The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-10-22
THE FIRST VOTER.

1Oung man, great responsibility at
taches to your first vote. AS you begin,
so you are likely to continue. The mo-
mentum that carries you into party
at the beginning of your political con-
vulsion shakes you out of it. Start
right, and in order that you may start
right, examine the principles of the
parties and the policies which they adj
vocate.
There are two great party organic
ations in the United States, one fifty
years old, and the other more than q
century old. The republican party has
been in power almost uninterrupted for
more than half century and under it's
reign abuses have grown up which
threaten the perpetuity Of the govern
ment and endanger our civilization. So
great are these abuses that republican
reformers are now pointing out that
something must be done-an what can
be done? The first thing is to undo the
things that have been done, and the
party TO undo these abuses is not the
party which has done them, but the
party which has protested against these
abuses and pointed out remedies.
The republican party has turned the
taxing power over to private individuals;
it has allowed monopolies to grow up
and assume control of the industries of
the country by granting privileges by
law and by giving immunity to the large
violators Of the law; the republican
party has permitted the fortunes Of the
predatory rich to become so large that
government is corrupted, politics de-
bauched and business polluted.
The democratic party proposes to
withdraw the taxing power from pri-
vate hands, to so legislate as to make
private monopoly impossible, and to
enforce the law without discrimination.
1t proposes to protect legitimate wealth
and punish those who attempt to
plumber the public for private gain. On
which side do you stand, young man?
Are you with the masses in their effort
to restore the government to it's old
foundation and make it a government
of the people, for the people and by the
people, or are you with the republican
leaders in their effort to perpetuate the
party in power by selling immunity in
return for campaign contributions?
There are always two parties in the
country, and one is necessarily nearer
to the people than the other. In this
country the democratic party is nearer
to the people than the republican party.
Its leaders have more faith in the peo-
pie and are more anxious to keep the
government under the control of the
people. Take the election of United
States senators by the people as test.
The democrats want to give to the
voters chance to elect and to control
their representatives in the United
States senate. The democratic party in
the house of representatives passed the
first resolution for the submission of the
necessary constitutional amendment.
They did this eight years before
any republican congress did it. The
democratic party has thrice demanded
this reform in it's national platform.
The republican party has not done so.
Why do democratic leaders insist upon
this reform and republican leaders OPP
pose it? There can be but one answer
the democratic party is nearer to the
people than the republican party. Young
man, will you stand with the people
or against them.
The answer to this question effects
your country. If you are with the peo-
pie your influence, be it great or small,
will hasten their victory. If you are
against the people your influence may
retard that victory. But while in the
fret instance it is your country that
may gain or lose by your action, you
must remember that in the long run
your own position in politics will de-
pend upon your conduct. You cannot
fool the people always. You may lead
them astray if you dare, but they will
punish you when they find you out. You
may work for the people without their
recognizing it at first, but you can
trust them to discover the character
of your work and to reward you accord
ingly.-Commoner.