Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-10-11
DEMOCRACY GIVES
ROUS|NC WELCOME
TO GOV. THOMPSON

building, the progress and the main
tenance of the fair name of this state.
and in order to do that | shall have
to be somewhat dry in dealing with
some facts and some figures, but they
are such, my friends, as would com
mend themselves to the consideration
of every honest. every intelligent and
every patriotic citizen of this state,
because you, as the Taxpayers. are
called upon for the support and main
tenance of your state government.
and it behooves us when the issues,
such as are presented in this cam
paign, are to be determined, to look
as a good jury does, into the facts of
the case and to be certain that we
understand the case that We are call
ed upon to pass upon.
We all know that the once proud
Republican party, the party of Lin
coin and Garfield, which for more
than fifty years has ruled the destiny
of this great Republic. is for the first
time in its history, broken and dis
membered, and although il has for
almost fifty years wttnstood assault
after assault from the Democratic
party, it is today In a death struggle
not for victory but to maintain life
itself Colonel Roosevelt has given
you the condition of the party which
brought about its present helpless
state. He has told you repeatedly
that that party had gone SO far on the
road to destruction, SO secure was it
in the grasp OF the great interest of
this country. that it was absolutely
incapable of reformation, and hence
in Chicago, in August last. there was
born new and separate and distinct
organization, named by him the ma
tional Progressive Party" and upon
every occasion he has disclaifned any
kinship or relationship whatever to
the old Republica party. But, my
friends, we want to 60 tonight a step
further and understand fully the con-
dition of the Republican party. We
want to look deeper and see what pro-
duced that cause. What is the chief
cornerstone in the foundation of the
new structure which Colonel Roose-
welt has erected and is attempting to
erect2 1t is an elimination from poll
tics and the honest nomination OF
candidates in the primaries. Gap
plause). Without the accomplishment
of that purpose all the other reforms
which he advocates, he says himself,
can never be made effective. What
was the cause of the "Bossism" in
the Republican party? 1t was, my
friends, the entering into partnership
by that party and by the government
which it controls with vested inter-
ests You remember that after the
smoke of the battle of 1896 had clear
ed away that it had revealed that
more than millions of dollars had
been poured into the campaign fund
of the Republican party, and the COM
mittee now sitting in Washington
appointed by the Senate of the Unit
ed States, to investigate the expense
of the campaign of 1904 and 1908, fur
nished the absolute proof OF what
was known by all American citizens
that the object and purposes of the
corporations and trusts of this eoun-
try was to control and direct legis-
lation and that it is the same today
as it was six years ago and as II VIII
be six years hence. We well know
that no man gives something for moth
ing. (Applausel. These contribu-
tons were made with the understand
ing that the donors were to be bene-
fitted. How could they be benefited!
Only in one way and that by absorb
ing the governmental powers and that
one power which our forefathers tried
to hedge with all limitations possible
that was the taxing power OF the
government The Democratic party
believes today. as it has always be-
lieved, that all power of authority
comes from and resides in the people
of this country and no government
has a right to exercise one iota OF
power save as it is delegated to do
by the written constitutions, Doth
state and national. There is no JUS
tice nor fundamenu law that warrants
the taxing of one man for the beneht
of another. Hence it is by abuse or
this power that at each recurring re-
vision of your tariff laws you have
seen the scale go steadily up and just
in proportion as it has assembled so
have these contributions TO the Re
publican campaign fund grown larger
That is what produced the condition
which Mr. Roosevelt says has fasten'
ed these vested interests upon the Re
publican party. | believe there are
hundreds and thousands of honest,