People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 May 1893 — From the Field. [ARTICLE]

From the Field.

Senator George, of Mississippi, who was on the committee to inquire into the causes of agricultural depression, has discovered that “there is a great deal of unrest and discontent throughout the country.” The Senator is very dull of comprehension or he would have made this important discovery some time ago. It is said that there are 30,000 idle workmen in Chicago, and that number is constantly increasing. The various unions of the city have spent thousands of dollars helping the unfortunates. Tom Watson is being talked of as a candidate for Governor of Georgia by his Populist friends in that state. The recent decisions of the Federal judges on the relations of capital and labor are giving new impetus to the question of government control of railways. The Minnesota Legislature has passed a law prohibiting the discharge of laboring men for belonging to unions. The Populists polled 2,300 votes at a recent election held at Oakland, Cal.

The assertion of the St. Louis Republic that the issue in the west will be “bimetalism or bust” is significant, considering Cleveland’s attitude on the silver question. John Sherman is reported as saying the death knell of the Republican party has been sounded. Where will old John go. “Thirty thousand men,’’; says the Rev. Joseph Cook recently, “now own over half the United States; 50,000 will soon own the Republic. Over 30,000 women voted at the recent municipal elections in Kansas, showing that they will avail themselves of their opportunities if given a ch ance to exercise the election franchise.

Minnesota is mining for corporations, and is striking new leads almost every day. The last is a timber steal of over $3,000,000 in the pine lands of the state by a system of false entries practiced by lumber companies. It is proposed by the Alliance people of Texas to convey to the World’s Fair the house in which the Farmers’ Alliance was given birth, and set it up near the headquarters on the fair grounds. In California the railreads refused to pay their taxes, but finally settled at 60 cents pn the dollar. Farmers and business men do not pay their taxes in that way.

There is said to be $91,202,880 of British money invested in breweries alone in this country, saying nothing of land, mines, railways, manufactories and other investments. No wonder we have the English system, and that the United States is practically a British dependency. In a recent speech at Philadelphia. Henry Watterson said: “To-day it costs 11,000,000 to place a presidential candidate in the field, and 85,000.000 to elect him. To contest a seat in the United States senate SIOO,OOO must be spent.” Is it possible the people will shut their eyes to such admissions and say the Republic is not in danger? Wendell Phillips said years ago: “Here, on the soil enriched by the blood of the patriotic dead, is to be erected an aristocratic monarchy, with wealth as its God.”