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About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (June 4, 1903)
JUNE 4, 1903. THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT 3 SHAMELESS ST. LOUIS A City Bobbed of Fifty Million Dollars for Lack of Majority KttU . So long as the corporations and tha political "boss," through the party machine, rule, the cities will be plun dered by the monopolies, and the peo ple's representatives will degenerate into bands of thieves who will wax fat through bribery. We have had many startling impressive illustra tions of this character during the last few years, notably in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and St Louis. in the latter city, for example, ac cording to a prominent St Loui banker quoted by Mr. Lincoln Stef feres in his excellent article in Mc Clure's Magazine, on "The Shameless ness of St. Louis," "fifty million dol lars worth of franchises and munici pal assets" have been given to corpor ations by the people's representatives, who individually received large bribes in consideration of thus handing over to a few individuals enormously val uable franchises that, if operated by the people or sold or leased at a rpasnnahlfi Azure, would have re duced the taxes to a minimum or havs supplied the treasury of the city witu enormous sums for scnoois, museums libraries, and parks. Hari the neoDle the right of initia tive and referendum, this carnival of corruption and robbery could not have prevailed. We know oi no instance where the people, when they have had the opportunity to vote directly on a question involving 'dispossessing themselves of valuable property with out compensation, have not over whelmingly refused to entertain th? corporations' plans. u'e fifty million dollars lost to the people of St. Louis through the brib ery of city officials by the corpora tions is typical of the vast sums that our present system of legislation iJ costing the public, while it also af fords an equally impressive illustra tion of the demoralization and cor rupting effect bf corporation and ring rule, or representative rule instead of government" through direct legisla tion. . " . The corporations' tools and apolo gists are in the habit of objecting to giving the people the right to in itiate and to veto legislation on the pretext of the expense that the extra elections would involve. As a matter of fact, instead of direct legislation proving a great additional expense to the public, it is safe to say that -t would result in saving the people many millions of. dollars that are now annually given away by legislators and municipal authorities to corpora tions and special class interests. There are three reasons that make . the campaign for majority rule su premely important: 1. It is imperatively demanded n order to preserve the fundamental pnciples pf free government. With out it the people are nt-the real governors or rulers. The masters are the corporations that rule the party "bosses" and political machines and that dictate the persons who shall mnkfi and execute the laws. 2. On considerations of public economy these strictly republican measures are ureently demanded. The ramival of loot that has made multi millionaires of scores of persons, who by bribery, direct or indirect, nave trained and are earning for notmng in Mtimahlv valuable special privileges, must be stopped. The hope of relief for the people from tne tyranny ana of the trusts and monop- olies lies in the prompt enactment of majority rule legislation, which is thoroughly feasible tnrougn tne win tiPtira method of Drocedure. 2. The corruntion of the people's representatives will rapidly spread and the virus most deadly to national integrity and perpetuity will quickly etv. unless the peopl'J promptly assert the fundamental de mand underlying all true repuDiics or free trnvernments that of the SOVer- ' eign right of the people to initiate and to pass such legislation as chang ing conditions and the. good of the state demand. Freedom cannot live in the midst of general official cor ruption, and human rights will bo brutally ignored unless, tne peopie have the direct and ultimate vote on measures of importance. The amazing revelations of corrupt , Hon In St Louis and other great Am erican municipalities are typical anl warn the friends of republican insti tutions that they have slept overlong And that onlv by resolute and wish action can the splendid heritage of our fathers be restored and mamtam Ad. Through majority rule the citi zens of the republic will become, a3 thev are in Switzerland, the real rul ers, and the power of the corporations will be destroyed. Mr. Folkthe noble and incorrupti ble state's attorney for St. Louis, who lias not only unmasked the wholesale bribery of the "boss," the city legis- lators, and the corporations in thai cit', but who has convicted a large number of the guilty parties, gives it as his conviction that "ninety-nine per cent of the people are 