Weekly Independent
The Official Populist Paper.
$1. jO PER TEAR IN ADVANCE
186UD EVERY FRIDAY.
llILMtY HUCK13S, Publisher.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 20, 1805.
Entered at the post office of Lincoln,
b., as Eecond class mail matter.
People's Independent State Ticket.
For Supreme Judge,
SAMUEL MAXWELL.
Kogents Slate University,
J AS. If. J5AYSTON,
ELLA W. 1 EAT TIE.
The Peoples Independent County
Ticket.
Tor District Judge:
A. S. TIHIJETTS.
II. F. HOSE.
J. C, McNKRNKV.
For Clerk of District Court:
ELI AS UAKER.
For Shr riff: ..
FRED MILL EH.
.''or Treasurer:
A. H.WEI It.
Fur Comity Clerk-
CEOKGE II. WALT EES.
For County Judge:
(JEOIKiE W. BEKGK.
For County Superintendent:
II. S. UOWEIiS.
For Coroner:
L. W. LOWKY.
For County Commissioner:
It. E. HICJIARDSOX
Assessors:
First Ward,
T. E. CONNELLY.
Third Ward,
C. (5. I JUL LOCK.
Fourth Ward:
C. A. COOK.
Fifth Ward,
A. C. SHEIUCK.
Sixth Ward,
J' W. EM BENSON.
Seventh Ward,
W. T. KoLOFSON
For Constables:
JOHN MEANOK.
.1. V. TRAVIS.
WILLIAM C1IIXN.
For Justii-e of the Peace:
S. II. I AMS.
OEORGE W. ULAKE.
NOTICE.
This paper will not advocate any
doctrine not contained in the
Pmaha platform. Communications
on economic themes advocating
theories not contained in that plat
lorm cannot be published in the
.NrK PEN PENT.
Can the money power buy the
country weeklies?
The Populist Hand Book and
the Independent one year for $i.
Give us briefly the party news
in your county or neighborhood for
publication.
The banks are cettinij afraid of
the growth of the populist party,
They have agreed to quit raiding
the treasury.
It's the tariff that makes the low
price of wheat and corn for John
Sherman says so.
"The claim that greenbacks are
not money in the fullest sense of
that term is untenable." Francis
A. Walker, the great American
economist. .
We receive many compliments
from readers on the excellence of
our paper. Now the thing for
those readers to do is to send us
$i on subscription, together with
half a dozen of their neighbors.
That jay, Sterling Morten, says
"there is plenty of money in the
country and all that the farmer
joeeds is something to sell." When
the farmer had big crops and
"something to sell "he told them
that all their woes came from over
production. A great jay is that
Sterling gold bug.
Mk. Atkinson says in the letter
which he sends us ask;ng us to tell
how rich the farmets are: "I re
quest that neither this letter nor
the questions be put into the news
papers, I want this correspondence
kept to ourselves." We'll keep
those questions locked in the safe
Mr. Atkinson. The whole affair
shall be wholly confidential.
Gkoer Ci evei.and is the most
disgusting person to look upon to
be seen on the streets of Washing,
ton. It was not at all uncommon
when he and Mrs. Cleveland were
M-en together to hear the remark,
"Beauty and the beast. " Now
tne gold bugs are talking of honor
ing him above Washington, Grant
and Lincoln by running hirn for a
third term.
THE QUESTION OF INTERE8T.
The question of interest has for
1 . 1 !
many years oeen maue a special
study by the economists, ine
greatest scholars have written much
upon it and it has only been within
the last fifty years that final con
clusions have been reached and
the equities between lender and
borrower accurately defined.
As far as the question has been
written upon in the periodical
press there are but three phases of
it presented. First by the Shy
locks who have always claimed that
the hiring of money should be left
without restriction of law, the lender
being allowed to hire out his money
for any price he could get for it,
without any legal restriction or
penalty whatever.
Another class has demanded the
total abolishment of interest and
making the taking of interest a
felony. Still another class has ad
vocated the adoption of a legal
fixed rate of interest, with penalties
more or less severe for demanding
or receiving more.
The economists de not agree with
any of these propositions. They
look upon the demanding from men
in misfortune or distress, enormous
rates of interest as extortion and de
mand heavy punishment for it on
the same ground that they would the
punishment of a physician, who
would refuse to tie an artery
and save a man from bleeding to
death unless he was paid an ex
tortionate fee. But that would be
no greater crime than to charge an
extortionate rate of interest to a
man who must have money or lose
all his property.
