The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-10-20
THE LEON REPORTER THURSDAY OCTOBER 20, 1910

10.
operation, and our committee was
the first in the history of the coun-
try, in advance of the convention and
without compulsion, to make public
the names of the contributors who
gave more than hundred dollars
and no contributor above ten thous
and This was published Is days be-
fore the election. Mr.. Taft came out
and said he favored publicity after
election. Mr.. Roosevelt favored. pub
licity after election and then took
me to task and in letter that was
published and addressed to me, took
me to task for favoring publicity
before the election; and gave his
reasons why it should be after the
friends, the sentiment of the people
was with democracy; and when the
election was over and congress met,
the republicans carried out the demo-
cratic platform with the aid of the
democrats; and the house passed a
bill in regard to publicity. 1t was
democratic doctrine and not the re-
publican doctrine, or the presidents
or ex-president's. The Senate re-
fused and the House had to concede
to the Senate's demand, in order to
get publicity at all. In his speech
at Ossawatomie the other day, Mr..
Roosevelt said he favored publicity,
both before and after election, so
we have him on our side of this
proposition at last-as on several
other propositions.
Corporation Contributions.
Let me remind you of the growth
in sentiment on another question.
Take the domination of politics by
corporations. The democratic party
has pointed out that this was real
evil, that these people enjoying
special privileges and favors were
controlling the politics of this coun-
try. If you will read the platform
of 1900, ten years ago, you will find
it so like what Mr.. Roosevelt said at
Ossawatamie, that if you cut off the
cannot tell which said the one and
which the other. That was ten years
before Mr.. Roosevelt said it, and at
the time when the republicans were
getting the benefit of the contribu-
lions made by these corporations
My friends, it does my heart good
to see the republicans recognizing
the dominating influence they have
had in politics; it does my heart
good to show the republicans that
these corporations have been domi-
mating politics for purpose, and been
able to secure unfair advantages.
l am only telling you what you al
ready know, when / tell you that the
democratic party denounce politics
by corporations, that it is in opposi-
ton to these corporations. There
was not campaign in which l was
candidate in which l could not
have been elected if l had been will
ing to offer up the party to be sold
to the corporations as the republic
can party was.
When the campaign contributions
were published last year it was found
that our party had collected 100000
and the republican party 100000
They averaged nearly three times as
much money as we had. Why did
they get it? Because they stood in
against them. l challenged Mr.
nate, one director, or one officer of
a trust in this whole country that
was supporting me; and nth a
secret service sufficient to foil Nv up
the congressman he could nc, find
one trust magnate supporting. the
democratic party. Why? Because
we fought them; and we suffered de-
feet trying to fight them, and the
republicans recognize what a time
we had You cannot be surprised
that l am enjoying life now, since
I see these indications of the things
that we have been fighting for. My
friends, when l see the things that
we have been fighting for and see
how Mr.. Roosevelt has some of them
and how Mr. Taft has even taken
some, I have an answer to make
now, when anybody asks me if /
am going to run again. l tell them
that l am afraid to run again, even
if / wanted to, for fear they would
raise the third term issue, and say
l had already had two terms
1 do not complain Of having had to
do my work through others. Why
should man want to be president
and bear the burden with all the
cares of that office when he can get
men to do the work for him? l say
to my friends that would rather be-
long to the democratic party and lead
public sentiment in this country and
coerce triumphant majority into
the acceptance of democratic ideas
than to belong to the republican par
ty and have to have the support and
leadership of the minority in all
matters of Importance. Now, life
is much more bearable to me than it
used to be. Even the eastern papers
that used to criticise me so severely.
are now having cartoons that indi-
cate much more friendly spirit.
Have you seen, some of these car.
toons? saw one the other day in
the New York Herald, and that has
been a friend of mine. 1t was after
President Roosevelt's speech at Os-
sawattomie. 1t represented him as
addressing an audience while / was
standing back and a little above him