MARCH R, 1'6 :
" i
ui,of insensible nor in-
r:oirtl,fl.a, outcome of the
hi- that Is now on. mey
bat t re " , .. ihat tn
J.'rf linor-""- an opinion we do
not "hare. , ..,,,
i f(,w yearn sine.', ranroau io
....mmllllltv Of ln-
wre working '
This wan soon discovered to
feudluiton. N community of
owerhlp wan the P. . u
Ami attempt, to inaugurate iu.
plan, a mighty struggle for HUDremacy
at once manifested iiseu
pent railroad magnates uemaeiTO.
Tho first battle resulted In a dog-fall
between the mighty combatants, and
vnrthern Securities company was
lb result. The order , of President
Roosevelt to Lis attorney general to
i n I i
muAvv the Noitoern occuriuo
company wan the U-xington of the war
ihut will end with the subjugation oi
the railroad, or, the overthrow' of .the
ronublic there being no middle ground
The hat i le will be long and fierce, as
It is a battle of dollars against men,
JknediM Arnolds will find their -uortuniileti
ami the'' people will be
toned to their utmost in the fight
Hut a century and a quarter of free
institutions and free schools have not
been In vain. After a few campaigns
the ultimate triumph of the people will
become evident to the master minds,
on both Bides.
The prophecy : which is, that now the
railroad magnates will themselves
unite and lead a movement for gov
ernment .ownership, in order to'un
load onto the government their rail
road securities at their inflated value
art the only means left to them of
saving the $7,00(1,000,000 of water in
Jeered into these securities, whjch
amount does not represent -a single
dollar's worth of railroad property,
but, upon which, the people pay an
nually about $:i00,000,000 in excessive
Mid unjust, freight and passenger
rates.
T5 Nebraska. Independent
PAGE
their struggles and sacri flees who re
fuse its responsibilities, and by such
action offers insult, to their memories.
The right of citizenship, our inherit
ance, purchased with , the lives of
heroes and the blood of martyrs, Is
noble estate. It puts our destinies
Into our own hands. What more can
we ask?
The citizenship that birth In a free
republic Imposes is also a trusteeship
carrying with it mighty responsibili
ties. We are the connecting link be
tween the past aud the future.. We
Owe a debt to the past for the pur
chase price, in Wood and sacrifice,
paid for the liberties and citizenship
rights that were banded down to-us.
That debt cannot ,be paid to the. Indi
viduals that madtjVthe.. sacrifices,, be
cause they lire iu the great beyond.
But, It Is the decree , of .high-heaven
hat we pay jt to the future, by, de
livering to those who come after us,
nim paired, the. free institutions and
exulted citizenship that were onr.own
free inheritance. .
RESPONSIBILITY OF CITIZENSHIP
Men are frequently heard to say
that they take no interest in politics,
This, the most pitiable confession that
fan fall from human lips, is some
time made in a spirit of boastfulness
indicating the maker's purpose to im
press the idea of his own superiority,
On the contrary, the maker of such
remark calls attention to his own de
tective mentality, proves himself "to
be less than the normal man. so much
o.that in attempting to boast of what
e is, unconscious of his defects, he
proclaims what he is not.
to take no interest in politics is
deny responsibility for all things
""nil or conventional, and to forfeit
'ne right to applaud the irood or renrl
n,un'1 nil ang men, and exhibits
wlf. a human misfit
The sirugKleof mankind throughout
-S'n has been for the enthrone
Ot mail. tl.;it ,,,, ....
. ""Kill. UI.IIJ
,h" in.livl.lal. th.. ,xe,else of his God
riKht of ciMz. n.hip, and of 1
lr'S a factor m I,,,.,,.,,, u ....
t oil n, I1U WI1U
7" '"'"'""ll.ilily with his fellows
. work of m.w.mment, proelal
""'-If tiiM-nMiM,. ,,f
.., ,, . inuiuere
"""sit unt.,1,1
ins
enl
id
ill
nmrtyr
Me cum as
Mipreme object
Id
Subscribe for The Independent.
He who defends railroad govern
ment is an enemy of popular govern
ment.
Evils of every kind in a free govern
ment must disappear before an en
lightened public opinion.
The issue narrowed down is, a peo
ples' government, or an oligarchy, of
wealth. Which do you prefer?
"The Free Pass Bribery System,"
by George W. Barge is having a large
sale in all parts of the country.
made of good material, and will sur
prise you with the accuracy of its
time keeping and its durability.
bad rests with the people them
selves, and the character of the gov-
inmciit is an unerring Index of nili-
He Intelligence.
If the people are possessed of suffi
cient Intelligence to maintain a dem
ocratic government our republic will
stand. If not, It will be superceded by
an oligarchy of railway and trust magnates.
It - would be as sensible- for the
weather, bureau to attempt, to turn
back ai approaching storm by hoist
ing fair weather signals, as for poli
ticians to seek to evade an issue when
the same is due.
J. When .money lenders can be 1 rusted
to make and enforce usury laws for
the good of society, then . republican
railroad politicians can be trusted to
protect the, people from railroad .ex
tortion., lint not before.
