THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT.
APRIL 30, 1903.
independent School of Political Economy
HFI MAD' CHist,prrdou8 metals
urfc-- i'M-ti tJj3; Hist, money $2;
Hist Monetary crimes, 75c; Science
money, $1; Hist. Money in America,
i.5o; Hit money China, 50c; Hist
money Kelherlands,5oc; Cambridge
Press, Box i6o,M. 8. New York.
Do vou want to understand the alms
and objects of the single tax? If you
do, you can obtain literature on the
subject free of cost by writing to the
Brooklyn Single Tax League, 1467
Bedford ave., Brooklyn, N. Y.
fPTTTTl urTTT-l t T
The Director acnowledges receipt
from the author, A. M. Simons, editor
of the International Social 1st . Review,
a copy of "The American Farmer"
(12 mo., cloth, 208 pages; 50c; Chas.
H. Kerr & Co., Chicago). A hurried
glance through its pages leads The
Director to believe that Mr. Simons
has at least laid the foundation for a
better understanding of American
farm economics. Most socialist lit
erature treats the farm problem from
the standpoint of the European farm
er and the conclusions drawn are not
applicable here.
A more thorough review will be
given at the earliest possible moment;
but, in the meantime, The Director
has no hesitancy in recommending the
book as worthy of a careful reading.
It will help the student of political
economy who desires a glimpse at this
phase 'of socialism through American
glasses instead of the strange foreign
ones we have hitherto been obliged
0 USe. . -
THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION.
Mr.. Simons has also favored The
Director with a copy of "The Social
Revolution," by Karl Kautsky, trans
lated by A. M. and May Wood Simons
(Kerr & Co.; 12 mo., cloth, 189 pp.,
50c). This Is also reserved for re
view. SOCIALISM UTOPIAN AND SCIEN
TIFIC. ,
To A. W. Ricker, one of the editors
of The Appeal to Reason, The Direc
tor's ackowledgments are due for a
copy of Frederick Engels "Socialism
Utopian and Scientific" one of Kerr's
little pocket library series. This The
Director has promised Mr. Ricker to
read carefully and thus assist in the
"development," signs of which Mr.
Ricker professes to have observed in
The Director's knowledge of social
PROGRESS AND TOVERTY.
: A disciple of Henry George and a
modest man to boot has given The
Director a cloth-bound copy of Henry
George's great work, "Progress and
Poverty," with the condition that Tne
Director first read it and then do as
he pleases with it afterward. As The
Director has read this work, he "be
lieves it should be in the hands of
some member who has never read it.
It is a "free" book, costing the reader
postage on to the next. Who wants
to read it first? .;
The school work grew faster than
The Director expected, and, with the
Henry George Edition crowding, he is
literally swamped with work, which,
being largely in a formative stage,
requires his personal . attention. A
..njinibeT of 'members have books or
dered and some delay has been un
avoidable, but as soon as the work is
systematized so others can assist, the
members may expect prompt service.
Parsons ' "City for the People,"
Ghent's "Our Benevolent Feudal?sm,"
Ely's "Outlines of Economics," and
Del Mar's "Science of Money" are the
leaders thus far. Simons' "The Amer
ican Farmer will doubtless take well,
once it is started. Deposit, 50c; same
for Kautsky's "Revolution."
The Director expects to furnish a
treat for the populists some of these
days. He is now in communication
with H. W. K. Eastman, Cheever, N.
H., who, back in 18S8, copyrighted
"The Science of Government," which
was published under the auspices of
the Massachusetts state assembly of
the Knights 'of Labor. Mr. Eastman
denies that labor has anything to do
with values, and sustains his point
with vigor. Both the Marxists and
the single taxers reach some wonder
ful conclusions in their efforts to con
nect value with labor cost. Marx, for
example, denies that virgin soil can
have (exchange) value, but admits
that it may command a "price!"
Mr. Eastman's book will be re
viewed as . early as possible and ar
rangements made to circulate it. - The
few pages referring to the-K. of L.
will not detract from its worth.
A Plan For Union
Editor Independent: I have never
written before for publication and am
usually too busy to worry about poli
tics, but having read an article in
your issue of April 2, by Rev. W. M.
Kain, under the head of "Unite,
Unite," I happened to think of a
plan to unite all of the parties op
posed to republican misrule.
The plan is: Let each party meet
in national convention as usual; let
this plan be put befor.e them and it
having carried, let each party nomi
nate candidates for president and vice
president as usual. Then let all these
candidates for .president meet and
draw lots, the lucky one to run. -The
rest to withdraw. Let the candidates
for vice president draw lots in the
fame way. The resulting ticket to be
called the Union ticket. The same
pian to be carried out in nominating
state and even county tickets.
