The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-31

opportunity. tn fife struggle for fhis
great end nations rise from barbarism
to civilization. and through 1t peoples
press forward from one stage OF en-
lightenment TO the next.
One Ut the chief factors 10 progress
Is the destruction Of special privilege.
The essence Of any struggle for
healthy liberty has always been and
must always be to take from some one
man or class Of men the right TO enjoy
power or wealth or position or i'm.
munity which has not been earned by
service TO his or their fellows.
Struggle For Self Government.
At many stages In the advance OF
humanity this conflict between the
men who possess more than they have
earned and the men who have earned
more than they possess Is the central
condition Of progress.
In our day IT appears AZ the struggle
OF free men TO gain and hold the right
Of self government as against the
special interests who twist the meth
DDS of free government into machin-
cry for defeating the popular will.
At every stage and under all circum-
stances the essence Of the struggle Is
to equalize opportunity. destroy priv
ilege and give to the life and citizen
ship Of every individual the highest
possible value both to himself and to
the commonwealth.
Practical equality Of opportunity for
all citizens when we achieve II will
have two great results. First, every
man will have a fair chance to make
of himself all that in him lies. to reach
the highest point to which his capaci-
ties. unassisted by special privilege of
his own and unhampered by the spe.
cial privileges Of others. can car.
ry him and to get for himself
and his family substantially what he
has earned: second. equality OF op-
portunity means that the common
wealth will get from every citizen the
highest service Of which he Is capa.
BILE No man who carries the burden
Of the special privileges Of another can
give to the commonwealth that serv.
ice to which 1t is fairly entitled.
I stand for the square deal. But
when I say that I am for the square
deal ! mean not merely that I stand
for fair play under the present rules
Of the game. but that I stand for hav'
ing those rules changed so as to work
for a more substantial equality Of op
portunity and Of reward for equally
good service.
This means that our governments
national and state. must be freed from
cial interests. Exactly as the special
interests of cotton and slavery threat
ened our political integrity before the
civil war. 50 now the great special
business interests too often control and
corrupt the men and methods Of gov
eminent for their own profit.
We must drive the special interests
out OF politics. That Is one Of ouI
tasks today. Every special interest II
entitled to justice-full. fair and com
plete-but not one is entitled to a vote
In congress. voice on the bench OF
to representation In any public Of
nce. The constitution guarantees pro
lection to property. and we must make
that promise good. But 1t does moi
give the right OF suffrage to any cor
poration.
Control Commercial Forces.
The true friend Of property. the tru'
conservative, il he who insists tina
property shall be the servant and no
the master Of the commonwealth-wh,
insists that the creature Of mans max
ing shall be the servant and not tn,
master Of the man who made 1t. Thu
citizens Of the United States must eff
fectively control the mighty CONNER
cial forces which they have them
selves called into being.
There can be no effective control o
corporations while their political activ
ity remains. To put an end to 1t viii
be neither a short nor an easy task
but 1t can be done.
We must have complete and effective
publicity Of corporate affairs, so tina
the people may know beyond perad
venture whether the corporations ODE.
the law and whether their manage
ment entities them to the confidence
OF the public. 1t Is necessary tina
laws should be passed to prohibit tn
use Of corporate funds directly or in
directly for political purposes. 1t 4
still more necessary that such law
should be thoroughly enforced.
Corporate expenditures for politica
purposes and especially such expendi
lures by public service corporation
have supplied one Of the principa
sources Of corruption in our politica
affairs.
It has become entirely clear tina
We must have government supervision
Of the capitalization not only Of pub
lie servio. corporations. including par
ticularly railways. but Of all corpora
tions doing an interstate business.
do not wish to see the nation force,
into ownership Of the railways II |
can possibly be avoided. and the onl
alternative ia thoroughgoing and ei
fective regulation which shall be base,
on a full knowledge Of all the facts
Including q physical valuation OF tn
property.
This physical valuation is not need
ed OF at least II very rarely neede'
for dxing rates. but 1t IL needed a. th
basis Of honest capitalization.
We have come to recognize that fran
chises should never be granted excep
for A limited time and never Nrifhon