Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1893-09-29

who bears about with him the soul
crushing knowledge that the mortgage on
his home is unpaid, if not uupayable.
AS e matter of fact, although we have
in these United States no titled aristoc.
racY. there is no country Oh Gods green
earth where the almighty dollar is more
powerful. Time and again efforts have
been made to pass at Washington, meas
ures of benefit to the whole people but
the wealthy corporations adversely inter-
ested have rushed in their money and set
lobbyists at work, and the measures gems
orally desired have fallen by the wayside
Why, it is simply impossible to get laws
of general benefit enacted, when antago-
nized by rich corporation, even if the
beneficial principle has been successfully
applied, in other civilized countries, for
generation. A parcels post, under which
packages of several pounds could be sent
cheaply, would be of great benefit to the
people-especially to those OF the coun.
try. England has it; but our transporta-
ton companies don't want 1t, and that's
enough. Bills innumerable for L postal
telegraph system have been introduced !;
but the Western Union has said nay, and
that ended the matter. A fractional pos.
tai currency similar to that which was
in circulation during the war-would be
handy for transmission in the mails, and
cheap as well but the express companies
issue money orders and the banks do an
exchange business So Uncle Sam charges
premium on his money orders and pos
tai notes sufficient to give part of the
business to such express companies and
banks. The railroads water their stock
to two or three times what the roads and
equipment cost. and then establish rates
for carriage high enough to enable their
owners to declare dividends on the false
and dishonest watercd basis. Trunk
lines owned by the government, with
employees working under a clvil-scrvice
system, might enable farmers to get their
grain carried to the seaboard without
having all their profits eaten up by freight
| charges. If the government for two cents
can carry letter that, before the govern
ment monoplizcd the business, private
| carrier charged rs cents, so cents or a dol
lar for, and the present service be nearly
| self-sustaining, is 1t not likely that gov
ernment ownership of railroads would
be of great benefit to the people? But gold
would be poured out like water to pre-
| vent the passage of such laws. An in.
| come tax is not a novel measure, by any
means. If it were applied to all national,
state, county and municipal taxation, it
| would place the burdens of government
where it should be-on the shoulders Of
those whose money works Tor them
sometimes usuriously-and of those who
earn their bread IN the sweat of other
brows.
1t Is altogether too transparent-th1s
Tribune idea that farmers should sit eui-
city by and contemplate their present
beatific condition as compared with their
forefathers. The old adage that ''eternal
vigilance Is the price of liberty should
be kept IN mind on other days than the
Fourth of July. This is q great country
and wonderful people. We have man,
hood suffrage. Any wrong can be righted
by persistent lawful effort. The condi
ton of the bone and sinew of the nation
is undoubtedly better than in other coun.
tries. But that is no reason why further
betterment should not be sought. Com
parisons with a past generation prove
nothing, and should not influence any
one to withhold his help for the bringing
about of further Improvement. New so.
cial and economic questions will come
up right along, and if blood is to stanC
a show IN its legislative tussel with
money, it would better contemplate the
future end let the dead past remain ir
the grave.