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About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1903)
SiMf : iWli-Wf 'Iff Mil- ' Vol. XIV. LINCOLN, NEB., JAN. 8, 1903. No. 33. BENEVOLENT FEUDALISM Mr. Corbia's Tribute to Thla.Bemarkable Book Sends a Hundred Subscrip tion to Tbe Independent . Editor Independent: Your change of form is excellent It enables me to bind and preserve a complete file for frequent reference, for The Indepen dent. i3 not exhausted by one reading. I value it highly and among a quito "extended list of papers which I take it stands second to none. : Acting upon your suggestion in a late issue, I bought a dozen copies of "Ghent's "Benevolent Feudalism" for tree distribution among men who can think. - It is a remarkable book the best of the year. ' The impression seems to prevail in your section that the reorganizes have overturned democratic sentiment in "the east that sentiment which . recorded, six and a half million vote twice in the last six years in favor of a regenerated democracy. I see no change in the rank and file whatever here. The party machinery in all the eastern states has long been in the hands of that . element which offered Palmer and Buckner to public execra tion and democratic crucifixion. That machinery is all the reorganizers have now. But while the people are faith ful to the best interests of the coun try, It remains true that there is les? "outspoken objection to the reorganis ing element The ordinary citizen has -settled down into a state of apathy and dejection The mass of voters in all parties blindly follow the self-constituted and blatant leader and never more so than now, counting only those who go o the" polls. We boast of our. enlight enment, but the fact is voters as a whole were nearer so ignorant of affairs as now. The press is in the hands of .'plutocracy -and. is being worked in both old parties to extol - millionaire . benefactions, trust protection to ,the producer and corporate love for the workingman. ' The voter is kept ' in the .densest ignorance of-the liberties he has already lost and the dangers which beset those which he still main tains. Benevolent feudalism is an ac complished fact in considerable de gree already, and how few are sensi ble of it! I notice your announcement of Ash by's forthcoming work. This is my - sixty-second birthday and I do not know as I can signalize it better than by ordering. 100 copies of The Inde pendent to be sent to those in politf- . cal darkmes and monetary, bewilder ment. I do this more, however, on ac count of the general excellence of the naDer than from any special promises. So long as th-3 present management remains in control of the paper, and I t'opo that may be many years, it will not fail to warn the people against the autocracy which threatens. My check is enclosed and a list of 100 names. There are fifteen million voters in this nation. One-third of them think; the balance let others think for them. , If that one-third could read The Inde- Dendent for a year, the problem of de cent government would be solved. One vote in four is bought by corporate funds. But there are enough honest voters to vastly outnumber both buyer and bought if they could be gathered J Into one party. That party must be ;'pqmilistic in essence, though under a newname. I see no way to redeem the nation from the dominance cf greed but fejrt the thinking, men of all . narties who aWuntainted by the viru- c lent villainy of republicanism to un ite. Let those in position make the call for a national convention. J. S. CORBIN. Gouverneur, N. Y. English Plutocracy A traveler just returned from Eng- . land writes to the Springfield itepub .' liran as follows: "The education bill means nothing to this nroblem. Indeed, it is probably , worse than nothing. It checks rather than nromotes the education of the . last man. It tends to continue the riistinrtions of class privilege and to . leave the lowest where he is. And you tnav well imagine that the lowest buys nnlv enouerh to keep him alive. He " "has been taught by his church to be .'content with', his 'present condition. What we believe in as a. divine discon tent he would think,- to" be blasphemy. "The South African war leaves a heavy burden here. Thousands of the returned troops have no work. The London Times concedes that 30 per cent, nearly one-third, of London's great population is underfed. That means that a million or more human bodies in the greatest city of the Christian world are today skowly starving. The stock, market did not revive last June when peace was de clared. I was in the house of com mons and ' heard Balfour make the solemn announcement of the terms of peace, but it eld not. quicken the market nor has it revived since. How could the market revive when the con sumers don't consume? The consum ers won't consume until the people ar? educated to know how to break down the barriers which shut them out from the chance to earn their share of the world's prosperity. Ignorance will go to the shearers and end in the sham bles.". , , If socialists would be a little more argumentative, and-a little ; less in clined to depend so much upon proph ecy, upon what will happen ."under socialism," and especially upon sta tistical informaiion without giving ri tations, they might convince more people. Assuming