Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-07-05
Speech That Aroused the Progressive Convention
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!
( people. with the small percentage Of
/ illiteracy and ignorance now prevail
/ ing in this country, it is an insult to
the intelligence of the vast majority
of our ci izenry to doubt the efficacy
of popular government.
On Inherent Power.
We believe that all just powers come
from the people and that all powers
! assumed by those in authority not
given them by the people are auto
cratic and usurped powers subject to
abuse and tyranny. We deny that
courts are possessed of any inherent
or God given power. but that all such
power belongs to the people, where
alone it can safely abide, and to whom
we demand its instant return.
The era of governmental extrava-
gance and high taxatic is the era of
bankruptcy and financial distress.
There is no exception to this rule in
any country at any perior of history,
and that we, in this state, have suffer
ed no more than we now suffer because
of the grossly excessive and uuneces-
sary tax burden imposed upon us, Is
solely due to our good fortune in hav-
ing had our lot cast in state possess
ing such wonderful resources and with
a soil so responsive to the touch of
the husbandman that not even the
blighting hand of the spoilsmen has
been sufficient, as yet, to work entire
contiscation of our property, though
may the good Lord have mercy upon
US and our children unless relief
should speedily be brought.
The Tax Burden.
There is no need here to go into
details to prove to you or to other tax
payers of the state that our tax bur-
, den is more than we can bear If we
would attain any reasonable financial
success. The annual profit that most
of us are able to accumulate as the
result of our toll, or from the fore
sight of our investment, Is at the bes.
a limited balance IN our favor. Ex-
perience has long shown us that our
realizations, from year to year, fall
far short of our expectations, and our
good sense long ago should have con-
WINGED us that If each succeeding year
shall render us only a few hundred
dollars ahead OF our financial cond-
ton of the year previous. we have
been indeed most fortunate. am
not speaking here of those fortunate
few who by some lucky stroke or an
other or who, because Of especial
shrewdness, or, perchance, some less
scrupulous method, are enabled to ac-
cumulate immense fortunes within
short periods of time and without
earning them. l am speaking of the
average man and the average woman:
! . / am speaking of the many and not Of
the few
If such be the facts which we must
, face how then, can we endure to
/ have even that little that we d. save,
: confscated for a useless, or incom-
! petent government?
The Progressive party is the only
party today that is making a study of
government to ascertain how it can
N be made more useful to those gov
erned and at a less cost. We are not
worshppers of form, nor do we ac-
knowledge that age signifies perfec-
ton. Unlike the Chinese we are not
ancestry worshippers satisfied that
conditions should be as they are
. merely because our fathers foUnd them
that way, nor are we party wor-
, shippers bowling in meek sdhnis-
! sion to that fetch known as paIlY
regularity, the shield of most of the
evils which now afflict our body corr
F. porate. We are respectors of consti-
!, tuted government, of law and of or
, der. but we believe that all govern
ments were established and ought
now to be maintained for the gooc of
.kthe governed and we are not afraid,
in this twentieth century of the pro-
= gress of civilization even to declare,
> in the language Of the American Dec
laration of independence, that when
ever any form of government becomes
r Df In h0
, right of the people to alter or abolish
it. and to institute new government.
I laying its foundation on such princi-
a pies and organizing it's powers in such
, form, as to them shall seem most likely
: to effect their safety and happiness"
and that when a long train Of abuses
r and usurpations, pursuing invariably
I the same object evidences a design to
o reduce them under absolute despotism,
it is their right. it is their duty, to throw
n off such government. and to provide
r new guides for their future security"
( List of Our Grievances.
3 The history of the old political par
r ties is a history of repeated wrongs,
y usurpations, mistakes, neglect to per-
: form official duties, incompetence and
o. even dishonesty. To prove this, 1t is
d only necessary to recall certain facts.
e. Their only service to labor has been
e to reduce the. number of the unem-
i ployed by providing official appoint
y ment at public expense for those who
y ought to toll;
e They have violated the law and set
= at naught the constitution by spending
e public money upon jaunting trips;
r They have loaned themselves the per-
}, manent school funds OF the state to
n make investment through dummy ap-
plicants;
It They have raised their own salaries
= and have increased the public bonded
4 debt;
- They have elected courts that at
= tempt to command respect through the
= might of power instead Of through the
. lpower of right;
v They hava daafroxsad o,,r y~o.,..~tk,,