an assault, or to commit burglary o
r arson, then we will have a much de
e sired change in our body polite. Blu
, We will never have it before-never il
}, the world. 1t is all our own fault. /
i is not any use to scod about the cor
: porations and trusts, because probabl,
n We would all be glad to have an inter
s est in them. and it isn't likely that w
o would behave any better than other
o do. 1t is likely that the majority 0
:. US here, if we were in one of thos,
q big corporations, would be no NOR
6 mindful of the rights of our fellow
citizens than are the men who ru
q them now. Hence | say it is wron
and useless and blunder to vast
. our time scolding about these things
What We want to do is to educate Oul
. selves to look at these things arigh,
y see them as they are, and then act W
y. on our light, and there will be no di
), ficulty in the solution Of these que,
= rions. And if can impress any on
, thing upon your minds tonight. fe
low Republicans, it is this: l want yo
:, to see that it is just as wrong for Il
:, to buy the vote of a man, either b
- money or any other unlawful mean
:, land money. am free to say, thin
is the least common means If huyin