The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-03
H. V. POORE.


whereof speak.
H. V. PooRE.
Twenty-Five years from now this
country will either be government
under the control OF labor-or a des.
potism over serfs.
SecyE. N. Moody, OF the Wisconsin
State Alliance, in his address this
year, gave his people some awaking
facts. He said:
Capitali is able to own it's machinery
as slave holders were able to own
their chattels. with the further ad-
vantage that they never rebel or
strike. Great corporations have
been formed, until scarcely an article
of general use is free from corporate
control. Whether it be the manu-
featured article or the raw products
OF the soil, when we transport these
goods we are at the mercy OF the rail-
road corporation. The recently pass
ed Interstate Commerce bill will give
usprotection here The carrying has
always been an important factor in
the worlds advancement. The ma
tons that have had the greatest car
rying trade have been the most pros
porous ones. On the ocean, trans
portation has developed under the law
of competition. 1t is every mans
highway On land, corporations
have secured certain privileges. Rail-
roads have been constructed, with a
lawful right to tax the public traffic
for carriage over their roads and ad-
here to the rule, if possible, to charge
all the traffic will bear.
To give to the carrier and public
alike a fair compensation for their
labor and investment, is one of the
great questions of the day. Never
before in the worlds history have we
seen such enormous accumulatiOns of
wealth as we have seen in this country,
concentrated by the corporate manip-
ulators. There is no social question
that interests us more deeply than
the financial question, as it may be
said to embrace the other leading
reform questions.
All civilized nations have conferred
a legal power upon some material,
by which it's people can measure the
value OF it's products.
All political economists agree to
this one fact, that when money is
plentiful and cheap, busy wheels Of
the factory are kept in motion, the
laborer is steady employed at good
wages, the products OF the farm are
sold at renumerative prices and the
people are happy and prosperous.
According to the dictates of the
money power, our government has
steadily pursued the course OF con-
tracing the volumes OF money, while
our population and products have
annually increased. Twenty-Five
years ago very few farms Of the North
west were under mortgage. To-day
a farm clear Of incumbrance is an ex-
ceptional one Pass through the
country; notice the dilapidated and
impaired condition OF the farm build
ings, fences, ETC. Go through our
mining districts; look at the novels
and deplorable surroundings of the
laborer. Enter our large cities;
notice the massive palaces, the great
and imposing business houses; ask
how many millionaires are there; you
will learn that the millionaire and
tramp alike have increased in num-
bers. Go to your county recorder
and see the records of indebtedness
against the farmer. Then keep a
book account of your farm; at the
end OF the year you will find that the
footings will show you that some one
besides yourself is getting a large
share OF your earnings. These ques-
tiOns we cannot evade.
We often hear it said that rail-
roads are not profitable, that they
are frequently forced to make consign-
ment. This is not surprising, when
we consider that fictitious capitaliza-
tion has placed a mortgage Of many
millions of dollars upon the industry
ofthis country, and to earn dividends
upon this watered stock and at the
same time satisfy the public has been
an impossible task. 1T has also
stimulated the building of parallel
lines, which in these times of COM
mercial depression are not needed.
They are forced to yield and break
down. Let the railroad receive a
reasonable dividend upon the capital
actually invested, is the true principle
to adhere to.
The National Farmers Alliance