WHAT'S THE MATTER?
The editor of The Independent is
constantly being asked, by traveling
men, merchants and others: "What s
the matter? Trade is dull, sales are
hard to make; stocks of goods are too
large. Collections are slow and hard
to make." The same tale is indicated
in the Dun and Bradstreet reports.
"Railroad earnings have fallen 7 per
cent. Trade' is irregular. The indus
trial situation has not been entirely
favorable. Spring trade has been dis
appointing in many lines. Collections
show no improvement."
The matter is just this: It is im
possible to take a billion and a half of
money out of the pockets of middle
class people and without giving any
thing in return, transfer it to the cof
fers of a score or. so of men in New
York, without producing business
stagnation and distress, and - that is
exactly what has been done during the
last three years.
- The watering of the stock of the
steel trust took something over 500,
000,000 out of the people and it went
into the hands of less than "a half
dozen men. That much steel common
"stock was sold and although it is
quoted today at 10 and 11 cents it pays
no dividends and every cent invested
in it is a total loss. That is a sam-
pie of sixty or seventy other such
transactions of large moment while
there have been- countless smaller,
ones. Money has been put in mining
stock, oil well stock and every kind
of stock. It came out of the little
savings of the people and has been
a total loss. That leaves the people
poor and unable to buy. If the peo
ple generally cannot buy, business
must of course be dull and collections
from the merchants who have laid in
stocks of goods that they cannot sell
must be hard to make.
. There is another thing that is im
poverishing the people, especially the
people of the. west. That is the meat
trust. 4. Feeders are all losing money.
The price of fat cattle, is so low that
there-has been-heavy losses to the
banks which have made loans on cat
tle. Several banks in Iowa have been
forced into the hands of a receiver on
that account. , The depositors in those
banks have lost their, money. The
loss of these deposits has spread pov
erty all over the region where these
banks do business. There are other
banns mat are uoiuiug v vj
skin of their teeth." ' -
What's the matter? The national
government has refused to enforce
the criminal laws against trusts. The
states -have refused to prosecute men
who have issued watered stocks. The
common, middle class people have
been raided and robbed, and the govr
ernment, state and national, has re
fused to protect them or punish the
robbers. The ministers in many cases
have held up these robbers as "cap
tains of Industry" whose methods
should become models for the young
men of the country. The daily prets
has lent its powerful influence to as
sist the "captains of Industry" to rob
the people of their hard earned sav
ings. Millions upon millions of mon
ey has been wasted In gaudy displaja,
in the building of useless million dol
lar yachts, constructing great resi
dences along Fifth avenue, which are
utterly useless for such purposes and
are only pretended to be Inhabited
for a few weeks in the year. A very
great portion of the taxes for the sup
port of the general government has
been thrown upon the poor by tariff
which Imrense the cost of good cou
sumed. That's what's the matter.
AltftOll'TELY llltlKtOMCIl.Aitl.K
Something over a year ago, after a
careful study of condition, The In Jo
pendent came to the conclusion that
there ft4 R Irrecondlablo conftut
raging between the two wins of the
democratic party Itmom liable
taue bamd on conSktlng principle,
Th attempt to refwrra the derm rat L'
party had teert a failure although the
Kfurra force wttnla the democratic
ranks had been lead by the brilliant
and honest Bryan.- That being the
case, The Independent declared that
it was hopeless to look to the demo
cratic party for reform, or even enter
tain the thought that it could succeed,
for if one wing captured the national
convention, and it mattered not which
wing, the other would not support the
platform or candidates announced.
The editor of The Independent was
severely censured for taking that posi
tion, for out of it' grew the Denver
conference. Among those who ob
jected was the Chicago Public. Now
Mr. Post, in the Issue of The Public
of April 9, says:
"In considering the present sit
uation in democratic party poli
tics, it is folly to deny the fact of J
an irrepressible conflict inside the
party. Without entering at this
time upon any discussion of the
causes and merits of this conflict,
we may say, with no possibility of
a reasonable contradiction, that
upon the whole Grover Cleveland
personifies one" side of it and Will- "
Jam J. Bryan the other, and that
it is absolutely irreconcilable."
So fully convinced is Mr. Post of
this position that after consdering at
length the whole question, he said:
"It is very doubtful if even a
truce between Cleveland and Bry-
an themselves could hold the par
ty together, were either nomi
nated at this time, if such a truce '
were possible. But such a truce
is not possible. Cleveland's
friends make no concealment of
their intention to bolt again if the
convention goes Bryan's way; and .
Bryan, with all his personal pop
ularity, could not stem the tide of
defection were the convention to
go Cleveland's way." .:.
