Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-01-08
Presidential FaIIacies

l. AC ACSAoCAt III Alo L4CcS0kC " NsOA-
gress claims that the opponents of the
Republican party preach a hatred of
the rich man." AS the Democrats are
the only opponents of the Republican
party that are worth mentioning, the
President must mean that the Demo
cratic party has so preached. Now, he
knows, or should know, that the funda-
mental doctrine of the Democracy Is
Equal rights to all and special privi-
leges to none" No Democrat ever
breaches hatred of the rich, but he does
denounce the Republican party for Civ
| ing special privileges to the few at
the expense of the many, and thus
| building up a rich class. Democrats
denounce the Republican doctrine of
protectionism. which through the pres
ent tariff act has fostered great pri-
vate monopolies. At one time the Pres
ident was for tariff reform, and it is
only quite lately that he changed front
and has conspired with ultra protec-
tionists for the good of the party" and
agreed to stand pat and allow the tar
| Unprotected trusts to continue to plum
der the people through Republican mo-
nopoly legislation. Democrats also de-
nounce subsidies to corporations, which
the President in his message recon-
mends be granted by Congress for the
benefit of the steamship trust, under
the specious plea of building up our
merchant marine, which the Republican
policy of protectionism has destroyed.
Because the trust magnates are rich
are Democrats to cease denouncing
their depredations? Are the magnates
of the trusts and combines to forever
plumber the people under the guise of
law, and is the party or individuals
that is bold enough and honest enough
to denounce such robbery to be con-
demned as haterS of the rich? Why
the president himself, in another chap
ter of his message to Congress, seeks
a way to make the rich man pay his
share of taxation through the Demo-
cratic plan of an income tax and
through an inheritance tax he desires
to confiscate some of the rich mans
goods after they are dead, yet he sug-
gests no plan to prevent this accumu-
lation of riches during their lifetime.
He conveniently postpones this confis-
cation of wealth until a Republican
Congress can agree to legislate for tar
if revision. How long, oh Lord! how
long! before a Republican president
and a Republican Congress can agree
to relieve the people from the depreda-
tons of those who have been made rich
by Republican Legislation? Is it a
crime to preach that special privileges,
the cause of the enormous wealth of
these rich trust and corporation mag
mates, must be removed?
The president lays himself open to
retaliation and Democrats might with
much great justice declare this utter
ance of his TO be that of a demagogue,
for the chief attribute of such is, to
attempt to control the multitude by
specious or deceitful arts and one of
the arts of the demogogue is to claim
that his opponent lis deceiving the peo-
pie.
Are the opponents of the Republican
party-the Democrats the
people when they denounce ill-gotten
gains which Republican legislation has
allowed the few to amass? Is it
'fair DEAL" Mr.. President. to denounce
your opponets for doing the thing that
you yourself are constantly doing?
But in spite of Republican presl-
dents and Republican, fostering of mo-
nopolies, the Democrat party will con-
time TO denounce what it deems wrong
and fight for the right. 1t has been its
mission from the beginning to fight
monopoly and legislation for the con-
oentration of power and, wealth in the
hands of the few Mt the expense of
the many. and no false charge of hat
Ing the rich Will swerve it from the
course 1t has always followed 1t will
in the future as in the past mete out
equal rights to rich and poor alike.