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About The Wealth makers of the world. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1894-1896 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1895)
l - v 5 Tt-inCr j : u. . , j)c-- y L If VOL. VI. 1 LINCOLN. NEB.. THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 28. 1895. - " NO 38 A J K mu ,,"", " . , , - I , , , II . ' " , SO MOVES THE WORLD. W aleey and wake and aleep. bat all thinga move; . The 8nn flies forward to bis brother Sun ; The dark Earth follows, wheeled In htr ellipse; And human things, returning on themselves. Move onward, leading op the golden year." The Whisky Trust has been reorganiz ed. Germany has voted for anoth3r inter national monetary conference. The sickness of a.juror has led to the postponement of the Debs trial till May "No man makes the land, therefore no man has a right to it." Deny this who . can. ... Not a New Englander, except one, Con gressman Walker, but voted lor gold Donas. Chicago has tricked through the Senate a $,uuu,uuu appropriation diu ior a new ' ZD post omce. . Fred Douglas died the 20th, inst., of a sudden attack of heart disease, lie was 78 years old. , Dr. Parkhurst's new book, "Our Fight With Tammany", is now for sale by Charles Sen oner s Sons. . Bill Cook, the train robber, has been sentenced on six counts to fifty years in the penitentiary at Auburn, New York. Alfred W. Spriggs a commercial traveler of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, went insane last week at Toledo. . Financial straits the cause. ; : v. Dolph, the goldbug senator, from Ore gon is defeated and a silver man, George W. McBride, has been elected to his seat for six years. ; ; Both houses of the Oregon legislature , have adopted a resolution to submits woman suffrage constitutional amend' meut to the people. . ., It is estimated that 700,000 are gener ally out of work in Great Britaiu. Popu lation 36.000,000. One in ten of heads of working families. J The fifth oil well of the Pensylvania Oil Company has beeu finished in the Salt Xreek. region in .Wyoming,. uThe five weirs yieia iuu uarreis per uay. L. L. Somers of Chicago, 54 years of age and despondent because out of work. committed suicide in Chicago by inhaling the gas in his room r ebv lv. Nothing like having a monopoly. The Edison Electric Illuminating Company increased earnings in January 1894 over the saie month in 1894. Senator Allen made an effective speech the other day against a bill to issue $ 7,- 000,000 bonds to improve the property of the people of Washington, D, C, Senator Kyle has introduced a bill to empower the Secretary of Agriculture to expend $.juu,uuu prospecting ior artesian wells in North and South Dakota, Ne braska and Kansas. '..'. A new National Millers' association is being formed which is to amalgamate all the local associations of the countrv. Pray then to the miller and baker lords for daily bread and be sure to enclose leash with your requests. The Diamond Match Company paid a dividend of 15 per cent last year on a capital of $9,000,000, and to make their profits robbery less notably large have increased (watered) their capital stock bringing it up to f 11 ,000,000. The North Chicago Street Railway stock eells at 257 per cent., 157 of which belongs by right to the people, but if they are too ignorant and blindly partisan to avoid being robbed through their chosen rep resentatives there is no help for it. . The gross national income of the peo ple of Great Britain is 1,350,000. Of this sum the rich take in rent and interest 490,000,000, and the rich and middle classes in profits and salaries 300,000, 000. This leaves the ureal body of the workers less than one-third. Cline W. Cameron and wife of St. Louis preferred death to bejrging or pauperism aud he therefore shot his wile, a fatal wound, and tried to kill himself, but in flicted only a slight scalp wound before being disarmed. He could not obtain work. Both were young, under age. England has 300,000 paupers, and 8, 000,000of the people exist always on the borders of destitution. About 20,000, 000 are poor. More than half the na tional income goes to about 10,000 peo ple. Thirty thousand people own fifty five fifty-sixths of the land and capital of the people. - 0. H. P. Belmont is building a summer villa at Newport, and has arranged that guests will drive in on the lower floor and their horses and carriages will be taken up on the elevator, just as thev are driven in, so that persons might alight directly at the ballroom door. The New York department stores not long since were enlarged to take in grocer is, meats, drugs and many other lines of trade. The butchers and grocers are all trying the boycott as a remedy. No go though. The only thing to do is to co-operate and beat the big fish on prices. The author of "Merrie England" says! "The average income her head of the working classes is about 17 a vear. or less than a shilling a day. There