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I .11 II II-
VOL. XIX
Lincoln, Nebraska; February 21, 1901
NO. 30.:
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MODERN FEUDALISM
II Will lrWfeIr R-IH IuOaOr
f fcr -TV rip mt all tba
Kaltr4s tf Oee lUag Fees the
rsaJa.
7L foT of the era that control
th bUiioii -dollar strI trust is greater
itsa that of any t-rspinr or potentate
la rtcarded tistory.
They fcav4a their cracp the whole
taat asd Rrwaisg iron and stl trad?
ia the United Stat.
Ttjr ax.4 their aaoelatea control a
tpaiority of the railroad mileace of
the country. ith a capitalization of
another TUIlica of dollar. -
They own a lance part of the hank
leg basis fa New York city, con
trol deposits and influence radiating
cirri of roatserre ac4 industry.
Ther can absolutely the entire oil
prod action and trade of the country.
ova or control ste&svshSp. steamboat
and telegraph line, own. control and
icSaeoce aeatpapers. weekly and
icosthly jscaxin-s, publicists and leg
islators. The amount of capital actually with
in their away is not less than three bil
lion dollars.
I'pon their zi and berk dependa the
daily bread of minions of toilers and
the facsilie of toilers.
Imagination can hardly bet a lira t
to he actual power involved in their
operation. It fore it could become op
esljr dangerous or revolutionary, of
coura. the people would no doubt put
an end to it- Hut power need not be
rioSecfe. We may how tran?e.
subtle, mifccrutable, far-reacbinc and
irresistible is th !-r placed in the
hands cf thee mea when we remem-J-er
tiat the entire Hanjpon-Schlcy
cottroversy was inaugurated and car
ried on by the steel trust, at who !n
t!eatS?a Sampson was forced to the
front over Schley and Schley was
robbed cf the credit for his victory at
Ssttlaco- Two years and a half hare
pd since the victory. You will ob
erre that for th same reason the Tie
tor's reward is still denied blra. And
t this very moment the agents of the
steel trtjst are working to hare Samp
son promoted over Schley's head.
It is not by force and arr- and
L'.oody battles that modern feudalism
which Is all that the UHlon-dollar
trust mesx. wins Its way. It has dis
covered an ajRect more powerful than
armies and trues.
This agent consists of an elective
ay to confuse and distort the issue.
The mea thst can do that in this coun
try are n'grtir than ail the kings that
ever lived.
Yet we ited not be disturbed about
the final result. Beyond doubt from
aSl this evil gjod will come. Owner
ship by one man of all the railroads
cf the cms c try only paves the may to
ownership by the government of all
the railroads of the country. Chicago
America.n-
DANGEROUS EXPERIMENTS
The Ka la Wb.re Aagels Tmmr
$m H.d U rsmUlU4 y Merer
WaJte't rrfrawMt la
Wesfclactea.
The van change that would be ef
fected by the elimination of silver dol
lars from the money of the country
does not irf-era to be comprehended by
the Lank lunatics who have recently
been in Washington. If one stops t
consider for a moment the amount of
business that is transacted with silver
dollars in this country, he would be
appalld at the very thought of wip
itx it out of exite nee.
The nation raises over $50.000,000
each year for the support of the gov
ernment. ad every dollar can be paid
by silver at present. The total taxes of
state, county and municipal rovern
ments amount to over $TX).0 0.fioO per
year, which can be paid by silver. The
total indebtedness ia the I'nlted States
is estimate.! to be l-O.OOO.OOU.(wO to
S50.C,tC,w.0. over one-half cf which
is payable la lawful money and can
be discharged by silver.
It Is estimated that the thirty days
credit transactions of commerce in this
country. Including the sales of goods
by manufacturer to jobber, by Jobber
to wholesale dealer, by wholesale deal
er to retail dealer, and by retail dealer
to ccstocner. amount ia the aggregate
to more than $1.COO.OCK.(00 a year,
every dollar of which can be dls
chsrred by silver.
Th premiums contracted which may
be paid Is silver each year ia the Unit
ed States upon life insurance policies
are XS2S.rS0.S13. and upon fire insur
ance policies are f 1C1.720.95?.
