Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-25
SPECIAL PRIVILEGES
GOV. FOLK TALKS ON LIVE TOPICS
AT TENNESSEE FAIR.

NASHVILLE, Tenn, September 25.--Gov.
Folk Of Missouri. In address on Demo
cratic Ideas" to homecomers at the Ten
nessee state fair yesterday afternoon, de-
ciared that by democratic ideas he meant
those principles ambraced In the expression
equal rights to all. special privileges to
none Continuing, the governor said:
The elimination of special privilege is the
paramount issue before the people Of this
country-the special privilege of lawless-
ness, the special privilege conferred by law
and the special privilege of monopoly. a
few years ago the privilege of lawlessness
was defended; but the people were awak-
ened to the fact that law!essness is not
government, and that lawlessness destroys
the viii Of the people. From one end Of
the land to the other the public conscience
now demands the enforcement of the peo-
Pies laws against high and low, rich and
poor; that no man Should be above the
law and 10 man below the law, whatever
his class, whatever his creed, whatever
his wealth. This public conscience, having
seen that the privilege Of lawessness IS
destructive of the liberties OF a free people.
has rendered 1t obnoxious. Now 1t has
commenced to assail the deeper evil OF priv
ieges conferred by law.
Any Privilege Graft.
"The elimination of unjust privileges con-
terred by law Is moral question. Any
privilege Is graft, whether it be a priv
iege exercised contrary to law or one
that the law itself may give. A tariff
arranged as to create monopoly and to give
g. few people the privilege of preyng on
the rest Of the people is legalized graft
Considered from this standpoint, the tariff
Is moral question. Indeed, every govern
mental question in sense is a moral ques-
ton, In that 1t Is d question of right and
wrong. But as an economic question mere
" mOnopOlV tariff Ia uOIafenSibl9 under
the conditions that exist today.
THE suggestion that the tariff should be
revised by It's friends Is In line with the
request of the highwayman that he be tried
by jury of his peers, which he insisted
meant jury composed of men of his own
calling. If this oppressive system that
taxes the people without their consent. and
usually without their knowledge, Is ever
to be remeded it must be done, not by
those who think 1t is right, but by those
who know it Is wrong and who hate mo-
nopoly.'
Govt. Ownership and State Rights.
Branching off to state rights, Gov. Folk
said:
Government ownership or the Issuance
by the federal government of charters to
all railroad corporations would be fraught
with the gr~vest dangers to the liberties
of the people. Let there be placed In the
hands of President of the United States
the power 10 control every corporation IN
the land and there would be lodged in
his hands power that would sooner or
later destroy democratic government.
The states can be relied upon 10 treat
railroads and all other interests fairly
A corporation, after all. consists only of
a number of individuals exercising char
ter powers conferred by state. If the
states are competent to enact valid laws
as to the individuals. they are competent
to enact valid laws for a number of indi
viduals grouped under the legal fiction Of
trans portation carries with II the power
to destroy a business or community
While In ordinary kinds of business COM
petition can be trusted to regulate prices,
with a monopoly the government must
supply that regulation that in other lines
of Industry is supplied by competition"