The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-05

! taxes. This it is claimed is the only
| standard Of value-that it will regu-
late bullion coined as well as all pro-
ducts. These social Democrats adj
yocate free silver, not through friend
illness for silver but as ''an entering
wedge" to break down the money
power This opposition to. the ''mon-
CIV power' includes silver as well as
gold. If money is but a function, a
fiat that needs no redemption. save
that constant redemption by its re-
ceipt in payment of debts, dues and
taxes and its amount determining so
nicely the prosperity Of a people why
should it be made of limited material,
or dross? 1t should be made on paper
so that the amount can be adjusted TO
mot less than s. per capita
Free coinage of silver is most in
consequential step in their program.
The old school of political economists,
who view money as certified bullion
hold a hated doctrine. Money is not
bullion. but money. While bullion is
used for money the true money science
is obscured Bullion money will final
ly have TO go AS to the land ques-
ton we are told that we are becoming
a nation of land lords and tenants To
remedy this it is proposed TO destroy
private ownership of land. The home
owner will not longer be such but be-
come a renter of the nation in the
name of tax-thiS is the single tax idea.
This doesn't appeal very strongly to
the Kansas farm owner, but it is part
of the program just the same. Gov
eminent ownership of natural mono
poles is the very substance of the pro-
gram. Whence comes this idea? Not
from the west but from the social Dem
ocracy of the east. What are natural
monopolies? Such as in their nature
render Ineffective competition. Kali
roads. light and water companies and
in fact all communication and trans
portation companies are natural mono
poles and must be owned by the gov
eminent and operated lin the interest
of the people
The gigantic proposition involved IN
government ownership Of natural mo-
nOpolies." the power concentrated In
the hands of the government, through
patronage alone, if misapplied. as they
insist has been the case of legislation
in the last twenty-five years. would
make the government the most stu
pendous possible agent of OPPRESSION
conceivable. But the danger does not
stop there. To own those monopolles
where under the circumstances COM
petition is Ineffective, is to own all
those large productive enterprises re-
quiring costly machinery and large az
gregations of capital. Government
must go into business, banking, manu-
featuring, railroading. Social Demo-
cracy then becomes complete-the gov
eminent is everything, the individual
nothing. If we could assume the gov
eminent could operate these things
with wisdom and business judgment
anu we llVI VbJCNt. LUZ
we know from experiments and rea-
son that it would be business failure
ending in our nations destruction or a
despOtism.
This is the tendency and it is near
enough to realization to be felt as a
great danger The PopulistS assure
Is that Mr.. BRYAN is in favor of the
government ownership Of natural mo-
nopolies'' and therefore good Popu-
list The fact that they reject Mr..
Sewall, who is for free silver, and NOM
mated Mr. Bryan argues that it is not
free silver but something else that die
tates this choice. Bryan is q new
Democrat, n social Democrat, Popu-
list His election must not he. Bet
ter suffer the ills we know that fly to
those we know not of.