The proposition to destroy inter
est altogether, finds no favor with
the economists at all. They look
ing upon sucli an enactment as
certain to destroy civilization
They say the first result would
be such a contraction of the circu
lation of money as the world has
never seen. There would remain
no motive to keep money in circu
lation, and every man would lock
up and hoard his money. He
would not take the risk of a loan
when there was no profit in doing
it.
The second result would be the
immediate closing ot almost every
eleemosynary institution, in the
union not supported by direct taxa
tion, such as hospitals, schools,
colleges, universities, homes for
the aged, etc., and all the peopta
thus educated or provided for
would become houseless and home
less, either dying of starvation, or
filling the poor houses to overflow
ing for those institutions are all
more or less endowed and their in
come is derived from money in
vested in mines, manufactures,
railroads, county, state or national
bonds upon which they receive in
terest. To this vast class thus made
paupers there would have to be
added very many thousands more,
such as the aged who had by hard
work and a frugal life accumulated
enough, which by investing it in
some interest bearing security are
just able to live. Then there are
the many thousands of widows and
orphans whose father or husband
provided for them before his death,
by investing his little all in some
mine or manufactory or other se
curity and they receive enough in
terest on the investment to keep
the wolf from the door. They
ioo, in countless thousands would
have to wend their way to the poor
house. The economists say that
the result of the abolishment of in
terest is too horrible to contem
plate. Civilization would be
crushed by it.
In treating the subject of an
equitable rate of interest, all the
economists agree that no fixed rate,
that will be at all times equitable,
can be established.
Perhaps this subject will be more
easily made plain by relating a lit
tle occurance which took place in
the last session of congress.
John D.ivis, the popnlist con
gressman from Kansas, from his
great learning and sound works on
political economy became a sort of
a walking encyclopedia for the
whole house. When any member
wanted to know anything, they
only had to ask John Davis and
they got the information instanter.
One day Culbertson, who is a
great man on the democratic side,
came to John Davis and asked:
"What is an equitable rate of
interest?"
Mr. Davis replied: "Let me tell
you a little story," and then went
on as follows:
"When 1 first went to Kansas I
borrowed some money, bought
cattle and fed them. I paid 21 per
cent interest. In the spring I sold
the cattle and made a thousand
dollars on the deal. I think that
was about fair all around don't
you?"
"Great Heavens" replied Cul
bt rtson, "you don't mean to say
that 2a per cent, is a fair rate of
interest do you?"
"Well wait" said Davis "I'm not
through with that story yet. A
short time ago I bought cattle
again and fed them. 1 got the
money for five per cent. When I
sold them, I lost $200 on the deal
on account of the continual fall in
prices. Now I think five per cent
interest under those conditions of
falling prices, was nothing less
than extortion and usury, don't
you?"
That seemed too deep a problem
for Culbertson and he never tried
to solve it.
All economists say that any in
terest, when prices are rapidly fall
ing, is extortion. When the pur
chasing power of money is rapidly
increasing, it more than doubles
interest. If money is loaned at 10
per cent for one year, and the pur
chasing power of money increases
10 per cent during that time, the
value of the interest increases 10
per cent and the value of the money j
in which the debt is paid 10 per'
cent and the result is that the!
borrower actually pays 21 per cent
for the use of the money instead of
the 10 per oent which he thinks he
pays.
There are many other things
about'interest which the economists
have forever settled that can't be
discussed in one article. They do
not believe that it is so much the
high rates of interest which has
brought distress upon the whole
civilized world as the constant ap
preciation of the purchasing pow
er of money,
GOV. WAITE vs. KEIR HARDIE.
Keir Hardie spoke in Denver
Sept. 13, and ran foul of Old Gov.
Waite. The following is taken
from the Associated Press. How it
ever got through the censor's hands
and into print is a mystery:
"Keir Hardie left Denver for
Pueblo today, disappointed in his
reception in this city. Ex-Governor
Waite attended and took oc
casion to dispute some of Hardie's
statements, just as he did some of
the conclusions drawn by John
Burns when he visited Colorado.
Waite took offense at a locally pub
lished interview in which Hardie
dcclard the populist party a fraud,
and when Hardie last evening had
finished his address the audience
called for Waite to speak.
" 'We've got such a society in
America now," he began, "as these
men have been talking to you
about tonight. There is a good,
healthy, living specimen of social
ism amongst us that will not allow
one of its members to go hungry.
That specimen of socialism is the
Mormon church."
