Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1910-01-07

States, and In the average intelligence
of its people, it is probably not
excelled. It has nearly 80 newspapers ;
numerous factories, producing many
of the necessities OF life, and, what IS
best of all. q rich farming country
that is supporting on farms of
diversified production more than 80
per cent of the districts population.
None OF its towns showed at the last
census population OF 10.0 people,
but more than 40 have q population of
from 500 to nearly 10, QUO. With a
superb climate, and with lakes, rivers
and forests in great abundance, it
furnishes interesting diversions to its
people and to many others who come
there annually from other parts of the
country tn camp, hunt, fish and
become invigorated from it's pure and
bracing air. Such conditions are
ideal for an Intelligent development
and influence.
There is broad field for improve
ment in the character of the Official
work that is being done at our Capital
City. I believe that progress will be
achieved sooner by the people controll
ing their representatives In congress
than by leaving it entirely to the
initiative of the representatives; for
unless the people assume more active
control, experience shows, the Selfish
Interests will do SO, and for selfish
purposes. It is here again question
of where the greatest activity shall
come from, whether from the people
or from the Selfish Interests. In the
past, it has been from the side of the
latter, and no doubt these interests
propose to continue thus. But the
people hold the power of veto in the
elections, which they may employ
ultimately to defeat the Selfish. The
secret of public success is to know how
to vote. The secret of Selfish success is
to prevent intelligent voting. do
not attempt to indicate how one
should vote; that must he determined
by every voter individually. And
when the voter, guided by his own
intelligence, casts his vote without
prejudice, most of our difficulties from
a governmental view point will be
simplitied. The purpose here is
merely to relate some of the condi.
tions now obtaining and the happen
ings which have TRANSFERRED. for the
study and thought of the reader.
The government at Washington is.
in large measure, separated from
the people by organizations that
operate Independently of their con.
troll. With the organizations it IS
not so much question of what the
people like as how much they will
stand. These organizations are
powerful enough to intimidate many
representatives who are really honest,
by making it appear to them that
they, as representatives of their
districts or states, are incapable of
securing results except through the
organization. The machine, so far as
it can, creates conditions to make
representatives afraid of their own
constituencies, and to place them
under the protection Of, and Obligation
to, the machine rule In exchange
for that protection, they are granted
certain personal tavors through the
combination, which it is their
privilege to exploit at home as an in
ducement to their constituencies to re-.
elect them. But the price of this
privilege to representative is that he
must stand by the machine. The
practice of the organization has been
principally to work along the lines of
personal interest, though that has not
necessarily implied personal dishonesty
on the part of members who have
voted with the, organization It has
rather been conformity by members
to what they have deemed to be un-
avOidabie conditions These condi-
tioDs themselves and their remedies
must be considered. The method for
method it is, of maintaining organiza-
ton has been reduced, at Washington,
to science, but the effect, If not the
purpose OF that science, is control
for personal purposes rather than for
the public welfare. It has been the
Intention of members to create such
conditions. but the very evolution of
the process has brought it about The
remedy lies in the knowledge by the
general public OF the actual conditions
and their results. Public sentiment,
shaped through such knowledge.
would work the correction. It is that
knowledge that certain interests seek
to keep from the pubic, by forming
systems for the purpose Of moulding
public opinion. Agencies have been
established. not by the political
parties, but by the interests that have
usually controlled the machinery of
the parties.
This Introductory letter has
been abstract in from, but
1t is my purpose in the next to begin
showing in detail the methods referred |
to.
Leon Dugas has returned from a
visit with relatives in Winnipeg and
st. Bonlface, Can. He thinks Winnl.
neg q great city, but states that prices