Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-09-26
A HOPEFUL REFORMER.

Governor Joseph Folk of Missouri
carried a great message to the James
town exposition, where he spoke on
Saturday last, the occasion being the
Missouri day celebration. While he
is an uncompromising reformer, he
does not take q gloomy or pessimestic
view of politics; but on the contrary,
is confident of the nations moral ana
material advancement
Governor Folk said in part:
1.-THE magical age in which we live
is the result of the idea that the liberty
of the individual is right, not a priv
iIege. The nearer we keep to this Idea,
the more real progress we shall MAKE
and the further we get from It, the
more removed we shall be from the
ideal republic, towards which those
who believe in the liberty of the in
dividual as right, not as privilege
are striving.
Liberty as right of the individual'
not a privilege, does not mean that
each person may do as he pleases
without limitation. The liberty that
was guaranteed by the founders OF
this government is liberty under the
the law.
Nations Future Brightest.
1.-THE greatest enemy to the liberty
of the individual is privilege the
privilege of lawlessness, the privilege
conferred by law and the privilege OF
monopoly. There has been a great
awakening of the public conscience
during the past few years as to the
privilege of lawlessness. This publlc
conscience goes marching on day by
day correcting some evil; day after
day remedying some wrong.
"There are some who see danger TO
our institutions in the agitation result
ing from the exposures of wrong DONG
in official and business life. 10 my
mind, the hope for the perpetulty OF
this government by the people was
ening of the public conscience does
not proceed from spirit of discomfort,
but comes from the quickening OF the
moral sense of the average Individual.
1t is simply a determination to stamp
out the status of dishonor in pubic
life and the things that Cypress IN
private life; 6, firm resolve that the
government shall be representative OF
the liberty of the people, not OF the
privilege Of special interests. The
great combination of capital that have
grown up in the past few years require
stricter rules of regulation as to their
conduct than were needed In years
gone by in relation to individual &C
ton. In exposing and prosecuting
the wrong doing of these aggregations
of wealth the liberty of the average in
0ividual is being protected.
Those whose business methods will
not stand the light OF publicity have
no right to complain. If they persist
in wrongdoing and are hurt, they are
not injured by the people, but by the
wrong which theyNdo.
States Duty and Its Right
SIN the fight against the privilege OF
lawlessness there have arisen questions
between the federal and state govern
ments as TO the consideration of the
power of each. If the people of the
states cannot be trusted to enact valid
laws with respect to corporations, by
what process of reasoning can 1t be as
sumed that they have the capacity to
| legislate for the individual citizen.
The states create the corporations,
shall they be denied the control of their
creatures? The regulation of inter-
state commerce most necessarily be by
the federal government; but as the COM
uaerce within the states, it is the right
and duty of the state to regulate i.
j States Great as Nation.
"This is the greatest nation in the
iworld, but it is no greater than the