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Show WOULD ENCHAIN GREEDYWEALTH LaFollette Advocated Public Pub-lic Ownership of Natural Resources MILWAUEE, Wis.. July 18. (By the Associated Press) Predatory wealth has reached 'undreamed of proportions" and has dominated the disarmament congress, the tariff nnd other Republican legislation," United States Senator Robert M. LaFollette stated in opening his campaign for ro-nomlnatlon ro-nomlnatlon here Monday. Ho stated that monopolistic centred of Industry through over-capltallzatlon Is the greatest causo of "industrial (diseaso" and to overcome monopolistic control lie advocated that the government govern-ment tako over the natural resources of the country, and extend the privilege privil-ege of their exploitation through a strict leading system Mr. LaFollette spoke to scerol thousand persons and wound up his address without reference to the state ticket. SEVERAL LEAVE EARLY A few spectators lett tho hall early. Thcst were characterized by Senator .LaFollette c.s a few of his enemies and what he termed "chaff" which Is blov. n out In a hurrv when "threshing-is "threshing-is rro.ng on. agriculture, he said, "is almost prostrate. Industry strewn with wrecks, the merchant fleot idle. opting opt-ing millions dally even while idle, and about to be sold to private Individuals for a few cents on a dollar, Railroads, be chnrged, have taken a billion and a half from the public treasury, hut the burden of excessive rates has not boon lifted. Labor Is Idle now as never before. ' Masters of coal, iron, steel, cotton and woolen mills, the grain trust meat trust ;-.ml other great financial Interests In-terests have accumulated more wealth than thev ever dreamed of possessing WYOMING oil, DEAL "It Is estimated the war produced 20.000 millionaires Even if correct this Is a poor Indication of 'he concentration con-centration of wealth " The senator charged that the greatest great-est achievement of the Republican administration ad-ministration Is revenue legislation hail been the repeal pf the excess profits tax on corporations which he estimat ed saved 'corporations and trusts 50,000)00Q taxes annually" I 11 charged that the Teapot Dome. Wyoi 0 tl oil reserve of national lm- I portance bis been removed from pro-tectlon pro-tectlon o( wise legislation and given, to tli Standard ni company. The foul po vet treat) was denoune- . i .-is un-A merlcan FEARS PLUNDERING I la ns are under wa, he aald, to plunder the American people through the present larlff bill the ship subsidy sub-sidy bill and an alleged admin. -'ration plot to postpone the bonus. "I am no pessimist.!' the senator said, "and I believe we can find a way out " Too ion. h v. i head . pense wn.s cited cit-ed as Iik great cause of Industrial troubles. The war was not the only Cause of this overhead he said, but the underlying causes were manifest a quarter of a century ago A.s a .source of this overhead, he enumerated enumerat-ed alleged o er-ca pltalizatlon In the past two generations. He said thai Instead of reducing this overhead. business managers are adopting the expedient of reducing production expenses. ex-penses. Thev are trying to deflate the wages of lahor." In no line, he said, are wages of labor sufficient for more than a decent living standard-ANTI-WAR ACTIONS Ho said he opposed entry of the United States Into the war because he i.n.e. who would have to near tho burdens bec ause he knew the shameful shame-ful orgy of graft" that would accom-panv accom-panv and follow the war. because great financial interests that would J profit bad - onducted a propaganda to drive us Into war. T have not changed," he added "Once war was declared. 1 did what I could to lighten the burden and Insure In-sure safety for our soldiers, and I proposed pro-posed then, n.s I do now that those who profited so largely by the war should be more heavily taxed." oo |