The Cairo bulletin., 1907-09-22
GOV. FOLK SPEAKS
Of GOVERNMENT
RIGHT or STATE 70 REGULATE
INTERNAL AFFAIRS STRONG
IN UPHELD.
ABUSE OF PRIVILEGE
Cause Of Oppression and Exposure Of
Lawlessness Necessity
Which Can % No
Harm.

Norfolk Va. Sept. 21-Goyernfr
Joseph w. Folk. OF Missouri, spoke
this evening on Liberty of the I'M
dividual Right Not a Privilege" Hs
said In part:
Liberty as right Of the indi-
vidral. not privilege. does not mean
that each person may do All he
rleases without limitation. The HID
crty that was guaranteed by the
founders of this government Is liberty
under law When the sentiment Of
minority anywhere is not In accord
with the sentiment of the majority
which makes the laws, 1t Ii the duty
OF the minority to acquiesce until Il
can secure majority on its side md
causa the repeal Of the law. Tn order
that tho individual liberty Or the ma
jority to make laws may be effective
those laws must be respected.
The greatest enemy To liberty BY
the individual Ii privilege the priv
ilege Of lawlessness, the privilege con
ferred by law and the privilege OF
monopoly There has been great
awakening OF the public conscience
curing the past few years as TO the
privilege Of lawlessness. This public
conscience goes marching on day BY
day correcting some evil. day after
day remedying some wrong.
There are some who see danger
tn our institutions in the agitation rc
arfttnm frn... tha axarut.psr ~ sUrrfto
doing In official and business life. To
my mind, the hope for the perpenity
of this government by the people was
never brighter than now. This awak
cning OF the public conscience d9ss
not proceed from spirit OF discon-
tent. brt comes from the quickening
Of the moral sense Of the averase In
d!vidual. II IS Simply determination
Az stamp out the stains or dishonCr In
public life and the things that op
press in private life; firm resolve
that the government shall be repre-.
sentative OF the liberty OF the people
net OF the privilege OF special inter
ests. The great combinations af cati
tai that have grown up in the past
few years require stricter rules cf
regulation as to their conduct than
were needed In years gone by Ia re'a-
tion to individual action. In exrosing
and prosecuting the wrong doing cf
these aggregations of wealth the lib
erty of the average individual Il being
protected. The attack on corporate
wrong doing Is not an assault on
legitimate industry The man who
would retard legitimate Industrial de-
yelopment Is as much public enemy
as he who would crush the people be-
meath the heel of monopoly. No man
on corporation doing an honest brsi-
ness need fear the arousing OF the
OF the people AGAINST
wrong doing Those whose business
methods will not stand the light cf
have no right to complain.
II they persist in wrong doing and
are hurt. they are not injured by the
people but by the wrong which they
DO. do not believe there Is any
anywhere In this country to
legitimate industry. IL is not rail-
roads nor insurance companies the
peonle complain of. but the breaches
Of trust on the part OF those running
railroads and insurance companies.
"In the fight against the privilege
IF lawlessness there have arisen ques-
lions between the federal and state
as to the constitutional
lowers OF each. II the people Of the
states cannot be trusted 10 enact
valid laws with respect 70 corpora
ions. by what process Of reasoning
,UOncIuded on Sixth Page,