The total amount of life insurance
la force in the United States on Jan
uary 1. IK?, all of which was payable
ia silver was 114.123.5 4 S.072.
The total amount cf fire Insurance ia
force la the United States oa January
1. was HCJiC0.0CJ0,O00, all payable
ia silver.
According to the report of the couip
t rosier cf the currency for the year
the amount of deposits, payable
la silver money in our
Savings banks is I2.1S2.006.424
National banks is 2.522.1 57.509
State and prir. banks is.. 125.99564
tmA aid trust Co.'s Is. . $25,499,064
Total deposits ia all
banks June 20. 1S99. .f 5.78.eSS.261
The amount of loans, consisting
mostiy of thirty, sixty and ninety-day
paper, ail of wbielUs payable in silver,
ia f ;or of our
Savings banks Is U9S.S3SjiS9
National banks is 207545S0
State and priv. banks is.. 9211.00i
ixaa and trust Co.'s is.. 599.031.053
Total short-time paper
outstanding oa Jane
-J-. WJH. .......... . . .I5.167.S95.C10
The total amount payable oa shares
la building associations is $450,667,594.
The amounts agreed to be paid In law
ful money, which can be discharged In
silver, at periods of from one to five
years, on contracts for construction of
buildings, rallrcads. ships, canals and
other Improvements in the United
States must aggregate several billions
of dollars.
The 500.000.000 of silver dollars, and
certificates based on silver dollars,
now are doing the full share on an
equality with gold in handling the
huge volume of the country's business.
And so long as the silver dollar re
mains receivable at par for all public
dues It will remain at par. ' It is not a
menace to the gold reserve at present
because It is not redeemable in gold.
Of course the attempt to make silver
dollars redeemable In gold is the work
of those who wish to abolish them.
As soon as the dollar is made redeem
able in gold it will become a menace
to the gold reserve, and the cry will
go up that it should be wiped out be
cause it Is a menace.
Who is asking that this experiment
should be made? There has been no
complaint made by the farmers, the
wage workers, the business men con
cerning silver. There has been no de
mand made by any class of citizens for
its elimination from the money of the
country. The demand Is made by a
few bankers. It is they who would try
this dangerous experiment. . No com
plaint is made anywhere by anybody
about the sliver dollar .yet It- is cer
tain to be eliminated from the cur
rency. If the republican party "remains
in power. What would follow the
tearing down of the monetary system
of the United States, the wisest could
not tell. They only know that there
would be a disturbance of values a.
crisis such as the world never before
taw. The experiment of suddenly tak
ing out of the currency of any country
one-hslf of its legal tender money ha3
never been tried. Such an experiment,
this jocular Horace White would try
with as much nonchalance and indif
ference as he would change his ac
count from one bank to another. The
shallowness of the man was never
more apparent. As to the bankers who
are putting him up to talk for them,
that Is a different matter. They be
lieve there are -millions In if for
them and they have their own self in
terest to urge them on. But Horace
White Is simply a financial bigot, a
vain, glorious, Grub street BohemiaD.
horn they set up as an "economist" to
her their own plans.
SECRETARY GAGE'S STEAL
MOaly Kev4 Onetetlnn .by Tie Vot
-
la th Republican II a ate of
, KSpreMBtAtlv.
After four hours debate In the house
Secretary Gage escaped the censure
of congress for his National City
(Standard Oil) bank job as by the skin
of his teeth. No republican represen
tative cared or dared to defend the
scandalous transaction. But Congress
man Hopkins of Illinois furnished with
ammunition from the archives of the
treasury department, created a- diver
sion by reading a number of letters
sent by democratic congressmen to a
secretary of the treasury away back in
President Cleveland's time, in which
they had asked certain government
favors.
As partisan mud-throwing this was
excellent. As an answer to the specifc
charge that Secretary Gage gave an
enormous gratuity to a bank whose
vice president claimed it as a return
for campaign services rendered to Mc-'
Kinley and his party, it was an utter
ly irrelevant as it would have been to
exhume the story of the Tweed ring
or the Credit Alobiller scandal.
