These, again, are merely illustrations of conditions. We are in a new world,
struggling under old laws. As we go inspecting our lives to-day, surveying
this new scene of centralized and complex society, we shall find many more
things out of joint.

One of the most alarming phenomena of the time,-or rather it would be
alarming if the nation had not awakened to it and shown its determination to
control it,-one of the most significant signs of the new social era is the
degree to which government has become associated with business. I speak, for
the moment, of the control over the government exercised by Big Business.
Behind the whole subject, of course, is the truth that, in the new order,
government and business must be associated closely. But that association is
at present of a nature absolutely intolerable; the precedence is wrong, the
association is upside down. Our government has been for the past few years
under the control of heads of great allied corporations with special
interests. It has not controlled these interests and assigned them a proper
place in the whole system of business; it has submitted itself to their
control. As a result, there have grown up vicious systems and schemes of
governmental favoritism (the most obvious being the extravagant tariff),
far-reaching in effect upon the whole fabric of life, touching to his injury
every inhabitant of the land, laying unfair and impossible handicaps upon
competitors, imposing taxes in every direction, stifling everywhere the free
spirit of American enterprise.

Now this has come about naturally; as we go on we shall see how very
naturally. It is no use denouncing anybody, or anything, except human nature.
Nevertheless, it is an intolerable thing that the government of the republic
should have got so far out of the hands of the people; should have been
captured by interests which are special and not general. In the train of this
capture follow the troops of scandals, wrongs, indecencies, with which our
politics swarm.

There are cities in America of whose government we are ashamed. There are
cities everywhere, in every part of the land, in which we feel that, not the
interests of the public, but the interests of special privileges, of selfish
men, are served; where contracts take precedence over public interest. Not
only in big cities is this the case. Have you not noticed the growth of
socialistic sentiment in the smaller towns? Not many months ago I stopped at
a little town in Nebraska, and while my train lingered I met on the platform
a very engaging young fellow dressed in overalls who introduced himself to me
as the mayor of the town, and added that he was a Socialist. I said, "What
does that mean? Does that mean that this town is socialistic?" "No, sir," he
said; "I have not deceived myself; the vote by which I was elected was about
20 per cent. socialistic and 80 per cent. protest." It was protest against
the treachery to the people of those who led both the other parties of that
town.