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THE JACKSON ECONOMIST.
VOL. VII.
THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.
Populism t# Take the Lead in Hie Great Work
ef iicfnrniatioii.
ORGANIZATION TUB NEED (IF THE HOUR.
Let the Watchword be Onward--LeL it Repeat from
Post to Post Until the Cry Shall Resound
Throughout the Whole World
From Wharton Barker’s American.
From the four quarters of the
earth rises the wail of oppression
distress that oppression brings.
Some in blind selfishness, conteut
if they can gain comforts and lux
uries and revel in pleasures regard
less of the sufferings of their fel
lowmen, may close their eyes and
eteel their hearts against it; we
hear it as an ominous roar, the
swelling roar of an outraged hu
manity oft denied the right to la
bor, oft deprived of the enjoyment
of the fruits of toil and seeking,
some what aimlessly, but earnestly,
insistently for justice, relief. Men
are denied an equality of oppor
tunity, they are obliged to toil for
those enjoyiug special privileges
aud for recompense barely suffi
cient to keep body and soul togeth
er, insufficient to enable them to
accumulate wealth and rise to a
higher state. And if perchance
sickness overtakes them, they be
come decrepid as a working ma
chine orgbe thrown out of work,
they and their families are prone
to suffer infinitely.
The despoilment of many by the
few was never so systematized and
effective as it is to-day. True,
labor is more productive than ever
before, a livelihood should be easi
er gained, men should live better,
their material and intellectual lot
should be vastly and steadily
raised, raised just as improved
machinery, as greater knowledge
applied to the direction of indus
try makes their labor more product
ive. But this increased product
iveness of labor goes to the enjoy
ers of special privileges, goes to en
rich the favored few. Thus do
contrasts between riches aud pov
erty grow, thus does unrest in
crease, thus by very
comparison made harder and hard
er to bear.
Thejinvester is robbed of his
savings, the wage earner is made
tc pay tribute to the trusts that
the railroads build. The sacred
nesß of contracts is artfully brok
en by changes in the value of mon
ey engineered by the money
cliques, of course in their interest
and to the detriment of those who
toil. Taxesjare levied so that the
burdens fall largely on the poor so
that escape, so that the
poor pay many times the taxes in
proportion to their earnings as the
rich.
Thus are those wiio toil put
under tributejfor the support of a
favored few. thus do men gather
riches by preying on the fruits of
others’ toil. And where there is
robbery by the strong of the weak,
of the poor by the rich, there can
not, even though such robbery be
under the forms of law, be peace
WINDER, JACKSON COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 1899.
on earth and goodwill to men.
Men do not practice the gospel
of peace ai.d failing to so practice,
the world is drifting to a social
revolution that will right the
wrongs of the oppressed. This so
cial revolution it is the aim of
populism to control that it may
not end in blood, that it may be a
revolution for the rendering of
justice not the -wreaking of ven
geance. Populism recognizes the
causes of the wail going up to
heaven from suffering humanity,
it makes its bounden duty the re
moval of those causes, those causes
for strife and bloodshed on earth ;
it demands that justice be accord
ed to ail. it preaches the Gospel of
Peace. If men profit not from its
teachings, if its warn
warnings are not heeded, there will
come in blood the revolution that
ought to come in peace. The way
to avoid dire strife iB to freely ac
cord to all to all men justice, to
protect them in their rights, to in
sure to them an equality of oppor
tunity in the production of wealth,
afcid free enjoyment of the wealth
they produce, assure to them th 9
right to work, remove the causes
that give them just ground for
complaint. To effect this is the
mission of the Peoples party. In
that mission it canuct succed
without organization ; the way to
spread the Gospel of Peace is
therefore through organization.
So in the name of downtrodden
humanity, in the internet of jus
tice to all, even the people’s op
pressors, to prevent a revolution
that will excite men’s passions,
stop not with the rectification of
wrongs, not with the doing of
justice, but end in an indiscrimi
nate wreaking of vengeance we
call upon Populists to organize
Movedjby the same thoughts, the
same forebodings,,the same hopes,
Chairman Milton Park, Chairman
of the National Committee of the
People’s party, aud in the South
ern Mercury of last week, calls for
organization. His eloquent ap
peal and also the touching and
powerful argument of Mr. W. A.
