The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-10-07

'vernment by monopoly, through cor
|iuption of our city councilmen, leg
islators, congressman and executives
Argument was adduced to snow
that during the past ten or twenty
Years the American democracy ha
been we'll nigh dead and that ar
cligarhy of wealth--the Morgans and
Rockefellers and Harrimans ant
l. ricks and Gargs-have grasped tho
reins of power and been the real
rulers But during the past two
years the people have been making
up and speaking off the robbers.
Two means were exemplified where
by this oligarchy supplants our elect
ed officials These are embezzement
Of power and embezzlement of prop.
orty. Such Illustrations of the former
as that of our own immortal Rodncy
J. Diegle and Senators Huffman, Ce.
tone, Andrews and Representatives
Nye. Lowery and others were cited
illuminate the situation. on the lat.
ter proposition the case of the Union
Pacific railroad was cited whereby
the management spent from 500. 000
to $4,000 annually to bribe the Ma.
tional congress, one of the Big Foui
appearing az a lobbyist i'm congress
for thirty years to accomplish that
work by straight bribery-to get such
laws passed and largesses granted as
they might wish. 1t was with bribC
money that California has been con
trolled since she was admitted to the
union until last year when Governor
Johnson smashed the old thievng
ring And that is true OF other cities
and states along that line.
Another case cited was that In
which the Y. s. steel company poured
500, 100000 OF water into its new
merger. made two or three dozen
multi-millionaires and then levied thai
hurde non the people who bought Its
commodities you and me. We
must pay It's dividends. And that Is
only one company. The methods OF
correction for these wrongs were held
20 be publicity and more democracy
direct legislation-the I. q X. The
initiative and referendum were recon
mended for this work to be used in q
conservative way.
The doctrine advocated by Repre-
sentative samuel Mccall of Massachu-
SC It's i'm the Atlantic Monthly recent
ly--that our fathers rejected democ-
racy when they made the constitu-
ton and adopted representative gov
ernment-was analysed and shown TO
be misleading. The facts are the
statesmen Of that day feared the peo
ple an dtried to remove the govern.
ment from them in part but In that
they were mistaken. our experience
of 1876 pears has shown that the only
sclid basis OF support Is confidence IN
the people.
Moreover. we are going that way all
the time. The wiping out of slavery
the nullity of the alleged authority
of the electoral college, the practical
election of L. S. senators by the peo-
rle of nearly all the states. Instead
of by the legislatures, and other sim
liar changes proves that the tendency
isl very strongly to democracy and
that we understand our needs ana
our times better than our fathers VINO
made the constitution did.
The liquor question, governors CAP
met, jury system and other points
we're discussed.
made a report on the progress the
Antl-saloon league is making In Sc
curing announcement. The diff
cultles of getting down to work were
pointed out, the embarrassments
made clear, the care that had to be
taken described and the enormous
amount Of detail work that the move
ment necessitated was sketched. Then
the speaker detailed what had beer
{ ccomplished, who had been arrested,
what convictions had been secured
and how the work was going on.
He also discussed the probable com
ing battle with the enemy and warn
ed the people to be alert and ready
for the contest His opinion was thai
by hook or crook the vets would Sc
cure enough names to- precipitate an
Engagement and he wanted the eas'
end to be ready to meet the issue. II
was a good meeting.