People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1895 — NOTES AND COMMENTS. [ARTICLE]

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

In a recent issue the Globe-Democrat says: “North Carolina was carried by the Republican-Populist coalition in 1895, but the republicans think they can do it alone in 1896.” We have often said that fusion leads to confusion. There is seldom any fusion that boodle is not at the bottom of it —either boodle of office or boodle of money. You cannot rely upon a victory secured by fusion. As in this instance those with whom you fuse will soon shake you off and conclude to go it alone, or join the other side. The democrats in Kansas who helped to elect the Populist ticket in 1892, rendered their aid in behalf of the republicans in 1894, and the Populist papers of that state were kept busy for six months trying to explain that the party had lost no votes, although they lost the state by a good majority, Fusion in Nebraska has led to misunderstandings and bickerings within the party. It set lowa back for years in its progress towards reform, and now, after having tried it repeatedly, she repudiates it and flings out her untarnished banner and a shout of defiance to all her enemies alike. Fusion may be all right as between the republicans and democrats—parties who are not actuated by principle, but how the Populists can consistently fuse with either on the basis of a division of the spoils is beyond our ken. * * *

Our statesmen perhaps go abroad that they may love this country more. There are gluttons who starve for a week that gorging may become more delightful. But statesmen who go abroad too evidently need a companion to take care of them, as their innocence and inexperience bring trouble upon their heads. The London police raided an infamous resort some days ago, and among the persons captured in the place was a member of the senate of the United States —in quest of material, presumably, for a speech at the next session. With characteristic modesty the statesman took care to have his name suppressed. There are fourteen United States senators abroad at the present time, and thirteen of them will certainly wish one colleague had been less secretive. Meanwhile the English government should be politely, but firmly informed that it must either close establishments in which the purity of our statesmen would be sullied or those statesmen will no longer be permitted to touch the soil of Britain with their pedal extremities. It is shocking to think of the peril in which our senators are placed when they go out into the wide world. These gentlemen cost us a great deal of money, not including the restaurant in the capitol, and it is almost an insult to American greatness to know that there are places in England into which they are permitted to saunter only to be sullied. ♦ ♦ ♦ Here is the way a farmer, writing to the People’s Messenger, Okalono, Miss., regards the situation: "Silver, silver! the very birds are singing in silvery notes in every tree top. But what does it all amount to? Why, these silver tongued orators tell us that the dire distress that hangs like a pall over our fair land is certainly the result of the downfall of silver. That unless silver is restored to full power as a money metal, slavery is the inevitable doom of the people. But these so-called statesmen then tell us, ‘whatever my party says I will

“Great God! you picture the deep, dark chasm of debt, despair, degredation and death into which you sweat and swear the gold-bug is dragging us, and in the next breath you say, but ‘my party decides to cram you and your children deep down into this hell hole, I will help do it.’ For the vendors of such fiendish utterances, demagogue is far too tame a name. Oh the cheek, the utter disregard for everything good or great; lost to honor, lost to shame; when a man stands up in open day and declares that he has sold his soul and body, and is willing to sell the liberties of the people, yea his own wife and children into slavery, to perpetuate the rule of his party! “I am willing to leave it to any honest man if the deduction I make is not logical. These fellows declare the results of the gold standard to be all and more than I have repeated above; and then like craven cowards and cringing slaves they boldly affirm, ‘if the party says so I will help to fix this damned crime on my country, my people, my own wife and baby.’ “Will free intelligent men vote into, office and have to rule over them those who preach and practice such Infamous doctrine? Surely, surely not. “I know that many who are preaching it, will try to escape this logical deduction. Yes, I know they don’t mean what they say. While they seek office through a machine it seems to be necessary to swear eternal allegiance to the party.” We refer the above to the prayerful consideration of those sincere and honest men who are still seeking relief through the medium of either of the i two old parties. * * * Just read this resolution by the New York bankers —Wall Street: “We, the bankers of the state of New York, in convention assembled, being indebted to the people to the extent of $890,000,000 in the form of deposits, and $193,000,000 in the form of capital and surplus, declare ourselves in favor of honest money. We are opposed to inflation. We are opposed to a debasement of the currency. We are opposed to the free coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to 1. We are opposed to two qualities of money, knowing full well that the less valuable would inevitably ; drive out of circulation the more valu- . able. We favor a currency sound, elas- j tic and good as gold—good everywhere, good by the standard,of the world and good in the marts of the world; as good in the hands of labor as in the hands of capital. We demand a currency good and stable base<> upon the highest | standard known to the sisterhood of nations, worthy of the wealth and dignity of our glorious country, and which shall prove a firm and lasting basis tn a I restored and continued prosperity.” Call the dogs! Bring out the cows! ( Unhitch the horses! Let them all take a good laugh. Let us have one of Bob Taylor’s convention of animals. Let us hear what the coon has to say about that. Let us see if the goat has already ( voted on it. Will the ’possum sullf i Will the jackass bray? Talk about ! anything taking the cake! Why, for , supreme gall, this takes the whole ; bakery, baker, bakeress and all. They i owe the people arid don’t want to pay . it in a dollar of less value than it was ! when they got it! They don’t say a j word about the people owing them. Not | a word. Noble bankers! Living just i for the people—the dear people! How they k>ve us! Oh, mamma! The nice, good, charitable bankers of Wall street! Bless their sweet souls! Just lay awake

of nights thinking how they can serve the poor people! Buy our bonds! Protect our treasury! Wouldn’t do anything in the world against our interests! Oh, no! Give us a fan! Let the band play and the horses laugh. * « • In 1891 the United States exported 172,000,000 of gold above the amount imported; in 1892, >45,000,000 was the amount of net export of the yellow metal; in 1893, >43,000,000; in 1894, >71,000,000; and the present year up to date about >20,000,000. This is an average of about >58,000,000 per year, while the product of our mines averages about >34,000,000 per annum, much of which is used in the arts. Yet there are some men who want us to adopt the gold standard in the face of these facts. • ♦ ♦ A plutocratic exchange says: “The ‘Street Railway Journal’ states that the street railroads of the United States are capitalized at an average of >95,600 a mile. The average capitalization of the steam railways is >63,000 a mile, while their cost perhaps is half as much, and that of a street railway far less. The value of the franchise given away Jjy municipalities may be ciphered out accordingly.” In other words we are frankly told that one half of the capitalization of steam railways is water, and that the stock of street railways are watered to a much greater extent. This is a frank admission that the people are being bled to the tune of the dividends on about >6,000,000,000 worth of railroad stocks, in' return for the franchises which they have given the companies. We’ll take government ownership in ours, please. « * * We clip the following paragraph from the Freeman’s Labor Journal: “If labor would succeed it must organize in one body or for one purpose. No single class of laborers can hope to succeed in beating their employers single handed, especially when the employer is a corporation. Labor will never have its rights until class legislation is done away with and only a combination of all workers can accomplish that. Strik-’ ers may help the matter for a little while, but they really do little in the long run.” That is true as gospel. No matter how much you increase production, the producer gains nothing or but little thereby. Capital claims the benefit of all improved methods. What we need is a better system of distribution. The power to concentrate must be annihilated. We must have compensating laws in the way of limitations, graduated and inheritance taxes. We must pay more respect to humanity and stop the blind idolatrous worship of property. We must elevate the man and make the dollar his servant instead of his master. Trusts and combinations must go. because they are a menace to I human rights. To accomplish this we must all vote together. We should all 1 belong to one organization, and the Industrial Legion presents the opportunity. Belonging to it interferes in no way with belonging to others that are peculiarly adapted to certain classes.