WW.
VOL. XIIL
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, AUGUST 29, 1901.
NO. 14.
IMPERIALISTIC BEKEVCLENCE
A M4Jexar EifkM( V4 la Flender
tef tfce Melf-ieee-Mow Kateaslvely
Mflll It Ctrealate?
Washington. D. C. Aug. 24. 1901.
Spei4l to The Independent.) One
the McKIcley administration be-cami
laoclt4 w Itii the virus of Imperial
ism ft cou 11 cot help casting a longing
and tTwdy ey upon evt-ry nation
,' which smd small enough to safely
pick a quarrel with.
It cannot b af5rm-d with certainty
that the adsls'strailon desires to grab
the Itthnian states which are having
one of their usual interr.l struggles,
hat the rrfizt. t.'.a of the war tie-
part meet la crdrriEg the North At
lantic m south to Hampton Roads
rai the question ia many quarter
as to w hth-r this was not a ruse of
the d-partne:-t to pt-t the Cet nearer
the t-n of trouble ia caw any excuse
oilrrti fer .military intervention.
Sonne of the European papers claim
that the action of our representatives
has n h-c calculated to smoolh roat-
the right to organize for self-protection
the freedom of the ballot will next
be taken from them.
The steel trust is arrogant enough
to think that It can crush the men in
one way or another, but It Is evidently
blind to the fact that every day of the
strike gives a national object lesson
which is not lost upon the people.
Genuine alarm Is beginning to 'be felt
in every quarter as to what the lim
its are of the trust power. It was not
that way a year ago when a presiden
tial campaign was on. The trust then
laid low and pretended to be entirely
harmless.
THE IOWA DEMOCRACY
In Convention. Eadort and Btfflrm It
Adhtrtut to the KitMi City
Platform
The Iowa state democratic conven
tion was held at Des Moinej on Aug
ust 21, and after a very spirited de
bate adopted the following platform:
"We, the democrats of Iowa in con
vention assembled, hereby reaffirm
the principles of the democratic na
tional platform adopted at Kansas City
in 1900 and without surrendering our
convictions or abating our loyalty to
our national policies we believe that
. . t thla ramnai pn chmtlrl he nrta raf-tlc
ters OMr and they brieve that this -r" Z Z , .T IT.
man; vuuuucu n Diaic iaouT3.
fOMr::si.t dot not want to co-oper
ate with European lowt-rs. hut is look
'"Resolved, That the fundamental
principles of democracy eo.ua! rights
leg for a chance to grab the Isthmian to all and special privileges to none
! applies in run force to the subject of
taxation. The democratic party be-
statt- an J put theza under a protector
ate similar to that now exercised over
Cu! r.d I'orto Rico.
It is probably too early to get
kUrcj oer the situation, but there is
sot much doubt that the republican
in:;-rla!isi Ixk ith longing eyes on
etery hit of territory which is not
tiro n. 5 enough to defend iu-elf. It is a
great thange from the days when this
country was r-jurdd as the protector
and defender of ail the weaker nations
or. this rot:r.. r.t and at least the ae
tiie kjt s pat hirer of the on-s fighting
for irrdo:a in aay part of the world.
Bit it is natural development. Cuba
at. 1 I'orto liicfj have cot panned out
as richly as they might have. Some
how or other trade ar.i commerce fail
to Le re--ta!IiLed or to have confi
dence Ss o"- l&ilitary control with its
adjuncts cf official Sooting and lack of
punishtnt-n: for offenders.
In the arue way th Philippines
hae rf'--d to le pacified sufficient
ly to Set the carpet-baggers get at the
piur. i-r just as they expected, but it
should tiot be forgotten in this con
r.ectio.t that a large deb ration of re-
ruhHcaa congressmen and senators are ;
lleves that the burdens of taxation
should be borne equally by all taxable
property. We pledge democratic mem
bers of the general assembly to for
mulate and urge the adoption of such
a law as will compel the burdens of
taxation to rest on corporate and in
dividual property alike without favor
or exemption of any Interests.
"We demand economy in the admin
istration of state affairs, the enact
ment of a local option law, the aboli
tion of offices of state printer and state
binder and the contracting for supplies
for the state with the lowest responsi
ble bidder. We cordially Invite allv
honest men of the state to unite with
us in securing the enactment of these
principles into law."
