tU > J
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Conservative * 9
civilization may bo preserved without it ,
and our judicial system must , as the
condition of national life , be made to
square with the fact that the right of
all men to the bounty of the Creator is a
birthright , not a gift nor an acquisition ,
and that it is in its nature equal , in
alienable , universal and eternal , the one
underlying and unalterable law of social
life.
life.Such
Such a law may be recognized intu
itively consciousness , a sense of the
justice and fitness therein embodied ,
may respond to it , or the consequences
of its violation may compel recognition.
Our moral perceptions have been so
dxilled by habitual disregard of this law ,
we have so steadfastly refused recog
nition and obedience , that the consequences
quences of its violation are coming into
prominence. There is , as we believeno
other explanation of the threatening
social phenomena of our time.
Upon the institution of private prop
erty in laud , has been built a mountain
of social injustice , of privilege , of
rights or immunities , not enjoyed by
others or all.
Every franchise in every city , village
and hamlet of the land is a privilege , a
piece of legislative or municipal wrong.
There is , in every case , something taken
from the many and bestowed upon the
few. It may be by authority of law ,
but it is in violation of right , the con
sideration ( so-called ) in such cases con
sisting simply of a return of an infini
tesimal portion of the plunder. Every
one of these franchises is capitalized , as
if it were so much actual wealth , and
the people are made to pay in blood and
in tears for what is their own.
Our system of taxation , other than
that upon bare land , is such that the
burden is borne by those least able to
bear it , by the wage earner and the
very poor. The reader has only to con
sider the manner in which personal
property taxes are apportioned upon the
articles of daily consumption. The man
whose income is consumed in providing
for his family , is the man who pays
taxes he may saddle them upon no one
else all above him are simply sub-col
lectors. Herein is wrong so gross , so
monstrous , that oven the judges of our
courts are declaiming against the per
version of justice. While , of our sys
tem of tariff taxation , the supreme
court of the United States has said ,
( Loan Association vs. Topeka , case 20 ,
Wall 664) ) , "To lay with one hand the
power of the government upon the
property of the citizen , and with the
other to bestow it upon favored individ
uals to aid private enterprise and build
up private fortunes , is none the less
robbery because it is done under the
forms of law and is called taxation. "
Wo have only to refer briefly to our
financial system and we have done. Our
national banks are past masters in the art
of showing how something may be made
out of nothing ; how interest may bo
drawn at one and the same time on the
same money from two different parties
( the people paying in both cases , how
ever ) , while on the back of every green
back is printed "except duties on im
ports and interest on the piiblic debt , "
i. o. one kind of money for me and an
other kind for you ; ono kind for the
coupon clipper ( the good kind ) and an
other kind for common folks.
But under our government are not all
men equal before the law ? Have they
not all the" ballot ? Yes. They have the
ballot , and they may use it in voting
either for an elephant or a jackass , as
they see fit. There , all equality ends.
We may ask in turn , who owns the ele
phant and who owns the jackass ?
We started out with the proposition
that there was a privileged class in this
country , and that the wishes and inter
ests of this class were paramount in the
councils and in the administration of
our government. Have we made out
our case ?
Chicago , July 24 , 1901.
WHAT OTHERS SAY OF THE CON
SERVATIVE.
Morton's CONSERVATIVE is a coiner of
phrases , and utters some lasting truths.
It is an originator of ideas and a sug-
gestor of important enterprises. It is a
builder up and altogether a good friend
of the people. Hastings ( Neb. ) Tri
bune.
J. Sterling Morton's plan to cut Ne
braska's roads down one-half and plant
the other half to trees is meeting with
general approval. The present width of
roadways is sixty-six feet. Mr. Morton's
plan would be to cut them down to
thirty-three feet. What's the use of
twenty or thirty feet of sunflowers and
rosinweeds and cockleburrs along both
sides of the highways ? Wo are not so
certain always about the advantage of
the trees to take their places but the
growing of trees is certainly not a
nuisance. Fremont ( Nob. ) Daily Her
ald.
J. Sterling Morton's proposition to
have the highways or roads cut down
from GO to 83 feet in width , should meet
with favorable action by the next legis
lation. The 16) < j feet on each side , thus
taken from the road , ought to bo set out
to trees and the trees taken care of by
the road district. Nebraska doesn't need
a road fund so much as it needs more
trees. When not worked too much , the
roads are nearly always in good shape.
Half the ground now occupied is enough
for road purposes. Hastings ( Nob. )
Tribune.
The World-Herald thinks when J.
Sterling Morton writes about arbori
culture ho writes very sensibly , but
when he writes about politics ho is ' , v
senile. Perhaps it is the World-Her
ald's opinions that are warped. It
usually admires another paper that will
agree with it on matters of public im
provements , but cannot stand a differ
ence of opinion on political questions.
There are a whole lot of people in No-
iraska who consider Mr. Morton sensi
ble all the time. Norfolk ( Neb. ) News.
'
J Sterling Morton will always sing
paeans of praise for the Home. Ho con
denses a sermon into these words :
"There will be in the New Jerusalem
neither restaurants , hotels nor boarding
houses , only Homes , Homes , forever
and forever. " That's the place to go
when we die. Fremont Tribune.
According to J. Sterling Morton ,
"Many populists believe that the great
drouth prevailing throughout the North
west , and in fact all over the United
States , is caused by the big financial
combines and corporations called
trusts. They have used all the 'water'
in getting their stocks sufficiently irri
gated to sell to grangers and others who
occasionally estray into Wall street. "
Mr. Morton next advises the populists to
adopt immediate measures to increase
the corn crop per Capita. This sounds
veiy much like the mocking advice
which the Prophet Elijah bestowed upon
the prophets of Baal. But we have no
fears that the populists will imitate the
badgered sons of Baal , and do them
selves any bodily harm , because they
cannot legislate a single kernel of corn
into a parched par. Atchisou ( Kas. )
Globe.
The democratic convention of the
Thirty-third Ohio Senatorial District
endorsed the Kansas City platform by a
narrow majority , and followed this by
endorsing the platform of the Ohio
democratic state convention , which
body had repudiated the Kansas City
doctrine.
WONDERS OF UTAH.
Every variety of climate , generally
salubrious and agreeable , can be found
iu Utah. There are valleys for the
farmer , the gardener and the fruit
grower ; low mountain laud , slopes and
ten-aces for the sheep-raiser ; mount
ains for the minor ; scenery , hunting ,
fishing and bathing for the pleasure-
seeker ; hot springs and pure air for
the invalid , and plenty of opportunity
and occupation for men of business
and enterprise.
The Union Pacific has put in effect
summer excursion rates to Utah lower
than made in many years.
For full information , call on or ad
dress
E. L. LOMAX , G. P. & T. A.
Omaha , Neb.
