Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-09-19

easing Of Teapot Dome and forced the
senate by an unanimous vote to order
IN Investigation. l merely dared to
charge openly what every member OF
he Senate knew. was able In that
speech to reveal substantially every
important fact regarding the corrupt
leasing Of the oil reserves. except the
corrupt consideration received BY fAll
from Doheny and Sinclair. I did not
know that 100000 In cash had been
brought from New York to. WashirE-
ton and delivered in q black bag to
Albert b. Fall. But the other impcr-
tart facts. including the great profits
made by the insiders In the stock mar
ket. was laid before the Senate and the
nation. There sat the vice president
within so feet Of me rs I spoke. hear
ing every wori OF an indictment that
forced even the old guard Of the SEN
ate to consent to an Investigation.
wheeler Dared 70 So0
Senator Wheeler had no private
sources Of Information when he made
his charges against Daugherty and
initiated the investigation that drove
him from ONCE. He merely dared tell
the world the truths that both Repub-
lican and Democratic senators knew a.
well as he did.
knowing these facts there was only
one way in which . member Of that
administration elevated to the presi.
dency could relieve himself from all
responsibility for>tts every act. That
was by cleaning house as soon a. the
power came into his hands.
the contrary every member Of the
cabinet was kept in office and ex-
Secretary Fall. then known to be
In the employ OF Sinclair. was re-
ceived at the White House by the
present Republican candidate. when
he came to Washington to give his
perjury testimony. Even after the
evidence of fraud and corruption
became overwhelming, DENLY was
retained in the cabinet, Daugherty
was retained in the cabinet, and they
were allowed to resign. under pres
sure from the public and from moro
leaders of the party.
with expressions from the White
House of high esteem and confidence
in their integrity.
Servants of System
But there is another reason, far
more powerful. why the acts of the
last administration must be regarded
as a whole, free from all question OF
personality. That reason is that the
policies. appointments and actions Of
that administration, during its last
year. as during its first three. were
dictated not by the individuals who
happened to occupy the White
House. but by the forces that con-
troll them and dominate the Republi-
can, as well as the Democratic party.
The Presidents were merely the
servants of the system.
I'm proof of this ] cite the fact
that the record Of the Taft admin
and the record Of the Hard
ng-Coolidge administration are ex-
actly the same, except for the larger
scale and more complete corruption
that marked the last four years.
LET me remind YOU briefly OF the
Payne -Aldrich tariff and its counter
part. the Fordney- McCumber tariff.
of the corrupt elections Of Lorimer
and Newberry. and OF the looting OF
the public domain under Ballinger
and Fail.
Weak Men in Office
"These things occurred. not be-
cause the Presidents who occupied
the White House we're bad men
They were not. SO far as personal
honesty and domestic virtues were
concerned. They happened because
they were weak men under the con-
troll of soul-less system that knows
nothing of honesty. integrity, or CIV
ic righteousness where its selfish in
terests are concerned.
~"The Taft administration had no
Daugherty, no Forbes. and no such
tariff record as this one will reveal
when its story Is fully told. and yet
Taft was so completely repudited by
the American people that ne was
able to carry only Vermont and Utah
two small. rock-ribbed states.
"rhe Republican party is now
seeking to avert a similar fate In
the present campaign by attempting
to shift all the responsibility from
the system that controls that party
to a man who is now dead. This is
perhaps the vilest piece Of political
strategy that has ever been attempt
ed in the history Of politicians.
Points to Monopoly System
"The question Of personal honesty
is entirely aside from the main Is
sue. Vote the Republican ticket and
you vote to enthrore the system that
controls II for another four years
Vote the Democratic ticket and you
vote to enthrone the same system
with a different representative in
the White House. In either case you
vote for four more years Of govern
ment by the private monopoly sys-
tenn"
Senator Lafollette declared 1t had
taken years of betrayal and a long
line Of shameful abuses on the part
of the. Democratic and Republican
Parties to convince the people that
they must organize for political ac-
ton outside both old parties in or
d y. to fad relief from intolerahle
political and economic conditions"
1.-THE differences between ourselves
and our opponents he continued,
On the political side the primary diff
ference is this:
Where He Stands
1--WE stand for the maximum con-
troll of government by the entire
electorate in the interest. Of all the
people and with special privileges to
none.
Our opponents stand for maxi
mum control of government by the
few in the interests of favored class
es to which special privileges are cx-
tended.
1.-THE Progresives believe that the
machinery Of government should be
so completely in the hands Of the
electorate that the deliberate populas
will may be reflected alike in the
making Of laws and In their admin
and execution.
"Our opponents. hostile TO self.
declare that this doc
trine is dangerous and revolutionary,
and that the machinery Of govern.