Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1920 — "LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE" [ARTICLE]

"LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE"

Should Be the Slogan of the People This Time. Lafayette Times— During the well remembered Mark Hanna campaign the Republicans adopted the slogan, “Leave well enough alone," and the newspapers and orators all preached and talked good times and prosperity and cited how independent the farmers and 'laboring men were with dollar wheat and $2 a day wages. I heard "Jim” Mulhall Watson in that campaign explain that he had been driving through the country and saw new farmhouses building on every hand and new barns and granaries and fences. In the towns, he said, laboring men were all at work at good wage* and everyone wag prosperous and happy. Then the redoubtable “Jim” Mulhall would twist his face into an expression approaching contortion and yell at the top of his voice: “LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE I” And I thought if the “Jim” Mulhalls and the Will Woods of the Republican party in this campaign had the record of prosperity and plenty behind them that the Wilson administration has they would be go-

ing over the country now yelling at the top of their voices: “LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!” Let alone the high wages with everyone at work! Let alone the new homes building in every corner and on nearly every street in Lafayette. Let alone the laboring man who never had such a demand for his services or received such high compensation. . . Let alone the business man who never sold his goods at a better profit or more nearly for cash than today. Let alone the farmer, with his high prices for cattle, hogs, grain, poultry, eggs and all that he produces —ready cash prices and no questions asked. Let alone this same farmer, who rides to town in his splendid automobile and whose son or daughter has his or her roadster of their own. Let alone the thousands of boys who find it possible to easily obtain work to pay their way through college. Let alone the building of new streets and roads, which employ men and boys at high wages. ■ Let alone public infprovements which conduce to public welfare. Let alone the absence of shop “shut downs” —you remember how frequently the Monon shops were shut down eight or 10 years ago? Let alone the peace, the prosperity, the plenty, never so much In evidence as now. Yes—“LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!” If the g. o. p. was in power now and the record and conditions were the same as now, every Republican paper, every Republican orator, every Republican candidate would raise his eyes to heaven, devoutly thank his God for His Goodness and foresight and would yell! Yell!! YELL!!! “LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!”

But not having the record and pot being responsible for this happy condition, they go about with longdrawn faces, saying: "There is a spirit of unrest.” Or they demand "Americaniism.” Or they “want the constitution above the league of nations.” They talk about the "unpopularity of Wilson” as though someone outside the enemies of America had a license to feel aggrieved at the patriotic course of the president and

his efforts in the interest of all humanity to prevent future wars through the agency of the league of nations. They set up a lot of scare strawmen and then proceed to knock the stuffing out of them. True Americans have every reason to feel proud of their president—"" the man who" gave his health ' and his strength that the world might live in concord hereafter. “LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!’’ The conditions of the country following the war are adjusting themselves as rapidly as possible without affecting the prosperity and welfare of the people of the nation and as rapidly as possible considering the obstacles of a do-nothing congress of the past two years—a congress of Republicans who mistook a hymn of hate for Wilson for their । duty. A congress which refused to repeal the war emergency luxury tax, or to pass a law curbing profiteering, or laws which would assist in settling conditions as they should be. I Cox has definite plans for changing those conditions which demand relief. He proposes a small tax on going businesses to raise the revenues for government —a tax all could pay without injury, and Immediately repeal the luxury tax. Senator Harding has no proposal. The senatorial cabal has not given him the orders yet. On every issue in this campaign Governor Cox has stated his position fairly and squarely and for all needed remedies he has given a decisive program just as I have cited above. Senator Harding has given no definite statement on any question. The senatorial cabal Is on all sides of all questions, trying to befog the public mind. They are a party of fault-finding —of criticism —of abuse —of negation. They want to get back to “normalcy/’ I JieUeye the only original thing Senator Harding has done Is to coin the word “normalcy.” And “normalcy” means the dollar wheat which Senator Harding said was enough for any farmer. “Normalcy” means factory shutdowns — idleness. “Normalcy’’ means an insulting tramp at your back door demanding food. “Normalcy” means a line of soup houses along the path now trod by prosperous workingmen, who have realized their dream of ages for shorter hours and better pay. And here I want to digress just a moment to recall to the laboring man that Congressman Wood says his increased wages are responsible for the high cost of living. And I want to disagree with Mr. Wood and say to you that the man between labor and the consumer of labor’s product—the idle rich, welldreesed and well-fed profiteer between the laboring man who is receiving a just wage and the consumer of his product who is paying too highly for it—that Is the fellow responsible for the high cost of living and that is the fellow Governor Cox has a plan to get rid of. Congressman Wood and his gang would cut the price of wages to eliminate the high cost of living—get labor back to “normalcy”—get labor back to where labor humbly knocked at capital’s door and begged a Job at any wage—that is the g. o. p. plan, as given by Congressman Wood et al.

Governor Cox proposes not to disturb labor and wages, but to "get” the anti-labor fellow who reaps the excessive profits without doing any work—to put the profiteer out of business. Which plan appeals to you, Mr. Thinking Man and Mrs. Thinking Woman? The people of this country were never as prosperous, never as happy, never as contented as now. Their opportunities were never as great — there is work for all who want to work—and at good wages. Then “LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!”