The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-06
A WAY OF VICTORY
GOVERNOR JOHNSON OF MINNEso-
 "A ON WHAT TO DO TO WIN.
Tarln Revision Advocated by Man Who Has Twice Carried . Republican ssronshoid--Then Appeal ts
 Busfness Community
 With Fit Candidate.

l sota, who has twice been elected as a
 Democrat In Republican stronghold.
 ana made notable record as an exec- utive. In part he says:
 + Tt must first of all adopt a platform with tarin as the paramount, domi- nant issue. The Democratic party has won twice on that issue--its only vic- tories in fifty years--and on that issue | It can win again.
 'secoEdly. the platform must be one which will appeal to the intelligent business men of 1.-the country. When I Ifnse the term business men I mean ev- cry man that has a dollar invested in making his own livelihood. whether 1t pc $L00O in farm, $5,0O0 in a store,
 $l0.000 in law books and a legal edu-
 cation. or $5o,000 in a factory. Those
 are the men who form the business community of this nation, and 1t is to tnelr intelligence that we must appeal. The Democratic platform must not beframed to meet the selfish interests
 Of any particular faction or section It must not be made patchwork for personal advantages. nor to gratify ex- | treme views either on the one hand or the other. It must not be twisted and turned to give free rein to the man down In Texas who wants to range around, any more than stretched to
 protect the schemers and favored in dustries of New England. We want a platform made out of principles, broad and sound, which will express the sem timents, the feelings of the great body of our intelligent citizens. I think the
 success. I think our prospects will continue to grow steadily better. Fitness of Candidates.
 The party with such a platform as
 have outlined should then turn to the
 selection of candidates. and here the principle of absolute fitness should ap-
 ply. No man should be chosen as can
 didate for either the Presidency or the
 Vice-Presidency because he represents some particular idea, or interest, or mercenary qualification. We should have no more Henry Gassaway Davises nominated because he possessed a bar rel which he was expected to open and did not; no more men from Maine merely because candidate from there was supposed to possess some local in- fiuence. The people want men who stand for principles of sound, progress sive government, and not for individual fads: men who place the welfare of the nation above inordinate selfish ambi- tion.
 T have said repeatedly that I con- sider tariff the paramount issue of the coming campaign. You cannot solve the trust evil successfully until the conditions that produce the trusts are improved. You cannot cure blood poisoning as long as the ulcer remains in the body. It Is about time that in- fant industries 100 years old were tection. To me it seems that they must by this time have grown up enough to take care of themselves without the need of support at the expense of the public It seems 10 me that the slogan of the Democratic party in the next 1t..rm
 paign until the question is settled, should be a revision of the tariff--a most thorough revision, mind you, for it Is on this point that disagree with the President of tho United States.
 Against CentralizatsOn.
 Recently there has been promulgat- ed the doctrine of greater centraliza- ton of power in the Federal govern meht. Under our system of govern ment the States are sovereign within their domains in regard to all domestic affairs of the Commonwealth, and any departure from this theory would me, in my mind, dangerous-as dangerous as though one arm of the government were to assume the functions of an- other branch of the civil government, or as if the States were to encroach on the Constitutional prerogatives of the national government.
 II am not in favor of the State sur rendering to the Federal government any rights 1t now enjoys. It seems to me that the national government has it's work pretty well cut out, and that it should do better those things it now has on hand rather than take on in- creased activities in new fields.
 "For example,: There is the proposi- tion for a Federal inspection of grain. Now, the State of Minnesota has a sys- tenn of grain inspection already in aoffafnnHnFX only to growers and millers' put even to foreign dealers. It puts the stamp of authority on every bushel.
 '"The Federal government, With all ita multifari0us duties. could not do better than this State does. Again we have in Minnesota a pure food law or our own, which in comparison with the pure food law of the national govern ment works far better practical results.
 fl do not believe it is the province'of the Federal government to assume those functions which rightly belong to the individual States. There are laws enough already in the Federal statute book to pretty well occupy the time of the administration.
 Control of Corporations.
 New conditions naturally bring about necessity for additional laws. but at present what we noted is better en- forcement of existing laws, Perhaps enforcement Is too strong anu raulcal A term, I should shave said admins tration. Let us nave better adminis- tration of the laws, The sherman act lay dormant for many years before 1t was taken up and made the instrument to curb corporation evils. The rail- roads and the great corporations want Federal control Federal incorporation. Federal regulation. do not favor such a system. The State creates cor porations, gives them life, affords them police protection, and has the power to tax them. What the State has the right to create cannot be taken away from its control
 Capital in corporate form often can l do business more economically and suc- than separately. But do not | believe in permitting cooperation of | capital to the extent of annihllattng | the business of individuals. Capital | has destroyed individual effort priNci- | pally through evasion of the law. | While corporations are entitled to have | their property protected. they should | not be granted such protection as to | crush individual effort.
 '%fhere are vast numbers of people in | this country today who believe that the | should own and operate its common carriers. Certainly the time is | not ripe today for government owner ship, but If the right of the govern ment to regulate and control common | carriers in the exercise of their func- lions is too stubbornly resisted by those who control the corporations the l pendulum will finally become loosened and when 1t swings is apt to pass by ,t. oo,AraV vaInk and dU fo