The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-04-14

INDIANAPOLIS. IND. April IA
Urging the Democratic party to state
its creed ia the concrete and define
clearly the especial forms of privi-
iege i. declares against in general
campaign for the rights Of the peo-
pie" Gov. Woodrow Wilson. OF New
Jersey, in an address To the National
League of Democratic Clubs, at their
banquet here last might, set forth the
OBJECTS OF the party as he believed
they exist and should be stated. Gov.
Wilson said, in part:
We say that we are against priyi-
iese and for the rights of the people,
but privilege has worn many forms.
w nat 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 1t effectuai? What are
to be the items of our new declaration
of independence?
by privilege. as we now fight it, we
mean control of the law, OF legislation
and or adjudication. by organizations
"Hcn DO not represent the people. by
means are private and selfish and wor-
thy of all condemnation. We mean
specifically the conduct of our affairs
and the shaping OF our legislation in
Wv Aia1icSS ol special DoOlSS OF CApl-
TAI and those who organize their use.
I'VE mean the alliance for this pur-
pose of political machines with the
captains OF organized industry. We
mean the exploitation OF the people
by legal and political means.
Legislation Not in Open.
Legislation, as we nowadays con-
duct II. Ia not conducted In the open.
1t In not thrashed out in open debate
ffnOnt tho Hoaro nF
liz on the contrary, framed. digested.
and concluded In committee rooms. IT
III In committee rooms that legislation
not desired by the interests dies. 1t
10 in committee rooms that legislation
desired by the interests is framed and
brought forth. There Is not enough
debate of IL In open house, in most
cases, to discover the real meaning
OF tho proposals made. Clauses lie
quietly undiscovered In our statutes
which contain the whole gist and pur-
pose of the act
"Of course the chief triumph OF
committee work, OF covert pharse and
unexplained classification, is the tariff
law. Ever since the passage of the
outrageous Payne Aldrich tariff Law
our people have been discovering the
concealed meanings and purposes
which lay hidden IN IT They are dis
covering, item by item, how deeply
and cheated This did not happen by
accident: 1t came about by design by
elaborated. secret design. Questions
put upon the floor In the House and
Senate were not frankly or truly an
Ewered. and an elaborate piece of leg
islation was foisted on the country
which could not possibly have passed
If 1t had been comprehended by the.
whole country.
Objects OF the Party.
Hence our objects as party
take these objects to be TO open all
the processes OF politics-opeu them
wide to public view: 10 make them
accessible TO every force that moves.
every opinion that prevails In the
thought Of the people; to give society
command OF It's own economic life life
again. not by revolutionary measures,
but by a steady application OF the
principle that the people have a right
to look into such matters and to con-
troll them: TO safeguard our resources
and the lives of our workmeu and
women and children against the sell
fishness of private use and profit: 10
cut all privileges and patronage and
private advantages and secret use OF
our fiscal legislation: to eauaiize the
burdens of taxation, ana to throw open
the gates of opportunity TO mankind"