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About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1905)
. : , . . "S Vol. XVI. LINCOLN, NEB., JANUARY 5, 1905. " ve r YrSody. e Wn i s IE ott 1 i s m The Postal Chccl System. Mil II L ll flll , J I ; f - The demand for reforms long advo cated by the people's party is becoming veil nigh universal. The merchants, f " jobbers, the fruit growers, the cat f (1 xn, and many other classes of :rc "J z American citizens have been 'ling tta mentions lately demanding i.i:f fron the exactions of Wall )t et money domination and 'railroad t-T' nra all onmlnc ? tlU;there is no IrelJefoutside of 1 rerorm3 long tivocai b popu- j. They have, on the raiiroacrjguies- a, all got tar enough along to say H :t there must be either effectrv .vernmfirt jpontrol . or government H mership.' It will not take long after i 1 earnest effort is made and some uy given to the subject, for them to I'd out that "control" has never been Active" . and never can be.;; Then h and all of them will become ve- ement advocates for government own- ship. 1 he populists-have always advocated postal check system in place of the order Now there Is a demand coming from aU cr these United States for us adoption.-, TrSnse interested in this reform have estSfekshfid at S25 Vpp, Undecided .vv : v .- -. ,. ' .. . . Editor Independent: While I was yet a mere boy in the ,'70's'I listened - to Rev. D. P. Mitchell, then candidate or governor on the greenback ticket ihs Kansas. From him I learned the financial principles that I still hold. In 1890 I joined the Alliance and was one of the delegates to the Cincinnati , conference and one of the first to put on the blue .ribbbn. that you doubtless remember was the symbol of a worker for independent political action. JFrom that time on till now, through" thick and thin, I have followed the fortunes of that party, sometimes in hope, some times in despair,, arid I was never in more doubt as to what I ought' to do or as to what the party ought to ?.o than now. and to this state of mind The Independent has contributed, not a little. . I consider your paper the . ablest the party has ever had and it is now nearly the "only tin can in our alley." N(jt only so but it is the broad est and most liberal paper with which I am acquainted. Its columns seem to be open to everybody and when I look - over the letters of socialists, populists and democrats in its columns all urg ing fair reasons for their faith and I look also on, the political questions with which we are face to face, I find myself wholly undecided of what is duty. Is it wise to be a conservative? " Is it duty to be a radical? Is it real policy to be a trimmer? Is it wisdom ' and is it right to stand on your prin- ciple3 even if alone and make no com promise even if you are by them iso lated or so nearly so as to be no fac- . tor in governments, or is compromise wisdom and accomplishment in part righteousness as compared with a po sition where we can do nothing no ticeable but affirm our principles? Was not John Burns right when he gave us that splendid motttf, "Progress by installments?" When I read in your issue of. Dec. 8 of the results re ported by the single taxers at Fair iiope, Ala., I have to acknowledge that they have 'done something while we thousands voted and talked. When I read Mr. Van Vorhis on the money question it made me feel as though it was very imminent. I felt its import ance more than I had for the past four , years and when I read the reasons pre . sented by Senator Allen I must confess . that they seemed to me good reasons f for being a 'democrat of the Bryan type. So I am at sea, for I am an ulti ) mate anarchist, not of the type the ;. big thieves dreamof when they fear a f just retribution, not of the militant , type for they are not anarchists, but of the type that believes we will some day attain that position where e'very man shall be a law unto himself. I am a eociillst, net cf the type of "straw . Tzzn" V - - "- ",u:r, fx? ri mont avenue, Washington, the postal check bureau, and ' it ,is engaged in sending out literature advocating the passage of a law giving, that relief to people, who are numbered by the millions in this country, who "want tq send small sums of money through the mails, i That bureau uMertook to 'get a bill introduced into the Resent con gress for that purpose, butUhere was no populist there to introduce it. Not a republican or a democrat would have anything to do with it. No one could expect them to. Such a measure as that would conflict with the banking interests There is nothing that would be more welcome to the people of the United States than a law creating a Iostal check system. The farmer in the, country could take any one, two orvft'ye:; dollar bill, and by writing in blanks, left for the purpose his name as sender iand the name of the re ceiver, and-'$lacing a two cent postage stamp on itmake it a check payable to a certain person, which, besides hav ing