Loud cries of " 'that's so, gov
ernor;' " "'that's the truth, old
man, arose trom the delighted
auditors. Something like a look
of despair settled on the face of J.
Kier Hardie.
" 'If I were going to join any
church,' " resumed Governor Waite
when the tumult had subsided, " '1
would join the Mormon church
the Joe Smith wing of it. The Joe
Smith wing don't preach polyga
my, and that suits me. One wo
man is all a man needs or ought to
have.'"
To understand this savage thrust
by the old governor, the reader
must remenber that of necessity
socialism destroys the family. If
all property is owned in common
and no one owns privately any
thing, all children born must be
supported by the state, for a man
who had no money and no proper
ty of his own, could not support or
control his children and the end of
that wonld be "free love," as it is
called. No wonder an audience of.
Americans cheered the old govern
or. 1 he account adds:
"When he sat dwn Hardie
arose to say that were he an Amer
ican he could never join such a
party. He did not think it
amounted to much."
ADJT. GEN. BARRY'S REPORT.
Every department of the state
government that is under populist
control shows a large decrease in
expenses compared with what it
cost under republican rule. Adjt.
Gen. Barry has just turned in his
account of the militia encampment
at Hastings. Comparing the en
campment with the last one held
under republican rule, it shows a
saving of nearly $0,000. Here are
the ofiichl figures:
Lincoln encampment, l .9IVKM.IM
Hustings cm ampmriit. Jsl.i Iit.ei.r5
ltulame
S.tUt.U
TRYING TO WRECK D8.
Tom Watson says: "The surest
way to utterly wreck the people's
party is to load it up with a few
more isms. We say it because we
believe it supremely important that
our party leaders should under
stand that the South will not ap
prove any increase of radicalism in
our platform."
No man can doubt that that state
ment is equally true of the North.
Whoever attempt? to load down
our platform with "isms," is either
woefully ignorant, or an agent of
the gold ring, tryicg to wreck the
party.
Take the Inunpendfk 1 until
January 1 for 25 cents.
REPEAL BY IMPLICATION.
Tne supreme court sustained the
constitutionality of the Omaha po
lice act and the power of appoint
ment is taken from the governor
and given to the junta at the state
house. The supreme court has
established an entirely new doc
trine, one heretofore unheard of in
any court in the United States, viz,
"Repeal by implication." It says:
An act which embraces the entire subject matter
of a prior act and also additional provisions will be
construed an a repeal of the latter by implication.
If that doctrine is to be main
tained it opens a field of litigation,
the end of which no man can fore
see. It m fact reverses the whole
practice of this state and fopens
wide the gates to all sorts of job
bery in legislation. Moreover, no
man can tell what other laws have
been "repealed by implication."
There has never been a decision
handed down since the organiza
tion of the state which will make
so much chaos and confusion in
our courts as this one. If it is to
stand it will not be a year before
the whole people of the state will
be demanding an amendment to
the constitution that will put a
stop to "repeal by implication."
It is a new doctrine, never before
heard of in any state or federal
court.
The demand of the peoples party
for a nonpartizan judiciary is shown
to be more imperative than ever.
Let us have a judiciary that will
not throw all the laws of the state
intoconfusion for the sake of giving
two or three pet politicians an
office.
A FIRBT EFFORT.
This week the State Journal, the
election being near at hand, tried
to hedge a little on its goldbugism
and saidd:
The treasury department has made some
sort of contract with a syndicate composed of the
Rothschilds and their American agents by which
the regulation of our currency is transferred to
them and they are allowed a shave of nearly 25 per
cent on every fifty millions they furnish to the re
serve, as a eompensation for "protecting" car gold.
Just what 'that contract is no one seems to know
exactly.
Mr. Gere is so unaccustomed to
writing anything against gold
syndicates that he staggers and
reels in this, his first attempt.
The idea that this government
is giving to Rothschilds one fourth
of ef every $50,000,000 of gold the
syndicate puts in the treasury is a
little wilder statement than was
ever made by the wildest populist.
Mr. Gere is perfectly excusable for
not knowing what the bond syndi
cate contract was, as he has relied
upon the Annan lie factory for in
formation instead of the populist
news bureau. The syndicate
promised to protect the gold re
serve pending negotiations with
the government. When the con
tract vas signed their responsibility
ended. For a first attempt, this
attack on bank regulation of our
currency will do very well. Try
again Mr. Gere.
A 0HAN0E FOR THE STATE JOURNAL.
