Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1903)
ill wmw 111 AY M i if L Vol. XIV. LINCOLN, NEB., MARCH 5, 1903. No. 41. GROWING POPULISM Dr. Vlctar Rasawater of Uia Omaha Bee - Standing up for I'opnlism In City Affair . During the past lyear The Indepen dent has heard a good many popul ists speak In a hopeless sort of way about the "death of the people's par ty." This sentiment is fostered by a great many republicans, socialists and democrats who expect their respective parties to profit by the dissolution of the people's party. To a great extent the party has by fusion lost its iden tity as far as concerns mere abstracts pf votes cast; but this is an appearance that deceives no one who wants to Know the truth. The state records of Nebraska show a mid-road populist vote of about a thousand but they do not show how many of the hundred thousand fusionists are populists. But suppose it were true (which it is not) that the people's party organiza tion is dead. What of it? The prin ciples of populism were never more alive than today. They permeate ev ery political party. "What are you going to do next year, said a well known Lincoln man not long since to the associate editor; "the republicans are taking up populist doctrines and will have stolen about all your plat iform by next year." "Oh," said the associate, "if they do that I'll prob ably do as you did a few years ago join the republican party." (This man was a gold democrat formerly.) "But," continued the associate, "we will still have a choice, because the democrats will probably adopt a socialistic plat form." "Well," replied the Lincoln man, "I believe we will try socialism a whirl. I am against it, but I'm only one and don't count. Nevertheless we are going that road very rapidly; we'll try it, I'm thinking, and then if we don't like it, we'll try something else." Down at New York last week was held a convention on municipal owner ship and public franchises. The ques tion of municipal ownership of electric lighting plants was up and the affirma tive was defended by Dr. Victor Rose water of the Omaha Bee. Think of that, you down-in-the-mouth popul ists who are quitesure that populism is dead." The negative was upheld by Lieutenant Cahoon, secretary of the national electric light association a very natural position for him to take. The Independent is pleased to pre sent to its readers the Bee's press report of the views of Victor Ro.ewater, populist: "In Mr. Rosewater's paper the fu tility of competition as a regulative force to repress the inevitable ten dency of monopoly in electric light ing and to prevent extortionate charges was clearly pointed out. From statistics compiled by the com missioner of labor for the federal gov ernment he showed that the financial saving resulting from municipal own ership was substantial and verified by the experience of many American cit ies. While admitting that the sta tistics at hand are not all that is de sired, the superiority of the municipal ly owned plants over the private cor porations in the matter of cheap and efficient service, both to the public and to private consumer of electric lighting, is supported by all the facts and figures. As to the contention that municipal ownership would drag the electric lighting service into polities, he asl ed how the subject could be dragged further into politics than it now is under the system of private franchise grants. In all the disclosures of municipal corruption in various cit ies throughout the country d'iring the, last few years the most flagrant cases of bribe-giving have arisen out of at tempts to purchase franchises from venal public officials, while no im portant example of dishonesty has ben uncovered in anv municipil light ing plant once installed The question is no loneer betwren municipal owner ship and competitive private enter prise, but between municipal owner ship and municipal control; but the best terms enforcible under munici pal control are less effective and lea.s satisfactory than under municipal ownership." The old way in which our great men grew up and became powerful In legis lation was first to take an interest in public affairs. They usually began by attending conventions, taking part in primaries, engaging in campaign work, mingling with the common peo ple, becoming a member of the legis lature, perhaps running for congress or advocating measures that were for the benefit of the people. The new way is to become a stenographer and private secretary to some great i and by the influence of his employer whom he has served steps from tit re to a cabinet position or some other high office. The Independent likes the old way the best, v INDEPENDENT SCHOOL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY A League of Local Classes Composed of Readers of The Nebraska Independent Who Desire to Study the Science of Political Economy TRAVELING LIBRARY OF VALUABLE BOOKS Every Subscriber to The Independent I a Charter M;mbr. Reading; Class Five or More May Organize a Local Learn the truth and be readv to combat error. Join the Independent School of Political Economy. Write a postal car dtoday. The Independent's motto is "The Truth About Everything." Of coarse that does not mean that it must