The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1907-05-17
FIRST ISSUE BURROWS PAPER
NAMED NHOAEE RULE AND PUB
LISHED AT ABILENE.
Less Danger in Capital Than in Poll
teal Combinations OF Power,
He Says Editoriauy.


Abilene, Kan, Nay 9.-Ex-Senator
J. R. Buttons weekly paper, Home
Rule. made its appearance today. It
is a neat 16-page, fOur-column pa
Per, printed magazine style A car
tOon by Albert T. Reid adOrnS the
first page, showing President ROose-
welt Secretary Taft, Senator Long
and Senator Curtis in q. monster ma
chine-an automobile looking affair
and ". r. Stubs, J. n. Dolley, James
A TrOutman and 7. B. Murdoch in q
little machine. A farmer looking over
the fence is saying: IF those fellows
indicating the Stubs party want to
ride in machine, they ought to get
e big one"
M Burton's formal announcement
Is on the first page, followed by half
a dozen editorials on political subjects.
There are departments for women, az
ricuIture, religious thought, q couple
OF pages Of current news boiled down
and a page OF short crisp editorial
notes.
Much speculation has been made re-
garding Mr. BurtOn's purpose in
founding Home Rule and the policies
for which the paper will stand 1T
has been asserted that it Is his inten-
ton TO expose something or somebody,
and to indulge in a spirit OF revenge
Not for Revenge.
Perhaps these speculations are na-
turaI, in view Of my experiences in
the last three years. Mr.. Burton says
in his announcement Il have no per
sons to punish, no wrongs to right in
publishing this paper. Home Rule
will make its battle for principles
principles that are not new, the old
principles Of q pure democracy.
Continuing Mr.. Burton says;
Il believe this country must either
be a democracy or q despOusm- IL
cannot remain much longer half
democratic and half despOtic- 1t must
become all the one thing or the other.
Democracy and despOtism are irrecon-
cilable. The deSpOtism OF money IS
shown in gigantic combinations OF
capital, which have developed the
city, the state and the national boss.
Each OF these mighty forces is max
ing for despOtisms and against demo-
cracy. Each must be destroyed or 1t
will destroy democracy They nave
developed side by side. They are bOIn
kept alive by the same despOLtc spirit
They each make for evil ana not Tor
good I do not have much faith in
their regulation, except as temper
airy eXpediency. The only way to re-
gulate a wrong is to destroy It
Il believe there is a thousand times
less danger in combinations Of CAPT
tai than in combinations Of political
power. The most powerful and the
most corrupt Of all the trusts In this
country is the political trust Money
bends before political power. Com
merce is cOWardly and SerV1le IN the
presence Of the political trust W nile
these despotic combinations necessar-
lily work together, the master Is the
political trust
Il DO not believe that the CONNER
ciaI trust can even be regulated un-
til the political trust IS destroyed
believe the only way TO destroy the
state and federal, to be elected by the
people The policy OF elecung one
man to office and giving him the pow
er to name other officers inevitably
nd IN
what we have tOday-the modern po-
ssPolitics must cease to be a bust
ness. else, like business, it viii com
bine. Ali the power that is repre-
seuted in Offices must be connected
directly between each ONCE ana the
people. The present policy makes OF
the president Of the United states q
brfbe-giver and a bribe-taker every
day in the year-a br1be-glyer anu q
.brfbe-taker involving greater nOEal
turpitude than If the bribery had been
ACCOMPLISHED with the use OF money
When Congressman sens ms Soils H.
tons on legislation to the preSloent
for the postOfhces OF his district II -
a worse crime than If he had bought
them with his own money ouSrlgnI
When a senator takes the oaLh OF o.
zee at the white house instead OF ~
the senate both he and the presloenI
commit q worse crime than. II tney
had trafhcked their omCla4 pfeE0se
taivss and powers In money ms ms
csn only be stopped by the people
eIecting these officers, from the post
master to the supreme justice
an order to completely break up
+,,sSe r9cIitfcaf trusts and TO prevent
politics from growing to be a bust
ness- 1t may, It perhaps viii, become
7scessarv to make all high omcerss
both state and federal, ineligible .
--7--ea5 themselves The only posi- Die
answer to the election OF all o1ncers
is that the people have not the inter
Hzence and the virtue 20 sustain q
pure democracy. 90 not DellsVS IA
4FSs convention I believe II the peo-
Me viii assume the responsibility q
government that II viii bring out tnelT
latent capabilities for government: Al
anv rate let rs try the experiment Us
Fs7I,,-e an rrIv mean what is newt
able. as we are now going-a political
despotism-'