V
II if II II III! I I II II r III
ii I n 11 i i 1 1 (it ii .11 k j ii ii
VOL. XIII.
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, MARCH 13, 1902.
NO. 43.
y
V
MESERVE ACQUITTED
J urfge Baxter Holds With The Indepen
dent That no Crime was Committed,
and Directs a Verdict of
Acquittal
"All things come to him who waits."
The Independent's position regarding
the Meserve indictment has been vin
dicated. Mr. Meserve has been ac
quitted of the charge of embezzlement,
the verdict, being directed by a repub
lican judge after hearing long argu
ments upon the points of law involved
and without hearing the testimony of
any witnesses. In its issue of January
30, The Independent said: "If all that
is charged is true, and The Indepen
dent by no means admits that it is,
there was no crime committed." In
summing up his reasons for directing
a verdict of acquittal, Judge Baxter
said:
"The state cannot ratify the act of
the treasurer in making a bank de
posit because of the limitation placed
upon its power by the constitution and
therefore it could not ratify this con
tract made by Meserve with the South
Omaha bank whereby the bank was to
pay Meserve interest on the $60,000.
Under the law of the state that would
be an investment1 or loan of the per
manent school fund which would bo
unconstitutional. Consequently, sino.e
the state could not ratify the contract
with the South Omaha bank whereby
the said bank agreed to pay interest
upon the said fund, then the interest
paid by the bank could not in any
event become or be the property of
the state, because the state could not
recover it in a civil action. Therefore
the $3,000 not being in legal effect un
der our constitution money belonging
to the state, this prosecution must,
fall."
The Independent knew that the in
dictment was not drawn in good faith,
but was returned only after the gran 1
jury, corrupt no doubt as it was, had
taken a great number of ballots and
was finally coerced into returning H
by Judge Baker. It was simply and
only a republican political scheme
having two objects in view: (1) To
divert attention from the present re
publican treasurer and the governor
by giving the people something else to
talk about; and (2) to kill a growing
sentiment over the state that Meserve
would make an excellent governor.
The Independent knew this. Repub
lican papers and politicians knew it.
Most populist and democratic papers
and politicians knew it although a
very few, who seem inclined to think
" that the way to build themselves up is
to tear another down, immediately con
victed Meserve and demanded that he
prove his innocence.
The chief points of difference be
tween a treasurer and a trustee are
that if a trustee use reasonable dili
gence and care in handling the funds
under his control, and they become lost
or stolen, he is not accountable. But
the state treasurer is at all times an
insurer of the permanent school funds
remaining uninvested in his hands. T.f
lost or stolen, absolutely without fault
on his part, he is nevertheless re
sponsible for every cent coming into
his hands. Any profit accruing from
the use of trust funds in the posses
sion of a trustee belongs to the estate
and not to the trustee. But
in contemplation of law (the stat
utes and the constitution) there can
be no profit accruing to the permanent
school fund except when invested in
the way pointed out in the statutes
and constitution, that is to say, when
invested in United States or state se
v t urities or registered county bonds of
this state. The constitution forbids
the permanent school funds to be
loaned or invested in anything except
the securities named. And the su
preme court long ago decided that the
depository law cannot apply to the
permanent school fund, because a gen
eral bank deposit is a loan of money
to the bank. So the treasurer is placed
in this peculiar position: He is tech
nically an embezzler if he deposits the
permanent school fund even temporar
ily in a bank; he must insure its safe
ty even to the extent of going to the
penitentiary as an embezzler if a cent
be lost and not made good; and it can
only be invested in certain securities
which are at times difficult to find.
This decision will be productive of
good, even if the prosecution was con
ceived in iniquity. It accentuates the
need of (a) a constitutional conven
tion to give us a new constitution
adapted to the needs of greater Ne
braska; (b) increased facilities for in
vesting the permanent funds; (c) a
provision for the safe keeping of the
idle permanent funds so that the treas
urer will not be compelled to commit
technical embezzlement at every turn,
no matter how hard he strives to do
his duty. But it is rather hard to
make Mr. Meserve the sacrifice which
will bring about intelligent action on
the part of our lawmakers and the
people.
