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About The farmers' alliance. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1889-1892 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 1890)
THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE: LINCOLN, NEB., SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 1800. TTTi i t r t a vrrt (? PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING. BY THE ALLIANCE PUBLISHING CO. Lincoln, - - - Nebraska. J. BURROWS, : : : Editor. J. M. THOMPSON, Business Manager. " In the beauty of the lillies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his bosom That transfigures you and me. As He strove to make men holy Let us strive to make men free, Since God is marching on." Julia Ward Howe. Laurel crowns cleave to deserts, And power to him who power exerts." " A ruddy drop of manly blood The surging sea outweighs." Emerson. He who cannot reason is a fool, He who will not reason is a coward, He who dare not reason is a slave." EDITORIAL. Sheridan's Photograph. We will send the Cabinet Photograph of Sheridan and his generals for two new subscribers to The Alliance for one year at $1.00. This is in reply to in quiries from some old soldiers. REMOVAL OF THE ALLIANCE OFFICE. The Alliance office is removed to the CORNER OF Iff & 11th STREETS, where we have capacious quarters, and will be much better able to receive and entertain our friends than at our late office in Bohanan Block. The office of the State Business Agent and the office of the State Secretary will be on the ground floor, and the publication office and editorial rooms of The Alliance on the second floor. We are happy to inform our friends that we now have as pleasant and commodious printing and ulitnri:il rooms as are to be lound. in the city. We are also adding to our facilities for JOB PRINTING, and are prepared to do as good work at as reasonable rates as any. THE STATE AGENT will have a full line of samples of Im plements and Farm Machinery, which lie will sell in large or small lots. .Remember our latch-string is always out. Another Bolt from the Republican Party. tJEN. LEESE AND HIS FHIENDS DENOUNCE MONOPOLY rule. The following pronunciamento has 'been issued by a meeting of republi cans who are dissatisfied with the influ ences which" have so long dominated the republican party of this state. This meeting was called by General Leese and his friends, privately, and was held at the Capital hotel, Lincoln, Thursday evening, March 26. The address was reported by a committee consisting of D. M. Nettleton, of Clay county; Chas. K. Keckley,- of York; Wm. Leese, of Lincoln; J. R. Sutherland, of Tekamah, ;tnd J. R. Ballard, of Fillmore county: TO THE KEPCBUCAN VOTERS OF NEBRASKA: Feeling that the time has come when an earnest protest should be made against the domination of corporate power in the repub lican party, we desire to protest against the exorbitant freight i ates now charged in our state. Our republican platform contains pledges to the people that a reduction in local freight rate6 shall be made, which promise remains unredeemed. The railroad corpora tions have for years controlled our republi can conventions, our legislatures and the of ficers of our state. Not to specify instances, but only to illustrate our meaning, we have only to refer to the state convention of 1889, at Hastings, where the railroad managers, by 4hc aid of 2S6 proxies, made good their threat iind defeated Judge Reese for a renomination us a judge of the supreme court, and when the treasurer of the Burlington & Missouri river railroad company, the railroad attor neys, the division superintendents, roadmas" ters and section bosses by passes and other aneans induced many county delegations to violate the instructions of their county con ventions in favor of Judge Reese. A part of he earnings of the railroads are being used o subsidize the public press. All these out rages and many more are well known to the people of our state, and ve ask you in the name of an outraged party to rally once more lor relief at your republican caucuses and primaries, ard wrest from the hands of the paid attorneys of the corporations the powers they have usurped and used for your oppres sion. As all power resides with the people we call upon you to exercise it through your caucuses and primaries in selecting members to the legislature who will be free from the control of hired lobbyists and corporation attorneys- To the end that these existing evils may be remedied, and the masses of the re publican party may have an opportunity to learn the character and examine the record of such persons as may be nominated for of fice, we demand from the state central com mittee an early state convention, not later 4han the second Tuesday in August, 1890, and that no proxies be admitted, but that the OTerabers of delegations present be permitted to cast the vote of absent delegates. We most respectfully urge upon you to send del egates from your counties to meet in mass convention in Lincoln on the third Tuesday in May, 1890, at 7:30 p. m. to devise the best method of giving effect to these