THE FAKMKItS' ALLIANCE, LINCOLN, NEK.. THURSDAY DEC. 31, 1891.
V
I
Glje lonncw' SMIianrr,
Published Btcct Saturday ty
Tux Aixunoc ri-BUsinxo Co.
Cot. Ulk east M 8U-, Lincoln, Kefe.
j.Bimon --v"!
A.M.TiMrso P!'!
In the beauty of the lilliee
Christ tit born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom
That transfigure yon and me.
Ai he strove to wake men holy
Let us strive to make them free,
Since God is marching on.
Julia Ward Boot.
"Laurel crowns cleave to deserts,
And power to him who power exerts."
A ruddy drop ef 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 "
N. It I. A.
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Tarumrs' Alliance.
Aruel wrlttra on both sidee of the paper
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TBEFAMIERS'ALLIANCE
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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.
1. BURROWS. Editor.
J. II. THOMPSON, Business Ma'gr.
Tie tact Alliance Weekly sue the Leaalsf
Mesesasnt Pater ef the Stale.
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Ctll for Annual Meeting of the
Neb. Farmers' Alliance.
The next regular annual meeting of
the Nebraska Farmers' Alliance will bo
held in Bohanan's hall, Lincoln, Ne
braska, on Tuesday, Juary J!, 189!.
All Subordinate Alliances having dues
fully paid to State Alliance for quarter
ejBdlng September 80th will be entitled
to representation, and should elect
their delegate at the first regular meet
ing in December or as soon thereafter
s convenient.
Bepresentation will be one delegate
for each Subordinate Alliance, who
will cast the full vote to which the
Alliance may be entitled.
Liberal hotel rates have been secured
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will be arranged for on all railroads.
J. H. Powers, Pros.
J. M. Thompson. Sec'y.
II ee ting of the National Farm
ers' Alliance.
The annual convention of the Nation
al Farmers' Alliance will bo held in the
City of Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday,
January 27th, 1892, at 0 o'clock a. m..
for the purpose of electing officers for
the ensuing year, and the transaction
of such business as may come before the
convention. By order of the executive
committee. J. H. Powers, Pres.
AcacsT Post, Secy.
eosewateFgqed.
The above seems incredible, but it
nrast be true. Steve Elkins has been
Us bete noir. Formerly nothing was
too bad for the See to say about him.
Now Steve is appointed secretary of
war, and Rosey roars as mildly as a
sacking dove, with not a roar against
Stevey. The secret of it is, that the war
department has a lease of rooms in the
See building at 19,000 a year. That's the
amount that shut np one paper.
THAT BEE CHALLENGL
Some weeks ago Mr. Rosewater chal
lenged the editor of this paper to a dis
cussion. We accepted. Some minor dif
ferences arose as to details which were
adjusted. We conceded to Mr. Rose
water almost everything that he asked,
and we are now waiting for him to send
Jus first article.
If this discussion does not come off
we wish it distinctly understood that it
is not the fault of the editor of The
AlXIAJfCK.
Kent baa rwpn nlari nn th
tee on Indian affairs and McKeighan on
coinage, weights and measures. The
two Nebraska independents will scarcely
be in a position to do the farmers of
Nebraska the least good. Bee.
Will the See be good er.jugh to state
pecincairy just hew much good Con
tsoll, Dorsey, Laws. Manderson or Pad
dock have ever done the farmers of
Nebraska!
A EXPLT TO THE CESIUM KA0A
ZLNE.
BT J. BCKROWS.
But dropping sentiment, I will observe
that debts are paid la products; that
the debt paying power of products U
determined by prices; that, as prices
are determined by the law of supply
and demand nnding its app lcauoa in
the relative volume of money and pro
ducts, the volume of money becomes a
Question of vital moment to the debtor.
As, according to the Century writer. 3
per cent of the people of the country
are debtors, volume oi money, or per
capita circulation, becomes a vital ques
tion to by far the largest proportion of
our peopm.
A striking illustration of my proposi
lion in relation to prices and prosperity
is found in the fact that in 1800, one
vear after the close of the war, 12.0M1
OOU bbls of beef would have paid the
national debt; wliile in 181)0, after we
have paid over t4.OUO.OuO.000 of prlnct
pal and interest on that debt, it would
take 236,Su0,937 bbls to pay the part
that rema n !. Of wheat, 1.007,000.000
bus. would have paid the whole in 18i.
while it would have taken 1,972.223,448
to pay the remainder in 1H1H). Of cotton
it would have taken 4,050, 102, 755 more
pounds to pay it in 1800 than in 1WW.
These are stupendous facts. They
illustrate luo putauuy of price and the
power of Interest over the producers of
the country. They ave utterly ignored
by such writers as the Century editor,
while the corelative fact that Vi per
eent of the business of the country is
rdone on a credit basis is used as an
argument in favor of this grand super
structure of slavery based upon it which
the money reformers are trying to pull
down.
