Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-20
Small Audience Hears Senator
Norris Browns Splendid Lee
ture Friday Afternoon
BAR RAILROADS FROM POLITICS
Scores Them Severely, But Has No
Desire to Put Them Out of Business
Only to Make Them Recognize Gov
ernment's Supremacy, and Master
ship Of PeopIe-eovernor Hoch To-
day.

portion to the attraction, was present
at chautauqua Thursday afternoon,
owing to the severe heat which was
most oppressive. Preceding the lee
ture the Hesperian quartet gave a
half hours program, which again
proved a pleasing attraction.
The opening quartet number. Water
Lilies" was especially good Among
arrangement of "Old Black joe"
Brightly Beams Our Fathers Mer-
cy," and a number Of songs on the
humorous order. Their evening pro-
gram, their last appearance here, in
cluded a beautiful serenade Until
the Dawn (Parks), two ballads by
Mn. Fiske, second tenor, another SER
enade, In Absence" dudley Buck),
and closing with Goodnight" by the
same composer. Several of their songs
quest.
"Our Government, Who Owns lt?"
Much had been expected of Senator
Norris Brown, of kearney, Neb., and
those who heard him We're not disap-
pointed. The speakers Introduction
was by Representative w. H. Arney.
Slow and deliberate of speech at first,
he entertained his audience for short
time with stories and humorous re-
marks about the early days in Iowa
and his own upbringing. I'D lots
rather just visit with you people than
get down to business on a hot day like
this" he said, but starting upon his
message, there was no Sinking duty,
and his speech grew rapid and elo-
quent. Senator Brown appealed to the
patriotism of the audience to recog-
nize<and hearken to the vital import
ance of his message, and is thoroughly
in earnest about it, as his Nebraska
record shows.
Lay Aside All Prejudices.
He asked his audience to lay aside
their political prejudices for a time,
and face the government as an institu-
ton. He said that he had nothing new
under the sun to offer, but a conviction
which he thinks is right. In the first
place, this government Of ours, as Is
the case with all governments, was
made by man, and is mans invention
to control himself. 1t has been the
effort of all ages to form a govern
|ment that would best protect those
whom it governed. The vitality Of
the monarchial form of government
has been marvel and wonder to all
students Of history, and the new form
which our forefathers adopted and
fought for, was just the other form
turned upside down. with the people
as masters of themselves. After l3l
years of experience, our government
is no longer an experiment, and we
have an abiding faith that America is
here to stay. Notwithstanding this,
the speaker said, there is none but
will admit that today there is some-
thing about our government that needs
attention. This he defined as the IN
creasing tendency of certain laWless
corporations to run the politics OF the
people. He stated that he was mere
to call attention to this class OF cor
porations, which trample upon the law
OF our land.
Growth Has Been Rapid.
Ii Senator Brown then proceeded 10
tell of their origin and growth ana
point out the nature of their menace.
,Fhe fact that he speaks from expert
ence in the fight against them, ana
has an intimate knowledge Of phase
after phase of their graft, gave ADDED
weight to his words. Referring to the
announcement a few days ago that the
Rock Island railroad is to withdraw
from politics, he remarked that 1t was
= No NynQn TO
his personal knowledge, its officials
have been denying for the past ten
years that they were in politics. THESE
lawless corporations, the railroads IN
particular, must be brought to recog-
nize the supremacy of the government
and the mastership Of the people, was
the war cry sounded.
Abraham Ruef as Example.
AS an example of how these baneful
influences will bring about the down
fall of man, he cited the case OF
Abraham Ruef and the San Francisco
graft, so fresh in the minds of the
people Ruef, he said, thought he was
smart enough to fool the world, but he
wasn't. What good is q high ideal
II one loses it?" he asked. There is
only one way to fight in the world, and
that is in the open and on the square.
Altho scoring the railroads so severe
ly, and giving innumerable details of
their disregard of the government,
Senator Brown says to leave them in
business. What he and others who
are fighting for a clean government
want, is not to put them out of busi-
ness, but not satisfied merely to tram
pie and misuse the government them
selves, but go out and help Others to
do it. He spoke of other corporations
in Nebraska and what they have done,
saying that today in Nebraska and
Iowa and every other state, these
same felons are more active but more
than they have ever been in
the past. The judiciary, except in rare
cases, he believed to be untainted and
free, and the fight is now on for con-
troll of the executive. He closed with
the warning that these enemies of the
government want a president who is
their friend, and the appeal, This is
our government and our country-let|
US run it."
DR.. Peter Mac Queen Entertains.
Following the concert, DR.. Peter
MacQueen, one of the best evening at
gave his illustrated lecture
on Russia. Altho it dealt very slightly
whit the distress Of that country, rs