The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, October 19, 1916, Page 3

MONSTER CROWD. HEARS COLONEL GARDNER'S OPENING learning, all our state institutions, our superb banking and insurance laws, our public service “and corporation laws, and our numerous lawe for the protection of working men, all owe their origin to the Democratic party and are monuments to the splendid patriotism, genius, courage and fidel- without dividends or Interest (to ac cumi'lite surplus). “Sccond—Loans must be attainable for productive purposes only, and for @ pericd of 25 years or less on a 60 per cent of appraised value. “Third—Payments must be made on amortization or annual payments | plan. . nection with ti» Lard Dank fill, f have followed the advice of able and disinterested Jawyers. The bill was passed by the General Assembly com- posed largely of lawyers. It was not passed hurriedly, but after due cellb- eration. It was not passed as a party measure. Torty-fivs of the 65 Repub- lican members of the legisluture voted peturns. I would oppose the creation o@ any additional boards or other bod- fes at this time unless conditions abould arise showing imperative ne cessity for such a change. Code Revision and New Constitution. We are told that our legal code is archaic and out of date. This. {s a thatter in which the State Bar Asso lost every sentence was punctured by applause. He fully measured up to public expectations, He said, in part: Col. Gardner's Speech. \Bellow Citizens: A few weeks ago we concluded one the niost spirited contests for the jomination for Governor in the his- of the Democracy of Missouri. @ distinguished Democrats who con- ted the nomination with me and those who suported them, I be- There shall be no Democratic fac- 8. I expect and know that I will ve all Democrats behind me and after I am elected all will be taken dpto the party’s council. A divided {party is powerless to fulfill its pledges ‘to the public. From one end of the state to the other Democracy is united, confident FREDERICK D. GARDNER, Democratic Candidate for Governor. ‘and militant. Victory for the whole iticket is certain. I want to express ‘@ Geep sense of appreciation and obli- ation to the party for the honor con- ferred upon me, and I want you to} iknow that I ami not unmindful of the fre’ ponsibility involved with the com- iment extended. The Governor of issour! should represent the state in @ broad and patriotic way, with an eye seeing solely the welfare of the ‘whole people. The present time pre- sents an opportunity for great serv- fice and it {s my ambition to fulfill the moble purposes for which the office ‘was created and to measure up to its ‘highest traditions. ed out through the principles of the ‘Democratic party and if elected I will eerve the people in a straightforward, common sense, business-like way, without fear or favor. The Mission of Democracy. I am a Democrat because I believe that the ultimate ideals and best in- terests of the whole people in our state and national life can more com- pletely be accomplished through the Democratic party than in any other ‘way. It offers to the individual the largest measure of security, the great- est freedom of conscience, and the widest liberty of action consistent with the common good and the rights of others. The fundamentals of Democracy are based upon equality of right and even- mess of opportunity to all as opposed to special privilege to the few at the expense of the whole people. Democ- Tacy does not teach that one man, or class of men, should have advantage over the rest, but rather that “that law is a just law which makes for the interest of the greatest number.” This is not a new doctrine—it is as old as the Declaration of Independ- ence. In my opinion these are the princi- ples upon which we can safely and work out the new problems which SPEECH-AT-CHILLIC [Btate and National Questions Masterfully Handled—Judge Lamm's Objections to the Land Bank Bill Shown to Be Purely “Political,” Not Based on Reason. | Ohillicothe, Mo., Sept. 28.—A mon: life to the problems of the law, qualify ater crowd greeted Col. Fred D. Gard- fer, Demooratic candidate for Gov-| jor, at the big tent meeting open. the campaign in this county today. | m the expressions received from, ous measures which have been recent- I belleve that the! destiny of this state can be best work- | Governor. stand | candidates. of| torious that the Republican organiza- carried the Democratic. banner to vic- tory In Missouri. : Taxation. In 1873 when the Democratic party assumed control of the state's affairs, a bonded debt of $40,000,000 was left as a heritage of Republican misgov- ernment. A tax rate of 50 cents was in effect. Wise and efficient Demo cratic rule has wiped out this debt and the state tax rate in Missouri is now 15 cents on the $100, the lowest tax rate in the United States. Of this 15 cents, one-third or 5 cents, is re- turned for public schools, leaving only 10 cents to care for the entire re- maining expense of the state. In other words—the citizen who owns pronerry valued at $5,000 assessed at 40 per cent or $2,000, pays $3 per year for the state support. In 96 out of 114 coun- ties the total amount paid in by the counties is returned to them by the state. To be exact, these 96 counties in 1915 paid into the state treasury $1,385,369.74, and received back $2,144,043.89, or a net difference of $758,674.15, Now can any Republican show such a record? Our Future Duty. The Democratic party is alive to the new industrial, commercial and eco- nomic conditions and must shape its policies to meet them. We grasp their solution not with fear and trembling, but with confidence. It must never be the policy of our party to become sat- urated with conceit and complacency, we have perfect confidence that the legislation which we propose will re- sult in even better financial condi- tions, and will also prepare the way for greater development of the indus- tries of the state. State Finances. All well governed business institu- tions now have what is known as a budget—that is, a systematic, scien- tific method of estimating and appor- tioning their income and expenditure. This plan should also be a part of all modern systems of state and munici- pal govérnment. It simply substitutes accuracy for haphazard guess work. Under our constitution the ideal him any better for the office of Gov- ernor than the expérience of a busi- ness man who has spent his whole life in working out problems of efficiency, economy and development in the every day affairs of a growing business be- with- fierce competition and con stantly changing business conditio: What we want to apply to present day questions in Missouri is not logic and theory, but rather reason and experi- ence, _ : There is another difference between the Republican nominee for Governor and myself, and that is that he stands for the policy of Republicanism, and I stand for the doctrine of Democ- racy. He believes in the principles enunciated by Alexander Hamilton. I believe in the philosophy of Thomas Jefferson. He is committed to the fault finding, criticising campaign of Judge Hughes and I stand for the con- structive, statesmanlike administra- tion of Woodrow Wilson. He. stands for the stand pat, reac- tionary, special privilege, trust incu- bating Payne-Aldricn tariff—as the best method of raising revenues for the national government. I stand for the Underwood tariff, an income tax, an inheritance tax, and a tax on war supplies. The difference is that his method of raising taxes would place the burden on the consumer, ours on accumulated wealth, where it can be more easily borne. He must stand sponsor for the Re- publican financial legislation which turned the nation’s affairs over to a half dozen men in Wall street, enabling them to milk the nation at any time they chose through the so-called commercial panics’ I stand for the federal reserve act which has forever state legislature appropriates any amount is pleases “without regard to its receipts. But should I be Gov- ernor I would approach a_ legal budget system just as nearly as possible by submitting to the appro- priation committee an estimate of re- ceipts prepared by the state officials, and indicating where the revenues should be expended. The committee could, of course, shift expenditures from one source to another, but I would tell them plainly that if the amount was over-appropriated I would veto all over appropriations. I. shall see that the people secure the maxi- Mum amount of service for the mini- mum expenditure. I shall organize every department and institution of the state, over which the Governor has control, on strictly modern, busi- ness and efficiency lines. Rural Credit System. Agriculture is the base of the eco- nomic pyramid in the state of Mis- sourl. This is primarily an agricul- tural state. As a result of our agri- cultural development we have builded and unjust condition. Just the opportunities the European war would have given Wall street to cre- ate financial panics had not the: fed- eral reserve act stared them in the face. He must stand for the utter failure of his party to enact during their long tenure of office progressive laws to help and assist the farmer and the laboring man. I endorse each and every one of the splendid and numer- ly enacted to promote and assist agri- cailture and to help and dignify labor. His party proceeds upon the theory that federal courts are infallible and for years, while in power, refused to abolish government of employes by injunction, while my party, upon com- ing into power, abolished government by injunction and provided that all employes charged with being in con- tempt of a federal court in an equity proceeding involving labor disputes should be entitled to a trial by a jury of his peers. His party regarded hu- man labor as a commodity, while my. party has decreed that the labor of a human being is neither a commodity nor an article of commerce. He musi say why his party refused to give the people the parcel post system and always operated the post- office department at a loss, whereas under our administration millions of dollars of surplus have been turned back into the treasury. Judge Lamm seems to mistrust the people. Before and since the primary, in his speeches throughout the state, he has denounced the present state primary law, claiming that it breaks down the moral stamina of candidates by giving them enormous temptations to bid for votes by making all kinds of promises. . Judge Lamm ought to know, and probably does know, by this time, that if there had been no state primary law he could not have been nominated for splendid towns and cities in Missouri where ih factories