The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1912-11-01
oct t. 1s. 1919.

unity to state very
Seeking to be elect
ed President Of the United States. feel very
deeply, that this is not an ambition a'man should
entertain f or his own sake. He must seek to
serve cause, and must know very clearly what
cause 1t is he is seeking to serve.
The enlisted in lies very plain
to my own view: The Government Of the United
States, bound by the policies which have
become charact eristio Of Republican administra-
tton in recent years, is not free to serve the
whole people impart tally, and it ought to be set
free. It has been tied up, whether deliberately
merely by unintent iona1 deve1 opment, with
particular interests, which have used their pow
er, both to control the government and to con-
troll the industrial development Of the country.
It must be freed from such entangle lements and all
1iances. Unti 1T is freed, it cannot serve the
people as whole. Until it is freed, 1t cannot
undertake any programme Of social and economic
betterment, but must be checked and thwarted at
every turn by it's patrons and masters
In practically every speech that make,
put at the front Of What have to say the ques-
tion Of the tariff and the question Of the trusts
but not because of any thought Of party strategy,
because believe the solution Of these ques-
tions to lie at the very heart Of the bigger
question: whether the government shall be free
or not. The government is not free because 1t
has grant ed special favors to particular classes
by means of the tariff. The to whom these
special favors have been granted have formed
great comb ination by whtc to control enter
prise and determine the prices Of commoditie1.
They could not have done this had IT not been for
the Jar1fT. no party, therefore,, wn1ch does not
propose to take away these special favors and
prevent monopoly absolutely in the markets of the
country sees SO much the most elementary
part Of the method by which the government is
TO be set free.
The control tosvhich tariff legislation has
led both in the field Of politics aid in the
field Of business, is what has produced the most
odious feature Of our present political situa-
tion, namely, the absolute domtnat Ton OF power
full bosses. Bosses cannot exist without busi-
ness alliances. With them politics IS hardly
distingui shab1e from business. Bosses maintain
their control because they are allied with men
Who wish their assistance in order to get con-
tracts, in order to obtain special legislative
advantages, in order to prevent reforms which
Will interfere with monopoly or with their en-
joynent Of special exemptions. Merely as polit-
ical leaders, not backed BY money, not supported
by securely intrenched special interests, bosses
would 10 entirely manageable and comparatively
poTerlsss. BY freeing the government, there
fore, We ct the sane time break the power Of the
boss. He trades, he does not govern. He ar
ranges, ne does not lead. He sets the stage for
what the people are to do he does not act as
their agent servant, but their director
For him the real business Of politics IS done
runder cover.
The sane means that Will set the goyernnont
gree from the influences which nov constantly