all the characteristics of a bank check, would also havejhe government of the United States belijrid it. When paid, that bill would be returned to Washington and a new one ould be printed in place of it. Then besides having a convenient way of seeding of the ragged, microbe infested rags raents. I am a socialist of the type who believe that on the road to real self eovernment we must pass! through an agewhen government must " and. will play a fa more extensive part in the development of civilisation. In fact, 1 believe that the ia-w in the language of the revised version -is a servant to bring us unto the school master, Christ" and we must have more of it before we are prepared to have less. I am a populist as it offers a high degree of socialism and a democrat as one who believes thaL-nadx. since its defeat will " advocate more socialism than ever before and as the only party in which there is any hope of accom plishing anything beyond carrying on an educational campaign. " And as to "an educational campaign the people's party has done its work, not .only in its own ranks but in those of both old parties and neither the so cialist party :nor the people's party as radicals hayJn my judgment any hope of ever com W-to power. No radical party ever did. Can t. we as a party lie down and die in the faith of Paul that "That which then' sawest is. not quickened except it die, knowing that we shall live in others, The edcational work of otu; genera tion is done. The people whovw.nt to know the truth know it now so as the principles are. concerned. Educa tion can not reach for - political re suits the negro or the Sfwede in the republican ; ranks nor , the unlettered whites in the south in our generation nor can it reach those who. engaged on either side in the civil war nor can it reach the professional officeseeker, and of these classes there are enough to form an impassible barrier to the advance of any reform movement and unless we join ourselves to one of these inert masses who "vote 'er straight" and get control of the machinery of the democratic party by helping the Bryan democrats again into power I see no hope for this reform movement in this generation, nationally. It is no use to talk of education. When you, Mr. Editor, spend your life to make a good paper you are almost l wasting your labor. The only education that can bring immediate results is not full heads but "empty guts" and the re publican policies with the great com mercial combinations will do this emp tying ere long. ; ; With Senator Allen I 3ee nothing hopeful in Missouri, in . Nebraska, in Colorado. It is only an emphasis of the fact that the people will not stand for principles in the abstract nor for a theory, however righteous. They can hardly be brought to stand by the con crete. Hardly be brought to stand by wisdom and goodness when it is "in carnate." " : that now jmss from, hand to hand until they will no longer , hold together. vThe gentry after discussing the con venience that result to all classes of people frOm the adoption of such a sys tem says: . "Thus while the post , check - would furnish, an ideal medium for small re mittances, and for that. reason aspect of the case, and perhaps an even great- j er benefit is found in thisTncidental functionof constant renewal of the small bills and , clean money kept in circulation throughout the country. Undoubtedly, disease lurks '.in dirty bills, where tempting nests "for mi crobes are found. . A medical journal tells .us that the sponge used in a bank was analyzed" and found to be swarming with , microbes of various deadly diseases. Few of our bundles of bank notes would pass muster at quar antine.' ' ' : .; All classes are affected. The surgeon who carefully sterilizes his. lancet and uses all manner of antiseptic precau tion in performing an operation, takes his pay in filthy paper, which affords an excellent "culture" . for deadly germs. The most refined woman who has carried personal cleanliness to the extreme limit," fumbles loathsome bills even holds them in her teeth! Thu3 health and decency combine to ancKjio physic can1 relieve us of the load. ' We've carried It a log time and we've gbi.to carry, it longer. O, Lord, how long? v . V. Hi BIDDISON. Manhattan," V March Straight Ahe&d ' Editor Independent: lu case of life and death as " you think iS jou call in a good doctor you. don't ex(cfvhim to spend his time entertaining tl?se aboui with neighborhood gossip? sjr flini-flam party talk, neither to defer action through fear of hurting some body's feelings. You expect hlmTto lose no time in getting" at the truth of your case, as he sees it. , The democratic party, is sick unto death. Desperate casc3 require des perate remedic 3. Having" lost its vir tue the party's name has become a badge of unreliability and reproach. It ia in a; debased situation and there'3 a taint in the air wherever it goes. " In the party's treatment for a "radi cal" cure of all this, old friends are "expected