Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-12-12

Those of our readers who will take the
message to Congress will be we'll rewarded
for their trouble. They will find it not
only a lucid and able exposition of his
views on the leading political problems of
the day. but also valuable as comprehen-
sive epitome of the growth and develop
ment of political ideas during the past few
years.
This change in political ideas may he
cleaned from every line of the message.
And from its spirit and language one can
not doubt that the president had much to
do with bringing it about; that he was the
pilot who steered his party out of the stag
nant pool OF stand pa,ism and reaction into
the broad and deep current of progressive
reform. And to one in any wise familiar
with the stand of his party. during even re-
cent years. the transformation seems little
short of marvellous when We consider that
the president has completely reversed the
former policy of his party by advocating an
inheritance and income tax goverme ntal
regulation of railroads, and other interstate
business as we'll as the restriction of the
use, in labor disputes. of the writ of in
junction by the federal courts. Yet. all
these, which at the times mentioned, we're
regarded as revolutionary and socialistic
folly and kindred spirits with anarchy.
President Roosevelt is now urging upon
congress with degree of earnestness and
insistance peculiar to him.
As an illustration of the change that has
| been wrought. the income tax furnishes
striking example. A democratic congress
under Cleveland made an income tax
part of the laws of the land; that act was
denounced at the time by republicans and
others as illegal and un-American and it
was declared unconstitutional by the su-
preme court. But to-day the president
with the majority of the citizens of every
shade of political belief regard an income
tax not only as desirable but as wise
and just tax: and we have no doubt that if
the question of such tax we're again sub
mitted to the supreme court it would prompt
ly declare the same to be constitutional.
Moreover the president in other instan-
ces has out Heroded Herod in his zeal for
reform, and in that direction, has even
out distanced the supposedly irrational and
visionary populists. He considers that
swollen fortunes are menace to our dem
ocratic institutions, that the tendency is
for the wealth of the world to concentrate
fn the hands of few men, who by means of
trusts and other devices can hand it on un-
broken to their heirs and successors, thus
perpetuating an aristocracy of wealth, and
shutting the door of opportunity in the face
of the members of coming generations who
have naught but sturdy health, pluck and
brains with which to enter upon lifes
struggle.
To meet this evil, present or possible,
the president urges the adoption of pro-
gressive inheritance tax and boldly says
that he does not urge this tax because we
need more revenue but merelyas aleveler
of over grown fortunes that threaten the
permanency of our democratic institutions.
Is this not enough to make those who are
constantly raising the socialism bogy sick'
A no less radical departure from the beaten
path of the past is the determined stand
of the president upon the question of gov
ernmental control of railways and other
monopolies doing an interstate business.
Our readers will recall that it was during
the latter part of the eighties and in the
early nineties that the populst party had a
wide vogue. The cardinal plank in its
platform was governmental control Of rail
ways as we'll as other interstate business
and they were ardent exponents of the idea
that congress and not the railroads them
selves should determine rates. These ideas
were loudly and universally condemned at
! the time as the worst possible form of pa
ternalistic socialism and in purpose and
spirit positively immoral. Since that time
almost all these insane ideas of populis,n
have been enacted into law and the spirit
which has brot about these reforms has
gone on influencing the public mind until
we have the national pure food law. nation
al meat inspection. and the national cru
sade against child labor. as the immediate
and direct result of this once seemingly
futile and irrational populistic movement