nec essarily mention everything; but that whatever it does mention shall be told with strict adherence to facta. It has no space for sensational hews, the sickening details of murders, suicides, the doings of royalty and plutocracy, and such like, except where mere ref erence may be useful in teaching a leseon. The Independent's mission as a newspaper is to teach the lessons of political economy as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, the con stitution, and the national platforms of the people's party. It is a partisan paper only to the extent that at pres ent the people's party is the only one occupying the middle ground between extreme individualism, or anarchism on the one hand and socialism and communism on the other. The Inde pendent cafes nothing for party names, however; its only mission is to assist in securing such legislation as will insure "equal rights to all, spe cial privileges to none," with -all that that implies. Roughly speaking, po litical economy is the science of get ting a living; or "the science that treats of the nature of wealth, and the laws of its production and distribu tion." Henry George says: "Men may honestly confess an ignorance of astronomy, of chemistry, of geology, of philology, and really feel their ignorance. But few men honestly con fess an ignorance of political econ omy. Though they may admit or even proclaim ignorance, they do- not real ly feel it. There are many who say that they know nothing of political economy many, indeed who do hot know what the term means. Yet these very men hold at the snme time and with the utmost condrnce o-inions upon matters that belong to politi cal economy, such as the causes which affect wages and prices and profits, the effect .s of tariffs, the influence of labor-saving machinery, the function and proper substance of money, the reason of "hard times" or "good times," and so on. For men living in society, which is the natural way for men to live, must bve pome sort of politico-economic theories gcod or bad, right or wrong." (Science of Po litical Economy, page xxxvi.; Double day & McClure Co., New York, 1898.) In the very nature of things it is a practical impossibility for The Inde pendent every week to cover the ground necessary to a tolerably clear knowledge of the fundamentals upon wrhich the true science of political economy rests. At the very best it can only show the relation of daily occurrences to thoffe fundamentals. This, of course, assumes that its read ers have read boos which give them a clear understanding of the applica tions made. Mahv of its readers r?re thorough nolitical economists ome of , book at the lowest price The Inde- tbpm teaching the science in the great I pendent can secure from the publish- inllPrPS and nni vprsitips- hut manv era. of them have not had the advantage of a proper course of reading on the sub books on the subject, debated the ques tions, and became well fortified with facts to sustain their argument against those who opposed them. With the abandonment of this organization, real progress in the study of political econ omy (outside of schools and colleges) ceased. And barring the fact that a few of the old alliance men have con ceived the erroneous idea that they have learned all thert; is to know of political economy, they are- the best equipped and most appreciative read ers The Independent has. Without any idea of making invidious, comparisons. The Inde pendent feels free to say that the west is fully ten years ahead of the east in learning the true science of political economy. This is due to the farmers' alliance in great measure. But today the east i3 more wide-awake and anx ious to learn than any other section of the country. The great truths that al liance men learned in the eighties and early nineties are just now making a btart in the east. And now is the time to see that the truth and not sophisms is given the people, hun gry to learn. The National Economic League, with its plutocratic college professors, bank presidents, trust magnates, and Gro ver Clevelands, has already started on a campaign of "education." Pop ulists and old alliance men, better than any others, know that that "edu cation" is simply pettifogging and "special pleading" for the privileged few an extension of Mark Hanna's "let well enough alone" cry. A coun ter organization or a dozen of them is necessary, and for this reason The Independent proposes the INDEPENDENT SCHOOL of POLITICAL ECONOMY. Every subscriber to The Independent is eligible to membership and entitled to draw books from the traveling li brary. Where five or more subscribers liv ing near to each other desire, they can organize a local class, with by-laws, membership fees and dues if they choose, and elect officers, and hold meetings for the purpose of reading and discussion of economic questions. A department in The Independent will be devoted to news of the various classes, book reviews, outlines for reading, and questions for discussion. One feature will be debates by mail between classes in different localities. For the present The Independent will not attempt the publication of any books, but will buy from the publish ing houses such works as will give the classes an. unattached