Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-06-03

chronic weakness Of following the
bosses. But among the people is the
legitimate place for the peoples party
to work, and from which it will draw its
recruits. This thing of forming large
and successful parties by miraculous
combination is like investing most of
your money in a lottery scheme-usu-
ally come out without prize.
Now is an excellent opportunity for
populists to push their demand for gov
ernment ownership of railroads. The
Pacific railroad companies owe the gov,
ernment over s1O0,OOO,OO0 principal and
interest, which is more than the prop
erty is worth. The proposition now
is to give the company nearly 100 years
more in which to pay the debt. II
1t is paid at all the people will be taxed
to do it on the rates fixed by the COM
pany If it was some poor widow
woman who owed a dollar or two de-
linquent taxes the government would
take the last pig or chicken she had to
collect. Let us insist on closing the
mortgage on the Pacific roads and test
the practicability of ownership
The Grander Age recently contained
an excellent article in behalf of the in
itiative and referendum. We take
pleasure in quoting the following ex-
tracts:
Said Thos. Jefferson to the old Vir-
ginia legislature: Il can see no difference
between single born despot and 173
elected despots. The people are not.
self-governing unless they can vote
upon every law to accept or to reject it
as they see fit. The results of the rep
resentative scheme of law-enacting we
are only too familiar with The third
house-the lobbyists in every legis-
lature today, in open defiance OF tho
people and in collusion with those
whom the people foolishly elect to pass
| the laws. Who don't know of the cor
ruption. the crime, the profiigacy that
now exist! ~
Every postmaster general, from
James X. Polk's administration down to
Benjamin Harrison's, has advocated
the government operation of the tele-
graph; and though thousands have pc
titioned congress, and though for twen-
ty years past eight out of every ten
voters have favored this reform, yet
the corporation lobbies" at Washing
ton have always succeeded in defeating
| it.
State to the people that though they
favor reform, it will avail them not
at all. They are imbecile to enact.
Party rules make plain the indictment
against party
Specify by figures how the thing
stands.
Call their attention to these cold
facts, viz: That of the thirteen mill
lion voters in the nation, seven mil
lions are in favor of free coinage of sill
yer. and only six millions oppose it;
eight millions in favor of government
ownership and operation of the rail-
roads, and only five millions opposed:
seven millions in favor of equal suf-
rage, and only six millions opposed;
nine millions in favor of the abolition
of national banks as banks of issue.
| and only four millions opposed. nine
millions in favor of progressive in
come tax, and only four millions op-
posed; ten millions in favor of postal
savings banks, and only three millions
opposed; eleven millions in favor of
government ownership and operation of
the telegraph, and only two millions op-
posed, twelve millions in favor of the
election of United States senators by
direct vote of the people. and only one
million opposed; twelve-and-a-half mil
lions in favor of peace and arbitration
methods for the settlement of interna-
tional disputes, and only half-a-million
opposed. etc.
Is the peoples will to mean anything
or not? is the vital question of today.