A GREAT BOER VICTORY
Th Heaviest Blow That Britain ha Re
ceived Since the Bays of Napoleon
Consternation in all England
That the Boers have an organization
and a fighting force that entitles them
to be acknowledged as a government
and as belligerents, that is, a state
having the right to carry on war, can
no longer be denied. In a fight Gen
eral Delarey captured an English gen
eral, hundreds of prisoners, four guns
and an immense amount of war ma
terial. It was a fair stand-up fight
and according to the British them
selves, the Boers had only an equal
number of men. But the British were
routed, horse, foot and muleteers.
, , The fight occurred in the Orange
Free State, hundreds of miles from the
. , Inflation of Be Wett and Botha, which
eral Lord Mathuen; who was wounded
and captured, was one of the leading
generals In the British army. The
British also acknowledge the killing
of four other officers ajad the wounding
of ten. How much greater the Joss
was in men and war material no one
knows. The censorship in South Afri
ca is so severe that not a newspaper
correspondent has been allowed to
send a word. It Is confidently believed
in Europe that the other column of
British troops marching to make a
junction with Methuen has also been
attacked and dispersed or destroyed.
In this fight as in two others of re
cent occurrence the American mule
took a prominent part on behalf of
the Boers. Lord Kitchener's report
lays most of the blame on them, for
they stampeded with the wagon trains
and broke up the British columns so
that the attacking Boers rode through
them at all points. One thing that
frightened the British at home was
the fear that the Boers would retaliate
for the murder of Scheepers. Another
Boer commandant, Kritsinger, is a
prisoner in the hands of the British
and is also liable to be murdered by
the British military authorities. The
capture of Methuen will likely put a
stop to that. The Boer envoys called
again on the president last Tuesday
and after their departure from the
White house the following statement
was given out by them:
"A number of mistakes have been
printed about our mission to this coun
try, since we came to Washington,"
said Mr. Wessels, "and the worst one
is that we trying to get intervention.
We know that this is not possible,
and as a matter of fact, we don't want
it. What we do want, however, and
what we have laid before the Ameri
can government, is a request that civ
ilized warfare be insured in South
Africa. That is all we want now. We
have not put before the authorities any
request that this or that plan be adopt
ed to insure the carrying out of the
rules of civilized warfare, but we will
leave that wholly to the government
to take whatever steps it sees fit. We
want a fair and square fight. We are
confident that we will be able to keep
this war going for a number of years
yet, and we think that all civilized na
tions, especially the United States,
are interested in the proper rules of
warfare being carried out. We can
point out numerous instances of foul
work. It is particularly noticeable
that the English press itself comments
on the probability that General Me
thuen will be given decent care and
attention by the Boers who captured
him a few days ago. Yet, :what- did
they do with General Scheepers and a
number of others? They killed Scheep
ers without a trial. That story from
England points its own moral and an
important one, too.
"President Kruger is not seeking in
tervention in Europe and all stories
of that kind may be denied whenever
thev are seen. The Boers have noth
ing to lose and all to gain by keeping
up this fighting. They may call it
guerilla warfare if they want, but it
is at least humane warfare."
OUR STATESMEN'S I0EAS
KILL RUNS AWAY
But it is loultful If HiaKetreat to Canada
Will Avail Him Anything Can't Take
His Railroads
There have been rumors afloat for
some time that the Northern Securi
ties company promoters would seek
to evade federal prosecution under
the anti-trust law by taking out a for
eign charter. It is now reported from
Canada that application has been
made at Ottawa for a Dominion char
ter to cover a Northern Securities
company and that this company is
identical with the New Jersey corpor
ation which merges the Northern Pa
cific and Great Northern roads.
It was not to have been expected
that the promoters of the Northern
Pacific combination would thus seek
to take refuge in flight or seem to
make confession of guilt by running
away, and the Canada reports of the
identity of the two corporations may
be in error. Assuming their correct
ness, however, it is decidedly to be
doubted whether the merger scheme
has gained anything by this step.
Even supposing that the corporation
is thus placed beyond reach of the
United States courts, its property or
sources of income still remain within
reach, and that is the important thing.
