People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-03-31
Read before the Alliance and published by
request Of members Of that Order.l
Special Franchise.

Read before the Alliance and published by
request OF members Of that order
Special Franchise.
Franchise-Free, a particular privilege
vested in individuals.-Webster.
This right is therefore reserved to
the people by the constitution.
Franchise rests with the people; it
is part of their sovereignty, and rests
in the people only. 10 bestOw fran
chise or privilege on an individual or
company of individuals is to establish
tyranny over the people.
Rights reserved to the people, when
granted to individuals, is a violation
of our first, or fundamental princi-
pies and CannOU be legally given, and
when a republican form of govern
ment clothes an individual or COM
pany with this supreme right, it over
steps all delegated authority and as a
servant of the people at large, it as
SumeS that which it does not possess
and tramples under foot these rights,
that are alone lodged with the peo-
pie.
The thing granted is part Of the
nations function or liberty, to be ex-
erCised by that nation for the good of
all that compose it, and when ma
tiOn leaves these principles, it fOrgets
or wilfully disregards that which
causes US to associate together for
mutual protection.
Franchise is a reserved right of the
people never to be bartered away.
Liberty and freedom are inalienable
rights of all citizens in common and
is an especial birthright or gift, and
to barter it away is to enact an incon.
sistency and is a burlesque on Ian
guage and libel on honesty.
II there is one truth above another
to be learned by the history of ma
tiOns that have perished, or are in de-
cay, it is that special privileges have
been granted to some chosen few and
by this act has become self-destroying
to the government that granted it,
and it was this fact running through
past history that caused Jefferson to
leave on record that grand and funda-
mental truth, or embodiment OF wis
dom and justice, Equal and exact
justice to all men with special privi-
leges to none"
The native fairness of the citizens
OF this great nation appreciate this
principle as just and right and at
once condemn any unequal burthen
laid upon citizens or class of citi-
zens as being unjust and are not
slow in prOnOuncing it tyranny. To
grant a special franchise is the base
that constitutes trusts, corporations
and combines and is just that far a
death warrant to the hopes and liber-
ties of the people, for rights once
lost will often cost an effort to regain
greater than is at their command,
and each right bartered away adds
only to their weakness and feeds an
appetite that cannot be satisfied, and
corporate greed demands other and
greater concessions and to obtain
them will resort to all manner of
cunning, bribery and treachery.
Through fair and foul means we see
a host of special privileges granted to
associations in this, our land Of boast
ed freedom. Officials in high positions
of trust become apOlOgists for cOrrup-
tion and through party and cOrpor-
ate influence we fnd it difficult to
dislOdge this willing tool to class leg
islation.
To remedy this is the duty Of every
patriotic citizen. Duty demands us
to act on a plane above partisan big
Otry and he who values the stability
of our great republic owes it as a duty
he cannot shirk, to condemn all
forms of grants or special franchise.
Yet, look where we will, we see al
most every buman industry crushed
or oppressed by it and we are forced
to conclude that as a people we are
the dupeS of cunning and designing
men, in whose fidelity We have repOS-
ed the greatest confidence and are
10th to be undeceived.
Rude as the awakening may be, as
people we realize that we are tread
ing on dangerous ground and that our
best effort must be put forth to rem
edy what we all admit to be an un-
healthy state, socially, financially
and politically. 1t is folly to fatter
ourselves that we, whom God has
blessed with such great abundance,
shall not share the misery inflicted on
the old world, for the old and new
world are alike grOaning from the op-
preston Of this monster, special fran
chiSe. The evictiOns in Ireland are
more than balanced by evictions here.
! The cry for bread in Berlin is outdone