The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-13

nation has lost It's faith In Congress;
only the special interests by which
/ they are controlled: the platform of
the administration is not q platform
| Of beliefs, but form of words for
the deception of the people; the trusts
must get out of politics or get out of
business-these were the 'uncon-
! cealed straight from -the-shoulder
! blows delivered by Forester Gif-
[ ford Pinchot before the Roosevelt
| Club in this city Saturday night
! Introducing Justice JaEgard, who
! presided. President Halbert. of the
| Roosevelt Club, awakened the en-
thusiasm OF the banaueters by a
reference to an unnamed new party,
some OF the leaders Of which, he said.
we're present. He also named Col
| onel Roosevelt.
/ Pinchot spoke for conservation. He
| made no effort to withhold his views
| and opinions, and backed by irre-
| sistibie logic, he was unsparing and
merciiess in his scritfciym of existing
| Administrative conditions. which. he
declared. have placed the interests OF
| the trusts ahead OF the interests or
| the people and have allowed the mo-
| nopolies to run the government.
Mr.. Pinchot said:
Conservation has captured the ma
ton, Its progress during the last
twelve months is amazing. Official
opposition TO the conservation move
ment, whatever damage IL has done
or still threatens to the public in
terest. has vastly strengthened the
nf a
and conscierces OF our people. Ef-
forts TO obscure or belittle the issue
have only served to make IL larger
and clearer in the public estimation.
The conservation movement cannot
be checked by the baseless charge
that 1t will prevent development. or
that every man who tells the plain
truth Is either a muckraker or
demagogue. j. has taken Arm hold
on our national moral sense. and
when an issue does that 1t has von,
Because the special interests sire
in politics we as nation have lost
confidence in Congress. This IL q Sc
rious statement TO make, but IL Is
true. 1t does not apply. OF course. to
the raen who really represent their
constituents and who are making SO
fine a fight for the conservation Of
if-government As soon as these
men have won their battle and con-
solidated their victory. confidence in
Congress will return.
But in the meantime the people
of the United States believe that as
a whole, the Senate and the House
no longer represent the voters by
whom they were elected, but the spe-.
cial interests by whom they are con-
trolled. They believe 80 because they
have so often seen Congress reject
what the people desire, and do IN
stead what the interests demand.
And of this there could he no better
illustration than the tariff.
New Tariff.
THE tariff y under the policy Of
protection. was originally a means to
raise the rate of wages. II has been
made tool to increase the cost Of
living. The wool schedule, profess
ing to protect the wcoi-grower. liz
found 20 result in sacrificing grower
and consumer alike TO one Of the most
rapacious of trusts
The cotton cloth schedule was in
creased in the face of the uncontra-
dicted public testimony of the manu-
facturers themselves that IL ought to
remain unchanged.
THE steel trust demanded and by
a trick secured an indefensibie IN
crease in the tariff on structural steel
The sugar trust stole from the
government like a petty thief. yet con-
gress. by means of dishonest sc;,r-
dule, continues to protect It in bleed
ing the public.
manufactured rubber were raised. the
leader OF the senate, in company with
the Guggenheim Syndicate. was or
ganizing an international rubber trust.
whose charter made 1t also a 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
tho interests which asserted their
right to poison the people for bene-
At.
The whole nation is in favor OF
protecting the coal and other natural
resources in Alaska, yet the with
drawal bill, under the circumstances
the one conservation bill most needed
for the purpose. Ii still In danger.
And as for the general conservation
movement congress not only refused
to help IL on, but tried to forbid any
progress without its help. Fortu-
nately for us all. in this attempt 1t
has utterly failed.
Political platforms are not sincere
staten ents Of what the leaders Of
party really believe, but rather forms
Of words which those leaders think
they can get others TO believe they
believe.
Some of the men are responsible
for the union OF business and politics
may be profoundly dishonest. but
more of them are not. They were
trained In wrong school. and they
cannot forget their training. Clay
hardens by rnmohiltty-smen's minds'
by standing pat. Both lose the power
to take new impressions. Many Of
the old-style leaders regard the poll
tical truths which alone insure the
progress Of the nation. and wifi here
after completely dominate II. AZ the
mere meaningless babe OF political
infants.
Tho black shadow OF party regu-
iartty ~ this supreme test in public
affairs has passed away from the pub
lie mind. II 10 Z great deliverance.
The man In the street no longer asks
about 4 measure or 4 policy merely
whether II Ii good republican or good
democratic doctrine. Now he asks
whether IL u hcnest and means what
il says. whether II will promote the
public interest. weaken special priv
ilege. ana help to give every man a
fair chance. II II will. II - good. no |
=. &C.. nfta 4. sspono~AH u - - x,v{il AZ