The anti-trust law under which the
United States attorney general Is to
act contains this section:
"Section 8. That the word 'person'
or 'persons,' wherever used in this
act, shall be deemed to Include cor
porations and associations existing
under or authorized by the laws of
either the United States, the laws of
any of the territories, the laws of
any state or the laws of any foreign
country." ;
Thufe contemplating just such a sit
uationj as would arise from a foreign
incorporation of the Northern Securi
ties company. The law still requires
the attorney general to go ahead and
as long as the real property of the
defendant foreigner is here no great
difficulty would seem to arise in bring
ing him into court. ; '
The case is of course made much
more complicated by the reported step,
but public sentiment in the United
States will also thereby be made much
raore insistent that the prosecution
be pressed to the end without fear or
favor. Springfield (Mass.) Republi
can. .' ;,: .
Read this paper carefully and then
hand it to a neighbor. Ask him to
subscribe; or better send for a block of
five Liberty Building" Postals and get
up a club of subscribers. There is no
othejr way In which youi can do so
Their Efforts to Express Them in Legisla
tionBryan iu the JEast Millard's
War Principles
Washington, D. C, March 10. (Spe
cial Correspondence.) At last it has
been definitely settled that Miss Alico
Roosevelt is not to attend the corona
tion of Edward VII. So great has been
the objections hurling themselves from
the great expanse of the United States
that the president deemed it wise to
yield to public clamor and order his
daighter to stay at home. It is cer
tainly a pity to keep the young lady,
who is fast winning her way into the
he.'i its o the American people, from
attending such an impressive cere
mony as the coronation would be; but
the principle involved in republics
carrying out flunkeyism is certainly
more pitiable. Whitelaw Reid, Chief
Kow-Tower of the United States, has
rented a magnificent mansion in the
"silk-stocking ward" of . London, and
has already arranged to keep open
house during the progress of the show.
The president has at last signed the
permanent census bill, which has hung
fiie all week. By many it was feared
that the president would either veto
the bill or would allow it to become a
law by the "ten-day route," rather
thantf.ive it his official sanction. His
reasons for refusing to sign the bill
until this late date are all confined to
the one idea his opposition to lax
ity in the civil service. Here In the
census office were many hundred em
ployes who under the provisions of
the bill would have been placed under
classified civil service and allowed to
be in line for retention in the census
bureau and other departmental offices.
They had gotten their positions main
ly by congressional influence. The
entrance examinations were mere
shams, and the president was heartily
opposed to shelving his "merit sys
tem" even for the single occasion.
Everyone is glad, however, that the
till has become a law it had very
little opposition in either branch of
congress. No longer will it be neces
sary to engage in the monstrous task
of organizing an expert force within
a few months without the least basis
of foundation. With the higher offi
cials and their several hundred subor
dinates trained in the work of pre
paring and issuing statistics it will be
possible not only to minimize the ex
pense of taking the census, but it
would save time and promote accur
acy by being able to throw into the
fielf! a trained force at each decade, or
oftener, should the emergencies arise.
The enormous extent of the work and
the numberless inaccuracies demon
strated the wisdom of establishing a
ermanent bureau, whose training
would especially fit them for the work.
On Thursday the two Boer envoys,
who are in this country, called on the
president at the White house and
were received unofficially by him. The
report does not say whether he took
them out on the back porch and
showed them the Potomac river, as
did his predecessor. The envoys came
away from the White house thorough
ly disgusted with the attitude of the
republican . administration on the
South African situation. The presi
dent told them that he could not stop
the exportation of British supplies
from southern ports. He told them
that the United States could not end
the shipment of mules. He told them
that the United States would continue
to allow the British to have their sup
ply camp at the little town on the
Mississippi just south of New Or
leans. In short, he told them that the
United States would interfere in no
way with the British conduct of the
South African war. And everyone
thought he would help the Boers! And
he comes of Dutch stock! How the
office of president will weaken a man's
backbone!
The senate has passed the legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
bill, the diplomatic and consular ap
propriation bill, and the omnibus bill.