After the adoption of the platform
the following state ticket was nomi
nated: Governor Thomas J. Phillips of Ot
tumwa. Lieutenant Governor G. K. Fergu
son, Logan.
Judge of the Supreme Court John
Shortley of Dallas county.
Sunerlntendent nf Schools W P
in the Philip- i Johnson nf Part-nil
?es. Of it is for the alleged Railway Commissioner A. C. Brice
purpow cf studying conditions there ! 0f Bedford
with a ik w to proposing legislation at j The ticket is a strong one. composed
the next session of congress. But in- j of representative men. and with it
cii2ita.!y these legislative gentlemen j upon the piatform adopted the party
are apt to close to various con- naa a far better show for EUCCess at
csiom ana rao-i irar.es wnicr. win ; the pong than for years,
amply .-epay them for their paternal j
!i.teret in our new possessions. There
is nothing like being on the ground
w!-:-a r.1 thir.r are going.
So U is entirely likely that the
dreas cf i rape-rial conquest will grad
i.2!y cxtt-nd to 5.rexlco and the Isth-rr.-:.
In fact, if w were to have Im
perialism snJ tnevolent assimilation
to all. this would have been a more
reasonable diretloa in which to be
fin: bet the idea ie'f v. er took root
MORE IMPERIALISM
Th Admlolatratioa Looking With
XXong-ry Xjra at South American
Republics
The following article in the Review
of Reviews indicates the policy that
will be pursued in dealing with the
impending troubles between the South
American republics. It shows that
history repeats itself and that a gov
ernment once, launched on an imper
ialistic policy of conquest can be de
pended upon to pursue that policy to
the bitter end. It has destroyed every
government that undertook it. Will
the American people profit by this
knowledge of history or will they, daz
zled by greed and glory, follow the cer
tain path to destruction. The Review
of Reviews, an ardent supporter of the
present administration, advises en
croachments to the south in the fol
lowing article:
It is, of course, highly important for
the sake of our own political interests
in the large sense that we should on no
occasion fall to render promptly the
police duty in the Isthmus of Panama
that properly devolves upon us. That
isthmus is of no practical value to the
republic of Colombia, and it would be
far better since in any case of serious
disturbance it falls to our lot to keep
peace and order there that we should
in due time come into full authority.
It would Le to our advantage to pur
chase the isthmus from Colombia at a
fair price; and the South American re
public, on the other hand, would be in
every way more secure, contented, and
prosperous if we should thus become
her neighbor. She has no navy at all,
except one little river gunboat and
two still smaller vessels; and geog
raphical considerations render her
isthmus adjunct almost as remote and
isolated as.if it were an island a thou
sand miles distant. The trouble in
Panama is connected with a prevalent
state of disorder and revolutionary
activity that affects both Colombia and
Venezuela. The situation is obscure,
because there would seem to be several
cross-currents of agitation. One of the
movements said to be on foot has for
ber of landless people in this country
people who want' lands to farm and
make homes thereon. It is possible
for the government to -supply this
want by the construction of storage
reservoirs and the reclamation of the
75,000,000 acres of arid land which
neds only water to render it produc
tive In the extreme. "Unless this is
done there are millions of . people In
this republic who will remain land
Jess, while millions of acres will re
main uncultivated 1 and unproductive.
There is no single industrial proposi
tion before the nation of such vital im
portance to the people and to the gov
ernment as the reclamation fof the arid
lands by storage- reservoirs. Denver
News.
tl'fr.'iiz.f t:
as summer
PRESIDENT SHAFFER
And the Ma Urn Is leading In the Steel
Strike
President Shaffer of the amalga
mated association pretends to be a
leader of men, yet he comes to the
front in an Interview with the state
ment that he had always voted the re
publican ticket, but If his strike fails,
he will never vote It again. Perhaps
the strike he has Inaugurated Is a nec-
fatoff-d private indi- j essary evil. Perhaps these workmen
t had to learn In the hard scliool of ex.
11 tb conquest cf the Philippines
ar.d CiiM itfiR.! th republican par
ty With a ".-:t- for ay conquest and
great sals f
Tidaals.
