People's voice., 1900-03-29
Come ara Let Us Reason Together

ONcE bhC quCoblOuS Ndhb w SOuSiNOa
with you You will agree with me,
no doubt, that if ours is not "a gov
ernment of the people, by the people
and for the people" it ought to be.
You do not believe any more than l
do that some people ought to be gov
erned by other people, nor that other
| people have any right TO gov
ern you without your consent You
feel and know that God intended you
should have just as many rights as
any other man living, and that you
ought to have just as much of voice
in determining what kind OF laws we
shall have as any one else. | am not
trying to hatter you in any way nor to
create in your mind an exaggerated
idea of your own Importance. All
men are not equal n physical strength
nor in mental powers; yet when it
comes to the simple matter of human
rights, you instinctively feel that all
ought to stand on an equality and no
man should be crushed that another
may be exalted.
But there are men, OF course, as
there have been through all the ages,
who want to crafty their selfish de-
sires, to live without toll at the ex-
pense of your labor and mine. They
can only succeed in their purpose by
depriving us of some Of our rights,
and getting things fixed SO that you
will earn more than you have, while
they have more than they earn. They
do this by building up and main
tanning system under which they
fix up the price Of what you have to
buy and Of what you have to sell
Whether you work for wages or labor
on the farm, you know that you have
to pay the prices that others fix on
what you have to sell, aad at the
same time you can only buy at prices
you have nothing to do with making.
Whether 1t Is days work or bushels
Of corn or wheat, whether 1t Is
pork or potatoes you have to sell,
you know that you have got to
take price fixed by some corporation
or trust, or else kesp your stuff. You
know, too, whether 1t Is coffee or
cofaAs, sugar or nails, lumber or barb
ed wire you need, other combinations
and trusts fix the price, and If you
need the stuff badly enough, you
must come TO their terms. Your
right to the fruits of your labor is
not acknowledged You are expected
to work, not only to support yourself,
but at the same time TO furnish the
profits" by which the middleman,
the speculator, the stockholder and
the capitalist live.
Why do you submit to the injS;s.ice
and inequality which prevails? Just
because you haven't seen clearly how
to avoid it, and because, too the fel-
lows who are robbing you have been
cunning enough to keep you divided
into two great parties which have
gotten up tremendous contests over
immaterial matters and kept your at
tention diverted from the hands that
were picking your pockets Nothing
can be more certain than that the in
terests of the farmers AM Iaboring
men Of Kansas are identical. Ths
legislation that will benefit one farm.
er will benefit another The financial
system that will help one laboring
man will help the rest. Why, then,
do we ind farmers and laborers in
antagonistic political organizations
fighting each other as if they were
the worst enemies in the world ?
Simply because they have been worked
for suckers Until you can clearly
grasp the fundamental truth that
your interests are identical, aud stand
together for equal rights to all and
special privileges to none," there is
no hope OF your emancip patton. As
long as those who live by the sweat
of your brows can keep you divided,
they need have no fears that you will
cease to carry them.
You tell me, perhaps, that one party
is no better than another, and that
they are all under the control of lot
OF selfish politicians, who are looking
out for their own advantage, and who
care for you only to have you help
them into Office. There is some truth
in this but it is only hi.f truth.
Such men are to be found in all
parties We have been training men
to be just so selfish, BY failing to dis
criminate between honest and unself-
ish public servants and representa-.
tives and those who care only for
their own interests We could change
all this and get governors and sena-
tors and congressman snd state legis-
lators who would be eaten up with a
zeal for human rights, if we wanted
them. Indeed there is nothing we can't
get if we are willing to pay the price.
We must, however. lay aside, at
once and forever. the idea that we can
have just and impartial government
and equal laws II we are not willing
to give time and thought and money
10 secure them Injustice and greed
and oppression are weak in numbers
but strong in organization and in their
readiness to see wha. will be to their
advantage and their celebrity in avail
ing themselves of it. What we OF the
people need, above all things, is to
realize that if We are to be saved we
must save ourselves, and that we must
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