principles. The republican party is certainly in .a bad way. Gen'. Van Wyck denounces .and abandons it. Gen. Leese aud his friends, with no intention to abandon at, condemn its methods and demand that the power which dominates it should be destroyed. En passant let us notice -that these latter gentlemen do not mention Mr. Laws; but in condemn ing the methods by which he was noni inated they condemn the man who was willing to benefit by them. The address is a notable document It marks an era in Nebraska politics By it some gentlemen who hove a large following take a position that they must maintain. If they go into a republican convention and are defeated by this corpo ration power which they arraign, consistency and honor will demand that they maintain their principles by bolting the convention. But the address is quite as notable for what it does not say as lor what it does. It handles the republican party - i with a tenderness that is amusing, and shows that the gentlemen have a lin gering love for it which quite outweighs their love for reform. The railroad question is the only one touched the railroad power in this state the only power it is intended to lay violent hands on. We say now to all aspirants that the expeetation to ride into power on that issue alone next fall will not be realized. The rate question is impor tant, but compared with the money question it is of very little consequence indeed. Iowa is a paradise of cheap transportation compared with Nebras ka; but in Iowa the times are as hard as they are here. The republican party has maintained a vicious system of money by which money-lenders have been enriched and the people impover ished. The republican porty has main tained a war tariff for twenty-five years which has been in the interest of mo nopoly. The whole vile brood of trusts and corners and robbers have been born out of contraction and tariff ; but these anxious gentlemen who are bid ding so loud for the hayseed vote have no word of condemnation for any of them. The people will not be caught next fall with chaff. They will demand a broadening of the issues. They will not only demand a reform on local is sues, but they will demand action on national issues. Restored silver and more money will be the watchwords in the next campaign quite as much if not more than lower rates. That the people of this state can, if they will, go into the republican prima ries and through them capture and con trol the republican state convention, dic tating every officer, adopting every plank of the platform, and nominating every candidate, there is no manner of doubt. If every republican would move upon the enemy's works on that line, there could be but one result. The machine would die hard but it would die. But will they do it? Well will they? We -will suggest one or two practical difficulties. These patriotic gentlemen who are s indignant at corporation rule kept perfectly quiet and let the last legislature enact a law providing a test for voting at primary elections. Prob ably Mr. Keckley voted for the law. That test is this: the voter must have been affiliated with the party holding the primary at the last general election. This is as vile a law as was ever enact ed in a free country. It was enacted solehr and only in the interest of partisan-corporation rule. There has been a great deal of independent voting of late. This test can be applied to every man who dared to scratch a ticket last year. Intended to prevent independent voting and perpetuate partisan rule, the lav stands to-day a very effective bar to reform. Because in every precinct there are one or two machine men who receive their orders from the railroad agents and cappers, who will go to the primaries and apply this test, and con trol through law what they could not control through force of public opinion Ihis is one of the bad chickens that come home to roost. We advise Gen. Leese to make a test case and have the law declared off. The proposition for an early conven tion is good. The date named is not early enough, but it would be an im provement on a convention held three weeks before election. How will the republican state committee take to it? We shall see. A Special Session of the Legislature. Y e have received a communication from Phelps county containing a reso lution passed by the Phelps County Alii ance, embodj ing a petition to Governor Thayer asking for a special session of the legislature, to take action on freight rates, &c. We are also requested to print said petition and send it to all the Alliances for signatures. xms is is a very grave matter. e could not take the action asked as to circulating such a petition without full consultation and authority by the Ex ecutive Committee. We have no idea that that committee would authorize such action. We should greatly dislike to have any responsibility attach to us for getting such a legislatiu-e together. The most acceptable thing it did was to adjourn. Johnny Watson, a mere tool of the railroad and whisky power, was speaker of the lower house, and Church Howe was president pro tern of the sen ate. The latter body, was a