HAY 23, 1S34.
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V 2 Kansas i Politics.
(Some-weeks ag: The independent j
uggested that Kansas Kpulists think
over the proposition to nominate Gen.
Percy Daniels to head the state ticket.
He declines to be considered as a pos
sibility, but suggests the name ol lid
win Taylor of Wyandotte countya
suggestion thai strikes The Indepen
dent as a wise one. Associate Editor.)
Editor Independent; While I lully
appreciate the compliment you give
lue In suggesting my naiie for the con
sideration of the popvlist state con
vention for the governorship, permit
me to offer as a substitute the name
of Edwin Taylor of Wyandotte county,
one of the brightest, squarest men
that ever followed the populist ban
ner, and who always protested and
fought against its being " dragged
through the wallow of political trick
ery and iniquity. - .
Since I issued "A Protebt on the
Council Door" in October, 1898, in
which I protested against the policies
and practices of 'the "controlling ele
ment in "the populist "machine," I
have not affiliated with , any party,
and hence, am not eligible for a par
ty nomination. .. ,
Until there is a party with the
sense, the nerve and the patriotism to
pay the plunder of labor by the capi
talist has got to stop; and upholds
positive and specific measures for
bringing this about; and not only for
stopping the plunder, but for scatter
ing the booty stored in the coffers of
the multimillionaires among the peo
ple whose labor and genius It repre
sents, my , ideas of the necessity for
and the justice of such a process will
compel me to remain an independent.
Monopolies are the nandmaid and
consort of a despotism, and aliens in
a republic. So long as we narbor and
protect them we cannot enjoy tne
blessings of republican institutions.
The fundamental pui pose of pop
ulism was to destroy monopoly, not
simply to restrain it. My paper of
October, 1898, was a protest against
the substitution of the schemes of
the band-wagon crowd for the original
the fundamental purpose of the
party. The following tmotation from
that article contains my view on these
matters, and it has not been modified
since it was written:
' But the state convention of 1898 was
too busy with efforts to maintain the
status quo and to adjust the recom
pense of the reward, to give any heed
to the efforts of the legislature to take
only way that will force a readjust
ment' of economic" conditions. They
preferred to let the legislature wage
its war against wealth concentration
without their aid; aud to let Mr.
Ridgely fight the battle against the
vampires of commerce without a par
ty backing.
Such is the degeneiate politics of
today. It is the art o' being blind
when you ought to see; the faculty of
being deaf when you can hear. It i3
the science of not knowing what you
know; and "good politics" is the sci
ence of discarding good sensa grace
fully and purauasively. -
Those who know wealth concentra
tion is the cause of our troubles, know,
too, that no party is a reform party
that does not intend to apply the rem
edy of diffusion. Certainly no party
that repeatedly rejects the opportunity
to demand the application of a sover
eign antidote after its legislature has
deliberately proclaimed it such, can
hope to bo classed as a reform party.
