Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1916-11-02
James Manahan Shows Why
Hughes Is the Safer Man
For President.

The room was we'll filled with atten-
tive listeners who remained for over
two hours hearing the vital issues Of
the present campaign discussed by
the we'll known former congressman
Of Minnesota. The speakers famil;-
arity with matters at Washington,
and his experience in investigating
grain grading and marketing abuses,
in Minnesota, added interest to his
address. He was introduced by coun-
ty chairman J. w. Carr, of the re-
publican committee.
Mr.. Manahan said in the first
place that he only assumed to speak
to those present from the standpoint
of the voter, and not from that of
any candidate. He said if voters
would or could only realize the re-
lationship between their vote in
state and national election, and their
own personal affairs, political meet
ings would be crowded and every
man would be anxious to learn what
was the best policy for him to put
into effect in the government. Be-
cause every law that was passed in
congress had an effect upon the vot-
er Of this country, whether the voter
thinks so or not. The speaker said
he had been lecturing the past sum-
mer and on other occasions, on the
Chautauqua platform, and as a rule
large audiences were present, paying
so cents admission, and seeming
satisfied with the address. At polit-
ical meetings in Wisconsin and other
states where the same speaker spoke,
and admission was free, there were
small gatherings. He could only ac-
count for this apathy thru wide
spread ignorance of what voting
means to the voters. -
The Ballot and the Family Table.
The Importance of the ballot and
the relation between the ballot box,
the family table, the clothing supply,
the home are not realized, and until
voters wake up to the Importance of
knowing what their vote means in
putting laws into effect, they will
keep on getting the worst of it.
He declared that every voter, if he
knew his own interests, would strive
to know what election day meant to
him, and instead of ignoring or
thinking that it was only for the ben
eft for some candidate for office, he
would. regard it as a holy day of
obligation and would get down on
his knees and pray that he should
be guided right in voting for the
men and policies of government
whose results in law, apply directly
to every voter in the land. If he
knew what machinery he set in mo-
tion by his ballot which could help
him get something to which he was
justly entitled for himself, and not
allow it to pass into the hands of
others, he would pay more attention
to election day and political meet
tngs.''
The speaker told how his former
ignorance on this same matter was
removed by an accident in law
suit brought to secure for q small
town in; Minnesota, what" it demand
ed as an equitable freight rate
against the Twin Cities. Examining
railroad officials on the witness
stand revealed the part that had
been taken by q certain railroad
company, in the politics Of Wiscon-
sin, Minnesota and other states.
They knew the importance of the
vote, and what it meant to them.
Transportation rates, established by
law, were in the nature of tax, and
everyone who pays freight bill in
one sense pays a tax. 1t has been
estimated by careful statisticians
that the average man pays $15.25 a
month freight, and over half of ev-
erything paid out in a year, is rep
resented in the cost of transporta-
ton levied and collected by law.
you are taxed for public highways,
and what is the difference, whether
you pay tax for dirt road or an
iron road? The men you authorize
to speak for you in making laws fix
your tax burden, and if you elect
lawyers favorable to the railroads
they will put the tax as high as the
traffic will bear"
Prosperity Comes From Farm
Profits.
The prosperity of every business
man as we'll as farmer is measured
by the snail margin of profits the
man gets who raises the food sup