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THE PEOPLES PARTY PAPER,
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Ol FICI A L ORGAN PEOPLE S PARTY,
STATE OF GEORGIA.
♦ CARDINAL TENETS OF
♦ PEOPLE'S PARTY. ♦
♦ Creation and Maintenance of an Hon- ♦
♦ est. Measure of Value*. ♦
X Fn-r Coinage of Gold and Silver. J
♦ Government Ownership and opera- ♦
♦ tiraiof Kailroiul, Tel.-iri-nph and T.-l.- ♦
♦ PhoneLlm-s. ♦
♦ Opposition to ♦
Opposition to Alien Ownership of
Land and Court-made Law.
J R. . i.ifion of theL'.. ht <,f the People ♦
J toKule, ).<•., The Initiative and Hefer- J
♦ endum.
People’s Party State Ticket.
For Governor,
J. R. HOGAN, Lincoln.
For Secretary of State,
L. 0. JACKSON, Decatur.
For Comptroller General,
BEN MILIKIN, Wayne.
For Treasurer,
J- H. TRAYIOR, Troup.
For Attorney General,
FELIX N. COBB. Carroll.
For Commissioner of Agriculture,
W. P. G OVER, Bibb.
For School Commissioner,
B. M. ZETTLER, Fulton.
For Prison Commissioner,
J. S. DAVITT, Polk.
Peoples Party State Platte,
For Georgia.
Adopted in Convention March
16, 1898—Readopted May
18, 1898.
RESOLUTIONS,
Taxation of th* -mt*- having under Dmno-
Cr.tt?-. imini-tr..ti<'ii, iic-i• ain*.' than UK)
1" ” '
<■l B. 1.. Lull •• ' . ■ ; .11 ■ .ii lo _• th* lungl.C
nropt-ri v ..r ri;. . i . .h <i‘.|*-d in valu< .ni<-o
]<.;•: rl.d h. -. if ).la.. din pou .r. Fo
r< <!u« < th-- pr, nt In .li rat-- of taxatb-n with-
'ic hvjhi-. ■mv.-n-K.n *.f th.- Populists
with* nt a national chairman, and • all upon the
naC'.iial connr.il t- .-to r/irn Uy the i-v.'l at the
ritr!;r-i por-sit.lo MHH.I- nt.
h'- - >lv> <l. 'lh. . . -im r<• the .-!■ I ;..ii of th*'
N -: \ »l|. nf.-r. ip- . tii.l ;h< a.-lit-n ot th.- r* •
J_ " ‘i. '’i i.;.a u.d •oiiv. ntion to ]„• held
in t tin-. t’h-.r..i. -h r. ÜB/J’iln along the
tno.-d progr iv.-aml a ivan.*«-dJin* <
PLATFORM.
1. W<- mdor -• the ISt. Louis platform.
li.t-- <:.■:■ s. up ju-; -:ip nt of condemnation
‘‘Th.'pudli.-<-oi' m-.. revolts at the license
iis n:aiiil>.ld *•■, ,i . h. .’ou,-,id.Tati<.n <>t r<-v*-nim
tl.ai pa \- !• - i .!■m atii h< 1 lie public hr.rdens
Hi We ’..V.,!- the of ;m ant|-
Lm : - ii, IMI -h dmll clo the i:ur- ..jhs nt
♦ ;• < h ■ J. ...ih- -. ■ tin- I.K-al prohi-
bition air. a ?. . <!, ,:•• 1 and provide for the
Fair-of i!,t. . -..’J r I .no!-, otherwise than in
barroom, under public control.
:j. Wo * mpli-itic.Jly .-ondcinn the convict
law | a--- 110 th«-l> , latii!.-of as L-ing
’ w* 'ih li.v that tho'stat*-herself should ke* p
] - .• :n■ , - ■ ’i< r and .should employ
C • : di t..e pul - i- . ; . and not allow
lie;p ;, , ;11 e< • 111! h•ti I;. dl With fl- ’»• labor,
H-id that 1- p.rm. Pon. s Lc • -labh.dw 1 for jav< ■
Hi!, e- , ..: 11. .. -
1 ,dl • 0,.i • -i r. . o-mmon
fc.-- ( p!:!ig • pa-n- tioni r.’.droad eorperu-
»■ • ' ' 1 ■■ fl • - • •: . 1 ■ -i.iitv and jmi ,al
7. We demand th.-:! all ( 111.11-. ojHcer.s bo
i>f th .1. •'( • - ,:id oiieii rs Os till- stilly b.\ the
h- •• •'- a'- -u •’ ol 1 -aid ’ .mijm’d <;r. ’"w/-
hl.-1 ;e< ur- iv. to . eui-.’ an am. c.dnu nf of
the. .a-titution of the ’.He which shall pro
vid- ' a--, .■ .n <>i t h. •• . i-in t |>.;s
<
p. Wy d- noun, -ho ■ nt f. .p m and
■ '.I
n ■ ''. \
i- *
\ I E.
