Evening star., 1935-10-13

expediency and doomed in the very
beginning to utter failure.
I'VE are interested, and the Amer
ican people are interested, deeply and
profoundly interested, in constitutional
democracy.
But the Constitution was made to
to be used and not laid away like
mummy to be revered only. Let us
take a single illustration wherein We
utterly fail to use the powers granted
by the Constitution. Monopoly is the
enemy Of democracy. 1t is at war
with those vital rights of citizens upon
which all democracy rests. 1t uproOts
and destroys that equality Of oppor-
| tunity without which constitutional
government is travesty. What, as
party, are We going to do about 1t?
What are we willing to do about 1t?
How supinely We approach the sub
| ject!
1T stirs my blood to have men talk
about the preservation Of constitution
al government who are the liveried
servants of those artificially combined
economic forces, monopolies which are
now fixing prices and Ievying tolls on
millions of distressed people. For
whom do these people wish to preserve
! democracy? For the people or for
! their economic masters? Both the old
parties have been, and are, continually
conniving at the reign of monopoly.
One refuses when in power to enforce
fho 1ou oooi1St r1nrnnnlv ond tho
| other when in power suspends the
| law and removes all embarrassments
/ or impedimentS to its ruthless ac-
! tivities.
The cost of living is now becoming
an acute matter, thing Of distressing
concern to many American families.
What is the real cause? 1t is claimed
it Is due to the increase in farm
prices. The increase in farm prices
accounts for very small portion of
this increased cost of living and in a
number Of things it accounts for no
part of the raise. The real cause is
found in the power of monopolies and
combines to manipulate and fix prices
The increase takes place between the
time 1t leaves the farm and the time
| it reaches the consumer. The internal
revenue reports disclose unmistakably
how this recovery is being distributed.
THE question of monopoly touches
every problem with which we have
to do, with economic justice, the res
toration of purchasing power to the
masses, the protection of independent
business, protection of the people
from exorbitant prices; II Is driving
us to all kinds of communistic, fas-
cistic schemes Of control.
Says Leaders Are Tied.
"Now the question is: Are We pre-
pared to deal with this and the kim
dred problems to which it gives rise?
Are we so fatuouS as to assume that
the American people will return to
power a party which submits to the
leadership of men who are so noto-
riously tied into. or represent. these
interests?
Il am perfectly aware, of course,
that there are other questions. taxes,
debts. Government expenditures, regi-
mentation, bureaucracy, the currency
problem and so forth. This question
of monopoly lies at the base. 1t is the
test 1t was Republican leadership
which in 1890 placed upon the statute
books an uncompromising oondemna-
ton Of all monopolies and combines
and gave us a law which has been
appropriately termed by the Supreme
Court a charter of liberty. I am in
favor of going back and taking up
their work where these leaders left
of and make the party what it once
was, the servant of the people-those
were the days when the party was in
vincible.
This letter is too long. I had no
idea of extending this far when
commenced to reply to your telegram.
I am only indicating the lines along
which my mind is running. Perhaps
I was led into this long letter in the
confident belief that the son of the
only man who ever inaugurated
real fight against monopoly in this
country would be interested and SYM
pathetically interested At any rate,
you get glimpse of how feel.
Every sincerely,
''WM. E. BORAH."
(Copyright, 1885. N. Y. Herald Tribune)