People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1893 — Our Piea. [ARTICLE]

Our Piea.

[Concluded] To sum up our conclusions, the People’s Party holds that our civilization is greater than any that has preceded it. So great that it must take that advanced step which no nation *has taken, that is, it must take under its control the exercise of all public functions, and give the people service at cost, as it now does in postal affairs and our common schools. It must not only control our postal and common school systems, but must add the telegraph and telephone, must be the common carrier of freights and passengers, must be the express and insurance companies, be the banker and loan agent, while municipalities must own and operate street railways, waterworks, electric light and gas plants. That nearly takes the breath of old De ms and Reps, and it would be a good thing if it would, doubtless. Let us amplify a little: Suppose ten of Jasper county’s substantial men decide to establish a national bank at Rensselaer, and in pursuance of this object, buy three hundred and thirty thousand four per cent government bonds. On ,those bonds they will draw thirteen thousand two hundred dollars yearly of interest. The government will furnish them with ninety per cent of the face value of those bonds in national bank

bills, say in round numbers three hundred thousand dollars (it is really more) to loan to the farmers and business men of Jasper county, and eight per cent is the rate of interest, you know. That would be twenty four thousand, provided they kept all loaned, which we will suppose they do as the deposits will be stfScient for the reserve. That then would make thirty

seven thousand two hundred dollars paid by citisena of Jas- ‘ per county for the use of three ' hundred thousand dollars one year. These ten men get this money on twenty years time and pay the government one per cent. Now that Is the Demo i cratic and Republican plan. Don’t look surprised for we have stated the case better than it really is. The People's Party don’t approve of that way of furnishing the people money. This is their way< Jasper winty is worth, say six millions of dollars. That is ample security i for three hundred thousand dollars. Let the government loan that amount to Jasper county through the state of Indiana, at three per cent. That would be nine thousand dollars to pay for the use of it, instead of thirty seven thousand two hund,red, less than one fourth. Now note and understand the further advantage of our plan, three thousand (one per cent) would go to the general government as now, paid on your United States taxes three thousand dollars (one per cent) to the state of Indiana to apply on your State taxes and three thousand dollars (one per cent.) to Jasper county to apply on your county taxes; that is you loan the money to yourselves and take the interest to pay your debts (taxes). See, in the People’s Party plan, the nine thousand of interest goes to yourselves, whereas in the Republican and Democratic plan, it goes to the ten men, and costs you four times as much. With three hundred thousand dollars, Jasper county can build one hundred and twenty five miles of gravel roads, greatly faciliating all legitimate business, can build in each township a building suitable for a graded school with a hall for public meetings, and put in a library. As to the railroads, we have shown what can be saved te the people by government ownership and operation, seven and a half cents on each bushel of corn and from three to five cents on each bushel of oats, and one half of passenger rates. But, says an objector, “how are you going to get the money to pay for eleven billions of railway property?” We are not going to pay eleven billions or do anything of the kind, nor try to do it, and if Mr. Objector had ever given the railway problem rational thought, he would not have raised that question. Know this everybody, that the men who run the railroads don’t own them, never did, they issue stock that represents nothing but rascality, and by an arrangement with‘the men who furnish the money to build the roads, and who have bonds secured by mortgages, they pay the interest on those bonds and then place the freights so high that they pay themselves high salaries and interest on these watered stocks that cost nothing and represent nothing. We are paying from twelve to twenty per cent on the actual cost of construction of all our railways, and if they are ever paid for (there is not one of them paid for yet) the people must do it, the managers never intend to. They run and pay interest on bonds and interest and dividends on watered stocks. A railroad is worth what it would cost to build such line to-day. Poor, the best authority in the world on railways, says that our railways cost about four billions. With money at cost, transportation at cost, a graduated land tax to break up these great

holdings, a graduated mcßme tax to break up theae great fortune*/ we eould then start anew in the march of civilization. Don’t say' we can’t do these things. We can do all and more than any other people can do, Germany owns and operates twenty three of her twenty six thousand miles of railways, gives a safer and cheaper service than we have, and turns twenty six millions of dollars

into the national treasury annually. Switzerland owns her telegraphic system and gives as good service as we have at one i fifth the cost The colony of J Victoria, Australia, owns and I operates all of these public f unc--1 tions and collects all her taxes from the incomes, and it is a very satisfactory arrangement. Don’t say we can’t, for we must, have too, or lose our liberties And wreck our civilization. Do these things and break every trust if you have to break the necks of every man engaged in them, and we will then take up our march toward the grandest civilization ever conceived of by the greatest lover ®f our race.