railroad body. It would be the same in special session as in regular session. To as semble it again would be a calamity the people of this state need not add to their present misfortunes. The impolicy of such action is only more apparent when we consider that only a short time after any action it might take would go into effect a new legislature fresh from the people, and elected by the farmers, will assemble, and the great expense of an extra ses sion would be absolutely thrown away. All these things considered, we must respectfully decline to take any active steps in favor of an extra session until the matter has been referred to our Executive Committee. New Hardware Store. We invite attention to the new adver tisement of Maxwell, Sharp & Ross Co. hardware dealers, 104 N. 10th St , Lin coln. It will be seen that this Co. are willing to sell goods to the Alliance, or its individual members. They are the men to patronize. There are wholesale dealers in this city who refuse to sell goods to an Alliance on any terms what ever. We have got the names, and when the proper time comes will take pleasure in printing them. Meanwhile buy goods of the men who are willing to sell to you. The Farmers' Alliance will only cost you $1.00 a year, or in clubs of five 80 cents a year. You cannot afford to do without it. An important election is coming on. GOV. THAYER AS AN ANTI MONOP. The Railrc d Crews Sized Up in Good " Shape. "Eye Witness" is a Truthful Witness. Editor Farmers' Alliance: The writer has no objections to Gov. Thayer being a candidate for re-election; every officer has that right, but when he at tempts deception to gain his ends then "kick." The following from the Oma ha Bee telegraphic dispatches regarding his speech before the Alliance at Ll- wood is scarcely consistent: At 2 o'clock he was escorted to the court house hall by a committee of the Grand Army of.the Republic men'preceded by the Elwood cornet band, and after the usual prelimina ries the governor was introduced and spoke for nearly two hours to an attentive audience of three or four hundred persons. The speech was well received and the governor's attitude on the freight rate problem was highly applauded. That he fairly took the entrails out of the grasping monopolies there is no doubt. He must have changed his mind suddenly, for you will remember that when that old railroad tool Laws resigned a few months ago, it left two men on the state board of transporta tion who fovored reducing freight rates -Leese and Hill and two who are in Holdrege's vest pocket Steen and Ben ton, and Gov. Thayer held the power to appoint a succesor to Laws! There was a time when if Gov. Thayer had been a friend of the people he could have shown it by appointing a successor to Laws who would have stood with Leese and Hill and made a majority. You did not hear of him doing any such thing, did you? Not much;lhe appoint ed Ben Cowdery, whose only qualifica tions is that he is a railroad tool of the worst character. Have you noticed, always, that the state and federal appointments have been from the ranks of the railroad fol lowers? And yet Paddock and Man derson and all the congressmen are posing as anti-monops. Not a federal appointment has been made in ten years but what was from railroad ranks, that any of these fellows had any thing to do with. Look at a few of them: Brad Slaughter, U. S. marshal; Ben Baker, U. S. attorney; Gere, post master at Lincoln; Capt. Yocum, special agent of treasury department; Capt. Parkinson, ditto; "Spy" Russell (who so disgracefully betrayed his con stituents) chief of division treasury de partment; Wat Pickerell, of Gage coun ty, soft snap in department of agricul ture; Jake Roberts, notorious "capper" from Butler county, U. S. land office Oklahoma; and to this list add the ap pointees to the land offices throughout the state, and if there is a single one who has not always been on the railroad side of the question the discoverer can have the Alliance sent to him for a year and I will foot the bill. In view or tne great ground swell tnat is now about to engulf them let us hope that such men as Keckley, Southerland, Reese, Leese, Ballard, Nettleton, Demp ster, Eric Johnson and Hall will be tendered an appointment of some kind, and that there will be a little "let-up" on this striker gang having anything Manderson, Paddock et. al. are just now dying to do something for the far mers. Suppose they appoint a few hun dred of them to office and let ward politicians take a rest. Eye Witness. Something Specially for Calhoun, A notice of the first issue of the Herald in The Farmers' Alliaxce has just come to our eye. Bro. Burrows says: "Mr. Calhoun is an able editor. He knows by experience that the people demand hon esty, etc., etc., in tne conduct ot a news paper." All right, Bro. Burrows. You go on fur nishing them them the honesty and we'll fur nish the etc., etc., and see where Ave will come out . As a matter of cold fact the peo ple don't want honest' in the management of a newspaper. They want it to reflect each and every one of their individual and pecu liar whims, notions, crankiness and the