Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-06-16

Hon. Geo. G. Brownell delivered
an address before the Commercial
Club in Milwaukee the evening OF
June 3rd, which we give in part, as
follows:
l am opposed to the assembly idea
as matter of principal, not because
1 dislike any individual or person
who is working for or is prominent
in the movement, but because of my
absolute belief in a democracy of the
people, and because my experience
in political life has led me to believe
that the only safety for the people at
all is to crush the present system of
government that we have in this
country and adopt in place of it the
system of popular rule. The reason
l have come TO this conclusion is
that l personally know and believe
that this country, particularly since
the Civil war has been more corrupt
ly ruled than any other country IN
the civilized world, unless perhaps
it may be Russia. Now this may be
looked upon as a startling statement,
but it is true nevertheless and can
be illustrated in this way: On the
surface, the individual voter is sup
posed to constitute in the aggregate
the government, that is, people are
supposed to be the government, and
yet as a matter of fact, the people
themselves do not control. Property
and property rights control much of
the newspaper press, which is dom
mated by a few men in New York
Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston
and the large commercial centers
and is controlled by the monied and
property interests so that everything
in both parties is framed up in such
way that 1t does not matter much
which way the individual voter
votes, he votes only in the end for
what the monied and capitalistic in
terests of the United States deter
mine and want. To illustrate it in
another way, the republican party
or democratic party In power adopt
a platform and then when congress
meets they formulate some tariff
law or bill, and the individual voter
imagines that this is dOEG Dy his
own representative in congress- This
Is true in a measure, bur these same
in congress take or
ders; they take these orders, not
from the rank and file of the voters
but they take them from j. p. Nor
gan, Rockefeller, United Steel Trust,
Sugar Trust, railroad interests and |
iron and steel interests of the United |
States, so when you get to the logical
end of the proposition, It is property |
rights and the selfishness and greed |
IF the corporations combined repre-
5ented in the United States senate by |
rs agents that dictate, at all times
lot only our legislation, but they
iictate our whole system of political
economy, our whole system of tariff
ogislation, and the press is dominat-
~ by these same forces, and they
lictate to the unthinking mind 10
relieve that these things are right,
md the people go on, year after
ear, and vote and support the very
orces that are trying to destroy
hem and enrich themselves at the
expense of the toiler and producer,
70 illustrate that this is true: Sup
iose that Daniel Webster and John
the great chief justice,
we're both living and were both
members of the United States senate
nd would introduce a meritorious
MEASURE, a measure that would be,
ust between the farmer, the wage
arner, the producer and the men
yho control the politics. that run our
reat railroads and our great cor
orations. and suppose they stood up
o the senate without consulting any ,
ne, except their own conscience and
heir own Judgment, and j. p. Mor-
an, Rockefeller, Tom Ryan and {
sw Of their financial power did not
'ant and did not approve OF the ;
sgislauon that these two men
anted. what would be the result? I
IT. Rockefeller and Mr.. Morgan &
ould in a period Of one hour set in I