The gold bug writers usualyhide
their falsehoods under a thin veil
of truth, but Mr. W. B. Mitchell
in his recent work entitled "Dol
lars or What ' does not take that
precaution at all. On page 42 he
says that Mint reports show only
$56,000,000 silver dollars in circu
lation in 1894. The report of the
Bureau of the Mint for November
1894 shows that over $500,000,000
were in circulation.. Mr. Mitch
ell tries to deceive by not
counting the silver dollars that are
in circulation through silver certifi
cates. The State Journal should
immediately engage Mr. Mitchell
as its head liar. The book is en
dorsed by Lyman Gage, Chauncy
Depew and the New York Times.
ATKINSON'S EW CENSUS.
The gold bugs are again trying
to boost Edward Atkinson into a
position that they can claim him
as an authority. He has done so
much shystering with figures, he
has boosted himself inio the posi
tion of a laughing stock for every
economist in Europe and America.
He is at present engaged in tak
ing a new census, all by himself, of
farm mortgages in the United
States. He has already enough
figures to prove, according to a
circular which he sends us, that
the farmers cf this country are rich
and prosperous and many of them
have retired on their profits, are
living in good style in the cities
and towns taking the world easy.
A great man, is that Atkinson.
Mk. Mitch km. and his gold bug
book, are funny affairs. On page
36 he says that the amount of sil
ver dollars actually in circulation
in 1894 was $56,000,000. On page
66 he says: "The United States
has $549,000,000 of full legal ten
der silver." That sort of writing is
the best that gold can buy on that
side of the question. The cause
must be weak indeed that can make
no better defense, while it has
plenty of money to pay the bright
est wrileis in the land.
Twenty fltt cents'till January 1
: 3 ANEW PARTY.
Associated press, dispatches an
nounce that there has been a union
formed between the two national
bimetallic leagues and the national
silver conference and ajnew organ
ization has been formed of which A.
J. Warner is president, and E. B.
Light, of Denver, secretary. It is
stated that they are to call a con
vention and put up a candidate on
the single silver issue.
This statement must be received
with some doubt. The American
Bimetallic League, at a meeting in
Washington, February, 1893,
adopted a platform, with only one
dissenting vote, demanding in ad
dition to free coinage of silver that
all paper money should be issued
by the government and be a full
legal tender.
At that meeting Gen. Warner,
with a good deal of passion and
force, stated that the proposition
to leave the control of the vol
ume of paper to banking corpora
tions was so vicious that he would
never consent to it, and it is hardly
possible that he will consent to it
now.
Such a-movement will end in
disaster. The reform forces will
never support a party that leaves
banks of issue in existence, and
these gentlemen would better con
sider what the effect of a further
division of the advocates of free
and unlimited coinage of silver
will be.
HOW WE KNEW.
The exports of gold from the United States since
the close of 1S9S aggregate nearly S170.000.1KKI in
coin and bullion, and the excess of export over
imports in that time was nearly $420,000,000. The
difference is much more than the total output from
our gold mines in that time, so that the stock of our
public and private holdings of gold has diminished
since the close of the World's fair, in spite of the
three issues of IkmkIh. Chicago Tribune.
That is just what the populists
tald you would happen when you
repealed the Sherman act. They
don't claim to be seers or prophets
either. But they knew that, just
as an astronomer knows when there
is going to be an eclipse. They
knew that you could not defy an
economic law any more than you
could the law of gravitation, and
make water run up hill. The gold
bugs are not greater than God or
the laws of nature.
Every prediction of the populist
party has been fulfilled.
Every promise of prosperity
made by the goldites has proved
false.
Populism leads the world on to
a better day. Other parties come
trailing in the rear.
Merchants are delighted over
the return of the gold bugs' pros
perity. If you don't believe it ask
them.
"A postal savings bank should
be one of the plans of relieving the
treasury seriously considered by
congress as soon asit meets," says
the Omaha Bee. They all come
trailing along in the rear of the
populist party.
Ep-Speaker Crisp announces
that he is for Whitney for presi
dent, the meaning of which is that
Mr. Crisp, while in England, made
an alliance with the Rothschilds,
and that he, the said Crisp was
promised the vice-presidency.
Chauncey Depew says: "The
success of the syndicate in placing
the last issue of our bonds has put
into many a royal treasury an im
mense amount of our bonds."
Chauncey thinks that is a very
good thing. So it is for the "roy
al treasuries."
The State Journal has come to
the conclusion that it is not exactly
right to let Rothschilds regulate
the our currency. We are glad
that it has found it out at last.
Even Mr. Gere comes trailing along
in rear of the populist party at
last, four years behind the times.
