Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1912-10-04

to the popular VII. But Mr. G48e ~.
afraid to let the people de thu
power. Under the referendum. the.
people who, elect Z logislaturS can
veto the acts OF = lSxtslAturo Why
notf 4. s. h. !. "
IAET ExER01sED POWER
THAI NO KING WOULD
4 DARN 40 URE
Under the constitution Mr.. TAFT, a.
president, can veto the acts OF COM
iSress He u NOT afraid TO exercise
the power. He used that veto to cone
unue upon the people OF this country
tarirr burdens to the extent OF more
than half billion dollars. He did
what no crowned head In Europe
would have dared to do. There II. not
a king or emperor In any civilized
country IN the world that would dare
to veto bill passed by parliament
Tor the reduction OF taxation. And
yet while Mr.. Taft will use this veto
to override the opinions OF 500 men
Almost. elected by the people to rep
resent them. he is afraid to let the
people themselves pass q veto power
to override the opinions OF those
whom they elect to represent them.
(Applause.) - 1, Z, 4
Z mention this as the flrst evidence
that he does not trust the people.
But let me given you another evil
dence. What has he done to help get
the election OF senators by the peo-
pie? Here is q popular demand.
Here is something that nine-tenths
OF the people of this country desire.
And they fought for it for twenty
years. The fight began in 's2 and
has continued ever since. Mr.. Taft
was 80 years old and more when the
fight began. And yet he had watched
this fight all these years. And he
has never spoken on the subject but
once. and that was sixteen years after
the fight began. Four years ago.
when candidate, he said that per-
sonally he was inclined to favor the
popular election OF senators. Per-
sonally, he was inclined to. But 1t
had taken him sixteen years to get
up enough speed to say that, and
then the ire went out and he never
spoke afterwards on the subject.
(Laughter.)
Think OF 1t. A man who does not
trust the people and yet he was there
and knew what that senate was. I
wrote him an open letter after the
election OF 1903, and urged him t.
send message to congress on this
subject. I had promised. II elect,
to call congress together, and one of
the things I had promised to ask of
them was submission of this amend
ment. And had I been elected, I be-
lieve could have secured the passage
OF the amendment. But when the
people denied me this honor, I was
more interested In the reform than 1
was In the man who led It to success.
and appealed to the man who de-
reated me to take UP the standard
and let me follow him az private,
that we might get this thing for tho
people. (Applause.)
But no, he wrote back and said
that there was division OF senti-
ment on the subject. And he thought
the Initiative ought to come from
congress. And 80 he stood still and
let the people win this victory with
out him.
LIKENs A sTANDPATTER TO
A BOULDER IN A STREAM
Why do they call him q stand-pat-
teri Because he stands still while
people move on and leave him.
I was passing through Utah on my
way to the west. And the train ran
along by the side OF swiftly flow
Ing stream. And as 1 looked out up
on the stream, I saw every once In a
while boulder In the middle of the
stream. There 1t stood and sometimes
drift wood would gather about It and
the rushing waters pass by. And
could almost see Mr.. Tafrs face on
each boulder. tLaughter.)
On the subject Of purifying politics,
he again failed to take the peoples
side. Sixteen years ago we boz point-
ing out the contributions thai were
being made secretly for the purpose
OF controlling legislation. It was hard
to mako the people understand. but
finally the disclosures brought tho
proof to their notice.
They found that one man went out
and raised a quarter Of q million In
a day They found that one company
gave hundred thousand in single
check They found that one corpora
ton gave five hundred thousand In
one campaign. And then they woke
up and they passed law, making it
criminal offense for any corporation
to contribute to q national campaign
fund. A step In advance and splen-
did law. ! am clad we have got II.
and Il has come 20 stay. hut. OH MI