to prescribe.' I suppose, and in my opinion, a change of name is the, first great ; desideratum! rrNoi maudlin sentiment because the party sprung from a "good respectable f am ily" in the past should be considered. The name must go to prevent fur ther contagion. "What shall populists do in the case? X&y the populist party having ' the bestip-to-date remedies known to cure the evils and ails of the body politic should in, my humble opinion march straight ori and. fulfil at the ballot box the call of tht" populist platform. C Don't be disma ved. We know the people's party, as jre. 2s small in num bers, but let it be NSpartan - band, sound at heart and mighty in princi ple and 'twill grow! Let prove to the crafty politiciaps who "pl "their trade unre...ittingly in both of th? old parties,, that the populists are in eai-n-est; that their ..right of suffrage can not be bought and that equal rights be fore the; law as embodied in the Dec laration and their own vote at the bal lot box means something. Besides an idle tale, as these politicians would have it. Senator Lodge has been quot ed as : saying that: "As a campaign document before an election, lies about all the real worth to us (well put that, yes, "to us" politicians!) of the Declar ation of Independence." And, as things go, he is correct. If the voters themselves won't wake up and, take care of it, .they may be sure the , crafty politicians will steal it out of the law and gospel of a free people while they are asleep. ; Mr. Bryan seems sadly belated In his asking the question : "Are poliUcsl ptrtl?3 a j3l:a cr do Cy tttri frr denounce the filth our Currency c":I, ... The difference between a crur: , ' greasy, dirty bil 1 and a fresh els: i ( , is precisely the difference fctir soiled and fresh linen. If there were : -other reason for the post check, this would suffice, but there are many more. Clean money will be an incidentil, but most grateful boon, It can net come too soon to suit a people wher 3 instinct for cleanliness crie3 out vehe mently for this needed reform.- . "And the inventor of this many-si a ed scheme of public utility has not only assigned his patents to the government without asking any recompense, but he has expended many thousands of dol lars in legitimate agitation for the adoption of the invention without hope of reward. . I The principal enemy to it3 adoption has been Mr. Ellis H. Roberts of the U . &'. treasury, principally on . the ground that it would cause consider able change in the rut-like, tiresome and ancient routine work in his of fice, apparently losing sight of the needs and demands of the people for clean and convenient money, and that the change would effect an annual say ing to the government of upwards of $500,000.00, as reported by the auditor having charge of mohey order, vouch ers." ' , keep the old thing on the track, causes a faint suspicion of a smile on the faces of populisms who saw and warned him beiorehand ' of the wash out h and his Wall street candidate were running into. ; . A populist from his point of view could answer from experience thai question of Mr. Bryan's: "Are political parties a joKe?" and reply, indeed they are, to the jokers and jugglers who run them, in the main, for their own purposes at the expense of honest men and as Mr. Bryan can remember of at tone': party also that once accepted fusipp to' heTp""Miirattd got misled by the Renegades, who3e causa he has been since tht. time upholding.' . " '"k Reform.ttese jugglers and jokerg'' who make a.sjort of God's laws and , commands? .' When? n "Cast ; them out of the temple," wltftthe money chang ers, in -whose employm'jnt they are, to represent a joke, ot gu?d for some thing, as the case may be? ',j.. , Shakespeare over Cliree ,aun3iTT -years ago defined a politician "one who would circumvent God." ; How far has the world progresr1" on that roint since Shakespeare's time? Not much., it . can truthfully be said. There ar3 many of these political cir cumventors abroad in the land today and in evidence csor 3, .probably, t a cause of better "facilities, than" In Shakespeare's time. Macaulay has re marked that "a reforming ' age i3 al ways fertile of impostors." It be hooves populists to be well on their guard. . I enclose referendum txllot as de siredalso a good cheer. e."3 htirty thanks for the good wcrk ia its Iita campaign by our r.cV!9 standard bear ers, Watson and TltlI:-3. yrfivrt T r Longmeadow, llizs. Our language d i.Ja ciJ c!".r ' . i.iak u nc u v i k . A, Wbvn words frcu Lunxn K;j .s Yzzi We o4'ht to say the tr"' :r trcicj. If fast thend ca n'-ht C'A V.oj In truth we alt fiercely tl. 7, Then why notT cf f cr.o-'. The storm king cab! aid wildly ez.-. And as we mention oSto r-n ' By saying that we saw i i. If through a glass the sky . ; i Of course the sky we then hao So if a bell was heard to ring " V And we should say tha tell tti run, 7- When toi the polls our vcte3 we bring We ouiht . to xty czt vct:3 re trung Tit r-y.c r-'?rVr"'' o