FAGE 12.
THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT
JULY 21, 1904.
and vote for Teddy Roosevelt for
spite why caa't they fuse with other
Roosevelt supporters? Populists have
no' choice as between Teddy and Al
ton B. why should they discriminate
between the respective, supporters of
these two worthies? -
Hearst has formally notified Judge j
Parker that he will have the enthusi
astic support of all the Hearst news
papers. .What do those populists who
were talking Hearst a while ago now ,
think of what The Independent told
them. .svsyvsss
More than 100,000 people attended
the funeral of Golden Rule Jones,
mayor of Toledo. Many of them wept
at his bier and offered prayer. That
Is a record more to be desired than to
have held the highest office in the gift
of the people.
The Japanese seem to be able to
manufacture anything, from a cambric
needle to a modern battleship with all
its Intricate machinery. The Japanese
run great banks, but no failure was
ever reported and no charge of defal
cation ever made
The republican papers are lending
their earnest aid to bring about a fu
sion of Parker democrats and Watson
populists. And well they may, for it
would be the greatest "snap" they
could ask. On every hand the fusion
candidates would be harrassed and
embarrassed by the most" annoying
questions. "Are you for Parker and
sound money, or Watson and green
backs?" would be asked ten thousand
times. And all the poor devil of a
candidate could say would be, "I'm
for the office, because I need llie
money!" ,sssssv,.s "
The communication from I. W.
Zornes, Mountain Grove, Mo., on an
other page, undoubtedly expresses the
determination of thousands who sup
ported Mr. Bryan in 1836 and 1900.
No other man in the history of Ameri
ca ever had such a following as Mr.
Bryan. His great power lay in the
universal belief in his honesty, sincer
ity, and integrity but his followers
were for the most part men with
minds of their own, and . with all his
powers he cannot lead them into the
Parker camp. They still believe in
Mr. Bryan's honesty but believe he
has allowed love of party to oversha
dow love of the principles he con
tends for. V.' . ?
An Ultimatum.
Editor Independent: I am 65 years
old; voted the republican , ticket 35
years; left that party in96, after the
St. Louis convention, when they
showed beyond a doubt that they be
longed to the money power, by adopt
ing the gold standard, which, could be
of no possible benefit to any one but
the money power. ;y '
I then thought our first and best
chance lay in a combined effort'on Mr.
Bryan. So I supported him with
tongue and vote. And now, as his
party ha3 committed suicide at St.
Louis, I am again compelled to hunt a
new home. And as I am still of the
opinion that pure democracy is the
best form of government that can be
established and maintained among
men, I must join the populist party
as the only hope of, a return to politi
cal liberty.
I now, therefore, pledge the remain
der of my life, my fortune, and my
sacred honor, to the establishment of
the principles set forth In the plat
form adopted at Springfield, 111. 1 am
now ready to go to work at any time,
anywhere, that I am needed. I now
offer my services to the national com
mittee to work anywhere they want
me. Tendering congratulations and
hoping for success, I am yours for the
war. I. W. ZORNES.
Mountain Grove, Mo.
Ph1ps Co., Nth.
Editor Independent: I like the way
you define your position on fusion
this year. Our party lost thousands of
votes In this state through our tie-up
with Bryan democracy, and to now
fuse with Parker democracy would
put the party out of action.
The democratic pica for fusion and
harmony reminds me of the man that
borrowed $30 of his neighbor, who
could HI afford to lend that Bum, but
did bo. Nlntoen years afterward, be
ing $oro pressed for funda to pay tits
taxes, and on his way down town,
what appeared to htm a stranger,
stepped up to the Under, called him
by name, asked him If he remembered
lending him $30 nineteen year ago.
With surprise, and with hope rising.
th lender Raid ho did. He was
cheered by the statement of the gen
tleman who said he had not forgot
ten, nor could he ever forgi t. and he
Intended, some day, to pay In full:
. but Just at this time wan hard up, and
would he be. Mud enough to lend him
$5 for the sake of old times?