I think this plan would result in a
conservative cosmopolitan ticket that
none of the common people except the
very hide-bound and partisan could
object to.
Hope my suggestion won't do any
harm anyhow. From my observation
01 human nature it would be impossi
ble for these parties to meet in joint
convention and nominate. Each
would want their idol to be IT.
E. W. ROBBINS.
Naponce, Neb.
COW
P TT71 A . n
FOR FODDER FOR COWS
A valuable and Nutritions Forage or Hay Crop.
One of the best and cheapest ways of improving soil is plowing under of a
crop of Cow Peas. Enriches Poor Land. Improves good land. Cow Peag are
superior to clover from the fact that the foilage is greater, besides making full
growth in from three to four months. If planted in the central corn belt sec
tion, a crop can be cut and cured for hay the same as clover, then the stubble
in a short time will put out a new growth which can be pastured or turned
under in the fall as a ferterlizer. Sow as early as May 10th or as late as July
one (1) bushel to the acre broadcast - : x
Cow Peas can also be drilled in between rows of corn when laying corn by;
the Peas will ripen early in the fall, when the corn is cut off, and stock turned
in will feed upon the peas without touching the corn until the peas are gone
Half (i) bushel to the acre is required when planted in corn.
Whipporwill per bu. $2.25. Black per bu. f 2.25
Clay per ba ....... . $2.15. Mixed per bu. $2.00
GRISWOLD SEED CO.
P. O. BOX K
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
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A Populist Socialist
May Tours to California
Colonist (second class) rates to California are in effect daily until June
15. Rate from Lincoln is $25.00.
May 3, also May 12 to 18, the round trip rate (first class) to Los Ange
les and aan Francisco will be only $45.00.
Choice of Routes via El Paso and via Col
orado. For information, call at nearest
Kock Island Ticket Office, or write
F. H. BARNES C. P. A.
1045 O St. LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
A
Editor Independent: In an article
of yours in reply to Mr Steffe under
head "As to Baby Rattle," you say
that the socialists "ignore the farm
problem" and you ask wherein the
farmers are exploited. Does not the
transportation companies, the grain
elevators, the flouring mills, the1 meat
packers, the cotton factories exploit
the small farmer? The farmer has to
sell his staple produce to co-operative
buyers. Do they not take all that he
produces over and above very limited
wages? Does not the interest on
debts, public and private, constitute
a fixed, tax laid upon the producers?
The "capitalist employer buys labor
power at -the cost of production," as
you grant, and he exploits the farmer
by fixing the. price of what he has to
sell as well a3 what he must buy. He
Is therefore as much a serf and as
much a wage-slave as any operative
in the factories. He can never rise
above this condition except by adopt
ing some form of exploitation him
self and robbing his neighbor.
The socialists are therefore right in
classifying the people into two classes,
the robbers and the robbed, and they
look forward to the time when the
brilliant editor of The Independent
shall wield his pen for that platform
Which offers in their opinion the only
hope for the robbed.
Come with us! We need, you.
You are too broad to care for a
name. The sacred cause of labor,
both rural and urban, we know, is
on your heart and the socialist pro
blem for its emancipation needs your
logical brain and warm enthusiasm.
Many of us take your paper because we
believe you are an unprejudiced rea
soner and will ultimately see the
light, and when you do you will have
the courage to stand for the right
regardless of hoary custom. .
"By surplus value" we do not un
derstand to mean that a surplus is
produced over and above the consum
ing' capacity of the people, but that
there is more produced than the
wages allowed will pay for. Conse
quently there is real distress in a land
of abundance. How can this ever be
remedied while a small part of the
people fix both price of products and
the wages paid labor? -
Public ownership of transportation
might help the independent farmer
who owns his farm, if it were not that
the exploiting class owns the govern
ment and by means of fixed charges
of interest and taxes Impossible to
escape because added to everything he
buys. The farmer populists called in
vain on the wage-earners for aid in
their reform movements. The tide is
now turned and the wage-slaves are
calling on the farmers. It is useless
to hope for reform until these two
classes get together. They are used
now by the robbers to neutralize each
other, the landholder being told that
he Is a capitalist and needs cheaper
labor In order to get a profit.
But the system which teaches men
to take profits from labor is wrong
and will eventually divide mankind
into master and servants. A feudal
ism which may at times be benev
olent, but never the less slavery. In
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which class will your children be?
M. FOERG.
Meridian, Miss.
