Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-13
SOCIALIST CHIEF
HITS OLD PARTIES
Allan l.. Benson. Presidential Candi.
date, Raps Opponents In Speech
At Illinois Theatre.
HUGHES OVERLOOKING MASsESl
Speaker Charges Republican Leader
With Side stepping Real Issues
Now Facing Country.

Landing well chosen verbal sledge
hammer blows at both the republican
and democratic parties, Allan l..
! Benson, socialist candidate for presi-
dent, delivered his campaign address
last night to a large and enthusiastic
audience at the Illinois theatre to
capacity
Again and again Mr.. Benson had
( to stop long enough for the applause
. TO sUbside
/ He said in part:
DO any of you know the difference
/ between a horse doctor and a scien-
fist? If you do, you may confer
great favor upon Mr. Wilson and Mr.
Hughes by forwarding them the in
formation. These estimable gentle
men have become involved in a feroc-
/ ious rof over this question. Mr..
/ Hughes. in one Of his western speech
es, preCipitated it, Mr.. Hughes. as
you may have gathered from his utter
ances, appears to regard Mr.. Wilson
as one long sad mistake. In the pro-
cess of showing the American people
how dangerous it would be to continue
Mr.. Wilson in the presidency, Mr.
/ Hughes uneaTthed a loathsome scan
/ dal in the coast and geodetic survey
/ Perhaps you do not know what the
coast and geOdetic survey is, but. if
you do not. it does not matter The
scandal that Mr.. Hughes unearthed
consisted of this: In this branch of
the public service, a scientist was
. once employed. Mr.. Hughes charges
/ that Mr.. Wilson, for base and I'M
worthy reasons, dismissed this scien-
/ list and gave his place to a respect
I able stockbreeder and veterinary sur
geOn.' All of which a departmental
chief, speaking for the president, de-
nOunCes as an untruth.
Now, | have no interest, as | pre-
sumo you have none, in what right
/ fully constitutes a horse doctor.
mention the matter only to call your
attention to the manner in which Mr.
/ Hughes, as a presidential candidate,
meets a crisis. When Mr.. Hughes
( was nominated, he said that a crisis
confronted the country. l believe he
was right. 1t now seems likely that
Mr.. Hughes was looking at one crisis
and / at another He appears to be
( Eeve that the crisis has something to
/ do with horse doctors | believe the
crisis has something to do-much to
/ do-with human beings, particularly
with those who happen to reside in
/ the United States OF America
Hughes DOdging Issue!
But if Mr.. Hughes sees the crisis
{ IIdI see, NOW udTe he go ABOUT the
country pin-pricking Mr. Wilson about
little things when there are so many
/ serious things that should engage his
attention?
| When militarism is grasping this
country by the throat, how dare MI
! Hughes talk for weary hours about the
necessity OF using fitness as the only
guide in appointing ambassadors and
consuls?
! Does Mr.. Hughes not live in this
country? Does he not know it's prob
! lens? Does he not know that in the
richest country on earth most of the
people own nothing but their bones
and have nOthing-when they have it
but a chance to work? Does he not
know that 2Po of the people own SOC
of the wealth?
Does he not know that less than
1000, 600 people own 20 per cent more
Of the nations wealth than all the
other $4,000, 900? Does he not know
that A families with annual incomes
of more than a million year have in
/ comes equivalent to the earnings of
! 1000 wage earnerS? Does he know
none of these things? If he knows
them, does he regard them as import
ant? II he does Lot regard them as
important, what do you think of his
! fitness for the presidency? If he does
regard them as important, why does
] he not talk about them? Why, in
stead of talking about them, does he
rotten egg the presid Mt for every
/ conceivable act almost since he was
born? Why does he arouse so much
VirtuOus indignation over pork bar
sells and extravaganza in govern
ment? When did the party that nomi-
mated Mr.. Hughes ever establish a
record for economy in government?
! When did it fail to put over pork
bills? When did it fail to pass the
same robber river and harbor bills for
which Mr. Hughes now censures the
democratic party? Is Mr.. Hughes now
so much bigger than his party, that
if he were president, he could reform
lit? Why did he not reform the repub-
/ Iican party when he was governor of
| New York? When he was governor of
New York. the republican party did
with him precisely as it pleased. What
ever Mr.. Hughes wanted to do that his
party did not want done he was not
permitted to do. / know because
lived in New York when Mr.. Hughes
was governor and observed his admin
istratOns.
Questions Prosperity.
What about Mr.. Wilson? If Mr..
Hughes believes everything is all
wrong. Mr.. Wilson nicely balances
matters by assuring US that every
thing is all right. Have we prosper
ity? Indeed we have. Our railroads
last year reaped profits of 81 100 a
mile Surely that is prosperity. But
who got the profits? Did you get any
DO you know of anybody who got any?
If you got any, you belong TO a very
select company. The railroad profits
last year went TO the persons to whom
profits always gO-the stockholders.
Railway gentlemen, when they are
fighting laws they do not want, always
try to make il appear that railway Sc
curities are owned by almost every
body and that widows and orphans
hold the bulk OF them. The fact is
that the latest reports on file at the