Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1891-02-26
PRESIDENT poresg ADDRESS.
His Views on Money, Transportation, T,
Land and Ballot Reforms.

PRESIDENT POWERS ADDRESS,
His Views on Money, Transportation,
Land and Ballot Reforms.
At the opening of the National Farm
ers' Alliance at Omaha President Pow
er delivered an able address, from
which the following excerpts are made:
Each separate branch Of industry should
have it's separate organization. The black
smith has peculiar interests in relation to raw
material, tools, etc, which are different from
the carpenter, and both of these from the shoe
maker, and so with all tic different trades and
occupations. And all others differ from the
farmer in this, that while people may for q
time go barefcoted or without shelter, the
products of the farm absolutely necessary
every day and all the time for the existence of
every member Of q civilized community.
But while trades unions and Knights of La
Dor assemblies are necessary in the cities, and
the Farmers Alliance and other kindred or
ganizations are necessary in the country, there
are interests which arc common to all these,
and for which some general organization is alb
solutely necessary.
It is in relation Of these organizations to the
government that the greatest necessity for CO.
operation exists. No effective arrangements
of national character for the conduct of the
business industries of the country can be made
and prove Of benefit without being in effect
laws Of the organization which adopt them.
And SO to prevent general and continual con-
fict with the laws of the government the gov
ern1nent itself must be controlled by these So
cieties.
Permit me to suggest a plan for your con-
sideration. Let this Alliance discuss and agree
upon such measures as it shall deem expedient
to form basis for political action for this year
and next. Place this by Correspondence before
the other great industrial organizations and
with their concurrence let a convention be
called at some central point for the purpose Of
comparing views, and finally adopting as a
national platform q concise set Of principles
which can be cordially supported by all. Then
publish them to the world, and let the remain
der of the year be spent in disseminating these
principles and preparing for the great struggle
in 1892.
The subjects on which those principles are
founded should be those which are most vital
to the prosperity Of tho people, the honest
laborers Of tho whole country, and which can
be so impressed on the majority OF the people
that they can be adopted and carried out
think they may be all included in the fol-
lowing list: Money reform, Land reform, trans
portation reform, ballot reform, and the sup
preston of any vice that is tolerated by law to
the peril Of our national prosperity.
:. Money is q creature of law. The intrinsic
value OF the material Of which it is rnanufact-
ured docs not add to it's value.
The fact is, what the government labels as
money it is bound to receive as money, and
what will pay the government will pay any
subject Of the government, unless otherwise
prescribed by law.
But money, when manufactured by the gov
ernment, is of no use to the people, except to
put it in circulation.
The method Of loaning to the working people
without interest I think the most feasible and
least Objectionable. If money was thus fur
nished by the government on q term of few
years to individuals, but perpetual to the peo-
pie and absolutely without interest, the hoard
ing of money would be stopped, except it be in
the case of few misers, and all the money in
the country would soon be in circulation.
On the question Of transportation but one so
luton Of the difficulties seems to be left US.
Anticipating the attempt of the people to en-
force their demand to bring the railroads under
the control of law, combinations and consoli-
dations have been effected to aim at, and bid
fair to practically apply, q policy which shall
enable the companies or company (for think
they are virtually now but one) to dictate their
own terms Of operation and rates for service,
or to subject the people Of any locality or of the
whole country to the alternative of being de-
pr4ved Of railroad service and thus starve them
into subsection. There is but one effective
remedy for this, and that is for the government,
which has always admitted its obligation to
furnish ways of transportation for the people,
by giving to corporations and individuals priv
ileges by charter to provide and operate such
roads, to take them into it's own hands and
furnish that service for. its people which the
corporations have failed to render. q
Land reform is attended with as many diff
culties as any question with which we have to
deal. How to preserve the rights of property, the
obligations Of tho government, and the natural
rights of the tillers Of the soil may well puzzle
tho wisest philosophers. 1t seems to me the
only clear way is for the government to recog-
nize the God given right to the soil of those
who till it (not have it tiled), and that this re-
suit should be brought about in the least in
furious and most equitable manner possible.
The principle embodied in the Australian
ballot system no doubt would be a great i'm
provement on the present plan if properly
guarded. But in many cases where it has been
adopted the best features have been so changed
that it cannot be much improvement. The OBJ
jects aimed at should be to insure the secrecy of
tho ballot, to make some degree Of intelli-
gence in the voter necessary, to render bribery
unsafe and to remove the voter as far posi-
BILE from partisan prejudice and to facilitate
the success of independent nominations.
Let us not be deceived. It is no time for boy g
play and mock demonstrations. There was q
time when the corporations and moneyed
oligarchies looked upon us with unrufaed con-
tempt That condition is changed. Three
million voters cannot be drawn up in line in an
army without attracting general attention,
even though their disciple may be imperfect
and their lines disconnected. Tho enemy is al
ready marshaled for the battle. We must con-
qucr or suffer ignominious defeat