The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-05-25

pursue in the future, but I apprehend
no class of American citizenship feel
more pride in the valor of our soldiers,
more satisfaction over the achievements
of our navy, or more veneration for the
glorious old flag than the brave and un-
selfish, patient and self-reliant men and
omen who constitute the Peoples Par
:. The cry of expansion, under the
y ca of destiny may be music to the ear
the imperialist, but Populism, while
fusing to lower the flag in the presence
any enemy on earth, would strike
I'M the limbs of American workingmen
a. shackles Of Industrial slavery, be-
fGfe they engage to erlancipate the
llongrel races of strange and foreign
DIS.
ur sympathy it is true, goes out to
,.1a oppressed of all nations, but our
z ' is first to ourselves and posterity,
our mission is to encourage our Re-
publican and Democratic neighbors to
make common cause with us to resist
the encrOachments of combined wealth
on the inalienable rights of free peo-
pie.
EVILS OF CONCENTRATED WEALTH
History will belle itself if people can
remain free after the wealth of the
country has drifted into the hands of the
few, for it is then the grasping landlord
lays claim to the soil and denies the
husbandman the right to compel mother
earth to yield him sustenance, except
upon the most exacting terms; it is then
giant corporations absorb and consoli-
date thousands of miles of railroad ira
versing an empire in domain, and COM
pels the producer to pay "all the traf-
flee will BEAR" before the consumer is
reached; it is then capital combines in
all the mining enterprises, mechanic
arts, and avenues of trade and COM
merce, and utterly crushes individual en-
terprise, skilled labor and the small
dealers; it is then the hideous money oc-
topus assumes absolute control of the
finances of the country, and by a skill
full but heartless manipulation of it's
concentrated millions, dictates the price
of all commodities, paralyzes trade and
in the depreciation Of property values
and untold loss to the small home own
ers and men of moderate means.
BY these iniquitous processes, toler-
k~1 kVy% %1,n \.
be, and have been since the civil war;,
thousands upon thousands of our indus
trious population are yearly dropping
into the ranks of the homeless and un-
employed.
TRUSTS.
The formation of trusts of every kind,
upon everything, is daily increasing to
an alarming extent. 1t is said trusts
on the necessaries of life have been or
ganized under the laws of one state of
this Union within the last four months
aggregating four billions of dollars. 1t is
understood great part of this vast sum
is watered stock, but the productive en-
ergies of labor are expected to pay a
dividend upon it all. Mr.. Bryan will
charge the Republican party with entire
responsibility for this great wrong to
the people, because that party is now in
power, but he will doubtless withhold
the fact that many of the statutes under
which these robber combinations are
chartered, are the handiwork of Demo-
cratic politicians.
And so it is, the landgrabbers and the
railroad combines, the manufacturing
trusts, the national banking system, the
telegraph and telephone monopolies, the
department stores, the sweat shops in
our cities, and the army of mendicants
on our highways, all, all proclaim the
urgent necessity for the life and perpet-
uity of great reform party in this
country. And such party must grow
in power and influence sufficient to
overthrow these enemies Of peace. hap