Numerous be pools, c > -vgcbuSud Chau-
, 'in a" t ‘V. Wuison vvSiHil i I
toe present and ■ -iver an address';’
The managers of many of these insti
tutions hold Mr. Waison’a declination
of their invitations and yet persist in
publishing as a fact that he will attend.
Thia is rank injustice to Mr. Watson
as well as to the public and is nothing
short of a fraud on the people who put
faith in it and should stop at once.
Mr. Watson has been noted for keep
ing bis appointments when regularly
made and such fraudulent practice
does him u gr**at iejust ce. The public
will not long stand these bogus an-
H’ uncementb, made without authority
or foundation. When Mr. Watson ac
cepts an invitation, his letter of ac
ceptance will be the safest announce
ment to credit
Uaevf.y Howard.
No money is good money that can
not be hud when it is wanted-
AX ALLEGORY.
J
Beyond the waves of a tempestuous
- ocean, three thousands of miles from
J nowhere, there lay a vast continent of
untold natural resources, of agricultu
ral resources unsurpassed, of mineral
« wealth unmeasured, a continent pec
pled by a race of industrious, energet-
- io and inventive people well versed in
y the arts of agriculture, mining and
manufacture, well skilled in reading
nature's secrets, following nature’s
ways and making the most of the great
" natural resources of their country, and
withal a people Inherently progressive,
I ever intent on climbing to a yet higher
’ plane, making labor more productive,
and their command over the boundless
forces of nature greater and greater.
A virgin soil of unsurpassed fertility
> welcomed the husbandman and en
, couraged him to fresh efforts, while
> hidden away in the bowels of the
> earth were vast stores of coal and iron,
J copper in deposits of marvelous rich-
> j ness, lead and nickel and the lesser
l» metals in abundance, while the rugged
? mountain ranges of this marvelous
a continent bore veins and deposits o’
J the precious metals of a fabulous rich
_ ncss.
Thus hidden away in the earth were
, vast stores of mineral and agricultural
wealth, a nascent wealth only waiting
to be uncovered and developed to be
come appropriable by man to his uses,
the promotion of his comfort and hap
pincss. And in thus developing the
unparalleled resources at their disposal
the people of this continent had male
great progress. Under tillage they
brought the fertile soil until there was
no dream of scarcity, but such an
abundance of food raised that much
was spared to feed the peoples of other
lands There was a period in the his
tory of this continent when food was
often scarce, when the fear of want
and famine was ever present, when al
most all men were tilling the soil. But
that time was long since passed. Year
alter year a lesser and lesser propor
tion of the people were occupied in
tilling the soil, yet year after year a
- greater abundance of food was raised.
It was because agricultural labor be-
* came more productive, because better
soils wore brought under cultivation
year after year, because better instru.
ments of tillage and more economical
I means of harvesting were brought into
use.
All this came with the accumulation
of wealth. At first the lighter though
poorer soils were cultivated. They
were cultivated because the needs of
, the people were pressing, because there
was little surplus production of food
■ that those who did not raise their own
, food could depend upon. Consequent
ly nearly all men had to engage in
ra sing crops and they had to occupy
soils that could be readiest cultivated
and brought under tillage at once.
These soils were of course the lighter
'i soils on which grew little underbrush
II amidst the forest trees, soils in which
the efforts of the husbandmen were
not handicapped by roots, and soils
that needed no artificial drainage
Thus the heavier and richer soils were
ti passed by, passed by because they
could not be cleared and a erop raised
the same year, because several years’
time was required before such soils
could be brought into a condition fit
< for tillage. Therefore the poorer soils
were at first cultivated. And then it
’’ was that there was scarcity and fear
t of scarcity, then that agricultural la
bor was least productive.
