Arizona republican., 1911-05-06

We generally sum up what We mean
by the reactionary forces by speaking
of them as embodied in the interests.
BY that we do not mean the legiti
mate but the illigitimate interests,
those which have not adjusted them
selves to the public interest, those
which are clinging to their vested
rights as bulwark against the ad-
justment which is absolutely neces-
sary if they are to be servants and
not masters of the public. The chief
political fact of the day is that the
republican party is more closely allied
with these interests than the demo-
cratic party. This circumstance con-
stitutes the opportunity of the dem
ocrats They are free to act and to
move in the right direction if they
will but accept the responsibility and
the leadership. The democratic party
is more i'm sympathy with the new
tendencies than the republican. Its
free forces are the forces of progress
and Of popular reform.
Both parties are of necessity break
ing away from the past. whether
they will or no, because our life has
broken away from the past. The life
of America is not the life il was
twenty years ago. 1t is not the life
il was ten years ago. We have
changed our economic conditions
from top to bottom. and with our
economic conditions has changed also
the organization Of our life. The old
party formulas do not fit the present
problems The old cries of the stump
sound as if they belonged to a past
age which men have almost forgotten
The things which used to be put into
the party platforms. of ten years ago
would sound antiGuated now. You
will note. moreover that the political
audiences which nowadays gather to-
gether are not partisan audiences.
They are made up of all elements
and come together not to hear par
ties denounced or praised. but to hear
the interests of the nation discussed
in new terms-the terms of the pres
ent moment.
We have so complicated our mach
inery of government. we have made
il So difficult. so full of ambushes
ana hiding places. so indirect, that
instead of having true representative
government we have great mex
tricable jungle Of organization inter
vening between the people and the
processes Of their government. so
that by stages, without intending it.
without being aware OF it, we have
lost the purity and directness of rep
resentative government. What we
must devote ourselves to now is not
to upsetting our institutions, but To
restoring them.
Undoubtedly we should avoid ex-
citement and should silence the dem
agogue. The man with power but
without conscience, could, with an
eloquent tongue. if he cared for moth
ing but his own power, put this whole
country into a flame. because the
whole country believes that some
! thing is wrong and is eager 10 follow
those who profess to be able to lead
il away from its difficulties. But it
is all the more necessary that we
should be careful who are our guides
The processes we are engaged in are
fundamentally conservative processes
If your trade is diseased it is no rev
OlutiOn To restore To il the purity of
its sap. to renew the soil that Sus-
tains it. to establish the condi-
! tions of its health. That is a process
OF life. of renewal, of redemption.
There is no ground for alarm
therefore. We are bent upon a per
fectly definite program. which is one
of health and renewal.
Let us ask ourselves very frankly
what it is that needs TO be corrected
TO sum il all up in one sentence. it
is the control of politics and of our
! life by great combinations of wealth
Men sometimes talk as if it We're
wealth we were afraid of. as il we
were jealous of the accumulation oi
great fortunes. Nothing of the kind
! is true America has not the slight
| est jealousy of the legitimate accu-
mutation OF wealth. Everybody knows
| that there are hundreds and thou
| sands Of men of large means and
large economic power who have come
| by it all perfectly legitimately not
! only. but in a way that deserves the
thanks and admiration of the com
munities they have served and devel-
| oped. But everybody knows also that
some of the men who control the
| wealth and have built up the indus
| biN VI tue NpuhliA Stch ~ tOlAi ~
politics and also to dominate the
| life of common men in a way in
| which no man should be permittej
/ to dominate.
] In the first place. there is the notOri-
Gus operation of the bipartisan politi-
cal machine: | mean the machine
which does not represent party princi-
pie of any kind, but which is willing
to enter into any combination. with
whatever grOup of persons or of poll
| ticians. to control the offices Jf locali-
! ties and OF states and of the natioI
itself in order to maintain the power Of
] those who direct it, This machine i:
supplied with its funds by the mer
who use it i'm order to protect them
selves against legislation which the,
F, do not desire and in order Ia obtaiI
the legislation which is necessary fo
the prosecution of their purposes.
The methods of our legislature
make the operation of such machines
easy and convenient. for very little o
our legislation is formed and effecte,
by open debate upon the floor Mos
all of it is framed in lawyers offices
discussed in committee rooms, passe,
without debate. Bills that the ma
chine and its hackers do not desire ar
smothered in committee; measure
which they do desire are brought ou
and hurried through their passage.
happens again and again that grea
orouDS of Such bills are rushed thrOugl