Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 1902)
10 THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT, : DECEMBER 18, 1902, THK Pi EXT STEP Judge P. S. Crosscup of Chicago de livered his lecture on "The So-Called Trusts, or the Next Great Step In American Politics" last Friday evening at the state university, appearing un der the. auspices of the college of law. Readers of The Independent , are fa miliar with some of Judge Grosscup's decisions especially the one in what Is known as the "school ma'am's" tax case in Chicago. "It is the fashion nowadays," said he, "to point to our place as a people, Industrially and politically among the nations of the earth; to take a just pride in the leadership acquired; and to exploit the belief that it is not only secure now. but will remain secure for a long time to come. We are told that our manufacturers go to every land; that our harvesters are to be Been in the grain fields of Asia Minor; our. locomotives drawing trains in Russia; our machinery bringing out gold from the mines of South Africa; our bridges spanning the rivers at Khartoum; and the sultan of Turkey preparing to defend his sovereignty by battleships built in American ship yards. All this, it is said, is still on the rising tide, so that when the flood Is reached, the United States will have become the richest and most powerful people on the face of the earth." But granting all this to be true, Judge Grosscup believes that we sh6uld inquire, "How goes the life within?" "During these years," he declares, "one-third or more of the in dustries of the United States have passed from the ownership of individ uals or local corporations into the great bodies of property known as the trusts. Should the process go on un til all our industries are thus consoli dated, as many well-informed men now think probable, the so-called trusts will have absorbed nearly one sixth of all the wealth of all kinds. Nothing in history, outside of the rise of the feudal system, has left so strik ing a change in what may be called the personnel of ownership. . . . Ac curate statistics show that the former owners of the industries now consoli dated have put their money, or the bulk of it, in the banks; the workman declines to invest his surplus wages; and with them, also standing aloof, is the ordinary man, possessing ordinary means." In brief, the judge believes that the enormous deposits in banks some thing over eight billions show a dis inclination on the part of former own ers of trustified industries to invest in the new enterprises; but that they prefer to deposit their money in bank, content with a low rate of interest, and continue with the trust as mere employes. - This he considers a dan gerous sign. His remedy is simply an amplified publicity which wilfencourage a wide spread investment in trust stocks. Old methods of production have passed away and now the former owners should still continue ownership in the new enterprises. But they stand aloof, afraid of losing everything (al though Judge Grosscup does not so state), if they invest in trust shares. So they become bank depositors, And in the ultimate furnish indirectly to the trusts what they refuse to do di rectly. The experience of small sharehold ers in railroad corporations has been sufficient to frighten away the man with a few hundred dollars saved up. Everything is booming when he buys. He receives a dividend or two. Then the receivership comes; then the re organization and the small share holder has nothing but a beautifully engraved and essentially worthless certificate to remind him that he was foolish enough in the first place to play the other fellow's game. True, the experience with savings banks has not been much better; but the bank is close by and each depositor fondly expects to be at the head of the line when a "run" comes. He knows he has absolutely no chance with the big fish in a receivership and reorgani zation game. A GOLDKUO DIFFICULTY The fellows who want to redeem silver dollars in gold are meeting with new difficulties all the time. At a re cent meeting of the New York cham ber of commerce it was declared that there were not less than 40.000.00C "counterfeit" silver dollars in circula tion, that is, silver dollars containing exactly 412 grains of silver, nine tenths fine, but which had never passed through the government mints. Old readers of The Independent will remember the articles that appeared in this paper during the two last presi dential campaigns on that subject It was specifically stated many times over that there was an enormous quantity of these dollars in circula tion and as there was about 100 per cent profit in making them, there would be thousands more of them continually made. It requires no great mechanical skill to make a silver dol lar so perfect that it cannot be de tected. Instead of 40,000,000 of them being in circulation, there are prob ably 100.000,000. Long before that time the editor of The Independent wrote article after article pointing out the impossibility of a current silver money coined, at a rate far below the value of the metal, for it would be impossible to detect counterfeits. If money of any kind was to be circulated, the value of which did not depend on the material of which it was composed, then that mon ey must be made of paper so manufac tured that it would be impossible to circulate counterfeits without detec tion. Whenever an economic law is vio lated, there results unending difficul ties. No. man can forsee them all. Every day adds new testimony to the absolute scientific accuracy of the pop ulist theory of money and sooner or later all the nations of the earth will be forced to adopt it. "MY LANGUAGE IS PLAIN" There are some things connected with the matter that appears in The Independent that is indeed very puz zling. Economic articles which ap pear in the editorial columns of this paper reappear almost word for word in scientific journals, in speeches, ad dresses and pamphlets almost contin ually. What is most astonishing about it they "bob up" in the most unex pected places and are always credited to some distinguished professor or man eminent for his studies in econ omics or sociology. These men must be in the habit, not only of thinking the same thoughts, but of expressing them practically in the same words that The Independent uses. "Which is why I remark, And my language is plain, That for ways that are dark And tricks that are vain, The modern professor's peculiar Which the same I am free to main tain." Recently there was a dinner given to professional economists at Copley Square, Boston, by the single tax league in which they discussed Ground rent; what is its nature, oper ation an l office; what causes it, what maintains it, how much is there of it. Now it happens that tLis same question was discussed in The