Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-12
American people will put them out
business. There Is no third course.
Confidence in Congress Lost.

business. There IS no tn1ro course.
Confidence in Congress Lost.
Because the special interests are Il
politics we, as a nation, have lost con
fidence In Congress. This is serious
statement to make. but it Is true. 1t doe
not apply, of course, to the men VIII
really represent their constituents AM
who are making so fine a fight for tn
conservation of self-government. As sool
as these men have won their battle AM
consolidated their victory confidence II
Congress will return.
But in the meantime the people Of TIL
United States believe that, as whole
the Senate and the House no longer rep
resent the voters by whom they wer'
elected, but the special interests by whom
they are controlled. They believe SO be
cause they have so often seen Congress
reject what the people desire, and do in
stead what the interests demand Ane
of this there could be no better 1lluStra
ton than the tariff.
THE tariff under the policy of pro
lection, was originally means to raise
the rate of wages. 1t has been made g
tool to increase the cost of living. The
wool schedule. protesting to protect the
wool grower is found to result in sac
rificing grower and consumer alike t.
one of the most rapacious of trusts.
The cotton cloth schedule was in
creased in the face Of the uncontradicteG
public testimony of the manufacturers
themselves that it ought to remain un-
changed.
The steel interests demanded and by a
trick secured an indefensible increase in
the tariff on structural steel.
Stole Like Petty Thief.
THE sugar trust stole from the gov
eminent like a petty thief, yet Congress
by means OF dishonest schedule, con-
tinues to protect it in bleeding the public.
AT the very time the duties on manu-
featured rubber were raised the leader
OF the Senate. in company with the Gug-
genheim syndicate. was organizing an
international rubber trust, whose charter
made it also holding company for the
coal and copper deposits of the whole
world.
For a dozen years the demand of the
nation for the pure food and drug bill
was outweighed in Congress by the in
terests which asserted their right to
poison the people for a profit.
Congress refused to authorize the prep
aration of a great plan of waterway de-
velopment in the general interest and for
ten years has declined to pass the APP
palachian and White Mountain national
forest bill, although the people are prac-
tically unanimous for both.
The whole nation is in favor of pro-
tecting the coal and other natural re-
sources in Alaska, yet they are still In
grave danger of being absorbed by the
special interests. And as for the general
conservation movement, Congress not
only refused to help it on, but tried to
forbid any progress without its help. For
tunately for US all, in this attempt it has
utterly failed.
This loss of confidence in Congress Is a
matter for deep concern to every think
Ing American. 1t has not come quickly
or without good reason. Every man who
knows Congress well knows the names
of senators and members who betray the
people they were elected to represent and
ole rIA Of he CT arS
whom they obey. A representative of the
people who wears the collar of the spe-
cial interests has touched bottom. He can
sink no further.
Where the Blame Rests.
who is to blame because representa-
tives of the people are SO commonly led
to betray their trust? We all are-we
who have not taken the trouble to resent
and put an end to the knavery We knew
was going on. The brand of politics serv-
ed out to US by the professional poltu-
clan has long been composed largely OF
hot meals for the interests and hot air
for the people, and we have all known
1t.
Political platforms are not sincere
statements of what the leaders of a
party really believe, but rather forms or
words which those leaders think they
can get others to believe they believe. the
realities of the regular political game lie
at present far Denedln the ludhs
of the issues advanced are mere empty
sound; while the issues really at stake
must be sought deep down in the politics
of business-in politics for revenue only.
All this the people realize as they never
did before, and what is more. they are
ready to act their knowledge.
"Some of the men who are responsible
for the union of business and politics may
be profoundly dishonest. but more OF
them are not. They were trained in a
wrong school. and they cannot forget
their training. Clay hardens by immo-
bility-men's minds by standing pat. Both
lose the power to take new impressions.
Many of the old-style leaders regard the
political truths which alone insure the
progress of the nation. and Will here
after completely dominate it, as the mere
meaningless babble of political infants.
They have grown old in the belief that
money has the right to rule. and they
can never understand the point OF view
of the men who recognize in the corrupt
political activity of railroad or trust
a most dangerous kind of treason to gov
eminent by the people.
Opposition Requires Courage.
When party leaders go wrong it re-
CURES high sense of public duty. true
courage and strong belief in the people
for a man in politics to take his future
in his hands and stand against them.
THE black shadow of party regularity
passed away from the public mind. 1t is
a great deliverance. The man in the
street no longer asks about a measure
or a policy merely whether it is good
republican or good democratic doctrine.
Now he asks whether ii is honest and
means what il says, whether it will pro-
mote the public interest, weaken special
privilege, and help to give every man a
fair chance. If it will, it is good, no
matter who proposed it. If it will not,
it is bad. no matter who defends 1t.
1T is a greater thing to be good
citizen than to be a good republican or a
good democrat.
The protest against politics for reve-
nue. only is as strong in one party as
in the other. for the servants OF the
interests are plentiful in both. In that
respect there is little to choose between
them.
Differences Of purposes and belief be-
tween political parties today are vastly
less than the differences within the par
ties. The great gulf of division which
strikes across our whole people pays little
need To fading party lines, or to any dis
tinction in name only. The vital Separa-
ton is between the partisans of govern
ment by money for profit and the be-
levers in government by men for human
welfare.
Time to Change Leaders.
when political parties come to be badly
led, when their leaders lose touch with
the people. when their object ceases tc
40 N6x.sc 20