like. When you have been longer down from the farm, Bro. Burrows, when you have eaten your peck of dirt with your sucscribers, when you have had a few more years experience, you will agree with us'. People want in a pa per what ministers to their tastes or furthers their selfish objects. Just now you are busily engaged in a crusade on behalf of men who believe themselves oppressed and outraged, and think you are advancing their interests What yoa are doing you do honestly. But time will show you that the people for whom you work will not care the snap of a finger for you when you have once served their purpose. Put that in your pipe, Bro. Bur rows, and smoke it. Many a rude jar and shock, myriads of disenchantments are wait ing for you around the corner, and when things take a turn you will know more about people and what they demand. J. D. Calhoun in Lincoln Herald. e reprint the above partly as a mental and moral curiosity, and partly for the comments we intend to make upon it. First, let us consider the "ex perience" part. The cheek, not to say iwpudence, of a comparatively young man alluding to a patriarch in this patronizing kind of way, is something colossal. Mr. Burrows has sons nearly as old as Mr. Calhoun, themselves fathers of families. BecauseMr.B. goes up two flights three steps at a jump, without affecting his wind, while Cal. lumbers up one step at a time, blowing like a porpoise, the latter thinks Mr. B is young and inexperienced. Calhoun mistakes adipose tissue for "experi ence," and a burden of obesity, built up by persistent and unscrupulous pos sum eating; for a burden of years "Longer down from the farm," and "a few more years of experience, " is certainly refreshing. The editor of this paper had many years of ripe life in many cities long before Calhoun was done playing marbles if indeed his cynical distrust of the other gamins permitted him to participate in that de lightful pastime. But this is mere by-play. Let us come to the meat of it. We have a profound distrust of the man who thinks all his fellow-men dishonest. The saying that "every man has his price," is a vile saying,, and an untrue one. The men who believe it are the ones who are for sale. Our confidence in men has never been betrayed. The "experience" of nearly sixty years has not impaired it, and we are delighted to say that it in creases and strengthens as time goes jr. If we cannot trust human nature hat can we trust? Our sole and only hope of an improved social condition, ana a better world, is founded, upon the capabilities of human nature. The progress of the ages prove this hope to be well-grounded. 1 rom the savagery and nakedness of the garden down to the birth of Christ from the empire of Alexander down to Charlemange, the crusades, Charles V and the reforma tion, and from thence to the civiliza tion of the nineteenth century, it is hu- an nature only that has always been reaching onward and upward towards a nobler and higher life towards the Divine ideal that God imparted when He created man in His own image, and gave him dominion "over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air," and declared that "it was very good." And those who have believed that "the peo ple don't want honesty," have been the cynics and knaves, the tyrants and op pressors. Some one has said, "look into your heart and write." We say to Calhoun, 'look away from your heart when you write." We say- to him that wealth is disappointing, that fame is' a shadow, and ambition a mere bauble beside the happiness and content that are born of honest trust in our fellow-men, and an honest endeavor to aid and elevate them. Much depends upon the medium through which we look at things. Focus your glasses for this view and your coming years will slip on like brimming bowls of nectar, each one with more content than the preceding. We are all human, and all need human aid and sympathy. The poor fool who isolates himself from humanity takes a long stride towards hell. And distrust of your fellow-beings is the first step to wards such isolation. The finest "dis- encnantment that can come to you will be from the cynicism and misan thropy which breathes so plainly throuh every line of your item. The allusion to the ingratitude of "the people for whom you (we) work" is slander. The evidences which come to us in many ways of the confidence and esteem of many farmers in this state whom we have never seen, are ample reward for all we have done or may do. And now, Bro. J. D., put all the above in your pipe and smoke it. More Greenbacks Talked About. Some of the hard-money-national bank-gold-bug papers like the Omaha World-Herald are alarmed because the probable necessity for issuing more greenbacks is openly talked about in Washington. To save the tariff a reck less system of expenditures is proposed which is likely to create a deficiency; hence the talk about more greenbacks Tliese gold-bug papers refer to their is sue as borrowing money. Now sup pose the contingency arises that leads congress to authorize the issue of more paper money, which of the two plans named below would be most desirable, and