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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-