Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-10
THE AMERICAN EsAU

1 lean Esau, because ] believe that the
American citizen has been selling his
birthright for a mess of pottage when
he has not literally given it away
/ IL is admitted, | believe. by every
body that there has arisen condition
in the United States, which the vast
longer tolerable, and for which many
political doctors are offering remedies
more or less impossible of adoption
without serious danger to the life of
the nation.
Some years ago ] had occasion to
consult a medical gentleman in re-
gard to a sufferer in whom | was
much interested. My medical friend
said: 81 have for some time known the
patient has been ill. / shall be glad
to do what can, but before prescrib-
ling remedy | must make an exami-
nation to determine the cause of the
Now we know that the United States
| is suffering from some disease
The restlessness Of the people, the
various proposal to change the consti-
tuition and laws of the land will war
rant us In the conclusion that in
some way it'would be we'll to find out
what is the matter.
There seems to be a feeling that by
reason of economic conditions, or by
the economic policies of our govern
ment the people of the United States
| do not receive a fair share of the re-
turns of labor. 1t is contended in
some quarters that the reason for such
unfair distribution lies in the funda-
mental wrong of protective tariff.
In other quarters the unfair distribu-
ton Is attributed to what has come
to be called big business or trusts.
Holds People Responsible
lt'is not the purpose of this papef
to discuss the principle of protection
to American industries. Neither am
i prepared to discuss this evening the
question of the righteousness of big
business" or trusts as to their right
to exist. / understand, however, that
lit would be very difficult matter to
say just. how big a business would
have to grow to become wicked in it.
self.
/ take it there is no inherent wick
edness in having bank account, and
certainly there is no sinfulness in
owning only a small Business, but on
the other hand neither condition is a
certificate of righteousness
Our only concern with big business
this evening, then, is its relation to
the affairs of government, and for the
purposes of this paper we are going
to admit that big business" has at
ltained to an improperly powerful POI
sition in our political life.
1t is said that by controlling the
Representatives of the people, Big Bus
liness has become our ruler; that. it
has made itself so secure in our laws
that nobody dares to attack its posi-
ton, and that we all now live by the
grace of Big Business. If this be
true. why is it SO?
Who is responsible for the repre-
sentatives of the people, who hand us
over. bound, to Big Business? There
is but one answer-the American peo-
pie.
The government of the United
States is not the product merely of
the constitutional convention of 1887.
1t is the creation of the American peo-
Iple. 1t is the result of the consider
able previous experience in self-gov-
|ernment of the American people.
Government Representative
The constitution of the United
States was not adopted, nor. the gov
eminent put into operation, by any
|Other agency than the American peo-
pie and neither the constitution nor
the government can be seriously dam
aged without the consent of the Amer
lean people.
1t is easy to see in the history of
our country that whatever has been
done for good has been done by the
people. There have been leaders of
the people, of course, but 1t has ever
been the people that have ruled. III
we have degenerated, if we have al
lowed the machinery of our govern
ment to pass into the control of evil
disposed men who use it for private
purposes it is because the people have
Idecreed that such things shall be, and
to the American people, more than to
the minority of evil-disposed people
belongs the blame
In the early days of the republic
when men were Impressed with the
tuCd tHcll IuC OuAlCQ WIS @tuC
monitor of nations, when we delighted
in being the country of opportunity,
everybody, it seemed, was filled with
a desire to prove to the world that we
were happy and prosperous because
we were active in the protection of
our rights as citizens
When the great struggle for free
dom for American labor. the country
over, resulted in the victory of free
labor, it was the people of the United
States who had restored the Union.
True il is that great army and al
great navy had been organized tol
wage war, but when the imagination
pictures that grand army marching I
through the capital and melting away, i
almost as it marched. into the ranks |
of the American people, can it bel
doubted who made up that army?
At every turn of the road it has
been the American people who chose |
the way to go.
1t is broad assertion, / admit, that
a