When the excited agitator de
clares the present distress will not
be endured and that there is a
bloody revolution in the near future
he should remember that the men
who have not the courage to drop
the right sort of a ballot in the box,
for fear of the bosses and the cor
porations, are not the sort of men
to organize armies and face death
on the battle field. If he hasn't
the courage to vote, will lie have
the courage to shoot?
Al l. men follow in the lead of
the populist party. On July 5th
1892 those who wore the blue and
those who wore the grey, locked
arms and marched around the
great Colcseum building at Omaha,
while 7,000 men shouted them
selves hoarse and declared the
bloody shirt forever buried. Three
years afterward the republicans
came trailing along in the rear, ami
at Louisville the other day they
ratified the work of the Omaha
convention.
Now is the time to subscribe.
Twenty five cents 'till January t.
HON. EDWARD HATE.
The populists continue to keep
faith with the people in their judi
cial nominations by presenting
men as candidates for the bench
who are in every way qualified to
make good the promise to give the
people of this state a fully quali
fied, just and non-partizan judici
ary. In the Fifth district they
have nominated Hon. Edward
Bates. His course upon the bench
has given satisfaction both to the
bar and the general citizenship of
the whole district. Judge Bates is
a common man and his sympathies
are with the masses. He has been
a resident of York county about
twenty-six years, having settled
upon a nomesteaad one and one
half miles southeast of the city of
York at that time, which homestead
he still owns. He is an old sol
dier having enlisted when but a
boy in comqany B. 16th Illinois
infantry, where he served until dis
abled by wounds received in battle.
Everyone who loves loyalty to the
flag and desires to see the old defend
ers of it remembered and rewarded,,
and everyone who desires to see a
just judge administer the law and
define the rights of litigants with
out prejudice and without bias
will vote for Judge Bates.
Silver Knight Free.
The Silver Kpight edited by Sen
ator Stewart, is full of sound econ
omic articles, just the kind of mat
ter thosj who have studied the
money question to some extent
need and want. It is of great val
ue to all public speakers, and those
who wish to talk to and convince
their neighbors. To all yearly sub
scribers sending $1.00 to the Inde
pendent1 for the next 30 days, the
Silver Knight will be sent for one
year free. The subscription price
of the Silver Knight is $1 per year.
To The Ladies.
Many a farmer's wife or daughter
longs to adorn their prairie homes
with flowers, but with oats at 12
cents and wheat at 40, they find it
impossible to pay for the seeds,
roots and bulbs, so the home re
mains cheerless and barren. The
Independent will help them. For
the lady sending the largest club
the Independent will give $5.00
worth of roses, shrubs, vines and
bulbs and to the second largest
$4.00 worth, at the regular cata
logue price of the Hanks Nursery
Co., Chicago.
The publishing of a party paf er
is as much a part of the legitimate
expenses of a campaign as the
printing of posters or payment of
traveling expenses or postage and
a great deal better investment.
Oni.v the gold bug generals,
union and rebel, were allowed to
talk at Chatanooga. Cuckcoos and
Sheimanites, like Gordon, Palmer
and Mandersonhad the floor to the
exclusion of every patriot who is
now fighting to save the whites
from a slavery and serfdom worse
than the blacks ever endured.
The court is in session. The
case is called. The jury has been
sworn in It consists of the whole
people of the United States. Argu
ments and evidence will be heard
until the first Tuesday in Novem
ber; 1896. On that day the verdict
will be rendered. What will the
verdict in the case of the People
vs Shylock be?
A1.1. there is in this country of
learning and science in political
economy is on the side of the pop
ulist doctrine on finance. There is
not a writer in this country, who is
recognized as an authority in that
science, who can be quoted as not
beleiving in the quantitative theory
of the purchasing power of money.
Hold up your head Mr. populist.
God and science are on your side.
"All. money is fiat money."
Senator John P. Jones. '
"Money is a creation of law."
Senator Henry M. Teller.
"There is no such thing as in
trinsic value." Prof. Jevous.Kssay
on value of gold.
The greenback and silver certifi
cate is at a premium over American
gold coin in every market or trade
in the civilized world today. That
is a wot Id's money for you of th
right kind.
K. j. McKibben, Broinheld,
writes: Yur paper is a hummer.
Keep it up.
Amos W.. Kidecut, Boston, Mass.,
writes: Kindly send me copy of the
I.ndh'I ndkn 1. I used to enjoy
reading Mr. Tibbh-s' communica
tions in th- Nonconformist.
i