The house divided evenly, 92 to 92,
on Mr. Richardson's amendment pro
viding that no rent should be paid by
the government until the title to ihe
custom house property had passed to
the bank. Under the rules of the house
the Item for rent stands and Mr. Gago
escapes the formal repudatlon of his
contract by a hair's breadth. The
moral effect of this tie vote in a house
in which the republicans have a major
ity is none the less a censure upon the
secretary of the treasury and the es
tablishment of the truth of the charge
that was made by The Independent at
the time this scandalous transaction
took place. That It was a steal of the
taxpayers' money cannot be truthful
ly denied it was money wrung out of
the people and the giving of it to the
Rockefeller bank. Of course it would
be impolitic and very bad manners to
say that part cf the $300,000 so taken
would ever find lodgment in the pock
ets of Secretary Gage. It was all fo?
Rockefeller - '
Counting Electoral Vote
The Chicago Record devotes nearly
two columns to the ceremony of count
ing the electoral vote In the joint ses
sion of the two houses of congress,
written by William E. Curtis. One of
the paragraphs is as follows: -
"Senator Allen, who occupied the
most conspicuous place In the whole
assembly, went to sleep as soon as he
dropped Into his chair and snored so
loud that he attracted everybody's at
tention. Senator Turley, who sat next
him, jabbed him In the ribs with his
elbow two .or three times, but It did
no good. Allen would wake up, look
around for an Instant in a bewildered
sort of way and then his chin would
drop back on his breast again. When
Nebraska was reached in the count the
assistant sergeant-at-arms of the sen
ate went down and shook him so that
he could hear the announcement from
his own state. But he didn't remain
awake long enough to near republicans
clap their hands when It was credited
to McKinley. A little later a page
wcke him up to give him a telegram.
He tore the envelope open with clumsy
fingers and was asleep before he had
read it.-
HANNA IS CRAZY MAD
His Subsidy BUI Is Defeated for This Ses
and the State Legislatures Don't
Obey His Orders.
Washington, Feb. 18. Hanna seems
to have gone crazy on the subject of
bulldozing the republicans. He allows
it to become common gossip that he
is interfering in the senatorial elec
tions in states where there is a repub
lican deadlock and ' issues his order
that such frivolous conduct on the part
of state legislators shall cease at once.
They are not likely to pay much at
tention to his dictates, but he will be
very much grieved thereat. Really
Hanna has plenty of trouble on his
hands right In Washington. The
chances of passing .the subsidy bill
grow less and less each day. It is one
of the few steals that got right homa
to the popular. understanding and then
the disapproval is so deep-seated that
no tactics of the boss can succeed
against it. Hanna and Frye become
more cross each day, but It. avails
them little.
Surface indications would make one
think that the revolt against Hanna
presages party disruption. Not in the
immediate future. There are too many
good things to be given out. It is
wonderful how the independence of
the insurgent oozes out when it is sug
gested that he will have certain fat
patronage if he gets back into line. ,
The opposition Is sufficient to defeat
a measure like the subsidy bill, but
not by any means strong or cohesive
enough to check the plunder of the
treasury that is going on in every di
rection and the maturing of imperial
ist plans that may be seen on every
hand.
In this latest instance of the " sub
sidy bill, the republican dissension
would never become strong enough to
defeat the measure. The democrats
must do that. But if the bill? is de
feated the democrats will take the
credit. They want no better issue
upon which to go before the people
two years from now.
The administration press is ginger
ly giving out the news mentioned in
these letters two weeks ago namely
that the president will surely call an
extra session of congress if the present
one does not invest him with responsi
bility, or authority to deal with the
Philippines and Cuba.
No one knows better than the ad
ministration what a carnival of loot
and plunder and extravagance will be
let loose as soon as the civil author
ity begins giving out franchises and
arranging protection for speculators in
the Philippines. .The reaction will be
felt in this country within a year. No
wonder the president does not want to
assume .the entire responsibility. He
wants congress to appear to voluntar
ily cede its legitimate powers to him
and then to be chargeable with the re
sult. Truly the exercise of autocratic
power; Is more pleasant, jwhen no re
sponsibility goes with it.,; ;'
The party leaders, however, are not
looking for a record of this sort! For
Instance the senate would not so much
mind passing the Spooner resolution,
giving the president autocratic and un
limited power In the Philippines, but
it does not like to take the initiative.