are minions of our people working under '. J conditions aud living in houses that are .imnli. f..l fHL -t '. ' oiiujjij uinjf luwmi, iub sum oi crime, vice, drunkenness, gambling,, prostitu tion, idleness, ignorance, want, disease, and death is appalling. These are facts." The author of , "Coin" , is delivering 5,000 copies of his book daily to the Western News company, and the Railroad News company, just startingiu to handle it, takes 500 copies daily of the 50 cent book, as the Western News hag the hand ling of the cheaper edition. Besides this the Inter-Ocean, Chicago Times, Rocky Mountain News and many Populist pa pers are advertising and selling the book. Russia is encouraging immigration to Central Asia, which is now provided with a railroad and irrigation works. The government gives toeach Russian family settling there a house and 160 acres of irrigated land. The population has in creased to a remarkable extent, and no wonder. The country thus ., opened, Southern Siberia, will supply Europe with wheat, and cut off the market for American wheat. - ,, James C. Starr of Chicago, whose will was lately published, was so determined that none of his descendants should ever have any other ideas than his respecting labor strikes, that under penalty of dis ownment and cutting off of inheritance by his will he forbids even the third gene ration joining any labor unions.or par ticipating in agitation between the classes. ; '': The Indiana legislature has been charg ed with receivings barrel of whisky which was kept in the capitol basement for the use of members who were to vote on the Nicholson temperance bill. Two Republi can members were full, and the charge by Representative Jackson that the whisky league was so subsidizing the house created a great sensation. The galleries at the time were crowded with temper ance people, Another railroad system, the Norfolk and Western Railroad Company, has just passed into the hands of government receivers. This system contains 1,500 miles of road and embraces upward of a hundred millions of stocks and bonds. The stock has been so badly watered that the preferred has fallen to 13 aud the common to 5 cents on the dollar. The pity of it all, is the government turns back the roads to brivate- nartieff'fter having demonstrated its superior wis dom and honesty in the managing of them. . . About Garden Seeds Washington, D. C, Feb. 25, 1895. To my constituents who are interested in securing Beeds, I wish to make the following statement: Congress has not made any special appropriation for the benefit of the drouth sufferers, although strenous effort have been made to secure such action. The regular annual supply of seeds for distribution is the only source from which the drouth sufferers can secure any help from Washington.- From this supply the Secretary of Agriculture hasset apart 650,000 papers of vegetables' (garden) seed for Nebraska drouth sufferers. Each of the eightmem bers from Nebraska has 15,000 papers or 120,000 in all. Knowing the great need of the people I addressed a letter to all members from states not affected by drouth, asking them "to donate from their quotas as many seeds as they could spare. In this way, with the assistance of Seuator Allen, I secured about 60,000 papers additional. So that the whole amount of garden seeds to be sent to Nebraska from Washington will be about 930,000 papers, iheseareput up ten papers in a package, and will supply 93,- 000 families each with enough seed to plant a small garden. The varieties selected are those most suitable to the soil and climate. In addition to the garden seeds, a small quantity of wheat, corn, clover and grass seed will be sent out for experimental purposes, but not enough to cut any figure in supplying demand for sowing and planting. HOW TO GET SEED. So far as my own quota is concerned, I have up to this time responded to all in dividual calls from my district; but my quota is nowexhausted. The great bulk of the 93,000 packages referred to above have been forwarded to Lincoln to be distributed by the Relief Commission. I believe there is enough to supply every drouth-stricken family in theBtate with a package. The seeds sent to Lincoln will be distributed to county and local committees, and by them to the people. Save your postage. See that your local committee look after your interests. An estimate of the number of families need ing seed in each precinct should be for warded to the county relief committee without delay. I have not responded to any calls for flower seed, as I exchanged all my flower seed for vegetable seed, believing they would be worth more to constituents. Hoping for better days to come, 1 am, yours, sincerely. O. M. Kem. Pullman's man Wickes, vice-president of the company, who got a brutal repu tation as the mouthpiece of the duke last summer, is now being sued by his wife for adivorce. She testified thather husband kicked her, threw a glass of water at her, struck her in the face and threw food at her, besides refusing to speuk to her and depriving her of comforts belonging to her social position. Yes, but she ought to have known that brutes. alone are fitted for the position Wickes fills. the: economic situation or the Farmer In the Existing Indus. trial Organization (CONTINUED.) Address of Prof. William A. Jones ol Hasting before the annual meeting of ths Nebraska Far mers Alliance at Kearney, January. 