Der taÌˆgliche Demokrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 186?-1918, 1916-11-02

YDllinUc MH6clgt.
hesitated about making a public dec
laration until this late moment be-
cause | feared that l would have TO
bear the odium of the charge that
had thrown a monkey wrench into
the machinery and had spoiled the
realization Of this splendid vision.
Its realization Is an impOss;bility at
any time, in my judgment, because
the German-Americans are SO indie
pendent in their mental makeup that
they cannot be delivered as a body by
any organization or set of organiza
tons under any conceivable set of
circumstances. ! have satisfied my
self extensively by personal inquiries
that there is nothing like unanimity
among them now. In my Judgment,
that vote is going to split in three
parts and a very large portion of it Is
going to the Socialistic ticket in order
to voice a protest against both of the
old parties.
Another idea that has been advanc-
ed to me. and which for a time i'm
pressed me, is that the president had
insulted us by his reference to disloy-
al citizens. am satisfied that he
did not use that expression with re-
Terence to the entire body OF German.
American voters, but simply with RET.
to such Of them as had been
convicted of violations Of our neutral
Sity laws and of others who had been
guilty of cOnspiring to that effect.
This number Isl, in my most positive
belief exceedingly small, far smaller
than it would have been in the case
of almost any other race under such
circumstances.
But il the president has used
language at timeh which he should not
have used in our Judgment, let us ask
ourselves, have all of us at all times
kept temperate tongues in our heads
and controlled our pens? distinctly
recall some of the kilograms and ,et-
tess that came to the president at the
time Of u controversy with llinl--
and some of them l regret to say.
came from Iowa-in@ which anythin
but respectful language was used to-
wards the chief executive of this re-
public. remember the hrltil.3
charge, in a public telegram by a
Iowa German to the pres
ident, without any evidence whatso-
ever, that he had sold the country
for British gold" So if we get 10
talking about the words used in the
heat OF, controversy, let us be just
and let us pluck the beam out of our
own eye first.
Before Mr.. Wilson'S election. our
Republican friends claimed that the
party consisted of discor-
dant elements without cohesive prin-
held together simply by the ap-
petite for official patronage and public
plumber, and that they were incapable
of formulating or of carrying through
successfully a program of construc-
tive legislation. ! have had a humble
part as a. member of tho G3rd con-
gress in giving the lie to this charge.
There has been adopted, during Mr..
Wilson'S administration, more con-
legislation OF a progressive
in the interests of the
masses, as against the special inter
ests fostered by many years of Repub-
lican rule. than has ever been adopt
cd during any single administration
of this government from it's founda-
ton to date.
These include the income tax, the
most just form of taxation, which
the burdens of government
upon the people, in proportion to their
to bear them as contradistin-
guished from the Republican way of
revenue by high tariffs, which
compels the people to contribute to
the expense OF the government in pro-
portion to their individual necessities;
the election OF United States senators
the reform OF the banking
and currency, which has decentralized
the money power and drawn the fangs
Of Wall street and relieved the people
Of the South and the border states
from the %sexactions of tanker Shy
locks charging, as | have seen in in
dividual cases myself, from is to %
per cent per mum. This most
sal1tary OF all our legislative reforms
will make impossible the recurrence of
such financial panics as that of 1907,
was deliberately thrust upon
the country by bankers in New York
In order to enable the United States
Steel Corporation to acquire the prop
erty of its only independent competi-
tor, the Tennessee Coal e Iron COM
pany. The Wall street pl%underbund,
the identical men who engineered that
panic for their selfish purposes,
are determined to get. rid of John
Skslton Williams and to get control
Of the federal reserve system through
the election of a Republican admins
tration.
The rural credits law, another Ger