St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-09-14
OF PUBLIC INTEREST
Governor Folk Of Mis-
souri, Gives His Views
On Questions of
the Day.
The Prosecution Of Trusts
Cannot Hurt Honest
Industry.
The World asked Governor Folk
the following questions:

'NAA" e1ShSN 5ONGEuOE 4 OLE
the>folloWiug questions:
First. What IS a Democrat
Second. What will be the para
mount issue In the coming cam.
paign? Third Will the prosecu.
ton of corporations for alleged
violation of law hurt business
Fourth. Should the Democratic
party be conservative or radical?
He answered:
You ask, What is a Democrat /?
A Democrat is one who believes
In democratic ideas. By demo-
cratic ideas | mean those principles
embraced in the axiom, "Equal
rights to all; special privileges to
none" This axiom of Jefferson
expressed every essential element
of true Democracy. 1t means the
destruction OF special privileges Of
every form, and giving to all men
the equal right that belongs to
each-the fair and equal opportuni.
tY Of each and every man to live
and labor upon the earth that God
has given to all, and to enjoy unre.
stricted and untrammeled the
fruits of honest toll. A Democrat
believes that all governmental
power Is vested In and derived
from the people; that it is founded
upon their will only, and that gov.
eminent is intended to promote the
welfare of all by giving security
to life, liberty aud the enjoyment
of the gains of honest industry.
Your second question, as TO what
will be the paramount issues of the
coming campaign, is one that |
cannot answer. Speaking for no
one but myself, believe the elimi
nation of special privileges should
be the paramount issue before the
people of this countryside special
privilege of lawlessness, the special
privilege conferred by law, such
as the protective tariff, the spe-
cial privilege of monopoly. The
elimination of unjust privilegesls
a moral question. In its last analy-
sis every governmental custom is
a moral question: In that 1t is a
question of right or wrong. The
tariff is a moral question. A
tariff schedule deliberately de-
signed to give protected class a
special privilege aad to enable the
few TO prey upoa the many, was
prohibited when the tablets OF
stone came from the thunders of
Sinai IN the commandment "thou
shalt not steal" If the tariff Is
ever to be revised it must be done,
not By those who think it is right,
but by those who know 1t Is wrong
and who hate monopoly.
Uutil unfair tariff privileges are
eradicated, the trust question can
never be settled. 1t is we'll enough
to prosecute trusts, and 1t is bet
ter still to put some of the heads
of trusts In stripes for violating
the law, built is hardly practical
BILE to attempt to suppress the
trusts with one hand while the
other is feeding them with the
milk of protection, on which they
become fat and arrogant. They
feed on monopoly creating tariff
The Democratic idea is, instead of
protecting monopoly as against the
people, 10 protect The people
against monopoly.
You ask If | think the prosecu-
ton OF corporations for alleged
violations of law will lnjure busl-
ness? It will hurt dishonest busl-
ness, but | cannot see how it will
hurt any honest industry. Those
who object TO the exposure and
prosecution of commercial lawless-
ness on the ground that it hurts
business argue like the man who
could never be persuaded to take a
bath becauae he was afraid some
one might think he needed one.
Wrongs cannot be cured by hiding
them; there is no secret remedy
for evil. No man or corporation
dong an honest business need fear
from the arousing of the conscience
of the people against wrong do
inc, Those whose business meth
ODDS will not stand the light OF
publicity have no right to com
pla,n. Wealth in itself is bless
ino. Ii is the abuses of wealth
that call for correction. / do not
believe there is any enemity anY-
where in the country TO legitimate
industry. 1t is not railroads nor
:,oa comnanIes the DeOple