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About The Wealth makers of the world. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1894-1896 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1895)
THE WEALTH MAKERS. January 24, 1895 THE WEALTH MAKERS. Xsw Sartss at THE ALUAKCE-ISDEPESDEST. CoaaolldaUoa ot tha Farmer Alliance and Neb. Independent. PUBLISHED XTKBT TH0R8DAT BY Th Wealth Maken Publishing Osmpuy, IMS U L Ltaoola, Jfabraaka. OtOIOI H0W4BD 1. b. HTATT Oimok Editor ............... .....Bal was Maoaa N. I. P. A. "It ny maa moat fall for ma to rlaa, Than aaak I not to climb. A not bar" pala I ehooaa aot tor in; good. A goldau chain, A roba of honor, la too good prlaa To tempt my but; hand to do a wr Unto tallow maa. Tbla Ufa bath woa BofBclsnt, wrought bj man'a aatanlc fo; And who that hath a heart vonM dart proton Or add a aorrow to a atrlckea aoal That aeaka a bsallng balm to maka it wholaT X; boaom owna tha brotbsrhood of man." Publishers' Announcement. Tha snbscrtptlog prlea of Tua Wialts Mil an la l. OV per year, la adranra. Aaanta la soliciting anbacrlptlona abontd be vary careful that all oatnee are correctly spelled aao proper poatofflca irlren. blanks for return anbacrlptlona, return envelopea, etc, can be had oa application to tbla offioe. Always elan yonr name. No matter how often roa write na do not neglect this Important mat. tar. Krery weea we racairs letters with incom plete addreaaea or without signatures and It la aomatlmea difficult to locate them, Caiaaa or addbkss. Subscribers wishing to change their poatofflca address most alwaya gWa their former as well aa their present addrana whan Mange win oa promptly maut. STATEMENT CIRCULATION J. 8. Hyatt, Business Manager of Tha Wealth Makers Publishing Company, being duly sworn, saya that the actual number ol fall and complete copies of Tan Wiilti Maiebi printed daring the six months end ing October 1L 1804, was v 211,200. Weekly average, 8,123. Bwora to before me and subscribed In my preeeaoe thla 11th day of October, 18W. bai B. J. Bdbiktt, Notary Fablio. ADVERTISING RATES. Il.lt per lach. I eeata per AgaU Uaa. M Itasa to tha Inch. Liberal dlaoount oa large space or kM tlm contracts. Address all advertising communications to WEALTH MAKERS PUBLISHING CO., J. S. Btatt. Baa, Mgr. Send Us Two New Names With 02, and your own subscription will be ex tended One Year Free of Coat. Suit baa been begun to test the consti tutionality of the Income Tax law, by Lewis II. Hyde, of Orange, N. J. Ex-Senator Trumbull's bill .limiting the power of the federal judges to auto cratically punish for contempt, ought to be pushed in congress. "Ten Nights in a Barroom" was made an effective story and play by T. 8. Arthur. Ten days in a tenement coulo be made as moving a presentation. The Union Pacific Washington lobby Is getting in its work, through sharp attorneys, and the present congress will probably allow the people's second mort gage claim to be wiped out by foreclosure of first mortgage. Attorney-Qeeeral Olney is showing bis friendship for the Trusts whenever he can. His latent act is to find legal ground to pay a customs rebate on , oil cake, which will enrich the White Lead and Linseed Oil Trust many thousands of dollars a year. General Field, writing to tha Farm ers Tribune; shows that the one-idea silver advocates cannot get together. "No party could establish itself in Ameri can politics npon a single issue to such au extent as to obtain control of the na tional government," he says. The Farmers Tribune has introduced at the head of its editorial columns iu big black letters No Fusion. Good for Editor Byron. He is evidently not under the leading strings of General Weaver whose fusion practices and one-idea efforts when at the St. Louis conference were an offense to the party. The proposition to increase the beer tax "has brought a very influential lobby to the national capital," says the Chicago Times. The discriminating duty against German beet sugar and German retaliation, shutting out American meats, has also brought a sugar trust lobby and a Chicago packers' lobby to Washington. The people are not in it at all. It is the big corporations and trusts and members of the "third house' which govern the country. There has been no chance in twenty-five years to pass laws for the poor, laws in the equal interest of all. It takes money to pass laws. Legislation goes to the highest bidder, aa ; as a rale. TEE CHILD OF O0MPETITI05. The people who Relieve "competition is the natural law n life, the need of lib erty and the "life of trade" are, it seems to ns, in view of the growth of voluntary and involuntary cc-oieration, obliged to admit a stronger force, a higher law an economic necessity which is fast de stroying competition. Individuals can no longer contend with individuals. Cor porations have seized upon the means of Droduction and distribution, and to save ourselves from being eaten np and enslaved br them, organization must match organization. So great and pow erful are the corporations which monop olize capital that vastly greater and more powerful political