They are at present debating that
"arch loot of the treasury" the ship
subsidy bill. Senator Frye, who is
also president of the senate, made tha
opening argument favorable to the
bill on almost the same lines as that
made by him at the last session of
congress. The few amendments add
ed by the committee, while they seem
to affect the status of the bill, are only
there to pull the wool over the eyes
of some misguided republican con
gressmen they , were only added so
that such men as Senator Allison of
Iowa could find excuses to support it.
But Senator McLaurin (dem., Miss.,
not S. C.) offered an amendment that
is likely to cause a stir if it is ever
debated on the floor of the senate, and
the democrats could do well to debate
it. The amendment provides that "no
company shall be entitled to receive
a subsidy out of the provisions of this
bill who shall have among its officers,
directors or stockholders, any member
of congress or official of the United
States government." In short, it takes
all the taste out of the bill for Hanna,
Payne, Frye and other advocates of
the measure. Because these members
and many other members of congress
are largely interested in fattening their
own calves. Let us hope that Senator
McLaurin's amendment will pass and
then we won't find so many advocates
of the ship subsidy. A vote will be
taken on the afternoon of March 17.
The time of the house of representa
tives has been occupied by the bill to
classify the rural free delivery service.
Meanwhile the republicans are at log
gerheads as to their position on the
question of giving tariff concessions
to Cuba. They have held three cau
cuses and are still at sea as to what
policy they shall pursue. It is the
desire of the administration to .reduce
the rates to a large extent; -but some
of the beet sugar men are very deter
mined. Some of them offer to join
with the democrats to open the whole
to thtir wishes in the matter. Patron
age will have to be given river and
harbor pie and army fat will have to
be administered to the wayward re
publicans- in' large doses in order" to
bring them back into the fold. ? So far
their caucuses and persuadings havs
been fruitless , and one can see the
tracks of the beet sugar men as they
wend their way to the White house
and come put smiling. Verily, verily,
latronage is a soothing syrup. It
cured the. opposition to the Porto Ri
can tariff, it eased the Philippine tar
iff complication's last spring. - It is a
pa nacea for wayward republicans.
Representatives Rufus K. PolK, a
democratic member from Pennsyl
vania, t died very suddenly in Phila
delphia, and was buried yesterday.
Quite a number of representatives and
senators attended the funeral at his
home in Danville, Pa. Among those
who camf! from afar to pay their last
respects was ;. Hon, William Jennings
Bryan. - -' .-. .". . ...
Mr. Bryan has been lecturing in the
east and still surprises the republi
cans : by the large , crowds he draws.
They" boasted that the people went to
hear Bryan during the last two cam
paigns because he was a free show;
but now when the admission fee is
asfcfii they wonder. On Thursday
evening he held a magnificent meet
ing at Scranton,. Pa., in the heaYt of
the Quay haunts, and drew the larg
est crowd in the history of the. city.
This cry about Bryan being dead is
not very strong in Washington. We
don't hear it here'in the capital. The
Post this morning hits the nail on the
head when it says:,
"Those . who seek the disappearance
of Bryan as a factor in democratic
affairs have been; ' somewhat disap
pointed from time to time. He has
been showing his hand occasionally in
New "York party affairs, and still shows
his power , here in congress with the
members of the democratic party, who
prefer to follow him rather than any
ether party leader. V
J. B. Haynes, secretary, to Senator
Millard and correspondent for the Ne
braska State Journal at Washington,
has at last fearlessly used the mer
cenary excuse for the war in the Phil
ippines. I think that the article so
well expresses the true policy of the
republican party that I send it here
with and ask that it be published:
"What does the heedless throng
know about the Philippine question,
anyway, and what does it care? To be
sure the army is costing the people
millions annually, but it is furnish
ing employment for thousands of men
who might otherwise be idle and the
army supplies are purchased in this
country while ' the money spent for
Munitions and ordnance is disbursed
in America to Americans. The war
gives employment to idle men and
distributes money to the contractors
who are manufacturers. Can the dem
ocratic party safely rely upon the far
fetched issue to carry them through
the congressional elections? Didn't
the people in 1900 see through Bry
an's transparent exhibition of imper
ialism? All this recent tiresome de
bate in the senate was precipitated
by Bryanite democrats who believe
they are making political capital for
the fall campaign the subject is their
only hope, yet they have made a dis
mal failure out of the effort. No won
der David Bennett Hill and other old
school democrats felt called upon Sat
urday to meet in New York and to
proclaim their faith in the principles
c.f the old democracy. They, too, have
had their ears to the ground."
