The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-09-08
A Striking illustration Of the Differ
ence Between Government by Mo.
nopolies and Privileged Inter-
ests and Government BY
and for the People.

and for the People.
All unbiased students of political
conditions In America are being
forced to the conclusion that it is
practically impossible to get any real,
radical or fundamental relief for the
people from the extortion and oppres-
sion of corporate wealth through the
law-making bodies in city, state and
nation, so long as the money-con-
trolled political machines, operated by
party-bosses in the interests of the
large campaign-donating monopolies,
trusts and public-service corporations,
are the real arbiters of government.
During the last fifty years condi-
t1Ons have arisen in the republic
which have resulted in the practical
overthrow of popular rule in the in
terests of special classes. This fact
must be clearly apparent to any one
who honestly investigates the general
course of legislation in municipalities,
states and the nation during the past
two or three decades. he real rulers
OF the republic are not the people, but
the public-service corporations, the
trusts and monopolies and the high
financiers Of Wall street, which con-
stitute the feudalism of wealth.
Hence if the republic of the fathers Is
to be maintained, or if, indeed, any
democratic republic is to be enjoyed
and depotism based on corruption
overthrown, 1t Is necessary to enact
practical measures tnat will secure
guarded representative government or
rules of the people, by the people and
for the people, and this is precisely
what direct-legislation accomplishes In
thoroughly practical manner. 1t
guards representative government in
the interests of all the people.
The Oregon election gave a striking
illustration of the difference between
real popular government and pseudo.
popular rule; between the people as
the masters and the rule of their
nominal servants who are the real
tools of privileged interests at war
against the rights and interests of the
people.
In the legislature of 1905 bill was
introduced to tax certain corporations
per cent OF their gross earnings.
The measure-was a very timid and
modest attempt to make the giant cor
porations In question do something
toward helping: bear the burden of
taxation. The arrogant monopolies re-
sented this attempt to draw from their
! swollen profits comparatively in,
finitesimal sum to aid the state, and
1t is said that against the advice OF
their shrewd attorneys, who knew
that the people had it in their power
in that commonwealth, through the
| Initiative, to levy a much heavier and
more reasonable tax on them, the
monopolies determined to kill the bill.
This they did after their customary
manner. The people, however, re-
sented this domination by the corpora.
tions, and popular bills levying 2 per
cent and per cent on the same cor
porations were presented through the
initiative to the electorate. When a
prominent corporation attorney was
| asked why they were not trying to
defeat the measure, he exclaimed,
Whats the use?" He was right,
Public-service corporations, monopo-
lies and privileged interests, that have
corrupted our government, debauched
our political conscience and degraded
the standard of rectitude in church,
school and business life, have been
abl practically to ovrride the elector-
ate and defeat popular government in
the interests of class-rule by direct
and indirect control of the peoples
servants, usually by seeing that the
machine which they supported with
funds nominated a majority of their
men to Office. But these same inter-
ests are powerless when the people
have the power to right the wrongs,
to safeguard their own interests and
to govern themselves.
This is the reason why serious,
high-minded friends Of democracy and
popular government favor direct-legis
lation. and 1t is also the reason why
the enemies Of free institutions, the
political bosses, the corrupt corpora
tions. the trusts and the reactionaries
who hate democracy or popular rule,
oppose the initiative and referendum,
or guarded representative govern.
ment.
Great Victory az Viewed In Oregon.
The ortland Oregonian, the leading
Republican daily of the state and one
of the most influential dailiPes of the
Pacific coast, in it's issue of June 10th
said In the course of a discussion OF
the election that the different propo.
sfttons were studied" by the elector.
ate without factional prejudice and
decided, we may fairly suppose, solely
with reference to the public good.
and the writer continues:
1T Is one OF the greatest merits OF
the initiative and referendum that it
makes possible a clear separation be-
tween local and national issues. Un-
der the older system, which still pre-
walls in most of the states, the people
could express their opinion upon such
a matter as the Barlow road purchase
only by their choice of legislators. In
determining this choice, numerous
other questions necessarily played
part. Which party the candidate be.
longed$ to-, how he stood on the local.
option question, upon woman suffrage
and many other matters, would all
unite to confuse the mind Of the voter