Omaha daily bee., 1890-09-14
A RALLY OF INDEPENDENTS.
Exposition Hall the Scene Of a Fair Sized
Gathering Last Night
AN ADDRESS BY JOHN H. POWERS
The GuOerna torial Candidate Ex-
pounds the Doctrines OF tho
Party and Demands n
sweeping Reform.

The independents had their inning last
night, and goodly number of them improved
the opportunity by assembling at Exposition
hall, where for threeq quarters of an hour
they listened to their candidate for governor,
John II. Powers, expound the doctrines Of
the party.
1t was O'Clock when Harry +. Easton, the
chairman of the county central committee,
ascendcd the platform and called the meeting
to order. Ia u few well chosen words he in-
troduced the speaker of the evening, a short,
heavy, well preserved old man with snow
white hair and beard.
round OF hearty applause followed and
then the speaker said:
Nov, as have been introduced to you as
candidate for governor, will ask your
opinion as to the man who has been put for
ward to bear your standard this year.
when Lincoln stated that slavery
could not exist in this country,
how little did he realize how
soon his words would prove true.
When, at the close of the war; he said that
he trembled for the safety of the country,
when capital should be euthroned in the
hands of few, he did not expect this would
come true 50 SOON
"Lincoln must have been inspired
Look at the 1000 milliouaires. For these
there must be at least 1000, 900 Door men.
"Lincoln's words have come true, and
today the countryis topping on the verge of
destruction.
'Is it true that fifty men can control the
finances of this cOuntryt If they do and con-
troll all the great thoroughfares OF this coun-
try; If they control the senate of the United
States; If the president is poweress; il the
senate must pass every law that is suggested
by the rich, then have we arepubicl Think
oil TINS is not our country drifting into an
aristocracyl
"rhe effect of riches obtained by the labors
of another is bound TO harden the heart
charging upon this one and that one the guilt
Oh fhot ea'iaylng mn6 evoa the 49,, people | say
most dangerous kind under which people
can live
What caused this3 Soon after the war
Washburn of Minnesota said that horde of
rich men had taken the reins of the country.
and by giving away the lands and bonding
the states III the interest of corporations had
enslaved the taxpayers. That was how it
happened.
"IIow was this done! It was in many wavs.
Plans were laid by which the people have
been brought to a state of slavery People
must nave money, Z. circulating medium
medium of exchange with which to carry on
the business of the country. Take the farmer
as an example. When | was a boy it took
but small amount of money to carry on l6O
acres OF land. How have things chan gedl
Now to carry on farm it requires capital
suihclent to carry on a large business, and
TINS Is why so many of the boys leave the old
homestead and seek the city.
"Money is an absolute n necessity. It stands
IN the same relation to the country that
blood does 10 the human system.
rake either away and the man totters and
falls; take away half of the blood and the
with the country. Reduce the circulation
and the government must suffer.
I'm 1863 there was $50 per capita. Is it any
wonder that today, when it has been reduced
TO $40 that crime and riot hold supreme control
in many places. 1t is a dangero condition of
society where the farmers are reduced to eX-
treme poverty, their houses mortgaged and
the owners In rags This has all been brought
about by the contraction of currency The
farmer is no longer the free man he was a
lew years ago; he has been borne down until
he stands but little higher in society than the
serf of Russia.
France and Germany furnish an example
OF the mortgage system. In Germany 40 per
cent OF the farms are mOrtgaged, while in
France only per cent are mOrtgaged. See
the difference in the condition of the inhabi-
tants OF the two countries, and then
let our statesIn en- note the results.
''There is not money enough in this conn
try, and what little there is does not go into
the hands of the people. What money is
issued IS issued for the people, but it does
not go TO the people. 1t goes into the hands
PEELED to dig away the same as though there
was not single dollar in existence. There
is no law compelling the rich man to loan
this money. There is law to put this money
INTO the hands OF these rich men, but none to
take it out. Don't You think that If you had
been making the laws you would have en-
acted one that would have compelled the
banker TO have opened his treasury and loan
it out at a fair rate of interest. If the gov
eminent would furnish money to the people
at the same rate that it does to tho banks.
any honorable man could borrow money and
pay it back. But no, the laws are not
made that way. The banker gets his
money as absolute cost, and yoa, poor work
ing man, are compelled to pay him any rate
of interest he may ask.
Railroads are built because they are
needed, Now If railroad has right to be
built the government has right to say how
it shall be operated. Every road has the evi-
dence upon its face that it is built for the
people, and II this is So why is it that the
government has not right to operate itf
Let me say to you that the farmers have
three times the capital in the roads that the
capitalists have and if this is so, why is it
that the corporations are growing richer and
the people poorer? 1t is because that while
the farmers own the roads, they are run in
the interest of the rich, and thus it is that
the laws OF the country are to make the rich
richer.
THE homes of the people are slipping out
OF their hands, and nothing upon the
no law by which the home, no matter how
humble, can be held. 1t is worse than in suf-
fering Ireland. The Woodworking men and
women of Nebraska are taken by the hard
hearted Shylocks and no hand is raised to |
prevent IL. Can this country long exist and |
these homes be sacrifcedi Think of this. |
You have no law to prevent the home-owner |
from mortgaging his little cottage, and you |
have no law to prevent the holder of the |
mortgage from foreclOsing and selling the |
property when sickness and disappointment |
come This shows that the interests of the |
people are disregarded, and that the laws are |
not in the interests of the people.
How do the rich men govern this country? |
They govern it by party, and not by the peo- |
pie. You have blamed both parties; you |
have helped one party and then YOU have |
helped the other, but neither party has helped |
you. You have helped one party |
into Office, and what change have you had! |
You have had change OF postmasters you
have had change of silver bills, but the one
you have now is no better than the old one
Let me say to you that when men are oppres-
sed the only bulwark against anarchy is a
powerful and orderly movement, which must |
be brought about by principles. The old par
ties are without principles; they might have
had them years ago, but they have all been
lost sight Of The principles we want will
come about by reform, ballot reform, tariff
reform, labor reform and general reform in
the entire management of the government