People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1895-12-27

Learn to Use the Ballot.
Especial Correspondence
To the historians OF the future some
of our present developments will be
Mute incomprehensible, unless they arc
inclined to laugh at the sight of our
stupendous simplicity. The idea that
will be most amusing to them is that Of
our failing to realize the total incom-
patibility Of political freedom with or
in the midst Of powerful corporations
for industrial purposes. Because what
is the meaning of such corporations aft
or all? They mean groups Of individ-
halls to whom rights have been granted
above those understood to be inherent
with every one of us as individuals.
And what is that but tho enactment of
laws saying that such and such individ
uals, when in groups, shall have the
power to dictate to the rest Of the ma
ton the conditions on which they shall
live? And who shall be the rest of the
nation? The poorest Or most conscien-
tous men, those who have not means
enough to group themselves in powerful
combinations, or those who SEQ the
wrong Of combining for the sake of in
turing their fellow men. In either case
they shall DO the men whose natural,
inherent or generally granted rights
should DO considered most sacred, and
hence tho very rights to be protected
and respected by human laws, never to
be interfered with by any artificial com
binations on the part Of the greedy hui
man types in the nation.
Corporations, in the industrial realm,
what are they bat a complete denial Of
equal freedom, and hence disguised dos
potism? All freedom becomes a negation
as soon as equal freedom disappears be
cause Of some rights granted to certain
groups Of men and not to the rest, who
prefer TO remain ungrouped or have to
by reason of insufficient means, etc.
The naked fact il that parliamentary
systems and republics have so far as
eumed, in a hidden form, if you like,
the old divine right Of kings and dcs-
pots-that Of granting fayoritisms to the
powerful, Of course the only ones who
can pay for them or hayo influence
arouud tho throne Of law, in legislative
halls, where our groups Of kings the
modern ones, humbug the workers Of
nations, tho 50 called sovereign people
No wonder that the sovereign is always
kept in poverty, Don't you zee that the
people have abdiuatod the law Of equal
rights, the only scopter by which the
people can rule?
What We call capitalism is nothing
but the concentration Of wealth through
laws Of privilege in defiance Of all nat
ural law and natural rights And what
are laws Of fayo~itism, Of privilege, ci
monopoly? Nothing but the old divine
right Of kings, which negatives all Gi-
vine law, and so all rights by God
granted to men, edon see it in that
1igTt because every now and then the
people 60 to the polls to decide which
lot Of kings shall be allowed to keep On
manufacturing laws Of privilege and
monopoly tMoagh the Same identical
processes by which the cid kings issued
their own laws for the same purpose
that Of keeping most Of the workers in
poverty. One Or two centuries ago, for
instance, the average workers canned
&200 per Ganua, @f5) CT which flidcd
eff through his fingers mostly to enrich
] Ecr cent Of the nation. The average
worker today earns &lG00 &.G0 Of
which, il rot more also slides OF from
him TO enrich Ter cent Of the nation.
l. relation 10 what lie produces the
worker ff today f. tC0rpr tl9n ever he