The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, February 26, 1903, Page 5, Image 5
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 PIANO... From a musical standpoint there is no better Piano on earth than the PEERLESS MAT THEWS. A careful, unbiased, unpreju diced examination of the Piano itself will con vince vou of the truthfulness of this statement. Matthews Piano Co., 1120 O St., Lincoln, Neb. 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.) The Biggest Alfalfa Bargain Yet A finely improved irrigated alfalfa farm in the Platte Valley in Nebras ka on the main line U. P. tt'y. x280 ; acres, only $25 per acre, $7,000; worth $10,000. Possession March 15. Send for full particulars. Payne Invest ment Co., Main Floor, N. Y. Life Bldg., Omaha, Neb.