'honest; only one per cent are disnonest. Mr. aoiw has convicted every man he has tried before a jury. He is convinced that the people as yet are sound, but they lack leadership. They have been un der the rule of the "boss" and the party machine, and have no leaders, organizers, or patriotic apostles of justice and freedom to enthuse them with the old-time spirit and arouse in them .a passion for those great funda--mental verities that made our revo tionary era one of the most inspiring moments in the world's history. But it is a. noticeable fact that, wherever the people have been al lowed directly to vote on any issue that has been clearly presented, thev have evinced soundness tf judgment A notable example of this Kind was seen in the city of Boston, when the street railway, corporation made one of the most desperate fights it ha3 ever attempted in order to secure the right to relay tracks or. certain streets. All the press of the city, with one exception and that exception a Jour nal not enjoying a very great circu lation became special pleaders for the corporations. A small band of patriotic citizens, with comparatively small funds at their command. at- tempted to enlighten the electorate by sending to all voters a bocratic dis cussion covering the main points in volved. The result was that the elec torate voted against the corporation's program by almost a two-to-one vote. Majority rule is the blade that will strike down the upas tree of political corruption and corporate domination. It will avert from our republic the greatest dangers that have menaced free government since the foundation of this nation, and will open the way for continuous progress througn peaceful education. B. O. FLOWER, Editor, The Arena. This Beautiful Colonial Davenport FREIGHT PREPAID $21.00. Populist Duly Editor IndeDendent: Perhaps it may be considered an intrusion for me to butt in" regarding the future of the neoDle's narty. since you requested only the members of the national com mittee to speak, and I am not honored wun being such. But I must say that I sn annreriate the tenor of the re plies you have published from Elmer Thomas, Gerry Brown and uovernor Poynter and the rest, that I desire only to express a thought here. I believe that the people s party to day occupies the only rational ground between the outrages imposed by the republican and gold democratic par ties and the insanity of the socialist party. When the people's party came into existence it came as the cry ot the farmer, and thousands of indus trialists in the cities, recognizing the important sympathies between tnem selves and the farmers, joined wilt the movement. Since that time? things have somewhat changed. The farmer today is comparatively more prosperous than is the industrialist in the city. The same Issues that for merly appealed to the farmer and the wage-earner, though still as import ant as ever, cannot now be used to rally either of these classes of pro ducers. Because both of these classes have advanced beyond that stage. We need a platform of constructive is sues. The farmers of this country have been systematically lied to by piutoc racy regarding the issues involved in the land question. They have been told, for instance, that the single tax- ers Dronosed to levy a tax upon land. and as they had most of the land, they would have to pay most of the taxes Many of them believed this, notwith standing that thev were already nay- ing 68 Der cent of all the taxes raised while only owning about 20 per cent of the nation's wealth. They are now beginning to see that, as the single tax would exempt their implements, stock and improvements from taxation and levy all assessments against land values (not land) which are mostly in the centres of population, it is an issue which thev can heartily sud- port While, on the other hand, the industrialist In the city, already be reft of his home, sees in the single tax a Dronosition that would force idle speculative land into use, thereby furnishing more employment at ad vancing wages and decreasing rents Now,, the industrialists in the city are rapidly going to the socialist par ty, not because they are socialists, but because the other parties have not presented to them any definite Dlan for economic emancipation. They are going to the socialists as a protest against glittering generalities. We DODullsts ourselves have been shame lessly ambiguous upon this land ques tion, it win not do to say tnat tne land is "the heritage of all the peo ple." The rankest plutocratic party can say that just as honestly as wo can, because it does not. mean any A piece of furniture that would, beautify any room. Richly carved, roll ends and claw feet. Guaranteed patent steel spring work. Special values in Oil Stoves, Refrigerators, Ham mocks. Send for our free catalogues. We pay freight. Guarantee safe. delivery. RUDGE & GUENZEL CO. 1118-1126 N St., Lincoln, Nebraska. as thing. We have got to tell the people how they can , regain