FEBRUARY 26, 1903.
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT.
5
On to Victory
v Editor Independent: In a recent
issue of your paper, I find an article
over the signature of S. B. Weaver,
headed "Union of Reformed Forces.-'
I want to say that I most heartily
agree with the spirit of that article,
particularly as it relates to the im
perative necessity of uniting all the
various reform elements into one sol
idly, compacted political organization.
Mr. Weaver suggests the idea of a na
tional conference to which he would
invite to participate in whatever bus
iness might come before that body,
socialists, populists, single taxers,
trade unionists, knights of, labor,
grangers, and every trade of indus
trial reformers. That is good, but
why did not Mr. WTeaver include in
that list Bryan democrats?
The democratic party of today is di
vided into two parts or sections, name
ly, the Bryan democrats, and the
.Wall street democrats. The Bryan
democrats represent the people, the
laboring man and the wage-earner.
The Wall street democrats represent
the millionaire, the banker, the trusts
and monopolies. It was the Wall
street democrats, affiliating with th-j
republicans, that defeated Bryan in
189G, and also in 1900. The Bryan
democrats, with the Wall street dem
ocrats acting with the republicans,
cannot succeed at the ballot box. The
republicans want to see this split con
tinued in the 'democratic party; they
know it augurs republican success.
Now, I think that Mr. Bryan and
his branch of the democratic party
could, and should join in with, and
act in concert with all the other re
form elements, and organize upon a
common basis, and form a consoli
dated party that will fairly represent
the wants and interests of the masses.
I feel sure that a party thus formu
lated would win in the great political
struggle of 1904. As It now stands it
is the republican party against the
field and if the field is divided up in
to sectional factions and parties the
republican party will surely win.
I think the name of the new party
is a thing of minor importance; there
is not much in a name anyway. Let
the basic structure of' the party be
right, Jeffersonian in spirit, and the
name is not significant. I am a
great admirer of Mr. Bryan, and I
stand for the political principles which
he represents. I regard Mr. Bryan
as one of the cleanest politicians and
one of the ablest statesmen in the na
tion today. I have cast my ballot
twice for him for the highest office
within the gift of the people. Surely
within this grand consolidated party
we want Mr. Bryan and the army of
true and loyal men that follow him.
There are voters enough today in the
United States who are not in sym
pathy with the republican party, and
who will not vote with that party, to
defeat it, if we can unite that element
solidly against the republican party.
That is the work now on our hands.
We can do that, and without sacrific
ing any material principle. Let con
solidation be our watchword, and on
to victory. W.. M. KAIN.
Ashtabula, 0.
Socialism Not Communism
Editor Independent: Again I am
disgusted with the Nebraska stay-at-home
populists, but I still "stand pat"
as to sympathy with your paper, for
you give your readers much valuable
matter not found so well in every oth
er paper; and hence the enclosed $3
to be appropriated as follows: (giv
ing directions.)
And now a word on politics. As you
may know I came here from Nebraska
a populist, and here voted for Bryan
and am counted as a democrat. But
with Hill, Cleveland & Co. in the tead
I can have no permanent sympathy
with the democratic party. And if
not, what then? I must be a pro
hibitionist or a socialist. Why? Be
cause the populist party as an organi
zation has passed its period of use
fulness and of hope of success. Its
alliance with the democratic party
has unquestionably helped to its
doom notwithstanding all the good
hopes of the friends of reform to the
contrary. It cannot successfully win
the battle of the people over giant
corporations, monopolies and Wall
street. I am, therefore, disposed to
conclude that the socialist party wilj
yet lead the people to that victory,
first in municipalities here and there,
and then on a broader field, state and
national.
And here, Mr. Editor, permit me to
say, that you misconstrue socialism
and the socialist party. Socialism is
not communism as historically illus
trated in the bloody days of Paris
and France, nor yet the wild com
munism of the early Bible Christians,
rather, I think, populism and social
Ism are essentially one in their basic
principle, to-wit: That the people
themselves should own and control
the great utilities In which they
ought and may be interested through
the government, municipal, state and
national; in a word, that the people
should dethrone all corporations which
antagonize their just interests, and
should take many of the great com
mercial interests of this nation into
their own ownership, and under their
own control through the government.
We need the guiding hand of fewer
Rockefellers, Morgans and Hills; and
instead the wisdom and love of coun
try and of the common people and of
Washington and Jefferson and Lin
coln. The greed of wealth is rapidly
training this nation if unchecked in
to the very worst form of oligarchy,
veneered, it is true, now and then,
here and there, by the pious or showy
beneficence of a few which may often
do more harm than good to the many
by eliminating from them the spirit
of independence and self-help which
every true American should possess.
May not the time speedily come
when populists and socialists shall
see eye to eye. and pull together. The
greedy ones of Wall street and abroad
in the land begin to fear socialism:
the fear of the populist party has
passed from their thought. Be sure
that you note that fact. Help to that
consummation.
REV. JAS. A. GR1 FFES.
Braidcntown, Fla.
A Pioneer
Editor Independent: I send you
five cards for three months. I am 70
years old and have been in the west
"all my life; was born in Indiana in
'33 when that was a wild country; in
'37 moved to Missouri; In '45 came
to Oregon; so you see that I had no
chance for to attend school and have
not much chance to help the cause,
though 1 would not stop adding my
grain of sand as long as I stay here.