Gasche in favor of the single tax
and incorporated therein we can
not do better than cite at length.
Let all lovers of liberty, let all men
whG believe that men are born
with certain inalienable rights aud
that the foremost among these are
life, read and take heed. Let
Chairman Park follow it up by an
official call, pointing out the way
for Populists to go effectively
about the organization that he
calls upon them to make, Upon
him we call to point the way. not
only to urge others to go forward,
but himself lead the way.
The Mercury advisas an immedi-
ate getting together of the Popu
lists of the state and nation. Al
ready the Populists of other states
are moving in the direction of a
re-organization of the Populist
voters. Convention to the end will
be held at Indianapolis, Indiana,
on the 22d of this month.
Aud why does the Mercury urge
an immediate reorganization of
our forces?
Do the exigencies of the politi
cal situation demand it? Do the
conditions of the masses justify it?
That is the question which the
Populists of the state aud nation
must settle for themselves. All
the Mercury can do is to advise
them. If its suggestions meet with
their favor, well and good.
The year 1898 was a bounteous
one. An abundance of every
thing that goes to make life pros
perous and the masses contented
was produced by us. Providence
was never more generous or kind
to a people. Then why so much
suffering in the midst of such
great plenty?
Whv do the few enjoy where
they reap not, while the many who
reap starve?
Has not nature been lavish with
her gifts? Has she not strewn the
pathway of our existence with un
told natural resources, which,
compared to our wants are suffi
cient to support in affluence many
times the present population of
the globe?
If this is true, then why is this
bounteous mother of ours compell
ed to listen to the wail ef want
thatrises from the lips of millians
of her starving aud oppressed
children?
Why are the faw only privileg
ed to suckle—at the breasts of nat
nre — milk that is produced by all
the children of men?
Why?—Simply because the rule
of right has been superceded by
the rule ot wrong: because the rule
of justice has been superceded by
the rule of injustic; and it is the
mission of the People’s party to
right this great wrong; to do jus
tice to the masses; to abrogate all
bad and inequitable laws ; to place
the government on that safe foun
dationo “equal right to all and spe
cial privileges to none,” where our
fathers placed it a century ago, and
from which it has been dragged by
the selfish power and greed of in
corporated wealh.
This is why the Mercury asks the
Populist of state aud nation to or
ganize; this is the reason why the
People party must continue to ex
ist until the rule of right shall pre
vail in all branches of government,
and justice is made the ruling mot
ive in all human affairs. Until
this has been accomplished the
Peoples party will continue to exist
and be a living entity and factor in
out affairs. Until our very hope
has been fulfilled and our efforts
crowned with victory, it will not
die.
To revive hope in the heart of
its followers, to inspire the Popu
list hosts With renewed euergy and
new effort in the work of reform,
the Mercury takes great pleasure in
reproducing the following from an
address recently delivered by Bro.
W, B. Gasche, of Hartford Kansas,
before the Kansas State Farmers’
Alliance, in session at Tope
ka :
“Does abundance of natural
resources and inventive genius,
both of divine orign, and evidently
intended to lighten toil reall ren
der the means of existence more
certain and enjoyment greater?
Must we not admit that the con
trary is true—that the means of
securing a livlihood are becoming
more and more uncertain, and
that misery to the masses inten
sifies?
“Let us write it down for future
generations to read, that our
boasted civilizatoin has. so far as
the greatest good to the greatest
number is concerned, perverted
the two greatest of divine blessings
—abundance and human genius
“Lot them know that we have
locked up the natural resource
under a vicious system of land
ownership, so that millions of
human being of every generation
are born alien to the earth, to live
and die without a foot of ground
that they cau call their own; and
that we have made human discov
eries a scourge to drive human
beings from employment into desti
tution, then to beg, steal and starve
“The question as to the existence
of these conditions is not open to
discus don —they aro positive facts,
patent to every observer. Are the
conditions normal or natural?
Most certaily not, because the nor
mal outcome of abundant resourc
es and abuudant means for their
development would be an abund
ance of products for satisfying the
wants of the producer.