Hurrah for the two Toms, and no
fusion. L. C. BAKR.
Holdrege, Neb. ;
V . A Km York Bolt.
Editor Independent: The St Louis
platform is a glaring inconsistent
fraud, a great disappointment, and a
humiliating surrender to the pluto
crats who wrecked the party in 1836.
There is not a line of progressive dem
ocracy in it and its own creators ad
mit that it was made to get in on.
Jf either; Roosevelt or Parker is
elected the trusts, banks, and rail
roads will get anything they want in
the way of special privileges.
Although both old parties claim the
money question is settled, because the
gold standard is established, before
the end of another administration the
banks will attempt to force an asset
currency bill of some kind through
congress. ...
1 have voted the straight democratic
ticket for twenty years. Since 1896,
like thousands of other democrats, I
have looked upon Mr. Bryan as the
savior and redecmerof the party that
once stood for the rights of the com
mon people, but pure, democracy con
sists of something more than partisan
insanity, victory at the polls, or a
scramble for office (party leaders to
the contrary notwithstanding) and I
shall not vote for Judge Parker.
The Springfield platform is sound,
progressive, and democratic. It is full
of old Bunker Hill and Yorktown. It
breathes the immortal spirit of the
patriots from Washington to Lincoln.
It stands for a higher and better civ
ilization. . A. L. HEMENWAY.
Dekalb Junction, N. Y.
Will Not Reciprocate.
In two successive presidential cam
paigns the populists have followed the
Bryan banner, putting aside their own
leaders on the ground " of principle,
professing to believe that they would
secure through the election of Mr.
Bryan almost as many of the peculiar,
reforms upon their program as they
would by the election of one of their
own number. They insisted that Bry
an was as good a populist as any one
of them and that they would as soon
see him in the White house as any
self-styled populist.
But Mr. Bryan is not manifesting
anything like the same sort of recipro
cal devotion that the populists paid
to him. This year seems to have
brought him the opportunity to pay
back past favors by enrolling himself
among the supporters of Watson and
Tibbies. If Wa.tson was good enough
to run for vice president on the same
ticket with him in 1896, and to vote
and work for him in 1896 and 1900,
he ought to be good enough to re
ceive the support of Mr. Bryan in
1904. If, as he has been constantly
telling us in upholding fusion in this
state, it is principles rather than men
and policies rather than partisanship
that should claim the good citizen's
allegiance, then the ticket promulgated
by the populists at Springfield should
offer Mr. Bryan more in common with
his ideas of national government than
the ticket nominated at St. Louis.
Omaha Bee. .
Kansas Democrats Rebel,
Editor Independent: I went to
Springfield an independent, expecting
to vote for Roosevelt, in spite of his
party; I returned a populist, deter
mined to vote for Watson because of
his party. I was more than pleased at
what I saw and the men I met at
Springfield; "and I was greatly encour
aged by what I learned In Springfield
and St. Tx)uis as to the temper of the
people in different parts of the coun
try. I was not, however, fully prepared
for the spirit of rebellion in the dem
ocratic ranks In my own state due to
the action of the St. Louis convention
and Its members. The Manhattan
Mercury of this week contained a double-leaded
editorial, 1 1-4 columns
long, headed "Bryan Surrendered."
Its real editor Is the democratic lead
er In Riley county: and I had not ex
pected that paper to takj a pronounced
stand at this time. I wish you could
give Ihe entire article to your readers,
but I will quote only three paragraphs,
which are fatr samples of the whole.