1895. . Captain. When you contracted thus, did you not sign away all your right to any profits which might arise from sale of the product? Laborer. Yes. Captaiu. Then you have no legal claim on the 40 cents or any part of it? Laborer. No. No legal claim. Captain. Then why do you say the 40 cents belongs to you the laborers? Laborer. Because when we contracted to work for a wage, the rate of which is is controlled by forces over which wehave no control, the only alternative we had the only free choice was between the wage offered, and destitution. We and you did not meet as economic equals. We were coerced by our economic condition to accept the wage offered, or fare worse, You were economically strong and under no constraining force. Tho economically strong met the economically weak with the usual result, expressed in the maxim "The weak go to the wall," as the final explanation. ' . , . That 's wbjr we jontracted wZy we sur rendered our right to any share in the profit. . Now weclaim that equity demands that we shall share the 40 cent surplus value among the laborers, pro. rata. Not equally, but equitably, i. e., according to efficiency and skill. . , : - -r In heaven, the division will be made according to each one's needs, without regard to the difference in value of ser vices. But then, the things divided may not be bread, meat and clo thine. " f In fact, after deducting " froin thei the cost of raw material and the 5 cents for wear and tear, all the rest rent, interest, insurance, taxes, wages, and the 40 cents surplus value all are the pro duct of our labor and yours as manager. The distribution of the 60 cents as shown above covers every item of cost, Landlord gets his rent, capitalist his in terest for use of their private property. Now ire think that 10 cents may be taken from the 40 cents aud set aside as a reserve fund to guard against losses, extra risks, and partly to increase the capital if found desirable. Then divide the remaining 30 cents of surplus value equitably among those who produced it. We think this plan better than the ex isting one, because it would seem to recognize the fact that an industrial association is at the same time a moral association. It seems to recognize the soverign ethical idea involved in the ex pression the brotherhood of man, the state. Captain. But we are conducting this business under an economic and legal system which takes a different view. If this were a charitable, or a Christian institution even, your explanation might be pertinent; but since it pretends to be neither, but only an organization for the creation of surplus value, the 40 cents is ours. There are five of us, 40 divided by 5 equals 88 per cent, dividend. Just Pullman's dividendl Each member, of our corporation owns $ 100,000 stock. 8 per cent, dividend equals $8000. 5 per ceut. rent equals $5000. 5 per cent, in terest equals $5000. $18,000, or 18 per cent, earned by each man's $100,000. ihe enterprise is successful. But the captain and his associates in the corpo ration do not always rest on "nowery beds of ease." If profits are above norm al rates of interest, or the earnings of capital in other Hues of business, other captains aud capitalists establish com peting plants, till through competition, surplus value disappears.. No profit is made. Competition and an overstocked market may cause rent and interest to disappear. But before this occurs; even as soon as surplus value is reduced to a small per cent; the meii who live on divi dends, finding a shrinkage of their in come, demand of the captain the reason. He explains competition a greater out put than the available market can con sume and pay a profit. Each manufacturer tries to produce at less cost than his competitors, that he may undersell them and still make surplus value. All discoveries in the sciences and the arts are utilized in the productive processes. Skilled mechanical engineers invent tools aud machines to displace men in the mad whirl of compe tition. The laws which govern the increased powers of production are not the same as those which widen the market aud in crease its consuming power This an archy in production produces a long period of stagnation. Surplus value dis appears. The captain before this time, examines all the factors of production to see if they cannot get along with a smaller dis tribution. He begins with the factor land. He "turns down" on rent, but discovers on reflection, that, if he takes one per cent, from rent to give to