Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1909-12-24

asks.
The first thing, therefore. is to find
q democratic candidate in each .
gressional district who believes in
platforms and who is willing to let the
voters know where he stands.
The next thing is to find u democrat
ic candidate whose platform is accept
able to the voters of his party. and a
platform to be acceptable must repre-.
sent the interests of the voters. There
is scarcely a district i'm the United
States where the interests of n major
ity of the voters are ON the side of
protection. The trouble is that the
Protected inIu,.T.Gs are active ANA
clamorous. The democratic candidate
should have the courage to protect
the silent majority against the demands
of the noisy minority.
Take the wool question FOR illustra-
ton. There is probably not II district
in the United States where the owners
Of sheep constitute one.tenth Of the
voting population. but that less than
one.tenth often has more influence OF
the congressman than the more than
nine tenths. Whyg Because the
sheep owners are organized and active
while the rest OF the people are often
indifTer
or instance, about eleven
\ own all the sheep in the
Bs q, 500, 000l and fifty men own
about half the total number. Count
ing the clip Mt ~ pounds to the sheep
the annual wool crop would amount
To about 10. 000,0 pounds and he worth
about 81, 900, 900. If the sheep owners
get the benefit of the 10 per cent duty
on wool then the eleven hundred sheep
owners in Texas receive about $500,
600 from the tariff ON wool and, of this,
fifty men receive about 800, 900 or
-, 900 apiece. Fifty men cau afford to
make u good deal of noise for -, 900 per
year each; they can afford To subsidize
newspapers and to subscribe To cam,
paign funds.
But the 100, 900 people in Texas
who pay mt least 10 per cen probably
30 or GO) more on wooden goods than
they would with free wool, pay. each
II little, and therefore. do not take as
active an interest in the subject. Bat
II democratic candidate for congress
ought to take the side of the many in
spite of the threats OF the greedy few.
The Commouer uses Texas rs IN il,
iustratiOn because it has the figures in
regard to that state. In Arizona about
300 men own the 1850. 600 sheep in the
territory The Commoner will he glad
To have its readers send in the statistics
from other statcs-thcy can probably
be obtained at the state capital.
The same is true of the tariff OH
lumber, iron. ore, coal, etc. PrOtec.
ton is the fight of a few for privileges
at the expense of the many; tariff re.
form is the fight of the many to keep
the hands of the few out Of their peck
cts.
The Commoner has presented Il
sample platform and it asks democrat
ic candidates for congress to accept,
reject or amend it to suit themselves,
and it asks the democratic voters to Sc,
to it that democratic candidates ART
selected who really reflect the ssnti
mcnt Of the peupl" of their district
Let the fight bcgin Now nn,I he con
tinued in the open until we have
democratic congress made up of mel
who will put the interests of the mas
SEES above the clamor of those who sccl
favOrs.
Wanted-Mcn who dare to stand fo
the Jcifersonian doctrine of equal right
to all and special privileges to none.