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.
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