East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-10-10
ADDRESS TO FIRST VOTERS

(BX Woodrow Wilson !

practically complete control of the
federal government throughout the
greater part of the last fifty wears
ana throughout that period. the pc
ROD during which America was gain
ing her growth and all her national
haolts; 1t has followed one invariabIe
and consistent policy: it has fostered
every special interest every body of
capital that desired to exploit the nat
ural resources or use the labors of
the country to take up wealth. It's
argument has been: First take care
of the interests and then the inter-
ests Will take care of the common
people; first make big business pros
porous and then big business will
make the masses prosperous: first
take vast sums of money out of the
pockets of the people in the shape of
tariff eXactiOns and make everything
they buy more expensive, and then
pay 1t back To them, in part i'm wa
ges. The doctrine of the democrat
ic party has always been, on the 9th
er hand. that ''the aim of govern
ment must first be to make the mass
es prosperous. and that the interests
VIII then prosper as a natural conse-
quence; that the people must first be
taken care of. and then the interests
Will be able to look out for them
selves; that the only right govern
ment is that which .robs no one. but
protects all"
A partnership of fifty years stand
ing cannot easily be broken. The re-
publican party has for fifty years
maintained partnership with the in
terests. depends upon them for sup
port and maintenance. and cannot
break With them without going to
pieces. 1t Is not free to choose.
Those within its ranks who revolt
inevitably create new party. start
new party tradition. They fling
out and virtually join the democrats.
who are free from entangling al
liances. The sympathies and conf
dences of the democratic party are
with the masses of the people: it's
/ wish is to choose policies which will
/ be in the interest of all; and is free
to do So
The policy of the republican party
what it is. The tariff has become.
not a means of protection, but
means of patronage. The tariff legis-
lation of recent years has been de-
/ signed, not to effect a general and
| healthy economic development and a
fair extension and equaliza ton of the
! opportunities Of the people, but to
! secure profits to particular classes
and combinations of producers.
! Having created trusts the domi-
nant party has tried to regulate"
| them. but its regulation has threat
/ ened to transfer the actual control of
| business to the government itself.
! and may in the long run only cement
the partnership and corrupt the gov
ernment; only make it the more me-
cessary that the interests should
/ maintain the party and control the
government.
The democratic party believes in
such a revision of the tariff as will
take out of it every feature of pat
rOnage and special favor. as will base
it entirely on the need of revenue for
the government and the wisest ad-
! justment of the taxation involved to
the interests of the people. 1t be-
lieves, moreover, not in such "regu!a-
| ton of the trusts as will put busi-
ness n the hands OF the government,
but in such laws as will punish indi-
viduals. the individual in and be-
! hind the trusts, for every breach of
public policy and for every act hos
| tile to the common interests and to
| fair competition and a free oppOrtu'
nifty for every man. In the language
of Governor Harmon: THE evils
with which we are now confronted
are corporate in name, but individual
in fact. Guilt is always personal SO
long as officials can hide behind their
corporations no remedy can be ef-
| fective When the government
searches out the guilty man and
makes corporate wrong-doing mean
| personal punishment and dishonor
the laws will be obeyed."
The whole atmosphere of govern
ment, under republican rule, has be-
come an atmosphere of patronage. of
governmental favor of hostility. Pat
ronage is the mother of graft; favor
breeds servility. The trusts control.
Controlling markets. they control
supply; controlling supply, they con-
troll price; controlling price. they con-
troll life. They control also employ
ment. Who has now the full tradi-
tional American freedom of opportu-
! nifty? What are you free to choose
when you seek an Independent open
ing in life, except either to serve
trust or to defy it? And who, under
our present laws, has the serength to
defy it?
This, then, is your choice: VIII you
act with those who have created this
system and who cannot honora bly |