and industrial organizations than we now have, organ. izations that include more of the work ers and that unite all their interests in the closest, firmest manner, are neces sary. We must so organize, sinking our differences and recognizing our equal rights and duties, if we would live and control our labor. The competition of individuals and the need of great enter prises first compelled the organization of capital into corporations, aud to deal with these gigautic corporations labor bas been compelled to form itself into unions and federations. But the power of the corporations greatly overmatches the power ot organized labor at the pres' ent time. Organized labor would be strong enough to rule, to make the laws and control 'the natural resources and the en tire product of labor, were organization perfect. Labor organizations are weak because of the still prevalent spirit of selfishness in them, and by reason ot more or less ignorance of what the indi vidual and common interest is and re quires. Individualism and single-banded competition cultivates selfishness, aud an organization into which men enter for selfish individual considerations alone is like a rope of sand. Short-sight ed self interest must be subordinated. Look back over the history of laboi organizations. They have one after au other sprung ,up, spread themselves, flourished more or less for a time, and gone to pieces, disintegration and death being the result of selfish strife over who should be leaders, factional fights, local and general, and the lack of the spirit ot fraternal sacrifice when the times of strain came, when self-interest needed to be given up and great privation borne in the conflict with capital. Organized la bor should know its rights and vote aa one mau to secure those rights. It has never done so, hence it is placed greatly at a disadvantage in its struggfe with organized capital. Organization to be permanent must be in recognized obedi ence to the moral law, the law of love, the law of brotherhood. It must not b as now a question of. will it pay me per sonally to go in or i ny out, or to stay in or go out; bnt fraternal organization with the object to help one another al ways to bear all burdens and secure all rights and organize all industries, or ganization as recognized equals under moral law which cannot be run away from. George W. Howard, vice-president of the American Railway Union, now in prison with Debs, Itogers and others by dictation of Judge Woods, was at the St. Louis Conference which we attended last month, aud in an eloquent speech upon the floor of the Conference he stated that he was preparing to bring into ex istence a new labor organization planned to organize and federate all labor, illus trated by the trunk, branches and twigs of a tree. Such a tree of life can be or ganized, but not by and of short-sighted, eelf-centering individuals. It must grow by assimilating, by degrees, by moral principles, by the action of individuals who voluntarily obey the law of social liie and organization. Competition has been swallowed by its child, combination. Combination of a part forces all men to combine, and through the evolution of competing com binations one non-competing, all-inclusive, producing and distributing indus trial organization must be brought forth, when we shall have "peace on earth." OLNEY'8 ARBITRATION MEASURE Congressman McGann of Illinois has introduced a bill prepared by Attorney General Olney providing for arbitration. We have not seen the text of the bill, but from telegraphic reports it stipulates that wages paid employes shall be rea sonable and just, and in case of contro.' Versies the chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission -and thechnirman of labor are to communicate with the parties endeavoring to effect a settle meat, and if this mediation fails the con troversy may be submitted to a board of arbitration which shall consist of the chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission, who shall act as chairman of the board, which shall have for other members a commissioner chosen by the employer and one by the iabor organiza tion involved. The award shall be final unless set aside for errors of law appar ent on the record. Employes dissatisfied with the award shall not quit work with out three months notice in writing. The award shall continue in force two years, and during that time no new arbitration shall be taken by the parties on the same subject. It is provided that membership in incorporated labor organizations shall be terminated by indulgence in lawless ness, violence, destruction of property, intimidation or threats by members dur ing strikes, but' they are not to be held indvidually liable for debts of the organ ization. On the other hand employer who make it a condition of employment that men Khali' not be members of organ izations or threaten to discharge them for such membership, or discriminate against them because of it, or who enter into contracts compelling the men to contribute to any fund for charitable, so cial or beneficial objects, or after dis