A reply to paragraph three would be
a partial repetition of the argument I
have already made. The writer ignores
the existence of debt, and therefore
Iguores the effect of increased circula
tion as a restorer of prices and equal
izer of distribution. He assumes, in the
most shallow manner, that the advo
cates of increased per capita circula
tion do not understand the economic re
lations of money to exchanges and dis
tribution, and that they are asking for
increased volume of money simply be
cause they hope to get a share of the
money, in the loosest possible manner
he uses the term "money" and "wealth"
as interconvertible terms. He says, "if
the per capita were to be doubled the
ratio of the present division would be
maintained.' Present division of what
wealth, or money? If the former, we
have shown that the statement is not
true. If the latter, it would make no
difference whoever, if the money went
into the channels of trade. If the gov
ernment would doubie the present cir
culation, and put every dollar of it as a
gratuity in the bands of Jay Gould, if
lie proceeded to put it into the channels
of trade, it would have its legitimate
and beneficent effect in stliirnlating ex
changes, employing labor, increasing
wsges and equalizing distribution, So
the statement of the Century editor, in
the last sentence in paragraph three, is
absolutely untrue, and shows an entire
lack of comprehension of sound flnan
eial principles and knowledge of his
subject.
In paragraph four the brilliant Cen
tury editor assaults a historical aspect
of the question, in which every essen
tial fact and every legitimate con
clusion is dead against him. We refer
the reader to that paragraph for the
lentury's argument, in the first place
every intelligent st udent of our financial
nistory Knows that there was a large
amount of aotual money In the form of
7.80 bonds that were then in circulation,
ai'.d which were paid out to our soldiers
as money, which have never been re
ported as money by the later secretaries
of the treasury. Treasurer Spinner in
his report to congress for the years 1869
and TO, (page 244) heads the estimate
of outstanding currency with a certain
amount of 7 80 bonds. This ought to
settle the question. Those bonds had
lung been in use as money. It was not
until July 15, 1870, that a hill was passed
to refund 1 1.600.000,0(0 U. 8. bonds, in
which these were included. In 1800 the
congress passed a law authorizing the
secretary of the treasury to soli 5 20
nonas, ana with ihe proceeds retire
Unitod Statos currency, inducting green
backs. In 1870, when the Century editor
claims there was only 117.60 per capita
in circulation, the country, owing to
the continued policy of contraction,
was emerging from the period of unex
ampled prosperity beginning in 1864.
In 1878, the year silver wasdomoaetized,
the reaction culminated in a panic
wbioh downed half the banks in the
country, and annihilated thousands of
millions of wealth. As a matter of ao
tual fact there was more money per
capita in circulation in 1870 than there
is to-day. But for the sake of meeting
the Century writer fairly on his own
ground, we will concedo the accuracy
of his figures; viz: a per capita of 117.50
in 1870, and $28 45 in 1891; and we now
assert that, increase of production con
sldered, there has been a steady and
continuous contraction of the money
voiume irom iiu to tne present time.
The per capita increase claimed by the
Century is something over 80 per cent.
If there has been an increase of ex
changeable wealth of mere than that
amount we gain our point. Now we
assert without fear of successful con
tradiction that the average increase of
exchangeable wealth since 1870 will ex
ceed 150 per cent. If this is correct the
contraction since that date has been in
the ratio of the difference between 86
and 150. This, as every student of
finance knows, could take rlaoe with-
. . .
out any aosoiute lessening oi the volume
of money.
i give below the Increase of nro-
dnction in eleven staple products from
is U to WW. as reported bv the treaanrv
uepanmeni:
ARTrouts. ism. imn
Cotton, bales, 8,114 M T,818,KT
Wool, It , 180,000,000 176.000,000
Pig Iron, tons,.. ...... S.1SS.WS 7,734 818
Wheat, but. 234,884.700 4S0,Kfl0,OUO
Petroleum, bell, 66h.77S il.446.408
"orn Doubled
Cows, 10000.0TO 16000,0(10
Oxen, 16,000.000 86,0110,000
Swine. 10,000.000 b0.0O0.OOO
There was no such "ohonomenal pros
perity" in 1870 as is depicted by the
Century writer. In 1884 there were 952
per capita of circulation, and 520 busd-
ubbb i&imres, wun a 1088 OI J8,07,tOO.
In 1870 tha mr rntkit wa. ra,lnno.l tn
i r- - j .vuui..! fcv
117.50, and the failures numbered 8,551,
with a loss of $88,242,000. 1890 comes
in with 10.007 failures, and a loss of
I18,856,94G of capital.
mere is another use for money pecu
liar to thosn lorin1a vh.n Ikur. la.
great volume of debt, which is seldom
!.!.- 1 1 . t . i , . ...
uuusiuervu, um woicn is as legitimate
as aorrioultuml nr nthnr
which as imperatively demands actual
money, runueu securities are ex
changeable property. Notes, bonds.
mortgagesin jaci au evidences of
debt are daily bought and sold for
auiuiM money. Anus me scarcity of
money which forces debt upon the two.
pie creates an enormous demand for
money to buy tho debt. The demand
that this creates for money may be im
agined when we see that our State,
county and municipal debts, our debts
to railroads and baoks, iasuranoe com
panies and capitalists amount to 117.