surplus value, he is simply taking 1 cent out of one pockei (Continued on rd page.) An Address to All Members of The. Farmers' Alliance , f Hartwell, Neb., Feb. 13, 94. Dear Brothers and Sisters: I)i this, the darkest day the farmers of Nebraska ever saw, we ought to take stock of where we are and how we came there. Thousands of us have toiled in the state for many years, and raised many thousand bushels of grain more than our families could consume, which we have sold below the actual cost of production. This they said was caused byWer production. Now all the western part of the state has raised nothing at all. Still times are no better. Last year was a half a crop yet it did not help matters. We never seem to reach the happy medium which will bring pros perity to us. "he great majority of the farmers of tb state are not only bankrupt, but a gn at proportion are today dependent on;charity for the bread to keep life in tht?ir bodies, con-chips is the ouly fuel afforded them, and in many places it is nearly all gathered and burnt. Star vation or death by cold stares them in tin) face, and those at the helm of state have not the pity for them that the dumb brute often shows, for suffering humanity No, indeed, those who were nominated by capitalists and endorsed by land speculators and money loaners are under their domination and care only for "the credit of the state.' What , little relief their majesties will kindly allow the east ern, lovers of humanity to bestow, they haye carefully distributed , iu the cities and towns without notifying the farmers when relief could be had, so that if the farmers obtain assistance enough to keep life in their bodies it must come through the farmers themselves. ,t wish to ask all ouce members of our organization who-b ave-grown lukewarm and become delinquent ' to think bow different the situation would be today if we had kept up our organization and elected our friends to office. If we had a farmer legislature do you think they would appropriate just enough to pay Ludden to keep a horde of clerks to hinder donations from eastern states reaching the farmers, and then say the farmers could "take care of themselves r I wish you to think of these things. Then read again the objects of the Alli ance and remember your obligation. Did you take it for a day, a month, a year or until some new political party could be organized Or did you take it for life Are you still striving to secure the establishment of right and justice to our selves and our posterity Or. do you think it is accomplished Do you remember, you once declared yourself willing and anxious "to assauge the suffering ot a brother aud sister," etc? Do you know that many of them are suffering the pangs of hunger and are half-clad with no bedding to keep life should the fire go out on a cold night, and in order to keep that fire damp cow- chips must be brought in aud dried. Do you know that they, many of them, feel hurt that those of you who have been blessed with a half crop have not offered them any assistance when the whole world has rung with the echo of their cries and anguish. "It is more blessed to give than re ceive." V by not then awake from your slumber? Call you Alliance together. "Many a nickle inades a muckle;" and if you can not raise much money some of you can gather clothing, feed and seed, and show these discouraged ones that there is some meaning in your vows. Put into their hearts the cheer which comes from fraternity. Oive them faith that the time may come "When man to man the world around will brothers be for a' that." So far some relief has been sent from other states, but it can hardly be that there are none in our state who can trive even a dime to their brothers in their hour of need. If you could read the letters received from these brothers I believe you would arouse aud try and assist them before despair engulfed them. Here are some extracts: "We have only one or two brothers that can take care of themselves as far provisions are concerned, the balance are dependent upon aid. Therefore anything sent us in the shape of clothing", pro vision, feed, seed and garden seed will be kindly accepted, and God knows you will be sending it just when it is needed." 