But as year followed year and the
lands first tilled became more readily
• tillable and at the same lime, because
of better tillage, more productive,more
and more food was produced pre-por-
i lior.ately to the number of people. Thus
the surplus foed that each Uusbai:d
man produced bepond iiis own needs
grow, us it grew it became availabl ■
for the support and therefore eniploy
’ merit of men to bring the more fertile
binds under cultivation, of other men
' who would occupy themselves witli
1 making farm tools and of still o:hers
occupying themselves with the manu
r facture cf clothing, the spinning of
„ vool and weaving of cloth that bad
1 before been done on the farm, but with
primitive facilities and at. much greater
expenditure of labor. Thus did labor
f become more productive, steam and
s electricity, heretofore unrivalled forces
of nature were harnesred, the arts of
metallurgy were mastered, so the
! nascent wealth of the earth, the wealth
that nature offers to those who work
i in harmi'j:;/ with her laws, the wealth
of the soil and the bowels of the earth
was uncovered and appropriated. Bles
sed with a territory of such great ua
' j tural wealth and developing the natu
ral resources with a marvellous succ jss
fulness and rapidity as the result of
diligent application to mastering the
laws and forces of nature, the people
of this continent produced and gather
ed wealth on a scale never before ap
preached. The soil under the industri-
■ ous und ekiiied cultivation of a small, r
. and smaller proportion of the total
I number of peopi , produced more than
; an abundance of food for all, the min-
\eral wealth of the country was uncov
ercud, mines were opened capable of
proijhicing more coal and iron than
thcreX was demand f_r, furnaces and
mills were in existence capable
cf meeuing all the wants of the people
for iron I and steel, woolen and cotton
mills of tk productive capacity greater
than the q|emands of the peop e wore in
existence. |
Thus thLro should have been an
abundance Vis food, an abundance of
clothing f- r lad, for an abundance was
or could be (produced. Yet there was
not abundant-e. Thousands of monos
industrious habits, skillful workmen
could find no Wyork, their families suf
fered from wand of food, were without
sufficiency of (clothing. Year after
year the farmci- produced more foed,
year after year ..is labor became more
predtic ire, yet ufre recompense for hisj
labor became leas and less. From hlsi
labor his country grew richer but in j
THE PEOPLE’S PARTY PAPER: ATLANTA, GEORGIA: FRIDAY, JUNE 17. 1898.
the enrichment of his country he did
not share. So also did there come a
greater and greater use of more and
more economical machinery and there
with the labor of the factory hand be
came more and more productive. He
produced more wealth but proportion
ately to the wealth produced got less.
So there was a country peopled by an
industrious and wealthy people, a peo
ple of unequaled productive power, yet
a country where the few reaped the
benefits of the increased productive
ness of labor, whece the many sowed
but did not reap, where the few gath
ered the wealth, the industrious, pov
erty. Naturally there should have been
happiness there was discontent, where
there should have been universal abun
dance and comfort there was general
scarcity and suffering. Thus a people
blessed by nature found themselves
under a curse. They saw that as their
efforts were cursed and as they were
not eursed by nature they must be
cursed by man. And this curse they
found in the shape of a toll exacted on
all interchanges of the surplus products
of labor and by those who rendered
nothing in return, by those who did
not facilitate such interchanges but re
tarded them.
These arbitrary tolls being dexter
ously mixed up with tolls charged for
services actually rendered had long
passed unnoticed. Thus had certain
persons been granted the right to
build and operate the steam highways
of the nation. For the transportation
of freight and passengers over these
highways they were freely given the
right to charge tolls and thus recom
pense themselves for the costs of build
ing, keeping up and operating such
highways. That they should be so
paid for services rendered in the trans
portation of goods and passengers was
right and just. No one complained.
But it happened that they charged tolls
that were more than ample to recom
pense them for their outlay, charges
that were more than fair consideration
for services rendered.
In brief, they added to their charges
simply because they had a monopoly,
charged the people for the use of priv
ileges that the people had given them.
Part of their charges wore for services
rendered, part were toll exacted by
monopoly. But mixed up together it
was hard to pick out what were just
charges, what monopoly charges. This
was made increasingly difficult by the
way in which the railroads kept their
capital accounts. For example, they
universally issued stocks and bonds
purporting to represent a greater in
vestment of money than ever went into
the construction of the roads. In a
word, they unscrupulously, not to say
fraudulently, watered their capital ac
counts so that it was made to appear
that the roads cost two times or more
what they actually did. And so wha’
was an exorbitant return on. the real
cost of a road was often made to appear
quite inadequate.