Around the p-r-sion building at
Vahicnon r. r rur a trU-ic which
how the various orts of soldiers
rrarcr it.? at a rapid pc. The real
idt-a of th 2.rt:l i ::'.- hat obscure,
.tt the irreverent spectators are apt
to conclude t! at It r-pr--ents the great
L"t of -; rushing to claim pen
sions. The M a jr. :,;:. ?r r.rh when we
tc !y Commit-stoker Ktar.s' recent re
port. Ti rt w-re iZJ,Sy names
dropped I? y-ar and over 47.000
ad-!vf. It tr.vi le enien)bere4 that
t.'.- pri ion rUim rf the Spanish war
hf l:-ut istrt-ly tgun to come; yet
et -m r T.-ct on the severity of the,
Ptitlippia campaigns It must b evi-'t-M
that hii :.o-T:;nu nufi3tr of men
w:ii ;at!y entitle.3 to claim pen-
r. The i;.-t froni the civil war is
iscreajikg instead of decreasing. i
WLilr it u true ss a matter of e-quity 1
ir.i Jutire tht hornet military ser
'f crr ith Jt a rlalrn to a pension
a fty diftl4!ity or !-a.h resulting
rota the -rvic. rtill the question
ri- as to how the enormous budget
is to Je tit atid here the list will
nop.
Our pnfloti arir.r is one of a mll
!;oe. akd it cost last year was $140,-.-.'.
. Greater than that of any
s tandlt array in Curope. although the
Utter are supposed to 1-e one of the
hef l-t burden borne by the people
i4 thfe coys tries.
The real moral of the figures is that
P i'.cu!d te taken to lessen our
army. Tne arts of peaceful commerce
sbo'iSd replace those of conquest and
war. The republican party is entirely
ia favor of a tig standing army. It Is
yful la conquering countries abroad
&4 n y easily be turned upon the d!s
eT.teTiud st home, liut you never
hear the republicans counting the pen
sion cot of their new fad. The mll
Isoiit r-e ded every year for actual sup
fnrt of the big army are the ones al
lowed to ;.;ir. It mould W much
more convenient if even these could be
krpt o-jt of the appropriation bills.
I- this time of trut prosperity alt
the burd-t:s are p;ied on the gov
ernment by reckless administration
and tshea the time of depression comes
to ordinary citizens will have to bear
the turdea whether they will or no,
At thla writing the ttel employes
are still peeping the trust guessing.
It appears that a vast majority of tbe
men ia this branch cf industry are
ready to fight for their industrial
rUhts. Thty know that If they lose
perience that they cannot hope to
share the stolen funds they have by
their votes helped to steal from the
farmers the past thirty years. Per
haps they have thought that their la
bor organizations composed of men,
men who have stomachs, with depen
dent wives and children, who have also
stomachs, could compete in power with
the trust which is one vast pocket. If
they have so thought, they are liable
to learn a great deal in a short time.
Not but what the trusts may allow
them to make an apparent winning in
order to keep their votes to continue
their present system of robbery, but
the prospect is that the trust now feels
itself so well intrenched in power that
It might as well fight the battle for su
premacy now as later. And if it so
feels there can be but one end to the
great steel strike, that end a victory
for the trust And right here is where
Shaffer shows his lack of the wisdom
necessary to leadership. Had he kept
his men at work, but learning each
week in their meetings a few simple
lessons in political economy, he might
in two or three years have had them
attain sufficient knowledge so that they
could make an effective strike for lib
erty at the next election. Central City
Democrat
Murdered
The sensation of the week, in Lin
coin, was the finding on last Thursday
evening of one of our most prominent
citizens, John J. Gillllan, laying at 17th
and G streets, weltering in his own
blood, and In a dying condition, from
the effects of three different bullets,
fired into his body by persons un
known. Immediately after he was
found, a physician was summoned, and
the coroner sent for, but he expired be
fore either arrived. After his arrival
the coroner ordered the body removed
to his home from where he was hur
ried on Sunday afternoon. Many have
been the rumors as to the causes that
led to the killing, and the police force
has been diligent in running each to its
source, but up to this writing have
been unable to discover either the per
petrators of the crime or the cause for
tt. the most acceptable reason, how
ever, is that it was a burgling job of
hold-up by persons bent on robbery
Governor Savage has offered a reward
of $200 for the apprehension of the
murderer, or murderes, to which wil
be added a reward by the commis
sioners at their first meeting. ,
is object the federation of Colombia,
nezuela and Ecuador. Such a com-
b. ition, if it could be firmly effected,
wou 1 have a considerable ambition;
but tA movement seems fanciful rath
er than mature and well considered.