000,000,000. To this must be added our
chattel and individual debts, which
swell the aggregate to an appalling
total. It is all exchangeable, and aids
in making a relative currency contrac
tion as much as iucreased farm preduc
tion or increaood manufacture.
Paragraph live is another striking ex
amble of the Century $ loose reasoning
and reckless assumptions instead o
facts. Its Brst sentence involves an
idea that probably never illumined the
opaque brata of the writer, y.z; mat in
times of falling values money shuns
business ventures. It is often the cae
in such times that it pays better to lock
money in a safe than to invest it in
property. The fhrinkage in value is
often more than the interest of money.
in which case iuvestment would have
brought actual loss. Hence iu such
times money accumulates in the money
centrs, and seeks investment in guar
anteed loans, and takes such loans at
very low rates. The accumulation at
these centres, and the low rates of in
tereot. are the direct result of falling
varies caused by contracted money
volume. Ibis condition is alwavs ac
companied by stagnated trade, low
wages, idle latar, incressed failures,
and general financial distress. It is a
condition which would be relieved by
rising values and prices, which could
only be brought about by increased
volume oi money, and there is no mis
apprehension about this.
The denial by the Century that con
traction of currency does not involve
contraction cf credit does net surprise
w, after what we have already seen
What tscreditr Aieterred payment oi
money. Upon what Is it based? Upon
the belief of the debtor that he will be
able at certain times to obtain money
with which to meet bis obligations. If
there was no money could credit exist,
as far as money payments were con
cerned? It could not. Is it cot certain,
therefore, that credit must be limited
by the volume of money? There is no
denying it.
If the Century $ assumption is true
that contraction of credit is not co
equal with contraction of currency, bow
senseless it has been for the secretary
oi me treasury to periodically pour a
volume of money into Wall street, when
a pauio was threatened from what is
eupboneously called "overtrading."
"Over-trading" is simply the trans
action of a larger volume of business
than the existing volume of money war
ranted. A reserve volume of currency
in the U. S. treasury, which could be
drawn upon in emergencies, is what
alone has repeatedly averted financial
disaster This fact is a sufficient reply
to the sophistical assumptions of the
Century.
ihe Centum now makes the common
statement that 4)2 per cent of the busi
ness oi the country is done on credit.
and only 8 per cent with actual eur
rency. This us a deplorable fact, and is
one of ihe strongest arguments in favor
of moro money. All this enor
mous ercdlt involves interest, which is
a potent factor of unequal distribu
tion. It not only involves interest, but
it involves broken contracts, litigation,
mortgage sales, an arm? of courts, law
yers and bailiffs.- and a mountain of
costs and fees which no one has attempt
ed to estimate. It is said that 05 per
cent of all the litigation in the country
arises ironi -disputes m financial trans
actions, based on credit.
Ihe above statement is often made in
another form, viz: that 02 per cent of
the business of the country is done by
checks and drafts, it being assumed
that these are agencies of exchange in
dependent of money. A triding an
alysis wilt show the shallowness of tms
argument. "What are checks? Are
they instruments by which business is
transacted without money? Does the
check itself end the transaction? Is
there no money behind it, or can the
money behind the check be dispensed
with? On the contrary, mnst there not
be the full face of the check behind it
in the bank to make it good? What
part, then, does the cheok play in a
transaction? It manifestly saves hand
ling the money, but the money must be
in existence. Checks facilitate trans
actions and enable settlements to be
made more rapidly, but they do not do
away with the need of money or take
the place of money. If they did, then
all that would be needed in a money
stringency would be more checks.
"Agaiu. what is a draft? Is it any
thing more than an order to pay money?
The function of tho draft is substanti
ally tho same as that of a check, as tho
maker must have the money to trans
fer or it must be owed to him or he can
not rightfully make a draft.
"imagine for a moment all the money
represented by checks and drafts to be
destroyed ; what would then become of
these 'substitutes' for money?"
To be oe-ntinued.
THE NEBRASKA PH81TXHTIAET.
We never expected to do it but we
did at last get into the State peniten
tiary. And while we were there last
Saturday we looked U all over, the cells,
workshops, kitchen, laundry, bathroom,
hospital, etc We saw the insane in
mates, four or five in number, the six
hospital patients, and the murderers in
close confinement. We saw the female
criminal department which (all honor
to the sex) contains but four Inmates.
