The Wealth makers of the world. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1894-1896, November 15, 1894, Image 1
i 1 J 1 o (- VOL. VL People Are Afraid to Trust the Present 1 Banks. AND WITH VERT GOOD SEASON. IS ' Prof Thomas E. Hill Makes in Able Argument for Government Bank ing bhowa That It Would Cre ate Confidence Among the People aad Result In an Era of Prosperity. Hundreds of millions of dollars are continually hidden by the great mass of common , people in stockings, pockets, safe, safety depositories and elsewhere, and all this because they have no confi dence in the banks as they are at pres ent conducted. They have very distinctly in mind the remembrance of a long line of bank failures, extending as far back as they can recollect, in which friends, neigh bors, and possibly they themselves have thus lost money. They do not need to look back very far into the past. It is a little more than a year since when over eight hundred banks tumbled to pieces in the United States, and of that number seventy-two national banks failed during the thirty-one days of July, 1893, and thirty-two of these went down in the first seven days of that month. Hundreds of thousands millions of dollars, thus lost by the common people have never been recovered and never be. What wonder, therefore, that the masses of the people are continually se creting their money and withholding it from circulation, making scarcity and theconditions which enable the money lenders to get an exorbitant interest on their loans. It is seen from examination of the sit uation that under present conditions of banking no means exist whereby money can ever be made permanently abundant. There may be times when confidence is so restored, temporarily, that business men will freely place their money in the banks, but let there be a few bank failures and , money goes out of sight as quickly as a crowd will disperse on the arrival of a person afflicted with a contagious dis ease. . What folly to talk of making contin ual abundance of money in circulation when people so lack confidence in banks they will not trust them. Of what avail to have the volume of money increased by the addition of a thousand millions of dollars in greenbacks, or by an equal amount in silver and gold, if the people will not place itin the banks by which it can come into .circulation? The situation that confronts us steadi ly and sternly is perpetual scarcity of money in the banks at the present time. But this affords no relief in the rural dis tricts. , Has any one heard of a re duc tionlbf interest on farm loans? Has any one heard of any means by which a farm er can borrow one dollar of" a national bank? Does any one know of any fanner who borrows moneyescaping the highest ' legal interest and a commission besides , to a broker who finds the money? Does any one know of a person who is com pelled to borrow money on chattels wbo escapes with less interest than from three to five per cent a month? l And yet this excessive interest is eating nt the vitals of the nation. "Every en terprise of every description is suppressed in consequence, and workmen stand in idleness as the result. In a steady strug gle with drouth, grasshoppers, winds and low prices, the farmer has burdens nough to bear; but when the additional , weight cf large interest rests on bis shoulders . the prospect of lifting the mortgage is exceedinglyslim. And so he lives on, year after year, in the' shanty hotfse, while the workmen who should rect for him a larger and more commo dious dwelling, lounge somewhere in idle- , ness. Whatls true thus of the farmer is true in every vocation. With intense compe tition in every line of industry and the uncertainties exist i nit as to the future in. iteaiseiv 4 especially because of high interest the enterprise does not go for ward and workmen do not get employ ment. With lack of work comes nearly all the evils that afflict society. How readily and completely all this would be changed were the government to own and operate the banks. What a boon to the great common people who now have no safe place to put money. The government need not invest a dollar in the banking business. It would only be necessary to open the r6om, invite the people to bring forward their money, guarantee them against loss and give them, say three percent on their long time deposits. How rapidly the bank would then fill with the money good money, people's money, vlt would then be in order to loan this nyoney on security worth always twice the amount which was borrowed at ''k uniform rate of four pe; 'ceut per HIDING MONEY annum interest. And whatever the amount which was loaned it would be always deposited at once in the bank and people would do business with checks. Thus there never would be any decrease in the volume of money in the banks. Money would always be accessib e and could always be borrowed by the person, having the security at a four per cent in terest whether the borrower be a resident of Massachusetts or a farmer in Dakota. The shorttime deposit in the bank would draw nointerest, but all borrowers would pay four per cent. Thus ten persons, each borrowing and depositing during the day, would give forty per cent clear profit to the government. But better than all would be the increased revival of business through the vast accumula tion of money in the hands of the com mon people, through their savings in in terest, and the freedom from the pay ment of high interest. Considerfor a lit tle timethe far-reaching and beneficial in fluence resulting from government own ership of banks. Thomas E. Hill, , Co-operative Washing. The ideas of Ed ward Bellamy are being put to a novel use by the London County Council. This enterprising body, having