The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-01-02
AN UNNOWNED CAESAR!


Rochelle on 1.-THE Silent Revolution
In our Political System. He pre-
fixed bis address With the remark
that his talk was TO be viewed IL
more other than bipartisan light.
The meat OF Mr.. Cockran's re-
marks was that since the election OF
1896 the same property interests that
combined at that time to combat
free silver have remained cohesive
through the constantly increasing
power they have had over the govern.
ment, and that at present the phe-
nomenon of government higher
than that OF the federal constitution
ruling beyond control confronts us.
Mr.. Cochran drew an analogy be-
tween Augustus Caesar, who ruled
imperial Rome even under the shad-
ow OF a republic, and several I'M
crowned Caesars OF today, who, he
said, we're allowing Us to believe that
We lived under republic still even
while they usurped all the power.
~ propose to deal with the tend
encies In our political regime as see
then. today" said Mr.. Cochran,
"but have no intention Of touching
upon political matters of partisan
nature or OF suggesting remedial
measures, because by so doing may
seem to be partisan.
/. The speaker referred at once to the
recent panic and alluded to the fact
that Immediately after credit dropped
the banks and trust companies united
for mutual benefit under stress,
thereby throwing over for the min
ute the instinct Of business rivalry.
"What l would call your attention
to- continued Mr.. Cochran, sis
that instead Of turning Immediately
to the government for assistance,
the bankers and financiers turned to
a private citizen. In so far as the
government took part In the efforts
to stem the tide, 1t was a subordinate
part and one contingent upon the
initial action of this citizen and his
advisers. A peril greater than war
or riot was met and acted upon by
agencies entirely outside the machin.
cry OF government.
1.-The eyes OF the city and In great
measure of the whole world were
turned for two or three nervous
nights upon the library Of this citi-
zen. Reporters huddled outside the
door tried to learn the names of those
who went there In conference and
even sent around the world the news
that one of the bankers present had
stepped outside at midnight for a
cup .of coffee. The measures that
were decided upon In that mans
library saved the country from the
depths OF depression that no man had
dared to measure in conjecture.
II grasped this incident rs being
one OF the most portentous events in
the last generation Of the nation Is
history-that body OF men entirely
without the authority of govern
ment, whose personnel even we have
never fully learned, should have had
the power to act finally and con.
clusiyely In national disaster. -
Building the body Of his address on
this incident as illustrative OF the
tendency OF the times as he saw
them, the speaker continued to show
that what he termed the revolutior
OF the last decade had worked swiftly
and without noise to accomplish
changes that few OF US have fully
comprehended. Before the 7Os, BIZ
said, the progress Of this country hat
been evolutionary; since then 1t has
been revolutionary.
"1n 1896 there was real issue be.
fore the people" Mr.. Cochran con-
tinued, (which was accepted as OF
transcendant Importance. Rightly
or wrongly, tt was believed that
property interests were at stake and
the property owners and those who
hoped to be OF the property class
combined to win the election. But
out of this alliance grew a tendency,
fosteIed by protective tariff, to util-
lie the government for special inter.
ests until within the last ten years
the control Of this country has yirtu.
ally passed into the hands OF less
than dozen men.
II do not think that 1t Is open to
contention that almost every agency
OF production and transportation In
this country have now passed In the
tinal instance into the hands OF these
few men, that they dominate oil oil
our great financial institutions. and
through them the credit Of the coun.
try itself.
LAS result OF this condition
which has swiftly come to be the
dominant influence In the country's
business, the greatest power In the
country Is resident not In the hand.
of government, but In the hands oil
these few men who hold all the line:
OF industry aud production. Tn,
form Of the government remains tbs
same, but the substance is changed
1.-THE people who now hold tn,
- -