Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-10-04
SO
a TRUE MlNMES 0TA
PROGRESS STATESMAN.
Synopsis o. Congressman Lind
bergh's Speech Delivered at 4.
Little Falls, Sept. rs.

OF the people to prevent
heir rights being further sacrificed,
md to use all wise means to reclaim
heir lost advantages. Progressive
politics means active fighting for the
common welfare by the people, in the
confidence Of each other.
The stand-pat idea is the deter
mination of the politicians to elect
the same officers, or their like, during
whose terms Of Office the natural re-
sources and other advantages we or
iginally had were sacrificed in favor
Of special interests. They have fail
ed to conserve the natural resources
in the past, but they ask that we
trust them and their appointees and
the interests they support, and let
them run things in the same old way.
They favor the people only when
forced by irresistible public senti-
ment and they even resort to sub
terfuge to avoid that. That is be-
cause they have everything they need
to be extravagant on and don't want
to be disturbed.
The stand-patters had charge of
public affairs the last IS years and
should explain why it is that under
their terms Of Office, there has been
such harmony among themselves,
while the greater part Of the ma
TONS natural resources were turned
over to private interests; they should
explain why it is. that during their
regime they granted special. privil-
eyes that we are now bound to fight
to relieve ourselves of, and with them
opposing the reform; they should ex-
plain why they failed to execute the
preventive provisions Of the Sherman
Anti Trust Law, whereby permitting
the great trusts to be formed, and
now claiming that law will stop
trusts. The trusts have grown up
while the stand-patters had charge
of the Government and since the
Sherman Anti Trust Law was pass
ed. What have they been doing or
even trying to do until the people
forced them? They should explain
why it is that the government .ad-
ministration has not kept pace with
the peoples intelligence. All those
and many other things the regulars
should explain before they ask to
further serve the public, thus pillag
ed and plundered by their acquies-
cence. Until they answer, the pre-
sumption is against them.
Progressives, on the other hand,
study in advance and anticipate the
common needs and seek to conserve
the natural resources, to make con-
ditions such as to meet them.
Constructive legislation is neces-
sary and the progressives are pre-
pared to mold legislation suited to
the peoples wishes. e..
It is Of first administrative import
ance to pass laws for the Initiative,
Referendum and Recall, for then the
people will control and they can then
provide for the remedies. The re-
call would seldom be exercised but
the power to recall is just as inher-
ent to the people in the administra-
ton Of government as the right of an
individual, in the control Of his per-
sonal affairs, is to discharge a per-
son in his employ, who does not per-
form the duties Of his employment.
First in economic Importance is
the impending, irrepressible and con-
stantly intensified conflict manifest
ed between organized labor and or
ganized capital by frequent strikes
and lockouts and the ever increasing
difficulty Of securing permanent en-
ployment at living wage. The
courts, by the recent Sanborn de-
cision and others Of like character,
have given to centralized capital a
decree Of privilege to certain pro-
fit, which it maintained, it can be
computed to a certainty will absorb
within a short period, the products
of all human energy. They have left
to the plain citizens, who have lab
ored only to give to society the hope
afforded by the law Of evolution, in
the severest competition, and threat
ened by injunction if they organize
to enforce the payment Of wage
by the same law Of COM
pensation for service as the court
gives to capital. Man and woman,
endowed by the Creator with moral
active being, responsible for and
supporting all that is or will be, are
made servient creatures for exploit
alton by a few persons and concerns
who have 80 per cent of the capital.
This decree Of superiority Of capital
over personal rights is due to be
corrected by proper legislation.
The trusts must be met and dealt
with from constructive and not de-
structive views. They are with us to
stay until we devise ways and means
to deal with the problems they Gre.
ate. The prosecution Of the North
ern Security, the Tobacco, the Stan
dard Oil and other trusts, have not
served any advantage in lessening