established its municipal lodging-houses, is now about to start a public laundry, where with the use of improved machin ery, half a day's washing will be done in a few hours for a few pence. Mr. John Burns has given the system his support. The New Commonwealth. The Wolrd's Voter This automatic, self-registering device, destined to supply a long felt want, pro vides a means whereby any and all legally qualified voters, including the blind and illiterate, can, without assist ance, readily and rapidly vote for a choice of all candidates In nomination, or others, as the law may provide for or permit of, and no more; the voting de vice keeps accurate account of all votes cast for each candidate as cast, and when polls close by simply turning a key dis plays to full view the total vote cast for each and every candidate received during the election. This device dispenses with ballots and all-night counting of votes, each voter doing his own counting, thus reducing the expenses of elections one-half amount ing to millions of dollars for every gene ral election. The World's Voter, with a stringent law governing the conduct of candidates and parties preoious to election and dur ing the election, wiil virtually prevent fraud and corrupt practices entirely. The Australian System has proved to be but a slight improvement over the old system, retaining most of the defective points, and materially added to the ex pense. America must provide a voting system for the world, and not borrow one. The World's Voter fills the bill ab solutely, perfect in its auditing of votes, simple, durable, light, strong in construe tion, no springs nor weak complications in it, practically there is no wear out to it, and so plainly indicated that even the blind and illiterate can vote on it intelli gently without assistance. . Convenient in size and weight and hinged in sections su that one man can in ten minutes' time pi ace it in position or take down and fold in compact form, and securely lock, suitable for moving or storing. Comparatively insignificant in price, as what they will save our present expenses in a few elections will supply the machines and reduce expenses one-half. Their adoption is only a matter of a few years, w hen the voting will be done un der an American registering system. Already New York leads off by demand ing that "The best mechanical devices be used in elections," by a vote of 85 for, to only 45 against, in their adoption of a new constitution to be ratffied by popu lar vote this fall. New York feels com pelled to resort to this method to put a stop to the fearful frauds practiced in its cities at every election. The World's Voter is the only complete and practical device of this kind yet patented. Allow ing all mistakes made by accident or otherwise to be easily rectified. Neither does it confine the voters to support regular nominees, but as now, anyone can be voted for whom the voter prefers to support, regardless of partisan norni- The operation of the doors unlocks and sets the device, being arranged one at either end of the booth, the entrance one being accessible from the outside only and the exit one from the inside only. The former is always locked while the voter is in the booth and the exit one is locked as he passes out, in its operation unlocking the entrance door, rings a bell informing the next voter that it is his turn to enter, and moving an indicator which displays a number to correspond with the number on the clerk's registers of names. Those voting are thus separ ated from those to vote. All wbo may be interested in the adop tion of a perfect system of elections, especially Governors, State Senators and Representatives desiringfurther informa tion in this connection including a draft ed bill which will put a quietus on fraud, bribery and trickery in elections, are re quested to address the owner and inven tor, T. Q. Ferguson. Colby, Kansas. Box 57. LINCOLN, NEB., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1894. MANIFESTO Of the Australian Socialist League of Worklngmen Motto: "Socialism in our Time." To the people of Australia: In consequence of the rapid industrial development of the last few decades a development remarkable chiefly for the displacement of manual labor by the ever increasing labor-saving machines, and the creation of a permanent and menacing unemployed clses our indus trial and social institutions are in a con dition of fermentation and dissolution. A feeling of uncertainty and discontent is taking possession of all classes, and the efforts made by the ruling class to patch and mend a state of things that has be come intolerable have proven vain and inadequate. No sooner is one prop in the shape of a law set up to support the tottering house than it is discovered that at ten other spots support is still more needed. Among the workers, the feeling of dis content with their present conditions is rapidly increasing, and more thought is devoted every year by them to v the problem of how to better their unhappy lot. To them especially the Socialist movement appeals for appreciation and and support. We live today in what is called the "capitalistic era." There are two great classes of society the one, thecapitalist owns land and capital, the other, the workers, owning nothing ; except the power to labor. The modern wage, earner receives only about one-third of the product of his labor, the other two thirds being' taken by the capitalist who employs him or who employshis era ployer, The capitalist era is characteriz ed by intense competition which is felt by the workers in the steady lowering of the standard wage rate, and by the small business' me,n in the fierceness of the struggle which they ha veto wage against the wealthy capitalist