charge of men conspire to prevent them from obtaining employment, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of from f COO to $ 1,000. Section 8 of the bill, which affirms "that arbitra tion should be resorted to for the settle ment of controversies between employers and employes, General Olney says, "need not be discussed. The only alternative is industrial wars, aud they are illogical, as brntal and as -wasteful as the wars by which international disputes are often accompanied." A FOURTH PARTY WANTED General Warner, president of the Ameri can Bimetallic League, is out in an inter view declaring that there is no hope for bimetallism from either the Democratic. Republican, or Populist party, and urg ing that a new party be formed. We have not been the interview reported, but editorial mention is made of it in the Chicago Times. It was to be expected that those who were behind the scheme to capture the Populist conference at St. Louis, hoping through an address of the leaders and committee to practically get the party away from the Omaha platform and on to free silver alone, would, upon failure, be disposed to organise a new, one-idea party. Bland, Byran, Warner and other poli tical leaders of their sort, are men who magnify the importance of free silver and desire to make it the issue in the next congressional and presidential campaign, But the silver question as the basis of a new party is powerless to attract any considerable percentage of voters from either the Republican. Democratic or Populist party. Our St. Louis confer ence and the utterance of a very strong majority of the Populist papers -shows that we are bound together firmly by other questions embraced in the Omaha platform, the railroad question, the gov ernment banking or interest question, and others. We are sincere in advocat ing the free coinage of both silver and gold. But the Warner-Bland-Bryan-Teller class of silver advocates have re fused to come to our platform. Are they now convinced that they must cut loose from the Democratic and Republican parties? It is a recent change of mind, if such is now their belief and determination, but it is an encouraging proof of inde pendence if they refuse to stay where they are. A free silver fourth party might do something to help break up or reduce the strength of the old parties, and the Populist party can gather then even more easily the anti-monopoly ele ments that have not yet broken away from party bonds and promises. It is well for us to know that the presi dent of the Bimetallic League, and the League itself, if he represents it, are no longer friendly toward our party. It has been taken for granted that they have been friendly because of our unequivocal declaration for the free coinage of silver; ut it now appears that they have no use for the Populist party since it has been found impossible to make 'ua ovtr Into a mere silver, one-idea party. Only the people who come to us are friends. AH others are our political ene mies. A3 SEEN FROM CHICAGO The Populist members of the Nebraska legislature were guilty of a uross breach of faith when they failed to vote for V. J. Bryan, thefusion candidate for United States senator. Mr. Bryan swung the Democratic vote of Nebraska to the support of the Populist candidate for governor, wiiom he himself nominated and who was elected. J he same conven tion which nominated Holcomb for gov ernor nominated Bryan for seuator, and through the campaign Mr. Bryan fought hard by the side of the Populist leader. Now comes the Populist legislature and repudiates their own party convention by casting their votes for an obscure mem ber of their own party, instead of for Bryan. It is the grossest betrayal of political faith, and, more than that, it is an act of the densest political stupidity. If the Populists of Nebraska are not to be trusted to live up to their agreements there can be no further essays on fusion. This is exactly what the Republicans want, for without fusion Republican domination in that slate is assured. Chicago Times. Fusion neans confusion, and the Times has both in bad form, iu its memory of facts as well as in its accepted theories. We have called our people's attention to the national reputation which the Popu list party in the state acquired in spite of itself in the last campaign, and the above in the editorial columns of the eastern paper which kept a correspon dent here and advised us most freely, the one daily outside of the state which took most pains to obtain Nebraska news, ehowsplainlyenoughthat areform party should avoid the endorsement of its candidates by an old party when it can do so. As all Nebraska knows, the Times is conveying an idea which is not true when it gives its readers to understand that Governor Holcomb was nominated by Bryan at the Populist state convention, and that the same Populist convention nominated Bryan for senator. The Pop ulist party in convention assembled did not nominate Bryan, did not endorse him, did not ask his assistance, did not contract or deal with him in any way, did not agree to do anything for him. The Populists