Well, what do you think of that?
Senator Millard, the boss of Haynes,
must have seen that letter before it
was sent to the State Journal and I
have had a talk with several members
of congress on the subject and they
express the opinion that perhaps it is
Millard's idea of the rise of prosperity.
II Mr. Haynes takes the war so much
to heart, he should go straightway and
enlist in the army. Bartley's partner
could get another secretary.
But the interview that has really
caused a flurry is that given by Gen
eral Funston on last Saturday. He
tells us that those who stay at home
and oppose the Philippine policy of the
administration are worse enemies to
the flag than are the Filipinos who
are making actual war in the tropics.
Everyone knows that there can be
nothing in a flag but its principles.
The mere bunting is nothing, but the
real beauty In the nation's flag is the
true principles for which it stands.
Today it stands for trust rule of Amer
ica in America, and for imperialism
and "government without the consent
of the governed" in the Philippines.
WILLIAM W. BRIDE.
TRUSTS AND FARMERS
Tolstoy on Reforms
A report, based on a private ; letter
received by a lawyer in New York
from Russia, asserts that Tolstoi is
dead and that the Russian govern
ment is preventing the publication of
the fact for fear of disturbances among
the people. His latest article for the
press was written at Yalta, in Febr
uary, and published in the Chicago
American. The closing paragraphs
were as follows:
"Reforms? Yes, there are many
sorts of reformers. Some enter the
government service and try their level
best to better the people's lot In the
capacity of parliamentarians, officials,
military men, or priests. But there
they stop. They don't attempt to re
form our un-Chrlstian Christianity.
"Next come the revolutionists who
endeavor to set up another, better,
government by the means that dis
grace the existing ones: Fraud and
violence. Finally we have socialism,
good for creating strikes and discon
tent, but powerless to spread educa
tion and abolish false ideals.
"What, then, ought to be done ? .
" "All good men and all good women
should lend their best efforts to purify
religion and to make Christianity con-
There is no Hope for the Agricultural
Population Except In Equal Bights to
all and Special Privileges
to None
The proposition to form a farmers'
trust, though as chimerical as one to
extract sunbeams from cucumbers,
may afford a text for examining the
social and political environment
wherein dwells, moves, and has his
being that indescribable and helpless
industrial animal called the farmer.
I say helpless, because of his many
ineffectual attempts to better his con
dition by methods which are manifest
ly not within his reach or control, and
because he steadfastly refuses to em
ploy others at his hand, which would
give him an equal footing with all
other classes of his fellow-citizens.
Observing, several years ago, that
national bankers had been favored by
legislative enactment with the power
to turn their property into money, and
receive - an income from both, thus
doubling their productive capital, the
farmers supplicated government for
the like privilege of duplicating the
usable capital of their farms; but they
were spurned with many a jest from
the foot of the political throne. Their
proposition was as good in equity and
as safe to the government as was that
of the bankers; and, farmers being
one hundred times more numerous
than the latter, many people have
wondered why they did not succeed.
But really there should be no won
der concerning it. Privilege in any
country is not for the many, but for
the few, for the reason that privileg3
expanded ceases to be privilege. A
few hundred national bankers might
lend money to the whole country; but,
if the greater part of the population
were to be supplied with money by
the government, who would borrow of
the bankers?
At bottom there is no justification
for the national bank system. A gov
ernment founded for the declared pur
pose of establishing justice among
the citizens has no right to duplicate
the capital of one citizen and refuse
to do likewise for another. And, real
ly, it is not the function of our gov
ernment to expand the capital of in
dividuals. The idea Is Indefensible,
and hence there was no united action
among the farming population. And,
even if there had been a unanimous
granger request presented in due form
to the United States congress, the an
swer of denial, for many reasons,
would have been just the same.