Events may show that the time is
nearly ripe for the United States to ac
quire Panama as well as to assume
new relations toward Nicaragua.
Some Farmers
think that the place to get bargains is
n some store where everything is
topsey-turvey that if there is any
style or neatness in the store that they
have to pay for the display. We have
changed all this. We cater to every
class of trade high and low, rich and
poor and we not only cater to this
trade, but we get it. Our, store is
where the banker and the poor labor
ing man bump elbows with each other,
where the prosperous farmer meets
his less fortunate brother. They are
all looking for the place that gives the
most good goods for the money, and
that's our store. We are the cheapest
drug house in the west. We know this
because we receive orders from every
county in this state. Instead of buying
our drugs in small quantities, we buy
them in large quantities, large enough
to put us on the same basis as the
jobber and by paying cash and getting
the benefit of the discount we are able
to sell most drugs cheaper than the
ordinary druggist can buy them. We
have a line of household remedies that
are the best in the world and save
many doctor bills. We sell our $1 pat
ents for 69 and 79 cents, and if you
ever buy anything here and it is not
as we represent it, your money back.
Nothing could be more fair. We have
a complete line of stock food, anu no
matter what you need stamps, oil, in
ract anything in the drug line you
will find it here at prices that are al
ways lower than the lowest
RIGGS' CUT RATE PHARMACY,
12th and O sts. Opera House Blk.
The Difference
The Callaway Courier rushes to the
defense of the parole of ex-Treasurer
Bartley and criticises the-Beacon for
condemning Governor Savage for the
act and commending the act of the au
thorities of Minnesota In paroling the
Younger boys. Hut there- is this dif
ference. " -
The Younger brothers had been im
prisoned twenty-five years, and if there
is such a thing as reforming the of
fender by imprisonment, these men
are surely reformed.' Had they been
pardoned after four years of imprison
ment, the Beacon would have con
demned the act, and yet, after all, we
have more admiration for the Younger
brothers than for i such men as Joe
Bartley. Those held up by the famous
Missouri bandits were usually wealthy,
and before they proceeded to rob, their
victims generally knew what was go
ing on, but how was it in the case of
Bartley? He deliberately stole $500,
000 from the taxpayers of the state
and this made every citizen of the
state a victim of his avarice. Those
robbed by the Younger boys were few
in number. Those-robbed by Bartley
are numbered by . hundreds . of thou
sands, and among them are found the
poor who wring their living from the
sweat of labor.
Bartley robbed more people and stole
more money than the James and
Younger boys combined and his pun
ishment was nothing compared with
that of the latter. .The meanest thief
on earth is the sneak thief, and the
vilest criminal on earth is the one who
plots against innocent victims and
robs them while asleep. Custer
Beacon. c.
A FIGHT TO THE END
Important Papsrs Missing
A correspondent of the World-Her
ald, writing from Washington under
date of August 22, says: "All of the
secret correspondence of the signal
corps of the army relating to the war
with Spain is missing from the ar
chives of the war department This
fact has recently been brought to light
by the investigations conducted by Ad
miral Schley's counsel in their efforts
to secure evidence in the preparation
of his case. Could they be found, they
would give Admiral Schley a good op
portunity to compel Admiral Sampson
to explain some things that the coun
sel wants to know. The missing pa
pers are regarded as of the utmost im
portance to Mr. Schley before the
court of inquiry." As the administra
tion is the custodian of these public
documents, there must be something
radically wrong when they can be
misplaced or destroyed without the
knowledge or consent of the officer
having them in charge, and it will be
hard to make thinking men believe
otherwise than that their misplace
ment was the deliberate act of some
one interested in bringing disgrace
upon Mr. Schley with the knowledge
and consent of the head of the war de
partment.
President off X.a'bor Association Denies
That He Has Offered to Compromise '
President Shaffer of the . amalga
mated association- has given out the
following authoritative statement in
regard to the report that he had made
an attempt to effect a settlement with
the steel trust:
I see by the papers that I have au
thorized Secretory Easley of the civic
federation- and General Secretary
White of the garment workers' union,
who left here last night for New York,
to carry a proposition for a settle
ment of the strike to the United States
steel trust. I have given no one a
proposition; I have made no proposi
tion, and no one has been authorized
to settle the strike for its.
There seems to have been a deter
mined attempt to make it appear that
I sent the civic federation officers to
New York. I have, too, denied it, but
my denials have Deen put in such
shape that I am made out a liar.
