The Falls City tribune., 1910-09-09
Christian c~Ia4ons5ip.

solemn |-rttHI rests UPON tH#
Christian 10 make t8o business o.
IfH.# Ha.Iaa-tae #.al of his follows
-I# business Too often mon are
s.. absorbed in their o@n personal
atla9I#. and So ooatempfous Of eg.
ervaaug that #atoaa Of polite. that
They leave taa Notwithstanding.
I8laI.aa ratbar=of public affairs to
IN Ire maIu-mere berth seekers.
whenever. in some reform squirt.
The people waken to their obligations
and privileges as citizens, there is
very definite progress made.
In the current E|yerybody's Maya
zine. there is an article by Frederick
c. Howe. which every citizen should
ponder. Among things, he says:
THE trouble with congress is that
it does not represent US. the PEG
pie. 1t represents only a part of
the people. And the task before
us, the people. is to make con
gress represent us; all of us; not a
few of us; not a part of us; not even
the best of us; but all of us. And
the way TO make congress represent
all of us if for each of us to see to
it that his congressman represents
him.
That means you. 1t means me,
too. and the other fellow; and some
of us will do our part. But every
body | meet seems to have this
question ON his conscience:
what can do?"
Here, then, is something for you
to do this year. You car help to
make your next congressman repre-.
sent us. And the way TO begin is
TO ask in YOU own mind, and then
in your own mind to answer, this
question:
Does my present congressman rep.
resent me?"
Has he distributed the burden OF
taxation fairly? Has he provided
hat certain qua s%i-public functions
shall be carried on in the interests
of all the people? Has he safe
guarded your interests as an agent
should? Has he been your delegate
in cur common business at Washing.
ton?
In other words, has he represent.
ed you and me?
This, our question, is being asked
in one form or another all over
the country. 1t is being asked in
the shop, on the farm, in the count
ing room, and on the street. 1t is
being asked at the primaries and in
the conventions. And it is being
asked at the polls, i'm some places
Old agents have been replaced by
new hes in Massachusetts, and in
New York. because the answer was
not satisfactory.
Now you can find the answer to
some forms of this question in the
Congressional Record by sc|rutinizinf
the roll call. The Record does moi
tell the whole story. 1t does not
tell how measures are strangled in
committees, how they are amended
and altered; it does not tell the
story of the subterranean tricks en-
ployed 10 control the House through
Cannon and the Rules, and the Sen
ate through Aldrieh. But the Rec
ord viii tell you what your agent die
on critical occasions such as the
Rules fight in the House. the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill, and the Wicker
sham railway measure. And you
have a right to know this, and tC
act upon it.
Your congressman at Washington
ought to represent you, not only be
cause this is a government of the
people, but because you reward hin
in honor and money. America is
almost the only civilized nation
whose government is supported by {
sort Of poll tax ON the people. tx
cept for the recent tax on corpora
lions have gone into the courts Il
defeat. zone of the things taxed il
most of the countries of the world
property, wealth, privilege, in
comes. inheritances-is naturally tax
I'd in this country. Almost alone
America taxes the weak rather thai
the strong, necessity rather than
| ahi1itN anpe,,Ynnti, ,,tI., ~.
wealth.
And the average mar pays mucl
more than his share, for he uses
almost as much sugar and meat anC
food stuffs as the rich. He wears
almost as many coats and shoes, AM