Now that is just what The Indepen
dent said more than a year ago. It
therefore went to work to build up the
people's party that would present a
platform In which there would be no
compromises with plutocracy, sup
ported by a party in which there was
no irreconcilable differences reardim
principles arid which would command ,
ine connaence of every man who is
opposed "to that , system of ; society
in which the few get without working,
and the many work without getting."
The Independent congratulates The
Public upon the clear statement5 it
makes in regard to the conditions In
the party which it has so long sup
ported and asks it now to adopt what
the editor of The Independent said
ten years ago.namely, "One might m
well try to reform a rotten egg as to
reform the democratic party while
such men as Cleveland, Dave Hill and
others of that stamp are admitted to
its councils." If Bryan could not re
form the democratic party, there is no
use of any one else trying. The thing
to do is to build, up another party
that will leave the Hill-Cleveland
crowd in the same position that the
Palmer-Buckner band were found in
when the votes were'eounted after the
last presidential election. .
A TEMPTATION
There lies on the editorial table a
letter from an old friend. He says:
"I admire the persistency and ability
with which you have fought for tae
more equal distribution of wealth and
better conditloua for the working
rple. I have not forgotten the time
when at the first populist state con
vention In Nebraska you made such a
gallant fight In the convention for the
demands of the labor unions of Oma
ha which you succeeded In having
mado part of the platform. Neither
have I forgotten that while orcan-
lied labor In Omaha at that time num
bered about S.tVK), that these men for
whom you made the fight all. with the
exception of about C0n, voted the re
publican thket. Neither have I for
gotten the spYh you mad to about
ism of them at JefiVnion Square,
when, without mlnelna word, vou
told them what you thought of their
abandonment of their own Interest.
The mm of the people to whose In
terest you have rivoUd your life
don't ant to be helped and tfont d-
FOB
bngglea
huikA li
baggies at 121. 00 to 123.00 and why we can sell at much lower prices than all others will be (ally explained. We w,J .
plain why we ship so as to make freight charges amount to next to nothing. Wa will exolain why we are thee- '
makers or dealers In the world that can ship buggies the day we receive, your order. Our free Trial Offer, Owr '
After Received Term. Our Binding Guarantee are all explained when we send you the FOUR FREE CATALObiU .
HAVE YOU AtJY USE FOR A CUGGY? X hJ'i WlWlZSZZXy :
bor. attention to this announcement. Don't buy any kind of a buggy until after you out this ad. out and sM to i I
ndrt IhcFoor Biff FreaUIrac,Uimoit liberal offer, thr rary latest CCADC PflBflll ft it ttn :! ;
yroposlUoa, every talagexBlalaea, all n-ee for las aiklag. WrlUteday. dCAIIaf UUCmUwA 12 (fill) UXL
serve help. Why not let them go their
way until the trusts and tariff graft
ers take the last shirt off their backs
and then when the meal tub and pork
barrel" are empty, when ,the landlord
comes with the constable and throws
what few rags, they have left out on
the sidewalk, as is being done in New
ork, maybe they will do something
for themselves. They have never
shown any appreciation for what you
have attempted to do for them.. My
advice to you is to quit. - Go back on
your farm, take it easy, enjoy life;
watch the corn grow, admire the wav
ing fields of grain, visit your neigh
bors. You can drop a ballot into the
box as each election comes around as a
protest against robbery and wrong and
let that suffice." ;
The picture is enticing. The fight
has been long and fierce with a few
victories and many defeats. Those
who ought to have rushed to their
own defense have voted year after
year to ! further enslave themselves.
Many of the most cutting insults have
come from those who we were trying
to aid. The ingratitude is the same
that it; has been in all ages. No body
of slaves ever freed themselves But
if reformers jn the ages past' had
abandoned the fight because of lngVati-;
ttide, t race would (today be in prim-j
tlve conditions of tarbarlsm; Tom
Hughes. In "School Days jit Rugby,"
MY'' ! A j ; i "' ':
' ' "So it is, and must.be always,;
my dear boys. If the Angel Oabriel
were to come down from heaven
and head a successful rise against '
the most V abominable . and un
righteous vested interest which
this poor old world groans under,
he would most certainly ;lose his
1 character for ; many years,, prob- : ,
; ably for centuries, not only with ;;
the upholders of the said vested
interest, but with the respectable
mass Of the people whom he had
; delivered.". : , .. ' i. . .
"j The editor of The Independent and
all ' others ' who are' laboring for re
form expect 1 no gratitude from those
for whom they work. All that , they
expect is that the world will be 'made
better and happier as the result of
their toil and sacrifice.
Nevertheless, that picture of the
farm, the growing corn, the waving
grain and association with the old
neighbors lingers in the memory. It
is a temptation to abandon the loiig
hours of study, the watch that must
be kept upon the movements of par
ties and men, the hunt through scores
of columns In the daily newspapers
for the facts that will aid the cause of
good government, the long hours of
toil day after days. nufthe flag rauat
be kept on the ramparts.