So much stuff has been printed to
day about my giving authority to set
tle the strike and "laying down" to
the trust, that I begin to believe that
I am a liar.
The gentlemen who are trying to
work out a plan for the settlement
have planned something from which
something may develop. Some of them
think they can bring about a settlement-
I sincerely hope they may. I
am willing and anxious to settle but
as I have always been but the settle
ment must come to our organization
with honor.
We offered to arbitrate the matter
with the trust. For an answer to an
honorable proposition we were told
that nothing but an unconditional sur
render would be considered. What
could we do? Fight of course! That's
all any men cf honor could do. We
are now fighting, and we will continue
to fight until we get victory or are
hopelessly beaten.
Since their departure for New York
I have not heard from Messrs. Easley
and . White. I don't know what they
are doing. "When they came here last
Friday they asked for a full statement
of the strike situation. We gave it to
them. That s all there is to it.
Three Officers and Sixty-five Men Taken
hy Burg-hers After Enrllth Had Loit
One Killed and Four Wounded
A London dispatch says: Lord
Kitchener reports to the war office
that a superior Boer force surrounded
n unfavorable ground and captured
three British officers and sixty-five
men who were going north from Lady
brand, on the right of General Elliott's
column, on August 22, after the Brlt-
sh had lost one killed and four wound
ed. The prisoners were released. Lord
Kitchener adds that he is holding an
nquiry into the affair.
The London war office has received
the following cablegram from Lord
Kitchener, dated Pretoria, Sunday, in
reference to the way the Boer leaders
have received his proclamation in re
gard to those who fail to surrender by
September 15. Lord Kitchener says:
"I have received a long argumenta
tive statement of the Boer cause from
Mr. Steyn in which he says he will
continue to fight, and a short letter
from General De Wet to the same effect.
"General Botha acknowledges the re
ceipt of the proclamation and protests
against it. He says he intends to con
tinue fighting. On the other hand the
number of ourrenders has lately in
creased considerably."
The new war office scandal follow-
ng ueneral L.ord Kitcnener s com
plaints of the personnel of the new
yeomanry is assuming larger propor
tions. It seems that only two doctors
examined the 10,000 men, the examin
ing physicians receiving a fee for ev
ery one passed.
Accordingly they passed almost any
thing on two legs, including the worst
physical wrecks of the London slums.
Each of the men enlisted received 5
shillings a day, which is five times the
ordinary regular's pay.
The enlistment was hurried by panic
orders from the wrar office, which de
manded the men at any cost.
It is reported from Fish River, Cape
Colony, that Commandant Lotter re
turned an unprintable reply when
General Lord Kitchener's proclamation
demanding the surrender of all Boer
eaders by September -15 was sent to
him under a flag of truce.
Two Boer commandoes, totaling 7110
men, were headed off in an attempt to
cross Orange River into Cape Colony.
The Boers have lately been destroy
ing the telegraph wires. Many of the
main lines in Cape Colony and Natal
have been cut.
General De Wet is reported to be at
Zastrom, collecting a force which will
include Porteous' and Kritzinger's
commandoes.
At Burgersdorp 427 second class reb
els have been disfranchised.
Landless People
While the action of the government
in disposing of homestead claims in
the Kiowa-Comanche reservations was
unusual and unprecedented, and has
excited a host of criticism, the results
probably justify the manner in which
claimants were recognized. There aD-
pear to be no charges of unfairness in
the drawing.
The significant fact in connection
with the whole proceeding is the num-
Mid-August
August, Sweetheart of the sun,
Summer work is nearly done.
vhile the idle days are going
List thy ardent lover's wooing.
Now the year is in its prime
Take thy brief vacation time.
Stubby fields are brown and yellow,
Pippins ripe are growing mellow.
Ranks on ranks of shining corn,
Jeweled by the dew of morn,
Whisper in the evening airs
Like a legion saying prayers.
Farmer boys on loaded wains.
Harvest moons on gathered grains;
Tender hearts a bit forlorner,
Summer's turned another corner!
E. C. -Tompkins In Frank Leslie's
Popular Monthly.
FOR SALE.
Lumber, brick, stone, glass, window
sash and window frames, doors, tin
single buggy, two sets single harness
Cheap for cash. Address G. W. John
son, 1430 P street, Lincoln, Neb.
