Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-07-26

petition. The 10000 miles OF railroad In
this country are bonded for three times az
much az the national, state, county, school
district and municipal debt, and they are
stocked for 40 much more. There are sew.
eral billions Of fraudulent capital In thesu
gar trust, gas trust, street railways, private
waterworks plants, eleotrio-ligh plants
and various franohised corporations. In
other words, q blanket mortgage amount
ing to $10,000,000,000 oOverS every foot
and acre of ground in THU country, and the
producers and their products are taxed to
pay interest ON bonds and stocks that do
not represent one-halfor perhaps one.third
Of their face value. Nearly two.thirds OF
this tribute, or fully $50O,O00,000 a year,
has to be put into the Golfers OF foreign
capitalists Is IL any wonder that the
country cannot stand this terrific drain
upon its vitals, Notwithstanding its mar.
velous resources and tho wealth. producing
capacity of its pOpulationH No one dOubta
the existence of these evils; no one ques-
tions but they will have TO DO remedied, OF
that such remedy can only be secured
through legislation"
A few weeks ago tho Advance, a very
conservative religious paper, published in
Chicago, asserted that, II ever a strike
had right on liza aide and should win, IL
wasl the coal miners strike now In prog
ress. To oorrobOrate this assertion, IL
was shown that the miners Of Illinois,
Ohio and Pennsylvania had been working
for starvation wages, and that the strike
was brought on by further reduction
to which the miners would not submit.
Prof, Edward W. Benis, of the Chicago
University, after thorough investiga-
ton, Ands that. the average pay of miners
In Illinois heads OF families prior 10
the strike was SO 81 a week.
Henry d. Lloyd-no mean authority
speaking of the strikers, saysi "The statis-
tics of Illinois show that these men have
been starved. II is BtRrve or resist with
them now" incidentally he saysI "0ur
only hope iS that the third great party will
intervenei that the government will take
the coal mines and operate themi pay
living wages to the miners and sell the
output at COST"
"'rhat 10 what 10 called socialism, 10 II
not 2"
VI do MT care what II Is called. Il means
peace II means q settlement Of the min
Ing troubles. The present condition ia
intolorable."
IL 10 TO be regretted (but not wondered
at) that the strikers, the mon who have
right on their side, have become lawIess
In their endeavors to secure pitiful sub
sistence.
Why is II that the press and the pulpit
of the country, with so few exceptions, do.
nounCe these men who IRE but seeking that
which Of right belongs TO them, as tan
archists" and "enemies Of free govern
ment" II our government should be
threatened by some foreign foe, and q call
be made for volunteers TO defend our flag,
would not these very men, who are now re-
garded as train stealers, anarchists, and
enemies of society, be as ready II not
reader, to risk their lives In defense of our
common country as the men who would
shoot them down like cursH
The writer does not wish TO be under
stood as upholding or defending mob law
in the least. Far from II. No one Is safe
reason the men who are entrusted with the
law-making and the enforcing power should
see to ii that the conditions which cause
strikes and mob law are removed, and that
speedily. What Is here criticised is the
proneness on the part OF the press to con-
denim, In the severest terms, the Iawless acts
Of the poor, ignorant, frenzied men who
are rendered desperate by their cruel con-
dition, while the acts of far greater Grim.
inals (from moral standpoint are passed
by In comparative silence. Since the pres.
emit strikes began, has anybody seen word
of condemnation in any Of the newspapers
against any of the railroad corporations
for stealing coal by the oarlOadi Goal
which was consigned to private parties
No. True, some of the papers ventured
so far as to say some Of the railroad COM
panies were "cOnfsOating" all the coal
they could get hold of.
Yes, we need to send to Washington
men with courage and patriotism and
common honesty, and hearts beating In
with the poor and oppressed
everywhere. II our present do nothing
Congress, our sugar-cured millionaire sem
ate, could be retired to the shades Of OBJ
liviOn within the next "a hours, and their
places filed by such republicans as Judge
Tourgee or such populists as Senator PEI
fer, we might reasonably expect egislation
that would be of substantial benefit. Bot
just so long as the present spOils system
lasts; Just so long az the senatorships can
be- bought, and lesser places are to any
very great extent filed by men of the all
there-is-in-it class, just so long IL Is al
most useless to hope for better things.
the clouds thicken aud darken.
With the militia of half dozen states or
more In the field, who can predict what
The outcome will be.
God give us men. A time like this demands
Strong minds great hearts, and willing hands;
Tall men, sun crowned, who live above the fog"
If narrow and bigoted psrtisanism.
JOHN A. MORTON.