The daily sentinel., 1907-09-14
New York world)


The World asked Governor Folk
the following questions:
l. What is a Democrat?
>. What will be the paramount is
sue of the coming campaign?
8. VIII the prosecution of corpor-
ations for alleged violations of law
hurt business?
4. Should the Democratic party
be radical or conservative?
He answered.:
You ask: What is a Democrat?'
A Democrat is one who believes in
Democratic IDEAS. By Democratic
ideas l mean those principles en-
braced in the aximom, equal rights
to ALL special privileges to none"
This aXimom of Jefferson expresses
every essential element of true De
mocracy. 1t means the destruction
of special privileges in every form
and giving to all men the equal right
that belongs to each. The fair and
equal opportunity of each and every
man to live and labor on the earth
that God has given to all and to en-
joy unresisted and untrammeled the
fruits of honest toll. A Democrat
believes that all governmental pow
er is vested and derived from the
people; that it is founded upon their
will only, and that government is
intended to promote the welfare OF
all by giving security to life, liberty
and the enjoyment of the gains OF
honest industry"
your second question as to what
will be the paramount issue In the
coming campaign is one that | can
not answer. Speaking for no one
but myself | believe the elimination
of special privileges should be the
paramount issue before the people of
this country-the special privilege of
lawlessness, the special privilege con-
ferred by law such as the protective
tariff, the privilege of monopoly,
The elimination of unjust privilege
is a moral question. In its last aLaly
sis every governmental question is
moral question in that it is a question
of wrong or right. The tariff is a
moral question. A tariff schedule de
liberately designed to give a special
class a protected privilege and to en-
able the few to prey upon the many
was prohibited when the tables of
stone came from the thunders of Si-
mai in the commandment, Thou
shalt not steal If the tariff is ever
to be revised it must be done. Lot
by those who think it is right, but
by those who know 1t is wrong and
who hate monopoly.
Until after tariff privileges are
eFadicated tie trust question can
never be settled. 1t is well enough
to prosecute the trusts, and 1t is bet
ter still to put some of the heads of
trusts in stripes for violating the law.
but it is hardly practicable to at
tempt to suppress the trusts with one
hand, while the other one is feeding
them with the milk of protection on
which they become fat and arrogant.
They feed on a monopoly creating
tariff. The Democratic idea is in
stead of protecting monopoly as
against the people to protect the peo-
pie as against monopoly.
Another question that will be an
issue. no doubt, will be the right of
the states to self-government. In the
tendency to centralize all power in
the federal government that has been
given such an impetus of late there
is danger to the principles of gov
erhment that were crystallized in the
formation of the republic. This
nation is the greatest in the world
today because 1t Is an indissoluble
union of self governing states. Its
decline will come when the self-gov-
ernment of the states, the fountain
il its strength is taken away. The
federal government is supreme in its
sphere. and the states in theirs.
Each working in its own jurisdiction
for the common good can contribute
to the welfare of all
THE general government is one of
delegated powers. All powers not
granted to the general government
are reserved to the people of the sew
c.al states The states are limited
only by their own constitution and
and control of the interstateetaoin
by the power conferred upon the fed
eral govdynmeht. The regulation
and control of the interstate com
merce is within the exclusive juris-
diction of the federal government.
interstate commerce and public utill-
ties doing Interstate business cali
and should be regulated by the
states.
AN effort is being made to take
away from the states all control of
corporations, especially railroads..
Railroads obtain their charters from
the states; they live by virtue Of the