And one of the principal- reasons
why the farmers cannot be as success
ful as the corporations, the manufac
turing and commercial interests, in
getting partial legislation favorable to
them, is because they declare them
selves non-partisan, to begin with, and
rest their case wholly upon its mer
its, as viewed from the standpoint of
the general welfare. If the other in
terests, or classes, should conduct
their business in like manner, they,
too, would fail.
But they do not. Their demands are
not predicated upon ideas of justice
and the general welfare. With them
their business interests control their
political action. They go with the
party that does the most for them, and
by their campaign contributions to a
great extent control legislation.
Such interests are organized, and
speak authoritatively through their
governing heads. They support lob
bies, and employ attorneys to defeat
hostile legislation and secure extraor
dinary privileges.
Probably no more astounding gov- i
ernmental subservience to syndicate
control was ever witnessed in any
country than in the adoption of the
Porto Rican tariff. Even "plain duty" i
could not stand against the greed of
the sugar and tobacco magnates.
In comparison with such concen
trated and unscrupulous powers, how
is it expected that the farmers and
the farm laborers, scattered all over
the broad area of the republic, with
out any effective organization, and
split Into several political factions,
antagonistic to their own professed in
terestshow can it be expected that
they shall succeed in extorting priv
ileges from a government already un
der control of the privileged classes?
Probably a majority of farmers, espe
cially in the northern, eastern and
western states, believe firmty In the
protective system, which is the parent
and support of monopolies and their
aggregate trusts ; and they do so In
spite of the patent fact that only in
this way can the prices of commodities
they buy be unduly raised against
them. On account of the tariff pro
tected trusts, prices of all the trust
goods have been largely advanced;
and there is no avoidance except by
knocking out the trust underpinning, 4
the protective tariff, which the espe
cially victimized farmers regard as
sacred. Can they never learn that ad
vance in price of things they buy Is
the same in effect as a decree by tlv?
trusts that wheat shall be, say, 25
cents a bushel; oats, 15 cents; pota
toes, 10 cents; hops, 5 cents per pound,
and wool, 6 cents per pound? If the
farmers do not keep accounts, fate
keeps a ledger for them, with debit
and credit columns; and- the trusta
have charge of the debit side. The
often-plucked farmer has little to do
with either side. He must take what
he can get for his productions in a
free trade market, and suffer any trust
extortion imposed upon him. Need
he express any surprise that at the
close of his fiscal year he cannot make
ends meet? :
And, as the monopolies become more
consolidated and perfectly organized,
the worse his case becomes.
. Soon the problem of trust regulation
of prices will be so completely solved
that any require!? income to the ex
ploiters can be realized, save what
jb-oiiI , rbgr a brft . llYfog'.to the toil-
What is the course for them? How
are they to be awakened to a knowl
edge of the ways and means of deliv
ery? Wnat Lincoln will emancipate
them? There are many good people
who answer, Socialism. But such a
remedy, even if socialists could usree
upon a program of application.
amounts to a profound reorganization
of society something, that has never
taken place at a single move, and
probably never will; for that is not
the way reforms come.
Evolution does not proceed in that
kangaroo jumping style. Step by step,
little by little, is the way humanity
rises or recedes. That is the law of
. rogress. True, negro slavery was
abolished legally by a decree; but ev
erybody knows it Is not abolished in
fact. Emancipation is slowly pro
gressing, that is all. Socialism may be
the goal to which we tend, but It will
not come all at once. It will come in
the normal way, by fittingly adjusted
growth.
Some socialists of eminence believe
that government should become more
and more unjust and corrupt, as a pre
paration or Inducement for the radical
change to socialism, and at the last
election voted to continue the hypo
critical semi-barbarism now dominant
in the nation. Such an idea of itself
is a striking evidence of national de
generacy. Or is it a fact that the fre
quent commission of sin only pre
pares men for the. practice of virtue,
the frequent shedding of human blood
makes them sensitive to the sufferings
of others, and the practice of the hor
rible cruelties of war makes them gen
tle and humane?