in their own lines of industry, and their steady disappear ance as a class through their innumerable bankruptcies. Gigantic firms like the mammoth deal ers and the colossal manufacturers and producers are rapidly crushing ont of existence the small employers. This concentration of industry, and the more extensive use of labor-saving ma chinery, causes a steady diminution in the demand for labor and a steady increase of the unemployed class, from whose ranks are drawn the armies of mis-called free laborers that defeat every effort made through the medium of strikes by organized labor to better its condition. The worker who attempts by frugality and industry to accumulate and to etart in business as bis own employer is today confronted with inevitable ruin, being compelled to compete on unequal terms with the gre-'t capitalistic rings who dominate every department of industry. Thus the iron circle is complete. The worker is shut in and it is only in extremely rare cases he succeeds, either individually orthrough an organization, in raising himself out of the condition of dependence in which everything conspires to keep him. ... Let it be remembered that the cause of all these evils is the steady concentration of Land and Capital in the hands of a few, and the depriving of the workers of all ownership of them. The only cure will then be seen to be the Socializing of Land and Capital; that is, to let the State, as the representative of all, be the only Capitalist and Land owner, and, consequently, the only em ployer. Every citizen must have a share in the ownership of all land and all the capital in the country. Every citizen must have a right to em ployment, on farms and stations, in workshops and warehouses, owned by the State and Municipality, and con trolled by administrators elected by the people. If there is not room for every one, working hours must be reduced all round until there is. There must be work for all and overwork for none. There being no idle owning class, the entire produce of the natiou will be dis tributed on principles of justice. ' . . At .pracnVij&KH&ro'fi mm$ own an the means of production, and take immense tribute of rent, interest and profit. Under Socialism, the method of pro duction would remove the competitive system, by placing under official ad ministration such departments of pro duction as can be managed collectively (Socially or co-operatively), as well as the distribution among all of the com mon produce of all. according to the amount of the productive labor of each. Anarchic competition, which enables dishonesty and cunning, instjadof merit, to sncceed, would end, and national co operation (under which national compe tition the desire to excel, the joy in creative work, the longing to improve, the eagernass to win social approval) would take its place. There will then be no unemployed and no sweating; there will be leisure for all and education and happiness for alL With theabolition of private ownership of land and capital, the purification of government would follow. One-half of Parliamentary corruption is due to land jobbing, and the other to capitalistic "private enterprise," which is but a gentler name for public fraud. To achieve these results we advocate only the use of Parliamentary means. We have nothing but the sternest repro bation for those misgufded and desperate men who advocate either opes violence or secret crime. We propose to form a Parliamentary Socialist party, and. thus alter legisla tion in the direction of Socialism. Al ready the people own, through the gov ernment, many industries railways, post and telegraph offices, etc. There is uo reason why the list should not be ex tended until it embraces all. The corruption which at present characterizes the publicly-owned indus tries is due to their being controlled in accordance with present-day commercial ism and to the fact that the competitive system in vogue outside acta and reacts upon them. When all industries are publicly owned, the evils complained of today will certainly disappear. These are the aims and methods of the Australian Socialist League. Our princi ples will be found to be altogether differ ent from the wilful misrepresentations of them which are current. Socialism has nothing to do with athe ism or with any religious views. It does not mean that it is either neces sary or possible to 'alter human nature.' It does not propose to "make all men equal." It means no contempt for machinery, no dislike of education or culture, no enmity to brain work or invention. We simply contend that be national co-operation and by that only by extend ing the functions of the state as an em ployer, can the whole of the people be placed in a position of decent rational and manly independence. Join the ranks of the Australian Socialist League, and help forward the cause of yourself and your children. Let no one underrate his or her power, or imagine that one more or one less makes na difference. No one, not even the weak est, can be dispensed with for furthering the advance of humanity. Signed on behalf of the Australian Socialist League. W. P. Mitchell, General Secretary, High House, Caetlereagh street, Sydney, September, 1894. Expert Experience. ' I believe that a review of the develop ment of machinery in the manufacture of boots and shoes might be of interest to some and will serve as a means to point out the real reason why so -many shoe workers are unable to secure work at living prices, or, in fact, at any price whatever. I will go back to the year 1870, when I engaged to learn the trade. The hand method was largely in vogue at that time. The machines then in use were the Singer and the Howe sewing machines, used in the manufacture of the uppers. The