Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-09-26
E DIT @
RIGHTS AND DUTIES.

RlGHIS AND DG3iE5
1t was a high spot which Mark ?. / Bates, the farmer and
labor nonpartisanc candidate for governor, touched in his speech
last night, when he reminded his hearers that rights oil citizens
and duties Of citizens are coordinate; that the one involves the
other.
s.Tbe right to choose those who are TO serve us in public
Office, !, said Nh. Bates, ''carries with it the duty 10 serve the
public, if that choice happens to fall upon us MIR. Bates
might well make that his principal text throughout the cam
paign. 1t is. an excellent and timely word and one that needs
to be spoken. 1t is a text which IS adapted to many indeed
all, social and political relations. 1t is distinctly the word Of
craftsmanship, and not that of a mere politician.
Unfortunately too many WHO have been elected to Office In
this nation, and we may even say IN this state, have been I'M
mindful of that principle. It is a long roll which includes the
names of those, whom the people have elected to office, who have
s~traightway forgotten and betrayed those who elected them
and have served, instead, those who make 1t their business TO
exploit the public to serve their own private and pecuniary IN
1erests.
The public records Of congress, state legislatures, muni-
cipal, state and national affairs, for the last fifty wears, are
filled with the histories of such ~betrayals. In his great book,
"The New Freedom President Wilson has admirably
summed up the political and industrial consequences, as fol-
lows:
Gone Of the most alarming phenomena Of the timc,-or
rather it would be alarming if the nation had not awakened to
It and shown it's discrimination to control it,-one Of the most
significant signs Of the new social era is<the degree to which
government has become associated with business. / speak for
the moment, of the control our government exercised by Bio
Business. Our government has been for tie past frv
years under the control of heads Of great corporations with
special interests. It has not controlled these interests and as
signed them a proper place i'll the whole system of business; ii
has submitted itself to their control. AS a result, there have
grown up vicious systems of governmental fayornism (the
most obvious being the eStravagant tariff, far-reacling in eff
feet upon the whole fabric Of life, touching to his injury every
lnhabtant OF the land laying unfair and Impossible ~handicaps
upon competitors, imposing taxes IN every direction, sitting
everywhere the free spirit Of American enterprise
Both Mr.. IoWnley and Mr.. Bates made it clear that the
supreme purpose OF the Nonpartisan League is to bring TO pass
Slne summation OF the control Of government BY the special in
sferests, 20 which the above quotation calls attention, and to
restore 70 the peoplesthe power Of governmental control oven
puplllc necessities, especially as they relate to marketingoffarm
Sproducts and The pubhc's food supplies. Evidently MIR. Bates
and the other organized farmers are Of the opinion that the
IlghI 70 own land and till the soil and raise tile food products
II 1hphes aiso s. reciprocal duty to Go all that they can to See that
The products they raise are properly distributed. So That ii fhe
transit from the farms to the consumers it is the public and
lne special and private interests that shall be served.
IS Tie Tally News may presume to extend till further the
sp1iA ea Enumerated BY the farmer candidate for governor, We
would say, that since Voters have the right to choose their pub
HIS ollcials, - ls the duty OF every voter to put his conscience
asW wei AZ hls judgment into his ballot and to vote for those can
'a e VINO are pledged to see that this purpose of league
{, " ae d earl1ea CUT Imminent. 20 ha sure both old parties
have ohlclaly adopted practically every iten III the leagues
Sp n 81 s on ne lace Ct the platforms there seems to be it
81 alaeIence De1Weena them. But speaking Tor Ourselves, We