It prefers to have the resolution come
in from the house and v then can find
the excuse to consider it. The house,
however, has all sorts of troubles of
its own though perhaps of varied
and less dignified character than thos-e
afflicting the senate. It has no notion
of passing anything like the Spooner
resolution. Its members have ever in
mind that they go back to have their
records scrutinized by the people much
quicker than the members-of the sen
ate, hence the need of caution.
An extra session Is always regarded
as bad politics, but the democrats can
view It with equanimity. In this era
of extravagance the expense need not
deter the republicans. Like the im
pecunious private citizen, what they
don't spend that way -would be wasted
in some other direction, so the prac
tical result is the same.
It would really -be very instructive
to the country to see an overwhelming
republican congress settle down to sev
eral months of consideration of our
insular policy. - '
There would at least be democrats
enough to strip the mask of hypocrisy
from the face of the proposed measure,
and let the country know how the re-"
publican party keeps the national faith
and honor.
Deep Is the; disgust of the adminis
tration that the poor , Cubans" after,
two years of our military rule still be '
lieve in our promises of independence
and go on framing a constitution with
that end in view.
As a change of master from the
Spanish we are certainly far from ac
ceptable' and the Cubans believe titat
they can manage a government which
will be suitable for their needs.. , Of
course they can, but if the administra
tion lets them do that, think of the
hungry carpet-baggers who . will have ,
to come home and look .for other
places. ' ' . ' . .
The rumor that all the steel and iron
interests are about to consolidate Into
one big trust has caused some appre
hension among those who object to be
ing swallowed whole by a trust. The
chances " are that this particular deal
will not be consummated for some
time, but the trusts are growing rapid
ly in all ' directions and centralizing
more and more. Representative Bab
cock made a grandstand play by offer
ing a bill taking the duties off all
steel and iron products in case the
trust deal goes through. He knew the
bill would be pigeon-holed by the wajs
and means committee, but thought it
might deceive those who do -not keep
track of practical politics. By the
way, where are the constitutional
amendment and the anti-trust law pro
posed at the last session? Buried iu
committee, never to be resurrected.
They were manufactured strictly, for
campaign purposes and served their
ends very successfully.
The consolidation of railroads that
Is quietly, but rapidly going forward is
a matter of interest to every taxpayer.
Once let the country be at the mercy
of a railroad trust and the government
will be either compelled to take over
the railroads, and operate them for
the people or abdicate and let the rail
roads run the government. Even if the
government did own the railroads it
wouldn't solve all the problems. It
doesn't in Europe where government
ownership obtains, but it would be a
long step in the right direction.
REPUDIATE THEIR PLATFORM
Grosrenor and tanon Repudiate the Ke
' publican Platform and the Former
Declared Be Ifwirer Read It.
Washington', D. Cr, Feb. 18, 1901.
The situation in congress in reference
to the national irrigation movement, is
about this: The senate is all right,
but the republican leaders in the house
are in opposition, notwithstanding the
republican platform strongly indorsed
the national irrigation pojicy.
The republican leaders in the house
ignore the republican platform even
sneer at it. Mr. Grosvenc;; of Ohio,
speaking on the river and harbor bill,
said: ' . .- -' i : . ' ' . -y - -.
"Several times In the course of my
brief career on this floor I have had
occasion to say that some of these or
namental propositions In the national
platform have never been approved by
me, because I did not know that they
were there.". ; "
Mr. Cannon, chairman of , the house
committee on appropriations, said that
the plank in the republican platform
didn't mean anything; that it was only
put in to catch a few rotten borouglis
out west. Evidently with him, as with
other republican leaders in the house,
it was a promise made but to be brok
en.' This disregard of the promises of
the platform; among, the republican
leaders in the house goes so far that
the conferees from' the house on tne
Indian bill have refused to concur in
the senate- amendment appropriating
$100,000 to begin work on the San- Cai
los reservoir, and it. is announced that
the speaker will refuse to give con
sideration to the Newlands bill, which
the committee on irrigation have
voted to repor favorably with some
amendments. . V
(When one ot the great leaders of
the republican party declares on the
floor of the house that he never read
the republican platform, which is what
Groavenor did wb,en ne said that he did
not know that 4.he plank indorsing Ir
rigation ' was- In it,- and allows that
statement' to 'go upon record it is
enough to tnake a mullet head shiver.
