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

thing OF the past, and Cannonism il
the logical result of that class who be
lieve in centralized government an,
that property should rule. 1t stand
for the GENERALIZATION Of power.
means the denying to the state o
rights SO necessary for home govern
ment, and the democratic party if 4
obtained no other crown in the las
congress than this. may well 90 before
| the people asking for Cover by reason
of the. energy displayed in destroying
| the one source that means the destruc
ton Of independent government.
There is feeling abroad in the land
today that our representatives are in
fluenced by those not appreciative o.
tile real condition of the public mind
The bone and sinew Of this nation
those who errct aud maintain its pres
ent ascendency in commerce and
wealth, will not sit idly by and permit
those 10 profit in futures to reap the
benefits. Men today are claiming to
be leaders who are not In sympathy
and do not realize the magnitude of the
spirit of reform. The reform element
of the country may be placed in two
classes, the one whose efforts are tc
destroy graft and who are opposed to
bribery, who believe in the enforcement
of law and yet see nothing wrong IN
the system-this class does not stand
for real reform. The real question is
'tform OF the system, reform OF the
law. The CRATER and Sr;pe taker, he
who fails 10 enforce the law VIII soon
be found out. He will soon be ostra'
cized, not alone by the community, but
by his own conscience. The man WHO
stands for reform of law, that claims
equal opportunities are not permitted
by legislation, who stands against TAX
ing from one man property :or the
benefit of another that is the reform
desired today The democratic party
stands opposed to graft and bribery
and is for the enforcement OF law; but
1t goes further and insists that the
laws of our nation permitting discrim-
ination in favor of the rich, that as
sist in the accumulation OF wealth IN
the hands Of the few, that burden Ia.
Dor by oppressive and unjust taxation
is wrong, and on that field the demo
cratic party will make its final stand
and IL death comes, its last breath
will be for human as against soulless
beings.
The commerce act was introduced as
an evidence that the party in power
wished to bring relief to the trans
portation class of our nation For a
decade the Interstate Commerce Com
mission has been clammoring for the
right of the Initiative with reference
to rates and for the same period OF
time the party in power stood as It's
remorseless foe. Today We witness the
transportation companies of this coun-
try in practically seven hands, seven
great systems controlling the country
as effectively as you control your own
family. The one body to whom the
public at large might appeal was the
Interstate Commerce Commission. Its
vitality was clipped at every corner
until in the campaign of 1908 the demo
cratic party by national platform cnun-
ciated the proposition that there should
be given unto that commission the
right of the initiative as to rates and
to declare not only rate illegal. but
the commission to name rate for the
transportation of the commodity.
This proposition so essential to the
commercial interests of the nation was
denied by the republican party. The
present administration presented to
congress bill emenating from the at
torney generals office, that If it had be-
come law as thus presented, meant
the destruction of the rights of the peo-
pie ana the placing in control of trans
portation the railroads of the nation.
The present commerce law does not
reacn the expectation of the public.
The commerce court is an attempt to
take the place of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, with power to sus-
pend its rates, review its acts and set
aside its rules. This Is sufficient indi-
cation that the present administration
is more interested in the corporations
of the country than in the welfare Of
the people
What Democracy Stands For.
The battle ground is marked out, the
issues are made up and the represenp
tatives of the people must be as sincere
and devoted after election as they ap
parently were before Democracy
stands for revision of the tariff, the
removal of the tax on the necessaries
of life, that duties should be for the
purpose of obtaining revenue and not
for private graft Economy in expendi.,
ture of public affairs, the election of
the United States senators by the peo-
pie, that the wealth of the nation hear
its share OF the burden and that equal
opportunities be granted to ALL Upon
these issues we need not fear the re-
suit.
The democratic party must meet the
questions arising and the one upper
most this hour is whether man or prop
erty shall rule. 5s'
The republican party stands for big
interests, wealth as against men and is
insisting on q Capitalization of power
1t has made business right superior to
human and that corporate interests are
more to be guarded than those Of the
Individual
We do not believe that all prosper
ity centers III Morgan and Standard
Oil. We do not believe these inter
ests should be permitted by legislation,
to have control of the wealth Of the
nation. We do not believe this class