introduction of these machines some time before 1870 served to do the work that was formerly done by hand in pre paring the uppers for the last. The displacement of the hand labor by men by the advent of sewing machines opened up a field for the cheaper labor of women and children the women as operators and the children for pasting the linings and preparing the work for the machine. The men who bad formerly sewed the uppers by hand drifted into the bottom ing or soling department of the trade. The pegging machine in the soling de partment was one of the first to displace the slow method of hand pegging on men's, women's and boy 'a heavy work. Each of these machines, with one opera tor, would do the work of ten men. The McKay sole sewing machine, whfch is very extensively used to this day, re volutionized the hand and muchine peg i ing on ladies' and gents' fine grades. The machine, with one operator, does the work of. twenty-five men and gives a much more flexible and stylish shoe, though not so durable. These displaced men took up other branches, as did the former hand sewers. The Vision of the Seven Rings From the "Words or a Believer.", It warfa gloomy nignt; a starless sky pressed upon the earth, like a black marble lid upon a tomb. And nothing broke the silence of this night, if it were not a strange noise, like the delicate beating of wings, which from time to time were heard over the open country and over the cities. And then the darkness grew thicker, and every man felt his heart oppressed, and a shiver ran through his veins. And in a hall, hung with black, and lighted by a reddish lamp, seven men dressed in purple, and whose heads were encircled with crowns, were seated on seven seats of iron. And in the midst of the hall was raised a throne made of bones, and at the foot of the throne, by way of afoot-stool, was a crucifix turned upside down, and before the throne an ebony table, and on the table a vessel full of red an frothy blood, and a human skull. Aad the seven erowned men appeared thoughtful and sad. and from the depths of their hollow eyes their escaped from time to time the sparkles of a livid fire. And one of them havingrisen approach ed the throne with faltering steps and put his foot on the crucifix. Then his limbs trembled and he seemed about to faint. The others looked on at him uumoved; but something, I know not what, passed over their faces, and a smile that was not human, contracted their lips. And he who seemed almost fainting, seized the vessel full of blood, poured some of it into the skull and drank. And this drink seemed to strengthen him. And as he jifted up his head, this cry came forth from his breast like a hollow rattle: "Cursed be Christ, who has brought liberty again on to the earth I" ' And the six other crowned men rose all together, and all together uttered the same cry: "Cursed be Christ, who has brought Track liberty on to the earth!" After which, when they were seated again upon their iron seats, the first said: "My brothers, what shall we do to stifle liberty, for our reign is ended if hers be gins? Our cause is the same; let each one propose what seems good to him. "For my part, this is the advice that I have to give. Before Christ came, who could stand before us? It is his religion which has ruined us, let us abolish Christ's religion." . And they all replied: "That is true. Let us abolish Christ's religion." Then a second advanced toward the throne, took the human skull, and pour ed blood into it, drank it, and said: "We must not only do away with reli gion, but also with science and with thought; for science would know what is not good, for man to know, and thought is always ready to kick against force." And all replied: "That is true. Let us abolish science and thought." And having done the same as the other two, a third said: "When we have once more brutalised men by taking from them religion, sci ence, and thought, we shall have done a great deal, but something will still re main to be done. ' "Brutes have instincts and dangerous sympathies. No one people ought to hear the voice of another, for fear that when one complains and stirs, the other should be tempted to imitate it. Let no rumour from outside penetrate amongst us." And they all replied: "That is true. Let no rumour from outside penetrate amongst us." Then a fourth said: "We have our in terest, and the people hay also their in terest opposed to ours, if they unite to defend themselves against this interest, how shall we resist them? "Let us disunite them so as to rule over them. In eaeh province, in each town, in each hamlet let us create an in terest contrary to that of all the other hamlets, and towns, and provinces. "In this way all will bate one another, and will not dream of uniting together against us." And they all replied: "That is true. Let us disunite them so as to rule over them. Concord wonld kill us." After a fifth, having twice filled with blood and twice emptied the human skull, said: "I approve of these methods; they are good, but insufficient. To make men brutes is good; but you must frighten these brutes, you must strike them with terror by an inexorable justice, and by cruel punishment, if you do not wish sooner or later to be drowned, lihe executioner is the chief minister of a good prince." And they all replied: "That is true. The executioner is the chief minister of a good prince." And the sixth said: "I recognize the advantage of punish ments prompt, and terrible, and inevit able. There are, however, strong and despairing souls who will defy punish ment. "Do you wish to govern men easily? enervatethem through sensuality. Virtue is worth nothing to us; it nourishes force. Rather let us drain it away by corruption." , v Then the