We stepped inside Um men's cells,
where they live, each cell a prison
house, and examinod them. We en
tered the black hole and shutting the
solid iron doer imagined how it would
seem separated from all sympathy. The
dense darkness and solid walls that man
acled hands can touch on every side in
this special place of punishment must
make mon desperate and, desolate in
spirit beyond our power of realiza
tion. There are 360 prisoners behind the
sentried walls. In the last year 176
have been discharged, 9 pardoned. 18
have had sentonce commuted, 0 have
been remanded for new trial, 1 has had
sentonce reduced by district court, and
2 have died. During the last year the
courts have sent 179 new convicts to the
institution, so the books show a reduc
tion of 27 in tho number enrolled.
About 225 men were at work in the
different workshops 89 were in the
harness shop, 14 in the machine shops.
5 in the foundry, 40 in cooper shop A,
48 in eooper shop B, 60 in ceoper shop
C, 14 in the broom factery, and 25 were
working on stone. Others were at work
in the kitchen, laundry aid about the
yard and buildings. The larger portion
of the.men in countenance looked like
and as well as ordinary men. Almost all
averted the cta ilmvlm) '. Ui:. i
fc . v . . -- ,S wuuk V
degradation that was pitiful to see, ro
wrnseninir is 11 morsiiv ano so nearly
related to despair. A few only had the
deep brand of criminals upon their
faces.
It is a mercy to giye them work, but
an injust, unwise, uneconomic, unre-
formlncr svatnm hv whlnk li
worked. The state pays to the convict
labor lessee, C. W. Mosher, forty cents
a say xor ine maintenance of each
convict, ami ailnwa him all ha . ,
make out of their labor, either directly
or oy suo-ieasing. Xho convicts work
well, and an average of nine hours a
day. la addition to turning out mark
etable products for the leasee, they make
and wash their own clothes, cook their
own food and cleanse their own cells
and cell utensils, do all their own work
in fact, and the forty cents a day paid
Mosher by the state undoubtedly covers
more than cost cf keeping them. J hat
being the case all the value of their
labor in the making of baireis, brooms.
harness, saddles, machinery, and the
rest, is so much taken out of the bodies
of the convicts and put into the pockets
oi the lessee, i hey are made bis slaves.
forced to work without wages and
furnished very poor board and worse
than slaves' lodging?, no regard being
paid to their natural inalienable right to
have all that they produce in excess of
what they consume. Seventy per cent
of the men sect there in 1801 were con
victed of crimes against property. And
tne state, me ernoouyment oi law,
teaches respect for law by legally rob
bing these men of the uncom.umed sur
plus whjch they earn during each day
of their confinement! Is not this a
cume of the same kind but greater than
their's, and having no intelligent
excuser
Tha state is neither poor nor tempted.
It l-i not enriched by the exploitation
and systematic robbery of iU prisoners.
I he prisoners are not morally benefited
by it. They cannot be taught to respect
the personal and property rights of
ethers by having what they produce
taken from them by state sanction and
contract. The folly and wickedness of
the present treatment of prisoners must
mcreror6 oe admitted.
The crying need is for the state
itself to furoish employment for its
prisoners, it has every facility to man
ufacture roods, the buildimr. the men.
the machinery or money needed, and
can nire nones, book keepers and
competent managers and overseers. It
can give useful employment t all its
prisoners and alter paying all expenses
from the product of their labor divide
among them in bank account, or send
to their families, piofits which will cor
respond favorably with tho savings of
men wao are iree, and it would save
itself at the same time at least $00,000
or more paid yearly to the present les
see. The convicts by this just system
would retain some self respect, and a
growing bank account given into their
hands when sot at liberty would place
all who desired to lead honest lives
above the temptation and despair
whieh drag so many back after being
sent almost empty handed into an un
sympathetic unfriendly world. We
should like to write more in detail con
cerning the just treatment, cash profits,
and moral, reforming benefits to be
found in tho change of penitentiary
management here proposed, but lack
of space forbids.
Uho very great evil at the state's
prison at present is the lack of cell room
which necessitates putting two prison
ers into a ceil. The most of the cells
contain two men. The cells, as the war
den pointed out in his last report, were
made lor but one. Their sizo Is only
about four, feet by seven, and besides
being unhealthy and very uncomfortable
for two men to live in. the moral con
tagion of the most degraded cannot
help being a deplorable, injurious re
sult. New cell room is imperatively
demanded. There is no moral selec
tion made in the matter of coll com
panionships. 1 ho food which we saw was what
many would think good enough for
convicts, but it would destroy what ap
petite we have to sit down to it. The
sMced bread was black and hard, and
the big pans of browned conglomerate
an unexplored mixture did not send
forth a delicious aroma.
After personal observation of the
conditions of life aud labor at what is
called "the pen" we can only repeat
with emphasis the remark . of our
courteous attendant "It is not a reform
atory institution."
TEUE AND FALSE EVOLUTION.