to foretell what will be "under socialism" except in a very general way !s about as dan gerous an undertaking as the mid-road populists' back-sciion prophecies about what might have been "without fu sion." Mr. Barnard assumes to tell to the fraction of a minute the labor time consumed in producing a bushel of wheat. Does he know'.' Does any body know? U.i,V.ViViYiiVfViVi' American Institute of Civics Comnarativelv few citizens of Ne braskaor of the United States, for that matter are aware cf the exist ence of the American Institute of Civ ics, or. knowing of Its existence, un derstand its aims.. Nevertheless, there are few who have not seen some of the results of its work For example citizens generally will recollect how the Australian ballot captured tne country in tha early nineties; yet not many know that it is not too much to say that the success of ballot reform is, more than to any other cause aue to the quiet, persistent, well-directed efforts of the institute. Perhaps it may be well to define the word, "civics." It. is a new worn m- rrwWort into use DV JJr. n. vva.n- in 1884, In an address' before an as sembly of representatives or Amenutu colleges, delivered at the Academy of Music in New York city,' and was Atr.A a a .tteHtisuishing title be- cause regarded as a suitable designa tion for the body of knowledge, ui.m wMnh rnneerns itself solely witn'the interests and reciprocal rela tions of the citizen and the state, t&ee Standard Dictionary.) Civics includes nivu othiVs. civil nolity. civil juris prudence, economics, and civil history. Dr. Henry nanaan va.ii.e un the collection of educational statistics of the tenth census (1880) 4 ana one oi the surprising facts disclosed was that no regular and systematic attention wac ?ivpn to instruction in civics in any except a small fraction of the 130, 000 public schools of the country and of the various higher institutions oi lenrninz. This le-1 him to take tne steps which finally (in 1885) led to the organization of the American insti tute of Civics. "The purposes of this institution, briefly stated, are to promote the in tegrity, intelligence, patriotism, vigil ance and other qualities in citizenship which are esser ';ial to the common weal under the rule of the people. To this end it seeks to bring into effective co-operation home influences, educa tional efficiencies, the platform, the public press, and all other available agencies, irrespective of parties, sects cr classes. ; s : , "The . trustees constitute its gov erning body. The faculty is an advis ory body' which co-operates with the president and directors of departments In the immediate direction of the in stitute's activities. It has depart ments devoted to 1. Popular work. 2. Educational work. 3. Publications. 4. The securing of the legislation and the enforcement of the laws neces sary to the purity of the suffrage, and to Integrity and efficiency in the pub lic service. "The membership Includes citizens in every state -whose high character, commanding influence, and subordina tion of selfish consideration to the pub lic good, qualify them for the high services in which the institute seeks to enlist them. These citizens consti tute what Is known as the institute's national body of councilors. Applica tions for membership in this bodv may H addressed to the president (Henry Randall Waite. Ph. D.. Fulton Cham bers. 102 Fulton st. New York city.) "Funds for, the defrayal of expenses are derived from annual dues ($3.00) paid by members, and from voluntary contributions. The publications of the institute are sent to contributing members free of charge." Rev. E.s B. Andrews, chancellor of the University of Nebraska, at the head of Brown university in 1885, was one of the founders of the Institute, and is at present one of the advisory faculty. In addition to him, Jay Amos Barrett, librarian of the Nebraska st.te historical society, Lincoln; Rev. David B. Perry, president Doane col lege, Crete; . and M. B. C. True, law yer, Tecumseh, are listed in the institute'- national corps of lecturers taat being .Nebraska s representation in a body of some 275 persons scatr tered over the whole union, and ready to deliver lectures on good governs ment,,. . ,,,,,,.',..' ; . : t 'r ' , The associate "members of faculty Include one or more members of the board of instruction in something over 200 colleges and universities' of "the United States; Doarie college, Crete; Gates college, Ncligh; University of Nebraska, Lincoln; and University of Omaha, Bellevue, are represented in this list. The register of the national bodv of councilors includes about 1,600 names. The following paragraphs, quoted from "The PatriotV Creed." abbre viated from an article in the February (1895) number o- the American Maga zine of Civics, will jrive our readers some insight into the aims of this In stitution. However, The Independent would advise all interested persons to writ-s the president for full partic ulars. "I believe that in all of its stages preparation for citizenship is also in complete and inadequate, if it fails to include special and sufficient instruc tion as to the principles and methods of popular government, the signific ance and importance "of citizenship privileges, and the necessity and no bility of wise, unselfish, and faith ful efforts, by