The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-06-15

FORM ~ national banks and protective
tariffs. Both Of these are infamous
frouds. The Democrats want the state
banks and tariff for revenue, and the
platform is certainly sawed from the
same log as the Republican. The Re.
publicans advocates specific tariff, the
Democrat an advalorem tariff; the Re-
publican wants to centralize all power
and wealth in an autocratic national ma
chine "a mammoth imperialism); the
Democrats would be satisfied to divide up
into state machines, divided imperial
ism. Both advocate indirect taxation
(the greatest political fraud in exist
ence), SO as to be able to raise the wind
to fill their sails to get to the public
crib; both advocate coin redemption, of
which Daniel Webster said that it was
the greatest scheme to fertilize the rich
mans field with the sweat of the poor
mans brow. Weighed in the balance of
justice and measured by the square of
principle, both platforms are easily
proved to be frauds, the difference in the
two is simply the difference between
tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, a mere
matter of sound. Now, while the Pop
ulist platform may have some unsound
wood, it's main planks are heart oak,
we'll seasoned. 1 will select one only
Wealth belongs to him who creates it,
and anything taken from industry with
&c
honest man cavil at that? Does it not
spring direct from the Divine command
Thou shalt not steal?" This sentiment
has long stood at the head of The Repre-
sentative, as sound Populist doctrine.
Now what is a bounty but the transfer
rance of some good from one person or
party to another without an equivalent
in exchange? A bounty may be volun-
tary or involuntary. Voluntarily, as in
the giving of aims or service. Involun-
tary, as when tax is laid upon a whole
community, and the proceeds applied to
some special persons or purpose Vol
untary or private bounties are a matter
of personal sentiment, and may be COM
mendable, since the wealth or service
given are personal property, subject
only to the will of their owner. But
and apply the proceeds to private uses
is robbery, since it is the taking of pri-
vate property by force, without giving
an equivalent. Public bounty, like the
heir ha Nv,
of this state in fact, all bounties of this
nature, is taking of property from the
poorer citizen for the benefit of the
richer citizen. This is manifestly I'M
just. Said the United States supreme
court in one of it's decisions, "To lay
| with one hand the power of the govern
ment on the property Of the citizen, and
with the other bestow it on favored in
dividuals to aid private enterprises, and
to build up private fortunes, is none the
less robbery because it is done under
forms of law, and is called taxation"
Now, do not national banks, tariffs, SUBJ
sides, or the sugar bounty of this state,
come under the ban of this language of
the United States supreme court? Gov
eminent bounties always take from the
weak for the benefit of the strong. Our
government with it's bounties to the ma
tional banks, railroads and manufac-
turing industries, has perpetrated i'm
mense injustice on the agricultural in
terests of this country, for while our
agricultural industry has had to COM
pete with the world in production, and
has contributed IS per cent of our ex-
ports, yet it has, on account of it's num-
bers and segregated population, not only
had to bear it's own burden of taxation,
but the larger share. of the burden os
taxation for the benefit of other indus
tries without getting an equivalent To
trace bounty from the start to finish
is simply to track thief from his lair
the completion of his nefarious de-
signs. A bounty is too frequently
born Of corruption, as is the thief; it
takes an unearned increment, as does
the thief; it's effects on society are the
same as those of the thief (the depriva-
IIOu Ol property IISuCS LOT the VlCtlm
riches for the thief. If the theft is
big enough the thief may attain to high
place in the nation, as does frequently
the recipient of national bounty The
whole system is demoralizing to any
community, since it destroys the fine
sense of justice in the public conscience,
and leads to the making of millionaires
and tramps, palaces and soup houses,
and it will inevitably, sooner or later.
bring it's own punishment corruption,
decay and national death, as in the ma
tons gone before us.
l say therefore that a true Populist,
or an honest, enlightened citizen, can
not advocate national bounties, since
they work injustice. I close this letter
with the following legal axiom:
I'm the enactment of law, justice must
be paramount; in the execution of law
mercy may hold a place."
In the above axiom there is no place
for the bounties of national favoritism.
n