“What then is the cause? Can
we think for a moment eveu that
the large majority of the human
race prefer toil in poverty, while
only a small minority enjoy luxury
aud idleness? No, no! Not so,
for all clamor for liberty aud
equality, of rights, that greatest of
all equalities. What then is this
equality of rights and how cau it
most easily be secured?
“Learned men are each year
framing political platforms upon
which states or national compaigns
are to be made, and all claim to
be working in the interest of the
people.
“Examine these platforms care
fully and usually we find that they
are made for the same purpose as
are the platforms on passenger
coaches —to enable people to get
in. There occurs one exception,
at least so far as one plank is con
cerned—‘The land is the heritage
of the people and should not bo
held for speculative purp.iß?B., I
would not be true to myself If I
did not say that in my humble
opionion there is more in that one
short sentence than there is in all
the rest of that platform and those
of the other parties thrown in,
“Moi.etay reform, however sorely
needed, will not bring the full and
lasting relief which this country
u leds. It may lead to increased
production of wealth, but it will
not bring the economic conditions
accessary to the equitable distrib
ution of wealth. It will bring in
creased prices for farm production,
but at the same time it will greatly
enhance the value of the laud, and
by so doing, place the land still
farther beyned the reach of labor.
Land values have already gotten
out of the reach of the laboring
man.
“Population is evergrowing, and
so long will land values grow.
The faster population grows the
faster laud values grow. The
child that is born to-day of land
less parents will find it much hard
er to obtain than did the child
born a hundred years ago. What
will it be a hundred vea**s hence?
“Land cannot grow, except in
value, the land itself remains fixed
on earth* There is no more of it
now than when the world first
commenced revolving in space.
“But the morrow always brings
increased population, and as pop
ulation encroaches upon the land
supply, more the tenant class in
creases, and as the tenant class in
crease', competition for the use of
land increases, the rent for the use
of land increases—every child that
is born puts money in the pocket
of the landlord.
“We say in our meetings that all
wealth is produced by labor app
lied to land. Unnumbered thous
ands of acres are bold out of use.
Must this condition remain indefi
nitely? Must the sons and daugh
ters of the honest toilers of our fair
land, for all future generations
become the servants of the more
favored classes?
*“Brethreu, look into this land
question, for be assured that when
settled on right lines, it will for
ever solve the question of equitable
distribution of wealth and equality
among meu.
‘ The aggregate wealth of the na
tion is constantly increasing, not
withstanding the prevalence, of
the gold standard. All the aggre
gate wealth of the country wilt
continue to increase, however
small the compensation labor ia
permitted to receive. Reduce it
to a bare living, compel it to serve
in rags and filth, and it will still
produce rather than starve. The
rags and filth will cast on shadow
no the beautiful and artistic crea
tions of industry, even though
they come from the hovels of
poverty to minister to the taste
and comfort of those who ‘neither
toil nor spin.’ The structures of
wealth musl still rise even if the
prostrate and tortured form of
labor lies beneath its gilded foun
dation. But it is not that the
world grows more wealthy as the
yearß pass which gives to labor its
cause for compaiut —it is the fact,
rather, that under present condi
tions, labor can have only such
portion of that which it creates as
will suffice to keep it forevbr de
pendent aud enslaved. It must
sit beneath the table of those who
rob ir, to pick up the crumbs, and
have the sores of its body licked
by the dogs. There is wealth
enough to spare, but it goes to the
pampered few. Let us not forget
that the millions of toilers are in
more pressing need of a remedy
that shall prevent the unjust con
centration of wealth than they are
of one which can only insure in
creased production of wealth.
“How can we best help these
people? By giving them their nat
ural li ;hts Take the full unearned
in crement of land in the way of tax
ation for the benefit of the people,
thus destroying the incentive to
hold land out of use. Then the
land speculator will be ready and
anxious to have the land used, for
it becomes only a burden to him.
The table will then be turned, and
and instead of the intense demand
of land to farm, there will be a de
mand for farmers for land, a de
mand for lumbermen for tember
land.a demand for miners for min
eral land—the lead and silver and
gold mines would call for brawn
to bring their hidden welth to the
light of day. Let this once hap
(Continued oa Page 8.)
NO. 9-