"The 6.000,nno democrats who voted
for nryan will not follow him Into
the bastard republican organization
known as the gold standard democ
racy." "If democrat are forced to vote for
republican principles, and Ihe choice
Is resolrrd Into a chotr of men, alt
Intelligent pntrlot will prefer Roose
velt to Parker, for. with all his er
ratic In tn. he Is a safer man for the
republic lhan Parker liecaiine he In
more democratic. larkrr!acked an
he Is by the Rothschild, the Korke.
fellers, the Blmonts and the money
power, i3 the ultra embodiment of im
perialism. We repudiate the St Louis
piatform and the candidate nominated
upon that platform."
"The money power now has absolute
control of both democratic and repub
lican parties. The voters are now left
to a choice of men, but not of princi
ples. So long as the, national democ
racy adhered to democratic principles,
there was no need of a third party;
now it has become an absolute neces
sity." Can you give space for one more
paragraph?
"Bryan said he had. fought a good
fight and his course might be finished,
but no one would say he had not kept
the faith. With an admiration second
to on one for the great man who has
at last surrendered to the money pow
er, for the sake of harmony and slav
ery, we challenge the keeping of that
faith in which 6,000,000 intelligent
voters found comfort and assured suc
cess, if God rules and the republic of
the United States is to endure." ;
The populists of Kansas will never
again fight under any banner but their
own, nor will they ever again be the
third party in the race, . It is exhii
erating to enter once more upon a cam
paign iu which we have no apologies
to make for either our party, its prin
ciples, or its candidates.
ALBERT GRIFFIN.
Topeka, Kas. v
A Bit Pessimistic.
Editor Independent: I write ex
temporaneously, but have come to
look upon a great majority of the peo
ple, as well as political leaders, as
being dishonest, as longing for, and
really expecting, that some day,
something will turn up that, will en
able them to get some kind of an of
fice. You, I. know, have noticed that
they are easily swayed to the mean
side of a question, even turned back
to the old wallow by slight influence,
against those who are their true
friends and helpers. For instance,
they stick to gold and silver with the
same empty stariness that people did
in the time of Solomon. We try to
improve iu everything else, but not
in our monetary system.
The people delusively stick to the
idea that "all will come out right," it
has always been so and always will be,
and all such dreggy, musty, sepulchral
refuse. We often hear the remark ap
provingly made that "a little war will
help things," and we living in a land
that has a school house on every hill
top, and a church in every valley!
I dislike to entertain the thought,
but does not such sentiment cause
the thought that these "good people"
are not far from the highwayman,
from the assassin, from the oh! let
me stop! :
' A bad financial , system, fostered by
all civilized (?) governments, is the
bane of proper lives, because it is the
most bland and greatest thief extant.
My good brother, my sympathies are
with you, but I am not able, to devote
time and money for the benefit of
those who will not help themselves;
for those who try to strain the mud
from the stream, instead of driving the
old, old hog out of the spring. t '
Yours for all that is right,
J. S. STEWARD.
Gratis, O. ..
(This is the . inevitable frame of
mind which will be reached: by every
man who disregards self-interest as
one of the important factors not only
in politics, but in every other human
activity. The attempt to place poli
tics or anything else upon a purely
idealistic, altruistic, sentimental plane
Is sure to cause a reaction. Mr.
Steward doubtless started out with
the idea that men are hungering and
thirsting for lofty idealism and that
once they should be told the truth,
they would flock to that standard by
the millions.
Christianity Itself is a living exam
ple of the slowness of spreading al
truistic ideals. If every man would
live up to Christ's Sermon on the
Mount, then Indeed would the king
dom of heaven ho at hand. But every
man will not do so. -He .cannot be
compelled to. The absurdity of an
enforced altruism needs no comment.
Populism Is not a scheme of altru
ism, but a plea for justice. And Jus
tice does not consist In attending to
the other fellow's affairs and allow
ing some other to attend to ours. Let
every man look to his own feet to
avoid the ordinary little stumblings.
Co-operation Is only necessary when
the feet of many are simultaneously
threatened.