Inde pendent and much that these distin guished professors said was couched in the very same language used in tms paper some months ago. The question of whether the amount of land could be diminished or increased and all the points which were discussed in The Independent was gone over by these professors in the same order and were discussed in the same way that they were in The Independent. Among the economists who read papers on that occasion were: Prof. Charles J. Bullock, of Williams; Prof. G. A. Col lender, of Bowdoin; Prof. Willard C Fisher. Wesleyan university; Dr C W. Mixter, Harvard; Prof. William Burke, Alboin college; Prof. Carl C Pihn. university of California; Prof". F. Spencer Baldwin. Boston univer sity, and rroJNCarver, Harvard. "TIGHT" MONEY Those poor, simple souls who im agined that the money question was settled by the defeat of Bryan, and who firmly believe that the gold stand ard was established by McKinley's election, might learn a little from the report of the finance and currency committee of the New York chamber of commerce on a "Feasible Measure." The report was adopted and the com mittee directed by resolution to pre sent it in person to President Roose velt. The report says in part: "We must come right down to the proposition that the only thing which can be done to make our financial system safe, sound and solid is to get down to one le gal tender, and that is gold, and then to bank upon a currency circulation- enlarged beyond the present authorized issues of na tional banks and based upon the credit of the legitimate trade of the country and rigidly safeguard ed under the law." The report suggests that banks be permitted to retire their cir culation at will; recommends that the coinage of $1,500,000 silver dollars per month cease, and that the silver bullion and silver dol lars in the treasury be coined in to subsidiary silver coins, and that the secretary of the treasury be permitted to deposit customs receipts in national banks. T,here you have the real thing. No legal tender money except gold, and Ks7 Omaha. Ivls Grand Holiday Sales. ; You have every advantage by trading now at Harden Bros'. Th rpadiriASfl fnr the holidays is apparent in every one of our 40 departments. They are filled with complete varieties cf all that is new, desirable useful or ornamental for holiday use or gift giving. You now have the advantage of complete assortments and clean, fresh unhandled goods to select from. Buy early and avoid the crowds. Get your holiday goods in the best condition by selecting them now at Hayden Bros. ' New things ia Furniture, in Fancy China and Cut Glass ware In Watches, and Jewelry, in Books of all kinds, in pictures including every line of subjects, ia Musical Instruments, Pianos and Organs, as well as in such useful lines as Silks and Dress Goods, Furnishing Goods, Clothing, etc. etc. Never has Santa Claus presented such a vast array of pleasing and useful articles, the best he could pro cure throughout the markets of the world for suggestions to you and for your se lection. You can get what you want in these grand sales at Hayden Bfos. You get the newest and best in every line. Our immense direct spot cash purchases and tremendous sales enable us to save you from 1-3 to 1-2 the usual prices. You find what you want at Ilaydens. Mail Orders Filled For Any Goods You Need If you have'nt got price lists from us make up your order from our cata logue. You may have from any house in America. We guarantee to supply you everything you eat, wear or use at a big saving to you in time, freight and money. Not a house in America is better equipped to serve you right at your doors with gigantic stocks bought direct for spot cash from the leading markets of the world. There is no place you can trade with such security and satisfaction. Remember, Hayden Bros, will duplicate or undersell the quotations of any bouse on earth. Just make up your orders from any catalogues, give us the name of catalogue, page and number and we guarantee to supply you with the goods at the same or less prices. Being right at your doors you can save time and freight by buying at Hayden Brothers. We invite your orders on this basis: You Take no Risk in Buying at Haydens. Your money when sent to us is still yours until you are satisfied with the gooda you receive. We can refer you to the Commercial National Bank, the Merchants National Bank or any Bank or business house in Omaha or any Commercial agency, railroad or express company as to our reliability. HAY m wm. Wholesale Supply House, Omaha. A Piano by Mail. We have developed an enor mous business in piano selling through correspondence alone and orders received in this way receive our most particular care and attention. If you need a piano or are interested in the subject, write to us. We shall gladly fur nish catalogues and all information desired. Our pianos are the best in the world if they were not we would not handle them. But you need not take our word for it. We tend our pianos subject to your approval. We quote you the lowest prices and easiest terms; select carefully and honestly for you, and when the piano arrives you give it a thorough test. If not satisfactory, return it to us and we pay freight both ways. Write for further information. kwsS r . r J n mi luiCe ui, 207 South nth St., Lincoln, Neb. it all in the hands of tin bankers. No currency except subsidiary coins and asset bank notes. That would cure "tight" money! But why should the silver dollars be recoined into smaller pieces if their legal tender quality cuts no figure? Evidently the committee takes no stock in the current republi can talk that the 150 million gold re serve makes GOO million "34-cent dol lars" circulate on a par with gold. That committee knows the power of legal tender. J. S. Davison, Pryor Creek, I. T.: I am taking The Commoner and will continue to take it as long as we can keep the reorganizes down. If the money-bugs again get in control in the democratic party, then I am done with it and am ready to go with the people's party. I like your paper. Lincoln Hide Market The Lincoln Hide & Fur Company, 920 R street, Lincoln, Nebraska, suc cessors to S. J. Dooson & Co., quote the following prices, f. o. b. Lincoln, until further notice: No. 1 green salted hides, per lb., 7c, No. 2, 6c; bulls and side branded, Cc; horse and mule hides, large, each, $2.35; small, 75c-$1.50; green sheep pelts, each 40-75c; dry pelts. 5-8c per lb.; dry flint butchered hides, per lb., 12-13c; dry fallen, weather beaten and murrain hides .per lb., 5-10c. Our clas sified fur list, together with little booklet telling how to trap, skin, stretch and handle furs and hides to obtain the best 1 -suits, will be mailed free to aU upon request, also write for tags and general information any time. All correspondence promptly attend ed to.