abound. I maintain | the success of the manufacturing | 'stries of Missouri is largely de | pendent upon the success of the agr? ‘ultural districts of Missouri. I would ve a closer relation between the” country and the y; between the rand merchant. ce my opponent, Judge Lamm, & state rural credit system says that he* does not think the state of Missouri needs 2ny such system in any form. In.this Judge Lamm repudiates one of the planks of the platform adopted by the Republican party at its state conven: tion held in Jefferson City in August, which declared in favor of a rural credit system, The facts are, my fellow citizens, Judge Lamm is in perfect harmony with the other leaders of his party in opposing any remedial legislation in the interest of the farmers, and, just as the Republican leaders attempted to arouse the American people in op- position to the federal reserve bank- ing act, so is he attempting to arouse the people of Missouri against a state | rural credit system; indeed, the lead- - ers of his party opposed the recently enacted federal farm loan act. It seems that Judge Lamm, by inference | at least, approves the federal farm loan act, and maintains that this bill | is adequate to render sufficient aid to the farmers. This is one of his specious reasons for opposing the’! Gardner Land Bank bill. In so far as he commends the federal farm loan act, which has placed the federal gov- ernment behind a plan of rural credits to assist the 12,000,000 farmers in the United States, including $00,000 in Missouri, he pays tribute to the Dem- ocratic party which enacted it, and he is again at variance with his own party platform which denounces it. When he states that the federal | farm loan act will afford ample relief to Missouri farmers and should be ex- clusive in its operation, he shows that he is not informed as to the needs of the farmers of Missouri and of the, purposes and iritent of the farm loan act, or else he is indffferent to agri- cultural development in this state. The federal system was never intended to relieve the various states from their obligation to the farming class. The federal system was intended to point the way to-correct principles and fun- damental relief. It was also intended to standardize farm loans. It was ex- pected that it would work hand in hand with a state system just as do our national banks and state banks— just as the Smith-Lever act is helping our states in better agriculture and as the recent federal good roads bill is, helping all the states in road building. I ne oppo wy But when Judge Lamm submitted his cause to the voters of St. Louis he received 33,350 votes to 10,454 cast for his principal opponent. It was this vote that gave him the nomination— @ vote that he never could have got- ten in a convention. As for me, I stand for the present state primary law. I have an abiding faith in the judgment of the people. They will not be misled by false prom- ises. They are quick to detect the lack of stamina in any candidate. The people may occasionally make a mis- take, but I hope the day may never come when fhe citizens composing the political parties in Missouri will be denied the right to name their own I favor any method for safeguarding the purity of the ballot, either at the primary or any -other election. . The Republican ‘state platform de- clares for the merit system in public office. Yet in their convention held the same day, the city press reports the faction that was able to control affairs used the promise of spoils to accomplish their ends. It is also no- tion of St. Louis is in open rebellion and defiance of the merit system of the new city charter. Governor Had- ley’s axe fell on the head of the most This federal land credit system is, founded upon the four cardinal prin the ciples eel prricke my plan ieenal tions was wor! out and given to the pub | ae an unbroken ae lic two years before the federal act! achievements was passed. | complished, promises fulfilled, deeds} = “jirsi—Rural credit system must | done. Our great public school ‘“" te established by the state. Capital | tem, all our higher institutions stock must be subscribed by the state, | | Constitution which provides that no’ “Fourth—Debenture bonds-to- be-is- sued avainst the first deeds of trusts, and in order to secure the farmer cheap money these bonds to be ex- empt from taxation,” The Democratic party is not work- ing in the interest of any one class to the detriment or sacrifice of another. My friends, we must see to it that our rs are not denied the oppor- tunity and capital to cultivate and | develop idle lands; to keep the boys | on the farm; to enable the tenants to} become land owners. The fields are | being stripped. The cities are already crowco!, When this government was started “0 per cent of the population | was (n the farm—50 years ago 66 per cent cf our population was on the} today only about 30 per cent farm. <The census shows two- | of the largest agricultural coun. | on th thirds ties in Missouri are losing in. popul: tion, snd that in a new state such as Kar ts: the agricuitural communities sing in population. uthern states the averaze e: ity of a farmer is $ 2 a day. The c in the s Yors 7 per cent of the young me have gone away. But we must pro- tect and develop the agricultural inter- ests of this country if we would pro | duce the highest