The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-02-03


Owen, A. NJ, LII. D., a senator from
oklahoma, has been frisked
But few short and feeting days
agone, the Hon. owen was full of po-
litical doctrine and dogma of which he
was the undisputed proprietor 1t
.bulged from his every pocket. IT filled
his utterances from the forum, and,
safeguarded by the potent espionage
of his senatorial frank, it more or less
cluttered up the United States mails.
The Hon. owen. be it known, was
the originator of the modern manifest
alton of that school of political dostrine
which has become known as the peo-
pies rule" He was for the people
when nobody else knew they existed;
at least, when nobody else recognized
them as an available asset that could
be cashed in at the central bank OF po-
litical exchange.
He was head of IAN advistory com
mittee" which long ago mt forth liter
ature proposing that the leaders Of
democracy" organize themselves into
a great national movement for the pro
mitigation of certain reforms calculated
to restore to the people the right to
run the country He wrote literature,
circulated it, talked it into the Record
so that it could be franked, and got
busy in a myriad of ways He didn't
say much about his organized activi-
ties, but he was busy all the time
Talked to Both Sides.
He talked to republicans and demo-
crats alike about the desrability of
having the people take a larger part
in the government He was for real
primaries, for popular election of SEN
ators, for the initiative. referendum,
recall, short ballot and all those things
before anybody else had thought of
mentioning them in public.
But today, the Hon Owen is
bankrupt. He has been held up, and
the entire scheme of popular govern
ment has been taken off his person.
The National Progressive Republi-
can League has done the business. 1t
appropriated the Owen program, put
an insurgent label on it, and flashed It
forth to the country as the project Of
the progressive wing of the republican
party. Senator owen is wondering just
what is left for him But he doesn't
worry much.
Willing to Furnish the Thunder.
Haven't these progressive republi-
cans stolen all your thunder?" was ask
ed of Senator Owen. just after the new
league had thundered forth its declara-
tion of intent to fix things right.
Perhaps they have" was the sor-
rowful reply, "but am always willing
to have anybody steal the text of the
Ten Commandments from me. They'll
do him more good than the theft can
possibly do me harm.
Senator Owen has been a peoples
rule advocate since before the Hodges
were hung, whoever they were and
wherever that was. He made speeches
about it before Jonathan Bourne had
started propagatiRg the idea. And,
oddly enough. he doesn't claim that
the democratic party had copyright
on the idea. He isn't concerned be-
cause the first formal organization to
take up the idea and make big splash
over it is republican. He is pleased
half to death because a new crowd has
discovered his scheme of making the
people the real bosses of this count
try.
The Owen program was put out
many months ago. and the fact that it
is now being pushed forward by a !
group of republicans is regarded by
Senator owen as merely an evidence
that the program is one that cannot
fail TO gather up followers wherever
i is talked about He opines that
democrats and republicans are all peo- !
pie, and as his game is to get the peo-
pie interested in the scheme. he IS glad
to get all kinds OF them active.
Believes People Should Boss.
His scheme includes everything the
Progressive Republican League has put \
forth in its platform, and still more.
owen would have publicity of cam
paign contributions before election,
and he believes further that the public
treasury might well contribute the
funds. and permit free use
of the mails for distribution of proper
literature The idea of Gues-
tioning candidates before nominating
them is in his project In shor'. he
doesn't care a cent whether anybody
does any bossing at aIl--except the
people.
Well, of course, with a program OF