An rnltghtened self-interest is the
dominant note In populism. Why
fchould populists demand reform In
the monetary system? Klmply that
the wealth-producers may be free
from the present robbery which re
sult from allowing some Individuals
to control the circulation to the detri
ment of others. Altruism would sug
gest to the robbed that they make no
complaint "it is more blessed to give
than to receive."
Why should populists demand public
ownership of railways and similar
utilities? Well, it isn't altruism that
inspires the demand, but a desire to be
rid of the robbery which is inevitable
whenever private persons are per
mitted to exercise sovereign powers.
Every populist wants scientific money
and public railroads primarily because
he will be the gainer; he will be en
abled to retain unto himself consid
erable wealth which is now wrenched
from him because these things are con
trolled by private persons for private
gain.
, Populism is conservative, however,
and contains none of the aggressive
features, for example, well typified in
the demand for a "protective tariff."
The self-interest of populism is de
fensive, and not offensive, in its char
acter. But it is self-interest, just the
same; 'and whenever men allow them
selves to he carried away in a wave of
akruism, which they fondly believe is
synonymous with populism, they are
sooner or later sure to reach the frame
of mind in which Bro. Steward now
find3 himself.
Of course men 'long" and "expect"
that some day something will "turn
up that will enable them to get some
kind of an office. ' Why deny it? it
is a laudable ambition. It is no dis
grace for a man to hope for, to as
pire, for office. .The real disgrace is
When he lies about it and saying, "I
will never consent," consents.
Suppose that instead of worrying our
heads about lofty sentiment, we say,
"We are sick and tired of producing
great quantities Qf wealth and having
it taken from us unjustly through the
operation of man-made laws; anu now,
by the Eternal, this must stop. We
intend to stop it. We demand immun
ity from further aggressions on the
part of predatory wealth. We Intend
to be selfish now for a time and look
after our own. Our altruism has
made paupers of us. Let us. frankly
state what we want and fight for it."
Associate Editor.)
Mr. Bryan's Position.
Friends and countrymen, let's trust
him . ..
Though he's not a man to trust
Let's endeavor to elect him,
Though his cause is far from just;
I have put away all rancor
As I promised them I would,
I am for the splendid ticket,
Though it isn't any good.. , 1
Let us gird ourselves for battle ?
But I hope we cannot win !
Let us pray to be successful, ;
Though success would, be a sin; j:
Let us give the people's banner J
Unto him to nobly bear,
But it's dangerous to do it, ;
For he isn't on the square.
et us wave our hats for Parker,
The poor tool of foxy Dave;
Let us rest our hopes upon him,
Though he's Mammon's cringing
slave!
Let us raise him up to power,
Help to send him whooping through,
But remember here I warn you
You'll be sorry if you do.
S. E. Kisor.
Washington Co., Neb,
Editor Independent: Enclosed here
with a postofflce order for $2, f 1 to
pay my subscription to The Indepen
dent and $1 to help toward IhecTTd
Guard enrollment. It is not much, but
it will help some, and If every one
that believes in populist principles
would give as much, you would have
enough to enroll a whole lot of Old
Guards and Vanguards.
I am a populist all over and hope to
see them win this fall. As to a pop
ulist organization here, I have been
unable to find out so far. If there are
any pops here, they are very still. I
took those blanks you sent me and
went around and tried to sell them.
I also took the sample copies of The
Independent I could get them to
take a copy, but It would make you
laugh to hear what they said. One
said he did not care for politics, he
Just wanted the news (war and prize
fights). Another said he would not
read a column of It all summer. An
other said he was a socialist, but If 1
would give him 25c for his paper, the
Appeal to Reason, he would give 2fc
for The Independent, and finally said
there was no use of either of us being
out any money at all, for we could ex
change papers. So you see how It Is
with most of them. Until we can get
the people to read and understand the
situation we must let them to to de
struction In their own sweet way.
JKKOMi: UAll.EY.
Krnnard, Neb.
Advertisers In The Independent are
always glad to recelre orders by mall.
When writing plaao mention The In
dependent.