. (Mr. Foerg makes a erood nomilist.
argument . in the main, but wholly
overlooks the point The Independent
has been ursrins:: That the nresent
inequitable distribution of wealth can
not ne explained wholly by applying
the Marxist formula of "surplus val
ue." certainly the farmer is ex
ploited, just as Mr. Foerg suggests;
but the Marxist does not account as
"exploitation" the robbery of one
burgeois by another. Marxist "ex
ploitation" occurs when the laborer
sens nis labor-power at cost of pro
duction and the capitalist uses thif
labor-power for a longer number of
hours than would sufitce-to Droduce
the things necessary to keep up the
laborer's capacity to perform labor.
The surplus - hours produce "surplus
value," we are told.
The Independent renudiates as un
sound the whole Marxist theory of
"surplus value," willingly admitting,
however, that the laborer receives
nothing like an equivalent for the
services he renders. It has no auar-
rel with thcgeneral survey made by
the socialists, but objects to beins
required to account for the enormous
inequalities in the distribution of
wealth by using the "surplus value"
formula. Further, The Indeperdent
does not fc ffrive in the "inevitability"
argument advanced by the socialists,
but vioes believe that we must fiehh
every inch c" the ground if we mak
any advance. Asociate Editor.)
Cracks a Kangaroo
Editor Independent: In a recent is
sue A. K. Angaroo says: "The sin
gle tax will help the man who works
for himself," which is true, and the
gentleman will also admit that then
there -will be more working for them
selves because land will become prac
tically free easier to get, as then no
one will hold land idle because it will
be unprofitable to do so.
This increased number of people
working for themselves will reduce
the army of the unemployed some,
also the fact of their being "helped bv
the single tax will enhance their pur
chasing power, thus making an in
creased demand for labor products and
again reducing the army of unem
ployed, making of them not only pro
ducers, but consumers, in turn em
ploying others and a repetition of the
act indefinitely. That one benefit
should be enough to make any fair-
minded person favor the idea.
The gentleman. al3o intimates the
socialist old stereotyped expressed
that the single taxers want to go back
to hand production, which is almost
too ridiculous to notice. The single
taxers would not abolish the present
labor-saving machinery if they could,
and could not if they would; we would
leave the machinery as it is, and eith
er gradually or instantly abolish all
taxation, direct and indirect, and sub
stitute the idea of single tax, which
is really not a tax at all, but the pay
ment to society for advantages that
society confers on the Individual.
The adoption of the single tax would
remove the evils that the socialists
are cracking at Karl Marx uncon
sciously admitted it when he wrote:
"The expropriation of the soil from
the people forms the basis of the ca
pitalistic system of production." If
that is true (which we do not admit)
then the restoration of the soil would
destroy the basis of socialist bogie
man, the capitalist. Then if there is
anything in their evolutionary idea it
can go on natural lines and not per
verted ones on account of the conse
quent result of the unnatural monop
oly of natural resources.
, ' ' TANGLE SIXER." ;
Youngstown, O.
Jefferson
The author of the Declaration of
Independence stands in human history
as the foremost man "who ever lived,
whose influence has led men to gov
ern themselves in the conduct of
states by spiritual laws, not formulas
to be assented to, but rules of life to
be governed by. It was due tn Jef
ferson that our fathers laid deep the.
foundation of the state in the morar
law. They first set to mankind the '
great example and exhibited the
mighty spectacle the sublimest spec
tacle in the universe of a great and
free people voluntarily governing it
self by a law higher than its own de
sire. He will hold his place among the
world's immortals as the author and
finisher of that great charter of hu
man rights and foremost architect
among the builders of free institu
tions, when those who now speak and
act in hollow mockery of his exam
ple, and selfish serviency to his glory,
are but forgotten dust. His is a safe
name for these to juggle with for
popular favor; but his loyalty to con
science and his sublime courage to
resist popularity when it demanded
sacrifice of manly independence are
and will remain to them unknown vir
tues. Senator Hoar,
Importance of fresh air to the sick
i3 told about in "Care of Invalids,"
(a copy of which has reached this
office), issued by the medical depart
ment of the Mutual Life Insurance
company of New York, and sent on
request to those who address the
home office of the company, Nassau,
Cedar, William and .Liberty streets,
New York city.
Is it not time that the populists take
charge of our state government again
to reduce freight rates and raise ail
road taxation? The populists may
have given up their fight as a party,
but their work with the democratic
party was productive of much good
to the people of the state of Nebras
ka. Anyone who is fair ought to ad
mit that the populists did more for
the interests of the farmer and ranch
men than, any republican legislature,
Valentine Democrat. .
