Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1935-07-04

comes of those forty-five Americans
each of whose annual income now
exceeds one million dollars. The
president advised that the proceeds
be used to pay off the national debt.
His message was greeted by pro-
longed cheers from the Democratic
side of the chamber, spontaneous
rising of Democratic, Progressive
and Farmer Labor members AMI
''rebel yells" from southerners. Re-
publicans sat in sullen silence.
The facts are concentrated of
wealth in the hands of a few has
been making mockery OF our
boasted democracy,-is a challenge
to the integrity of our republican
form of government. The presi-
dents message is most timely and
will be regarded as a great state
paper.
President Roosevelt in this mes
sage advocated submission to the
states of a constitutional amend
ment to put an end to taX-exempt
securities. The super-rich now in
vest their money in taX-exempt
bonds instead of in the channels of
commerce and trade. The rich get
richer and the poor pay the taxes.
Those who in a "grass-roots" con-
ference talk of the sacredness of
the constitution as is, might well
consider the constitutional inhibi-
tion since 1887 whereby the fed
eral government may not tax secur-
tiles and bonds of states, municipal
nf hI iusc A leo
that Nevada with 10000 population
although the makers of the consti-
tuition never dreamed of such a ter
ritory or state, is entitled to two
United States senators the same as
New York with 100000 popula-
ton. Also, that we still have the !
archaic electoral college although |
mustache-cups, fintlock muskets, !
tallow-dips and stage coaches were
discarded long ago.
Seldom in the lifetime Of this
country has our system of govern /,
ment seemed less responsive to the I
needs of the people than now. Per-
maps this is because we are living
on the edge of changed world.
The problems of government are, to
a large extent, new. The things
people expect from Washington are
as different from the expectations of
thirty years ago as the latter were
from what our ancestors expected
from Philadelphia after the Ameri-
can revolution. Our forefathers,
nearly $50 years ago, met the con-
ditions of their time by framing
the constitution. They did not leg
islate for ali time. They did the
work the times cut out for them;
and they did it we'll When the con-
was framed we were ma
ton of farmers and hunters, with a
few merchant men at the seaports.
There was no machinery; no manu-
featuring to speak Of; no railroads;
40 telegraph; no automobiles; no
'adio; no aircraft. If George Wash
ngton and Thomas Jefferson could
arise from their graves, they would
1ot know the nation they helped
found. We live in a different world.
Huey Long. the Louisiana "King-
fish," spoke all afternoon and all
night before he finally lost the
floor. His was the longest filibuster
for many congressional sessions.
For fifteen and half hours he
talked on everything from roquefort
salad and pot likker to share the
wealth. Washington newspapers
carried his picture with eyes heavy
idded and cheeks sagging. This
was directly after his interminable
rambling speech. Over the picture
was the caption bye Bye Baby"
About four o'clock in the morning
while denouncing Jim Farley, the
'Kingfish'' said, 81 want the at
ention of the senate and the chair (
want the chair to listen to me-"
Vice President Garner said, ''The
hair is not compelled to listen to
he senator. The chair declines to
listen to the senator when he has
omeone at his desk who is giving
lin some Intelligent information.
senator Long fired back, "But the !
hair ought to look at me***. The
hair cannot be hurt any more by {
ooking at me than l am by looking f
It the chair"