The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-08-01
Saturday, August 1. zoos.
WHERE THE PEOPLE RULE.

WHERE THE PEOPLE RULE
The New York Sun has been doing
its intelligent readers an immense
service by printing on its editorial
page a series OF enllghtening and sug-
gestive letters from a rowing cores.
pondent, whose commission manifest
ly is to interpret the middle west to
the people of the east 1t would be
too much Of task perhaps for any
one man to so suddenly initiate the
effete east" into the political myster-
les of the great middle west, but this
Sun correspondent has nevertheless
done wonders already in opening eyes
which have stubbornly refused to see
what was before them to see. These
letters have helped many to better
understand the true inwardness Of the
political conventions which have been
held, and what they mean In relation
to the campaign, to be vigorously
fought the moment cooler weather
sets in.
The editor Of Harper's Weekly,
George Harvey, returned from the
west, or that part of It which COM
prises the section Of the country so
wildly treated by the Sun correspond
ent in his letters with the conclusion
under his hat that "the true Ameri-
can Is to be sought there, and not
in the streets of New York. Whether
this is strictly true or not, the true
American being something Of COM
posite. the Sun correspondent certain
ly helps one to answer the question.
Wherever he has been he has found
fresh and vigorous appreciation Of
manly qualities and freedom Of polit-
ical action. an appreciation which
appears to feed upon a distrust of the
independence of the east It is not
believed in the great middle west that
the people resident here are their
own political masters, or are even In
control OF their own commercial in
terests. The names of Murphy, Con-
nors, McCarren, Plat and others in
political control spell to them kind
Of oligarchy, which would not be en-
dured there a moment, and that It Is
endured here by the rank and file OF
the voters convinces the middle west
that the spirit of the old New Eng
land revolutionists and the Virginia
colonists is dead.
Says the Sun correspondent, writing
from st. Louis. having visited points
farther west: Your barber crates or
radical doctrines at the risk OF your
throat. The stranger who volunteer.
to guide you may suddenly turn evan
gelist, forget your destination and
inveigh against the corporations Yor
become positively deafened by the dir
and rattle of the first personal singu
lar pronoun by the way in which the
stray acquaintance confronts the ater
nal verities unabashed. Yet under
meath all this riot there Is the impress
sion, which has its own charm, tina
Tom, Dick and Harry, the butcher
the baker and the candle SHOEMAKER
feel towards public life as they d.
towards their own private business
feel that they are running both, hav'
an equal sense of authority and re
sponsibilty for both. A megaphone
not a pull, IS the thing that carries II
Kansas In Iowa and even in Wiscon
Sin. Then the electorate comes on
and looks them over with the sam
critical glance that It applies to steer
and hogs and other cattle IF the can
didate pleases It he Is nominated; AM
afterward there will come the election
but this Is another matter"
The vividness Of this picture can
not but impress the voters and resi-
dents of states like Connecticut an,
New York, where exactly the opposlt
prevails in political conduct. 1magin
the voters of the middle west wher
the direct primary Is In force, humbl
awaiting the outcome of a conferenc
Of leaders In either New York o
Connecticut before declaring thei
preference for governor. Imagine tn
great and breezy middle west stupid
countersigning candidacy made /
secret without their knowledge an
without their assent, as it is dire etc
the republicans of the state Of Con
nocticut shall do this fall. Imagin
this wild and woody middle west
you please, but this free and agsrai