The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-07-02
economic royalty used to dig itself

economic royalty used to dig itself
in.
Those who titled the soil no
longer reaped the rewards which
were their right. The small meas
ure Of their gains was decreed by
men in distant cities.
Throughout the nation, op-
portunity was limited by mo-
nopoly. Individual initiative
was crushed In the logs of a
great machine. The field open
for free business was more and
more restricted. Private enter
prise became too private. It
became privileged enterprise,
not free enterprise.
"An old English judge once said:
.Necessitous men are not free men,
Liberty requires opportunity to
make a living-a living decent &C
cording to the standard of the
time, a living which gives man not
only enough to live by, but some
thing to live for.
"For too many Of US the political
equality we once had won was
m aningless in the face Of econom-
ic inequality. A small group had
concentrated into their own hands
an almost complete control over
other peoples property, other peo-
Plies money, other peoples labor
other peoples lives. For too many
of us life was no longer free; liber-
ty no longer real, men could no
longer follow the pursuit of happi-
ness.
Against economic tyranny such
as this, the citizen could only APP
peal to the organized power Of the
government. The collapse Of 1929
showed up the despotism for what
ii was. The election Of 1882 was
the peoples mandate to end it. I'm
der that mandate it is being end
ed
1.-THE royalists Of the economic
order have conceded that political
freedom was the business of the
government, but they have main
tanned that economic slavery was
nobody's business. They granted
that the government could protect
the citizen in his right to vote, but
they denied that the government
could do nothing to protect the cit
izen in his right to work and live.
To-day we stand committed
to the proposition that freedom
is no half and half affair. If the
average citizen Is guaranteed
equal opportunity in the polling
place, he must have equal OPP
portunity in the market place.
1.-THE economic royalists complain
that we seek to overthrow the in
stitutions Of America. What they
really complain Of is that we seek
to take away their power. Our allie
glance to American institutions re-
quires the overthrow of this kind
of power.
TN vain they seek to hide behind
the flag and the Constitution. In
their blindness they forget what
the flag and the Constitution stand
for. Now, as always, the flag and
the Constitution stand for democ-
racy, not tyranny; for freedom, not
subsection and against a dictator
ship by mob rule and the overpriv-
ileged alike.
1.-THE brave and clear platform
adopted by this convention, to
which heartily subscribe, sets
forth that government in a mod
ern civilization has certain inescap-
able obligations to its citizens
among which are protection of the
family and the home, the establish
ment of a democracy of opportun.
ity. and aid to those overtaken by
disaster.
"But the resolute enemy within
our gates is ever ready to beat
down our words unless in greater
courage we will fight for them.
For more than three years we
have fought for them. This con-
vention in every word and deed had
pledged that that fight will go on
! 1.-THE defeats and victories OF
these years have given to us as a
people new understanding of our
government and of ourselves. New
er since the early days of the New
England town meeting have the
affairs of government been SO
widely discussed and so clearly ap-
preciated. 1t has been brought
home to us that the only effective
guide for the safety of this most
worldly of worlds is moral princi-
pie.
I'VE do not see faith, hope and
charity as unattainable ideals, but
we use them as stout supports Of a
nation fighting the fight for free
dom in a modern civilization.
"Faith-In the soundness Of
democracy in the midst Of die
tatorship.
"Hope-Renewed because we
know so we'll the progress we
have made.
'Charity-In the true spirit of
that grand old word. For char
ity literally translated from the
original means love, the love
that understands, that does not
merely share the wealth Of the
giver, but true sympathy and
wisdom helps men to help
themselves.
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