Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-04-02
THE ANTI-MONOPOLY WAR.
Progress of the Great Farm
ers' Movement.
The Illinois Anti-Monopolists
Preparing for the Cam
paign.
The Work OF Organization Esewh ere.
News from Various Points
ILLINOIS.


ILLINOIS
EIGHTH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL CON-
vENTION.
The farmers of the Eighth Congress
-sional District of Illinois met in con-
vention at Fairbury, Livingston county,
recently, for the purpose of perfecting
their organization for the coming cam
paign. They Endorsed the Decatur
platform, and adopted the following add
.ditional resolutions
i2esolred. That We believe that the policy of
controlling the currency is detrimental to the
States, and the laws OF supply and demand
regulate the amount of currency; therefore,
Res0lred, That we demand the repeal of the
National Banking law, and the substitution of
a legal-tender currency directly from the
national Treasury. interchangeable at the
option of the holder with Government bonds
bearing a rate Of interest not exceeding
8 65-100 per cent. per annum-
Resotred. That their practice of electing to
Congress aud the Legislative bodies men that
are directly pecuniarily interested in National
Banks or other species of business privately is
unsound policy, and that it meets with our
unqualified condemnation.
Resotred That the existing Railway law of
this State should be sustained and enforced
until thoroughly tested before the courts.
Resolved That demand Of Congress the
repeal of the unjust law that prevents foreign
vessels from competing IN our own lake and
coastwise trade.
Resolred That the Revenue laws of the
State shall be so amended that I'll bona Jide
indebtedness on personal property shall be
deducted
TWELFTH DIsTRICT-A VIGOROUS PLAT
FORM.
At meeting of the Anti-Monopolists
of the Tv elfth Congressional District
the following resolutions were adopted:
WHEREAS, The great practical political issue
of to-day, not only before this country but
before the whole civilized world, is the issue,
not against capital or wealth as such, but
against all nnjnst monopolies of whatever
sort; and
already organized or combined, in one form
another, with more or less of wisdom and
discretion, on the one or the other side of
this question of monopolies. We desire to
throw our banner to the breeze on the side of
the Anti-Mcnopolists. That we may not be
misunderstood, we therefore declare ourselves
FIst-In favor of all just and equal, all fair
and honest, accumulations of wealth, of pub
lie usefulness. and proven by all proper meth
DDS of industry and ekll, by all persons and
ASSOCIATIONS OF men whatever
Sec0nd-We believe that all men have the
inherent right to do what they please with
their own, whenever and wherever they please
to act in accordance with the public veal, and
limo case whatever in which they donot please
30 to act and that, in our own country in
this matter. the people themselves, and not
individuals or corporations. are made the sole
final judges.
Th,rd0we believe that the highest WE'LL
being of the Republic and Of the race requires
that all unjust and improper action, either of
individuals, or of corporations. or of officers
or administrators Of the law, should be sup
pressed by due processes and penalties..of law
at the earliest practicable moment: and,
should this needed reform, like all other re-
forms, involve transient losses and incoL-
venienees to individuals, or even to corpora-
tions or whole communities of men. the re-
sponsibility is not ours, but rests wholly upon
acts of injustice already perpetrated; and we
declare that, IN righting these evils, the real
fundamental principles of the common law,
applied without prejudice, are the sheet
anchor of our hopes.
F0s1th-We denounce many of the pretend
ed applications Of the common law as unjust
and unequal, while the real, original principles
of the law are just and equal. In this respect,
the principles involved in this great, world
wide anti-monopoly struggle, involving all
races of men, are precisely analogous in prin-
csple as ia form 70 our more limited American
struggle in behalf of q single race. But we
hope to terminate this present struggle for
our rights, and the rights of our fellows,
wholly by legal and peaceful means.
Fifb-We declare ourselves therefore op-
posed to all unequal and unjust monopolies
of whatever sort, whether by individuals or by
corporations: whether by private greed OF
public franchise; whether Of Office. power, OIL
wealth. obtained, or held, or used, or admin
istered contrary to the public veal; whethe,
such attempted monopolies relate to labor OF
capital; whether they originate with combined
class rings Of laborers or capitalists. or OF
caucuses of office-seekers or of pretended ad.
ambassadors OF justice through our courts and
laws; whether they relate tn railroads OF
banks. or tariffs, or any other interest, either
public or private We abjure all such unjust
class legislation and class administration. OF
whatever sort; and We invoke all the com
bined resources of both the common and the
statute law 30 forever put an end to it ON this
continent.
Sixth-Monopoly by individuals, obtained b,
-eDgrossing Cor by making ''corners'' in the
market, as it is now called, says Mr.. webster)
is an offense prohibited by law. But 3 mar
has by natural right the exclusive power OF
and to retain that exclusive right is not mo
nopoly, in the meaning of the law We be
ieve that this, well as all other fundament
al principles Of the common law, should b,
vigorously administered and enforced agains
all mOnOpOlies of whatsoever sort.
Sereyat-While we admit the absolute neces
sity and extreme utility of our railroad an(
other corporations and while we desire to dea
with them only on terms of equal justice ant
fairness, we cannot but contemplate will
peculiar solici.ude the rise of power in tn,
Republic that, according to Mr.. Frank Gilber
and other statisticiAns, has received in grant
moro land from the Republic, beside thei
rights of way, than there is in the six Nev
England States, with New York, Pennsylva
mia, New Jersey. Ohio, Indiana and Illinoi
combined; that has received some SO. 900, 90
of money voted as free q = from
this State alone, besides rights O. an,
untold losses in stocks, subscrip. rs pai
and squandered, or sunk or lost: powe
capable of almost instantaneous combination
and cooperation under the unscrupulou
Leadership of some two or three men q powe
already capable of buying whole States ant
Legislatures; power that, notwithstandin,
all It's public gifts and franchises, alread
takes the ground that it holds no other obi
cation to the public than simply to make .
much money out Of the people as it can, an,
that it viii resist to the uttermost all law
compelling recognition of any other obligs
ton We contemplate with pecuiia
alarm the rise of such . power over US