The chapel of the State university
was comfortably filled Friday evening
last to listen to an addresss by Chancel
lor Shaw of the university of Kansas.
He spoke, or rather read a paper, upon
"Evolution" by invitation of the
Science club of this city, the audience
being composed of the club, its friends
and other interested citizens.
The address was a graceful, polished.
argumentative effort, and we presume
the young minds before bim, now in
the memorizing age and unable to
reason broadly and critically through
lack of facts, were convinced of the
correctness of his deductions. But
those listening who have seen theories
and arguments believed by the scien
tific world again and again demolished,
and who have in consequence found it
necessary to rigidly separate fact and
fancy by whomiioever mixed, were
forced to prononnce the argument of
the Kansas educator unsound and mis
leading. His first statement was, that
Evolution had come to be regarded by
almost all scientists as established truth,
a law almost as certainly true as the
law of gravitation. Now there are
evolutionists and evolutionists, but the
Chancellor is evidently one who would
trace all life and matter back through a
continuous unbroken series of material
causes and effects to what is called Staf
gas, and to a single motion: He did
not say that star gas or " fire mist " was
the beginning, but, tie in argument
evolved all things irom it and jumped
whatever charms he came to with the
violent presumption, first, that there
must be an unbroken continuity of pro
cess, and second, that it must be a direct
evolution (ot atomic potentialities by
means of .feew combinations and minute
variation,
This theory of evolution requires be
lief in spontaneous generation, the
derivation of living things from dead
matter, a belief which the whole circle
of scientific inquiry and investigation
finds nothing to sustain, and which the
laws of life so far as they are known
contradict. We are also required by
the Chancellor's theory to believe that
freedom I of action or inaction springs
from absolute necessity of action, the
action of 'unvarying forces according to
fixed law. But freedom from necessary
obedience' to fixed law is the most palpa
ble absurdity' and an absurdity which
com, letely blocks the way for all loyal
intellects. From this absurdity wo are
taken to still another, namely, that the
orbital motions of all bodies are tho ex
tension of but one motion, the tendency
of matter) in the nebulous or ununited
state to draw together. Wo have not
time or space to show the impossibility
ot this aa demonstrated by the laws of
motion, but it can be easily done.
The writer is an evolutionist of a cer
tain ssrt He doubts not that "through
the ages one increasing purpose runs,"
but the atomic base is not broad enough
to bulldl everything upon, and projec
tion or attraction of a singlo kind could
not give rise to all the antagonistic mo
tions and series of changes following.
ESm. S Woods, an Indiana jndge,
saved W. W. Dudley, of "blocks of
five" bribery fame, from indictment.
Presidoht Harrison now rewards him
with a United States district judgeship.
P0WDEELT8 APPEAL.
From the Omaha lie of lire. is.
Mr. Terence V. Powdr)yi appeal to tb
worklog aw-n of America to jolo hands with
the Farmers' Alliance la a third party move
ment la tba weakest document that haaerer
emulated from Powceriy's pen. Mr. Pow
dcr'y lilti that tha Interests of the work-log-man
are Identical with those of the farm
er. Mr. Powdcrly insists that whan th
farmer la prosperous the laborer la' prosper
ous, and when the farmer Is pitched and hard
np the laborer is also in distress.
Even the most Ignorant wage worker must
pronounce this truism as Inapplicable to the
relative oondition of the two classes. Mr.
Powderly mig-titas well say that when the
crops are abundant the farmer is prosperous
and abundant crops alio insure prosperity to
the railroads; hence the Interest of the rail
road If identical with that of the farmer, and
the farmer and railroad monopolists should
Join hanos politically.
Nobody ought to know better than Mr.
Powderly that the factory wag-e worker, the
skilled mechanic, and the day laborer bare
little or nothing In common with the farmer.
It is the interest of the working-mam to buy
his beef, bis dour, butter, eg-irs, potatoes and
other nroduets of tho farm as cheap as post!
ble, and to sell his time as wage worker as
high as possible. It Is the Interest of the
fanner to market his products at the highest
price, and to buy the wares that are fashioned
in the work hp and factory as cheap as pog
slble. In other words, the farmer is as a cap
italist who wants the Urgest income upon his
Investment in land, and warns to cheapen ail
commodities he Is obliged to buy for himself
and his family. The laborer lives from hand
to mouth and consequently has nothing In
common with the man whd is Interested In
raising the price of the necesssrices of llr
except, possibly. In a stable currency and
economics and honest government.
If American worklngmen could under any
circumstances be Induced to rally en masse
to the support of any particular party they
would And greater promlsies of success In
organizing an American labor party, pure
and simple, with ltbor reform as the rallying
ory, than with a party made up of elements
whose alms are almost In direct conflict with
their own interests.
The above article is an infamous out
rage. r,very word of it is a lie, and the
editor of the Bee knows it. Knowing it,
he wilfully falsities sound economic laws
and '.he truth of history to sow dissen
sion between the workingmen and
farmers, and bolster up the falling for
tunes of monopolists, Wall street shy
locks and his plutocratic party.