The difference between the position
of the Kansas legislature and the peo
piej,arty on this question, is the dif
ference between condoning or con
senting to perpetuate r great wrong
and a purpose to correct it. It is a
vital difference. In 1894 when occupy
ing a prominent state pesitiun, I told
the populist convention unless they
were willing to take an advanced por
tion on. this question, if they ienoml
nated me they must do It as an inde
pendent. The need for such a atUck
on the combinations and mtrench
ments of capital-is far more apparent
and imperative In 1898. tnan it was In
VxaV I concur with the legislature
that has moved forward rom the
Omaha platform, and read
justing taxation, rather than a party
lThJ mt1" ot the ponuliat
ra ty show that theli rank.- are no
LuiVr tha p!a-e for arnnU rform
trt In the rnerai rh of prtnet
tde In the political arena and inn
wrack Of tanstMe Z?m?o
the only fnaMe Pillion Ihcm to
occupy U Indopendrnet They can
not omnbti-ntlv troal "H with
anr party that ho no purine n
?Jr "ll. rlshU of the ludwtrU
rlaM. t r o.t to mww that
will rcl them tnm th oprrfde
"lu 4 thirty rr of mltflLtlo
tpuiUlhm. Much Iom can
main in the ranks, of one that spurns
the opportunity offered by its legisla
ture to take such a measure to the
battle line. , . - "
In our county convention of 1897 I
"moved" for an adjournment without
making nominations . and a call for
meeting of the allied forces outside
of all present party lines for the pur
pose of reorganization. It was referred
to a committee "without debate" and
heard of "never more." - A large ma
jority of the convention favored such
an effort later. They said, "Wait till
after this campaign." Since then I
have waited, participating in no po
litical meetings. Instead of a move
ment to push tip stream in the chan
nel defined by the legislature as hoped
for, the order is signalled to drift
down stream under the head ot a par
ty machine. . - ,
Protesting against , the decision and
the order. I will cling to the banner
of readjusting taxation, and follow
the narrow path of an independent
The interests that controlled the
populist state convention of 1898 are
responsible for the failure to respond
to the call of the legislature and move
forward. "
For this failure as well as for the
abandonment of its early methods and
purpose, the party deserves, not vindi
cation, but rebuke.
Governor Leedy and his party ma
chine, as they were in control of the
convention, are responsible for the
failure to sustain the legislature. For
this reason I oppose his re-election.
But there are other reasons why . he
should be rebuked instead .of vindi
cated. One of these I will cite.
There was a railroad scandal four
fcars ago. It cost the state 540,000.
The populist senate demanded an in
vestigation. A resolution for .the pur
pose was passed and a committee con-,
sisting of Senators Taylor, Landis,
King, Wllcockson and Scott were ap
pointed. - I"'
Later in the session the senate in
cluded an item in an appropriation
bill, appropriating the money . neces
sary for the expenses of the commit
tee. The republican house of repre
sentatives struck out the itenu. The
difference was referred to a commit
tee of conference. -The populist con
feree appointed by the senate agreed
to recommend, as demanded by the
house of representatives, that the item
be stricken out and the investigation
killed. The bill passed as agreed on
by the conferees and the investigation
was", defeated." V :'' ;
Under the naxt administration, the
said populist senator was removed
from a state board . for disqualifica
tions. When the present administra
tion came in he was reappointed. I
am not a defender of $40,000 swindles
on the people, and hence protest
against rewarding thoie who play a
conspicuous part in covering them up.
; The influences that dictated the
course of the state convention this
year were exerted against both the
judgment and preference of a majority
of Governor Leedy s associates in the
state house; and hence they bear but
little if any of the blame for its sins.
A part of those on the state ticket
with him are entitled to a re-election,
not because they have been nominated
by a populist convention, but for espe
cially efficient service. Some are en
titled to support for a sincerity of
purpose; and others, including Asso
ciate Justice Allen, Congressman-at-large
Botkln, and Congressman Kidge
ly for both reasons.
With the present populist senate,
the cause of good government, which
shouldbe but is not tho incentive of
parties, could not suffer as much with
the executive council divided among
three parties, at it would to vindicate
with our votes those who deserve to
be rebuked.
The Important state boards that are
not chosen by tho people, are either
elected by the executive council, or ap
pointed ty the governor and confirmed
by the senate. If no one of them could
be made up from any one party, the
state would get better service. The
minority should 16 reptt-seuttd on ev
ery board . by men not selected by the
agents of the majority.
Parties as they ex lit and operate to
day are bellowing importers and or
panlied frauds, sowing little but de
ception and rarnerlnc little but spoil
and corruption. There is not enouRh
honest metal in thHr defensive works
to send to th Junk shop; nor of hon
est purpoM In their oRcnslvt arma
ment to shake a reed.
