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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-