The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-07-14
GOV. FOLK WOULD NOT
TALK OF PRESIDENCY

btteN VI u6SIS6bSO
Former Governor Joseph w. Folk
of st. Louis, Mo-, arrived in the
city on the noon train from Austin,
where he gave a lecture last evening
at the chautauQua, and he will speak
this evening at the Mankato chau-
tauqua on THE Era of Conscience.
Governor Folk, it will be remem-
bered. ga Y a lecture at the opera
house two and half years ago on
the Y. NJ. c. A. lecture course, and
during this lecture took occasion to
commend the commission form of
government for cities. He still advo-
Gates this form of government, and
stated to a Free Press reporter this
afternoon that over two hundred
cities in the United States have now
adopted this form, and that not one
of them would go back to the plan
that it abandoned. The system has
proved to be better than any forms
of city government heretofore used.
Is An Optimistic Democrat.
Reverting to politics, Governor
Folk said: "The prospects of demo
cratic success are very good, and if
the party is true to its ideals, l be-
lieve that it will win at the next
election. These ideals oppose privi-
lege in every form, including a pro-
tective tariff, subsidies, bounties and
fn1 60 To fhn 70
at the burden of all. If the party
should admit the justice of a monop-
oly-creating tariff on one thing, it
cannot deny it on other things. There
should be no protection at all merely
for the sake OF protection.
"The congressman who votes for
protection on wool is not in posi-
ton to combat the principles as ap-
Piled to other articles. Free raw ma
terials, including wool, is an old es-
tablished policy of the democratic
party. Tariff for revenue, of course,
is all right, but it should be sim
ply for revenue and not for protec-
ton under the guise of revenue. For
the purpose of raising revenue, the
tariff should be confined as far as
possible to luxuries, and taken off as
much as possible from the necessi-
ties of life.'
He Discusses Reciprocity.
Referring to the reciprocity treaty
with Canada Governor Folk said:
THE first settlers in the middle
west consumed many weeks in trav-
cling few hundred miles. In the
time of jefferson it took a day to
go the distance we can now cover
in an hour. New inventions have
annihilated time and space. The diff
ferent7 states OF the nation are now
closer together in point of time than
were the counties of the average
state a hundred years ago, and the
various nations of the earth are now
more closely connected in point of
communication than were the states
a century past. Political divisions
continue to exist, but distances have
been effaced. In the days of Wash
ington we asked only to be allowed
to live to ourselves uninterrupted.
Then men did busiueaH in their i'm
mediate communities, with little
thought of going beyond. AS time
went on, trade became extended to
boundaries cO-eXtensive with the linn
its of the state. We have now reach
ed the point, with swift means of
transportation and instantaneous
communication with every part of
the earth, that the world is the bust
ness field of the great Industries of
our nation. With the prospective
completion of the Panama canal, and
the Improvement of our magnificent
natural waterways, which afford us q
cheap means of transportation, the
commerce of the United States should
be extended to the remotest parts OF
civilization.
Speaks for American Ships.
CAS- this trade continues to in
crease, American ships should carry
American products into every land,
and returning pour into the lap of
the nation the golden stream of uni
versal commerce. The time of the
hermit nation has passed. Interna.
tional commerce can never be a
one-sided transaction. Mutually is
the primary law of trade. Trade
restrictions breed trade retaliations !;
and so long as we pursue a policy
of hostile exclusiveness, we can
never hope to dominate the CONNER.
cial marts of the world. This can
only be done by reciprocal trade re-
lations not only with Canada but
with all the leading nations Legiti
mate commerce follows in the wake
of peaceful industry, fair dealing and
freedom from artificial restrictions
upon trade. These truths in the
light of history are self evident, and
a wise and progressive statesman
ship must recognize and apply them
if American commerce would make
conquest of the worlds markets. -
Governor Folk declined to be inter.
viewed on the presidency.
Hon. Arthur K. Peck was the
speaker at the chautauqua last night
He told in graphic style and il
- eli IL.