4
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT.
JANUARY 23, 1903.
POPULISM GROWS APACE
Interview Tfllb Prominent Democratic
Statesmen of Massachusetts Shows
Drift or Sentiment
After the smoke of battle had
cleared away at the last election we
were instructed and amused by ar
ticles on the "Passing of Populism,"
by wordy men of the Will Allen White
stamp and others of less ability. The
chief trouble with these astute gen
tlemen is that they failed to discrim
inate between populism and the po
litical organization known as the peo
ple's or "populist" party. Undoubt
edly the populist party for the time
being is in a crippled condition there
i3 no sense in denying that. Division
within its ranks over questions of
party action has well nigh disorgan
ized It completely. But the men who
vent Into the party because they be
lieved in the principles enunciated in
its platforms, still believe in those
principles; whether they vote the re
publican, democratic, socialist, or pro
hibition ticket. So while there is not
a "populist" member elect in either
house of the next congress, there is
more populism in the United States
than ever before and it's growing at
a rapid pace.
As mentioned in the last issue,
George Fred Williams of Massachu
setts has proposed a new political or
ganizationnot a party for the ex
press purpose of spreading knowledge
on three principal subjects, each of
which is essentially populistic: (a)
direct legislation; (b) public owner
ship; (c) restoration of trial by jury.
Mr. Williams made the following
statement concerning the new organi
zation which has been named "The
People's Rule." "The plan of organ
ization has been approved by a num
ber of leading men to whom it ha3
been submitted. They are men of all
parties who believe with me that the
time has come for a more efficient
organization to bring the popular will
to bear more directly on our political
affairs. For several months since I
have contemplated an organization in
behalf of these principles, the idea has
grown upon me that jmen are stand
ing apart, opposed to $ach other with
in party lines, who are equally pa
triotic, and who, upon the great
question of protecting the popular
rights against the invasions of priv
ilege, are heartily in accord. Thou
sands of republicans, chafing under
the extortions of the beef trust, the
oil -and coal monopolies, are lookirg
eagerly for some policy and action
which will reach below the surface
and :et at . the roots of these evil
growths. Why should these men be
in arms against each other, thus do
ing service to the common enemy?
It is like the old story of the plain
people of monarchies slaying each
other, with the single result of per
petuating their subjection to mon-
To Die of Paralysis
Li He Father.
Helpless Invalid For
Three Years.
Dr. Miles' Nervine Made
My Nerves Strong.
"For many years I suffered from terrible
headaches and pains at the base of the brain,
and finally got so bad that I was overcome
with nervous prostration. I had frequent
dizzy spells and was so weak and exhausted,
that I could take but little food. The best
physicians told me I could not live; that I
would die of paralysis, as my father and
grandfather had. I remained a helpless in
valid for three years, when I heard of Dr.
Miles' Restorative Nervine and began using
it That winter I felt better than 1 had be
'fore in many years, and 1 have not been
troubled with those dreadful headaches since
I first used Dr. Miles' Restorative Nervine.
My appetite is good and my nerves are
' strong.' Mrs. N. M. Bucknell, 2929 Oak
land Ave., Minneapolis, Minn.
VFormany yesrs I suffered from nervous
prostration, and could not direct my house-
hold affairs, nor have any cares. My stom
ach was very weak, headaches very se
vere, and I was so nervous that there was
. not a night in vears that I slept over one
4 hour at a time. We spent hundreds of dol
lars for doctors and medicine. I was taken
to Chicago and treated by specialists, but
received no benefit at all. Finally I heard
of Dr. Miles' Nervine and began its use. I
was surprised that it helped me so quickly,
and great was my joy to find, after using
seven bottles, that I had fully recovered my
health." Mrs. W. A. Thompson Duluth,
Minn.
AH druggists 9ell and guarantee first bot
tle Dr. Miles' Remedies. Send for free book
on Nervous and Heart Diseases. Address
Dr. Miles Medical Co., Elkhart, In.
archy. I am satisfied that today there
is a great undercurrent of determina
tion that the parties shall no longer
thwart the popular will. The great
socialist vote cast last year is due in
part to the disgust of voters with
both the leading parties. People want
new men, new purposes, and above all,
leaders who are consecrated in their
opposition to the terrible monopolistic
developments of the day. Men with a
willingness to make any sacrifice for
the public good are now standing help
less because they cannot satisfy them
selves that any party is unqualifiedly
devoted to the people's cause. The
parties themselves have too often been
indifferent or treacherous to the pop
ular rights. The complicated election
laws have added to the confusion of
the voter; falsity of legislatures has
discouraged the people until many in
sheer disgust stay at home and let the
interests of the republic and the rtate
drift along toward the all-engulfing
sea of capitalism.
"Three issues which the proposer:
organization present seem to me to
be vital tests of real devotion to pop
ular government. Legislatures are be
ing sold out from time to time to cor
rupting franchise grabbers, and our
platform demands the right of veto
in all cases by a majority of the peo
ple at the polls. If legislatures will
not propose and enact laws necessary
to the protection of the public rights
a proper percentage of voters can
propose such laws to be submitted
on the ballot and made law by the
people beyond the reach of corporate
corruption and intimidation. This is
direct legislation, and until we get it
all propositions of political policy are
in vain.