members a clear insight into the various branches of political economy. Only a nominal charge will be made to cover wear of the books sent out; but members may buy and retain any Full details of the plan have not been worked out, and cannot be until iect, and much of the real point is j T1)e Independent learns whether its lost on them. To one who has never read the Bible, much of manv a real ly fine sermon would be difficult to understand: and nnalowfdv this is true of well written editorials and commnnications on political economv. In the old days of the farmers' al liance, that organization did a grand work of primarv education in politi cal economy. The member? of the different local organizations held fre quent meetings, read and discussed subscribers really want an opportun ity of reading and studying the valua ble and costly works on political economy (or, at least, those written in understandable English) at merely a nominal rental for the books. How many favor the plan? Write a postal card today. The question is up to you. Address, THE INDEPENDENT, Lincoln. Neb. Political Economy. VENEZUELA AND THE ALLIES Mr. Anthony Showi tha Connection Ila twttu Vmmi XvaoU and the Debt . Collecting Illockada . Editor Independent: The attack of the British and German empires upon the little republic of Venezuela in the throes of a civil war, encouraged If not instigated by England, to collect a paltry sum of gold, seems a squalid and sordid affair. The expense of col lection will probably exceed the debt. The seizing of her navy so she cannot intercept supplies to her rebels,' the wanton destruction of the lives and property of her citizens, the blockade of her ports so she can get no rev enue with which to pay, seem to Indi cate some ulterior purpose on the part of England not disclosed. A glimpse at history and some present facts may disclose this ulterior purpose. In the spring of 1837 Louis Napol eon, afterward emperor of France, passed three months in the United State3. It was just after his fruitless escapade at Strassburg. Every facil ity was afforded him to become ac quainted with the resources of this re public. Subsequent events show he.' feared its future greatness would men ace the continued commercial and po litical supremacy of Europe. On Aug ust 6, 1840, he made his second at tempt to secure the throne of Fran e at Bologne. He was captured and im prisoned in the fortress of Ham from which, disguised as a workman, he escaped on May 25, 1846. While in confinement at the fortress he mada "labor and economic" questions his especial study. His many articles on these subjects were published in the French newspapers and periodicals and attracted general attention. In his work, "Le Canalde Nicaragua," he advocated the creation by emigration from Europe of a powerful maritime state "a second Carthage" in Cen tral America which in connection with Latin Mexico should curb tin grow ing power of this republic, and pre vent its aggression from the ncjth. . During his confinement at Ham , the Central American states sent M. Chattilon as special ambassador to France to secure the construction of this canal. 'Failing in his mission at the court of Louis Philippe, with his permission he visited the prince at the fortress. Later Senor de Monte negro, the minister of foreign affairs for the Central American states, sent the prince a communication conferring upon his exclusive powers for organiz ing in Europe a company to build the canal, informing him that by a de cree of the states the name of the canal should be "Canal Napoleon de ' Nicaragua." In 1847 after his escape to England he organized there a com pany with a capital of twenty mil lions to build the canal and create a strong maritime power under the con trol of Europe. The revolution of 1848 which exiled Louis Philippe and made Napoleon emperor of France diverted him from this project The building of the long canal, perhaps the greatest achievement of the French nation during his exile, further distracted his attention from Nicaragua (Century, July, 1902). During our civil war he made three attempts to induce Eng land jointly with France to aid the south with their united armies and navies. Lincoln's emancipation proc lamation and Russia's announcement of aid to the north prevented Eng land's open interference. We all know how effectively her sailing class aided the south by building war ships in her so-called neutral waters, by mon ey, by blockade runner, sheltered in her islands off our coasts, and in ev ery covert manner possible. ' We all know of Emperor Napoleon's Latin monarchy fate. In 1869, two years after his death, the historian M. Charles Hericault partly states the at tempt to set up a stable Latin govern ment in Mexico was "to prepare a bae of resistance in the future struggle which must precipitate Europe and America one. upon the other." Demosthenes well says, "Kings from their nature are hostile to republics." They claim all. good descends from, them to the people. The fact is all things ascend from the people, even the sufferance of kings. England un der Gladstone bombarded Alexandria, captured and exiled Aribi Pasha to Ceylon, ostensibly to collect interest on her bonds, with a promise to evao-