measure of happi- | ness and prosperity. Judge Lamm seems greatly _per- | turbed about the state's ability to | finance the bank at the beginning. If I am elected Governor, I shall pursue the course followed by business men | under similar conditions, namely the accumulation of the capital by install- ments. For instance, I would ask for | 25 per cent of the capital stock the first year, and 25 per cent for each | remaining year of my term. Is it to be understood that if there is merit to the plan that a great state like } ouri, whose future hinges on the development of agriculture, can4 affard to hesitate? What is our history with reference to public enter. | In eight oft ; foes e ! one billion dollars’ worth. | dollars of United | Mis: prises? We appropriated a -million Gonars g . OUTS Orig = We have appropriated over three mil lion dollars for a new state house, and hundreds of tkousands~of dollars for tate institutions: whenever the required. ust be borne in mind that the chief source of loaning capacity comcs from the turn-over realized from bond sales with the best. security on earth | behind them--namely, Missouri farius There is not a particle of hazard in | such a transaction. It is so elemental that it is not even considered a finan- i cial risk at all. i My opponent says my plan is crude, | Ty student, author j yet practically e and authority in American credits have held otherwise, on land Prof. Fetter, Professor of Economics | of Princeton, and ex-president of the American Economic Society—a man studying this question. | lion dollars | here for the bill, six being absent. In de- nouncing the bill Judge Lamm ques- tlons the intelligence of a majority of the Republican members of the last legislature. If you think the princt- ples therein contained are sound, | beg | of you not to be dissuaded from voting for the amendment because of tho fault finding of Judge Lamm, the can- didate. Single Tax. Now tatement relative to the ‘ ) nothing could be more far-fetched nor a greater fallacy. Single tax sans that all tax is to be levied against the land. The farmer gets the loan from the exact rate at the institution a which the bonds are sold. An imposed on these bonds would nece be added to the annual rate of inter wherefore, in exempting the bonds from taxation, you are taking that muelh tax off the land Thet al land bank am, which my eppo yt commends so highly, ther in that respeet than yn by reason of the fact only exempts the bonds from stefe und county taxe but ex- empts them from the income tax. Talso call attention to the fact that when my distinguished opponent was on the supreme bench he concurred in an opinion which exempted from taxation the stocls of all foreign cor- porations held in. Missouri, of which it is ostirnated there are more than No one has ever sugg' d that this was single tax. No one has ever suggested that exemption from taxation of billions of does our that fi not single tax. But when it fs proposed to cheapen money for the farmer by exempting the bonds on which his loans are secured from taxation the Republican party advances the hack- neyed argument that it is single tax. This is in keeping with all of Judge Lamm's criticism of the State Land Bank system. I do not believe the armer will be misled by this sophi My opponent’s construction of the economic plan on which the rural credit tem _is founded is entirely States bonds was) ciation should assume the leadership, 1 should .be governed by their guid- ance and that of the lawyer members of the legislature, and give my full support to any measure looking to a more speedy and adequate adminis- tration of justice. The Democratic platform provides that the people must decide by ballot as to whether a constitutional convention {s to be called. Appointive Offices. I believe the time: is now upon us when even our busiest citizens may no longer shirk their part of the re sponsibilities of government. Many of us have been loud in our criticisms of others, yet refusing to serve our fellow men when called upon. If Iam elected Governor I shall appoint to office the highest type of men and shaJl insist that they serve céen where it will be a personal sacrifice for them to do so. I shall see that our boards, other than professional, are made up of our people from all walks of life. Efficiency shall be my chief alm in selecting men for office. Capital and Labor. Missouri is fortunate in that as a rule employer and employe live in harmony and mutual esteem. Capital and labor are seeking a basis that is fair to both and co-operation séems to be the keynote that is guiding them in working out the difficult probleme which have arisen. I believe the state should enact a modern workmen's compensation act that is just and sat- isfactory to all. The law should pro- tect a man who is engaged in any hazardous work, against the day when by accident he may be thrown out of employment, hélpless and penniless. Peace. The national campaign has opened, and the Republican candidate for President has now completed his swing around the circle. He has har rangued the people about our foreign policy with all the adroitness of the trained jurist that he is, but he has failed to suggest a program, or to state what he wonld have done had he been President during the last four years. His campaign is purely de faulty. or instance, he says that