The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-13
PRINCIPLES NEVER DIE.

What VIII You Do With Populfsm
They Are Now In the Hearts Of tn,
People.
Qndiana Referendum)
This is the Referendum's scope.
Inls is the heart of the peoples hope -
Next August the 8th will round ur
four years since we commenced the
publication of the Referendum, JOINING
our little might as vigorously as posi-
bic with the reform press, to teach and
spread the principles OF Populism set
forth at Omaha in 1892.
principles never die" and if the
omaha platform declared living reform
principles, what has become of them
While they have apparently failed so
far to put new national party in
power, let us check up to date the work
or Populist propaganda and see whether
Populists' principles are real principles
that deserve to live, and if so, do they
still live in the hearts of more people
than in 1892?
On the question of trusts in 1892, the
Omaha platform said:
They (the two old parties) propose
to drown the outcries of a plundered
people with the uproar of sham battle
over the tariff, SO that capitalists. cor
porations, national banks, trusts with
watered stock the demonstration of
silver and the oppression of the usurers
may be lost sight of''-Populist Palt-
form, 1892.
Now, both old parties are declaring
against trusts, and everybody is ready
to accept this plank of Populism.
Both old parties will have antitrust
planks in their platforms for 1900, but
whichever gains national power will
only prove a sham fight against trusts,
for neither old party points out any
method Of destroying the oppressive
evils of trusts, and at the same time
retaining their economic good.
Populism is now plainly the only rem
edy for trusts, for it retains all the
economic good saved by non-competi-
tion, and gives the people goods at
lower prices than is possible by COM
petition.
Gov. Pingree, of Michigan, Gov. Rog-
ers, or Washington, and ex-Gov. Altgeld.
OF Illinois, are all recent and powerful
converts to the principle of government
ownership of all public monopolies and
utilities-that is, that whatever is used
by the public should be owned by the
public.
The whole nation IS now thoroughlv
innoculated with Populism on the trust
question.
Before all the railroads are combined
into one trust, the people will not hesi-
tate to change this trust from private
to government ownership, as
they did last year in Switzerland. This
principle of Populism is very much
alive, though, as yet, only declared in
the Populistic platform.
But what about Populism on the
money question? This principle. too. is
very much alive-not as a silver oues-
ton, but as a trust monopoly question. |
Populists assert that the volume of |
any nations money, regardless of it's
is the standard of value. and |
that the government should issue and |
control this volume in a just proper
ton to property and population, and |
that as the volume of nations money
affords the pricing opportunity of the
people in the market, the power to issue
ana control any part of this volume
should be taken from national banks.
and be issued by the government direct
% the people for value received by the
government, and made full legal ten
Ter.
1t would be very foolish people, in
Iced, that would destroy the evils of all
'ther lesser forms of trusts by govern
nent ownership, and leave the control
If the volume of the money in the hands
If the daddy OF all trusts, the national
)anks.
WHAT ABOUT FREE COINAGE OF
SILVER?
Silver is only question of getting
METAL in sufficient quantities to pay off
he government bonds, foolishly made
'ayable by the government, in coin"
which is gold and silver at 16 to u.
A better way to get this "coin would
'e for the government to buy all the
liver offered at the market price, and
'ay for 1t In full legal tender paper
money, till worlds corner" is eff
ected in that metal. Then coin it at
8 to l, and pay off the bonds. No COM
laint by the bond-holders could he
1ade, for the government, having the
fetal "cornered," could set any price it
leased (even 16 to u. And this is a
ensible solution of the simple silver ,
uestiOn.
Instead of giving the silver trust and |
line owners, by free coinage, 72 cents {
roi1t on each ounce of silver mined, the
'hole people would make that profit, I
nd the bond-holders would get the ,
coin OF the contract" ,
with the government ownership of !
'usts, surely the United States would
AXE charge of the telegraph monopoly I
nd make it a part of our postal sys- t
EN-. The United States is the only I
lVlllzed nation on earth that does not /
"n and operate its telegraph and tele- /