live up to all they promise to do, but they have no political faith with or in other parties, or other party leaders.. Fusion, contracting with those who are not Popu lists, is making mer chandise of principle, is betrayal of tha people's trust, is "the densest political stupidity," if party principle is of any value. We shall be very well pleased if old party leaders from this time forth leave off trying to fuse with the Populists for a division of the offices. Mr. Bryan's influence and action brought a fraction of the Democratic voters to Holcomb's support, but it also drove a larger Democratic vote to the Republican candidates, and e) did not result in what he no doubt really desired it to. Parties cannot be traded off and delivered at the ballot box as leaders desire. That "obscure member of their own party" is a man of larger mental caliber than Win. J. Bryan, and a- man w hose intellectual reputation is nation-wide-He has come within one vote of being elected United States senator. THE ASTUTENESS OF THUR8T0N Mr. Thurston is a politician of Die James G. Blaine sort; with very much less ability of course; but undeniably astute and skillful in playing upon tin popular prejudices, and in "following just a leetle ahead," as old Simon Cam eron used to do. He is shrewd in his seeming unfriendly attitude toward the gold monopolists, and is careful at the same time to favOr bank currency based on government bonds, which of course i a virtual pledge that he will help provide the necessary bonds. He favors the I ree coinage of American silver to hold the silver men behind him, and by limiting it to American silver draws a smile from the gold bugs. He makes himself solid also with the Republicans whose eyes an about half open, by insisting on the re demption of coin obligations iu eithei gold or silver, and he even dares to suy "We can better afford to have gold at o premium than prosperity at adiscount.' He is not in favor of retiring the green backs and he declares himself in'favor ol leading the world back to bimetallism butis careful to say that "Legislation to accomplish this would, however, be care fully considered and wisely guarded." On the Pacific roads question Mr. Thurston indicates that the government should give the stockholders an exten sion of time with a promise to pay per haps two per cent interest, aud allow them to go on sapping and impoverish ing the people of Nebraska to pay rates that are based on an immense over val uation represented by inflated capital and enormous corresponding bonds. On the labor question this great lover of voters is in favor of nothing in par ticular, beyond a political inquiry into the condition of labor and the establish ment of a board to collect statistics of the requirements of wage earners. The Republican senator doesn't know yet what is the condition of the working masses and what legislation they in just ice should have, but he will try and find find out if they do really need to be leg islated for, as well as the wealthy classes. YES, IT MUST DISAPPEAR Chairman Wilson of the Ways and Means committee, speaking of the trusts, says: "Either they or the Democratic party must rule in this country, and either they or the Democratic party must disappear from the countryl Poor man! He seems to be still dream ing, or trying to believe that the Demo cratic party is the party of the people and the enemy of the trusts. Tho Sugar Trust and Whisky Trust and coal and iron combinations had their way with it in the last Congress. The President and Secretary Carlisle are the pliant too's ol the Bankers Association. Attorney-General Olney declares that the anti-trust law is unconstitutional and reiuses to enforce it. Olney does not ask that the law be changed and the party in Con gress makes no effort to amend it, which shows that it is not sincerely opposed to the trusts nor the friend of the people. Not more than a third of the trusts which are plundering us of our products and liberties are in any respect benefici aries of or dependent on the tariff, and it is therefore hypocrisy for the Dem ocratic party to pose as the enemy of trusts when it does not recognize this fact and by legislation show enmity to all oppressive combinations. But Professor Wilson is in part right. "The Democratic party must disappear from the country," because the money power, the railroads and the trusts are represented in it, control its action, and the rifling party of the people will, must, sweep the tools of monopoly from power. The Popufist party has been organized uo overthrow monopoly power, the com mercial dictators which the Republican and Democratic parties have, by class legislation, special privileges and char ters which delegate sovereign powers, placed over us. The power of money to shield criminals and condemn the innocent is exasperat ing the people who suffer, and tempting them to take punishment into their own hands, as is evidenced by the , alarming increase in the number of lynchings the country over. But it is an awful thing to take human life. The crime of the murderers of Barrett Scott was delibera