No more disgraceful and absolutely
damnable statement was ever made by
a man.
' This tmeri nerfldv of the leaders of
the house,: this public repudiation of
the platfornt upon which , they vwere
elected, this despotic, tyrannical, arbir
trary and positive repudiation or tne
most solemn promises made in the
most solemn way to the people of the
United States, is a thing that will like
ly bring trouble. If the recognized
leaders of the j republican party can
without dissent from their co-workers
repudiate one plank of their platform
they can, when it suits them, repudiate
every other plank. When they come
before the people for votes again, what
claim can they make to the confidence
of any voter? The position taken by
Grosvenor- and Cannon is not only a
violation of honor, and everything held
sacred by honorable men, but it strikes
at the very foundations of free govern
ment. If - it Is allowed to go unre
buked. it will Drove a breeder of an
archy. If a party is not bound by . its
platform there Is no use in elections.
Government becomes a matter of the
vilest frauds and falsehoods. How any
man can deliberately cover himself
with such shame, dishonor and Ignom
iny is passed comprehension. Not only
were the voters or the renubiican par
ty, in favor of irrigation, but all the
voters of all the opposition parties.
After pledging their sacred honor to
sur.h legislation. Grosvenor and Can
non propose to defy the who'e people
of the united states ana at me same
time proclaim themselves repudiators
and dishonest. isa. ma.)
Hanna is Coining
Mark Hanna is not going to stand
much more fooling in Nebraska. Mark
will take just so much from his loyal
and loving subjects and then he will
call a halt. If the legislature of that
state does break the senatorial dead
lock itself Mark will march out there
with bis sledgehammer and hit it a few-
blows just between the solar plexus
and the Platte river. If the people of
Nebraska continue to demonstrate
they are incapable of self-governmont
Markwill send his old shoe out there
to govern them, and he will not send
the standing army along, either. Mark
needs, two more senators in his busi
ness, and as they are for personal use
he wants to be certain that the brand
is right. Nebraska, now in the flush
of good times, evidently forgets how
Mark sent them rain last summer
when the drouth was moving into the
state for a three .weeks stay. "The
people of Nebraska forget how he per
sonally put his shoulder under the
price of corn and held it up until they
had marketed the crop. They forget
other favors, but Mark is going there
With a 'club to remind them. Ne
braska will not need to import Mrs.
Nation to break its deadlock when
Mark goes after it. Chicago Record.
Dear reader, did you receive a bill
for your subscription recently? If so,
what did you do with it? Have you
forgotten the old adage: "Do unto
others as you would like to be done
by!"
POPULIST TALK
Judge Bell Gets the Hear and Makes
Few Remarks Upon Trusts svud Ex-travag-ant
Appropriations.
It is not often that the republican
majority in the house of congress al
lows a populist to make a Remark, but
when one of them does get a chance he
says something that has a tendency to
make the cold chills run up and down
the backs of the republican thieves
who are straining every nerve to ap
propriate a billion dollars at this short
session. - Last week Judge Bell, the
populist member from Colorado, got
the floor. After going Into many de
tails relative to reform In government,
Judge Bell said:
"The last Colorado legislature sent
a committee to New Zealand to ex
amine the advanced condition of that
country, and that committee has made
its report to the present legislature
commending many of their advanced
methods and the operation of a gov
ernment of, .by and for the people.
"The authorities in Canada are now
discussing -the advisability of expend
ing the surplus revenues in buying the
private telegraph systems of the do
minion, and so the work and the senti
ment of the economic world move oil
in the interest of the people all around
us and while the people of the United
States are plunging headlong into the
vortex of complete syndicate domina
tion. "The North American, a republican
paper, on February 6, in discussing the
unprecedented amalgamation of capi
tal during the last few months, and of
the steel trust in particular, says im
mense quantities of the stocks of cor
porations wanted for the combinations
were quietly absbrbed at the low level.
The multi-millionaires had absolute
confidence of the re-election of Presi
dent McKinley, although they did not
show their hands until after the elec
tion, when they were sure of a clear
field for four years.