Os course, those men to whom this
watered stock was issued grew rich
while the industrious classes, having to
pay a toll to monopoly on the inter
change of the products of their labor
for the products of others, were depriv
ed of the full profits of industry. Those
persons to whom this watered capita)
was issued by the railroads were those
who did what was called ’’financing
the roads,” and to the railroad mana
gers Thus the railroad managers is
sued watered stocks and other repre
sentatives of capital to themselves and
to those promoters and bankers who
helped them in the operation.
But this was far from the worst side
of railroad management. The worst
was management so as to stifle some
enterprises and enrich others, so as to
bring prosperity to some localities,
stagnation and destruction to others.
This was done systematically. To one
enterprise in which the railroad cliques
lisd a part ownership interest, or to
one in which railroad managers were
given an indirect interest in return for
special privileges, certain favors in
transportation rates and services were
granted while all other competitive
enterprises were discriminated against.
That is, to the favored enterprises,
lower freight rales were given, both in
the gathering of raw mat. rials und in
the marketing of the products, than
were charged their competitors. Os
course the favored enterprises could
produce cheaper and distribute cheap
er than their competitors, so undersell
and bankrupt them, This they did for
it was to their interest. The favored
cliques then stepped in und bought up
the bankrupted properties. So doing
they gathered the savings of others’
industry and at the same time gained a
monopoly.
Possessed of the properties that once
belonged to competitors they removed
the discriminations against such pro
perties and that had made them un
profitable, while all the clique enter
prises, thus possessed of monopoly
through railroad aid, built up their
profits higher and higher by the charge
of monopoly prices. Thus fortunes
gathered rapidly on this turn of the
wheel, but they were gathered by cut
ting down tran-portation rates, and so
at the cast of the railroads. If the
cliques had then possessed the railroad
securities, of course this loss would
have fallen upon them. But they were
not so i hurt sighted as to put them
selves into the position of robbing
Peter to pay Paul, or rather self to en
rich self. Before they wrecked any
railroad by robbing it they took care
to tell their ownership in it, cr at least
that part of It represented by stock and
junior binds. When they put up rates
on a lino cf read with the view of
crushing cut the enterprises on that
road that were competitors of the
clique owned enterprises, the earnings
of such road were naturally swollen,
for the earnings, the very vitals of ths
competing industries, were sapped to
this interest payments
eapiti.l puss;-
i.:,-. v.i u ■ tn tiic
sv. . u ’ l ' a',.: e.n.sij
such securities to appreciate in selling
value, a deluded public being tempted
to buy. And then the cliques sold. As
a result the public had the securities of
the road when the cliques wrecked it,
and" thus were investors stripped of
their accumulations.
Os course the low rates that wrecked
the railroad made the enterprises along
it, and favored by such cut rates, profit
able. As a consequence they became
salable at appreciated values and the
cliques were enabled to dispose of them
at a good profit and buy up the wreck
ed road with the proceees. Then the
operation was repeated.
And so it went on until the wealth of
the country became centralized in the
hands of a few railroad cliques. They
made the curse that blighted the pros
perity of an otherwise blessed people,
they mode the curse that shut off men
from the enjoyment that should have
come with the increased productiveness
of their labor.
Awakening to this, at last, this peo
ple resolved to break the curse put
upon them by these cliques. As an
entering wedge they resolved to build
a railroad of their own across the con
tinent, a highway that would serve the
public not the cliques, that would pro
mote the interchange of commodities
and stimulate industry by insuring to
all men the fruits of their labor. There
was ample labor in the country and
out of employ to’ make the cuttings,
build up the fillings, grade the roadbed
and lay the track ; there were rolling
mills without employment quite capa
ble of rolling the rails, there were
mines of iron capable of supplying the
needed iron ore, mines opened and
ready to supply the coal to smelt it.
above all were there idle miners only
too anxious to mine the needed iron
and coal. So too were there masons
and bricklayers innumerable who were
ready to do the needed work, so there
were bridge builders, locomotive and
car builders, and men ready to make
all kinds of track supplies.
Thus within itself the country had
all the resources to build the road. The
farmers were only too anxious to raise
the food that the men employed in
constructing such road might need,
and they were more than capable of
producing food in abundance. And so
could the manufacturers of clothing
easily keep the, men who would be en
gaged in such work of construction,
fully clothed. Such manufacturers
were without work simply because the
men who would thus be given employ
ment were without work or money and
unable to buy the clothes they needed.
