The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-02-26
NATIONAL UNION COMPANY.

: We are credibly informed that Mr..
Edwin Snyder. in his addresses to
County Alliances, is making the state
ment that the reason why the reform
press is opposing the National Union
company is because it has refused to
put up" to the reform press The
statement is absolutely false. says the
Topeka Advocate. and no man better
knows it to be false than Mr.. Snyder
In its opposition to the National
Union company the reform press is
not only consistent with its past
record. but it is likewise consistent
with all the past teachings OF the
Alliance itself, which exists to- day as
an organized protest against trusts
and combines in all departments of
trade. Furthermore. we have good
reasons to believe that if our influence
upon this question was a marketable
commodity it would not be necessary
to advertise for purchaser. We
speak a6visedly upon this subject.
In all we have said upon the SUBJ
ject we have spoken simply of the
corporation itself. of its character. its
purposes and the consequences we
sincerely believe would follow its es-
Enlistment and the monopoly which
it proposes of the mercantile interests
of the entire country. We have care
fully refrained from calling in cues
ton the motives of any person in the
Alliance in this state or elsewhere,
who is favorable to this company. In
fact from our personal acquaintance
with some OF these men, it would be
exceedingly difficult to convince US
that they-are not perfectly honest in
what they say and do in connection
with this matter. We differ with
them in regard to it. and we believe
we have good reasons for our views.
and have as good right to express
them as have those who hold an oppo-
site opinion.
In view of Mr. Snyder's unjust
charges. however. we will take occa-
sion to observe now. that if there is
any known fact that would seem to
indicate that any person has been in
fuenced by mercenary motives in the
attitude he has assumed toward this
gigantic trust, it is the fact that Mr..
Snyder himself, who recently read a
paper before the Kansas State .Agri-
cultural society in which he severely
denounced the Live Stock Exchange
and the beef combine, because of
their purpose to prevent competition
in the sale of live stock and to pre-
vent the producer from having any
share in the profits Of the business ;"
and who has but recently been driven
out Of the field as an agent for the sale
OF live stock by the combine against
which he so loudly declaims, is now
using his influence to establish a COM
bine, the magnitude of which causes
the Live Stock Exchange and the beef
combine to sink into insignifieance by
comparison. Mr.. Snyder would have
done well to have refrained from this
unjust and unwarranted allusion to
the reform press.
At the meeting at Indianapolis
where the plans and purposes of the
National Union company were under
discussion, it was proclaimed that if
We should dare to oppose it the reform
press would have to be suppressed;
and this effort to excite prejudice
against the press in the minds of AL
lance people by telling them that the
reason of our opposition is the refusal
of the company to buy our influence
is the first step in the attempt to carry
that threat into execution. In thil
undertaking the companp has already
found fit tool to do its dirty work.
OF all the agencies that have been
instrumental in building up the ALI
ance none have been more potent
than the reform press. No class of
men has made more sacrifices OR Ia
bored more earnestly. unselfishly and
disinterestedly for the good of the or
ganization than the many publishers
of reform papers. None have done
more even to build up the
state exchange. They have published
pages of what other business institu-
tons would consider legitimate adver-
Using free of charge. and have been
boycotted by other advertisers for do
ing it; and in view of these facts it
comes with very bad grace from one
who pretends to be an Alliance man
to thus attempt by deliberate and ma
licious falls ehood, tod.stroy the influ-
ence of the press, by seeking to preju-
dice the minds OF Alliance people
against it because it opposes thing
which it honestly believes to be wrong
in principle and ruinous in practice.
1t is for the people to determine wheth-
er or not this malicious design shall
succeed. For one, we can say. that il
the Advocate goes down, it will go
down with it's colors flying at the mast
head.
Intrinsic Value.
Intrinsic value does not determine
the value of money. There may be,
and is a pretense to this effect. but it
has no real foundation and no solid
base of defense.
Money is not based on the CONNER