The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-07-02


foes of decent citizenship. Their po-
litical lives depend upon their keep
Ing politics in such condition that
decent men cannot succeed them and
that the ordinary citizens cannot get
control of their own government.
Remember that the action Of these
men at the Chicago convention was
merely the elimination of long series
of actions on their part. Their pow
er and the well-being Of the interests
they subserved depended upon their
control Of executive action and even
more upon their control of legis-
latio Gradually this control Of
theirs had become almost absolute.
They opposed US merely because at
the moment we embodied those forces
and principles, the triumph of which
meant the ending of the system which
kept them in public life as efficient
tools and representatives of the great
interests behind them. Rather than
see this control broken, Messrs. Pen
rose, Barnes and their associates de-
liberately put the democratic organ
ization and Mr.. Wilson into power at
Washington.
OF course, our contest must always
be primarily one for principles. 1t
must always be q contest to enact
into law and reduce to the domain of
executive action these principles. But
1t is impossible to do this effectively
until we drive from political leader
| ship the boss whose very existence
in politics is the negation OF these
principles. There is no use in en-
deavoring to put into effect our plat
form for social and industrial justice
if the legislative and executive officers
of government are mere sub-offi-
GERS of a boss, whether this boss be
Mr.. Penrese, Mr.. Barnes. or Mr.. Muir
| ply Much of our effort is to secure
laws protecting the labor of women
and prohibiting the labor of children
| in mines and factories, providing for
workmen's compensation and the like.
Our effort is to secure equality Of OPP
portunity, to democratiZe industry,
and to better the living and working
conditions of all who are not vicious,
shiftless and idle. Our effort is to bet
ter the standard of living and work
ing, making it worthy of free peo-
pie; and gradually to introduce the
beginnings Of representative govern
ment into business. This effort is
bound to come to naught, If, in its &C
tual working, the forces Of govern
ment are administered by men whose
whole theory of action Is based on
the alliance of crooked politics with
crooked wealth
Much of our effort is to help the
men who live on farms to help them
selves by working in cooperation, so
that they may better the conditions of
living, so that they may produce more
and at the same time make their farms
more attractive to their children, so
that they may market their products
themselves and apply the best bust
ness methods for the benefit of those
who till the soil; and this effort will
fail II the government Of state and ma
ton is controlled by men who treat
with derision the very idea Of seri-
ously studying the conditions in the
open country that need remedying.
Much of our effort is to help indus
try. We propose to help business by
enabling honest business men to CO.
operate for their own common good
and for the general public good. We
propose to make the conditions such
that these honest men can earn fair
living for themselves and their fam
lilies without the haunting fear of be-
ing prosecuted for violations of law
which they did not and could not /
know were such and which were not |
violations Of sound public policy.
Much of our effort is to help men !
and women workers. Just as we be- |
lieve in cooperation among the farm
ers and the business men so we be- !
lieve In cooperation among the wage
workers, In order that they may better
their conditions of diving and have /
q larger share in the prosperity Of
industry. And we further believe that
the wage-workers and the business !
men must cooperate together and i
work closer together for their mutual ,
advantage. 1t has been the cut-throat
competition of the past-the competi-
ton that Mr.. Wilson is determined to
preserve by law-which has not only
hurt business and prevented the bust
ness man from working most effect
lively for the common good but which
has forced the working man to work
for ruinously small wages. We pro-
pose to substitute the era of cooper
alton for the era of competition
among the business men and farmers
and wage-workers; and as a neces-
sary corollary we believe that the
government must in thorough going
fashion supervise and regulate this
toward cooperation.
But this effort will come to nought
II honest business men support sin
lister politicians whose interested en-
deavor Is chiefly to help the crooked
business man whose success Is
achieved by swindling his fellows. In
their resentment at heenational ad-
because of its part in
bringing them to sore need, many
business men and working men and
farmers threaten to vote even for such
politicians as Mr.. Penrose in hope of
securing relief. Those who do will
invite worse disaster than that from
which they now suffer. 1t was the
politicians like Mr.. Penrose who ere
responsible for the existence Of the
present national administration. To
put them in power would merely en-
sure In q short time another violent