Simply because the workman out of
work was stinting himself and family
in food, simply because he could not
clothe himself aud his decently, simply
because the farmer could not find re
munerative for his products or
the r. anii'ae’his, the product
ive force of was re.-.’ric'.e I.
Such was the eißKuon when the peo
ple of this great imnamed continent, a
people blessed by nature, cursed by
the greed of man, resolved to build a
railroad across their continent
Then to the government came an
agent of a foreign banking house, and
on behalf of that house, offered to loan
the money, at the rate of 3 per cent,
needed to build the road. But the
wise man whom the people had put at
the head of the.r government replied:
‘ Do you propose to import an army
of aliens and loan us their labor to
grade the road and build the roadbed?”
‘‘Oh, no 1 ” was the reply, ‘‘that your
own idle people will supply, they will
make the cuttings and the fillings,
they will construct the road.”
“‘What then do you propose to loan
us,” inquired the 'vise man, “the steel
rails or the bridge siruotures or the
tra k supplies or the roiling stock ? ”
‘Oh.no! all that your own people
w ill supply, they will make the rails,
they the bridges, they 7 the track sup
plies end rolling stock, they will build
the road.”
' What then will you do?” queried
the, wise man.
‘ Why, supply the mpney, to pay the
labor, to buy the rails, the locomotives,”
was the reply.
“And that will the people supply for
themselves,” was the response. For
that they will pay you nothing. They
create ths road, with wealth of their
creation it must be built, with their
capital not yours will it, be constructed,
To build the road you offer no capital,
you offer but the representative of cap
ital. And if our people must create
and contribute the capital they cun
create the representative of capital,
the money with which to pay ihe
labor, to buy the rails, the locomotives,
the ears. Money is but the mere rep
resentative by which wealth is ex
changed, by which the product of ouo
man is exchanged so-t the product of
another, and the people who can cre
ate the wealth need not borrow the in
struments by Which it may be exchan
ged. Those inswuments they can
make for themselves, those instruments
they shall now make. The govern
ment will issue notes each of which
shall read ‘this note will bo received by
the government railroad at its face in
payment for freight and passenger
charges and by the National Treasury
for ali taxes and public dues.’ This
will give these notes an exchange value
at once, this will make them pass as
current money, this will make them
pass as current money, this will make
them acceptable by all merchants
having dues to pay to the government,
ami being so acceptable workmen will
gladly accept them in payment lor
their labor, knowing that they can
exchange such notes for the food and
clothing that they need, the maker of
steel ra'ls will be only too glad to take
them for his product, knowing that he
can pay labor with such notes and meet
the other costs of production. So the
issue of these notes will give employ
ment to labor, will make increased de
mand fur the products of farm and
factory and mins by those who are
now half starved and half c othed,
there will come prosperity for farmer
and manufacturer and wage earner
alike, the railroad will be built simply
by stimulating the productive abilities
of the nation into activity and build by
the exercise of energies that would not
otherwise be exercised, the employ
ment of labor that would otherwise be
idle.
“When the notes issued for this pur
pose are received by the government
either for taxes or dues or later in pay
ment for the transportation of freight
or passengers over the government
road” continued the wise man “they
will be effectually redeemed. But to
cancel all such.notes when received in
payment of taxes would inevitably
cause a great hole in the public rev
enues. a hole that would have to be
filled by new taxes. If this was done
it would amount to building the road
by general taxation. Again to cancel
all such notes when received for the
carriage of freight or passengers by the
government road would, if a large part
of the receipts were in such notes, en
tail a deficit in the operation of the
road, for about two-thirds of the re
ceipts of railroads, on a basis of pres
ent average transportation rates, are
absorbed to meet operating expenses.
The other third remain as profits.
Therefore the notes issued by the gov
ernment to pay for the construction of
the road and received in payment for
transportation services cannot be can
celled in a ratio of more than one-third
of the notes received without causing
a deficit which wou’d have to ba met
by general taxation. That portion of
the notes received for transportation
that would be required to meet the
costs of transportation would have to
be reissued when received, that portion
received as profits on transportation
might be cancelled. Therefore it shall
be provided that these notes shall bo
receivable at their face value for all
taxes and public dues and government
railroad charges and when received for
taxes or public dues shall be reissued,
when received by the government road
such proportion shall be reissued as
will meet the costs of operation, such
proportion as represents profits shall
be retired. Built and operated after
this manner the road will pay for itself
in a few years and at the end be the
propi-nty of the people. Built by bor
rowed money the people would pay tor
it within a few years bu’. at the end it
would be the property of the cliques.”