conduce most to the welfare of the people? First, to issue additional bonds at a low interest, say two per cent, sell them exclusively to bankers, and au thorize them to issue national bank bills upon them, and loan the same to the people at the rate of interest now allowed in the states; or, second, to create a Safety Fund such as described in our last paper, and issue safety-fund monej" on mortgage security at not more than per cent interest, direct to the people, without the intervention of banks this money to remain in the hands of the people as long as they pay the interest, and to be retired when the mortgages are paid? In the first case the people would be taxed to pay the interest on the bonds, and would bor row the money the same as now of bankers and money-loaners, on mort gage security, and pay for it from 10 to 20 per cent. In the second place the people would not be taxed to pay any interest on bonds, and would get the money direct from the government; at cost of issue, would pay nothing to money-lenders and usurers, and would keep the money as long as they paid the interest, the ultimate security in each case being the same, viz: land. People, which will you have? A City Desolate. From Louisville Ky., comes a wail of sorrow. One hundred killed, and one hundred and fifty injured! Those are the simple words. How few of us think of the bleeding hearts and the des olate homes the orphans and the wid ows and the bereaved husbands the poignant sorrow reaching forwai'd into many sad years these words indicate. How many of us turn indifferently to the next column and the next page, or rush along with the selfish scheme we have in hand. And what need? What is there to this hurrying, driving, rush ing, ambitious life that most of us are living, that we should regret it for our selves and others?. ''" "We are such stuff as dreams are made of, and Our little life is rounded by a sleep." God smites unawares. The lesson of Louisville is ; be ready. Gen. Leese's Motion Disposed of. On Thursday the Board of Transpor tation met, present Messrs Benton, Cow drey, Hill and Leese. Mr. Leese's mo tion to have the secretaries prepare a freight schedule of local rates based on the Iowa rates, to be submitted to the Board, was again made, and being sec onded by Mr. Hill was properly before the Board. The motion was now de feated, Benton and Cowdrey voting in the negative and Messrs Leese and Hill in the affirmative. It will be observed that this motion of Mr. Leese only proposed a schedule to be submitted; but the railroad tools, Ben ton and Cowdrey will not even permit that if they they can prevent it. GEO. W. E. DORSEY ADDRESSES THE FARMERS. The Plea of a National Banker. We give below the substance of a cir cular by Mr. Dorsey in reference to the petitions which have been pouring into congress from this state for the past three weeks: "Your petition asks that the measure known as the "Windom bill" may not be enacted into a law and for the resto ration of silver to free and unlimited coinage upon on equality with gold.'If you mean by tnat that the government of the United States shall coin the silver of the world, I cannot agree with you, but if you mean that the government of the United States shall coin all the sil ver taken from our mines or refined from ores imported into this country, then I am in accord with you and I have advocated the enactment of such a law. "You also state in your petition that the proposition to create a bonded debt drawing interest from the people to af ford a basis for banking is unstatesman like, opposed to the true interests of the people and solely in the interest of a class. There is no such bill pending in congress to my knowledge. We have a bonded debt of several hundred mil lions, and we know that this could be refunded at a much less rate of interest. The government 4s due in 1907 could be funded today at 2 per cent, interest, and would it not be policy to fund the bonds if we can reduce our interest ac count by so doing? with the call from the old soldiers for pensions I feel that it would be better to give them an in crease than to pay the government debt before its maturity. In fact I would extend the national debt if that would enable us to be more liberal in paying pensions. You also petition for the issue of United States legal tender notes until the volume of currency shall reach $50 per capita of the population, and that as soon as possible Ave shall discontinue the issuing of any other kind of money whatever. Perhaps you have never thought that you were paying for the benefit of having United' States notes. This is the only currency that costs you anything. The government makes a profit upon the coinage of silver and receives taxes on national bank notes. For instance, we have $346,000,000 of United States notes, and to secure the payment of these notes we have $100, 000,000 in gold coin lying idle in the treasury. We sold the government bonds drawing 4 per cent, interest to secure this $100,000,000 of gold coin; consequently for the last ten years we have been paying 4 per cent." interest upon this $100,000,000 in