The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-08-18

Washington, August 15-Are the
American people competent to rule?
And If they are competent, have they
the right under the constitution to
do so2
Here are two vital question directly
| involved In vote by President TAFT
of the Flood resolution granting state.
hood to Arizona and New Mexico
territories which have these may years
been eligible to admission as states,
but which have been barred out. first.
because certain big interests in the
territories desired 1t, and second, be-
cause the Republicans feared Arizona
would send Democratic senator's 10
congress.
The impression that the White
House Press bureau, Secretary Hilles,
manager, would have go out to the
country is that the vote was made
necessary by provision in the Flood
resolution which established the re-
call. This is erroneous. The fact is,
both branches of congress were care.
full not to go on record either for or
against the recall The resolution
simply gives the people of Arizona
the right of local self government;
the right to vote on the question of
recall. and to themselves determine
whether they desire the recall.
SO the president is not yetoing the
recall Of judges when he yetoes state
hood. What he really is vetoing is
the right of the people of Arizona to
decide for themselves the form of Re.
publican government under which
they wish to live. You folks in Ari-
zona are not intelligent enough to Sc
lect the form of government under
which you are to live" is the ultima
tum the president lays down by veto
ing the statehood resolution Mr.. Taft
would have his will prevail instead OF
the will of two thirds of the people of
Arizona
| - iiOtoO
In the haze of scandal that hangs
over the Taft administration, the form
of Charles r. Taft, capitalist, busy
multiplying his dollars, is plainly dis
cernible. AS the curtain is lifted on
each succeeding scene of his course,
are men. who know exactly what
they want; men who are the acknowl-
edged forces that are trying to shape
humanity to the dollar.
When he was elected he inspired
many who are known as pregressives
wit the belief that he had made his
choice between public and private in
terests. Perhaps he had. But always
before his mental vision ne must quite
naturally see his brother and his
brothers wealth. From his nativity
wealth and it's emblems have been the
| be-all and the end-all of this son OF
plutocracy. Yet he means we'll He
has good heart His great handicap
Is that he has these men who know
what they want around him-men to
whom the public is the last considera
ton.
Therefore it would seem that it mat
ters little what large schemes are
planned of phophesied, so long as
Mr., Taft sits in the executive chair
The president has as little chance to
succeed as the executive of the nation
as man in any other walk of life
might have if he tried to serve two
masters.
Canadians Are Wary.
The Republican argument that 4
high tariff is necessary to maintain
"the high American wage" is showl
up as farce, by the presence in sew
eral American manufacturing com
munities of agents of Canadian manu-
facturers, who are gathering figures tt
show that Canada can not compete
against American wages.
The Canadians, for instance, ar
learning that men work in the stee
Hills lWelVe hours udy, anu sever
days week for dollar and half Z
day. 1t is because they do not wist
to compete against the cheap foreign
immigration labor employed by th'
steel and other trusts that some o
the Canadians are urging the defea
of reciprocity.
And yet the Republican protection
lists have argted all these years tina
it might have to compete with tn,
cheap labor of other countries. Th'
information gathered by the Canadian
knocks the legs from under that an
cient contention, so far as Canada il