No. This is not De way of the
world. Science doe3 not teach it, ex
perience denies it, all history refutes
it.
The ameliorations which come in
the social organism are the result of
calling into action those faculties of
human love and brotherhood held in
abeyance during the clamor and bar
barism of war. If it Is desired that
men should become more regardful
of others' feelings and Interests, the
appeal is not made to destructiveness
and covetousness, the faculties domi
nant in the kill and loot game, but
to benevolence, sympathy, and con
science. Progress in genuine civilization is
away from the militant spirit and all
other excessive manifestation of self
ishness. If socialism is that state of
society in which Justice becomes an
established fact, then every modifi
cation of the present system, called
competitive, but in reality monopol
istic, which lops off an Injustice and
admits citizens to an equality of in
dustrial opportunity, ought to be wel
comed by socialists as progress toward
their ideal state. They should have
no fears of the truth of this, and cor
dially . co-operate to remove acknowl
edged evils.
It will not do for them to say, "Let
us have socialism at once, or let U3
have despotism: we will not travel
with our fellow-citizens progressive
ly away from the latter." Such a de
termination is unreasonable, and whol
ly inconsistent with that moderation
and fellow-feeling which must pre
cede the reign of justice.
The rational resource of the farm
ers, and, in fact, of all wage-men, does
not lie in an endeavor to secure priv
ileges and organize trusts for the pur
pose of raising prices of agricultural
products; for, if such a result were
practicable, the maladjustments pro
ductive of evil would only be multi
plied, and the struggle for existence
became more like that of wild beasts
than of human beings.
There is an easy and peaceful way
out of the difficulties which beset us;
and it is found by conforming to the
Jeffersonian maxim: "Exact justice
to all, special privileges to none." Let
us practice upon that self-evident pro
position by abolishing privileges in
the United States, in the first place,
an an experiment, and for the pleasure
of seeing how beautifully It works, let
us vote only for members of congress
v,ho will stand firmly for the repeal of
all tariffs that interfere with free
competition or prevent us from re
ceiving the full benefits of labor-saving
machinery nd processes, the fruit
age of progress to which all should
have free access.
And then see how nicely the trusts
would glide from their ornamental
perches to become as one of us.
Besides the purpose for which com
binations and trusts are formed and
tariffs laid, that of raising the price
of industrial products is at variance
with the . normal trend of human en
deavor. The unfailing result of spon
taneous co-operation, where human
beings are unrestricted by partial lawc,
is to make everything cheap. Ma
chinery Is improved, processes simpli
fied, co-operation of laborers adjusted,
approximating more and more to per
fection, and all in accordance with th
great fundamental and Irrepealable
law of our being, "that men" always
seek to gratify their desires with the
least exertion." '--'i
And what does this mean to the hu
man family, farmers, mechanics, man
ufacturers, .operatives, professional
men, wage-men, and all, if it Is not
that more of the things that human
beings need, the necessaries, comforts,
and luxuries of life, can be purchased
with a day's labor?
Conforming to. this normal tendency
of human nature, and clearing away
all laws and regulations' that interfei e
with it. is to raise the wages of all
those who are not drones In the great
human hive. '
This is the only way to general pros
perity, r -
The other way, and the way in which
we are now. traveling,: is not the nor
mal way to prosperity at all, but a
by-way leading to the trust casths of
Giant Despair, who gets rich ,,and
despotic by taxing the poor dupes tfho
dwell In his stolen; dominions. Va '
':- T. W. DAVENPORT.