Go on with your good work and may
you be crowned with success. As
I hope to live to see the money pow
er have to take a back seat and the
men and women that produce the
wealth have a fair show in this coun
try; but it seems that, the men that
make all the wealth about all they
care, for is to have enough to eat to
day. They all see, with few excep
tions, that there must be somethiag
done and it is hard to get them to
read anything only what their mas
ters say for them to read.
.J. WILKES.
Hillsboro, Ore.
The Quantity Theory
Editor Independent: According to
the monetary statistics of the World
Almanac (compiled from the report of
the director of the mint) and giving
the approximate amount of money in
the world, January 1, 1899, there was
of the total amount of gold in the
world, and which I believe was all
money of the United States
$4,631,700,000
Silver stock 639,000,000
Uncovered paper 319,500,000
$5,590,200,000
All this seems to be good money of
the United States. I believe the own
ers of foreign gold are able to use it
for the same purpose as the American
dollar and so it should be counted
with the American money. I under
stand that President Roosevelt and
other republicans propose to make
all other dollars redeemable in gold.
This would reduce the number of dol
lars of primary money from $3,
590,200,000 of gold, silver and green
backs to $4,631,700,000 of gold. If
prices are reduced in the same pro
portion they will be about 15 or 20
per cent lower with gold alone, than
they would with the gold, silver and
greenbacks as we now have them.
It seems to me that with the free
and unlimited coinage of gold and
silver, with the greenbacks of the
United States, there would be in the
world about $8,787,300,000 of primary
money of the United States, and prices
would be nearly double what they will
be with the single gold standard. By
borrowing the cheap dollars of the
double silver and gold standard, and
then changing to gold alone before the
debt was paid, our government has
doubled the value of its debt by dou
bling the value of its dollars.
An editorial in The Economist of
December 20, 1902, says: "A great
many investments are being made on
the ground that one dollar in gold
secures $2.80 in Mexican currency,
while the purchasing power of the
Mexican dollar is now as great as it
ever has been." If the purchasing
power of the Mexican, or silver, dol
lar is now as great as it ever has been,
the bondholders are getting nearly
three times as much value as is due,
because . they have destroyed the sil
ver dollars by fiat. Fiat money is
bad. J. H. NEWMAN.
Charlevoix, Mich.
(Mr. Newman feels sure that "fiat
OUR SPECIAL
I WGH GOIlliBin 1
f We Pay the Freight. w
)it We will deliver the following 110.00 combination to any town in 'f
the state of Nebraska, freight prepaid by us, any time during the 1
h month of March, 1903. Reference: First National Bank or The In- kjy
dependent. '.
n (X) lbs Best Granulated Sugar for $1.00 f
li , 20 lbs Choice Prunes 1.00 fli
T 25 bars Good Laundry Soap . . 1.00
fj 2 lbs High Grade Japan Tea 1.00 V
4V 10 lbs High Grade Peaberry Coffee 2.00 (ft
W . Gibs Fancy Bright Apricots. ................ ........ .75 fo
(i 4 lbs Fancy Muer Peaches 50 "
j 4 lbs Fancy 4 Crown Large Raisins .50 1 ii'i
2J G lbs Fancy Japan Ilead Rico .50 , M
r 2 cans lG-oz Cream of Tartar Baking Powder 50 Aff
jfli .'5 pkgs. 10 cent soda 25 iff
ilv ' 3 Pks 10 nt Corn Starch .25 W.
f j 3 pkgs 10 cent Gloss Starch 25 . !
i ' 1 lb Pure Black Pepper 25 Wl
;!; 1 bottle Lemon Extract 10 fr
fy 1 bottle Vanilla Extract 10 ' V
fi 2 doz. clothes Tins .05
r'j All the abo? e for f 10.00 W
$ Orders for customers outside of the state of Nebraska and on line
of railroad entering Lincoln add 75c to pay part of freight. f
I Branch & Miller Co. 1
(lis ,
Ai Cor. ioth and P Sts. Lincoln, Neb. yjjf
(S What we Advertise we Do. W
PEERLESS
MATTHEWS
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S3I5
money is bad," but does not say why.
How could gold in some other country
be "money of the Ignited States?"
.fust as well call the tea being sold
locally in Japan a product or com
modity of the United Slates. Gold
brought here from foreign countries,
whether in the form of bullion or of
coins, cannot be used as "money" un
til it has been stamped by the "flat"
of the United btates. It can be bought
and sold, however, the same as any
other commodity. And the owner of it
can have it coined at our mints with
out let or hindrance, after which he
can use it as "money." The im
porter of silver bullion or foreign sil
ver coins must sell his bullion or
coins, just as he woirtd sell cheese or
tea. before he can use them a3 "money
of the United States." That consti
tutes the difference between the treat
ment of gold bullion and silver bul
lion at our mints.
Mr. Newman must not overlook an
important factor in the question of
price. An increase or decrease in the
denominational sum ot money (one
million $20 gold pieces is equal to
four million $.r pieces) is not sufficient
to cause an increase or decrease in
the nrices of commodities. Other
things must be equal. And a most im
portant factor is the velocity for ex
ample, a $5 gold piece moving from
hand to hand in effecting exchanges
four times a week does the same
amount of work that a $20 gold piece
does moving only once a week. ,
Suppose the denominational sum of
money to be increased 25 per cent,
and at the same time the velocity de
creases 20 per cent There would be
no increase in prices of commodities
because of the increase in money and
no decrease because of the decrease
in velocity; for one would cancel the
effect of the other.
This is scientifically worked out in
Alex. Del Mar's "Science of Money,"
published by the Cambridge Encyclo
pedia Co., P. O. box 160, M. S., New
York. Ed. Ind.)
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