this natural heritage, and if there is now or ever has been any proposition presentel by anybody that would as readily re store to the DeoDle their natural herit age in the land as would the proposi tion of Henry George, i nave yet to see it There are today conservative! sDeaking at least three million single taxers in the United States. These will never remain with the reorganiz ing democracy. They will not go t3 the socialists. Is not our duty plain; The single tax is tne only common ground for the people. We have got to speak. Let it be in no ambiguous terms. We will not only thereby re tain the farmer vote, but we will se cure and hold the municipal indus trialists. L. J. QUINBY. . Omaha, Neb. ; " A CANNING FACTORY L at home. Farmers don't delay. Investigate. Save your surplus fruit by canning. Easy to learn Catalog free. M, FOERO, Meridian, Mississippi. Turn the Rascals Out Editor IndeDendent: My subscrip tion has about expired, and not car ing to miss a number of Tne inde pendent, I remit for renewal and offer a few words as to the cause and the remedy for monopoly and the trusts. Doubtless class legislation in th3 granting of special privileges to the banks and to the railroads; the work ing of a robber tariff, which compels the producer and consumer to bear the burden of the rich and. privileged classes, have been the great and en during first causes of all present economical disturbances. . The fault inheres with the govern ment itself as formulated and oper ated by the republican party almost incessantly for nearly fifty years. Un til the people retake and possess the government now in possession of the combines, I fear government owner ship would prove a delusion. Th first thing to do and the only sure shot to existing villainy is to form a voters'; trust at the ballot box, by the millions of fleeced voters for the pur pose of creating a world power, not for criminal aggression and the ma rauding of, other people, but a power that will protect the American people from the encroachments of concen trated greed, securing to them their homes and their first share in produc tive labor. Once turn the rascals out, then hu man rights may be restored. Can this be done? Will it be done in 1904? If not, the American people will have proven themselves the most servile of any people pretending to liberty and popular government on the face of the globe. The railroad manipulators have be come highway robbers - indeed. The Independent is a host within itself. Populism is all right Her demands bear the imprint of truth, Justice and righteousness, which the captains of plutocracy have not been able to ef face. . ' - W L. MORGAN. Williamport, O. The class struggle see Karl Marx Edition, July 23, 1903. 320 Acre Farm In Antelope Count No. 712. This farm is one mile and a half from Clearwater and seven miles from Nellgh, the county seat 200 acres is fenced in pasture; 6-room house, well and wind mill; splendid yards hog tight, made of woven wire. Two new barns built last fall, one 30x v 40 and one 24x32. 160 acres of this land lays in the Elkhorn Valley; as good alfalfa land as there is in the state; also suitable for corn and ren eral farmine Durooses. 40 acres un der cultivation; 10 acres in alfalfa. This farm is in the heart of the al falfa land of the Elkhorn Valley. A farm nrtlninine this with 80 acres in alfalfa sold last winter for $45 per acre. Another farm adjoining this has 140 acres in alfalfa and the Huffman Rowlings ranch four miles from this farm ha3 1,300 acres in alfalfa. A splendid corn Country, within the rain belt, 125 from Sioux City, 150 miles from Omaha and Lincoln. Clearwater is a town, of 400 people, with good stores, school and churches, popula tion mostly American, Swede and German. Price of the farm complete $7,000. For sale by Weber & Farris, . Lincoln, Neb. " Do You Want a Camera? Boys and girls, here is a chance to secure a good camera absolutely free. We will give you a Brownie Camera, made by the Eastman Kodak Co. This camera is not a toy, but is a reliable and accurate instrument making pic tures 2 1-4x2 1-4 : iches, which are as sharp and clear as pictures made by most $10 and $15 cameras. Send us three new subscriptions to the WEEKLY WORLD-HERALD, prepaid for one year, and we will at . once mail you, postage paid a Brownie Camera. The subscription price of the WEEKLY WORLD-HERALD is $1.00 per year. Address WEEKLY WORLD-HERALD, Omaha, Neb. ROCK ISLAND SYSTEM. LOW RATE BULLETINS No need to stay at' home THIS summer. All sorts of low rates are offered by the Rock Island and they apply to all sorts of places. Note To ' California, in June, July and August To Colorado, in June, July and August To Detroit and Boston, In July. Particularly low are the rates to Colorado which will be In force earl7 in July. Detailed information as to through car service, cost of tickets, etc., will -be furnished by nearest Rock Island ticket agent, or by writing 4 F. H. BARNES, 1045 0 st, Lincoln, Neb, f