te, oremeditated, and one crime is no excuse lor another crime. " AFTER MANY DAY3" The people, of Nebraska are deeply touched by the generous gifU of the peo ple of the south and elsewhere who have responded to the call of the destitute. Three years ago Nebraska sent a train load of corn to famine-stricken Russia. Aud now her western frontier counties are receiving that bread which tbey cast upon the waters, The heartbeats of humanity can still be counted. The doc trine of human brotherhood was never so clearly grasped or so widely felt, If men only bad half an oppor tunity to follow their generous im pulses, if their own needs and future were insured, tbey would, as a rule delight to help all in need. In the last few days the people of Georgia have shipped twenty-one car loads of provisions to the destitute drouth-stricken poor of our state. Dr. Klopsch of the Christian Herald is on his way to Neb-iaska to distribute over $15, 000 of relief funds raised through bis paper. And the governor of Arkansas has telegraphed to Governor Holcomb that Arkansas will vote a sum for the relief of our people if they will receive it, ine citizens of Nebraska who in our frontier counties were facing the gaunt wolf of hunger will take heart again, and they will remember their unknown broth ers who have sent them the evidences of sympathy and love. THE CONFERENCE REOOMMENDA TIONS The conference at St' Louis took action regarding a campaign of education and recommended: First. That the People's party enter at once upon club organization bv townships, under the name of People's party lyceum ciuds, lor the purpose oi educating the voters in the principles oi the People's partj Saecond. lhat the work be put in the Hands of the executive committee of the Sstate Central committee of the People's party, inis committee to appoint three active men in each county to take cnarge oi tne airect work. inira. l be executive committee is to secure or prepare literature, constitution and bylaws lor the county clubs at price which will meet ' expenses. They shall have power to employ organizers ana lecturers. Fourth. Membership and work in the clubs to be open to women. Fifth. General rules for the guidance of tne ciuds are to De made by the State executive committees, but minor regula' tions are to ne lett to the respective clubs. It is recommended, lastly and strenu ously, that as the most valuable means of education and promoting partv growth, that the party throughout the country mate a vigorous enort to in crease the circulation of People's party newspapers. The Lancaster county central commit tee at its meeting next Saturday, Jan. 26th, should discuss this plan and arrange for its adoption in this county as soon as possible. The meeting will be held at the office Chairman McNerney, 1034 0 St., at 1:30 p. m. Jay Gould's estate has been appraised to collect the inheritance tax which the New York law imposes, and it sums up 180,934,580,79. This vast sum was drawn into his hands in about thirty years. In thirty years there are about 9,000 working days. Therefore Gould gained on the average nearly $ 9,000 a day. What do you call that, honest money? It is the inevitable result of the each-for-himself struggle. The laws hith erto have been made to defend the indi vidual pursuit and . acquirement of money. But liberty to struggle with one another iu buying and selling labor and wealth and natural resources have led to the pauperism of the masses and the commercial enthronement of the million aires. The laws hold the propertyless class down, and the monopolists of the earth and necessary capital in power. The laws theoretically check the unjust aud defend the weak; but practically they restrain the liberties of the poor and defend the unlicensed greed of the rich. Gould was simply a grabber, a schemer to get advantage of other men and squeeze property out of them. He did on a big scale what each man in the market is trying to do. He got vastly more wealth in his deals than he gave. The man who gets five cents on the dol lar more than he produces and gives, is guilty of the same injustice that secured Jay Gould his millions. Something for nothing, more value for less value, the law allows, and leaves each to look out for himself in commercial relations. Therefore the inequalities of rich and poor go on increasing, and a steadily in creasing number are being reduced to the propertyless, dependent, enslaved condi tion. According to the English statistician, Giffin, in 1880 foreign capital to the amount of $5,000,000,000 was invested in the United States. On this money we have been paying in interest and ex change six per cent yearly, just as tribu tary provinces pay yearly a stipulated sum to their conquerers. This money might have been provided by congress, by an issue of greenbacks, loaned to the people, and the entire foreign interest tribute of $300,000,000 a year would then have been saved, and, expended in our market, would have given trade and industry a mighty stimulus. Anarchy is the necessary product ol atheism. One God, one law.makes order necessary and