one-half of 1 per cent on the mil- loaned would produce only 5,000 per year. He is in error to the exact amount of 100 per cent. The Dill plainly and specifically states that this sum is to be paid over the whole period of 25 He says further that no pro- years. \ vision is made for accumulation of surplus. He entirely overlooks the fact that the capital stock furnished the institution of the state does not pay dividends. Hence the interest ac- cruing from the use of this capital would produce a very large surplus. Now the public is entitled to know just where my distinguished opponent including | and the Republican party of this state To sum up he | says my plan is unnecessary from any viewpoint because of the tederal sys- | who has traveled all over the world | tem. His party’s' national platform in | Chicago condemns the federal system. stand on rural credits. , I particularly call attention to the | Mr. Hughes on the 21st at Milwaukee fact that a year ago while the federal; says the whole Democratic accom- bill was being discussed ‘the great convention of the National Grange as- sembled in San Francisco, Cal., repre- senting every congressional district in the United States, and after studying all foreign plans and all proposed American plans, without a dissenting : vote agreed that the Missouri idea was the model plan. Judge Lamm states that the Gard- ner Land Bank Bill is in violation of ection 26, article 12, of the Constitu- n of Missouri. I am persuaded that this is a political rather than a legal opinion, The section referred to reads as follows: Section 26. Act Creating Banks to Be Submitted to the People—Excep- ' tion, No act of the General Assembly ! Authorizing ‘or creating corporations or associations with banking powers (except banks of deposit or discount), nor amendments thereto, shall go into | effect, or in any manner be enforced, | unless the same shall be submitted to a vote of the qualified voters of the | state, at the general election next succeeding the passage of the same, | and be approved by a majority of the | votes cast at such election. Now the Forty-eighth General As- sembly passed the act establishing the Missouri Land Bank and Rural Credits and in accordance with the express | terms of the section cited, the bill is now being submitted to the people under the intiative clause of | our constitution. The people know precisely what they are voting on. Not | only that, but they are delegating to! the legislature, as they have a perfect right to do, the power to “enact other special laws to amend and to improve | the sald act, or to supply omissions or correct defects therein.” The pro- posed amendment changes the Con- stitution in three respects: First—It authorizes the legislature to amend and improve, supply omis- | sions and correct defects in the bill, ' thereby repealing that portion of the! such amendments shall be made until submitted to the people. Second—It authorizes the General Assembly to appropriate one million | dollars as a loan to the Land Bank. Third—It authorizes the legislature | to exempt the assets of the Land Bank | and its bonds from taxation. | In regard to the legal aspect of the | proposed amendment, when a major-| ity of the people shall have voted in| favor of this amendment, it becomes | the expression of the sovereign will.! and as to all subjects covered these; amendments are substituted for and! suspend those provisions of the con-| stitution now in force. | It is apparent, therefore, that this | objection of Judge Lamm to this dill, as are all his other objec- | tions, is capitious. He searches for, | takes notice and makes much of| imagined faults and defects. No! rural credit bill of Democratic! origin would ever meet with Judge | Lamm’s approval while a candidate for Governor on the Republican ticket.| charge of a central board and if re He is not sitting as a judge, but is a) plishment must be wiped off the book, which would include the federal farm loan bill. Judge Lamm s: Springfield speech, “We stand for rural credits by an. efficient and just law.” ‘Now, I believe it is his duty to! tell the people frankly why he com- mends a bill which his national party | condemns, and which will be repealed | Hughes is elected, and of a law he would call And in the event Governor, what if Judge what sort equitable and just of his election he would do to ca mandate to establish a Bank. reference to state rural credits are hypercritical and,clearly intended to confuse the people. he was opposed to any credit system because unnecessary. He afterwards modifies this in his Springfield speech, but does not state how or when he would inaugurate a rural credit system in Missouri. The national platform disposes of the rural credit system with 20 words. The Missoruri state Republican platform disposes of it with 28 words, and yet Judge Lamm has devoted practically all of his speeches to this subject. Roads. Our present Democratic administra- tion in Missouri has aroused a keen interest in road development in this state. Not only men, horses and auto- mobiles follow good roads, but civill- zation and religion as well. They are the servants of the farmer and the city man. This agitation has been going on in Missourj for a great many years. The time has come for earnest, active, united effort along this line. Schools. The public scliool