gold coin to in crease the circulating medium $246, 000,000, for this $100,000,000 of gold coin was taken out of circulation, and lies idle in the treasury. Therefore, the people of the country have paid oyer $40,000,000 for the use of $246,000,000 of circulating medium. The. national bank notes in circulation today amounts to about $130,000,000, and for the last twenty years have averaged about $260, 000,000, and the banks have paid to the government $137,000,000 for the privi lege of issuiug these notes. Which is the better way, to pay $40,000,000 for the privilege of having $264,000,000 incircu lating medium or to have $260,000,000 of j 11 T 1 i V 1 national DanK notes in circulation oasea vipon government bonds and receive from the banks $137,000,000 for the privilege? As you are a practical busi ness man I submit this proposition. I am in favor of increasing the volume of currency until it reaches $u0 per capita, but think it should be done by increas ing the coinage of silver and issuing more national bank notes based upon government bonds, so long as the gov emmet has a debt, and then let the banks put up bullion, or, if necessary. issue more United States notes. I do not like to pay for the privilege of issuing United states notes, so l would release $75,000,000 of the $100,000,000 of gold in the treasury and put that money into the channels of trade, and let it be of some service to the people and save the interest of it to the government. We all admit the great service rendered the government by the national banks, and many able lawyers contend that if we take from them the circulating medium issued to them by the government that the government cannot maintain a su pervision over these banks." The very first stumble Mr. Dorsey makes is upon the old cry that if we re stored silver to free , coinage this conn try would become the dumping ground for the silver of all the world. The fallacy , of this is easily shown.. If sil ver advanced to par there would be no profit in bringing it here. If it did not advance to par only that would be brouht here for which there was a de mand, or which we wauld buy. No more would be coined than could be profitably used here, as it would be worth elsewhere as much in one form as another, so it would not pay to bring it here simply to get it coined into American dollars. Mr. Dorsey is either quite ill-informed or quite insincere When he makes the important proviso of coining only our own product, he accepts the V all street view, and stul tifies his profession in favor of free coinage. When Mr. Dorsey says there is no bill pending to create a bonded debt to afford a basis for banking, he only tells part of the truth, and is extremely dis ingenuous. There was a proposition which was endorsed by himself for a bill for that very purpose. As a clean proposition the people might not object to refunding a long time bond at a low rate; but Mr. Dorsey knows very well that every proposition that has been made this session for refunding has been coupled with some scheme to ex tend and strengthen the national bank system. This the people do decidedly object to. But the climax of impudence is reached when Mr. Dorsey holds up the national bank note as an inexpensive money, and the greenback as an ex pensive one. It is true the government issued bonds to buy $100,000,000 of gold to hold against $346,000,000 of green backs, and has been paying interest on those bonds ever since. It is also true that there never was a bigger piece of fool financiering in the world, and that as far as any good to the people is con cerned that gold might as well have been in the deep sea. But taking Mr. Dorsey's own theory, he is way off as to the relative cheapness of greenbacks and national bank notes. For security for the greenbacks we have paid taxes or interest on bonds, which amounts to the same thing, on about 28 per cent of their volume, while on the security for national bank notes we have paid inter est on 90 per cent of their volume. But this is not the softest part of soft George's idea. He says the national bank notes pay a tax of one per cent to the government. Cedes, but who pays the tax? The users of the money, of course. This tax, like all other taxes, comes out of the annual product of la bor. If it goes into the peoples' treas ury, they are simply taking money out of one pocket and, putting it into an other; or, worse, they are withdrawing money from circulation aud piling it up in the treasury. The greenbacks pay no tax. They are the only legal tender paper money we have. National bank bills are redeemable in greenbacks. Carrying them as a debt and holding coin against them is a national crime. Mr. D. says he "don't like to pay for the privilege of issuing United States notes," so he would retire them and is sue national bank notes, and pay inter est on sixty-two per cent more security for the privilege. O George! A man who will issue so silly a circu lar as this one of Mr. Dorsey's has no business in congress. Jerre Rusk's Theory . The department of agriculture has recently furnished to the country an authoritative statement" on