So said the wise man to the agent of
the foreign banking house who pro
posed that in breaking the curse of the
railroad cliques the people should
shoulder the curse of a bonded slavery.
So those, who, seeing the people bestir
themselves to throw off the curse of
the railroad cliques, sought to cast over
them another curse were baffled. So
was the railroad built, so were ths rail
road notes issued, so was life instilled
into all industry, employment given to
labor, and prosperity reigned.
. It wst. seen that as the. road paid for
itself cut of profits and the notes issued
to pay for its construction were csn>
celled, there would come contraction’
falling prices, Industrial stagnation,
unless such contraction was provided
against. This was done by providing
for the construction of new public
works and the issue of new notes as the
old were cancelled thus guarding
against contraction and providing for
a steady increase in the volume of cur
rency concurrently with the increase
of trade aud expansion of industry.
As the old nates were paid off out of
prefits, transportation charges were
reduced to a point so as to yield a rev
enue only equal to the costs of trans
portation. And this reduction was
very material, for as laws were re
duced traffic increased and the costs of
transportation concurrently decreased,
for the large- the volume of goods end
number of passengers transported the
less is the cost ton for ton and passen
ger lor passenger. Besides, the vast
sums that had been exacted from ship
pers but that never found their way
into the treasuries of the clique man
aged roads, being paid to the cliques
as rebates for favors granted at the
expense not of those granting th?,
favors but of the investors in railroad
property, were saved. So the cheap
ening of transportation resulting from
the eonsiructiou and operation of rail
roads by the government was very
great and the interchange of commodi
ties, and hence diversification of indus
tries, leading in turn to greatly in
creased productiveness of labor was in
finitely encouraged.
But this was not the only benefit by
far that accrued to the people from
Uns new policy, for this now policy
was the means of establishing an hon
est monetary system. It was noted
that the increase in the volumne of
currency caused by paying out cur
rency on account of railroad construc
tion caused a greatly increased demand
for all lines of goods to spring up. It
was also noted that any contraction in
the volume of currency caused ashrink
in this demand, a general fall in prices,
undermining of profits and shrinkage
of business. And so was it noted that
that as the volume of currency was ex
panded aud greater employment offer
ed to labor wages rose, aud that unless
the the government raised the rate of
wages offered as pay for labor employ
ed on government works any inflation
of the currency would check itself, for
men refusing to work for such pay the
opportunity to put such notes into cir
culation would be closed. It was fur
ther recognized that inflation, causing
sharp and speculative prises in prices
unsettled business even as did contrac
tion, causing sharp and great falls in
prices; that the money calculated to
promote industry was honest money
that would neither rob the creditor on
the one hand or the debtor on the
other, but that would secure to men
the fruits of their toil, so that the most
industrious would be vouchsafed thq
greatest rewards.
Aud it was seen that honest money
was money of invariable purchasing
power and that the volume of money
should be so regulated as to insure
such stability in values, With the gen
eral progress of invention and society
labor of course becomes more product
ive and if wages do not rise propor
tionately prices will tend to fall. But
if prices do fall the creditor classes will
share in the increased productiveness
of labor which they have done nothing
to bring about, which is not the fruit
of their energy but of the energy of
others, and in such they have no right
to share. The only way labor can ful
ly profit from its increased productive
ness is through rising wages. Prices
should be kept stable and as labor be
comes more productive wages should
rise.
Therefore it was seen thnt the gen
eral level of prices should be the meas
ure of honest money, that the volume
of money should be so regulated as to
keep prices stable, that this could be
done in connection with the construc
tion of government railroads and pub
lic works. By making employment for
all the idle the government provided
for an issue of money in sufficient vol
ume to enable the people to make the
utmost of their productive capabilities.
Any undue inflation and rise in prices
soon checked itself in two ways. First
by the increased profits of industry
stimulating individual enterprise, caus
ing competition among employers for
the services of wage earners, thereby
raising wages and consequently dimin
ishing the inclination of mon to accept
government employment. Consequent
ly the opportunities for the issue of
currency were curtailed as there was
inflation while the constant cancella
tion of notes out of the profits of gov
ernment enterprises not being made
good by new issues contraction soon
followed until the danger of inflation
was past. If such contraction went so
far as to threaten to destroy industrial
activity by undermining profits, such
contraction was soon checked; for the
moment men found themselves thrown
out of employment by curtailment of
production caused by contraction, fal
ling prices and shrinking profits, they
sought government employment, were
paid in government notes aud thus the
currency expanded until the fall in
prices aud shrinkage in profits was
checked.
