The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1906-10-13

eASH nAStoEy rs Wrltten Dy the hepup-
lican party in the statute books Of the
land. The false were weeded out. The
true were inscribed upon the tablets
OF nations glory. SO that We find
today that our opponents are q very
talstaf1an crew; unorganized as to
men or principles; they don't know
today whether they will favor one
doctrine or another in their national
platform; they don't know whether
they are in sympathy with this or that
doctrine, advancing it one day and
taking it to their bosom in the next
in the hopes that there win be some
warmth in the old corpse Of political
hopes.
A few days ago Mr.. Waterson and
the Democratic press from one end
of the country to the other was de-
nouncing the doctrine announced by
Mr.. Bryan in New York in favor of the
government ownership and municipal
ownership of what they are pleased to
call public utilities, by which they
mean railroads.
1 cannot refrain, before taking up
the final question, which desire to
discuss briefly. cannot refrain from
leaving upon your minds tonight
thought or two in regard to that ques-
ton. the government ownership of
railroads.
Do you know that in the state of
Idaho, in many counties, the railroads
pay more than half of the taxes that
are paid? Do you know that in the
state of Idaho the railroads pay near
ly one-third of the taxes that are paid
in the state? Now, suppose the rail-
! roads did not pay them, who would
make up the deficiency and pay the
fixed charges OF observation-disclosures
the taxes represent the fixed charges
of government. Who would pay it?
Why, the other property owners. be-
cause, you must remember, you can
not tax the property of the govern
ment under any circumstances what
ever in any state anywhere. / can
name you three counties in this state
in which the railroad pays more than
60 per cent of the taxes. School houses
are built in which the children are
being educated out of the taxes paid
by the railroads. Who would pay
by the government? What would be-
come of the free and Independent
voter who works for this vast aggre-
CATION of railroads on election
Would you deprive him Of his vote?
Mr.. Bryan seems to think that would
be one solution Of it. Would you de-
prive 100000 American citizens of
into the service of the government in
connection with its railroads? Oh. /
think not. Would you place the ball
lot and the result of an election In
the hands of 400 odd thou
sand voters when their bread
and butter is at stake? think
not. Now take this into con-
| sideration. The question Of the with
| drawal of this property from taxation,
the question of the effect upon the
elections of the voters in the employ
of the railroad companies, and then
your own minds will suggest 20 or 80
other reasons, and see how sound are
the principles, how safe is the party
| that would favor such a system of
government.
Now you might have imagined few
evenings since, here, that the only is
sue to be made in this campaign was
| one affecting the safety of your homes,
and some very pathetic and sympa-
thetic terms and phrases and SEN
fences were used in describing the
| danger.
You were appealed to as though this
| terror stood outside of the door and
! the lock was trembling in its grasp to
break into the home. You might have
| imagined that this disaster that was
| pictured was at the door Of every home
| in Idaho. Now, as a matter of fact
there is no such threat hanging over
the people of Idaho as they pictured to
you. There is no threat at ALL 1t is
very probable that there are crimes
committed in the name Of religion.
These crimes have existed from the
earliest dawn Of history-crimes in the
name of religion. Men have been
burned at the stake: men and women
have been torn In the forum. They
have been buried. and tortured by
| every device. in the name of religion.
Some of my people were hanged upon
BOSTON Of thoi~
| ligious belief; others were driven into
| exile because of their religious belief.
The same might be said perhaps of a
| great majority Of the people in this
audience. The constitution of the
United States guarantees perfect lib
erty SO far as belief Is concerned to
every person living under 1t and it is
| a safety protection that we dare not
| tamper with, because in this vast audi
ence there are no two of you who be-
lieve alike as to your religious duties.
You may think you do. You indorse
creeds. but tell you your religion is so
purely individual that no two people
, ever see 1t alike. No one person can
be religious for another. Each with
that guides his life Alright. The in
ner light must burn true; then follow
its guiding principles, cultivate 1t, and
that Is religion The rest of it Is cere-
mony, that is all.
Now, we We're told the other night
that the Mormons of Idaho constituted
a menace to the homes and the virtue
and the happiness and the prosperity
and everything that Is dear to and
makes up state and our peoples hap
| piness. That statement was based
upon another statement that there ex-
lists In this state crime called polyg-
amy. You hear 1t spoken of under
other names and different terms. Po-
lygamy is not encouraged or Endorsed
by any political party in Idaho or else
where that I know of. It is a heinous
offense. 1t is one that is repellant and
repugnant to every sense or conscious
ness of decency, and would not charge
even the Democratic party with hav-
ing fostered 1t or believed in It or up
held 1t. (Applause).
The great mass Of the American
people, and when say the great mass
of them mean practically all Of them,
are instinctively decent in their in
stincts and their lives. They do not re-
quire the restraint of law. They have
no desire to be otherwise.
| Tn. MorSnao Hh,n~h