the subject of "Agricultural Depression and Its Cures," which is very pretentious in its statements and reasoning, but w hich, when boiled down, is little better than trifling with the pitiable distress of the American farmer at the present time. All it says is, m a word, that the cause of this distress is overproduction and the activity of middlemen, and that the cure is a diversification of crops and farm products. It will probably strike the farmers of Kansas and Nebraska as a most re markable reflection on their intelligence that the secretary of agriculture should accuse them of not knowing what crops to raise, and represent that for the last ten years they have persisted in raising what there was no money in, and re fused to raise what would have made them rich. These toilers give all their thoughts to this matter, waking or dreaming, alone or in company, and it is a most surprising thing if with all their thought and after so many years of experience they should be so ignor ant concerning their own business in terests. They will not be very much disturbed, however, when they see that although Secretary Husk tells them that they are raising the wrong crops, he does not tell them what crops to raise. In order to take the curse off this "statement" the secretary represents that the farmers of the whole civilized world are in the same plight. This is said with a view of showing that the depressed condition of agriculture in this country is not due to the protective tariff. Even if this were true the con clusion is inevitable that the protective tariff does not exempt the American farmer from the same poverty and dis tress that prevails among the farmers of other countries. But the truth is that the farmers from foreign countries are ruined by the enormous expense of maintaining standing armies, aristocra cy and privilege,' and that the Ameri can farmer is ruined by the protective tariff. Between the protective tariff and the .maintenance of an immense standing army there is absolutely no choice so far as the farmer is concerned. Chicago Herald. The Farmers' Alliance made the po sition of Secretary of Agriculture for Uncle Jerre Rusk, and he repays it by getting off this fool rot about overpro duction. The world is producing so much wrealth so much food and cloth ing that a large proportion of the peo ple are compelled to go ragged and hungry. Give us a rest. The fact that the people of the whole world are suffering in the same manner shows that there is some general cause underlying this condition. Now look up the statistics, and it will be found that in the last two decades exchangeable wealth and production have increased two hundred per cent taster than mon ey. Establish this fact and the secret of the general depression not only of agriculture but of all other industries will have been found. The statement of the Herald that the distress of European farmers is caused by the enormous expense of maintain ing standing armies is inadequate. Drawing an enormous force from the avenues of labor making them non producers while they continue to be consumers should promote the pros perity of the balance of producers, and would do so under normal conditions. The same principles of contraction of the currency haye been applied in Europe as here, and the results have been the same, viz: low prices, stag nated trade, unemployed labor and un alleviated misery. There as here, a debt system has been established, aud this system there as here has enormous ly increased the volume of exchangea ble wealth in proportion to money. This will be seen at a glance when it is considered that every funded debt every debt represented by a note, bond or mortgage, becomes exchangeable wealth, and requires money to ex change it. We have $30,000,000,000 of this in the United States. Jerre Rusk is too good a politician to offend the money power by telling the truth on this question, and the propri etor of the Chicago Herald is a national banker "whose interests impel him to conceal it. Corners on Necessaries. Some corner on some necessary of life is being formed all the time. This is the result of the greedy speculation that is going on. But isolated local ef forts to affect the price of such necessa ries by abstaining from their use would be futile. The field is too large, and it is too impossible to get a concerted ac tion upon any one article soon enough to affect its market price. The Western Rural tried to get its readers to abstain from using sugar; but its influence upon the price of sugar was absolutely noth ing. So do not deprive yourselves of comforts or luxuries that you can afford for any such reason. Something New, Really. Al. Fairbrother writes to the W irld Herald that he owns "in fee simple, clear of all incumbrances and embargoes, one large and voluptuous bull dog." Well, well! "Voluptuous" bull dog! That's a stunner and no mistake. MORE ORGANIZATION. The Lumber Dealer3 of Nebraska Form an Association. On Thursday last the wholesale and retail lumber dealers of this stale mot at Omaha and formed a lumber dealers' association. The objects are the same as usual with