The Advocate and news., 1898-04-13
II, n. HNEDIKER.

The question before the people Of Kan
sas is not "Who shall fill the public Of
fices" but how can we secure Legislation
that will enable us the better, with less
labor, to clothe, feed, shelter and educate
those dependent on us.
The only light the people have to guide
them Is their intelligence. The only guide
Is party declaration-what they propose to
do 81 given the power.
clared that wealth belongs to him who
produces IT," That declaration Is either
true or false principle In economics. II
true-and we assume It is-no one would
have any wealth or things that supply
human wants unless he produced them,
or they were given him by one who had
produced or given an equivalent for them.
IL true, no man has right to take q
pennyweight from his neighbor unless he
render an equivalent. II true, the State has
no right to take for public purposes one
grain Of corn from q bushel, as 1t now
does by taxation-and the more one pro-
duces the more he Is taxed or robbed. If
and freedom In exchange Of wealth" with
out fines, taxes, tariff, or tribute to any
individuals, or State, or monopolies or
Al the same time the above self-evident
truth was recognized the same party de-
clared that "The earth with all its natural
resources Is the common heritage OF all
the people, and should not be held FOR
This, too, Is a law in economics, or 1t is
not. After declaring for these self-evident
economic laws; after being placed In power
with these principles in view, what action,
II any, has the reform party taken to carry
them to their logical conclusion? SO far as
the people are acquainted, they see nothing
but mlce-nibbling, cheese-paring legtsla-
ton. Reduction Of salaries OF public Of
SGS SsFS nd who cS6s does Rs6 sat cSSp Sdpnet FSe
speculators, who hold SO,0OO,OO0 acres Of un-
cultivated land in the State, and the rail-
roads, that are OF greater land value than
all Of the farms Of the State. The so-called
saving Of which 80 much has been said Is
Of little moment when compared to the
gross injustice done to 10000 landless men
In the State, who are still forced to give
80 per cent. Of their individual earnings
to spectators, railroad lords, coal lords,
syndicates and trusts. This, too, with
30,000,000 acres uncultiVated land in sight.
Now, what becomes Of those self-evident
! truths so nObly declared for few years
| ago7 Gone glimmering
rhe dear people" are informed by the
self-adiusting committee that the Issue Is
defined-the fight is to be made on free
coinage Of silver. Wen, II will not win.
II Is attractive, but fake, nevertheless,
when it comes to relieving the wants OF
the people. 1t 10 all right for gpeculators
and gamblers, men who have property to
sell, but, as John stuart Mill says, by
changing your unit Of account, by lower
N9N4 N@NAAA~sNN
you do not have any more wealth In the
country, but in the distribution, what the
spectators gain the buyers must lose.
Who are the buyers of wealth? Fifteen
| million Americans, who have only their
labor to sell. VIII they vote to lower the
unit In which their wages are estimated?
| Never, WIN any one affirm that free sill
YER will make Il easier for men to get
! land, get homes? 1t ls not the quality or
quantity OF money in a country that makes
| q people prosperous, but the manner OF
getting It, l. e., other things. Would q
cheaper money have benefited the slave In
the South prior to 1860? Would 1t have
| given him any larger share of the wealth
| ne produced? Would free coinage of silver
be of any benefit to the Russian serf or
Irish tenantf or rack-rented French peas
ant2 Certainly not. No one claims Il
would. But they say the same quack
medicine will be OF wonderful benefit to
50, 600 900 landless, homeless Americans.
] Away with such rot. 1t will not work.
IL you mean to do anything for the people
make a stand for justice. Go back to the
truths you stood for in 1899. They meant
something for every producer in the whole
! country; free silver does not Il Is like
| tho tariff. You can no more make a peo-
Pile rich by giving them cheap money than
you can make them prosperous by In