And this Bee editor is the man who
championed the cause of the laboriug-
men and farmers of the state, and with
brazen impudence went into their con
ventions with loud-mouthed protesta
tions that he was their friend.
Mr. Powderly never wrote a stronger
document nor stated a truer principle
than when he said that the interests of
the fanners and workingmen were
identical. Nobody knows better than
the editor of the Bee that abundant crops
do not always mean prosperity to the
farmer; and nobody knows better than
he that when the farmers of the country
are receiving h'gh prices for their pro
ducts, the factory wage worker,
the skilled mechanic and tho day la-
Dorer nave iuu employment at good
wages. Nobody knows better than he
that when prices are low, trade para
lyzed and values falling, labor, skilled
and unskilled, is alike idle, ard poor
men, of all classes depressed. When
the See says, "it is the interest of the
farmer to market his products at the
highest price, and to buy his wares at
the cheapest price," he knows he is
lying. It is irue many farmers think
that is their interest, but the See knows
better. The Bee knows that unless the
farmers pay fair prices for what they
buy the other classes cannot pay fair
prices for farm products, and that it is the
interest of the farmer to have high prices
all along the line. The Bee knows that
when prices are low all producers suf
fer alike, and only shylocks and money
snaras prosper.
We have not read an article in a long
timo that has made our blood boil as
does the lying one that we have quoted
flhnvn 1 ha uvtit-ni-rtf thn Va tirtll r
see the day when he is tit to untie the
shoe-strings of Terence V. Powderely.
THE REAL QUESTIONS.
Rev. Dr. Charles F. Twing, president
of Adelbert college, Cleveland, has an
article in a recent issuo of the Boston
Congregationalist, in which he says:
"Social and economic questions are the
burning questions of to-day. They are
to be the burning questions of to-morrow.
Those problems are
of wide inclusiveness. What they do
not include is small in comparison with
what they do include." Yts, they are
the problems of justice; they deal with
right conditions, with the care -of the
weak and the restraining of the strong;
with the evils of competition and the
greater evils of combination for selfish
ends, ihe problem of political corrup
tion and class legislation, the subsidiz
ing of the press to prejudice and mis
lead the masses, the degradation to
poverty and dependence of the masses
and the necessity ef preserving with
ignorant and dependent voters the fast
vanishing liberty of American citizens,
these are the things that confront us.
So they are not simply social and econ
omic questions, but moral questions
great and almost all-inclusive.
EDWARD ATKINSON AND HIS LIT
TLE STOVE.
The "European pauper" would have
no difficulty in subsisting a family of
five on an annual allowance of $300, or
$1 per day for each working day. To
tho American laborer, howover, and
some others, the problem is something
of a puzzle. Fortunately we have a
large minded and philanthropic econo
mist, statistician and inventor who has
solved the problem. Mr. Edward
Atkinson, of Boston, has recently in
vented a little stove for the use of labor
ers and poor people generally. Rich or
fairly well to do people are not. inter
ested. If poor people would use this stove
tey would save a good deal of fuel.
If they would use several of them
they might save all the fuel.
After studying statistics that would
only be a "Sahara of figures" to others,
Mr. Atkinson finds that a laborer in
any of our towns and cities can subsist
en 14 cents worth otfOOd and drink
per day, or 70 cents for a family of
five; provided he will use the bill of fare
that Mr. A. has found to be the cheap
est, most wholesome and nutritious,
and cook his food on Mr. A.'s little
stove.
Of course this bill of fare does not
consist very largely of bird's nest sonp,
lobster salad, Charlotte Russe, cham
paign, etc.. nor can these articles be
furnished every meal.
But tr era are no cobble stones in this
bill. Mr. A. is not the man to give a
stone when asked for bread.
It is to be observed that 14 cents
does not cover the cost of fuel, labor
and use oi utensils used in cooking and
serving the food. If the breadstulk are
bought ucground, the meat on the hoof
and other thtngs in a similar way, the
cost might be reduced below 14 cents
per day.
At 70 cents per day the ftr&ily food
bill would amount to $255 50 per an
num. Deduct this from the total annual
allowance of $300 and there remains
$41 50 for Rum. Rent and Raiment. Al
lowing 50 cents for rum, which is quite
liberal, the $44 could be divided equally
between rent and raiment. $22 will
pay tho annual rental which covers
taxes, repairs and insurance of quite
a sizable house, well provided with
suitable arrangements for heating,
lighting and distributing hot and cold
water, saying nothing about champagne
on tap. Said house will contain not
lesithan three rooms, including the
front and back yards, and will occupy
not. more than an acre cf ground, thus
affording abundant "children range"
and "chicken seratchin'."