; When thieves can be trusted to
make and enforce laws against steal
ing, It will be safe to entrust repub
lican railroad- oliticians with the re
demption of our state from railroad
domination. Hut, not 111 then.
Loyalty to the sources of their in
comes is to be expected of men. Ex
perience teaches this. To expect re-
lief from railroad extortion through
the railroad republican politicians, is
to fly in the face of all human exper
ience.
The antl railroad professions of re-
itiblicnn railroad politicians that are
now being so loudly proclaimed
throughout the state reminds us of
he old couplet, as follows: "When
he Devil was sick the Devil a saint
would bn. But when the Devil got
well the. devil it saint was he."' " '
The conflict for supremacy in the
government between the people and
the railroads and confederated monop
olies is an Irrepreasable one. "He that
not for me is against me." '"Ye
cannot serve both God and Mammon."
You must chooe between railroad and
the confederated monopolies on' one
side, and the people on the other.
tissues are born of conditions, and
have the right-of-way id politics under
a law as mmutable as that governing
the course bf cyclones.
Railroad cappers or weaklings are
not wanted in public office. The in
terests of the people deserve and de
mand the services of their best and
truest men.
When a candidate is right, and is In
dead earnest, the people generally
know it. This Ib the secret of the big
vote cast for George W. Berge for
governor in 1904.
It would be as sensible to entrust
the protection of your lambs to the
wolves, as to expect relief from rail
road extortion through the railroad
republican machine.
A horse thief wili be safe on trial
before the jury of livery men, wren
h'o r.eople of Nebraska get anti-rail
road candidates out of a convention of
railroad free pass holders.
Railroad republican politicians ask
the people to again elect them to office
to redeem the state from railroad con
Irol. They are In control now. Why
don't they do some redeeming?
of
Our premium watch is the best
cheap watch that Is made. It has a
genuine watch movement, made with
as much accuracy as the movement
In hlieher nrlccd watches. Of course,
It U not sot In flue Jewels but it Is
The issue of Issues that will test
the fitness of our people for popular
government is now upon us. The con
test Is between the railway and trust
magnates on the one side, and the
people on the other, for supremacy in
the government.
if
The Independent is an uncompromis
ing foe of railroad government, and
will expose the methods of the rail
roads and their political agents.
you are with us in this fight, give us
your support by subscribing for The
Independent and getting your neigh
bors to subscribe also.
When society can safely surrender
into the hands of the criminal classes
full power to enact and execute law
for the suppression of crime and the
protection of persons and property,
then, and not till then, can they trust
republican railroad politicians 'o re
tkem the state from railroad cor.t.ol
President Roosevelt's popularity
came through his moving toward the
people and away from his party. Poll
ticians now beseech him to (urn back
in order to save the future of the
party. We suggest to the president
that before heeding the advice of these
politicians he read his Bible and not
the fate of Ixit's wife.
Greed for gain and lust for powe
have their roots deep In the huma
heart. Therefore it is that in propor
tlon as power is Irresponsible to the
general wellfare, selfishness, im
ehecked. breeds corruption. Good gov
eminent results from the resiralnin
influences we exercise over each o(h
rather than from llt self Imposed ie
M nil lit n of Individuals. The repone
blltty for government whether too
George W. Beige, In his campaign
for the governorship of Nebraska in
1904, struck the vulnerable point in
the armor of railroad government
when be attacked the free pass as a
bribe, and insisted that the first steps
toward .reclaiming the state from rail
road control must be the abolition of
the free pass bribe and to outlaw the;
professional lobby.
A correpondent of the Omaha Bee
writes from Grand Island "that the
people in several counties in that sec
tion of the state are demanding that
the state government be divorced from
undue corporation influence; that they
demand the summary abolition of freo
passes to legislators, public officials
and all favored classes." He says
"that they demand the rescue of the
state from railroad control." This is
right. But when we see the self same
politicians that have led the people
Into the railroad camp in the past,
and have lived and prospered all their
days on railroad favoritism, stepping
to the front and proclaiming them
selves leaders In the anti-railway cru
sade, It suggests that they are acting
under instructions from railroad head
quarters. Will they succeed In fool
ing the people? The people will never
succeed in rescuing this state from
railroad control by electing to office
the men who have spent their lives in
the service of these corporations. The
republican leaders recognize the neces
sity of making loud professions of op
position to railroad domination In or
der to hold the rank and file of the
party voters in line. But If the people
are simple enough to credit them with
sincerity in their pre-election anti
railroad professions they will be badly
fooled. "The leopard cannot change
his spots."
The publishers of The Independent
want agents everywhere to canvass
for subscription and sell Mr. Beige'
new book, "THE FREE PASS BRI
BERY SYSTEM." See advertisement
of book elsewhere in this paper. We
receive hundreds of orders through
the mails. It Is the only book writ
ten upon a subject tn which the peo
ple are Just now vitally Interested.
The people everywhere will want the
book. Kx-Govcrnor l.arabee of Iowa
ordered ten books before parne were
off the press. We receive orders from
all part of the country. This book
I a seller. All you have to do Is to
tell about It. You ran make 1 100 per
month. Write at onr for term.
THE INDEPENDENT,
Lincoln, Neb.