1 rome of the brothers remarked not long ago that we were the only lodge in the county that stayed by the obligation and now in our greatest time of need there was not one county in the state when the Alliance was stromr and thev did raise something that was willing to lend us a helping hand in any way, shape or form. All other secret orders in this part were receiving all the necessary things to tide them over until better times, and it looked to them discourag ing. I told them we would try and bear it like brothers; jxtrliaps some one would take pity on us alter a while aud help us out of the rut." Another secretary writes that some of their members are on the verge of star vation, and wonders whether brothers and sisters will not relieve them. etc.. etc, It makes one heartsick to read such letters and know how true they are and nave no means of relief to offer. Receipts for relief fund have coma to date rebruary 13, as follows: J. W. McFarland, State secretary of Louisiana, $3.00; M. L. Otts, secretary Kelton Alliance No. 149, S. C. $5.00; L. N. Montgomery, Old Fort, Ohio, $5.00; Alfred F. Dougherty, Pilot Pyint, Texas, $3.50; John Edwards, Croydon, New Hampshire. $3.00: total 19.50. lu addition some clothinar has been donated and orders shipped direct to LBarties where it seemed most needed. W Atlee Burpee & Co., of Philadelphia, do- nnted flij.zo of their seeds and said it was a supplement to $200.00 worth donated through Ludden. Some other help has been promised and some has been lost on the way and can not be heard of. A car from Louisiana nnd some from North Carolina. The secretary of Union county, S. C, writes that "the people of union county. , C. are getting up donations of money and supplies to be sent to your people. We were blessed last year with a good crop ana are willing to divide with you ail. We expect to have the donations ready by the 15th, of February. We are all brothers, children of one father in Heaven. Let us do a brothers part. North Star Alliance of Minnesota, in quired how to send their donations and say they are all poor, but want to do what they can. Also the secretary of Oregon promises some aid when veget ables can be shipped, and. Colorado hopes to send us some seed potatoes. But these will not help one in a hundred, of those who seek aid from us. And we must arouse and help- each other in the state, if unable to do anything more, v rite to friends in the east and solicit them to send aid. Better that the pride oi our state officials be hurt a little than that our brothers and sisters perish. Yours for industrial freedom, . Mrs. J. T. Kellie, Sec. Nebr. F. A. and I. U. . Concerning Crocodile Tears Spiungvikw, Neb., Feb. 11, 1895, Editor' Wkaut Makkws:''''- Seeing so many crocodile tears shed on paper by the Pythian brothers of the murdered thief of Holt county makes me feel like shedding some too. And right here I will shed one because the people of Lincoln and Lancaster county did not have sand enough to make a good man of Mosher. There is an old saying that the only way to make a good Indian is to kill him. That seems to be the only way the people can punish a man that steals from the public. And let me say right here that Holt county s example will be repeated many times in the near future if there is not a great change in the court of justice. The idea of sending a man that would change a brand of a cow worth $35 to the pen for ten years and another man that would steal $386,000 from the state, for five years! And I have not the least doubt in my mind the Holt county thief would not even have been convicted at all. 1 will admit that it looks somewhat cruel to kill a man. But better kill one thief than to starve a hundred good honest hard working people. And then my experience, has taught me that a man that would steal $70,000 would steal an $100,000 more if he could get a chance. Yours for justice to all men alike. H. C. McCboskey. A Single Tax Nebraska Editor The following letter from Brother Mar tin of the Forum was accidently mislaid, which accounts for that date as it is. Waynk. Neb., Jan, 19, '94. Editor Wealth Makers: I send you a marked copy of the Forum of the 1 6th, inst. In the article "Watch man What of the Night," I allude to your "Financial System," but do not discuss it or enter into its details. As a single tax man I believe there is a better way out of our financial muddle, and have briefly outlined it in the above named editorial. I do not .think we have need for any kind of bond system as a basis of currency, though state and municipalities might be enabled to bor row of the general government on bonds somewhat after the Coxy plan. The naked land values of this country are a sufficient basis for all currency needed and what is true of our country is true of every civilized nation. By applying the land-value-tax of our per cent an ample revenue for the general govern ment would be collected and no burden npon the people would be felt. This would end the tariff discussion and allow the reciprocity feature to be used with other nations. Every person who Is struggling under a mortgaged home could be relieved by a one per cent loan made permanent, and the money so put out by government would at once come into circulation, stimulating business. These loans could be limited to one-half or three-fourths the nominal land value and no danger from inflation could occur. Some parts of your plea are good, but you must get the land system out of it. Yours truly, W.M. Martin. Take advantage of The Wealth Mak ers clubbing rates. Notice "ad" on 5th page, $ Nebraska Law Makers The cow is vindicated. The long suffer ing bovine has at last come to her re