With the progress of invention labor
became more productive, and if the
volume of money had been regulated
by the rate of wages paid by the gov
ernment, and that rate was arbitrarily
fixed, prices would have certainly
fallen and injustice have been done.
But by regulating the rate of wages by
the general level of prices, raising such
rate whenever the general level of
prices was found to have fallen, and in
this way encouraging an increase in the
volume of currency sufficient to restore
the general price level, such price level
was made to regulate the volume” of
money and an honest measure of values
secured.
So to all men were secured the fruits
of their toil, each man’s industry and
capability became the measure of his
o.vn success; thus were men rewarded
according to their due, industry freed
from all its handicaps flourished, there
was no longer heard the plaint of the
idle, no longer the spectaclo of a great
people wasting their productive force,
but of activity, happiness, contentment
of unrivalled prosperity.
For the people of the United States
this unrivalled prosperity is not unat
tainable. It is ours if we throw off the
curse of the railroad and moneyed
cliques that now blights our fair pros
pects. Suppose we set about it and
prove ourselves worthy of our heritage,
—Wharton Barker’s American.
Little Too Swift.
Samuel Gompors, President of the
American Federation of Labor has
gone out of his way, as the head official
of that order, to tell the working peo.
pic of Toxas how to vote for governor.
He advises them on the strength of his
labor record, to vote for Mr. Joseph
Sr,yers. Mr. Sayer’s labor record may
be all right. If it is it is more than a
goodly number of the workers of thia
Country think about Gompers, whose
labor record, if reports irom the labor
press of the country be true, is not
above suspicion. Texas workmen, who
are on the ground, know better than
Mr. Gotupers can tell them, how to
vote on the question and as far as the
Mercury knows, his advice is entirely
gratuitous and unsolicited. Mr. Gom
per’s letter is addressed to Mr. Sayers
campaign manager, and by him has
b?en made public. The federation of
labor is in polities only on such occa
sions as this, and then it is in politics
of the rankest order. The federation
of labor should put a brake on Mr.
Gompers. We Texans think that polit
ically, he is quite too “swift.”—Mer
cury.
Strange But True.
If you want to damn anything in
America, add or prefix the word “free”
to it and the thing is done. The word
“free” has a peculiar stench to Amer
icans. Free land, free trade, free
speech, free press, free exchange, free
men aud freedom alike arc under the
ban of public prejudice. If there is one
word more than another that should
be dear to Americans, it is certainly
this word they turn up their noses at
and denounce as impracticable. This
is the result of education which they
have received from their industrial and
political masters. You can educate a
nation into any fallacious belief if you
will take time and prevent them from
seeing the truth. —Appeal to Reason.
Every Man is Needed.
If the Populists in each county will,
between now and November, talk to
every man, woman and child ten years
old in their county and fully explain
the Texas relief railroad and the re
ferendum ths Populists and indepen
dent Democrats and Republicans can
easily elect a majority of the legisla
ture and a state ticket. It requires a
revolution of this kind to overcome the
corporation campaign fund and official
Combuation. Every patriotic man and
help.—Mercury.
The Crime of 1898.
On Saturday last our plutocratic sen
ate passed the bond grabbers bill, oth
erwise known as the war revenue hill.
For its infamy and hellish purposes
this bill will pass into history a fitting
sequel to the national banking act, the
credit strengthening act, the refunding
act and the demonetization act
Another great national crime has
been perpetrated against the common
people. Another link has been forged
in the chain that would fetter the hu
man race. The bond holding robbers
of nations have again held us up by
the cry of war while they picked our
pockets with an issue of bonds.
Let the people mark well the politi
cal parties, the men responsible for
this imfamy.
Populists throughout the nation
stand opposed to bonds. Populist sen
ators introduced two amendments to
this bond bill. One amendment called
for an issue of $400,000,000 full legal
tender, Lincoln greenbacks, to take the
place of the bond issue.
The other amendment called for the
coinage of the silver bullion now piled
up in the treasury.
