The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-10-04
HUMAN RIGHTS
ROOSEVELT JOKE
(By Frederick w. steckman.)

or the InlrQ term canQlQate InaJ nu-
man rights" may be assured the great
mass of the people only by putting
him in the White House for another
four years has caused a litter of mer-
riment to spread over Missouri.
If there is one commonwealth in
the Union that can throw this can't
ing phrase back into the teeth of the
Roosevelt rooters it is the Show Me-
state.
Human rights" has been the slogan
and the watchword of the Missouri
democracy for many years. The stat
ute books of the state TEEN today with
real progressive laws, not theories,
but actualities.
Missouri boasts as many, if not
: more, social betterment laws as any
other state. And everyone of these
acts OF humanity have been passed by
democratic legislatures.
The initiative and referendum,
which the third termers would try to
make the unthinking believe is an
original discovery, has been part of
the Missouri constitution for eight
years. A democratic majority put it
there.
The nine-hour workday law for wo-
men was enacted by the last Missouri
legislature, both branches of which
were in the control of the democrats.
Eight years ago Missouri adopted
child labor and compulsory educa-
ton act. Two years ago this law was
amended so as to make it applicable
to the entire state instead of to only
large cities.
Mrs E. Nj. Grossman, wife of the
assistant treasurer of the democratic
national committee, was largely in
strumental in the passage of the two
(, latter laws, and to her and the late
Senator Thomas e. Kinney, whose
democracy never was questioned, be-
longs most of the credit for their pres
ent successful operation.
An inspection of the Missouri stat
ute books might lead one to believe
that the third term party platform
trainers had many of its sections be-
fore them when they drafted the doc
ument ON which they are now seeking
recognition.
- Missouri has corrupt practices act,
direct primary and senatorial primary
laws, an antitrust law strong enough
to bring the powerful Standard Oil
and international Harvester trusts to
their knees, and an anti-lobby act,
which drove from the state capital two
years ago every special privilege rep
resentative and forced the railroads
to acknowledge that their rights were
not superior to those of the common
people.
1t was during the administration of
Joseph w. Folk that the humanity
laws found their way to the Missouri
statute books, but one must go back
further to find the Inauguration Of
remedial measures that the third term
ers now would claim as their very
: own.
brief comparison of the systems
employed by the democratic Missouri
legislature and the republican general
assembly of Illinois affords striking
example of the progress of the former
and the standpat proclivities of the
latter.
In Missouri it is impossible for jack
pots to flourish for the very good rea-
SON that every precaution has been
taken to Keep the searchlight on the
operations of the legislators For in
stance, in Missouri the speaker of the
house and the president of the senate
must announce their committee ap-
pointments before bills are introduced
arg ten-day limit is set as the time
Sgsi5 bill may remain in committee.
In Illinois the committees are not
appointed unit latter the bills are pre-
sented, or the great bulk of them, and
there is no limit upon the time COM
| mittee may keep a bill To the man
familiar with legislative affairs it is
Il readily apparent why the lobbyists at
4 Springfield, H., have the whip hand
in the legislature of Lineoln's state
and why it is impossible for these
same tools of the interests to throttle
good laws offered in the state of Ben
ton. Vest and Cockrell
Under republican rule in Illinois
,members of the legislature receive the
extravagant salary of $4,000 a term,
9with mileage and other perquisites.
9They may draw this entire amount at
THE beginning of their first session.
AThe result mas been that they work
kabout three days a week, sometimes
Mess. and. with a few exceptions, idle
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