- "It is not impossible that this fav
ored one of the trusts and combines
will unwittingly be the stumbling
block of "their downfall. Are no they
so overworking these open opportuni
ties that they are hastening their own
ruin? But someone savs: 'Be specific
and point out some of the great abuses
of this government and locate the evil.'
"I would say unhesitatingly tlet the
responsible source of the evil is in the
truckling subserviency, of congress;
congress tolerates, nurtures and en
courages all existing public evus. The
abominable spoils system and the per
sistent attempt to remunerate the
great syndicates and trusts all over
this country, for their political aid, and
the endeavor of congressmen to pre
vent other high officers in other de
partments of the government from per
forming their whole duties, is a with
ering blight on our body politic ;
"The everlasting tramp of the em
ployes of the government at the heels
of congressmen and the nauseating as
sociation that they must uave congres
sional influence for every move is
most despicable, disgusting and de-;
grading." . . .
State Affairs
The Independent is willing to risk
its enviable reputation for forecasting
matters of public interest by saying
that every indication now points to a
depreciation of state warrants. This
will come about not because the state
is less able to meet its obligations, but
simply because a little coterie of war
rant brokers In Lincoln desire it. It
would not be surprising to hear one of
these fine mornings that some republi
can district Judge has issued an order
restraining the board of educational
lands and funds and the state treas
urer from investing the trust funds in
state warrants, 'because of some hair
splitting constitutional objection. Of
course, these state officers would be
greatly chagrined! And the coterie of
warrant brokers would suddenly dis
cover that "interest rates are higher,
you know, and we can't give more than
95 for a 4 per cent warrant." If such
an order should be made, it is highly
probable that the newspapers would be
enjoined against commenting on it--
and there Is a further probability that
The Independent Would be "up against
it" for contempt.
The flop of the republican state au
ditor has given the insurance compa
nies a rake-off of $25,000 and a similar
flop of the state treasurer in beating
the reduction of Interest on warrants
will give the bankers and brokers an
other rake-off . of about the same
amount. That is the way they start
out. what they will do before they
get through in way of rake-offs we
will have to wait to see.
"Oh, we may have hard times, and
the money market may get tight'
Treasurer Stuefer is reported to have
said, commenting on the state senate's
action In refusing to reduce the Inter
est rate on state warrants, "and then
we would not be apt to have so much
cash on hand to pay warrants as we
have now." ' Evidently the amiable
treasurer is not acquainted with the
records in his own office and does not
know that taxes have little respect for
tight money markets. If he will look
through the reports of his predecessors
he will find this state of affairs:
COLLECTION OF GENERAL FUND
TAXES.
Biennium ending
Nov. 30, 1894 ....... . : . $1,909,035 25
Nov. 30, 1896 1,667,316 91
Nov. 30, 1898 1,798,858 OS
Nov. 20, 1900. 1,731,682 60
We certainly had short enough crops
and a tight enough money market the
first 4 years, yet the collections were
over $45,000 greater than in the last
four years. Fact is, the treasurer and
his warrant broker friends were simply
looking for a very small hole to crawl
through and they failed to find even
that.
Only a short time since, the republi
cans were worrying because it was
feared that the state treasurer would
have difficulty in keeping the educa
tional funds invested. Then the re
publican state senate promptly kills a
bill to reduce interest on state war
rants from 4 to 3 per cent a bill which
if enacted Into law would save the tax
payers $17,000 a year and at the same
time enable the treasurer to purchase
a still larger percentage of the war-,
rants issued. Evidently the republi
cans are like the professional tramp
hunting work searching diligently,
but praying to God they won't find it.
THOSE SPANISH BONDS
A Big- Lobby in Washington Determined
That the United States Shall Force
Cuba to Pay Them.
Preliminary, skirmishes In a battle
for about $450,000,000 has already be
gun in Washington.
Holders of the Cuban war bonds, is
sued by Spain to raise funds for the
prosecution of the wars in Cuba, are
again moving to get their money back.
A lobby is already at work in Wash
ington, and it has had representatives
at the Cuban constitutional convention
seeking to shape the constitution of
the island so as to admit of a com
promise regarding this stupendous
claim.
In Cuba the bondholders have met
with defeat. The draft of the consti
tution now being considered shuts out
any possibility of a compromise on
these bonds, but has left the way open
for the payment of the bonds of the
republic of Cuba issued by the junta.