BRITISH CAPTURED BY BOERS
THE TRUST PROBLEM
Discussion by Professor Frank Parsons
Sug-eestlnr Svils and Remedies
The billion-dollar steel trust, with its
president receiving $1,000,000 salary
yearly, has startled the business and
newspaper world to serious protest and
alarm, but it is no surprise to the stu
dent of industrial evolution. Just as
In early .times families and tribes
gravitated into the political unions we
call "states" and "nations," so indi
viduals and corporations are gravitat
ing into the industrial unions we call
trusts" and "combines." Union is a
most excellent thing. , It is only the
perversion of the benefits of the union
that is wrong. If one man or a
men take to themselves the benefits of
a political union, we 'call It a despot
ism, and if one man or a few men get
control of a great industrial union
and absorb its benefits for themselves,
that also . is a despotism. It is not
union that should be opposed, either
political or industrial, but the despotic
control of the union In the interests
of a few.
Every combination must have man
agement to direct its energies. When,
long ago, the chiefs and leaders of
political unions felt their strength,
they began to abuse their power and
establish monarchies and aristocracies.
"When the people realized the oppres
sions to which they were subjected
and gained sufficient strength and
courage to resist, they rose against
their political masters and established
constitutional government and dem
ocracy in place of despotism. They
kept the union, but decreed that it
should be managed In the interest of
the whole people and not in the inter
ests of a part only. In the same way
now, the people are realizing more
and more that the managers of Indus
trial combinations are abusing their
power, and there is no doubt that the
people will ultimately demand the
same sort of a change in the manage
ment of industrial groups that they
have demanded In the management of
political groups they will dethrone
the kings and emperors of the railway,
the market and the factory, take pos
session of the great industrial trusts
and combines in the interest of the
public, make the managers elective.
and subject them to the restraint of
an industrial constitution intended ' to
secure industrial liberty, justice and
equality, just as in former times they
made the managers of political com
binations elective, and subjected them
to constitutions intended to secure
political liberty, justice and equality.
The people are not ready yet, how
ever, for the establishment of indus
trial democracy, and, in the meantime,
trusts and combines must be kept
within sight of the public interest by
measures of control. It is of no use
whatever to attempt' to destroy trusts
and combines and force their members
back to competition. Industrial com
bination exists in obedience to a law
higher than any that congress or leg
islature can enact, namely, the law
of industrial gravitation. The strength
and economy of union, as soon as they
are thoroughly understood, irresistibly
draw men together, openly ir per
mitted, secretly if the law forbids open
combination. .While, however, it is
not possible to destroy industrial com
bination, it is Dossible to guide it into
wholesome channels. It Is possible to
make it co-operative to a large extent
instead of aggressive. The core of the
trust is nrivate Drofit. and its founda
tion is railway discrimination, or tar-
in protection, or other special privil
ege. Organization for service is good,
but organization for plunder is bad.
If private profit can be tied to co-operative
and public-spirited organization,
capital will rush into co-operative and
Dublic-sDirited forms of union as eag
erly as it now rushes into anti-public
forms.
This chance in the Incidence of
profit can be brought about by the
abolition of tariff duties on trust prod
ucts, the public ownership of railways,
giving equal rights to all and destroy
1ns: discrimination in favor of the
great trusts, and through a judicious
use of the nower of taxation. Take
the present rate of taxation In ordinary
competitive business as tne median
level. On co-ODerative industries
make the taxes progressively lower
than the median level in proportion to
the degree of co-operation ana tne
sizi- of the union. The lareer the
combination, and the wider it opens
as doors to the interests of the public
and employes, the lower the rate of
taxation unon it should be. On ag
gressive anti-public trusts and com
bines the taxes should he placed above
the median level, higher and higher,
in cpnmetrio ratio, according to the
size of the combine and the intensity
of its exclusion of public Interest II
an industrial organization will open
its books to public inspection, keep
water and inflation out of its capital,
adopt profit-sharing with its employes,
agree to the fixing of prices and wages
hv a board of arbitrators, one elected
by the labor Involved In the industry,
one by capital and one by practice,
making' the public and employes part
ners in the management and sharing
with workers and consumers in just
proportion the whole profits beyond a
reasonable interest on the actual capi
tal and a moderate sinking fund
against loss and depreciation, its tax
rate should be low. II an organiza
tion adopts the complete co-operative
principle, its tax rate should be lower
still. On the other hand, an organiza
tion that seeks to establish a great
monopoly to control the market in pri
vate interest, and capture millions of
-wealth from the Deople. to build the
fortunes of a few, should be taxed at
rates far above the median level, and
a trust entirely dominated by the spirit
of conquest, that seeks the ruin of all
competitors, should be taxed out of ex
istence.
