Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-14
FOR RULE BY PEOPLE
Woodrow Wilson's Idea Of
American Government.
MAKES APPEAL TO PARTY
Says Democrats Should Announce
Greed and Define the Special In.
terests They Oppose.

INDTANOPOLIs. Ind, April 14.-Urging
the democratic party to state its creed
in the concrete and define clearly the
especial forms of privilege it declares
against in general campaign. "for the
rights Of the people," Gov. Woodrow Will
son Of New Jersey in an address to the
National League Of Democratic Clubs. at
their banquet here last night, set forth
the objects Of the party as he believed
they exist and should be stated. Gov.
Wilson said, in part:
I'VE say that we are against privilege
and for the rights Of the people, but
privilege has worn many forms. What
is the especial form Of privilege we now
fight? How does it endanger the rights
OF the people, and what do we mean to
do In order to make our contest against
it effectual? What are to be the items
Defines His Position.
by privilege. as we now fight 1t. we
mean control Of the law, Of legislation
and of adjudication, by organizations
which do not represent the people, by
means which are private and selfish and
worthy of all condemnation We mean
specifically the conduct of our affairs
and the shaping Of our legislation in tho
AnScICSt VI Special OOOIcS Oh Cdpll6l du0
those who organize their use.
1--WE mean the alliance for this pur-
pose Of political machines with the cap
tains of organized industry. We mean
the exploitation Of the people by legal
and political means.
Legislation, as we nowadays conduct
It. Is not conducted in the open. 1t is
not thrashed out in open debate upon
contrary. framed. digested and conclud-
ed in committee rooms. It is in COM
mittee rooms that legislation not desired
by the interests dies. It is in committee
rooms that legislation desired by the in
There is not enough debate Of II in open
house. in most cases, to discover the real
meaning of the proposals made. Clauses
lie quietly undiscovered In our statutes
which contain the whole gist and pur-
pose Of the act.
Payne-Aldrich Law "outrageous."
'Of course the chief triumph of COM
mittee work. of covert phrase ana un-
explained classification. is the tariff law.
Ever since the passage Of the outrageous
PayneAldrich tariff law our people have
been discovering the concealed meanings
and purposes which lay hidden in it.
They are discovering, item by item. how
deeply and deliberately they were de-
ceived and cheated. This did not happen
elaborated, secret design. Questions put
upon the floor In the House and Senate
were not frankly or truly answered, and
an elaborate piece Of legislation was
foisted on the country. which could not
possibly have passed II it had been COM
pretended by the whole country.
Rights Of the People.
Hence our objects as a party. take
these objects to be to open all the proc
esses Of politics-open them wide to pub
lie view; to make them accessible to
every force that moves. every opinion
that prevails in the thought Of the pso-
pie; to give society command Of It's own
economic life again. not by revolutionary
measures. but by a steady application OF
the principle that the people have q right
to look into such matters and to control
them; to safeguard our resources and the
lives Of our workmen and women and
children against the selfshness Of private
use and profit; to cut all privileges and
patronage and private advantages and
secret use Of our fiscal legislation: to
equarize the burdens Of taxation. and to
throw open the gates OF opportunity to
mankind"