The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-01-12
THE BuesEAR SOCIALISM.
1t Is Better to Take Each Other by the
Hand Than by the Throat.

o00S6SNh SS'.sOssss
1t Is Better to Take Each Other by the
Hand Than by the Throat.
Politicians charge the peoples party
with being socialistic, and therefore
dangerous Does this conclusion neces-
sarily follow? Let us see. For prac-
teal purposes, we have nothing to do
with any theory of socialism not in
Guided in the peoples platform adopted
at Omaha There is no use telling us
what French CT Russian or German so
eialists propose. We insist on being
tested by our own propositions
The socialism of the populists is in
cluded in their money, transportation
and land planks, and on them they
make their appeal to the honesty, the
intelligence, and progressive spirit Of
the age.
As to its money plank: 1t claims
that money is the creation of law.
This conforms to the definition of
money as given by our greatest stu
dents and by the highest courts of the
United States and Europe. Shylock
fights this definition. Wall street
fights it Every 2x4 curbstone broker
in Kansas fights it The Topeka Capt.
tai swears terrible oaths and roars
revolution" at the mention OF it.
The populist calmly cites the 500
years history Of the Bank of Venice,
sixty million demand notes issued by
Abe Lincoln in 1861, and the green
back in the war period of our history.
To these and the common sense of the
people, the decisions of the courts, the
Judgment of jurists and the facts of
history the populists calmly appeal. If
this be socialism, then is the financial
feature of socialism in the most perfect
accord with the deductions of reason
and the teachings of experience.
We demand that the government is
sue legal tender treasury notes direct
to tn people without the Intervention
of banks. We forbid the issuance of
Understanding bonds in which sharp
ers may speculate.
If England, or any other foreign
country, does not like our money, it
need not take it. 1t can have wheat,
or corn, or pork, Or beef, or gold, or
silver, or zinc, or coal, or butter, or
eggs, or iron or anything else we pro-
duce or have for sale, if it prefers, but
it cannot dictate to us what sort of
money we will use or how it shall be
issued.
Our great socialistic plank is the pub
lie ownership of railroads, telegraphs
and natural monopolies. The state
ownership of highways is as old as civ
ilization, and as railways are but i'm
proved highways we hold they should
belong to the people.
In this view the populists are sus-
tanned by all students, economists,
jurists and courts, and by the actual
practice of all civilized countries ex.
cepting the United States and England,
in which, for the time being, capital
ism has succeeded in overriding the
doctrine of state ownership.
Our legislatures and courts, both
state and national, have Established
beyond question the right of public
control, SO that public ownership is the
only point at issue SO far as the rail-
roads are concerned.
We seek to restore to the people their
ancient supremacy over highways, by
resuming possession of what has been
theirs from time immemorial.
The remaining socialistic plank re-
'ates to land and simply declares land
to be the heritage of all the people and
that it should not be monopolized for
speculative purposes
This, too, is ancient doctrine, and has
been held by all the great statesmen,
jurists and courts of ancient and mod
ern times. That it has been Submerged
beneath a flood of greed, avarice and
arrogant assumption is largely due to
our immense territory and the fatal
carelessness of the people.
But yesterday it seemed as if there
was wild land enough on this continent
to furnish homes for all who would
need them for a hundred years, yet to-
day it is appropriated by great corpora
tons and private spectators. We
seek to repair this evil-nothing more.
We have now indicated all the social
ism there is in the peoples party and
we have right to ask of ell fair-mind-
ed men to candidly investigate the
propositions as we state them. We
nave no objections to the word social
is,n''-and, rightly understood, it is
one of the most beautiful and signifi-
cant in our language. -Pittsburg Kan
san.