They are either Mlabl mat nines of
plutocracy and the corporation i. or
they are the handy tools of hypurrltia
and harloquina, and are a much re
pojuU.l. through the dwcptlont lhy
have practiced and tha corruption they
have dcfr-niM. for the imftude of
tho luatata to jitocrutlc usurper, an
skti mu ti:e cited nvi mouea
E.D. Beach, Pres. ,
Exeter, Neb,"
S. H. Barnham, Vice-Pres,
- Pres. First NatBk.
Jno. F. Zimmer,
Secretary-Treo,
Incorporated January 4, 1599.
HOME OFFICE--116 So. 10th St., Lincoln, Neb.
Number of Policies issued since organization..'...,...... ...T..... 11,570
Amount insured thereby. $6,800,000.00
Number of loss claims paid, 2,963. Amount 1200,911.80
Largest single loss ever paid by any company. $1,577.00
The largest oldest, best, and most
successful hail insurance company now
doing business in the state, i Upwaf Js
of two hundred thousand dollars paid
for losses, an average of more than
forty thousand dollars for each jar
of the association. Old line companies
are simply astonished when they
look at the record of the United "Mut
tual, but it only goes to show what
can be done by a well managed mu
tual. One of the most important facts
is in the cost jof carrying tb Is large
amount of risks and paying this large
amount of losses compared with the
cost of carrying this amount of insur
ance with an old line company. .If
the amount of insurance carried by the
United Mutual would havebeen ap
plied for to old "line companies it
would have cosl; the insured upwards
of eighty-five thousand dollars more to
get it than It has cost the members
of the United Mutual to get it. This
is certainly a big saving in the cost to
the insured. 1 1
The following is a summary of all
business done during the year 1903
by all the hail Insurance companies
licensed to do a hall insurance busi
ness for the year 1904:,
United Mutual, Lincoln....
Hastings Mutual, Hastings
Cash Mutual, Lincoi n
Nebraska Farmers, Hastings i
Eastern Nebraska, Wayne . .
ec nrity Mutual t Omaha
Losses Paid
in 1903
$r3,W6.10
4.841.19
4,72a 82
680.3S
429.78
6,340.89
Losses paid since
organization
S200.911.80
21,696.16
' 10,661.82
680.83
429.73
7,861.89
Ins. in force
Dec. 311, 1903.
The above figures show that the
United Mutualalone paid $36,683.18
more for losses" during the year 1903
than all the others combined and has
paid since organization the enormous
sum of $200,911.80, being $159,791.88
more than the combined payments of
all other hail insurance . companies
now doing business in the' state. It
therefore had not ought to be neces
sary for any argument as to which
is the most ' reliable, strongest and
best company to Insure with.
The rates of the United Mutual are
now all fixed by the by-laws, there be
ing no haphazard or guess-work about
it. ' - Every one becoming a 'member
knows just what he has, to pay. The
secretary and treasurer is bonded with
the United. States Fidelity and Guar
antee Co. in the sum-of $50,000 for the
faithful accounting of all the moneys
oomJng Into his hands as: provided by
law, passed by the last,,, legislature.
11,683,220.00
87,211.00
, , None
: 69,365.00
72,256.00
70,088.00
This bond is deposited with the auditor
of the state of Nebraska, so that every
dollar paid in is absolutely safe.
Write and tell us sow many acres
you have under cultivation and give
us the numbers of your. rand, together
with a policy fee of $2, and we will
issue a policy for you, taking effect as
soon as received at the Home Office,
at the rate of $6 per "acre on any kind
of crops, for which the. premium will
be 21 cents per acre if paid June
15 or 24 cents per acre if not paid until
fall. If yoa live east of range 9 west
of the sixth principal meridian. West
of this line the rate fs 30 cents and S3
cents Iper acre. Write today. Don't
delay; tomorrow may pe too late. It
won't take ten minutes of bail to de
prive you of your whole summer's la
bor. Applications and by-laws sent to
you for the asklmr. WrfA vnur vrinA
storm insurance in the Western Cy
clone Ins. Co., Lincoln, Neb. y .
are the lawless exactions of organized
capital for their plundering.