This provision appears in the twenty
third section of the draft.
"The republic of Cuba does not rec
ognize, nor will not recognize, any
debts or compromises contracted prior
to the promulgation of the constitu
tion. - : -
"From the said prohibition are ex
cepted 'the debt and compromise legi
timatelycontracted for In behalf of the
revolution f rom and after April 24,
1899, by corps commanders of the lib-
erating army until ....7bnwMcnthe
constitution, and those, which the re
volutionary governments contracted,
either by themselves or by their legiti
mate representatives in foreign coun
tries, which debts and compromises
shall be classified by congress, and
which body , shall decide as to the pay
ment of those which in its judgment
are legitimate." v- - ' -
It is said here by men high in the
government that an effort will be made
when the constitution is submitted to
congress for its approval to amend the
constitution so as to open the door to a
consideration . by the Cuban govern
ment, when formed, of the claims un
der the Cuban debt.
v The representative of the bondhold
ers . will seek ; to Have congress act
quietly, and. these men are spreading
the talk in favor Of an extra session of
congress. They believe that if they can
get the constitution amended they can
make "arrangements" with the Cuban
government whereby a compromise can
be reached. With this end in view
they will seek to hurry the withdrawal
of-the United States from Cuba, and
the turning over to the Cubans them
selves of all the affairs of the island.
The first effort in this direction was
made by McKinley himrelf. He ordered
General Wood to make representation
to the Cuban constitutional conven
tion to the effect that the constitution
should grant power to the United Stat
es to control the island's expenditures
and debts. General Wood did as he
was ordered, but the convention paid
not' the slightest attention to the sug
gestion. The foulness of this man
McKinley is like the foulness of satan.
Fool Them Again ,
Congressman Babcock of ..Wisconsin,
one of Mark Hanna's chief sub-managers
of the republican party, has in
troduced a fake bill in congress so
that the party can play the same game
with the mullet heads that they played
with their bill, to suppress trusts. He
proposes to remove the tariff from all
steel products except fine cutlery and
high grade articles like watch springs.
As a bluff, this is about the limit. Bab
cock knows, and all the rest of the
country knows, that there is not the
least chance of the bill going through
in the twenty days left of the present
congress, and when the clock strikes
12 at midnight of March 3 the present
congress is as dead as a tariff -protected
trust's conscience. But is not
Babcock making a dangerous . admis
sion? Is it possible that he is' admit
ting that the tariff has something to
do with the great, steel combine?
Not Plutocrats
One of the great dailies makes a
most bitter complaint about the Cuban
constitutional convention. It says:
"It is said that not one member of
the convention is the owner of $1,000
worth of property."
That settles it. in the minds of our
congressmen. In their eyes If a man
does not pwn a thousand dollars wo th
of property, he is utterly unfit for
public duties. Before a man can love
liberty, think or reason, he must have
a .thousand dollars. It makes no dif
ference if the man has been engaged
in fighting for his country for ten
years without pay. It makes no differ
ence if his property has been confis
cated by the tyrant Weyler. If he
hasn't got" it at the time he sits in the
convention, he Is unfit for the position.
Jesus Christ never had a thousand dol
lars In all his life, neither did Adam
Smith, and Paul had to work at a tent
makers trade to buy bread." Neverthe
less a man must have a thousand dol
lars or he can't know anything.
AT SAME OLD TRICKS !
The Acts of the State" Officers Indicate
That the Old Gang: Is Ilunnioff
Things in the Old Way.
Each week something develops afi .