The rooms for library, art gallery
and chapel are just around the corner,
free to all, having been provided by
Andy Carnegie, et al.
Our coffee roasters, soap makers,
makers of baking powder and many
ethers are to-day gratuitously furnish
ing their patrons with works of art of
an exceedingly high order of merit.
By the judicious use ot these gems, the
American laborer can embellish his
home and envelope his family in an
atmosphere of art such as was never
dreamed of by his ancestry either near
or remote.
Twenty-two dollars per annum will not
clothe a family of live as well as a larger
sum; but' when the wife and -children
make additional earnings, which they
frequently do, and always should do,
they can have more clotbas. If there
chances to be any doctor bills or funeral
expenses in the family, they can be paid
from such earnings. Shoes and stock
ings need not be worn in warm weather.
The law does not require it, and as this
is still a free country one may wear
shoes or go bare-foot as he or she may
elect.
Besides the above 800 working days
and the fifty-two Sundays per annum,
there are thirteen other secular days in
cluding the legal and other holidays; or
one day for each Lunar month. These
thirteen days can be devoted to sick
ness or recreation. For the latter pur
pose the laborer can play base ball,
while his wife and babies can go to the
sea shore or the national park.
X here is no real reason why laboring
people should grumble. They should
study Edward Atkinson. They don't
seem to realize what a blessed boon the
Lord has sent them in the person of
Edward Atkinson. And above all they
should buy a copy of Edward Atkinson's
little stove.
THE ".BEE" AND D00 MEBCEB.
The Bee comes out unequivocally for
Doc. Mercer for governor. This is a
severe blow for Mercer. Whatever
force the Bee may have in a campaign,
it seldom wins in a convention. But it
mof.ns another boodle, whisky corpora
tion campaign, with Omaha rum and
Kosewaterism as its basis, for the su
premacy of so-called republicanism in
Nebraska. "To what base uses may
we come at last!"
Imperial Cm ar.dead snd turned tn clav.
Stopping a hole to keep ths wind awayl"
It means also another campaign in
which Omaha is pitted against the state.
Orcaha has ruled Nebraska in the two
last elections. We will sadly miss our
guess if it does it the third time.
EST "There is now more money in
New York than there is use for. The
banks hold over $19,000, OOOinore than the
law requires them to." Significant facts
these, when studied in connection with
the hard times, dull business, and mul
titudes out of employment, suffering and
destitution in western towns and cities.
This vast accumulation of money in
New York banks is the stream of in
terest which the sale of crops in the
west and south set in motion. It goes
to parties who exchange nothing for it,
the workers of the west being impover
ished to swell the bank accounts of the
eastern capitalists. They sell their crops
to pay exorbitant railroad charges and
to meet eniorced tribute to the money
kings, and so cannot buy back o ut of
the markets oyer half what thev out in.
The result is congestion cn the one
imuu auu uesinuuon on tne otner,
money in the hands of those who can.
not use it. and the workers suffering
and thrown out of employment.
It is said that at the beginning of
the year the president will issue bis
proclamation restoring duties on sugar,
teas, coffee, molasses, hides, etc., im
ported from countries which refuse to
make reciprocity treaties with us. Tax
ing American consumers ot the above
articles to punish foreigners for not
becoming free traders in our products
will be considered by many people as
biting eff your own nose to spite another
fellow's faee. Isn't this protection busi
ness of the republicans getting a little
mixed anyhow? We were using wo-
tection a while ago to bolster, up our
infant ladustries, while now we propose
to use it to compel even exchanges.
When that succeeds what will the in
fants do? At any rate it will not do to
take any back tracks. Putting neces
saries on the free list is a good thing.
rutting the duties back again is another
and very different thing.
tW From figures obtained by the
senate committee which made an in
vestigation of the Chicago beef trust.
the enormous sum of $16,600,000 was
taken in ten years from private ship
pers and paid in rebates to those who
were in it. The railroads thus make
themselves the hired tools of robbers,
building up enormously wealthy trusts,
which combine with the- railroads to
corrupt congress and purchase state
legislation for their defense and the
further extension of their tyrannical
power. The tide of plutocracy gathers
impetus as its gold increases, and will
sweep the country onward to ruin and
bloody revolution if the people cannot
be aroused soon to the danger, and he
led to stand solidly together against
this proud, victorious, fast-growing
power.
1ST Chicago isn't asking congress for
$5,000,000-0 no! It is the directors of
the world's fair. Just watch out, now,
n see now niceiy unicago will bunco
Uncle Sam.
THE A EISA TOE JA5UABY.
wfityre
IIAMUN OAKLAND.
In the January Arena, Hamlin Gar
land's much-talked-nf novel of the mod
ern West opens brilliantly. The pub
lishers of the Arena claim that this will
be "the greatest American novel," and
certainly it bids fair to be by far the
strongest work that has yet come from
the pen of the brilliant "novelist of the
West," though this is saying much, as.
those who have read "Main-Travelled
Roads" and ' Jason Edwards" will ad
mit. This issue also contains strong
papers by Alfred Russell Wallace on.