system of Amer- ica is the foundation of our democ- racy. It must ever be the apple of our eye. Perhaps I speak with par- ticular fervor on this question, as my only education was received in a coun- try public school, principally of the one-room type. My view of the school is that the time has arrived when our rural boy and girl must be given as good an education as any boy or girl in any public school in America. This must be our goal. We must prepare our country boys and girls to solve the problems at their own door. We have in the past attempted too much to prepare them to go to the cities, which are overcrowded. The “acid test” of good government is the true development of the man and woman. Now, how is this foundation to be laid other than by educating the boy and girl? The Democratic administration is gratified to tell the public that this year close to $2,000,000 has been set State Land state rural | aside for public schools, breaking all past records in the state’s history. Eleemosynary Inetitutions. It is claimed by our physicians that our eleemosynary institutions could be made more efficient and responsive to public demands if they were in moved from politics. As a layman I caviling at a constructive} would favor such a law if it is shown measure with which his opponent is| to be practicable and one which identified. would not saddle on the state addi- pensating In every move made by mo in con:! tional expenses without com in his} out the people’s | Judge Lamm’'s remarks with | He first says that | offer a single constructive suggestion. He has derided our foreign policy, but has failed to show where the honor of the nation would have been better conserved by pursuing any other pol- icy. His chief criticism of the Mexi- can policy is in the failure of Presi- dent Wilson to recognize Huerta. To my mind the action of the President of the United States in this matter marked a new era tn international re- lations. The nations of the world have been recognizing rulers regardless of the manner of method through which they have attained ascendance, but when President Wilson realized that Huerta had gotten Into control of the affairs of Mexico through the assassi- nation of Madero he, in effect, an- nounced to the world that the United States would not recognize the ruler of any nation on earth who attained his position by assassinating his pre- decessor- President Wilson's management of the European situation will go down in history as the greatest diplomatic achievement in American annals. The honor of America is untarnished to- day because he h preserved peace instead of achieving personal glory and renown by involving us in war, When we read in the new: bers to- day of the awful calamity that is lit- erally destroy qurope, and in addi- tion to the death, devastation and | waste of the present; is heaping an {n- tolerable burden of debt upen the fu- ture generations, T maintain that it is t pnt that will adorn the $ ory that the President of the United States has preserved peace and brought prosperity to the bhun- dred millions of people who are look- ing to him for guidance and protee- tion. Prosperity. The Republican party has often pro- Democ party is opposed to business. Present-day con- ditions so utterly contradict those charges that it will not require a long argument to meet them. Every mill in this land is now working night and day. Every dinner pail is full. Every man who seeks work is able to find it at higher wages than ever. before. Bark clearings are the largest in the histoty of the country. Railroad earn- ings are three and one-half million dollars, exceeding by far any in his- tory. Farm products are at top prices. Is there a man in any walk of life who will say that his vocation is less profitable than it was under Repub- lican rule? And yet a great part of the commercial world is involved in war. I believe that the American people want peace, prosperity and prepared- ness. I believe that the people of the state of Missouri will support the po- litical party that has preserved peace and prosperity in these perilous times. We believe that the greatest happl- ness comes in contented homes—the family fireside: where father, mother and children may gather at least once a day. The home promotes higher ideals than battlefields, where happi- ness is replaced by the heartaches of widows and the suffering of orphans. For my part, I am willing to go be fore the people of the country and of- fer peace as preferable to war; pros- perity as preferable to panics; uni- versal business activity, where every man is afforded an opportunity, as preferable to a policy of protection to a few at the expense of the many. I believe present conditions can be better preserved under a Democratic than under a Republican administra- tion. I believe the Democratic party can stand fearlessly before the people on the administration of Woodrow Wilson and the legislation which he has brought about. I believe that we can with absolute assurance ask your suffrage upon the policy which we propose to provide for the state of Missouri—a_ ural credits system, good roads and honest administration of eleemosynary institutions, adequate support to the educational institutions and a faithful, energetic and business- like supervision of the general affairs of the government of the state claimed that the