possible. Anarchy is the selfish self-interest made supreme. Ordei is the common interest recognized and submitted to. A New Story! Next week the first chapter of an intensely interesting story will appear in The Wealth Majcers. Be sure your subscription is paid up don't miss a copy get up a club. Ma. J. L. H. Knight sends us a call for a conference at Broken Bow, February 5, to organize a new party on the proposed basis of the initiative and referendum, government banks, election of the presi dent by direct vote of the people and the establishment of a complete system of civil service reform. The demands are all right, but all found in the Omaha platform or recommended by the national convention in 1892. It is therefore the part of wisdom for the reform forces (which Mr. Knight is anxious to bring together) to come into the Populist party. It is no small thing to do to build up a party from nothing to the present numbers and organized power of the Populist party. It requires time and immense outlay and the labor of tens of thousands of self-denying people. The PopuliBt party does not stand for all the reforms that all the reformers de-' sire, but it is the broadest and best party that it has been possible to build up under the circumstances surrounding its birth and growth. It is not wisdom to waste or cast aside the forces which have gath ered and bound together nearly 2,000, 000 voters. It is time to cast it aside only when it ceases to grow through the disintegrating attraction of other par ties. In our opinion the Populist party has passed the danger point of party ex. istence, the point where, having won sec ond place, its leaders are tempted to try to fuse it with a rotten old party in the hope of sooner seizing some of the of- 38. The Populist party is today stand ing nobly by her principles, and we 11 not forsake her. She is what the goddess of liberty pictures. Senator Dale a few days ago rose in his place in the legislature and with his finger on the law, in his innocent way, called attention to the limit which tha people have placed on the number of em ployees the senators may have. In re warding their political friends at the ex. pense of the state they had disregarded- the wishes of the parsimonions tax-pay ers, and had voted themselves nearly twice as many clerks, cloak room keep ers, oil room ornaments and other sine cures aud Walt seeley lobbyists as the law allowed. They were going ahead in an anarchistic way, utterly regardless 6f the law. Mr. Dale, Populist, to preserve respect for the law, therefore suggested that the law be changed so that the Re publican senate might not longer trans gress it, while paying personal debts out of the public treasury. It was meant well, this proposal of the Populist sena tor, but the Republicans would not hear to anything anti-anarchistic from the Populist side. They therefore voted down Mr. Dale's motion to change the law in their interest, and decided to re form themselves in view of the public light the Populist leader had turned on them. The Republican legislature has shown itself much more disposed to economize by cutting down the proposed $ 100,000 relief appropriation to help the drouth sufferers, than to keep within the limits of the law in the matter of multiplying places for their political friends. The coal mine owners of Northern Wis consin are complaining. Providence is against them in sending mild weather. Their money interests under this each- for-himself system conflict with the inter ests of those who must buv coal. We call earnest attention of those who sneer and set themselves against those who would co-operate to the contradictions and antagonisms of the present selfish s struggle. When the mild seasons reduce the need of fuel the mine owners and operators are injured. When severe weather makes it necessary to buy an in creased quantity of coalorfreeze.then the people who must buy it are injured and the coal men ore benefited. When crops fail in certain localities, it raises the price for those whose crops are good; so when one is praying for daily bread the way for his prayer to be answered is to take bread from others, whose prayers there fore cannot be answered. What to acer- tain number is called a blessing, must now to others equally deserving be felt a curse. And all this because we divide our interests and struggle with each other for advantage over and gain from one another. We ought to associate our selves together so that we can all be blessed equally by the earth, the sun shine, the dew and the rain, the cold and the heat; and so that blessings that are labor saving will be blessings for all. Tun Stute Kxecutive Committee ol clubs and education of the Populis party of Iowa has started in to raise a fund of $10,000 on the plan of calling for 1 00 men to subscribe ten dollars each, 500 men five dollars each, 1,000 men $2.50 each, 2,000 men $1.00 each and 4,000 men fifty cents each. This fund to be used in educational work. Missouri Fopulists have called for $20,000. JFhat can Nebraska do? Improve your time by getting up a club for The Wealth Makers. I i