From this plundering and this bond
age the industrial class will never be
relieved until at least a majority of
these parties are swept from the arena
they have defiled and disgraced. When
they get their just .deserts they will
be branded as imposters and banished
to hades. It will be a blessed thing
for Kansas, if in the pending election
neither or all of them can celebrate a
victory. : ; -
Partisanship has become the screen
for plotting and the shield of. intrigue.
It is the sanctum of deceit and the
bulwark of corruption. To be entitled
to my vote there must be a change
both in methods and purpose.
I will never again vote a straight
party ticket until there is a party
with the patriotism, the sense and the
nerve to say the plunder of labor, by
the capitalist has got to stop; .- and
makes its first purpose to bring about
such amendments. to the constitution,
and such legislation, as will not only
stop itf, but will scatter the booty
stored in the coffers of the multi-millionaires,
among the people whose la
bor and genius it represents, in less
time than they have taken to rake it
in. ;
That day looks a long way ahead.
Present evidences point. to it as be
yond the horizon. But it may be
nearer than any of us expect; nearer
than the revelers dream of plutocracy
imagines; nearer than the corporate
usurpers and their mawiilsh patty zea
lots, nearer than the plunderers and
their hoodling allies, nearer than the
drones and their auored Bclschazzar
surmise.
"Till then let Cummlns blaze away,
And Millers Saints blow up the globe;
Hut when you HAIL that bleixwd day,
You'll crane to be a dumb microbe."
Glrard, Kaa.. Oct. 19. 1851
It is nxetctA to try ftml father to
gether the luattrrrd hoita ol popul
ism, without not only going bark to
the fundArantt purpu of the or-aulallon-a
purpt that slarted It
on the roAt to certain succm had a
majority ot the party ruler been aUla
to Kwn the faithand, discarding the
bcrffllt f the band wagon contin
ent, addins to that foundation a mi
pervtrtirtnrn of aimple and apwinc,
tf pltlrt and just inMurts to bring
this about, to crush monopoly and to
undo the vicious and unparalleled
wrong it has done. ; .
It is useless to ask men to come
again and help ' destroy monopoly in
the same ways we have been trying
(or have thought we were trying) 'for
the past series of yeats.
If we want vomntecr recruits for
such a purpose, we must show them
how we propose to do it. If it should
be possible to gather the necessary
force without a specific plan of opera
tions, the same shek tools of the oli
garchy, the same dupes of the band
wagon, and -the same motley throng
of grafters from the bummers bri
gade, will swell the patriotic ranka
and then combine as they have before
and defeat our purpose. Lament it or
deplore it as we may, neither the old
party nor a new party can collect the
necessary force to unhorse the oli
garchy without not only the positive
purpose, but the specific plan simple,
clean cut and certainly effective to
work for.
I have given too many years ot
close study, of earnest effort, of care-
tui winii uvei iucbu Miiujeuia iu uh in
any doubt about the pioposition; and
if you would liko to encourage the
discussion of such measures, I would
be glad to submit to the clubs for
their consideration and a vote there
on, three or four planks as a sugges
tion for a basis for the organization,
and to incite a new interest in the
meetings and in a forward move. .
In reference to the governorship
question: Even if, under other con
ditions, I Khould be willing analn to
enter the sulphurous vortex of poli
tics in the hope ot aiding tho Indus
trial ntitMt to find some f Acatila
way of escape from their bondage
some solar plexus foi plntoiracy'i
battle-axe of starvation which waa
the sole motive In my previous ex
perience, I know my strength Is ncl
iiuw iual to tho wora it would in
volve. and, hence, could not mrpi the
nomination.
If you will accept my amendment to
vour sulfation, I am sure you will da
th reform catwe a aerilce,
PRRCY IIANIKLK,
Narrnsanutt Kurm, Glrard, Kaa.
You can nave nmny by palrotiUIn)
liidifpndimt adverttiwra