Willmar tribune., 1898-06-21

passed into the hands OF two gigantic
foreign syndicates, and that a politi-
cal combination of these favored rail-
roads, pine-land thieves and iron ore
syndicates owns, controls and oper-
ates the state government in nearly
every branch and today de6es the peo-
pie to regain possession of their own.
| V.
We demand the dethronement of this
corrupt and powerful political ma
chine operating within the republican
party of Minnesota, and we call upon
every patriotic citizen, regardless of
party, to join in the common battle to
this end, as civic duty in the inter-
ests of the states industry, trade, Ia
Dor, it's common schools, it's ballot
and it's future stability and greatness.
vi.
We demand the restoration to the
state of all the valuable lands and 9TH
er resources taken from it by deeds of
fraud and crime.
VII.
We demand the just and equal taxa
tion of all mining, railway, timber
and all state and municipal franchise
corporations, and we demand that
any private corporation enjoying a
public franchise should pay to the
people granting such franchise a fair
percentage of it's earnings as rental
for the use of it.
VIII.
We call to the attention of the peo-
pie of Minnesota that the railroad
companies derive larger annual ag-
gregate income from the charges lev
upon the states industry and trade,
than the total income of the farms from
the sales of the states entire grain
product. We charge that these exces-
sive railway earnings are due to un-
just and exorbitant charges for the
transportation of freight, and that
they both oppress industry and trade
and retard the states development
and we pledge our utmost efforts in
every department of state government
to regulate and reduce these oppres-
sive charges by practical legislation
of the nature of that defeated by the
last republican legislature. We make
this demand for the salvation and
prosperity of the great wheat-produc-
ing industry of the Minnesota and Red
River Valleys, Of the iron industry of
our northern ranges, and of the gener-
al shipping interests of the state as
against the aggrandizement of favored
centers to the east.
Extortionate rates ongrain in north
ern and western Minnesota, nearly
double those charged in neighboring
states, have driven away settlers, re-
tarded development, and produced
bankruptcy where nature promised
prosperity. We demand that the
rates charged by the railroads opera
ted by the two great iron companies
in St. Louis county shall be reduced
to Il figure which will allow shipment
by independent mine owners. Thous-
ands of acres of rich iron lands have
been made worthless because of extor-
tionate rates charged by these syndi-
Gates and all competitors of the two
great iron companies have been driven
from the field through the Indifference
or instrumentality of Republican ad-
ministration.
We condemn the railway and ware
house commission appointed by repub-
lican governors as the subservient in
strument of interested railway and ele-
vator companies, and demand the elec-
tion of such commission by the people.
We denounce the combined railway
and elev ator ring of this state which
controls the location and building OF
private elevators and prevents the free
erection of competitive elevators when
ever it chooses so to do.
x.
We condemn the state labor commits
sioner for the prostitution of his Office
to partisan purposes and the issuance
of political reports on "the purchase
power of gold" at the
expense of the taxpayers of the state
without authority of law, and to the
neglect of the labor interests of the
state, which he is sworn to subserye.
XII.
We condemn the public examiner for
permitting the operation of banking
and trust companies in fragrant viola
tion of law, and the governor for with.
holding the reports on such institu-
tions from the courts and the public:
and we charge upon said executive Off
cials through such protection. of un.
lawful tinanciering no small responsi.
bility for the era of bank-wreckine
which has robbed the people iof the
state during the past five years of 50