Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-08-02

the tax on the necessarIes OF life i
maintained? That those In power ant
their friends may reap the reward tina
follows corrupt and extravagant gov
eminent. We may well go before tn
people upon the issue of economy ant
say to the farmer and laboring man
the contribution you make to maintain
the federal government Is out of al
proportion to what you should and tn
tax you pay to the republican part,
and its beneficiaries is robbery.
The expense Of the executive for thu
last year Is appalling. In 1896 wher
the presidential chair was occupied b,
| Grover Cleveland, the expense of thu
executive mansion including the salary
was $4,000. For the year 1910, the
| expense of the executive mansion oc
cupied by President Taft including sal
ary was $3.50, 420, and for the year 1911
it will be more than one-third OF Z
million of dollars to maintain in q
democratic nation it's chief executive.
During the Sixtieth congress, there
was created 26,944 new Offices. drawing
salaries from the government of the
United States. apparently for public
service, but in reality to guide public
opinion in the interest of protected in.
dustries and republican policies. For
these created Offices and increased sal.
aries there was paid in taxes the enor
nous sum of 39,563,577.SS.
Contemplate the meaning of these
figures. Does it not satisfy the ordi.
nary mind. that extravaganza in public
affairs is but the direct result of a
long continued power by party for.
getful of the people and existing for
the benefit of those who contribute to
its campaign funds.
The democratic party, the direct rep
resentative of the people, must con.
test this extravaganza on every field,
and it must not hesitate to expose cor.
ruption and graft wherever opportun.
ity presents that the people may know
why the increase of tax on the neces.
saries of life, and that we may have
reform in the civil administration Of
our government.
The south and west is the political
battle ground. That portion of the ma
tional domain is today bearing the bur.
den Of taxation. 1t is inhabitate1 by
those who believe in equality of rights.
who do not wish to do injustice to
others, but justice to themselves. The
millions Of people in the Mississippi
valley must be aggressive for the right.
The cotton of the south and the corn
of the north must stand as one indis-
soluble union. A campaign by this
class for equal opportunities will lead
this nation out of the maelstrom into
which it has fallen.
The peculiar condition is presented
of the New England Puritan uniting
with the Mormon of Utah for the per-
sOnal exploitation of the American peo-
pie. Not. thing in common between
these two sections except national
pride, yet they stand united for the
extraction from the people of the Mis-
sissippi valley Of tribute to their
special interest.
1t is said this is a day of prosper
ity. All, prosperity to whom? The
cotton and wooden manufacturers Of
New England have declared dividends
as high as Sc per cent in a single year.
and for a decade there annual diyi-
dends have been more than % per cent.
Has agriculture been receiving that re-
ward? The fields of Iowa and the west
that have made it possible for this
great nation to be prosperous are not
receiving their due share of the wealth
of the country. The manipulation of
stocks and bonds, the concentration of
wealth in the east, special interes: sus-
tanned by the banking system have
made it possible for that portion of
our nation to become the home Of
wealth. and thereby the dominating in
fluence in our legislative assemblies.
The Combinations.
Is there any wonder New England
wishes to unite with the Smoots and
Guggenheims to continue to exploit the
people Of the United States in their
own interest? Agriculture, sitting in
the center, that has done more to place
the commerce of the United States in
the lap Of the world than all its manu-
featuring interests combined, paying
tribute to New England. Is now asked
to bend the knee to the Shoots and
Guggenheims that thrift may follow
fawning. These parties, representa-
tives Of special interests, devoted fol-
lowers OF The system meet in the COZ
gress of the United States, exchange
fellicitations from one side of The
table to the other, and those under the
table must bear it's burden.
Is there anything in common be-
tween the copper of Colorado and
lemons of California that they shall
unite with New England and STANDARD
Oil and place the burden on every con.
sumner in the Mississippi valley? These
men do not represent agriculture; they
represent special interests and yet
unite as the guardian of cotton and
wooden Industries OF New England and
the copper of the west. requiring the
farmer and laborer to pay the tax fol
private interests.
The wooden schedule of the Payne
Aldrich tariff act is so obnoxious that
It has met the disapproval of practical
ly the entire consuming public. The
duties are so arranged that thread
of wool placed in rubber boot will
permit 1t to be taxed as fabric Of
wool and rubber 1t is time that those
who pay the tax should at least have
something to say as to the rate. When
We observe the steel combination. the