The Detroit times., 1910-06-14

Conservation has captured the ma
ton. Official opposition to the con-
servation movement has Vastly
strengthened the conscience oil our
people. Efforts to obscure or belittie
the issue have only served to make II
larger and clearer In the public esti-
nation. The conservation movement
cannot be checked by the baseless
charge that II will prevent develop
ment. or that every man who tells the
plain truth is either q muckraker or
a demagog.
The conservation issue Ia moral
issue. and the heart OF II Is this: For
whose benefit shall our natural re-
sources be conservation the beneht
OF us all, or for the use and pront OF
the few?
All monopoly rests on the unreguiat
ed control Of natural resources. Such
control by special interests Is impos'
sible without the help OF politics. The
alliance between business and politics
is the most dangerous thing In our
political life.
1t is the snake that We must kill
The special interests must get out OF
/ VI TIC AhhSiitoh PSNfe~
Put them out OF business.
Because the special interests are III
politics, we as nation have lost con
fidepce In congress. This Is serious
statement. but II Is true. IL does mol
apply, OF course, to the congressman
who are making so fine a fight for the
conservation OF selfgovernment.
But In the meantime the people o.
the United States believe that. as
whole. the senate and the house NJ
longer represent the voters by whom
they were elected, but the special In
terests by whom they are controlled.
The tariff has been made tool Il
increase the cost OF living. The WOO
schedule. protesting to protect the
wool grower, Is found to result In sac
lrifcing grower and consumer alike u
one OF the most rapaciops Of trusts.
!. The cotton cloth schedule was In
creased in the face of the uncontra
dicted public testimony OF the manu-
facturers themselves that II ought L
remain unchanged.
.. The steel interests by a trick sc
cured an indefensible increase in tn
tariff on structural steel.
, The sugar trust stole from the gov
eminent like a petty thief, yet con
, gress, by means of q dishonest sched
ule. continues to protect II In bleeding
the public.
, At the very time the duties on man
ufactured rubber were raised. tn
leader OF the senate, In company wit
the Guggenheim syndicate, was organ
j lzing an international rubber trust
whose charter made II also holding
company for the coal and copper DC
posits Of the whole world
| For a dozen years the demand OF tn
] nation for the pure food and drug bill
was outweighed in congress by the In
terests which asserted their rights I
ipoison the people for profit.
Congress refused to authorize tn
preparation of a great plan OF water
way development In the general inter
est, and for 10 years has declined I
pass the Appalachian and White mour
tain national forest bill. although tn
people are practically unanimous TO
both.
The whole nation Is in favor Of Pre-
tecting the coal and other natural re
sources OF Alaska, yet they are stil
in grave danger OF being absorbed b
the special interests. And as for tn
general conservation movement, cor
gress not only refused to help II Or
but tried TO forbid any progress with
tout its help. Fortunately fer US al
in this attempt It has utterly failed.
The loss OF confidence in congress
Is a matter for deep concern to ever
!. thinking American. II has not com
5 quickly or without good reason.
9 Every man who knows congress We
), knows the names OF senators and men
bers who betray the people they wer
elected TO represent, and knows ais
4 the names OF the masters whom the
I obey.
d Political platforms are not SINGER
8 statements OF what the leaders of
Irarty really believe, but rather form
lof words which those leaders thin
u they can get others to believe the
n believe. All this the people realiz
e and they are ready to act on the
l. knowledge.
Some OF the men who are respol
|sible for the union of business IN
politics may be profoundly dishones
{ but more of them are not. Many {
the old-style leaders regard the polit