"After much discussion there"" has
been added to our platform a sweep
ing declaration in favor of the publi';
ownership of public utilities. It is ap
parent to any one who has observed
the recent history of our politics that
the great corrupters of legislatures an 1
the dominant forces in control of our
politics are the corporations to which
has been delegated the sovereign
rights of the people in the highways
of the state and nation. It is the
railroads, the street railways, the ex
press, telegraph and telephone com
panies, gas, electric light and water
companies which throw their power
ful lobbies into the halls of legisla
tion to support corrupt politicians and
make the ballot of the citizen inef
fective. Till we remove this corrupt
influence from our politics and put
these public service corporations un
der the same management as the post
office, hoaest men will struggle in vain
for honest government. Likewise the
keystone of monopoly in this country
is the transportation system. The
Standard Oil company and the beef
trust were built upon railway discrim
inations, which can ruin all competi
tion. The coal trust lives upon its
possession. of the railroads; the steel
trust upon its ownership of the lines
of transportation from the ore beds
and upon railway rates discriminating
against competitors. The. -tremendous
fabric of monopoly in this country
will never be even shaken until the
people have possession of the aven
ues of trade and passenger transpor
tation just as they now have control
of the highways.
"T!-o third proposition is a question
of the liberty of the citizen. A menace
to the people's freedom has arisen in
the practice of courts of equity, par
ticularly in the United States courts,
to issue sweeping orders to whole
communities of people, then hale be
fore themselves the disobedient and
punish them by imprisonment without
possible resort to any appeal, or even
the right of habeas corpus. When
the dangers of this practice are un
derstood by the people they will
speedily legislate against it. It is
not intended to weaken the power-of
the courts, but to defend the trial by
jury, which has come to us as the
sacred heritage of centuries of agita
tion and bloodshed.
The purpose of our new organization
is well expressed in its name, "The
People's Rule." I wish to say that it
is my highest desire that republicans
should enter this organization as well
as democrats and socialists. The pur
pose of the organization is to create
a forum in every town and city in
the commonwealth, in which these
questions shall be discussed, so that
no member of any party need be dis-
iuiut-u iu ms pally Ullin. It IS tl'UC
that the members are pledged lo work
for the platform set forth but if any
man wishes to enter the organization
in order to get the benefit of discus
sion he is free to do so. no matUr
what are his beliefs, and whenever
his membership calls upon him to
vote or do any act not consistent with
his conscience he can at once resigu
and relieve himself of all obligation.
Of course, the purpose of the organi
zation is to forward the ideas set
forth in the platform, to encourage
INVESTIGATE BEFORE INVESTING,
vv
E INSIST that you investigate our propositions before you inrest
l! - 3 11 ril fTM 1 1 X L 41
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ii
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9
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i
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K MM4m4444
s
candidates to favor these ideas, to
force upon the parties these princi
ples, and to enact them as speedily as
possible into legislation.
"I earnestly hope that my identi
fication wilh the democratic party will
not mislead our citizens into the idea
that this is a purely democratic move
ment. I am responsible for opening
the movement to all parties, because,
considering the treachery of the last
democratic convention to these prin
ciples, I am no longer willing to leave
them at the mercy of amy political
party. Believing that three-fourths
of the people of this state are in
favor of them, I hope and pray that
these forces may be combined to se
cure their enactment into law.
"I have been encouraged beyond
expectation by the reception which
bhis plan has received from the few
whom I have been able to consult.
Within the last hour a prominent re
publican to whom I gave a copy of the
call in confidence a week ago, has
called at my office. When I gave him,
the call he read it and said he re
gretted that he could not agree with
me on the question of public owner
ship oi public utilities, because he
feared the influence of the politicians
in such great business enterprises. I
asked him if it was not true that our
legislatures today are held captive by
the private owners of these public
utilities, and whether the postoffice
employes were invading our legisla
tures with corruption funds and lob
bies; in other word, whether the evil
of extending the public service could
by any possibility be equal to the
terrible effects which have come to
our republic from the ownership of
these utilities by private individuals.
This morning he appeared and with
great enthusiasm stated that as he
reflected upon this plan it seemed to
him to be almost a plan for saving
the country; that he had discussed it
with some of the leading men, mainly
republicans, in h-Ls town, and found a
remarkable welcome from almost all
of them to the idea. Ife proposed at
once to start an organization in his
town. Thus, curiously enough, the
first man to exploit this idea of or
ganization is a republican from whom
I hardly expected sympathetic action.
I am, as a partisan, sorry to say
that in the west, where these ideas are
making progress, the leaders of the
movement have oftener been republi
cans than democrats. I sincerely trust
that if this organization can be made
a success we shall not have to ask
ourselves any questions as to party
fealty, but may swing into the legisla
ture such tremendous non-partisan in
fluence that we may at last secure the
right of the people to a 'state town
meeting' with the power to veto upon
its legislature. Then we shall have
what the name of this organization in
dicatesThe People's Rule.'
"As is indicated in the call, when 1
per cent of the registered voters in
any ward or town become members of
the state organization, they will be
notified to organize locally. Thus any
active man, in any town, who sees the
good of this organization, can prob
ably in a few days induce the requisite
number of men to become memberr.
to send in their pledge and dues, and
thereupon they can begin at once the
beneficent work of the organization.
We shall have a force of speakers to
send to these local councils to talk
upon these questions. The young men
who are sick of the old political lines
of discrimination can take up this
new organization and speedily sup
plant the old-fashioned politician. Of
course this democratic method of or
ganization leaves it open to the first
comer to impress his character upon
the organization, but this seems better
than to attempt to pick out a partic
ular man to do the work. If, for ex
ample, the labor organizations wish
to take up this movement, which rep
resents principles they have long es
poused, they can do so. If republicans
are more earnest than democrats, then
the democrats must take second place
but as there is no limit to the mem
bership, it is hoped that the parties
will vie with each other in their ef
forts to control the local councils. By
such competition we shall get togeth
er all those who really have faith in
popular government, and confidence
that an extension of the people's pow
er is the remedy for existing evils."
The Cubans are taking a hand in
the fight against the tobacco trust.
All the great firms in Havana have
signed an agreement not to sell any
thing to the trust for ten years.