seventh' havinglike the others drimK ItSTvV.te. liuman skull, spoke thus, witbi his feet upon the crucifix: "No more Christ; there is war to the death, eternal war between Him and us. "But how shall we wean the people from Him? That is a vain attempt. What, then, shall we do? Listen to me: we must gain over the ministers of Christ with goods, honors, and power. "And they wiil command the people, in the name of Christ, to be submissive to us in everything, whatever we do, whatever we order. "And the people will believe them,' and will obey from motives of conscience, and our power will grow stronger than be fore." And they all replied: "It is true. Let us gain over Christ's ministers. And suddenly the lamp which lighted the hall went out, and the seven men separated in the darkness. , And it was said to a just man, who at that moment watched and prayed before the Cross: "My day approaches. Adore, and fear nothing." NO. 23 Judge Wilson Foresees and Hap pily Illustrates. Ooalalla, Neb., Nor. 12, 1894. Editor Wealth Makers: When I was a boy the old-fashioned flint lock guns were used by our fathers and grandfathers. Sometimes they would miss fire as the "f risen," the lit tle steel which the flint struck, would get ,so dry it would fail to bring the spark from the flint to ignite with the powder. Old hunters, in case of a missfire, would at once lick the "frizen" and try again. Now we, as Independ ents, should apply this principle to our selves. We have just been beaten all over the couutry by the Republicans. Now let us as a party of principles just lick the "frizen" and try again, and mark my words the time will come when we won't have to lick the "frizen," but wa will lick the Republican party, and not half try. Two years ago the Republi cans were badly beaten by the Democrats. That party has brought no relief. This year the Republicans have beaten the Democrats. Two years hence both of the old parties will have to give way for the Independents; for about the first ses sion of congress the Republicans and Democrats in congress will pass a law extending the Pacific roads' indebtedness for fifty or one hunded years, and issue two hundred million dollars more bonds for the purpose of a basis for the issuing of national bank currency. These things will react and the masses of the people will come to their senses and vote solid for the only party that offers relief the Independent party. I want to appeal to every Independent to stand by his principles and talk it to others from this time on as you never have before. Don't let this year's landslide dis courage you. Our principles are right, and right will prevail in the end. John W. Wilson. What One Worker Accomplished An aggressive" worker in Richardson county writes the editor, about his field . work on election day and three preceding days, but requests that it be not pub lished with his signature, because he Is talking about his own works. We will withhold the writer's name, but quote from his letter, hoping it may cause others to work at future elections. He says: "The last three days before the late election I spent going from house to house and field to field in my township, working for humanity. I found a full dozen independent who felt sure they were too busy to attend the election, andi their individual vote would have littta effect anyhow. After the severest labor and giving some of them several visits, II bad the pleasure of seeing all vote, and 'vote her straight.' Three temperance re- fublicans and two temperance democrats persuaded to vote the prohibition ticket the first tiipe any of them hd left their old parties. v I I regard the once grand republican party at present the supreme enemy of right and good government, hence I did all I could to cnt down republican votes. I am confident I got many strong repub licans to vote part of the independent state and county ticket, and many to vote our entire independent township ticket. On my way to the polls early in the morning I spoke fifteen minutes to a re publican neighbor on 'good reasons why republicans should be defeated and finally got bim persuaded to stay at home and not vote at all. He could not be persuaded to vote populist just yet. A corn busker I hired ten days ago, a strong republican, was persuaded to tote the entire idependent ticket. I allowed bis wages to go right on the half day he nsed going to vote. I don't know how many other republicans I counted, but feel sure there are a few. If one man in each rural township did such work be fore each election, God and the right would win every time. I stayed at the polls from opening time until counting; was finished. Mr. Reformer ought to un derstand that he is my brother's keeper.' If yon are in advance of others in wis dom and truth, 'woe be unto yon if you preach not the gospel,' says holy writ.", Uommentof Contemporaries The petrified is pulverized. The Demo cratic party is dead, dilapidated, and de generating into dust. (The word damn ed would sound all right in the above sentence.) The three-cornered, cut throat fight is at an end. The Republi can party will now have to strip itself and meet the reform party in the arena for a fair and square contest to a finish. Western Laborer. The fnsionists have learned a lesson. The next time, Populists will "keep in the middle of the road." They can then expect all liberal Republicans to leave their old party. Western Laborer. 8ved by m Krave Engineer. PERBT, Ok.. Nov. 12. As bound Santa Fe railroad nasHeno-Bi- train approached Black Bear river Driage, live miles north of here, yes-, terday, Engineer Phillips found that the loner bridtre was in flumna Th fireman jumped, but Phillips stuck to ms lever ana stopped the engine within a few feet of the bridge.