-Under -such lawsr properly enforced
by honest and intelligent men, capital
ists would be sure of a godd profit by
combining along co-operative lines,
whilft If thev combined in aggressive,
anti-public forms, the progressive tax
laws would absorb the whole, or per
haps more than the whole, of the
profits on their business. ir any
doubts whether capitalists can
be persuaded to organize in public-
spirited, co-operative unions, let mm
read the account of the splendid offer
recent.lv made by Tom L. Johnson to
the city council of Columbus, O. Mr.
Johnson, who has been one or tne
great street railway magnates in Am
offered to take the street rail
ways of Columbus on a 25-year fran
chise, establish a three-cent tare, raise
wages 10 per cent, agree to subject an
books, vouchers, contracts, etc., to the
inspection of city officers; publish
quarterly, for free distribution, iuu
reports of the financial condition and
doings of the road, receipts, expenses
of all kinds, profits and the use made
of them, rates of wages In different
grades, and the salaries of the officers;
give the city the right to reduce fares
fmm time to time below three cents,
provided it does not interfere with the
payment of necessary expenses ana six
rent of the actual cost of the plant,
nnri th maintenance of a sinking'
fund sufficient to extinguish, during
the franchise term, any bonded debt
created to pay for the actual cost or tne
nlant: eive the city. also, the option
to purchase the road at any time by
paying so much or tne cost tnereoi as
may at tne time oi purcnase remain
nftpr dednctiner the sinking fund; and
provide for settlement of labor dis
putes by arbitration, mciuaing au
questions of hours, wages, etc. This
nffpr was made by a great capitalist.
even without the pressure of discrim
inative taxation which would attacn
profit to co-operative and public-spir
iteri entemrise. while burdening ag
gressive enterprise with a tax so high
as to greatly diminish pront or even
abolish it altogether. Mr. jonnson
assiired the council of Columbus that
his offer was not a philanthropic or
eleemosynary one, but would return
an ample profit upon the legitimate
Investment. Jf great capitalists can be
found to enter upon such public-spirits
undertakines without the pressure
of the tax laws we have proposed, how
much more readily will capitalists en
ter unon co-oneratlve and public-spir
HuA nre-nnization -when that becomes,
through wise taxation, the only means
of realizing a reasonable and certain
nrofit nr.on the caDital Invested? ,
The great difficulty with this plan.
of course, will be to find men sumc
iently honest and strong to enforce
the measures nroDOsed. At present
the giant combinations largely control
our governments, as well as our mar
kets. With the initiative and referen
dum and the popular recall, however,
there is reason to believe that the peo
nies could retrain control of their gov
ernments and compel their officers to
enforce the law against the trusts, not
to destroy combination, but to direct
it into just and useful channels, ir.
after proper trial, such methods of
control, or others that may be pro
nosed should fail to meet the case,
there will at least be one last remedy
the people can successfully apply
whenever thev unite to demand it.
namely, the socialization of industries
seriously affected by monopoly, wheth
er It. be natural mononolv or a legisla
tive monopoly or a monopoly by com
bination. Co-operative industry or
public management, one or the other,
must surely come in every field threat
ened with the domination or monopoly.
Private monopoly is anti-unnsuan,
anti-republican and anti-democratic.
Monopoly Involves the power of taxa
tion, which is a sovereign power, and
private monopoly means sovereign
nnwer in nrivate hands for nrivate use.
Only the people have a right to mon
opoly, for none but the people nave a
right to sovereign power, xne spirit ot
nrivate monoDolv is commercial con
quest, the spirit of old Rome dominat
ing modern industrial life, if, under
the Influence of regulative laws and
enlightened public sentiment, this
spirit of commercial conquest can be .
replaced by the spirit ot co-operation,
well and good; but if the monopolists
defy the law and persist in conduci
ng the great industries or tne country
for their private benefit, the people
will rise and take their power from
them and transfer the railroads and
the mines, the oil wells, etc., to public
ownership and establish democracy,
just as surely as the people in less vig
orous and enlightened times rose
against their political masters, took
their power from them, and established
public ownership of the government.
