People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-06-20


the other combines cannot be reached
by law and the courts. They must be
reached, and they will be reached as
sure as that the cry Of the slave
reached heaven from the cotton field
in spite Of the crack Of the overseer's
brutal lash. In the absence OF the
power transmitted by the laws Of in.
corporation no trusts of any character
could survive. Such an exigency
occurred once in the reign of an
English queen. The sOulless corpora
ton once throttled and individuality
rises supreme. The individual, how
ever, greatly endowed, standing alone.
cannot Cypress his fellows. It's the
combination Of powerful and far
reaching interests protected by incor-
poratiOn laws, that commands con-
gress, buys legislatures, owns entire
governments and Expresses "the
many Of US" in the interest of the few.
All the laws of the times tend to
repress individuality and to hamper
personal freedom. That has always
been true Of the history OF every ma
tion that grew in wealth and power.
The individual in becoming nothing
the state became everything-the
state meaning simply combine Of
ruling interests. Even in Kansas, a
state born Of the very inspiration of
freedom, the tendency-the strong
tendency, is to rule the conscience and
save the individual by statutory law
and at the same time to empower
corporations to oppose the people
without limitation as a whole. 1t is
legally possible in Kansas, for the
sum OF a dollar or so, to incorporate
company totake from the hands Of the
Almighty himself his prerogative of
sending rain upon the just and the
unjust, or for the purpose Of corner
ing all the eggs laid by Kansas hens.
Strikes are wrong, because being
against the interests of legally pro-
tected corporations the striker loses
in the end and thereby suffers; but
strikes are logical. There is but one
strike that remains to "the many of
u.s." and that is the strike for free
dom through the ballot box. The
higher courts no longer hear or know
The many Of u.s." They interpret
the laws in consonance with the spir-
it OF the times, which spirit is but
the inspiration of the combine Of cor
pOrate power in aggregate trusts. An
income tax law whose enactment was
enforced by national needs, to be
paid mostly by persons whose incomes
are through corporations, is declared
unconstitutional by the supreme
court Of the United States. Still the
ultimates Of both courts and congress,
their sole power inheres in the box
which receives the ballot that as yet
remains in the hands Of 1.-THE many Of
u.s."
There are seventy millions" OF
''the many Of us" in this land OF ours,
which land belongs not to the pluto
cratic member Of a gigantic trust, nor
to his lawmaker in congress, or his
law-interpreter of the higher courts,
but belongs to "the many Of US" who
have conscience and brains, who have
hopes and aspirations. But "the
many of us" are no longer heard.
The representatives that we elect
prove not our representatives but the
prechOsen Of trust managers. The
writers and takers are not for "the
many Of US" but for him who is able
to bid higher.
1t is high time for a new Declare
tion of Independence. America must
not only reassert her independence Of
England and her Lombard street, but
"the many Of US" must declare our
independence and superiority to Wall
street and its mono-isms OF monopoly,
mono-metal and mono-money mania
and all its single sel1shness. 1.-THE
many Of US" have only to obtain our
own consent TO our own freedom to
again be free indeed and in the posses
sion OF the inalienable right to 'life,
liberty and the pursuit Of happiness.
international agreement is not
freedom but slavery; mono-measure
does not mean scope and independ-
ence but thrall and subjection-a yoke
with but a single bow.
"Who would be free themselves
must strike the blow"