The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-03-16
Also for Direct Nominations and
Elections Both for Nation and
the States
RECIPROCITY IS ASSAILED
States He Opposed it Before the Sen
ate, and That He is Against
It Now.

Roosevelt became president, the total
amount Of the stock and bond issues
of all combinations and trusts, in
Guiding the railways then in combi-
nation, was only $3,7S4,0OO,OO
When he turned the country over to
Taft, whom he had selected as his
successor, the total capitalization of
the trusts and combinations amount
ed to the enormous sum of $31 ,672,-
100000, more than 70 per cent of
which was water. Prices were put
up on transportation, and on the
products of the mines and factories to
pay interest and dividends on this
fraudulent capitalization.
The foregoing paragraph is taken
from an editorial entitled "What We
Must Do To Be Free" signed by Pob-
ert NJ. La Toilette, in this weeks
issue Of La Folletta's Weekly Maga-
zine. 1t is one of the most complete
and most analytical statements to be
issued by the senator in the cam
paign. After declaring that the trust
problem is the most momentous issue
of the campaign he announces his
platform as follows:
| shall not undertake, within the
compass of this editorial to discuss
the issues, or indeed to more than
suggest my position upon the vitality
important ones.
l believe I'M
The initiative, referendum and re-
call and direct nominations and elec-
tions, not only as applied to states,
but also in the extension of these
principles to the nation as whole.
The equalization of the burdens of
taxation, upon a property basis,
through the adoption of graduated
income and inheritance taxes:
The Parcels Post;
Government ownership of express
companies and government opera
tion of express business at actual cost
to the public;
The reasonable valuation of the
physical property of railroads, justly
inventoried and determined, as the
basis for fixing rates, and the eXten-
sion Of the powers and the admi MIS-
trative control Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
I would have the nation know how
much Of the SIS, 100000 capital-
zation was contributed by those who
own the railroads, and how much by
the people themselves
/ believe in the creation of a COM
mission, with power to Investigate
and ascertain the illegal acts of all
trusts and combinations, and with
power to ascertain the reasonable val
uation,--not the monopoly valuation
of the physical properties of the
great monopolies, beginning with the
natural resources, such as coal, oil,
and iron; in the creation of tariff
commission of experts clothed with
real power to determine the valuation
of all the elements Of production,
costs and profits, the, reduction of
tariff rates to the ascertained differ
ence between the labor in this coun-
try and abroad. Instead of each of
these government commissions inves-
tigating the same facts independently
l believe it would be practical for a
single board of expert accountants
statisticians, economists, and engi-
neers to be empowered to get the
facts, not for the confidential use of
the president or the departments, but
for Congress and the public
am opposed to ship subsidies,
which, once entrenched, will become
another corrupting influence in our
politics.
am opposed to further extrava-
gance, on the advice of interested
persons only, in building battleships
and political navy yards, and favor
an unprejudiced commission to inves-
tigate and report what is required
in the way of national defense
am opposed to the dollar diplom-
acy which has reduced our state de-
paremtn from it's high place as a
kindly intermediary Of defenseless
nations, into trading outpost for