"Human Progress: Past and Future;"
Prof. A. N. Jannaris, Ph. D., of the un
iversity of Greece, Athens, on "Moham
medan Marriage and Life;" Henry
Wood, on "The Universality of Law;"
Ex Gov. Lionel A. Sheldon, on "Louis
iana and the Levees;" D. G. Watts, oa
"Walt Whitman;" Chas. Schroder, on
"What is Buddhism?" and several other
able papers. The Arena fully maintains
its brilliant reputation and should be in
the homes of all thoughtful people.
We give above a life-like prtrait of
Hamiiia Garland, and author whose
name is destined to become a familiar
household word in all the land.
tW Prom 1887 to 1890 inclusive, the
freight transported by rail increased 30
percent. During the same time the
number ef freight cars was increased-
only 11 per cent. Does it not seem to
be the settled policy of the railroads to
reduce expenses in this way, a way
which enables them by pressure of de
mand for cars to raise the price of ti as
portation, so doubling their profits?'
Thare is only one way to deal with this
gigantic legislature and congress-con
trolling, politics-corrupting power, and
that is to nationalize the railroads and
put it out of existence. 1
tW "Sweat for sweat is the first great;
principle of finance," says the Indiana
polis Journal. Very good, axiomatic,
incontrovertible. But will the Journal
kindly tell us how sweat is exchanged
where interest is paid? or where idle
speculators amass wealth by the market
increase of land and commodity values?
or where rents and royalties are paid
to men for things which man's labor
never produced? He who produces
most by his own labor of brain and
muscle, should be the richest man; but
under our present laws he is not.
Z3T From the plutocratic abuse that
is heaped on Senators ;Peffer and Kyle,
we judge they must be getting in some
pretty good work. The lies come in
discriminately from both old parties.
Senator Peffer did not caucus
with the republicans. The Alliance
representative from Minnesota did not
caucus with the democrats. Senator
Kyle kept out of both old party cau-
cusses. Senator Peffer received four
committee assignments, and Senator
Kyle five, while Senator Pettigrew re
ceived four.
I3T If the Kansas legislature should
be convened to elect Plumb's successor,
in Alliance man would be elected, the
independents hnvinir 1(1 miiorifv on
joint ballot. It is safe to say that the
governor will appoint. That is, the re
publicans will steal a senator.
A Granger in the Beet Sugar Convention.
W inside, Neb., Dec. 22, 1891.
Mr. Editor: I want to sav to the
many readers of your paper which Is
making such a noble fight for justice
and equal rights 'or all. that it was mv
. j
good fortune to look upon the delegates
in attendance at the sugar beet conven
tion at Lincoln lsst week: and to sav
that they were the smoothest looking
lot oi grangers or hayseeds that it has
ever been my privilege to look uoon.
don't express it. You might seareh the
third congressional district from one
end to the other and the like could not
be found.
And the supreme gall that some men
have is astonishing. The idea of a
man getting up before an audience of
that kind and stating that he could clear
$23.75 per aere-raising sugar beets is too-
ridiculous to talk about. It would bo
hard to believe that he would have the
cheek te get up before an audience
composed oi Grand Island or Norfolk
farmers and make such an asmr.
tion.
At Norfolk to get t'ae necessary num
ber of acres of beets planted to run that
institution it become necessary for the
business men to form a small syndicate,
and I learn from a good man that
one man put up $275 and drew out $75.
and I fail to see where his $28 75 per
acre comes in. There would be just
as much consistency in the farmers ask
ing the legislature to grant them a boun
ty for raising wheat, corn or flax. To
a man up a tree it looks very incon
sistent for Mr. Oxuard to come before
the tax payers asking them to do what?
to give him any sum from $10,000 to
SoO.OOO per annum to protect his capi
tal. Thft niArn fdotArtaQ tUr. ...
... V m Ilium
bounty.
Now Ipf 114 son Vftor ha IaI-o n t. . I
interests of the granger. The sugar
that is made at Norfolk can be supplied
to the Madison County farmer after it,
has hAAn ahinnott tn Am.L. .1 i 1
two freigtu bills, one wholesale profit
anrl nnu rotnil nmfif TlAn. 1.. fii
farmers swallow such medicine because
it is anmmisrereul he iUM,i:.i.i .n
and the subsidized press to back them?"
urnwi mam. uiv aown a kicker.
The farmers hari
" , ' IIIUUUS ill Limb
august body, and in their behalf I
n.jmi, ui Bay many man Kg,
Now as one voter in the great state of
Nebraska Int. ma ... it .u .
- m,i ji wicjr waul, lu
make a campaign on the bounty ques
tion next fall I say come on and if yotv
false prophet. Yours truly.
0Wt
H. B. Miller.
-1