ward. The hog has been banished from her domain. The mighty arm of the law has been stretched out to protect her rights. She remains the sole and only legitimate butter maker in the universe. This is as it should be. The cow always has had a hard time of it; from the olden days when she had her tail hitched to a plow, down to the present time. Her seasons of enjoyment are at rare inter vals and very brief; and her tribulations are many. Notwithstanding all this, she has always borne her burdens meekly aud patiently. She has ambled through life awkwardly and innocently and the world has been the happier for her having lived. And through all the centuries, history has placed uo worse crime at her door, than kicking over u lamp, ripping entrails out of some inoffensive citizen, or foundering herself in a neighbor's clover patch. Then after such a record as this; to have a common ordinary hog invade and wallow around in her sacred precincts as abutter producer for the world, was an insult not to be borne. Thus it was but properthat the august Nebraska legislature should arise in its might and smite Bill Paxton and the other hogs, hip and thigh, and drive them from the field. The hog wasn't in tended to make butter anyway. He isn't built that way. All he is good for is to eat everything in sight, make lard, and inoculate the human race with trichinae. THE WAY IT WAS DONE. It took all day in the house to pass the anti-oleomargerine bill; but it passed just the same; and has gone to the governor. The bill simply provides that oleo shall not be colored to imitate butter, or be sold as butter. . . , THROTTLING THE MINORITY. The brutal Republican majority is evidently afraid of the small Pop, con tingent in the house. The resolutions in- . troduced by the Populists created ' so much trouble among the Republicans that a committee of three was finally appointed to which all resolutions were to be referred. Afterwards a motion was , passed that resolutions were to be re ferred to this committee without read ing. Thus the Republican! can kill a resolution in this committee which they are too cowardly to vote on in thehouBe. NO LOVE FOR THE OLD SOLDIER. Another feature of the Republican ma jority in the house Is cropping out. Said muionty evidently nas uttie love ior tne old soldier. Very few old soldiers have been recognized in the distribution of patronage. The latest developments in thislineis the fact that Speaker Richards on a Republican G. A. R. man, who was an applicant for a place in the house cloak room. The nameof this old soldier is S. W. Thornton, of Buffalo county. He served his country for four years and bears many wounds. He stands well in his county, having served it as a Repub lican member of the legislature of '87. Being old and infirm, became down to Lincoln this winter to take treatment at the Sanitarium and asked for an unim portant place to help pay his expenses. In an affidavit published in the papers here and at Omaha. Mr. Thornton iioies no in a couversatiou withSptatter Richards, that is not very complimentary to the old soldiers. Following is a por tion of this affidavit: . . . - "He (the Speaker) said there was another old soldier in charge .of the water closet that was in the same boat with me and he would have to go the same way, lie said this old soldier busi ness was a nice thing to talk in the house bu t as a means of working up sympathy, it was played out. He said that what ever other sessions had done cut no figure with him, he was ruuning this legislature, etc." By the above it will be seen that Kepub- lican love for the old soldier before elec tion is different from the same article after electiou. THE GOVERNOR WILL APPOINT. The Republicans held a caucus one night this week to decide on a number of bills to take the appointing power out of the hands ot the gqvernor. But, after , the meeting started, their best men be come ashamed of the proposed action aud, by a vote of nearly two to one, de cided that the appointing power will re main where it is. Ihere has also been a considerable talk about knocking out the appropriation for the labor bureau, as a slap at John. II. Powers and at the laboring men generally. It is now thought, however, that the better ele meut of the Republicans will haveenough good sense to defeat this attempt, as they did the other. NOTES. The bill to locate the state fair perma nently at Lincoln is creating considerable excitement. There is a probability that this bill will pass the house and a possi bility that it may become a law. At the instigation ol an ex-uepubiican official, a movement was made in the senate this week to investigate Oil In spector Edmisten's bond. In a half a day Mr. bdmisten furnished an addition al bond, signed by the citizens of Lincoln for double the original amonnt; and the senate dropped the matter like a hot po tato. No beet sugar legislation has come up yet, but is liable to at any time. J. A. JiDGERTON. .