The advocate., 1892-06-29
THAT GAVEL.

At the Minneapolis convention, the
attempt was made to manufacture a
little cheap sentiment for the Repub-
lican party because of it's instrumen-
tality in giving to the country the
homestead law, by the presentation
of gavel made of wood grown upon
the first homestead entered under
that law. It turns out that the wood
was stolen by Republican politicians,
and the owner calls upon them to re-
turn it, The following is his letter:
BEATRICE, Neb., June 15, 1892.
To Hon. j. SlOGt Fdssett, Temporary Chairman;
Hon. William Mckinley, Permanent Chair
man Republican Convention, or Whoever is
Custodian of the GGreI:
You came into possession, on or about the 7th
Of June, Of a certain "gavel" made from wood
surreptltiOusly taken from the first homestead
ever entered In the United States.
This homestead was taken by me, and l! still
own and reside upon 1t.
This demand upon you for the return Of the
said gavel is insisted upon as matter of senti-
ment only, and not on account OF the value Of
the property or the pecuniary loss,
was one Of the founders Of the party over the
dregs and damaged remnants of which you pre-
sided with the gaVel made of timber purlOlned
from me.
One OF the fundamental Ideas Of the RepublI-
can party, as helped to found 1t, was "lsnd for
the landleVs," and the public domain to be de-
voted to homes for the people. AS carried out, a
few hundred quarter sections, under painful and
vexatious restrictions, were given to the people,
while an empire, together with nations reVe-
nues, were turned over by your party to crafty
the greed and rapaclty Of railroad corporations
and to spawn multitude OF milliOnalres.
While paying the soldiers Of the Union In de-
precisted greenbacks, the wealthy money loan
ers were given bonds of the country drawing In
tereSt In gold, and these bonds originally pay
able in greenbacks, were by act of your party,
by the fiat Of statute, made payable In coin, and
by q subsequent piece Of legislative legerder-
main made payable In gold.
This system Of legislation TO enrich the rich
and to impoverish the poor was completed by
the establishment OF that crownlng outrage Of
the time, the national banking system.
The OvermaStering power of these corpora
tons, which are the children Of your party, is at
length manifest. Notwithstanding the promises
OF parties, as a condition to success at the polls,
the monetary system Of this nation is still In the
hands of private corporations who use 1t to in
crease their already monstrous fortunes, and to
multiply into millions the army Of tramps and
vagabondS which were the inevitable product Of
your party policy.
While the working people Of the nation are
swiftly joining this vast army Of vsgabonds, the
manufacturer millionaires are plllng up colossal
fortunes at the expense Of the consumers Of the
nation, under the pretense Of charging price
for their products that win enable them to pay
high wages to American laborers.
True, It would enable them to do so. But,
although this monstrous system Of robbery Of
the many for the enrichment Of the few does
render them amply able to pay wages, yet the
result Is constant reduction OF wages and a
constant increase in the millions piled up by
these cormorants.
The railroad corporations, fOstered and fat
tened BY your party at the expense Of the body