The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-11-08
CHAS, E., CARTER
ON SOCIALISM

My friends, there is always para
mount issue in every campaign, nut IN
this campaign for congress there IS
really but one organic issue and that
issue is "Cannonism.' For Cannon
and his system of Cannonism are the
fundamental, causes of all the intoler'
able conditions that exist In TINS cOun-
try today. Destroy Cannonism and all
those reforms in which you believe
are possible, but while Cannonsm -X-
lists, with Joe Cannon and his crowd
in the saddle, none of those reforms
are probable for the House Cannon
machine, which controls things in Con-
gress, believes in conditions as they
exist today and does not favor reform;
therefore, We should not permit the
real issue In this campaign to be ne
logged with high sounding p'atitudes
and glittering generali,ies. 1t mas
been charged that there is a personal
animus behind my fight against Joe
Cannon and his system I deny the
charge. We are not fighting Joe Can
non, we are fighting the system of
! Cannonlsm. 1t has been truly SAID
that the individual is but an atom, he
is born, he lives, he acts, he dies;
but principles are eternal and this is
contest for principle. In the House
of Representatives there are at pres
ent 1856 stand-pat men and tnlrty-one
| insurgent Republicans. If we nave 70
have Cannon for speaker; If we have
to put up with the system Of Cannon
ism then, so far as I am individually
concerned, | had as soon have Joe
Cannon for speaker as any one of the
other 1S5 Cannon men. Joe Cannon
simply epitomizes the policies or eX-
actly six out of seven of the Repub-
lican membership Of the House. These
policies, with the fundamental idea OF
projection and favoritism to the rev
at the expense of the great mass OF
American people, demand the system
of Cannonism in the House. Organized
privilege could not exist twenty-iour
hours but for this system of Cannon
ism. The system outside the Capitol
demands a system inside the Capitol
and Il has It to its utter and entire
satisfaction in the system OF Cannon
ism. Let us not deceive ourselves,
Joe Cannon IS no better and no worse
than the other 1876 standpat congress
mon who have stood so stubhornly for
his policies in the past. There is bit
one way to destroy Cannonism ana
that is TO destroy the men who are
responsible for It. and those are the
men who are today in control of the
machinery of the Republican party IN
Congress. There IS but one way 20
abolish the system of Cannonism ana
that Is by sending a majority of Dem
ocrats to Congress, for you cannot
hone TO elect a majority of Socialists.
II has been suggested to me that
Mr.. Gilmore has a plan to retire rom
this Congress race at the last moment
in favor of our Republican opponent
but my friends. We have no appre-
hension about that. We know you so
cia1ists would not he lead into any
such trap-a trap which would result
+, a complete destruction of your or
qonization in this district. We are
sure that no honest Socialist would
endorse this system of Cannonism OF
vote for the Republican candidate for
CONGRESS-. who has never as yet de-
ried that he will support Joe Cannon
and the system. I viii do Mr.. Gill
moro the Justice TO say that he assures
me he never will agree TO any such
nIan. No Socialists, he says, VIII
ever he a party to fastening con-
tinuation Of the system OF Cannonism
and Aldrichism on the American REQ
ME If Mr.. Gilmore is sincere IN tnis
ve shaIl know when the votes are
counted tor not by their words put
"bv their fruits shall ye know them
You Socialists claim that your party
is on the increase. If that Is so you
should poll larger vote In this eIec-
ton than you did in the last. II your
vote is materially increased, then we
shall, know that there has been no
collusion between you and the re
publicans.
II Mr.. Gilmore will speak truth'n'ly
n Won he will tell you In sincerity
that he does not hone to win tnis
Congressional race. When you vote
for a man whom you know has no
chance 70 win. you simply disfranchise
Yourselves to that extent. believe
IN a man sticking to his Ideals out
NV friends. you cannot afford to go 10
.ho ox.ant Of disfranchising your