Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-19

property without which orderly liberty
Is impossible and which must sooner
or later lead to confusion, disorganiza'
ton and the final overthrow OF all
popular government.
When asked why foresake the can
didate of my own party because OF
these Objectionable proposals OF the
new party, answer that many OF the
| proposed changes are advocated by
the democratic candidate himself and
moreover, that instead of courageously
, denouncing as an abomination these
! revolutionary devices, Governor VIII
, son plays the soft peddle and in Ell
! feet says: II am the real reformer;
these men are but imitators.' | turn
to President Taft at this time because
| in the present lineup he alone OF all
the candidates for president, STANDS
out boldly, unequivocally, grandly-in
defense of those fundamental things
which for over century great men or
all parties held to be essential to lib
erty. He alone has spoken trumpet
| call, every note Of which rings true.
As in the late congress he was the
/ one on whom socialist. progressive and
! democrat made combined attack, so
now in this campaign-no matter on
what other things they may differ, on
this they agree and in solid phalanx
! they~essail the president. In this
, lineup he is the target for Debs; he
! is the one whom Roosevelt is bent on
destroying; he is the one Wilson is
! after So, we have this triune--Debs,
|! Roosevelt and .Wilson-all three max
! ing common cause against the presi.
y u co. dc
| ard Taft at bay, his back to the wall,
! making your fight and mine, making
the fight our fathers made who found
ed and those who defended and pre-
served the republic-making the fight
for the unborn generations Of men.
We believe in him for this fight he
has made We love him for the en-.
emies he has made.
The Progressive Platform.
In his platform and confession OF
faith the ex-president has patched to-
gether creation, fearfully and Won
derfully made.
1t is no exaggeration to say that al
most every activity and condition of
men are to come under his scheme Of
centralized administration at Wash.
ington. Here are to be gathered to-
gether the reins of an arbitrary execu.
tive authority under which there
might be placed on us burdens as gall.
ing as were imposed on the ancient
world by Roman senate and consuls in
the days of imperial Caesar,
The exploded theories of the green
back party of thirty years ago are to
be revived, the issue of currency by
banks forbidden and this function cen
tered in the government at Washing.
ton. ~r ..~
The rejected government ware
house-certificate scheme OF Kansas
populism at least in principle. Is to be
resurrected under the ambiguous de-
mand for a governmental system OF
agricultural Credits ,
Federal construction and operation
of a general system Of high ways, long
ago wisely yielded to local enterprise
and desires, Is to be resumed
One nationwide health bureau is to
swallow up those we now have, to op-
crate sanitation agencies and regula-
tons. . ..,g ~. ~. ,... ..
Standards of wages and labor In.
Guiding the fixing of minimum wage,
are to be established and in all the
important relations between employ.
ers and employee, Uncle Sam is to be-
come an ever-present power to reckon
with. How far and in what direction
the influence of this sovereign, arbi'
trary power may be exercised in that
ceaseless struggle Of the wage Garner
for better pay and conditions of toll
and to what extent an ambitious ex.
ecutive might be tempted to employ 1t
as a political asset, may well induce
sober reflection.
The high cost of living is to be cured
by effective government supervision
and control
BY a proposed interstate Industrial
commission and another termed coun.
try-wide life commission, the farmer
as we'll as nearly all the rest of man
kind are to be taken under the pater-
nal control of the government.
A Brand New "Panacea.'
As a brand new panacea for the
trust evil" all corporations and "big
business" not only those doing an in
terstate business but those which rise
merely to the dignity of public i'm
portance"-are to be put under the
control Of strong federal admins
trative commission having vague but
broad and arbitrary powers. ..~s .
It is difficult to overstate the dan
gers of such step. 1t is to be thus
left to the arbitrary discretion OF the
administration at Washington to de-
termine what are good trusts and what
are bad ones; what are proper methods
of business and what shall be proh1b-
tied as "anti-social practices" In such
device an INSCRIPTIONS executive
would find ready instrument for in.
tolerable oppression and ilnmeasure-
able harm. The very life Of the in
dustrial and business interests Of the
nation would be at the mercy OF the
caprice or selfish designs of the execu-
tive. The proprietor Of any big bust
ness operating under such system,
declining on invitation to contribute
literally 70 the campaign fund would
show great courage but short discre-
tion
The time is ripe we are told when
through some sort of governmental
agency, the employee is to be admitted
to ownership in whole or in part OF
3,o 90 49, ,v>lo1 hiyy,