A CONGRESS ON HIS HANDS
Roosevelt Play in g at the Cleveland Cam
Ship Subsidy Sure to Pass Iloer
Delegates Visit the President
Washington, D, C, March 10. Dem
ocrats who have painful memories of
the way in which President Cleveland
dragooned a democratic congress into
supporting undemocratic measures
will find some, consolation In seeing
history repeat itself under the present
administration. President Roosevelt
is trying to force an unwilling con
gress to lower the rate of duty on Cu
ban sugar. He has secured the reluct
ant support of a majority of the re
publicans of the ways and means com
mittee, including Chairman Payne and
Representatives Dalzell, Grosvenor ana
Steele. But they have so far after
numerous conferences been unable to
bring a majority of the house repub
licans now numbering an even 200
to support the views of the adminis
tration. Roosevelt is bringing all the pres
sure he can to bear to force the house
republicans to swallow his obnoxious
measure. In his own cabinet the three
strong political members, Secretaries
Shaw, Payne and Wilson, are strong
ly opposed to the concession. While
they are in a minority they represent
all the political sagacity there is at
Roosevelt's table, and it has taken a
great deal of strenuous effort to keep
their disaffection confined to the cab
inet room. , To make sure that the
dissensions In his official family are
kept bottled up President Roosevelt
has just issued an order that all news
concerning cabinet meetings must b
given out by Private Secretary Cortel
you, "to relieve the cabinet officers of
the importunities of newspaper men.
As the situation stands there is an
almost even division in the republi
can ranks in the house, with the op
ponents of any concession to Cuba
making the only strong and virila
fight.
Apart from partisan politics It is
to be regretted that, with all Europe
uniting for an abolition of the unwise
system of bounties on their beet sugar
crop, the United States should dis
turb the certainty of that economic
reform by proposing either directly or
Indirectly to re-establish the bounty
system in behalf of Cuban sugar.
The republicans are now pressing the
ship BUbsidy bill with great vigor In
the senate and It will undoubtedly
pass that body In short order regard
less of opposition.
The only thing which can be sail
in Its favor is that it is less Iniquitous
than its predecessors, but Is none the
less a straight gift from the treasury
to a special industry which needs no
assistance whatever. Every American
shipyard is working full time with all
tha forces it can command, and nearly
all of them are refusing to accept or
ders for delivery of vessels of any con
siderable size prior to 190o.
At the present time ocean freights
are rather high on account of the en
ormous demand of the British govern
ment for transports and freight hand
lers in connection with Its enorruou
army in South Africa. But when that
war is over ocean freights will be the
cheapest in the history of the world.
Were a democratic administration to
be in power and pass a free shipping
bill with moderate and fair restriction,
whether those ships were built in Eng
land or the United States, the plates.
beams and angle irons, timbers, spars
and engines, boilers and shafts would
be nearly all the products of Ameri
can labor and the provisions to feel
these workmen would be raised on
American farms.
The Boer delegates. Wolmarans and
Wessels, have visited both President
Roosevelt and Secretary Hay in behalf
of their suffering country. Despite all
press reports to the contrary they have
secured one important admission from
the administration. That is that the
Boer governments are at liberty to at
tack- British transports carrying
horses and mules to South Africa in
stantly they are outside the three
mile limit off the American coast.
This means that should a Boer fili
buster or letter of marque vessel or
privateer seize upon a British trans
port more than three miles beyond
the mouth of the Mississippi jetties
that transport, mules, cargo and all
could be brought back to the port of
New Orleans and there sold in the ad
miralty court as a prize of war.
General Kitchener has played hi
usual game of sending out a report of
big captures of Boers last week In or
der to cover and minimize a sweep
ing Boer victory of the previous week
in which a half regiment or liritisti
veterans was captured by General De-
larev. All coming through British
sources the Boer victory has undoubt
edly been minimized and the British
victory blown up like a balloon,
D. P. B.
Not Going Back
No populist will ever vote for the
party that rewards the robber. We
j .
are not going to vote tor tne repuuu-
can party because we can tell an in
fant industry from a colossal giant
that in its insolence sends its repre
sentatives to congress, has its attor
ney in the cabinet, and sends its "cap
tains of industry" to hob-nob with the
crowned heads of Europe, and to tell
them how our people are controllrd
by the mighty power of tire trusts.
Ten or twelve years ago, when thi
populists advocated government land
loans, loans on the assets of the
farmer, the republicans denounced it
as the wild-eyed vagaries of popul
ism; but now that President Roose
velt has, appointed a secretary of the
treasury who advocates government
loans to the capitalists upon the as
sets of their banks, they call it broad-
gauged statesmanship. Life Is too
short to tell all the reasons why no
populist will ever return to the re
publican party. Eagle, St. Francis,
0