each, for the promotion of the highest good of all. "I believe that citizenship is trus teeship; and that no citizen can neg lect or forbear the constant and faith ful discharge of his sacred duties as a trustee of human rights and the wel fare of his fellow-men, living and un born, without dishonor to himself and treason to his country and humanity. "I believe that the only valid pur pose of national political parties in the machinery of popular government is to represent and give effect to the intelligence and honest convictions of the majority of its citizens as to what principles and methods shall be ap plied in the conduct of national af fairs. I believe that the devotion of parties to policies which have rela tion wholly to questions of national concern, gives -them no right, solely as a matter of party advantage, to im peril the highest puhllc interest .In af fairs of local government, bv insist ence on partisan divisions when ev ery consideration of duty and patriot ism demands that all good citizens shall.act in union; and that when anv partv "thus or otherwise lends itself to the. accomplishment of unworthv ends, its claim on the allegiance of good citizens. is forfeited. ABSTRACT NO. 31 . - . Mr, Van Vorhit Analyze the Comptroller's Abstract of the Condition off National Banks'' Editor Independent: The relation which the national banks sustain to ' the money volume, the assistance. they have been receiving from the treasury -department, and their present cond i tion calls to mind the description with which Henry George began one of his books a bull tied to a stake in the yard, eating grass round and round and winding himself up until no room was left for him "to move. ,. I have frequently called attention to the way in which government fundi have been use! to assist these banks to expand credits, and to keep up the . stock gambling in Wall street, and to -the obvious fact that the time is not far off when the secretary of tl-.c . treasury would not be able to continue such assistance. - The comptroller's abstract of the condition of national banks (No. 31) shows conclusively that the limit of ability to assist these banks,' either by buying bonds or by depositing gov ernment money, has been about reached. Unless some other method is devised to glva these institutions more money or to release a part of tho re serves, the expansion of loans and dis counts must cease, to be followed quickly by an effort to reduce the amount of them. This atstract shows tho expansion of. bank credits between September 15 and November 25, to have been con siderably less than one-half what it was between July 16 and September 15, the time covered by abstract No. 30. During the same time, in order to hold up the hand3 of the stock gamblers in Wall - street, Secretary Shaw deposited in national banks more than three times as much government money- as he" had . deposited " during the time covered by any one tf the abstracts since June " 1, 1900, to-wit, $22,874,61&Te--eyernment deposit. . has, month by month, been Increased until, on November 25, it had reached ,r the enormous sum of 1146,818,414, and ' left less than $60,000,000 of available' funds in the treasury. ' It must not be supposed that the deposit iq available, for it is not . Secretary Shaw dare not draw this out of the banks. It would take $42,100,393 out of the 46 New York city banks, and would cause 'a , panic at once. The New England and eastern states together have 1,708. banks. The 1,662 of these banks out side of New York city hold a govern- ment deposit of $36,275,296, or only about six-sevenths as much as hell by the 46 New York city banks. The entire amount of cash held on November 25 last by the 4,666 national banks was less than $534,000,000. This ' amount is the basic support of almost $3,500,000,000 of national bank credits, with an individual deposit of over $3, 150,000,000. This is exclusive of near ly $147,000,00 of government deposit and nearly $512,000,000 due state banks, trust companies and4 savings banks. The whole national bank sys tem is a rotten, ram-shackle structure held up and held together by govern ment credit and government funds. It would go to pieces in a week except for the money and the credit of the nation. It must continue to have "gov ernment support or it will bring dis aster. There must now be legislation that will enable these banks to issue their own notes at any time, and in any quantity they please, with a gov ernment guarantee to make them good. Any one, who has any knowledge of financial economics, , knows that the money that Secretary Shaw now has on deposit in these banks is a forced loan to them without interest, and that he dare not withdraw it To do so would precipitate a panic, the conse quences of which can. hardly be im- ; aglned. " h :: With this condition staring us In the face, we are told by the alminlstra. tion officials, by remiblican leaders. and the batch of hypocritical, reor ganizing democratic echoes of repub lican assertions that the financial question is settled; that the., money question is a dead issue. ' . This abstract, like many preceding , it, showr. the shortage in the reserve required by law to be kept In these ; banks to be quite general and large. , In connection with this, think of the fact for it is a fact that the comp-