The crreat imnortance of dealing with
trusts firmly, intelligently and without
delay is strongly illustrated by tne
statement of President Hadley of Yala
In his recent, lecture in the Old South
church, to the effect that we shall have
an emperor in Washington which the
next twenty-five years unless we find
a way to control the trusts. Not only
do they threaten to capture our gov
Mnents, municipal, state and na
tional, they also threaten to absorb the
wealth that ought to go to the farmer,
the merchant and the laborer. In July,
1900, the labor department .of the Unit
ed States issued a bulletin containing
an investigation of trust prices and
wages by Professor Jenks of Cornell.
The hniietin shows that, for the trusts
examined, prices rose on the average
150 per cent from 1896 to iyuu, wnue
trust wages rose less than. 13 per cent.
The lahor hniietin also proves that
"both the number and per cent of those
receiving less than ?5 a weeK were in
creased by the formation of the trusts.
This bulletin and other governmi it
reports show that while trust prices
rose from 25 per cent to 500 per cent
from 1896-7 to 1900. the average prices
of farm products: diminished 5 or 10
per cent. The general average oi pric
es in the period named rose about u
per cent, a rise which was largely due
to the enormous increase in trust
prices. v.
The farmer or mechanic have no
trust or monopoly. They sell in a com
petitive market, and buy in large part
in a monopoly market, inat is, tney
sell low and buy high, and the wider
and stronger the grasp of monopoly
upon our industries, the lower, relat
ively, the'farmer and laborer will sell,
and the higher, relatively, the prices
at which they must buy. Wealth goes
from the farmer in corn, cotton, wheat,
etc.; and equal weaitn aoes not come
hark because the monopolist s profit is
many times bigger' than the farmer's
profit For example, barbed wire
went up 150 per cent, while cereals fell
15 per cent from 1898 to 1900 that is,
for each 100 lbs. of barbed wire the
wire trust takes three times as many
bushels of grain from the farmer as
was required three years ago, or for
the same quantity of grain the farmer
gets only one-third as many pounds of
barbed wire as in 1898.
The wealth coming to the farmer in
return for the wealth that goes from
him is growing less and les3. The
trusts are rapidly increasing in num
ber and power, the farmer is paying
more and more tribute to these kings
of commerce every year. The great
ities where the monopolists live aro
growing relatively richer month by
month, and the country districts poor
er. -The Gulf stream sets from the
farmer to the counting loom of the
monopolists. The trusts are absorbing
the wealth of the country.
Tf the nation's income is 25 billions
a year, and the trusts and monopolies
take 5 billions more than tneir gooaa
or services are entitled to, there are 5
billion less than there ought to be to
go to the farmers, the merchants and
laboring men. And as trusts extend
their power the tribute paid to them
heenmes ereater and greater, and the
relative share of those who are un
protected by monopoly becomes less
and less.
The ne-crnnriizement of one class and
the relative impoverishment of other
classes, if allowed to continue, metus
the ultimate extinction of free institu
tions. A man who earns $1, 2, $3 or
even $5 a day is an infinitesimal pigmy
by the side of an elephantine trust
magnate, with an Income of $100,000 a
day and the ownership of a whole
cltyful or stateful of property. The
contrast between sovereign and sub
ject in the old world Is nothing to th?
Tttrast between the laboring man and
the monopolist of full growth. The .
German emperor's income is less than
$8,000 a day, and he lives on that quite
comfortably. But Carnegie, the ex
steel king, has an income of $40,000 a
day, and Rockefeller, the oil empe
ror, has daily revenues variously esti
mated at $70,000 to $200,000 a day. He
can buy the labor of a hundred thou
sand working men with his surplus
"ncoroe. How utterly insignificant are
the possessions, influence, opportuni
ties and liberties of the ordinary man
as compared with the wealth and pow
er ot one of these great monopolists.
Thus democracy is Impossible under
such conditions. Men are not equal
before the law when the wealth of one
is microscopic and the wealth of an
other is mountainous. The problem
of dealing with the trust is the prob
lem of preserving free government and
political equality, and it behooves ev
ery thoughtful citizen to give the prob
lem his most earnest and conscientious
attention in order that rational and ef
fective measures may, be adopted while
a peaceful solution !s still possible.