the state house to convince even a con
firmed mullet head that the boasted
republican "business' administration
is falling into the same old rut along
which the Thayer-Churchill-Bartley-Moore
combination travelled, j It la
hardly to be expected that Treasurer
Stuefer will embezzle any of the funds
or that Auditor Weston will pocket
any insurance fees In fact, the dis
honesty of certain republican officials
in the past, that is the downright
stealing, was only an incident which
might occur under any administration
where the people are kept In tbo dark
about what is being done by thi stato
officers. But the chief objection to re
publican state officers the past fifteen
or twenty years Is the fact that In ev
ery possible way they have endeavored
to serve a few to the detriment of the
many. They have construed evei.y law
as favorably as they dared in favor o
the quasi-public corporations and,
against the interests of the public gen
erally. Long ago republican officials
ceased to represent the great body of
people who elected them, and tho
whole party has for years been run in
the interest of a favored fev who
were on the inside. Every campaign
the cry of "new blood" is raised and
the mullet heads walk up to the polls
and try to elect members of the same
old pack of wolves, each time masquer
ading under a slightly different brand
of sheepskin. Last year the mullet
heads predominated, and those oi! them
who were not imported - from other
states will for another two yearn hava
to pay the penalty of having a republi
can administration. The only Injustice
in the whole matter is that the punish
ment will fall upon hundreds of thou
sands who protested against allowing
the state government to fall into tho
hands of those well known, by all ex
cept the mullet heads, to be the ab
ject tools of the old-time clique.
With a national banker governor,
owned body and breeches by the Bur-
lington railroad; a banker state treas
urer, long ago identified with tb old
gaag; -an -a4itor owned by the insur
ance trust; ' a" seccetary of state, a
political accident; a irt an at
torney general who acts tft part of
"Necessity" because he knows W law,
i i - a. n rtvi..A
wnai can me people expect .YVrt&
ouehr. thev tn exnert? .
Last week The Independent called
attention to the auditor's ruling re
gardirir the reciprocal insurance fees
and the f acttfiat the state would lose
$2&$00-to-. $30,000 a year by such rul
infirIt called attention to the gover
nor's pet bill to introduce "under-the-hat"
methods . in purchasing supplies
for state institutions. It. called atten
tion to the action of the board of edu
cation lands and funds in reducing tho
premium on state warrants, and tho
fact that the treasurer In January
lacked $20,000 of'equalling-the invest
ment made by Treasurer Meserve ia
January, 1900. ,
This week The Independent calls at
tention to the recent action of the stato
senate in killing Representative Mur
ray's bill to reduce the interest rate on
state warrants from 4 to 3 per cent.
We quote from Sunday's World-Herald:
"Persistent rumor says that brokers
who deal in state warrants, particular
ly prominent. Lincoln men, together
with State Treasurer Stuefer, operated
with success on the senate committee,
and induced It to recommend the meas
ure for indefinite postponement. Treas
urer Meserve, in his biennial report,
recommended this reduction of inter
est on state warrants, and when Mr.
Murray Introduced his bill it had the
hearty and outspoken support of
Treasurer Stuefer. On learning of
, . I 1 At t J
tne treasurer s suaaen cnane oi. mum,
the representative from Thurston ap
proached Mr. Stuefer and asked what
his reasons were for reyersing himself.
" 'Oh, we may have hard times, and
the money market may get tight, Mr.
Stuefer is reported to have responded,
blandly, 'and then we would not be apt
to have so much cash on hand to pay
warrants as we have now. If the in
terest rate were fixed at a lower flguo
than at present. It might have the ef
fect of making warrants sell below
par.'
" 'But surely you don't expect that
we are going to have any hard time3
as long as the McKinley administra
tion Is doing business, do you? asked
Murray.
" 'Well, er no, not exactly,' slid Mr.
Stuefer, seeing that he had put his foot
Into It, but then, you see, we may
make money hard to get in Nebraska.
"Ex-Treasurer Meserve givet it as
his opinion that there is no probability
of state warrants going below pifr with
the reduction of 1 per cent on interest,
provided state funds are handled In a
business-like manner. He, -while treas
urer two years ago, did not hesitate to
recommend reduction of interest from
5 to 4 per cent, and the incorporation
of his suggestion into law did not have
the effect of forcing warrants below
par. Instead, they were selling at 1
per cent premium when he retired
from office, January 4, last. It. would
seem from the action of the republican
senate that it is feared Mr. Stuefer can
not continue the good services ren
dered the state by his predecessor."
Let us examine into this matter a
little. The legislature of 1899 appro
priated something over two million
dollars from the general fund; the
present legislature will appropriate
about the same amount. Th;it will
mean a possible issue of general fund
warrants of approximately $1,000,000
each year. Under present conditions
of the general fund these warrants run
after registration from eighteen to
twenty-two months before being called
for payment; hence, at 4 per ctmt, tho
interest on a year s issue of warrant
i
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