such associations, viz: to prevent persons not engaged in the trade from buying at wholesale rates, and to hold up prices. There are sev eral large dealers in this state who have been selling direct to the Alliances at wholesale prices. .This practice is to be stopped. Hereafter any persons wanting lumber in this state must go to their local dealer. If they apply to jobbers at central points these gentle men will refer to their association lists and refer such applicants to the local dealer who belongs to the associa tion. One delegate to the Omaha meet. ing, with more frankness than discre tion, proposed that the reporters be ex cluded, because "considerable business might come up which it was desirable the Farmers' Alliance should not got hold of." Well, The Fakmeks' Alliance has got hold of it; and we will say to the gentlemen that they can't cooper the lumber trade. The Alliance has had a large lumber trade which has hereto fore mostly been retained in the state. The organization of this association will drive it ont of the state. There are jobbers of lumber who will sell to us direct who will not join the associa tion; and those gentlemen will get the trade. Wo don't have to tell the re porters who they arc. The membership of this new associa tion represents at the start 176 yards, and many more will come in. Its pres ident is Loran Clark, a notorious rail road capper of Boone county. Leese Wanted Where lie Is. We have recieved a letter from E. C. Aldrich of Cambridge, naming a ticket which he is willing to support at the next election. We will not name the ticket, as we are certain that one of the gentlemen he names will not be a can didate for any ollice. Mr. Aldrich is a democrat; but he names several repub licans, and declares that he would vote for them. He names Mr. Leese for Att'y General, and says "we want to keep him where he is." He refuses to vote for Reese, "until he knows his standing in regard to the Alliance." There are others who wou'd like to know the standing of Mr. Reese on .sev eral subjects in which the Alliance is in terested, if he intends to be a candidate for any leading ollice. Class Legislation. How many farmers know that the national bank act as it now stands prohibits those banks from loaning money on land in any shape or form? And yet the national bank men denounce the proposition to issue money on land as class legislation. 0! wad the giftic some power gle ua " To see ours els as ithers see us." Of course it isn't class legislation to outlaw the farmer from the loan market and compel him to go for money to the shylock and usurer. O, no! "White" Men. The Omaha World-Herald, in an arti cle about the Farmers' Alliance, pub lishes what purports to be the ride as to eligibility for membership. We would inform the ".-. that the rule it publishes is that of the Southern Alli ance. The word "white" is not used in the constitution of the National Alli ance nor of the State Alliance of Ne braska, nor any northern state organ ized under the jurisdiction of the Na tional Alliance. The Blue and the Gray. The Association of the Hlue and the Gray of the city of Vicksburg, in the state of Mississippi, an association com posed of the surviving soldiers of the opposing armies of the late civil war, propose that during the year of 110 a grand re-union of the veterans of said armies shall be held in Vicksburg May 25th-30th, 1890. Vicksburg is one of the places made forever famous in a war in which were displayed prodegies of valor unmatched in the annals of martial glory. Such a gathering as proposed of American citizens in friendly intercour.se beyond the interest and pleasure of the occasion, will awaken and exalt a just pride in our glorious Republic. It will attest that the Sun of Peace sheds a light of tranquil splendor more sublime than all the flames of war. A cordial invitation is extended by the above association to all surviving sol diers to participate in said re-union. 'Then with clasped hands we here renew. The pledge to hold like brothers One country In allegiance true, One flag above all others: One common glory gilds the fame Of those who erst contended, Their heritage is hence the same, Now that the strife Is ended." This patriotic movement is endorsed by the city,county and state authorities; by Vicksburg Post No. 7, G. A. R.; the Old Guard of Confederate Veterans of Vicksburg; the National Encampment of the G. A. R at Milwaukee, Wis., 180, and by Gen. J. B. Gordon, Commander in Chief of Confederate Veterans. The superiority of the machinery and improved well drilling tools manufac tured by the American Well Works is being fully demonstrated by tho large and gratifying increase in the early or ders that are being placed with them by dealers for first stocks for the early season trade, one lirm having placed an order for four car loads of stock sup plies only. They are desirous of secur ing a few more good established deal ers or practical drillers as acrents. Ad dress Aurora, 111., or 11-13 south Canal street, Chicago. No Flax Seed in this market at any price. When answering advertisements al ways mention The Alliance. 4