"CAItNIVAL Or CORRUPTION
The legislature of New York la now
denounced by papera of all partis aa
"carnival of corruption.' The water
supply of New York city haa been
turned over to one set of scounJreli,
the r.i supply to another and the
ub-ways and street car ltnei to au
other. In commentinc upon till lec-
lulairon which will make the lot of
the common ppl mill harder up in
that (treat city, the Wall Street Jour
nal aAi:
"Who are the roost millty par
lies? The bribegiver l. a a
rule, more guilty than he wha
take, a bribe, .Who are the bribe
QSV. pniGE EKPir.i::T
$21.00 TO $23.00
10 ROAD WAUC - J I
tiAJV tn enr
TOP BUQOIES. similar to ana Illurtrstatf,
HAVE BEEN WIDELY ADVERTISED,
$34.00 to
and all other vehicles at much lower price, than any c
aU tall; explained la cu? FOUR D!5 FnES ViniCU tA,
kwuu, imii wiis aa. one ana sena to cj t i
jort will receive by return malt Prea, I- .
Mid. POOR BIO VEHICLE CATALOfl II a. .
bowing the mart eoraplcto Une of everything l
Buprjrlea, Boad Wafrons. Carte, Surrey u. Fhfteoo&w,
Carriages, Light aud Heavy WaRona. Vehicle !
.11 1 . L. I n ' mw .
hi uuuiuqu ovorjriiiuiiK in inmni nannri a l
Slid cilery, all shown In large handsome haU-tOi 4
lUuxtraUonR.tull descriptions and all priced at pw j
much lower than any other house can pnesi bly r- - .
WITH THE FOUl) FDEE C.Vn
I fllMICO rou Will recl tfca moat attwi
1U UUbd Buur Offer ever heard ef. a nw .
astonlahlnK DrODovitloa. How others can on ti .
CASH PAID Fop
Wool.
Consignments
so 1 i cited.
Packs furnished FRCE to our iblppera.
We also have sacks and wool twine for
sale at lowest market price. (Do not tie
a fleece of wool with binder twlne).High
est price paid for ,
Hides and Pel to.
thomas Mcculloch.
Edw. B. McCulloch, Manager. 909 Q St.
Lincoln, Nebraska.
GREEN GABLE
Tho Dr. BonJ. F. Balloy
. S A N A T O R I U f.1 .
ror treaimcnt oi nervous diseases, OIseaMS
of women, rheumatism, and in fact all non U
contagious diseases. All baths and electric 1
"sag;e and physical culture. This Is the lar-
furnished sanatorium in the west. . Write lor
particular, Address .
Dr. DonJ. F, Oallc-y Sanatorium,
. ' : ' Lincoln. Nobraaksi.
r!0?!FSTFAnFD f lTf-H eonuia-
cents lor rv vvaw &r
- 1 V 1 J 1 .a '
48
pares of valuable Information. fi:.
and full instruction bow to get' vIIIVimJ
Rpkbiid j Reservation
, ; ' Forbe LocatJnx Aeacy, : 1
Bones teel, ! South Dakota1
' iai o sTBjecT. ,
The "best and most convenient low priced
. b,ouse tn the city, Kates U per day and up.
ff'mZ
-givers?. Who supplied the in
ducements, to legislators, to vote
' for them? It is hardly to be sup-
1 posed' that these inducements were
supplied philtnthropically,: by peo- :
pie who : had no Interest , in the
legislation. The street railway
companies and the Consolidated
gas company are the corporations
that are, In the main, responsible 1
for the corruption at Albany, and
the ; managers and directors of
those organizations are the people
upon .whom responsibility finally
rests." s . , .
Why don't the Wall Street Journal,
instead of covering the traitors to
thir city under the words "manager3
and directors," name the men? Why
does It not denounce Rockefeller, Rog
ers and Uelraont by name? Why does
It not tell the people that these men
are morally the vilest creatures that
live in the city that a street-walker
of the tenderloin district or a bur
glar or a highway robber la not half
so vile a criminal as Rockefeller, Rog
ers, and Ilclraont are. If one of the
petty criminals of New York thould
corac Into the office of the Wall Street
Journal, a policeman-would bo callel.
Hut If one of these far moro dt-aperata
criminals iiiouui enter that tamtam.
the editor would take off hi hat anl
bow low. That places the Wall street
editor on the s.ime plane aa the great
criminal of the ajre. 8 mi, treatment
of men who rob and atul to the falua
of million U tha malu cauM of Ua
"carnival of corruption." The Wall
tret editor ti Just as vile In the eyeg
of Ood and hdnett men aa aw the men
who have done the bribing and staling.
Tho Hotel ffilton