The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-28

to join the progressive Republicans be-
cause they only represented true
democracy and charged that the Demo-
Gratis of the south were "a democracy
of class and aristocracy."
The initiative, referendum and the
recall were declared to be tenets of the
proSressives and the declaration FOR the
latter was received by the audience with
applause which increased in volume
when the speaker insisted the recall
should be applied to the judges.
with all my respect for the courts
as a lawyer. do not feel they are so
holy that they are incorruptible. There
are judges who have served corporation
interests so long that they cam see
straight They mean to be Just but they
can't hold the scales OF justice level
The progressives stand for applying the
recall to the judges
The bureau of corporations was char
acterized as the most wonderful inst1-
tuition in the world and the speaker
commended Commissioner Herbert
Knox Smith and his predecessor, James
r. Garfield to whom he turned. He
said the bureau was doing great things
in determining the valuation or cor
From this Mr.. LaFollette launched
into a discussion of Judge Gary's plan
for federal regulation of prices as a
relief from monopoly. Mr.. LaFolette
said he had no patience with this
method. In his analysis he went far
Their and said that ultimately the gov
eminent would have to fix prices Of
labor, hours of employment and COM
pensation of original producers in or
der to fix accurately the prices to be
offered the consumers.
His Own Plan.
Instead OF the Gary plan or the TAFT
plan of a federal license, for incorpora-
tions Senator LaFolIette proposed MS
own plan for a commission restraint
of trade TO relieve the country of cOndi-
lions in which he finds it. The senator
saw great evil in the growth of the
trusts and describing it, said:
"A tremendous power has grown up IN
the country in recent years. Again and
again it has proven strong enough to
nominate the candidate of both political
parties. 1t rules in the organization of
executive bodies, state and national, and
of the committees which frame legisla-
ton. It's influence is felt in cabinets and
in the policies of administration. Its in
fluence is seen in the appointment OF
prosecuting officers and the selection OF
judges upon the bench
In business 1t has crippled or DESTROYED
competition It makes prices and I'M
poses its burdens upon the consuming
public domain, monopoHzed the natural
resoruces-timber, iron, coal and OIL"
Although Senator LaFollette made no
direct reference to the president nor sug-
gested his own candidacy he included
in his speech a denunciation of the
Payne-Aldrich tariff law Immediately fol-
lowing his praise of labor organization
and his opinion that the Sherman anti
trust law did not contemplate their regu-
lation. THE passage of the Payne
Aldrich bill was the most outrageous as
sault of private interests upon the people
recorded in tariff history he said.
Attacks AIdrich Plan.
He criticised the proposed National Re-
serve association OF the AIdrtch none
petition at the present time is the control
of credit and the concentration of money
in the hands of those who control the
trusts, he continued. Elasticity in our
currency is imperative. and any plan TO
secure it like that of the proposed Ma
tional Reserve association, which puts
control in the hands of the banks and
moneyed interests, will strengthen the
power Of the trusts to get capital and to
keep competition from getting it. Any
pie
Senator LaFollette decried the manner
of growth of trusts and monopolies and
attributed to patent rights, the tariff laws
and the money trust the reason for their
being.
AT any time within the last ten or
fifteen years whenever q voice has been
raised in protest it has been s1Ienced OF
discredited as an attack upon business
and prosperity he said. Honest, IN
selfish, patriotic effort to awaken the
public to an appreciation of the dangers
threatened by this great power, has been
denounced as the work or the demagogue
Whoever has been conspicuous in any
movement, municipal state or national,
that man has been marked and pro
leader has been thorough-going and eff
fective in his work-through a controlled
press and upon the highest business au-
thority-every such man has been espe-
cially characterized and the public par
tcularly warned against him. But final
ly, the time seems to have arrived VIXEN
even the most conservative citizens admit
the gravity of the problem confronting
the American people,
The progressive movement, Mr.. LaFol-
lette declared, has as it's aim the restora-
ton of the government to the people
The real cuTe for the ills OF democracy
is more democracy" said he '"rhat is
what the struggle in Wisconsin, in Cali
fornia, in Ohio and Pennsylvania, New
and Kansas and in every 9TH
err state. in the Union means; that gov
eminent shall be brought back to and
to the hands of the people:
that they are supreme over legislatures
over government, over presidents, over
over courts he asserted
The senator pointed to the record of
legislative and administrative achieve
mentS in Wisconsin on the so-called pro-
gressive principle as proof of his theory
that better government can be given the
people by restoring that function to them.
THE very backbone of true representa-
tive government is the direct participa-
ton in the affairs of government by the
people through direct primaries for the
nomination of candidates" he said. He
declared that the old machine politicians
had lost control in Wisconsin through
this law.