Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-04
HOPE IS IN
DEMOCRACY
CALIFORNIA is AWAKENING TO
THIS FACT
KEYNOTE OF SPEAKERS AT
DEMOCRATIC LEAGUE
Chairman speIIacy Gives Homemade
Illustration of Effect of Protective
Tariff-WaIsh Deprecates
Executive Power


Democratic party is now, as it always
has been, the bulwark of our govern
ment And I am glad that California
is waking to the fact that Democracy
is its only hope of emancipation from
machine control"
Thus spoke Chairman Tim Spellacy
of the Democratic state committee in
opening the after dinner talk at the
weekly meeting of the Democratic
league in the ordinary of the Westmin-
ster hotel yesterday.
Forty members who shared the
luncheon applauded his words. And
later Texas and Montana added their
voices to the Endorsement of Demo-
cratic principles.
Mr.. Spellacy came to the luncheon
with former State Chairman Max Pop
per, and both made terse speeches ad-
vocating active organization to vitalize
the party campaign. The guests were
: Thomas J. Walsh of Helena, Mont,
who was a candidate in 1906 for con-
gress, and Mayor J. w. higgins of
Waco, Texas. Mr.. Walsh is locker
on in Los Angeles. Mayor higgins,
however is more than looker-on,
owning ranch near Covina and hav-
ing constant struggle with himself
to prevent abdicating his office and be-
coming a permanent resident.
Oscar E. Parish presided at the
luncheon and called on Mr.. Spellacy.
He thanked President Roosevelt for
being big and broad enough to see, in
the present day conditions, types OF
social disorder that antedated the
French revolution, and being brave
enough to Introduce true Democratic
reform principles into his administra-
ton The only trouble was, according
to Mr.. Spellacy, that the president was
ten years behind, as Mr.. Bryan had
represented all these reform policies a
decade ago. The reference TO Bryan
was applauded.
illustrates the Tariff
Mr.. Spellacy talked about the tariff.
If the tariff as now maintained was
direct tax for two weeks, the whole
voting population would become Demo
cratic He illustrated it's contributions
to the trusts by citing the fact that
every oil well drilled in California must
pay tribute of from $500 to $500 to the
steel trust because of the protective
tariff on steel tubing. IF these busi-
ness men were required to send
check for $500 to the steel trust every
time they drilled a we'll they would
wake I'D and howl"
Mayor higgins held the Republican
party responsible for much of the po-
litical unrest of the day. The foster
ing of monopoly was the most iniquit-
GUS. thing, and this had developed rad1-
cal agitation
"The hand that was raised in Chica-
go yesterday may be raised in Los
Angeles today" he said. The Republi-
cans could not suppress the extremists,
but the tactics of the administration in
playing to the galleries was fomenting
discomfort. He had no sympathy, he
said, with the fight on the railroads
which had paralyzed the extension of
railroad facilities and prevented the in
vestment of capital in railroad enter
prises. He thought the administration
was borrowing Democratic thunder IN
it's present and past hostilities to the
corporations, and he said all he heard
as a delegate to the trans Mississippi
waterways congress at Kansas City
was the hostile talk of Secretaries Root
and Metcalf toward corporations.
Different in California
In his talk Mr. Pepper reminded the
"brother" from Texas that he misun-
derstood the railroad situation in Cali
fornia. In Texas, said Mr.. Pepper, the
state controlled the railroads, but in
California the government, from the
governor down to the constables, is
chosen by William Herrin, who is paid
$4,000 a year by Mr. Hartman to do
that very thing" 1t was to terminate
such a subversion of government that
the Democratic league existed. and he
congratulated, in the name of North
ern California, the Democracy of the
southern region, which had undertaken
a great work.
Again referring to Mr.. higgins, he
said in this state the railroads were
assessed $4,000 mile for taxation, al
though the roads were capitalized at
$150,000 a mile. He said an amendment
of the constitution was pending for
ratification at the polls next fall. There
Ill - 20 ;fs, off n0f
iveness, and he advised careful consid-
Grafton of it before voting.
Mr.. higgins explained that he did
not intend to convey the impression
that he was for railroad control or for
trusts, but the very opposite. What
he did mean was that the whole atti-
tude of the administration was one of
expediency and seeking to tack to the
popular wind.
Deprecates Executive Expansion
Mr.. Walsh deprecated the tendency
of the executive department to dom
mate the coordinate branches of gov
ernment. This was one of the dangers
feared by the trainers of the constitu-
tion, and under the progress of Repub-
lcan administration it had become
real danger. The house of representa-
tives Is subservient to the executive
will, he said, and the judiciary, that
was INTENDED to be the DulWdru OF pop
ular government was showing sub
serviency. No man, he said who had
dispute with the United States gov
ernment expected an impartial hearing
in the federal courts.
The nation, he said, is in dire need
of good Democrats. A radical change
in the perversion of the functions Of
the coordinate branches is going on
until the executive authority is becom-
ing all powerful. The Democrats must
be looked to to restore the popular
government of the constitution.
The speech making ended with an
expression by Richmond Plant in oppo-
sition to the proposed amendment to
the constitution affecting the assess
ment of railroads. He said the opposi-
ton of the assessors of Los Angeles
CITY and county was well founded, be-
cause in practical operation both the
city and county would lose and the
railroads would receive benefit.
The league will have another lunch
can at the Westminster next Tuesday
at noon.