Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-08-08

against every form of spe-
clal privilege and private control, and
are seeking bigger things than they
hive ever heretofore achieved.
Would Set Up Rule Of Justice.
There are two great things to do.
One is to set up the rule of justice
and of right in such matters as the
tariff, the regulation Of the trusts
and the prevention OF monopoly. the
adaptation OF our banking and cur
rency laws to the very uses to which
our people must put them, the treat
ment of those who do the daily labor
In our factories and mines and
throughout all our great Industrial
and commercial undertakings, and the
political life Of the people OF the
Philippines, for whom we hold govern
mental power in trust, for their serv-
ice, not our own. The other, the add.
tional duty, is the great task OF pro-
tecting our people and our resources
and Of keeping open to the whole peo
pie the doors Of opportunity through
which they must, generation by gen.
Grafton. pass II they are to make con.
quest Of their fortunes In health, IN
freedom. in peace, and in content
ment. In the performance of this sec.
ond great duty we are race to race
with questions of conservation and OF
development, questions Of forests and
waterpowers and mines and water
ways, of the building Of an adequate
merchant marine.
New Point Of View Needed.
ttwe have got into trouble tn recent
years chiefly because these large
things. which ought to have been
handled by taking counsel win as
large number Of persons as possible
because they touch every interest," ana
the life of every class and region.
have in fact been too often handled
In private conference. They have been
settled by very small. and often DE.
liberately exclusive groups OF men
who undertook to speak for the whoie
nation. or, rather, for themselves IN
the terms Of the whole nation, very
honestly it may be, but very ignorant
" sometimes, and very short sighted
", too. a poor substitute for genuine
common counsel. No group OF direct
ors. economic, or political, can speak
for a people. They have neither the
point OF view nor the knowledge. Our
difficulty Is not that wicked and de-
SHINING men have plotted against us,
but that our common affairs nave
been determined upon too narrow a
view. and by too private an Initiative
Our task now Is to effect great re-
adjustment and get the forces OF the
whole people once more into play. We
need no revolution; we need no ex-
cited change; we need only a new
point Of view and new method and
spirit of counsel.
Too Much Tariff Politics.
"The tariff question, as dealt with
in our time at any rate, has not been
business. It has been politics. Tariff
schedules have been made up for the
purpose of keeping as large num-
Der as possible OF the rich and IN.
fluential manufacturers of the country
in good humor with the republican
party which desired their constant
financial support The tariff has be-
come a system OF favors. which the
Of the schedule was often
deliberately contriyed to conceal. Who,
when you come down to the hard facts
Of the matter, have been represented
In recent years when our tariff sched-
ules were being discussed and deter
mined, not on the floor OF congress,
for that Is not where they have been
determined, but in the committee
rooms and conferences? That is the
heart OF the whole affair. Will you, can
you. bring the whole people into the
partnership, or not?
Would Go Slow With Tariff.
eve do not ignore the fact that the
business of a country like ours is ex.
ceedingly sensitive to changes In legis.
lation Of this kind. 1t has been built
up, however i'll advisedly, upon tariff
schedules written in the way | have
and its foundations must
not be too radically or too suddenly
When we act we should
act with caution and prudence, like
men who know what they are about,
and not like those In love with a
theory. It is obvious that the changes
we make should be made only at such
a rate and in such a way as will
least interfere with the normal and
healthful course Of commerce and
But we shall not on that
account act with timidity, as II we did
not know our own minds. for we are
certain Of our ground and of our OBJ
iect. There should be an immediate
revision and it should be downward
unhesitatingly and steadily downward.
The Cost Of Living.
"The nation as a nation has grown
immensely rich. She is Justly proud
Of her industries and of the genius Of
her men Of affairs. They can master
anything they set their minds to and
we have been greatly stimulated un-
der their leadership and command.
Their laurels are many and very green.
We must accord them the great honors
that are their due and we must pre-
serve what they have built up for us.
But what of the other side of the pic
ture? 1t Is not as easy for us to live
as it used to be. Our money will not
buy as much. High wages, even when
we can get them, yield us no great
comfort. We used to be better off
with less, because dollar could buy
80 much more. The majority CT us
have been disturbed to find ourselves
poorer, even though our earn
IL, -. u,aro SLOWLY Increasing Prices