Both these Populist amendments
were defeated and the bond bill passed
by substantially the same vote. The
yea and nay vote by which the bond
bill was passed is as follows:
Yeas—Aldrich, Allison, Baker, Bur
rows, Caffcry, Carter, Chandler, Clark,
Davis, Deboe, Elkins, Fairbanks, For
aker, Frye, Gallinger, Gear, Gorman,
Hale, Hanna, Hansbrough, Hawley,
Kyle, Lindsay, Lodge, Mcßride, Mc-
Enery, McMillan, Mantle, Mason,
Mitchell, Morrill, Murphy, Nelson,
Perkins,' Platt (Conn), Platt (N. Y),
Pritchard, Sewell, Shoup, Spooner,
Thurston, Turpie, Warren, Welling
ton, Wetmore, Wilson, Wolcott—4B.
Nays—Allen, Bacon, Bate, Berry,
Butler, Cannon, Chilton, Clay, Cock
rell, Daniel, Harris, Heitfeldt, Jones
(Ark.), Jones (Nov.), McLaurin, Mal
lory, Martin, Money, Pasco, Pettigrew,
Pettus, Rawlins, Roach, Stewart, Sul
livan, Tillman, Turley, White—2B.
From the above vote it will be seen
that 48 senators stood for Wall street,
28 senators stood for the people and 12
senators sneaued from responsibility.
The make up of the senate is as fol
lows :
Republicans 46
Democrats St
Populists 7
Silver Republicans 4
Total ...88
Every Populist should cut out and
preserve this yea and nay vote. When
your backbone gets weak and your
knees knock together it will strength
en your Populism.
Show it to your fusion friends. Ask
these “think alike” fellows to kindly
explain the whichness of the how. Ask
your “think alike” fusion friends why
the seven Democrats, Turpie, Lindsay,
Mitehell, Gorman, Murphy, McEnery,
anil Caffery voted with the Republi
cans for Wall street and for bunds.
Ask why these seven Democrats oppos
ed silver and greenbacks.
Ask why the eight Democrats, Gray
and Kinney of Deleware, Smith of N.
J , Faulkner of West Va., George and
Walthall of Miss., Mills of Texas and
Vest of Missouri, sneaked into the
cloak rooms and refused to answer
when their names were exiled..
Note that 75 senators cast their votes
and there were only 12 absentees or
sneaks. Os these 12 sneaks, Bof them
were the Democrats named above. Os
the entire number of 31 Democratic
senators 15 either voted for the bonds
or refused to vote against them and we
are told that Democrats and Populists
“th.air alike.” Os the 4 eilver Repub
licans, bo it remembered that every
man had the courage of his eonvietiqns
and voted against the bonds or like
Teller made speeches against the bill.
Os the 7 Populists the entire delegation
voted against the bill except the fusiou
ist K.’le.
la the face of this record and these
facts the Democrats and Silver Repub
licans have the gall to ask and the as
surance to expect that the Populists of
Hennepin county shali submit the nom
ination of thoir congressional candi
date, T. J. Caton, to the acceptance or
rejection of a committee of 5 Demo
crats, 5 Silver Republieanc and 5 Popu
lists.
Populists believe in the referendum
principle, in referring all questions, all
nominations as far as possible to the
whole people or a large number of rep
resentative'.
Populists would i. 't entrust the nom
ination o.‘ a congressman to a commit
tee of 5 chosen from their own party
and it is absurd if not an insult to the
intelligence cf our party to expect or
ask that we entrust such nomination to
a committee, a majority of whom are
choson from other parties, The chumps
are not all dead neither are they all
Populists.
Think of these gentlemen under a
flag of truea and an alliance banner
making us a “heads I win, tails you
lose proposition.” Think of the Demo
crats coming into our convention and
making us the proposition that “they
would take the turkey.” N<r gentle
men, we care not for the offices. It is
the good fat turkey of substantial re
form that we are fighting for. We be
lieve Mr. Caton will do his best to get
it for us. We believe he will neither
vote for Wall street noi- sneak from
duty in his country’s peril. Our allies
say they seek the same ends. They
claim wo all think alike. Let them
prove these assertions that they think
with us by voting with us.
If these allies should refuse to heart
ily support a genuine Populist congress
man, the unanimous choice of the Pop
ulist party, such refusal together with
the foregoing record of Democratic
senators should settle for all time the
wisdom of our present independent
action.—E. A, T. in Representative.
C Loyalty to the country does not re
quire a citizen to be blind to the fault*
or mistakes of his country’s eervante,