News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1910-05-04
A Strong Appeal for Reforms
Editor the News and Citizeas

Editor the Nees and Citizen:
In looking over the editorial columns
of the NEWS AND CITIZEN of April 10, /
saw 1.-The Barre Times calls 1t slow
Campaign" and ye editor we'll says,
swell what Is the matter with q slow
campaign?'' l would like to contribute
my mite. Somebody said in some paper
short time ago that 1t made his blood
boil, the way things are going on at WASH
ipgton. believe the blood of good
many people is at the boiling point over
the way our representatives are acting,
not only in Washington but also in some
of our State legislatures. In view of the
recent scandals that are being made pub
lie, tits no wonder, that we, as a people
feel disgraced and angered. We, the
governed, select men to work for us at
fair pay. to do our will as we deem best
in making laws for us. But instead of
working for the good of the people they
work for the Trusts, Wall street. and
themselves. Instead of lowering the
tariff it is raised, instead of regulating
the trusts and combinations they are
given freer and greater liberties and all
we can do is to humbly ask for few con-
| cessions. How long, let me ask, would
a private company keep man in its en-
ploy If he did the opposite of what he
was wanted to do. But we are compelled
| to pay him salary and keep him until
his term of Office expires.
1T looks to us as though the old way s
must be changed and new ones adopted,
II we would meet new conditions in way
| that would be effective. To remove them
| from office is an impossibility as a large
| share OF them seem to be banded tOgeLh-
| er to favor their own, as well as the in
| terests OF favored few. l believe there
are some things which will do much tow
| ard correcting these deplorable condi-
| tions. The right of recall and referen-
dunn by their constituents for one, and
| then ii our representatives went contrary
to our wishes we could give that string
pull that would bring them back so fast
| they wouldn't get over it as long as they
lived; and the next man would know
what to expectit he failed to do his duty
towards his state or country.
There is no question that If we, as
people, would get busy and go slow and
carefully in the future, and use our com.
| mon sense we might accomplish some
| thing. IL would seem to me that there
are good honest men left in this state and
and country encouraged by courageous
men behind them to urge them on, TO do
our work. and do it to The glory Of our
State as we'll as the nation.
1t looks as though the time had arrived
when something should be done to pro-
tect the common peoples interest. Men
that will legislate for the majority of the
people. the man that is struggling under
the high pressure of prices on necessaries
OF life and are struggling as they never
struggled before to make ends meet. We
don't want law, charity and piety. We
want justice and can have it if we go
after it with the determination to have
it.
l do not wish to class myself as an
alarmist, but it would seem to me that
the time has come when something must
be done to check the money mad career
of the giant trusts and combination or
something serious will inevitably follow.
Whatever virtues may be ascribed to
the American people, they should have
a liberal share of credit for their remark
able patience. But there is an invisible
line drawn where patience ceases to be
virtue" and believe we as a people
have about reached that line. The ques-
ton of Bread and Meat is one of vital i'm
pol\ence to the human race for it is of
paramount Importance to heed the
"w1king on the wall' and remember that
t'hk ger knows no law and all the argu-
|meOt and reasoning possible will not con-
vince a starving man. For ages the peo-
pie have been striving to keep the wolf
from the door. but no organization. hunt
has ever been started to kill the wolf, to
my knowledge. H. W. BACON
EDEN MILLS.