Natchitoches populist., 1898-07-22
THE CAMPAIGN FUND.
FILLED FROM THE RAkE-OFF OF
WAR APPROPRIATIONS
This Is Apparent in the Way the Con-
tracts for the Transportation of
Troops and Supplies Have Been Handled
-IDstaHces OF Direct Plunder.

1t is evident that the plutocratic par
ty intends to furnish its campaign fund
for this year and next year and for
the presidential election in 1900 from
the profits in army contracts. The
stealing already witnessed proves this
Federal officers are appointing rail-
road presidents to manage the trans
portation" of our soldiers; these cap"
ltal1st captains of industry" are thus
enabled to contract with themselves;
IN pursuit of the object they had in
view when applying for such manage
ment" and of the object Of giving them
the Job, they are looting the treasury
OF the nation; and, by doing SO, are
playing in '9S variation Of the very
same tune that they played in '62, when
their class passed the legal tender act,
whereby they put money into their
own pockets and took 1t out of the pay
of the soldiers. The following are the
details:
One Of the items in the Urgency De"
ficiency bill, just passed, is $4,000 900
for transportation Of the army. This
item, which is to- cover only the re-
naming two months Of the fiscal year.
is almost equal to the entire pay for a
whole year of the combined volunteer
and regular army. This in itself is a
highly suspicious and fishy circum-
stance. Deeper inquiry reveals the
reason therefor, and, along with that,
the foulness of the affair.
No sooner was war declared. ana the
army and volunteers called out, when
scampering OF railroad agents took
place. They wended their way to
Washington. there they beset the war
department, and system of wire
pulling was instituted. For what? For
the choice Of the points of rendezvous
for the volunteer and other forces. The
Importance OF these points of rendez-
vous was a city accessible only by one
railway line, that thu line would have
the monopoly Of transportation and
| could bleed the treasury all the more.
Each company pulled the wires in Its
own favor, and got the stock holders
in Office whom it could control to throw
the weight of their Office on its side.
A few instances of this competition
throw much light upon the whole af-
fair, and not little upon the sources
of the patriotism" that is trying to
make the country insane. One instance
is this:
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad and
the Chesapeake 6 Ohio railroad are
two lines running through West Vir-
ginia- Each tried to secure point Of
rendezvous in that state situated on
its own line exclusively. The B. & o.
"indooence" secured from the secre-
tary of war the choice of Martinsburg,
accessible only by that line. There
upon the c. & o. got its ''inflooence"
to play on the governor of West Vjr.
ginia, and he appointed as the rendez-
vous Charleston, accessible only by the
c. & o. The result was a deadlock,
under which these capitalist patriots,
who brought 1t on, and their political
lackeys. who carried out their wishes.
were perfectly willing to let the coun-
try run the risk Of finding it's soldiers
unmobilizable.
Another instance, of direct piunder,
is this: A Michigan railroad had
agreed to transport troops from De-
troit to Norfolk Tor 81: another COM
pany thereupon quickly contracted"
for the same work at. over $12-and
this company got the contract.
Frank Thompson, president of the
Pennsylvania railroad, the property of
the Rothschilds, secured from the Sec
retary of war the Job of superintend-
ing the transportation generally. With
this goes the function of contracting.
with whom with himself. for the
benefit Of British capitalists
Is there any wonder that this war
has thrown our upper capitalist class
into paroxysms Of patriotism? Is it
any wonder that Chauncey M. Depew
goes about making patriotic speeches,
and, seeing that the Vanderbilt rail-
road system Is a part estate of the
Duchess Of Marlborough, that he waves
the British flag together with the
American as allies in this war? Is
1t any wonder that all these patriots
seek to intilnidate the people with the
charge of being f'unpatriotic" if they
ask where they come in? Is there any
wonder that their political lackeys
jam such bills through as "urgent?"
The expense Is to be met by the Is
sue of Understanding bonds and by
high taxes upon the necessities of the
poor The incomes of the plutocrats
and the franchises Of the monopolists
are not to be taxed. And all of the
patronage and Doodle thus made avail
able will be thrown into the balance
to help in fastening the gold standard
and the rule of monopoly upon this
country.
I.